From John, Sept 2024
Good afternoon from our new flat in Wales! Technically, it’s a maisonette apartment, but it’s still generally referred to as a flat. We recently moved to the adult side of town and really like Penarth. It’s essentially a suburb of Cardiff, located just on the other side of the bay from where we lived in citycenter. We now live at the base of the high street, about a 6-7 minute walk from the shops and such. It’s quiet, with more room to spread out so we’re not on top of each other. We have a small sitting area out front and a little back deck. It’s nice to step outside so easily; we missed that when living in a high-rise. Niki really likes the kitchen; for the first time since we moved out of Debbie Lane, she is enjoying her kitchen again. The terraced home we live in is what we in the States would call a townhome. There are about 18 units connected together on this block, and we are in an end unit, so we enjoy some extra windows.
It was a busy and pleasant summer. In June, the highs were in the mid-60s, and the lows in the mid-50s. July warmed up by maybe 3 degrees on average, and August warmed about the same again. 78°F is considered a heat wave here—understandable since AC is not common. September starts the cool down and begins to get a little more rain.
September 4th marked our one-year anniversary in Wales. My, how time flies! During our preparation for moving to Wales, we prayed that God would “quicken the time” in building relationships and getting connected in a city where we knew almost no one. Thankfully, He answered that prayer.
Niki and I were both fortunate to get connected in groups and several discipling relationships. We sowed seeds and saw fruit during our first year. We were able to do good in the community thanks to your generous gifts. We hosted several guests and enjoyed showing them around South Wales. In July, our longtime friends, the Parsons, joined us for a week, and at the end of August, another longtime friend, Rob, popped in and out for a week.
College, or “Uni” as the locals call it, starts back this month in Cardiff, which kicks off a new season of groups and opportunities for discipleship at Citizen Church. As I mentioned previously, we were asked by the church to head up a discipleship team. We are ready to launch soon and will be gathering “Pauls” and “Timothys” over the next few weeks to begin pairing them up.
My Tuesday night Uni men’s group starts back up next week. It’s a real joy to sit in a pub, enjoy a pint, and read God’s word with these students in their 20s. It’s such a pleasure meeting with these young men who are hungry for God’s word. I recently added another one of these Uni guys to my one-on-one list.
Niki and I plan to lead two groups this fall. One will be a couples group, starting with Paul Tripp’s book What Did You Expect?. For the second group, we’ll see where they are and decide which direction to go in. We generally like to start a group with Andy Stanley’s The 5 Things God Uses to Grow Our Faith. It’s a great launching point for a new group, laying the foundation of the need for our faith to grow and our active part in that.
Sara joined us in June and starts school next week. She had her first school activity last week and met several fellow students. We are excited for her as she pursues her master’s in Historical Musicology. It’s nice to have some family with us, although she spends most of her time in coffee shops, writing for various projects. She also works remotely for a company in the U.S., maintaining social media and online marketing endeavors.
As we reflect on this past year, we are thankful for what God has allowed us to be a part of and for His provision. Thank you all for your generous support.
Until next time,
John and Niki Rogers
Romans 15:13
