Our Little Trip To Germany

Paul and I left Zaventem, Belgium yesterday, February 10th for a few days in Germany. We've been helping with Mission to the World's Cross-Cultural Ministry Internship (formerly known as pre-field training). At CCMI we don't see a whole lot of each other since we "mentor" different new candidates and attend different churches. It's been a good but long month so we've been looking forward to a few days to be together, going to two towns where our great grand-fathers came from. Monday, the 15th we split for a week and Paul is going to Tanzania to see our daughter, Meg, and I am going to the Europe Women's Retreat in Spain.

So, around 4:00 yesterday we started our journey after renting a car from the Brussel's airport. We'd woken up to snow which continued off and on all day and as we left Belgium and entered Germany, the snow just got worse and worse. It was beautiful and not so dangerous but still we had to be cautious. We had dutifully booked a B & B on line so had put the address in the GPS and didn't think another thing of it....just kept following "Daphne's" instructions. We thought the trip would take about 3 hours so should have wondered when it came up that it would take five hours. But forward and onward. Then we came to a dead stop. The traffic was bumper to bumper, it was dark and we didn't have a clue where we really were--no map. Then suddenly everyone was being directed off the autobaun, onto some narrow little streets, covered in snow and snow still coming down. We had to just trust the GPS and continue on. It was crazy. We got put back on a different highway and still with bumper to bumper, mostly stopped traffic. I decided to look ahead on the GPS and see where in the world we were going. Then we discovered that the B & B we were heading for was still three hours away (would get us in if the traffic was moving, at midnight) and totally far south and east of where we actually wanted to go. So I plugged in "lodging in the area", we took the next exit, found a nice hotel and settled in for the night. Since we had promised to pay on arrivial the original B & B, last night was a very expensive night. Because of our agreement we still need to find a bank to pay at least one nights worth of compensation to them. Sheesh, what a mess!!

Then, this morning Paul woke up with symptoms of food poisening and a terrible cramp in his leg. So it took us a while to get off and get headed in the correct direction and to the right town. We got to Pommern where my great grand-father came from. It is a wonderful little village. We walked around, took some pictures and headed on to Rheda where Paul's great grand-father is from. And so here we are, at another B & B looking forward to a day walking around Rheda tomorrow. Oh, and it has snowed most of today as well. I few times I was pretty nervous as we winded our way through little towns and villages with snow covered streets, but Paul did a great job of driving and we are getting ready for a good nights sleep. He still isn't feeling great, but much better then at 5am this morning. When I can I'll post some pictures. It is beautiful here.

Thirty Years in Missions!

With gratitude to our partners!
Some of you have been following us, praying and giving to our support for 30 years, and we want to share our celebration with you. Thank you so much for your faithfulness. You are a wonderful encouragement to us and your partnership has touched many people in many places.
Paul & Liz Meiners, London, England

Appointed to Kenya Sept 8, 1979 by World Presbyterian
Missions







Enjoying ministry and life from England, Sept 2009


In these 30 years our family has grown from 4 to 15: Rinnie & Erik Hersman (Lauren, Meredith, Coriena) - working on moving to Kenya for his work with ushahidi.com; Wil & Amy Meiners - teaching in Murphy, NC; Sarah & Kirk Ward (Joanna, Sam) - inner city St Louis where he is music director for New City Fellowship; Meg - MTW teacher & sports ministry in Tanzania; and Anna - case worker with a foster care agency in Chattanooga, TN.

1981, Muruu, Kenya









Wil & Dik Dik







1983, Muruu, Kenya





1989, Nairobi, Kenya











visiting Germany 1992





2003, hiking in Kenya







Christmas 2007






Sam Ward, in utero that Christmas

Our life has involved many national partners and travels, as these pictures reflect.

Driving to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania





With Daniel & Lena Kithongo, colleagues in Muruu days






Some roads are more fun!









Sarah & Paul when visiting friends in Egypt







With kids in a quake zone








The English language class at our church in London and its teachers





Liz teaching her class










Paul and a West African village elder










Paul preaching in a sister church in London that was between pastors









Paul with Jamie Thornton,
Kherson, Ukraine

We have been blessed by your friendship, supported by your prayers, amazed by your faithful support, and reminded of God’s care because you are his agents in keeping us on the field. As we work with missionaries to help them thrive long-term rather than just survive for a shorter time on the field, it is wonderful to see how you are providing the same kind of support for us.

We will be in the US on Home Ministry Assignment Oct-Mar.

Pre-field Training in New York City

Paul and I had the privilege of working with the Global Training and Development Team of MTW the month of July. This particular training is for missionary candidates who are heading for their field of service within the year.

We helped mentor three couples through this process and Paul led a seminar on MTW's child protection concerns and policies.

We stayed in the same apartment we were in last year. Although it is about an hour or so by subway to the church where we met for meetings as well as the churches we were working in, it still had a bit of a feeling of home which was nice.

We got to see a bit more of New York City this time, walking around Greenwich Village and going to Ellis Island. But most of our time was spent helping the couples we worked with through their assignments and other issues that came up as well as helping with teaching Sunday School and VBS in two very ethnically diverse churches.

I very much enjoyed getting to know the Treadwells who are heading for Ethiopia next month and Paul the Donahoo's (heading for England) and the Roman's (heading for Bulgaria). It is hard to believe that on September 8th we will have been with MTW for 30 years. Doesn't seem that long ago we were in the shoes of these young couples, heading out for the first time.

If you would like to see more photos of our time in New York just go to: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3347609&l=c0976b578d&id=624702564

In a split second things can really change.

A week and half ago Paul and I were excited about the weekend in front of us. We had two motorcyle trips planned. On Saturday we were planning to go to a place south of London called Oakhurst Cottage to see how the common folk lived in the 1600's. The day was beautiful--that in itself a rare treat. Anyway, I was sitting at my desk doing some email while Paul was outside my window getting his motorcycle ready for the trip. Suddenly I heard a gasp, looked out the window and saw Paul holding his right thumb. Anyway, short story even shorter, it had gotten caught in the chain and the upper third cut off. We grab what we could think of and headed for the emergency room. Then we were transported by ambulance to a hospital that had a hand specialist unit. They were not able to reattach his upper thumb which was really sad. But they fix up what was left and 12 hours later, we were home again...a bit in a daze and wishing we could start the day over again.

We knew we needed the prayers of friends as we began to process what had happened and the ramifications of it all so sent out an email to friends and family. The responses back were overwhelming and we felt cared for and loved. Some sent great Scripture passages where we found comfort and encouragement. Others were humorous which also brought comfort and encouragement. Our daughter wrote that she would be praying for complete healing..."well, if you were a starfish it would be complete". Another friend said he was sure Paul would give him a "thumb's up" if he had one....and the list could go on. It was good to hear chuckles coming from Paul's office as he read so many emails from friends and family. We felt overwhelmed by the reponse and so grateful.

The stitches are due to come out on Thursday (June 11th). Paul loves to work with his hands. As a friend of his and Paul used to say to each other during times of frustration or weariness from the work, "let's go make some sawdust". Losing even a third (from the first joint up) of his thumb will limit what he can do. We are praying for good healing and adjustment.

The Wards come to visit us in London

Sarah and her two kids, Joanna (3 years old) and Sam (1 year old), came to visit us in London for two weeks. It was a great time together. Kirk joined us after one week which was really nice. Joanna's biggest wish was to see Big Ben so that was at the top of the list of activities once Kirk arrived.

But we did all sorts of stuff together. Sarah helped me design and plant my flower garden, along with Joanna and Sam's help. We went for walks, to the Museum of Natural History, Kensington Palace, Kew Gardens... The most fun was just hanging out together, talking, drinking tea, playing with the kids, going to Charity shops, playing games. Here's a few pictures of our time but there are lots more if you are interested at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=111935&id=624702564&l=92c41f9401 and http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=112223&id=624702564&l=c62d559909

My Mom, March 2009

I flew to see my Mom on March 5th. I got to Quarryville around 7:30pm and went down to her room to see her. She recognized me right away. It was wonderful to hear her sweet little voice call me by my nickname and be so happy to see me. I didn't stay long 'cause I was so tired from the trip (about 17 hours, door to door). Our daughter, Meg, arrived about 8:30pm. She'd driven up from Chattanooga. What a treat....seeing both my Mom and Meg in one evening!

March 6th...Here's what I wrote in my journal. "I'm sitting here at Quarryville. It's peaceful and quiet, two of the things I've always loved about visiting Dad and Mom here. Now, though, Mom lives in the Convalescent Unit and Daddy's in heaven. I miss walking into my parent's apartment, seeing my Dad in his chair, and the safety net my parents put around me when I would come to visit...the laughter and fun. But I am so thankful to see my Mom happy and content where God has her now, although she longs for heaven." Here's Meg, showing Mom her pictures of her life in Tanzania. Mom was very responsive, so much stronger and talkative then last time I saw her.
Margie, my sister, also came for a few of the days I was there. We went for a nice walk, a drive, fixed Mom a curry dinner, went to church, had lunch with my Aunt and Uncle and cousin and family. It was really a special time. Mom was up for it all...so much stronger and observant. I asked Mom to pray for our curry dinner and she thanked the Lord "for our little party". It was so sweet. Here we are after eating.
It was hard to say good-bye to Mom. She's just so thrilled to have us come and visit. I'm not sure when I will see her again but I continue to pray that God might allow me to be with her when He decides to take her home to Him.
If you'd like to see more pictures just go to http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2304841&l=517db&id=624702564

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