Settled

I've been in Wales for one week today! It feels like I just got here, but it also feels like I've been here longer.

Pretty much all of my time has been spent getting settled into my house and learning the city. The flights over here went well, no major delays or missed flights. Not a huge fan of flying, but I already knew that. The first few days I stayed with the Elliotts. They showed me around town and took me to get supplies and whatnot. I moved into my house on Wednesday evening and have been getting things organized. It's a big 3 story Victorian house. Right now I live with 6 other people and I think there are still some open rooms in the house. I'm on the 3rd floor in a small room, but it's nice. The heater currently is not working, but I think they are coming to fix it today, hopefully :) My house is in a great location. It's walking distance to the Elliotts house, a supermarket, and just down the road form a University Campus. There's also a bus stop and park just across the street.

I've discovered that the weather in Wales is just as and maybe more bipolar than it is in Kansas. It can go from blinding sunshine, to freak hailstorm, to raining, and then back to sunny in a matter of minutes! I like it though. I was afraid it was going to be raining 24/7 but there have definitely been some sunny parts of the day.

In some ways I feel like I haven't done anything yet, but honestly getting settled and adjusting to the time and cultural differences takes time. The Elliotts and another missionary from the States have encouraged me to take it easy this first week, and assured me that what I've gotten done this week is good for someone who's only been here for a few days.

A lot of what I will be doing is trying to meet people and get them involved in our church, Capital City Church. It's not because we just want to look big and have more people at our meetings. We're aiming to get people involved so they can discover who Jesus is and fall in love with Him. I will also be helping with pretty much anything we do, such as Sunday School, the Alpha Course we are doing on Tuesday nights, and various outreaches we have planned. I also have a few projects that will be given to me that I can work on. I'm planning on spending some time at the University as well to develop relationships with the students and staff so it can be an open door for ministry.

God is good. There's challenges, fears, and doubts along the way, but I'm glad I have Christ as my foundation to turn to. Being on the other side of the planet doesn't seem quite so daunting when I know I have Jesus with me, as well as other Christians on a similar journey.

Please continue to pray for me as I begin to start working towards meeting more people and doing projects for the church. I need Him to do this, because if I don't have the power of the Holy Spirit with me and if I don't keep Christ first, than this is simply a waste of time.

Thank you so much for everything!

P.S. If you want to see some photos check out my facebook page :)

Really?

Am I really moving halfway across the planet tomorrow?!?!?

That's definitely what I'm feeling right now. All the work of fund-raising, getting a visa, finding a place to live, and packing a years worth of clothes into two suitcases has all come down to this. I'll be leaving my house and heading for the airport in less than 12 hrs. By 4am on Saturday our time I'll be arriving in Cardiff... It's a mixture of very excited and and very freaked out at the same time!

Looking back, I'm amazed at how God has worked everything out. Everything has fallen into place just in time. God is good.

I'm so thankful for the part you are playing in this journey. All the prayers, all the words of encouragement, and all the money you have blessed me with has made it possible. Thank you so much!

I ask that you would keep me in your prayers as I travel, and as I start in the ministry God has planned for me. I NEED Jesus to do this, I need to hear the Holy Spirit and be obedient! Please pray that God would use me as He sees fit. Please pray for the boldness I need and that God would bring me joy and peace in the work I'll be doing.

The journey is finally beginning! It's been a long time coming, but I'm glad it's happening in Gods timing, which is, as always, perfect :)