Greetings from sunny Wales, where the sun rises at 5 a.m. and sets at 9:30 p.m. And we are not even at the peak of summer yet.
It’s been a little while since our last update so let’s get caught up. On the personal side, John and I had the pleasure of returning to the States for an extended stay to celebrate Sara’s (#4) graduation from Covenant College with a double major in History and Music. We are so incredibly proud of her, and all her hard work and perseverance over the last four years. We are excited to see what the Lord has in store for her. Sara will be attending Cardiff University in the fall for her Master’s in Musicology. She arrives next week, and we are very excited to have her with us.
While home we had the immense pleasure of being present as Suzy (#5) was baptized. What a joy it is to see your child make that commitment as an adult. Praise God.
We also had the joy of spending time with our circle of friends, who we have been doing life with for the past 20 years. I spent time with my friend, with whom I’ve been doing ministry for the past 10 years. The time was regenerative and such an encouragement. We reconnected with family, getting to see daughters #2 and 3 while home. It was great to see some of my sisters, a much-loved niece and nephew, and to visit my mother, who turns 93 next month.
I have been blessed in friendship and many other ways through my connection with the yarn shop “One More Row.” I was able to visit and reconnect with my friends there and help out at the shop on several occasions. Knitting, the shop, and my friendships there have been such a gift to me.
Now back to Wales. Prior to our trip home, we were asked by church staff if we would be willing to put together a discipleship plan for the church (ah yes we would, thank you very much). Hopefully, that will be rolled out in Autumn when school resumes. We contributed (thanks to your generous donations) to a young man who lives in our building and feeds the homeless in Cardiff a few times a month. This young man is Muslim, and last year during Ramadan, while he was fasting, he was burdened by those who are without food not by choice.
Speaking of the homeless population, John and I have met many of the homeless that hang out around St Davids. We call them by name when we see them. We offer encouragement, prayer, and concern. We always make sure we have a couple of pounds in our pockets to “give to those who ask”, Luke 6:30.
John continues to meet with the young men. The Tuesday night pub study has concluded for the school year, but one of the members asked John to continue meeting, very exciting.
I’m continuing to meet with the women I have been meeting with and recently added two more young women. I also have various knitting groups I attend in hopes of finding someone interested in studying the Bible and following Jesus. Sometimes it’s just knitting, and other times there are tidbits of spiritual conversations. At our last Monday night knitting at our apartment, I was overjoyed to hear the ladies discussing how lonely they had been and how it wasn’t until the knit group that they found a friend. One even said how happy she was to receive the first message inviting her to join. God is so generous to give glimpses into others’ lives for the purpose of encouraging us.
Lastly, thank you for your financial support. We have been able to financially bless many because of your generosity. In addition to the feeding the homeless charity, we were able to donate to the Justice ministry at Citizen Church. Justice conducts church services in local prisons and teaches Alpha courses to inmates. Additionally, Justice has a prison leavers ministry offering mentoring and discipleship to individuals once they get out of prison. The organization also supports local refugees in our area. You have helped these boots on the ground ministries in Cardiff. Thank you.
That’s all for now, come see us in sunny Wales.
PS: Since preparing this update, sadly my mother has passed away. I am so grateful that I had that time with her last month, to tell her how much I loved her and how thankful I am for all she had done for our family. I asked for her forgiveness for the times I had been less than generous towards her. She leaves behind 6 daughters, 14 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren. What a legacy.
