Morgan Family Travels - 26

We've been busy again, and that's for sure. The first half of February seems to have been and gone in a blur - its already the 20th! Lets see if I can put together the pieces of what we've done.

Saturday, February 4th Kaitlyn got to go rock climbing at an indoor rock climbing centre. She had a great time and would love to go again.

Sunday, February 5th we led an evening service at a local church. We had about 50 people there, despite quite limited 'advertising' and an almost complete cross-section of ages - from about five months to mid-fifties or very early sixties. We started with a light tea (sandwiches, crisps, fruit, drinks), then progressed through a series of seven worship stations, then followed with a time of worship and sharing of communion. We loved having communion 'Journey' style (one person takes the bread, breaks it into two pieces, gives a piece to someone else, they prayer for each other, then go and break it again and pray with someone else, and so on) - I have desperately missed this element of church! We are still hoping to have some official feedback from the church, but several people there at the time seemed quite happy to have come - they enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere; they enjoyed the fact that their children were a part of it, and that both they and their children could get something out of the experience; and at least one other person appreciated the way we did communion.

The experience was marred slightly by the fact that we had to leave Hannah at home with Grandma when she was sick (threw up) just before we were set to leave. Wonderful timing. This unfortunately did not bode well for the rest of the week, and I got very little done during the week except basic mothering. Kaitlyn came down with the same bug on Thursday night, keeping her home from school on Friday, the last day before half-term.

Friday, February 10th Trevor had arranged for us to have a 'mystery date night' out. He had arranged babysitting, made reservations at a fancy french restaurant and booked us front row seats to the Siberian National Ballet's production of Romeo and Juliet. It was superb - and a secret until I arrived which made it that much more exciting!

Saturday, February 11th despite the fact that Kaitlyn was still poorly, Trevor and I packed up and said goodbye to the girls, leaving them with Grandma and Grandpa while we went away for three nights to Wales! We had reservations at a nice hotel just on the outskirts of Tenby, which is on the coast in Pembrokeshire. It was gorgeous! We had time to spend with one another, to catch up and build up our relationship, and we had time to spend alone and to think and begin to plan a bit into the future for the first time in I can't remember how long. It was extremely refreshing.

On the way to Tenby we stopped in Bassaleg, Wales, where Trevor's Great-grandfather was born. We found the church he was married in and buried at (we think), and the house that we think he was born in, though its now had quite extensive reconstruction done to it. We were even able to get inside! (Robin had done all of the research ahead of time, and if I've got this wrong, my apologies)

On the way home from Tenby we went the 'pretty way' through the Brecon Beacons National Park. It was absolutely gorgeous.

We arrived back on the evening of February 14th, to joyous girls and relieved grandparents. The next day Helen and I caught up with each other while mouching about at Wisley Gardens, which is a National Horticultural Society Garden nearby.

Thursday, February 16th Isaac and Brendan (our nephews) came to stay for three nights, during which we went to the Brooklands Aviation Museum and to a favourite family site - 'The Tree', which is a National Trust walking path with this great tree that the children all climb, as did their daddy's and uncles.

Yesterday, Sunday February 19th, we took the boys with us to church in the morning and then went down to spend the afternoon with their parents and sister, and Helen and Robin.

Kaitlyn started back to school again today. In England they had three terms of school - autumn, spring and summer - and each term is made up of thirteen weeks, the middle week being 'half-term holiday'. So Kaitlyn has six weeks of school left before the end of term, which we will spend in basic living mode, and then we will take the month of April (most of which is Easter school holidays anyways) to travel to Ireland and hopefully into Northern Ireland, and to Belgium we hope. We will also be trying to spend as much time as possible with Trevor's family.

We have made a firm decision to come back to Canada in May to stay, but we are exploring where in Canada will work best for us. I will try to get my photography studio back up and running, and I have some slightly unconventional ideas for portraiture that I can't wait to try. I am also hoping that I will get to do some projects with a friend of mine to challenge ideas about women living with 'dis-ease', as she puts it. Trevor is working for a couple of people now on a contracting basis and is loving it. He's hoping to be able to get enough irons in the fire so that he can make it pay well. We are still trying to figure out where church and ministry fits into all this, but whatever we do we know we want it to be serving God and encouraging His people. Please continue to pray for direction and leading for us.