June 29 "There and Back Again"

What a day.

I guess there isn't really too much to say about yesterday. We worked on the Bus. We had kids club in Caer. We had another event for Hawthorn High and there were two people who showed up. Fun stuff. Then after the event, Claire drove Becca and I over to her house, with a bike in the back, and I crashed on their couch.

And this morning we had Lions test #2. What a game. It was so close just like the last one. My guess for the score was 18 to 16 lions. The final score. 15 to 16 Wallabies. And on a missed penalty kick...3 points. Would have been spot on. And it was my favorite player that missed it. Sad day. I'm not mad though. It was a hard kick. But this makes next week's game in Sydney a lot more interesting. Instead of an undefeated record, the Lions fight to win the actual tour. Should be quite lively.

After the game, the real adventure began. A 13 mile bike ride to Cardiff bay. We went with the PCY group, but it ended up being a semi-random assortment of friends and family. So much fun. But the seat was so uncomfortable. When we got to Cardiff, we stopped to have some refreshments and Becca and I went in search of ice cream. Instead we found an "American Diner". And they had root beer floats, and slushies. It was great. We enjoyed our sweet frozen treats and then after a short rest we hit the road. 13 miles back home. It was a grueling journey. I cycled between peddling standing up and sitting down. Exhaustion versus pain. Nobody won. Especially not me. But Becca and I made it all the way home! 26 miles. That's like a marathon.

Exhausted, we gathered back at the house and then headed out to Pizza Hut. Good times. Good food. I'm stuffed. And the regular pizza we ordered got mixed up and so we got a large! No extra cost. It was a good night. Now there are cookies in the oven to be eaten with vanilla ice cream.

It was a day full of joy and of blessings. I am so fortunate to be here and to be sharing such good times with such wonderful people.

But I'm going to get off of here for now. I've got another important message to send and some war wounds to tend. There were dirt jumps half-way to Cardiff... I couldn't resist. So I've got a jammed wrist and pedal-inflicted cuts on my knee. Not to mention the whole sore seat thing. But no adventure is complete without it's battle scars.

Farewell

June 27 "Sleep"

I fell asleep twice on the Bus today. Once at the beginning because our class didn't show up and then once at the end, face down in my book in the kitchen compartment. I don't know why. I guess it has something to do with these late nights. Oh well. I can sleep when I'm dead. 

But we got to have another great day today! Kelsie lost her voice because she has been sick, so she used me as a proxy to speak with the girls that she has been chatting with the past few days. It was pretty fun. Then during the talk and testimony time she noticed that the girls were talking about a question but didn't have the courage to ask. So she told me to go and answer it anyway. So I did! I talked with them for a while about the problem of evil and suffering and what God meant to me. It was great, they even stayed after the bell rang. 

After school we headed back to the house and basically hung out until tea time. We had the Hughes family over, with my Becca, and we all sat down and enjoyed a delicious roast feast. It was awesome. Then a bit of tennis and a rainy bike retrieval for Saturday's ride (more later) before leading Bible study again. 

Tonight's Bible study had a lower turnout and it went by a lot faster because of it. But it still went well. We talked about the Holy of Holies. 

Overall it was a very good day. I still am haunted by this sense that everything is flying by so quickly. Hard to believe that when I wake up tomorrow it will mark the 4 week mark. Crazy. 

Apparently, some of the people in Becca's church were talking about how great it would be for us to come over as interns for a year after we got married...and I don't know what to think about it. I'm not sure how serious they were or how realistic it is, but still it's something to think about. I'll get back to you on it. I need to think more. I have no idea where God is going to put us in this next year. Only time will tell. Right now I have other things to do and to think about. In the not so distant future: Sleep. 

June 26 "Legacy"

I really can't keep the days straight. It's almost JULY! Crazy stuff.

So today at Hawthorn (where the Bus is) I got to meet with some of the kids outside and just chat with them for a while. Apparently one of them was at the church two years ago and had to be escorted out. Sometimes Welsh boys can get a bit rowdy. But I told him that he should come back this year...if only to be thrown out again. And I got to give my testimony during lunch!

But after the Bus I came back and might have fallen asleep for a while. Probably. But then I got to work with Becca at the Kids Club in Rhyd! She met us at the church and we all (leaders and six little girls) headed off to yet another park with far superior playground equipment. Americans with their safety concerns...

At the playground, in the midst of all of the fun, I ran into one of the boys from school. We got to talking and he introduced me to some of his friends. It was cool. Often you do something at a place with people and it doesn't really connect that you are in effect reaching the community as well. He basically followed me around the entire time I was there! He shared his candy, told me everything about everything and even kept asking me whose story (testimony) he would get to hear tomorrow. He and his friend even followed us almost all of the way back to the minibus on their bikes. I'm hoping later in the week to get them interested in coming the the after event and even the Holiday club. Ultimately I need to be able to point them to a Christian support system that will be able to encourage them. I won't be here for very long. I want to give people the truth and to get them connected to these churches so that they can keep being ministered to. Pray that such places would be open to them and that their minds would be open to such places.

After that Becca and I got dropped off at Claire's to work on some stuff for Friday Night Kids Club in Caer. I came up with a new and improved method to make a fishing net...and then almost lost my mind trying to tie all of the knots. Eventually I just kind of gave up and watched rugby. Lions for the win! Shut out the Rebels. Can't wait until Test #2 on Saturday.

Rabbit Trail! --- I was able to have a conversation with several guys today about the Lions while I was at Hawthorn! So for those of you who have been reading this and saying "We sent him over there to watch rugby?!" Yes...yes you did. And it is opening doors for conversation. So there... Just kidding. I don't think that any of you are like that. Y'all are my friends.

Pray for me. As I near the halfway point I am starting to think more and more about what I want to try and leave behind when I go back home. There are so many good things that I have been blessed to have been involved in, but I want to contribute as much as I can to these churches and these people as possible. I am not sure what my lasting contributions will be, maybe I won't even be able to say by the end of the trip. Still, I know that God is in the work that I am doing and in knowing that, I know that He will change this place and these people for His glory.

June 25 "The Sun Shines Over Wales"

Another day on the Bus, another group of students rolled through. Today I saw a friend from last time, a guy that I hadn't seen since my return. Apparently he hasn't been coming to church much since we left. Apparently there is an age that the young people just stop coming to church. Once they get well into secondary school, they just lose interest. I am not sure why. Maybe they just get too enamored with the world. Maybe they don't see the point anymore. It happens to a lot of people, all over.

But other than that the Bus went well. I had a lot of time to just sit and think and scribble in my journal. I realized that it wasn't very full in proportion to the amount of time that I have been here. I guess I just do a lot of writing elsewhere...here. I just carry the journal to jot down thoughts and to scribble plans and things that I want to remember. It serves its purpose.

After the Bus we headed here and I got to work on my talk for tonight. We went through the three remaining pieces of the Armor of God. The Shield of Faith, The Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit. It went well. I was glad to be able to share with them, seeing as these last two weeks have been the last two weeks that they meet until after Summer Holiday.

And now I'm here. In hindsight it doesn't sound like a very eventful day, but it was a good one. The sun was shining and that is always a treat in Wales.

And now I sit here, relatively early, and wait to see what time I find to fall asleep.

I've been thinking a lot about what's next. Probably because people keep asking me about it. Hard to believe that in less than 6 months I'll be married. Luckily most of the important stuff has been handled for the wedding, but I've still got a lot to do. I need a job and a place to work mostly. I'm not really sure how all of that is going to work out, but it will. Becca and I have taken to memorizing Bible verses together while we are over here. The most recent one is Luke 12:24 "Consider the ravens, they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouses nor barns, and yet the Lord feeds them; Of how much more value are you than the birds!" The Lord provides.

June 24 "The Church's One Foundation"

Yesterday, I do not remember much of. Honestly. I was in a bad mood. I didn't take the time to get focused and to look to Christ for my joy and support. The result was not the best. The negativity carried over into the morning a bit. But then, against all odds and my stubborn self aside, I turned and and began praying for God's forgiveness and for deliverance from my selfish ways. Seeking God through the Word and through prayer is essential. I forget how truly important it is sometimes.

After that, things on the Bus really looked up. It was an enjoyable time and the class that I led was very interested in the material! And they will be back Wednesday. Also, the day trip (today being my Sabbath) that I assumed was dead in the water was able to take place!

Becca met me at Hawthorn High School and we walked from there to the base of the hill separating Rhyd from Caer. It took some time to find the base of the hill, but then up we went. Our Mission: cross the hill in time to get a ride to Victory Church for the evening service. More about them later.

The walk up was good. We saw lots of sheep (I snuck up and petted a sleepy one) and a few Border Collies! At the top of the first part of the hill we found an old church and a pub that I knew would be there. For those of you who heard our pre-trip spiel about the churches in Wales, I mentioned this church- most of the time. It is the beautiful stone church that was chained shut two years ago while the pub bustled right next door. But not so anymore! The church was open! To the public. Becca and I walked in and had the place all to ourselves. Not only was it open, but it was back in use! There were fresh bulletins and Bibles and hymnals sitting around. We explored the plaques and the history of the church and I was just in awe at all that had changed. We sang a good many hymns in there too, just the two of us. It was wonderful. There were a few moments in that church where I just felt so blessed. The morning prior I had been such a bitter and forlorn brat, and God blessed me with a day full of beautiful weather and such wonderful memories. We explored the graveyard and then after praying for the church, we tried to go to the Pub for a bit to eat. It was closed! Life is funny sometimes.

We walked up to the sheep pastures at the base of the next part of the hill and sat down to eat what little food we had brought with us. As we were munching and carrying on our conversation, a horse came trotting down the hill! It came down to eat the onions and leeks that someone had thrown out for the sheep. We tried to get close and it fled to the top of the hill. Naturally, we went after it. At the top of the hill (the very top) there was a whole herd of horses! Well, some horses, and a lot of ponies. There were so many of them, big and small, babies and old nags. It was such a cool experience. We sat down and watched them run around on the hill and just enjoyed the view. Then we walked across to the triangulation point (big concrete pyramid-thing) and somehow we both got on top of it. The base is like the size of my laptop. Then, after barely surviving getting off the point and petting some of the less skittish horses, we descended the hill. We walked and talked and stopped to see the cows, then kept going...then turned around to get the lens cap from the cow stop. Eventually we made it all the way down to Caerphilly and then a few "short-cuts" and Frogger-esque sprints across the roundabout...we made it to Claire's. And just in time! Kelvin's parents were over and had made chicken soup for the kids- with plenty extra. So good.

After dinner, we loaded up into the cars (the adults did) and headed off to Victory Church. This church has been meeting every day since April in Wales and so when the opportunity to go see what was going on emerged, I jumped. We got there and waited a few minutes for the doors to open, but when they did, the people just flooded in. I must admit, my American expectation for this revival was a bit larger, but when I really thought about it, there must have been hundreds of people there. Huge for Wales. Such a great crowd. There were a lot of different things. As a Presbyterian, I have a particular default for worship. This was a bit more Pentecostal than what I am used to. But they had such passion and energy and the sheer size and dedication of this church in a place with so much darkness is just a wonderful act of God.

Please be in prayer for these churches. Between the church on the hill and the Victory Church, today has been such an encouraging day for my perception of the church in Wales. Things are changing. People are changing. There is definitely so much life left in this old stump of a country. Everything here has such a rich heritage in Christianity and there are so many people who want to see it flourishing again. One of the hymns that Becca and I sang today was "The Church's One Foundation", which is Christ. He is the cornerstone to our faith. He is everything. Sometimes I forget that. As a church, as people, we need to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. That is the secret to running this race with perseverance. We must keep our eyes on the Prince of Peace. We must keep our eyes on the prize.

June 22 "Rest"

First thing this morning, rugby! It was a great match between the Lions and the Australia Wallabees. It was close, but the Lions won it on a slipped kick. Good game. Good fun.

After the game I headed down to Caerphilly Castle for a scavenger hunt with Raf and Becca and some of the local children. Becca and I wandered around taking pictures and looking at the updates that were placed in the castle since the last time that I was here. It was a good trip and a lot of kids came out to enjoy the clear day and to hear about God!

After that we went to the GSUS Bus event from Bryn Celynog. We met at a scout hall down the street from the church and this week we had like 8 students come out! It was a pleasant surprise. The other two events had one student each (both of whom were already in church attendance). We talked about self worth and what God says about us. It was a good time with games, food, teaching, and music. I enjoyed myself and I think the students who showed up really enjoyed themselves as well.

It has been a strange couple of days. I have been very tired and trying to catch up on my rest. But I have had very full weekends and everything here has such structure. Pray that I would feel rested and that I would spend my time wisely. I think that it has finally set in that this isn't like the other mission trips that I have been on. In the past I have been gone for a week, 3 at the most, and then after leaving everything I had on the mission field, I come home and sleep. But this is different. I've just been past the three week mark. Not quite halfway. And it is starting to hit me. Fortunately things are going to be slowing down a bit these next few weeks. Pray for my energy. Pray that I would keep focused.

June 21 "An Ocean of Stones"

Six months until I get to marry the love of my life!

And now back to the more Welshy things.

I guess I should probably update you about yesterday. I missed my first day. Shame on me. But it was fairly normal. The Bus, then dinner with the family, then Youth at Pete's for Gateway church. Nothing too eventful. Not for me anyway.

Today was a bit different. It was our last day at Bryn and we did our best to make the most of it. Josh came back and we spent a lot of time talking (girls, country music, the Gospel- the good stuff) and singing (we blew out the Bus! Josh Turner over the speaker system). It was a fun day. BUT to top it all off, Hannah Searle (Welsh friend) was able to give her testimony today, Kelsie gave hers yesterday. The kids have been coming in drove to hear us talk! It has been so amazing. I hope that this indicates a fair interest in the meeting tomorrow night (PRAY FOR IT!). But after Hannah spoke, I was able to sit down and talk with several girls about the Gospel. Essentially they indicated a fear of Hell and I told them the good news! If there is a Hell to be a afraid of then there must be a Heaven! And if that then God must exist! And from there we talked about the hope that those who trust in Jesus have and the free offer of the gift of life! It was a great moment. I was so happy to be able to share the Good News with these girls. I spent some time in prayer for them at the end of the last session. Hopefully we will see them soon.

After school I got dropped off in Caer to help with the kids club. It was a lot of fun. But I think that this week has really hit me hard. I was so tired and I think I was letting stress get me down. It has been a hectic couple of weeks. Tonight will be a good rest I think. And I was able to enjoy the evening with the PCY group.

This week we went down to Ogmore, to a different castle and explored the beach a bit! The beach was covered in rocks and there were these amazing cliffs! Naturally I had to climb up onto them and of course my bride-to-be was right there with me. We enjoyed the seaside for a while before rejoining the group for real life Pacman. It was a complex game involving pea-collecting, ghost capturing and avoiding the ghosts. I was a rather passive and sarcastic ghost. It was awesome. I made a little boy (won't say who) cry three times today. I think sometimes I forget how delicate children are. Inside and out. But he's fine. And we are buddies so he's not salty about it. In hindsight the events are a bit laughable. Basically it was a hat trick.

After the game we rode home in a flurry of bad jokes and McDonald's (Crunchie McFlurry = good, but would be better if they didn't just sprinkle the top...gotta mix it in). Then there was some Minecraft and some relaxing at Claire's before I headed home. Now...bed. Well...almost.

Tonight when I stepped out onto that beach, it reminded me of the piles of stones that the Israelites would place at various places on their way into the promised land. Usually they would put twelve stone in a pile to commemorate the might acts of God. Looking at those cliffs, chiseled away my the mighty ocean, and the seemingly endless beach of smooth gray stones, I thought about how many stones I would need to build a monument for the mighty deed of Christ. God did amazing things for His people when they crossed the Jordan and defeated their enemies in the Old Testament. But that was all just a step on the way to Golgotha. There God's plan to set things right climaxed when the veil was torn. God fixed what we had broken. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The ocean could not hold the stones for that.