Faces of the Wales Trip...

Wales...3

Okay for all you whiners out there...BEGGING me to enlighten your hum-drum lives with a taste of Welsh living...be enlightened! Also, another slideshow will soon follow...
The next morning (Saturday) we awoke to the sounds of birds chirping, and the house bustling…actually it was almost 1 PM in Merthyr when we woke up! The kind family was so gracious to allow the newfound princesses some EXTRA beauty rest. J We all ate together (our breakfast, their lunch) and then they whisked us away to a small park where Julie and I displayed our incredible abilities to twirl in the air on a hanging tire, to balance ourselves on a tightrope strung around the tallest trees, and other turbulentistic feats!
We then rushed over, out of breath, to Mike and Sharon’s house for a time of prayer and instruction. Fearless Mike only had one request that day…NO international incidents! “Simple enough.” we thought. We enjoyed listening to the Welsh accent being used properly that day…Later that afternoon we all went over to Captain Gareth’s castle for a feast of the most amazing delicacies ever laid before your eyes! There was Lamb on a stick, hamburgers, roast chicken, strawberries, pasta, and Lamb and Mint flavored Pringles!!! AHHH, it was GOOD! After they had stuffed us silly with finger-licking delights, they rolled…uh, I mean guided us down to Cafarthfa Park to play football (soccer). The men gave an incredible presentation of “athletic abilities”. Well, it WAS entertaining.
This evening marked the start of a few amazing friendships! Julie and I met Anna, Vikki, and Amy! Those lovely girls will never know how much they mean to me!

Wales

…as we neared our destination, it became apparent to all of us that we had left sunny Florida for a long time. The rain was coming down in tiny, cold little bullets as we rushed inside to meet our new families. One by one we were engulfed in hugs as each entered his/her new home for the next week! Julie and I were first greeted by Andy, king of Park View Castle! I noted immediately his kind eyes and cheery smile. Then as he drove us to meet his family, I mustered up every ounce of strength that I had left in me to fight the mighty Sleep Dragon! It was an exhausting battle, but nothing to lose sleep over.
As we trudged up the stone steps, three grins greeted us from the window in the front room! Queen Lynda, in all humility, with her warm embraces and gentle voice, ushered us into the front room so we could rest and have a cup of tea (our first in Wales!!!). Princess Beth presented herself calm and collected, but I could tell she was brimming with questions for the crazy, tired Americans. I was also greeted by Meg the Fairy! Meg had a sparkle in her eye and a mischievous grin. She floated about the room, unable to contain her excitement about the two new houseguests!
As Lynda beckoned us to retire to our room, we gratefully followed her upstairs, content with a piece of carpet to call our own. But this marvelous family had prepared a feast of a room for their weary travelers! We had been given the highest room in the tallest tower, which Princess Beth so graciously bestowed upon us. Our window overlooked the village of Park View, and provided a wonderful retreat when we wanted to read or spend time in the Word. We slipped into a deep sleep that night, wondering if the dream we had walked into would still be there in the morning…

Wales

Well, where do I begin? I guess the first day would be a good start...going into it, I had no idea what lay in store for 20 crazy Americans taking 10 hours to cross the big puddle...into a land flowing with sheep and accents.
It wasn't until I was already locked tight and sealed shut inside the big bird that I realized what KIND of a trip we were in for. I stared at the odd man in front of me in horror as he wrapped his airline blanket around him and began to contort his face in ways I never thought humanly possible.
Then it came upon an afternoon clear when we met the fearless leaders of the church. Ahh, yes. Captain Garreth himself, and his trusty sidekick Tony. They, together with their super powers, single-handedly scooped all 20 of us up and led us to their mighty carriages. With the wisdom of thousands, they thrust our luggage into the "boot" with a single bound! I had never seen such precision. As we glided through the country-side with the wind on our faces, I pondered the looming future, which led me to wonder: What will my host family be like? What will we do this week? How well do I WANT to get to know my team members? Is that drool coming out of ........'s mouth? (TO BE CONTINUED).....

Check out my Slide Show!

Hey, here's just a few...kind of a run-down of our trip! Enjoy! :)

Finally Home...

YAY! We just got home a few hours ago. I'm so sorry we weren't able to update the blog like I would have wanted to. We couldn't get internet from Julie's lap top very well.
I am SO glad to be home (I get to sleep in MY bed tonight!!!), but it was definitely very hard to leave the people in Merthyr yesterday.
HELLO TO ANDY, LYNDA, BETH, MEG, GARRETH, ANGELA, MATT, TOM, TONY, NORMA, JOHN, JAMES, MATT AND AMY, VICKI, ANNA, and EVERYONE else at the wonderful SGC in Merthyr! I miss you all already! I will be taking my film in tomorrow to get it developed so I may be able to put up some more pics on the site tomorrow night! I love my new Merthyr church family and can't wait to hear from you! Feel free to post on my blog when you can, and send pictures as well!

To everyone here at home that I haven't seen yet, I LOVE YOU and can't wait to see you! Please pray though...my luggage was lost today. :( I got my camera case but my suitcase didn't make it on the plane in Charlotte. They did call us to tell us they FOUND my bag, but it most likely won't get delivered till tomorrow evening at the earliest...which means I don't get to give my family their gifts until then. :(
Thanks to EVERYONE who prayed for us while we were gone, and for the weather! We had a few days where the weather was gloriously sunny and thus enabled us to spend more time serving and spend time with the church. It was definitely disappointing to have to cancel the Fun In The Park day, but I am so grateful that we can trust in the sovereignty of God. I know that God's purposes cannot be thwarted and are not dependent on a team of 20 Americans coming over to help out a baby church. :) God doesn't NEED me to do certain things for His glory...He simply provides me the wonderful privilege of serving His church and lifting His name up in a dark world, because He chooses to do so. How kind of our amazing God to give me such a wonderful opportunity!

Wow...I will be amazed if any of that even makes sense to you guys. :) It's 10 PM right now, which means it should feel like 3 AM to me...which means I should be passed out in a coma by now. =D Again, I love you all and can't WAIT to hear from you!

An Update!!!!

Okay, it's Jennifer again! Here's an update from Abby Carlen on her dad's blog: Mr. ‘C’. It was so cool to read that! :o) And, Abby, you ARE on a Missions Trip...the most important kind because you're taking the Gospel to the lost! It's okay to have fun along the way! ;o)

Nathan's updated his here.