We've had a much better week health-wise this week, although unfortunately others in the family seem to have picked up on the germs. To keep life interesting, however, I have suffered the effect of six months without chiropractic care and sleeping in lots of different beds with lots of different pillows, and got a horrible crick in my neck. So needless to say I've made friends with a local chiropractor now and am in the process of working it out.
A few people have asked us whether 'plane tickets for May 2' is the same as 'coming home May 2'. As far as we know we are coming home May 2. I can't think of any reason right now that would keep us from returning then. However, the truth is that in my heart I still don't believe that its going to be that easy, as I don't feel I know what we will do when we come home. So the uncertainty is entirely mine on this one. (Kaitlyn and Trevor are just excited to think about coming home ... I'm the weird one on this).
Our big news this week was that we have been asked to put on an evening service at the local baptist church. They have just said goodbye to their pastor of 23 1/2 years and are wanting to spend some time thinking and praying about where to go as a congregation before they set off. So we will be leading a 'contemplative' service for them - encorporating elements such as a meal and worship stations and communion which we have enjoyed at the Journey - and if they enjoy it we will be doing these services once a month or every other week until we leave. The purpose is not to create a new service that will continue in perpetuity, but rather to serve them for a time, and bless them to go on their way to become a church that will serve the local community in the way that God would see fit. Either way, we are quite excited about it. We think this might be some of the answer to what we are to do - making connections with local churches and serving them as they seek to listen to God.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Morgan Family Travels - 23
First off my apologies for missing last week's blog/email. Both Trevor and I have spent the last week fighting off various bugs, leaving us with little energy for anything else. So while we haven't got much to fill the space on the blog, we thought we should at least let folks know what we have done.
Kaitlyn's been at school for two weeks now, and we're starting to get used to the routine. I'll say this much - school uniforms sure make getting dressed in the morning a cinch! The first week I cycled Kaitlyn (and Hannah) to school and home again, but this past week we were very grateful to Robin and Helen for playing chauffeur while I was down with a cold and flu.
Trevor seems to be enjoying his job, and loves working in the middle of Covent Gardens in London. He takes the train from West Byfleet to London Waterloo and then walks (it takes 10 - 15 minutes) the rest of the way in.
Hannah has decided that she is old enough to start her formal education, in the form of learning all of her colours, numbers and letters. Grandma Morgan has several big 'learning' posters up on the doors including one with numbers and one with letters, and Hannah will take you by the hand and drag you over to these and start pointing at them. She hasn't learned it all by far, but she's so happy exploring it, that it really doesn't matter. She doesn't mind getting things wrong, either - she's just content to be 'doing' a 'big kid' thing.
Finally, please be praying about an opportunity we may have to work with one of the local churches nearby. We are still discussing things with their leadership, so I will give more details as we work things through more thoroughly with them, but for now we'd really appreciate your prayers, as this is something we'd really like to do (not just in England but long term) and also would give us a really good reason for being here right now.
Kaitlyn's been at school for two weeks now, and we're starting to get used to the routine. I'll say this much - school uniforms sure make getting dressed in the morning a cinch! The first week I cycled Kaitlyn (and Hannah) to school and home again, but this past week we were very grateful to Robin and Helen for playing chauffeur while I was down with a cold and flu.
Trevor seems to be enjoying his job, and loves working in the middle of Covent Gardens in London. He takes the train from West Byfleet to London Waterloo and then walks (it takes 10 - 15 minutes) the rest of the way in.
Hannah has decided that she is old enough to start her formal education, in the form of learning all of her colours, numbers and letters. Grandma Morgan has several big 'learning' posters up on the doors including one with numbers and one with letters, and Hannah will take you by the hand and drag you over to these and start pointing at them. She hasn't learned it all by far, but she's so happy exploring it, that it really doesn't matter. She doesn't mind getting things wrong, either - she's just content to be 'doing' a 'big kid' thing.
Finally, please be praying about an opportunity we may have to work with one of the local churches nearby. We are still discussing things with their leadership, so I will give more details as we work things through more thoroughly with them, but for now we'd really appreciate your prayers, as this is something we'd really like to do (not just in England but long term) and also would give us a really good reason for being here right now.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Morgan Family Travels - New Year's Edition (#22)
Well, Happy New Year, folks!
We have had a house-filled, people-filled, but lovely Christmas. Trevor's entire family was able to be here for Christmas day, which was very special, and the girls were certainly lavished with presents as well as affection!
Between Christmas and New Year we all came down with various bugs, but thanks to some sleep and antibiotics we are well on the mend.
We are excited about the year to come ... Kaitlyn will start school at The Grange in New Haw (just down the road from us) on Tuesday. She will be full days there in their Reception year Pink Class. I know that she's quite excited - she said last night she was going to pop! - and I'm sure it will be a really good experience for her. But I'm sure going to miss her companionship. She has turned into a very special young lady, and if nothing else, life is never boring when she's around!
Trevor's new job is settling out, and I'm pretty sure he's enjoying it. I know he loves that when he goes into the office it means going into Covent Garden in London, which is this wonderful area with lots of live street music and coffee shops and market stalls.
Hannah hasn't yet figured out what it will mean to be without her favourite toy (sister) every day, and I'm hoping that with some effort on my part we'll be able to have some really enjoyable time together just the two of us. She is now talking in sentences and wants to explore absolutely everything ... by taking it apart or pouring it out or disassembling it, or climbing it, or whatever else the options are.
But none of that is really any different than what I said just before Christmas, is it? The thing is that there are several thoughts running around in our heads that we're still trying to find a coherent voice for. They involve where we go from here. Our plane tickets home to Canada are for May 2nd, and while we now have a sense of what we'll be doing from now until then, the future after that is a little bit more complex. Furthermore we want to be ministering while we are here as well as living, and we're not quite sure what that will look like, either. So we keep praying, and we keep taking baby steps, and we keep hoping that the future will become clear as and when it needs to.
We want to serve God, but do not feel we could be 'members' of a local church again. We want to be in community with other Christians, but are often incredibly frustrated by the churches we visit. We want to disciple and see Christians grow in knowledge and grace and truth, but often feel a lack of opportunity because of the busy-ness of people's daily lives. We yearn to see our generation come to know the love of God manifested through his Church by the Holy Spirit in an intercultural, intersocial and intergenerational community. But we don't know how or with whom that will come to pass.
Continuing the journey ...
We have had a house-filled, people-filled, but lovely Christmas. Trevor's entire family was able to be here for Christmas day, which was very special, and the girls were certainly lavished with presents as well as affection!
Between Christmas and New Year we all came down with various bugs, but thanks to some sleep and antibiotics we are well on the mend.
We are excited about the year to come ... Kaitlyn will start school at The Grange in New Haw (just down the road from us) on Tuesday. She will be full days there in their Reception year Pink Class. I know that she's quite excited - she said last night she was going to pop! - and I'm sure it will be a really good experience for her. But I'm sure going to miss her companionship. She has turned into a very special young lady, and if nothing else, life is never boring when she's around!
Trevor's new job is settling out, and I'm pretty sure he's enjoying it. I know he loves that when he goes into the office it means going into Covent Garden in London, which is this wonderful area with lots of live street music and coffee shops and market stalls.
Hannah hasn't yet figured out what it will mean to be without her favourite toy (sister) every day, and I'm hoping that with some effort on my part we'll be able to have some really enjoyable time together just the two of us. She is now talking in sentences and wants to explore absolutely everything ... by taking it apart or pouring it out or disassembling it, or climbing it, or whatever else the options are.
But none of that is really any different than what I said just before Christmas, is it? The thing is that there are several thoughts running around in our heads that we're still trying to find a coherent voice for. They involve where we go from here. Our plane tickets home to Canada are for May 2nd, and while we now have a sense of what we'll be doing from now until then, the future after that is a little bit more complex. Furthermore we want to be ministering while we are here as well as living, and we're not quite sure what that will look like, either. So we keep praying, and we keep taking baby steps, and we keep hoping that the future will become clear as and when it needs to.
We want to serve God, but do not feel we could be 'members' of a local church again. We want to be in community with other Christians, but are often incredibly frustrated by the churches we visit. We want to disciple and see Christians grow in knowledge and grace and truth, but often feel a lack of opportunity because of the busy-ness of people's daily lives. We yearn to see our generation come to know the love of God manifested through his Church by the Holy Spirit in an intercultural, intersocial and intergenerational community. But we don't know how or with whom that will come to pass.
Continuing the journey ...
Pictures
Kaitlyn's new school uniform and book bag
Kaitlyn and Hannah wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
The Morgan Grandchildren, minus Jeremiah, at the crib service on Christmas Eve.
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