Christmas, 2008

Anna arrived early Christmas morning. She's the only one of our children who could come this year. We had a great time though. She's so low key and easy to have around. We ate Christmas dinner at the church with about 50 other folks who were without family. It was fun. In England before eating you pull a cracker with the person next to you and then you wear a silly hat through the meal. Here we are serving the food with our hats on. Anna struggled to make it through the day and ended up asleep on the couch with Curious George. We basically took walks, played games, talked, she slept, we worked some. One day we went to High Halden, but Paul's already blogged about that. For our birthdays we went to see The Secret Life of Bees and made a day of it in the city and that was fun. Paul also got me a mini laptop to have when we travel so I don't have to share with him. Overall, it was just a nice time of being together. I wondered if I would be sad that there were only the three of us, but although we missed the others, we really had a good time. Life is getting back to normal. English classes and Bible studies start next week, Paul goes on Saturday to meet with one of the Presbytery committees, he's busy in his office, etc. We find ourselves wondering what God has in store for us and our family in 2009. We are excited to start another year with Him.

Some Time in the US

Paul and I had some meetings in the US early December and decided to take the rest of our vacation and add it on to see our kids and Moms. We started out in Chattanooga with Anna (and her housemate Esther) who lives in our house in St. Elmo. We spent a week redoing our kitchen floor and other odd jobs then having Wil and Amy over for Thanksgiving dinner. The floor turned out looking great.

From there we went to see Wil and Amy. It is always so relaxing in their home in Murphy, NC. They live out in the woods so it's peaceful and beautiful. We played lots of cards and got to see one of their indoor soccer matches. It was nice to visit their church and meet some of their friends.

On to Orlando to see Erik, Rinnie and the girls. It was so fun to be with them all. We took Erik and Rinnie out to dinner the first night and it was good to have uninterrupted conversation and catch up on what's happening with Erik's business ventures. The rest of the time we spent playing with the girls and talking with Rinnie. We made a gingerbread house and cookies, went for walks to feed the ducks and read a ton of books. We miss our granddaughters so much.

Next stop was our Moms. Paul went to Las Cruces and I went to Quarryville with my sister, Sally. We both had good visits and found our Moms to be doing pretty well. I was very encouraged, actually, since the last time I saw Mom she could hardly walk. This time she was walking some (with her walker), eating better, holding conversation, and singing Christmas carols. Her voice may not be what it once was, but she loved singing. I think the most special moment for me was when we were ready to leave she prayed for my sister and I. We were both in tears, hearing Mom's sweet voice talking with the Lord about us.

After our meetings at MTW we went on to Kirk and Sarah's. It was great to see Sam since the last time we saw him he was just born (March 2008). Joanna was so cute. When we got there she said "Come on, Granny, here's our room". So we shared a room with Joanna and just had a blast. We got to be there for her third birthday. It was fun chatting with Kirk and Sarah, and just spending time together. We went to see the house they are buying so are happy we'll be able to envision them there once they finish the renovations and move in.

After that, we were on the plane back to London to get ready for Anna to arrive Christmas day. But that is another blog post..... If you'd like to see more pictures of our time in the US you can go to: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1885549&l=c9450&id=624702564 and
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1885332&l=5898f&id=624702564

Another Historical Exploration

On my birthday this past Monday Liz, Anna and I went to High Halden, Kent, south east of London, to visit the hometown of Stephen Mercer. He was the father of Rinnie Mercer Fuller and maternal grandfather of my maternal grandfather, Harlow Mercer Fuller.

We visited St Mary’s Church in the village of High Halden, which is a Church of England church. You can find information and see pictures of it at www.thefriendsofstmarys.org and at www.kentchurches.info by looking under High Halden. This church dates to the 13^th century. We didn’t look for gravestones there since I don’t have any indication we have ancestors buried there. According to the information I have, Stephen Mercer and all his six siblings were born in High Halden, so they may well have been baptized in that church. In about 1829 they all immigrated to NY state and did well there.

We visited St. Mildred’s C of E church in Tenterden, a larger town just a few miles from High Halden, and found John & Mary Mercer’s gravestone. They were the grandparents of Stephen Mercer. The dates fit with the family records and “The Mercer Family” dates. Some of the inscription is unclear, especially around the lower names, presumably of other children who died at younger ages and are buried in that site. Nearby is the stone for Thomas and Charlotte Mercer of a younger generation (died 1849 & 1874), but I don't know how they might be related. If you want to download the pictures in this post just right-click on them as choose “save as”. Paul

Trip to Yorkshire

Recently, Paul and I traveled up to Gateshead in Yorkshire to visit with a MTW family, the Schweitzers. Bill is in the US for 11 weeks raising support, leaving Pam and her five kids here. We had a great time getting to know Mark, Bethany, Mary, Anna and James, ranging in age from 9 to 1. God is really caring for this family and it was good to see that and spend some time with them. They are there working to start a church in that town. We first met them when Paul was their small group leader at MTW's training called Living in Grace. We really enjoyed reconnecting with Pam. She's a busy Mom involved in a home school co-op, along with other responsibilities. Bill returns the middle of December.

The drive to and from London was beautiful. We stopped in a little village called Ripponden where some of Paul's ancestors are from. We ate in a pub that was first opened in 1307 so we couldn't help but wonder if great, great, great, Grandfather Joah Carter ever ate there as well.

So, we thank the Lord for how he is caring for Pam and her children while Bill's gone. We also thank Him for our heritage, full of godly men like Joah Carter.

Trip to Ukraine

Paul and I recently spent 10 days in Ukraine. It was our first time there and we certainly hope not our last. We arrived in Odessa on a Thursday afternoon, went to Don and Nancy Underwood's apartment to reorganize a bit and prepare for an overnight train into the Carpathian Mountains to attend MTW's country retreat. Paul had fun singing "Senior Don Gato" to the kids during the talent show one evening. We had a great time getting to know different team members and enjoying the beauty of that part of the country.

After the weekend was over we got back on the overnight train back to Odessa. The next day we got on a bus and rode about four hours to Kherson to visit with the team there. We stayed with Jamie and Julia Thorton and had a good time getting to know them as well as the team there. It was fun renewing an old friendship with Mel and Cindie Pike and getting to know Melinda Wallace.

After our time in Kherson we rode the bus back to Odessa and enjoyed spending time with each of the team members there. it was great to visit the MK school run by David and Jill Martin. Don and Nancy Underwood were wonderful to stay with and Don gave us a great tour of the city. It was neat to see the Reformed church we'd heard a lot about through the years.

If you would like to see more pictures, here's a link you can go to: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1571471&l=fc57e&id=624702564

A week with Rinnie and family September 2008

I just got back from spending a week with Rinnie and her family in Orlando. It was great fun being with Rinnie, catching up with Erik and hanging out with Lauren, Meredith and Coriena. We did all sorts of fun stuff like swimming at the pool, going to the beach, making cookies, riding bikes to take Lauren to and from school, reading books, going to soccer, and just being home. If you would like to see more pictures go to: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=60275&l=dc723&id=624702564

August/September 2008

Meg and Anna came to visit us for three weeks each, overlapping two of the weeks. It's been a lot of fun having them here although we haven't seen the sun a lot (a real trial for Meg coming from Tanzania) so haven't been able to do some other things we have enjoyed in the past. Anna had a really busy summer directing Chattanooga Sport Ministry--an outreach to innercity middle school girls so came home really tired. I found her like this one of her first days here... We had fun celebrating Meg's birthday a month late. Anna and I decided to make a cake shaped like flip flops since that's about all Meg wears in Dar es Salaam where she works.

The first week both Meg and Anna were here we had Holiday Bible Club. It was nice to have them here to help as they wanted. But it was also just a lot of fun for Paul and I as we both worked with the kids. We averaged around 50 kids this year with only 8 kids from our church (which is about all the kids we have). Most of the kids come from the neighborhood and many don't know Jesus as their Savior.

The next week we stayed in a self-catering cottage near Cambridge, taking our bikes with the hope that the sun would shine and we could ride around, seeing the sights. It rained most of the week so we ended up doing a little walking, a little biking, and driving. We saw some interesting stuff and also had a good time just staying at the cottage playing games or going on short walks from there. Here's a few pics from our time there.

Anna leaves in a few days and Meg a few days later... the comings and goings involved in missionary life. We love having the kids come and are always sad when they have to go. Hopefully, at least Anna can come again for Christmas and maybe even Meg. That would be wonderful!

July 2008

We had a full July. It started with our good friends, Mark and May getting married in our church in London. It was a fun day, celebrating God's goodness in bringing this couple together. We were thankful to have a small part in it.

The day after the wedding we headed for New York City to help with MTW's Prefield Training. This is a month long training for all new candidates going to the field. We were asked to mentor two families each. It was a great time of getting to know them and encouraging them through the different things they needed to do and write while in New York. We stayed in a little apartment in upper Manhattan in a predominately Dominican Republic neighborhood. It was interesting learning how to maneuver on the subways after London's underground system. Most of our time was spent in Queens so we learned that route really well. Our days were spent working in the churches we were assigned to with our families and interns, going to different training moduals in the afternoons and spending time with the families or others in the evenings. We tried to see a bit of the city on our days off. Here's a picture of everyone who was there. If you would like to see more, you can go to this website: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=52855&l=c6599&id=624702564

From PFT we went to see my sister and then my Mom. It was a short visit with Mom but I was very encouraged with how much stronger she was then the last time I saw her. It thrilled my heart to kneel down next to her and say, "Surprise, Mom!". She was so excited to see us--took my face in her hands and just giggled. We had a nice walk around the garden outside, ate lunch together, and had some ice cream. It was only a few hours but I am so thankful for even that.

Paul's his "family historian" so on our way to Canada to spend a few days with my sister Sally, husband Paul and daughter Becky, we stopped in Baldwinsville, NY to do some research. He found the house his great grandparents lived in and we spent the night in an Inn that used to be the mill owned by his great grandmother's brother. It was pretty cool seeing stuff and learning some more of the history. On our way back from Canada we visited a graveyard that had 8 or 10 of his relatives buried there.

Being in Canada was wonderful. We spent our honeymoon there, at my brother-in-laws family cabin, and went back again in 1975. That's the last time. We had such a good time with Paul, Sally, and Becky. Paul and Paul went fishing, Sally and I read a book together while we sat in the sun. We played games, talked, ate, went on boat rides and hikes, picked blueberries and made pies--it was great. After a busy month in New York City, it was nice to just relax and be with family. On our way back to the the Newark airport to head home, we spent the night with my sister, Margie and Bob and got to be there for Bob's 60th birthday celebration!

But it is always nice to get home again. So we are back in London looking forward to visits from Anna and Meg in the next few weeks.

Pre-field Training in NYC

Paul and I are spending the month of July in New York City, living in upper Manhattan, helping with MTW's pre-field training for their new missionary candidates. We've never done this before so are praying God would use us in the lives of the couples and their families we are helping through this training. We each have two couples to "mentor" and are enjoying getting to know them. We are spread throughout the city in different ethnic neighborhoods and the church where we have our meetings is in Queens. We are living in a predominately Dominican Republic neighborhood in a little flat on the fifth floor of a six floor apartment building (with no elevator :-}). Here are some pics of our neighborhood.

Each group of candidates is helping in a different church. I'm working at New Life Fellowship (Pete Scazzero is the pastor, author of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality) and Paul at Ascension Presbyterian (PCA). So basically we do whatever the church needs us to do. We just finish ed VBS and Paul's group will begin theirs next week. MTW's Global Training and Development department provide the training this month. Topics covered are things like language learning, contextualization, team issues, church planting, etc. There's lots more to it. We've only been here a week and have three more to go. We're praying for lots of energy, skill in mentoring, opportunities to be a witness in our neighborhood as we do things like laundry at the local laundry mat, and usefulness at the churches we are working in. We're learning the subway system and how to get around, where to find groceries, etc. Here's a picture of the families I'm working working with waiting for the subway.

A Day at the Beach

What do you think of when you think about going to the beach for the day. I think about wearing shorts and a bathing suit, feeling hot, swimming, ice cream on the boardwalk.... We went to the beach on Saturday and it was nothing like the above picture. I guess that's the difference between going to the beach in England and going to Atlantic City in New Jersey. But either way, it can be fun and we had a fun day. We took two coaches (around 70 folks) of ladies and families from the English classes at church as well as some random church folks and moms and kids from our kids' clubs at church. I'm not sure I took my sweat shirt off for more than five minutes and never even thought about putting my shorts on. But we enjoyed each other, played games, chatted, and walked along the beach. Paul and I took our kites and the kids enjoyed them (and even some of the adults). We won't have classes again until September but pray that God will give us opportunities to run into these ladies on the street or in the park and give us words to say that will be a clear testimony of God and His love for them.

A Week with Meg in Tanzania

I just spent a week in Tanzania with Meg. It was so good to go and just be a Mom as I followed her around. We didn't do anything special like take a trip to Zanzibar or take a few days off to go to a beach resort but instead I got to go to school with her and meet her students and go to her classes, go to her church (it took 7 daladalas/matatu/mini buses and 1 taxi), go on a field trip to Bagamoya (and see a 500 year old baobab tree along with other stuff), meet the soccer team she coaches on Saturdays, spend time with her housemates and two special young women Meg is sponsoring in school. It was wonderfull feeling the warmth of the sun and seeing the Indian Ocean again. Eating mangos and African oranges was great as well as going for Ethiopian and drinking a Stoney (ginger beer). I loved seeing familiar East African street scenes. But most of all I was just happy to be with Meg, see what her life is like, meet her friends, and just be together. If you would like to see more pictures you can go to the following link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=43622&l=8096c&id=624702564

Garden, 2008

We finally got almost all our garden planted. Our soil is so bad so we've added sand and compost over and over. It's still got so many clay chunks but I couldn't wait any longer to plant. I'm so excited to watch these little plants grow and bloom. Already we have lots of flowers, most of which weren't there when we put the plants in a few weeks ago. I'm looking forward to watching the plants grow and spread and cover the beds. I'll be sure to post updated pictures at the end of the summer. We're enjoying being able to BBQ again and sit outside without winter coats on!

Is it really mid-May?

Last week the sun was shining and it was warm. I finally removed my electric blanket from our bed and even wondered if our duvet was too heavy. We planted our garden, went for ice cream on the motorcycle, I enjoyed my new bike, went for few evening walks in the local park, sat out in the sun preparing for Bible study, etc. You get the picture...it was so nice. I talked with a Kenyan friend living here and we both said "this is Nairobi weather".

Well, things change and last night we decided to put our electric blanket back on our bed. I REFUSE to turn the heat back on but did think about it a little bit. So I'm back to wearing my sweatshirt and socks. The weather this week is dreary and cold...high 50's during the day, mid to low 40's at night. A friend told me yesterday that this is really London Spring weather, not what we had last week. But at least my flowers are growing well with all the rain.

In a little over two weeks I go to Tanzania to visit our daughter, Meg. I'm sure I will be plenty warm there and may even get a little color in my skin. I hope so. I've never been this white in my life! Sure hope you are enjoying the Spring weather wherever you are!

Visit with my Mom

I went to see my Mom April 8-11. It was a special time with her as well as my sister, Louise Larsen. My Mom is 85 and lives at the Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Community in the Convalescent Unit. She isn't able to walk very well and is slow to process what she hears. She also can't hear well so you have to talk right into her hearing aid. I'm finding it hard to see her so sporadically.

Sometimes I think about the different stages of "leaving" during our missionary career. I thought leaving my folks those early years when I was still in my 20's and 30's and our kids were little was hard. Then we began leaving kids in college and that was really hard. Then our kids started getting married and having their own children and we had to leave grandkids and that was tough. Now, I'm back to leaving my Mom again and I'm wondering how long I can keep this up. When we took our second son to college I was reminded of a song that talked about "calling" and goes something like this "When you called my name I didn't know how far that calling went". Now I find myself thinking once again about calling and how calling and honoring my Mom go together. I long to be by my Mom's side, touching her, smiling with her, putting lotion on her dry skin, wheeling her outside to feel the warm sun, pushing her food onto her fork so she can still feed herself, cleaning her glasses, praying with her, hearing her precious giggle when she mistakes me for my sister, reminiscing as we look at pictures together, seeing her eyes light up when I kneel down beside her and wake her up from a nap, feeling her kiss on my cheek, hearing her call me Lizzie. I want to honor her and I want to honor God. For now, that means being far from her and writing to her often. But, I pray God gives me the privilege of being by her side when He decides to take her home.

Visit to the Wards March 2008

I've had the wonderful privilege of being with Kirk, Sarah and Joanna for the birth of Samuel Paul, March 26th. I was there for three weeks--one before the birth and two after. It was a special time of caring for Sarah, playing with Joanna, talking with Kirk, and witnessing Samuel's birth. I thank the Lord for this new little grandson and for the family He has placed him in.
It was a crazy time, in some ways. Anna came up for about five days over Easter and was there to care for Joanna when Sarah went into labor. I was so happy to have some alone time with her while others were napping or doing this or that. God has carried her through some hard times these last few months and it was neat to hear how He has been caring for her.

Paul was the next to visit. Thanks to some FF miles he was able to come for five days. He arrived about a week after Samuel was born. He was able to help fix a few things around the house as well as get some good Grandpa time with Joanna and Samuel. We took Joanna to the zoo one day and that was really fun.

Rinnie also came for a quick visit to meet her new nephew and see the rest of the family. We had some great time together. I know Sarah enjoyed having her there too.

I just loved getting to know Joanna better. She's verbally expressive and loves to sing. I miss her numerous hugs and unending "What happened?"s. We read books, sang songs, cooked, did dishes, played, went shopping, and the list could go on. I'm grateful to Kirk for putting up with his mother-in-law for all that time. The weeks hold special memories for me for which I am very thankful. And a big thankyou to Sarah for her tenderness and love. I loved just being together. If you would like to see more pictures of Samuel and these weeks together go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=36153&l=710f5&id=624702564

Christmas, 2007

Almost all our family was able to be together for Christmas this year. Wil and Amy joined us for a few days at the end of our time. We are thankful to Missionary Care Ministry that has a home available to missionaries free of cost in Athens, GA. We began planning this reunion a year ago and were able to book the whole house then. It has six bedrooms, two kitchens, two living/diningrooms, 11 acres of wooden land, a playground, and a wonderful, generous hostess there to be sure all your needs are met. We were totally overwhelmed with the graciousness shown to us and our children. We were there from Dec. 21-Jan.1. It was a wonderful time of reconnecting as a family and getting to know our grandchildren better. Here's a picture of the whole gang.

Besides celebrating Jesus' birth and having a traditional Christmas dinner, we enjoyed just being together, playing games, cooking, eating, looking at old slides, and the list could go on. We also went to Stone Mountain Park for a picnic with my sister, Sarah Taylor, and family. After that we went to an Ethiopian restaurant. It was Kirk's (Sarah's husband) first experience. It's one of our favorites so we really stuffed ourselves.





Another highlight for the grandkids and their Grandpa was a train Paul and I found right before Christmas. It actually is really fun and the girls just loved it.

Well, lots more could be said but they say a picture speaks louder than words so if you would like to see more pictures of our time together you can go to these two websites and check them out. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=27900&l=7c436&id=624702564
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=27903&l=fc480&id=624702564