A place to call home

Here it is - our new home!! As you can see there's a bit of work to do before we can move in. There is no gas piped in which means no eating, heating or hot water. Our names were put on the waiting list last week and we have been told it could take 6-8 weeks. In the meantime there is plenty to be done - new kitchen, carpets, paint, cleaning, new doors, new bathroom, tackle the wilderness garden, sand floors, knock down walls, build others...

We are excited but in a reserved way - we realise there is a fair sized mountain to conquer before we finally get in. It is now nine months since we began to pack up our home in Mexico. It's a fairly long transition period and we are looking forward to settling in. The kids have heard that the garden is big enough for a trampoline and little else seems to matter!

It was quite a surprise last week to arrive back to the spot where I had parked our car to find it missing. A call to the police revealed it had been impounded after it rolled back into a bus. We still don't know what exactly happened but our car is now at the garage (the back window was shattered and there are a few dents below it). It was quite a bit of undesired hassle for Andrew who had several calls with the insurance company and the police in a typically busy week and Tabitha missed a couple of days at school. On Thursday I missed the mothers and toddler group, the service at the old people's home had to be cancelled as did the school SU group. The good news is that the insurance will cover the costs and we have a couple of incredibly generous friends who have lent us a car to keep us going. As one of Tabitha's teachers said, "It's a good job the kids weren't in the car at the time." We are always thankful for God's protection even at times we don't know we needed it.

We started a weekly meeting for pensioners last week. It was great to have 2 new people along as a result of the work on the doors. Hopefully it will gather momentum in the weeks ahead. The evening mums event was down in number but subsequently I found out that the playgroup had been running a fundraiser event (a psychic!) which may have involved a few of our mums. It was a lovely night for those who attended. We continue to appreciate prayer for interest from new mums and for busier days ahead.

This week I appreciate prayer for an interactive talk I am giving on personal evangelism on Thursday evening. I'm sharing the responsibility with Karen, our house mate. I feel out of my comfort zone but as a result of my researching and reading I am fired up for the subject and my hope is that some of that excitement might be contagious.

A couple of days later I am taking Tabitha and Oscar over to N. Ireland to visit their grandparents and co. for a few days. My Mum and Dad had a visit to Scotland planned but the Icelandic volcano turned that around and this is the result. It's our first flight since returning from Mexico and I'm glad it's not quite as far!

Time Flies!

By Friday we will hopefully have keys to our new house. God continues to surprise us by moving things at a different pace to what we might have chosen were we in control (isn't it good we're not!!). We had thought that the legal details would have been sorted a month ago so that we could have ordered a gas line into the house. Unfortunately there were a few hold ups with the finalising of the mortgage so we're still waiting for those legal matters to be completed. The gas will take 6 to 8 weeks (average) to be installed. Once again we trust God's timing and if He wants us in sooner then that will work out. There are some people interested in our house in N. Ireland but nothing is definite yet.

Ministry continues to be exciting. Numbers continue to be consistent in the school group and interest levels are high. There is a weekly bible study for 3 new Christians with lots of questions, the Tuesday night bible study is fresh and encouraging and in the mothers and toddlers group we are continuing to build relationships with mums from the community. Our first evening event filled the room nicely with new and familiar mums and grans (about 20 of us). This Thursday evening we have our second event. It will be interesting to see who comes along and how it develops. A monthly service in the local nursing home has been started as has door-to-door work in anticipation of a weekly event for older people. We have also been getting to know some of the parents in Tabitha's class a bit better.
Looking into the summer we are excited about the possibility of doing a Holiday Bible Club and some family events. We are also receiving two teams from our local church, Carrubbers. The first team will have a focus on drama and community service. We are being given opportunities to have events in the school and the local library.

In the last post I mentioned that we were coming out of a period of sickness. Oscar managed to avoid the last tummy bug...last weekend he was recovering from his own bout of sickness. Tabitha followed him but I think I can safely say again that we have ridden another wave and are ready for action again. It was lovely when Tabitha finally woke up at 9am on Tuesday morning and came out of her room declaring, "Mummy, Daddy, I'm better. Somebody prayed for me!" Well, we know you are praying and it really does mean so much to us. I was explaining to Tabitha that Jesus hears our prayers. She gave me a strange look and I responded with, "We can't see him but He hears us from heaven." Tabitha looked towards the ceiling and shouted, "Jesus, can you hear me?...Yes, you can watch TV if you come to our house!" I love the simple faith of a child!! On Tuesday this week we will be at the Cardiology department of the Royal Hospital for Sick Kids in Edinburgh. Tabitha is to have her heart murmur checked out. This is a result of our post-Mexico health check-up. She has had the murmur since she was born and at the last appointment the doctor thought it sounded more pronounced so we have this appointment on Tuesday. On Wednesday she has a routine vaccination to get and that will not be something she will enjoy!!

Oscar is well into his second year!! He has a strong character which is a challenge at times. He is incredibly persistent which is great when he is working on a jigsaw puzzle or practising his football kick but less fun when he wants something he can't have! We are so incredibly blessed with great kids and appreciate your prayers as we seek to (patiently) shepherd their little hearts.

House News (and other bits and pieces)

We've had quite and incredible couple of weeks. We decided to go for a mortgage interview and found that we can borrow enough to be able to buy a house in the village. There was only one we could afford (before we sell in N. Ireland). It's a 3 bedroom mid-terrace which needs completely gutted and renovated!!! Several things have happened to make us think this is the house God wants us to buy. It feels like we're taking on the Drop-In Centre once more...another aspect of the ministry here that resembles what we were doing in Mexico! We should get possession by the end of April and then it will take up to a couple of months to make the house habitable. We'll post some before and after pictures.

We've already met some of our neighbours. A couple of ladies work in the office in Tabitha's school and we met another lady who will live close to us on Friday night. We're so looking forward to being in the heart of the village and more involved in people's lives. Now that the decision has been made we would really appreciate your prayers that our house in N. Ireland sells quickly. We would get a better interest rate if we could transfer our mortgage over than we will get if we have to take out a separate mortgage.

The SU group in the school continues to be a highlight in the week. The kids are so open and friendly. Andrew has been asked if he would be involved in the school's Easter service. This week we have a special evening for mums of toddlers on Thursday. This will be a monthly event and we are kicking off with a night on First Aid. We have put out some publicity and are hoping for new contacts.

We are just coming out of a period of sickness. Lots of new bugs for the kids to get used to. We so appreciate your prayers as we work excitedly to see God's kingdom extended.

Agnew update

It's so hard to believe we've been in Scotland for 7 weeks already. Time really is flying by. We are still staying with our friend and traveling back and forward between Edinburgh and the the town where we are working. Just this week our 'family' expanded as another girl moved into the flat/apartment.

Just this past week we heard that we are in good health when we got the results of our medicals. The doctor has recommended that Tabitha have an electrocardiogram to check out a little heart murmur she has had since birth. We also finished off our debriefing session with some recommendations to help us through this time of transition and beyond. We are so grateful for the service provided here which is especially geared toward foreign missionaries. Though I think we have transitioned very well it is always helpful to verbalise experiences and emotions to know what is going on and how to respond. This has been a difficult week for Tabitha who has been wanting to back to Mexico and Northern Ireland.

Perhaps it's because she knows we are moving again and doesn't feel settled, perhaps she is trying to cope with the transition in her own little way. We appreciate your prayers for her as she figures it all out.

We have been looking at houses in Wallyford and we have had some interest in our house in N. Ireland. So praise God!! There's nothing concrete yet and at times we are frustrated and eager to move out and get settled but overall we are confident that God's timing is perfect and He is very much in control of what is happening. Our quest to find a house has opened many opportunities for input from people who live in the area and we have begun to make new friends.

The SU group continues to give us a real buzz with between 30 and 40 kids each week. The mothers and toddlers group is trying out some new ideas and we hope to attract some more new mums. We're excited that already there is a weekly bible study on Tuesday evenings and with new believers from the area attending it is a fresh and exciting time. The weeks are busy with quite a bit of planning and meetings at the moment.

Thank you for your continued prayers and keep checking in every couple of weeks for brief updates as God blesses the work here.

Come back soon...

Come back later for updates. These are exciting ministry times as we continue to wait for the sale of our house in N. Ireland....

First week

What a week it's been! Work officially started on Monday. I think a highlight was the SU group in the school. During lunch time we have an action-packed club for 45mins with kids 9-11 years old. The team has done an amazing job and there has been quite some excitement as the club gets going. This past week we reached our maximum number of 40 and had to turn kids away. No credit to us, it was only our 2nd week!

Now the question is what to do next. Perhaps we will look at the possibility of running 2 weekly clubs and include another year group. Praise God for such a fantastic problem so early on. One day last week I picked up Tabitha from school and about 5 kids from a class walking by were waving enthusiastically. It's great to see their enthusiasm and to be able to tell exciting bible stories that some of these kids will never have heard before.

Tonight we had our commissioning service at Carrubbers. It is always amazing to see how God works out the details of our lives and ministry on so many levels. It was really wonderful to see photos of the work that has been going on there over the last 5 years and to hear of some of the fruit in the ministries that have been established and people who's lives have been changed. We feel completely dependent on God and our team of prayer supporters for the days and years ahead. We are excited to be part of such an active, dynamic and exciting work and look forward to reporting much fruit in the near and far future.

Bonnie Scotland

Well, a week can see a lot of changes. We finally packed the last box, finished a few little DIY jobs, got into the car and headed for Scotland. Thanks for your prayers for the journey. Once again they were evident particularly in a lovely day and wonderfully behaved kids.

What a wonderful welcome. Once again we have been overwhelmed by the love and support of friends as we have re-connected with people we haven't seen in a while in Edinburgh.

We are staying with a kind friend and are blessed with two bedrooms in her home. We continue to trust that in God's time He will see that our house in N. Ireland is sold and we will be able to buy here. Of course, we would love that to be soon - it will be nice to eventually be in the village and to settle into our routine without extra travel to and from the city centre.

Our furniture and boxes should hopefully now arrive on Tuesday morning and most will go into storage until we have our own home. It will be interesting to see how much (or how little!) we can survive on.

We appreciate your prayers this week as we settle in, get a feel for the work, the routine and the area and as we look at getting Tabitha into school.

On the move again

Just one more deputation service in N. Ireland!! This week is moving week so it seems there are boxes and suitcases everywhere and a large supply of parcel tape. As our stuff will be taken over next Monday we decided to leave travelling until Friday as it will mean we don't have to pack as much into our car and Tabitha won't have to wait as long for a bed to arrive...

It's hard to believe it has come around already and while we are excited about moving into the next phase there are some more difficult goodbyes to say before we leave. The great thing is that it is much more realistic to expect visitors than it was when we were in Mexico. We just need to sell our house and buy our own place first and continue to appreciate your prayers for that. In the meantime we will be staying with a friend in Edinburgh indefinitely.

In our human wisdom we would love to have already sold and be moving into our own place in the village where we will be working and eventually living. Like most people we want to feel settled and not move into another transition phase. But we have no doubt that God is continuing to sort out all the details and in His time all thinks will work out just right and perhaps make more sense to us as well. We are remarkably peaceful about that.

Thank you for your prayers and support as we move and begin our new ministry.

A New Year

Didn't Christmas just fly by? We had such a fantastic time with family. The kids are at a great stage and had a blast. Oscar waited until Christmas was over before getting chicken pox but he did well and seems to be back on form again now.

...and so a new year begins. A time when most wonder what will this year bring? How will this year be different? What can we do to ensure that it is?

Of course that's not a bad thing and we are asking those questions too. And yet, like you, we continue to take one day at a time. We have begun to pack boxes and are figuring out our move to Scotland. Our house still hasn't sold though we did have a few viewers before Christmas. We continue to trust that God has his perfect plan and are thankful that we have a place to stay until the rest of the plan unfolds. Obviously we would love to be able to buy a place as soon as possible so that we can get settled over there. We continue to appreciate your prayers and plan to move around the 20th January.

There are quite a few deputation services before we leave. I think there are 7 this week!! Andrew will do some of those alone as I stay with the kids and continue with the packing.

Next week on the blog I would like to give an update on what is happening in Mexico.

Happy Christmas

We hope you enjoy this little video. We want to wish you a lovely Christmas wherever you are. It has been so exciting for us this year with Tabitha being much more aware of what is going on. She has been involved in so many school activities but the highlight had to be the Nativity play when she sang a solo verse of 'Away in a Manger'. It has been fun to really begin to explore the Christmas story together and along with all her Christmas songs she sings away at 'Happy Birthday'.

Like so many we can look back over a year of ups and downs, changes, sadness and excitement. We feel so overwhelmed and blessed by your support and feel totally lost as to how to adequately say thank you. May you tangibly feel God's blessing in your lives and truly see Him providing for all your needs, physical, emotional and spiritual as this year ends and a new one begins.

Into December

It's pretty busy with deputation meetings at the moment. We are so encouraged to meet many people who have been following the ministry and to share what God has done. Missionary work is most certainly teamwork and we are so aware that we have been privileged to be a small part of a very big team.

Our de-brief was a great opportunity to reflect once again on the big picture. The term 'closing a chapter' fills me with a measure of sadness. Looking back over photos of Mexico brings that same sense of sadness. It would be so much nicer if it wasn't so far away! It was fabulous this weekend to meet up with 3 other couples who have lived away from home and understand those feelings. It has been an exciting chapter but this is an exciting book and we are excited about jumping into the next chapter too.

There is still no movement to report on our house. We did have a couple of viewings this week and we continue to trust that it will sell in God's perfect time. Please pray with us as we try to remain patient and look forward to seeing how He works it all out.

Next ministry update

Andrew flew over to Edinburgh to meet with the church leaders at Carrubbers to talk through a little more of a job description for the new ministry in January. First he met with the pastoral team to talk about how to move forward in the church plant and then with the directors (elders) to give a form of strategy for the year ahead. Praise God that He is going ahead of us through the rest of the team there who are building the bridges into the community. We are of course excited that we will be working with George and Marie MacRaild who are Andrew's brother's inlaws and missionaries with Biblical Ministries Worldwide. It now looks as though we have a moving week of 19th to 23rd January to move to Scotland.

This week we are looking forward to a de-brief with the OMS homeland staff. We have been so grateful for all their support during our time with OMS International.

Can you help???

Would you love to be practically involved in missions?

Do you live in or around Coleraine N.I.?

Do you ever have time off during the day (morning or afternoon)?

Would you be interested in helping at the Project Mexico Charity Shop?

Since we got back Andrew has been helping out one morning a week at the shop. He loves the opportunity to serve practically and to chat with people who go into the shop. The charity shop gives so many people the opportunity to do something practical from donating unwanted belongings to ironing clothes, manning the shop and delivering furniture etc. It's a great way of raising financial support for various ministries in Mexico and has been instrumental in paying the MEFI team and keeping the La Raza building running. This in turn bears the kind of spiritual fruit that we have been reporting over the months and years. It's a worthy cause and there is always need for more people to get involved.

If you think you can help PLEASE contact us and we will be able to put you in touch with the appropriate people. You can practically bless the ministry through the sacrifice of your time and effort and see lives touched for eternity as result. Good payment in itself!!

Quick update

Thanks for checking in and for your continued interest and prayers. Praise God that we are all in good health. There is no fresh news on our house but we continue to trust that God is in control of that and pray that the house will sell at the right time.

Andrew heads back to Edinburgh for a couple of days this week again. He's on his own this time as I will stay with the kids. We appreciate your prayers as we continue to look to the next phase of ministry.

Wallyford

This past weekend Tabitha and Oscar had a little holiday with Andrew’s parents while we headed over to Edinburgh for a couple of nights. Without kids’ schedules to work around we were able to relive the hectic nature of life pre-kids. We caught up with lots of great friends, gave a short report as part of our missions prayer night, visited the ministry we will be involved with early next year, did some house-hunting and even found a few minutes to get to the shops.

It’s exciting how the doors are opening up for ministry in Wallyford. Please pray on Thursday this week for the group giving an introductory session to the bible club they will run in the school. There has been complete support for this group from the head teacher. This week they hope to do a treasure hunt and then start properly the following week. Pray that many kids will be attracted to the event and even venture along next week.

Wallyford, just outside Edinburgh, is an old mining town. House prices in Edinburgh are naturally quite pricy and so redevelopment in places like Wallyford is quite obvious as people choose to live further outside the city and commute to work. For 3 years now our home church in Edinburgh, Carrubbers Christian Centre, has been establishing links within the community and reaching out through mothers and toddlers groups, a youth ministry and other bits and pieces. The team has done an excellent job and are well known within the community. We are excited to be stepping into the team and to be looking at ways of developing the ministry further.

In some ways there will be many similarities to the ministries we were involved in in Mexico and in many ways there will be different challenges and opportunities. We are excited and looking forward to what lies ahead.

Our main prayer request is that we would sell our house in God’s perfect time. We would love to avoid another transition stage for the kids is possible i.e. sell our house here in N. Ireland soon so that we could buy in Scotland and move straight into the place that will be our home. Logistically it would seem much more simple rather than have to think about packing only the things we need for an indefinite period of time, finding a place to rent, living far from Tabitha’s school and our ministry and in transition again which could be hard on the kids. But we are confident that God knows our need and is concerned for our good and that He has never let us down so far. Pray with us as we wait on God for yet another miracle demonstrating His infinite love and grace.

Arrival

Uncle Wesley (my brother) was waiting for us at Newark airport and accompanied us for the last leg of the journey. It was a beautiful morning with the beautiful autumn colours I have always loved rising up above the low-lying mist. The weather has been kind to us but we are still enjoying the luxury of central heating!

I think the word ‘overwhelmed’ is appropriate for describing our re-entry. Besides needing a lot of rest and some minor medical attention we have been getting out and about. Tabitha went to see her school on Monday and stayed. She was able to go all five days and had a great time. I ventured out to the supermarket by myself. I had a list but at one stage I was wondering if I would be returning home with anything on it. I was easily sidetracked but I did have to go up and down the same aisles 3 or 4 times to find what I was looking for. Finding the item I then had to pick from one of several varieties of the same thing. I know I’ve not been away that long but it was a little overwhelming. I’ve no doubt I’ll soon be able to fly around like the others who would reach over me to get what they wanted and fly on while I stood on reading all the labels and figuring out my cheapest option! As I left I was reminded where I was as a gust of wind caught my crisps (chips) and blew them into the car park. After getting my trolley (cart) back I went to get into the wrong side of the car to drive off and once corrected I then looked for my gears on the wrong side. Perhaps this week I’ll look a little more natural!
This afternoon we had our first deputation service. The NI rep had organised a lunch and program for all the prayer group leaders. There was special music by an amazingly gifted group from Australia who are visiting the country for two weeks. As we were ministered to by the beautiful music I was aware of the love and support of so many amazing people at home and was once again overwhelmed. We gave a flying report of some of the amazing things God has been doing in Mexico and as I got to telling the group about how I had felt the effects of their prayers I found myself choking up. Those of you who know me know that I don’t often get emotional but I guess this is part of the transition process. We have met some amazing people and made some great friends through OMS. We are privileged to be a part of this wonderful organisation.

We’re looking forward to the next few months of reporting back. We have not done amazing things in Mexico – God has through the prayers and support of His people and we’ve been privileged to see some of it first hand. A part of our hearts will always be in Mexico. We hope to move to our next ministry assignment in the New Year but maybe I’ll blog about that next week…

Here we are arriving in Mexico back in 2004.

Exit

Our last few days in Mexico seem like a whirlwind. There were so many little things to do at the last minute and lots of people wanted to pop in to say goodbye. Goodbyes are never easy but when you know it may be unlikely you will ever see some of these people again and certainly not for extended periods like we have been used to it makes them even more difficult. Sunday was difficult as we said goodbye to many people in the church. In the afternoon we went out for a picnic with the MOPS girls and their families and those were some of the most difficult goodbyes for me.

In the middle of it all some of the young girls from church come around and I taught them to make cookies and banana bread. They want to raise money to come and visit. It would take a lot of cookies and bread to buy a ticket but it would be amazing if they could come. Some people talked about coming to visit so perhaps we will have the opportunity to make introductions.

The day before we left my temperature went up again. I quickly phoned the doctor to get the name of medicine that would bring it down and we got to praying that it would and that I would not be denied my place on the plane. I know many were praying for our journey perhaps without knowing the specifics but I was so aware of your prayers. All day I felt terrible and was in bed at the same time as the kids. In the morning my temperature was down and I was feeling much better. Since coming home I have been put on another antibiotic and with a lot of rest I am feeling a million times better.


On Wednesday morning we had a meeting with the wives of the pastors and as you can see from the picture Robin MacKinnon was in town. We were able to snatch some precious moments together and I feel blessed that God should have worked the circumstances for our reunion to be made possible.

Once again thank you for your prayers as we travelled. We have absolutely no doubt that we were carried by prayer. The kids, once again, were amazing. We had more incredibly tough goodbyes at the airport with Margaret and Robin. It was fantastic to travel with the Lindseys though we knew that meant even more difficult goodbyes ahead. There is no doubt that we really miss our amazing missionary family and wish we could have them all here with us. How long will it be until teletransportation is possible? Perhaps better to long for heaven where there are no more goodbyes!

MOPS

On Tuesday I had the privilege of sharing at the other MOPS group in Mexico. I didn't have to travel too far as the church is on the same land as the seminary where we are living! I love MOPS and I love how eager these girls are to do a great job in their privileged position of being mums of young kids.
On Thursday we had our meeting in La Loma and the topic was 'True Beauty' with an overview of some of Esther's great qualities. In both groups numbers have gone down since everything was closed because of the swine flu. We appreciate your prayers that God would bless both groups numerically and as a result that lives and families would be transformed by the power of the gospel and applicable teaching. It felt so good on Thursday to tell the girls that there are people interested in them and praying for them that they don't even know. These girls are constantly testifying to the change MOPS is making in their marriages and families. There is a depth of biblical wisdom in this area among older women in our churches at home that perhaps we take for granted. In a few years we hope to see even more long-term fruit for the labour of MOPS in Mexico City.
Downstairs the kids enjoyed popcorn and a movie...and comfy cushions made by friends at home. Thank you again Ann and the team! The leadership of the kids' work has changed hands. It's a little unstable and we'd appreciate prayer that God provides people every week to work with the kids. There has always been someone...but sometimes just one!!

Play time

This is the little space outside the classrooms at La Loma a few months ago...

Ezekiel, in the blue t-shirt below, has worked so hard along with some others in the past few weeks to completely transform the look. Here he is adding the finishing touches with his daughter. Tabitha was keen to get in on the action too of course!
The next day Andrew went out to build the equipment...
and the next day, Thursday, it was put to the test at MOPS.
The mums were in their meeting of course but here one of the Dads shows his daughter what to do.
The boys have fun...and are versatile.
It's a huge hit. The kids love it and so do the adults. Thank you SOOOOOOO much to those who made it possible. There is still some softer flooring to go down but our biggest prayer is that this excellent play area will attract kids and their parents, bringing them to church where they will hear the gospel. Of course the prayer continues as we hope for their salvation! It will be used whenever kids are in the building...a lot!

Who turned up the speed?

It seems so hard to believe that in less than a week we will be back in N. Ireland. It's hard to imagine exchanging our t-shirts for sweaters, not sitting in horrendous traffic or speaking in Spanish. More importantly, it's hard to imagine that we are saying final goodbyes to so many people we love so much. I think we are still in denial about that. Tania (above) has been our friend ever since we came back in 2004. She is a fabulous Spanish teacher but it wasn't long before we established a friendship outside of the classroom. We have invited so many people to come and see us but we definitely hope that Tania will be able to come... and maybe you will get to meet her!
This is our view most mornings. In the distance there are two peaks - a pointy one and a more gradual one just to the left of it. They are the volcanoes just outside the city. Once the sun gets up they disappear from sight because of the pollution...but we aren't sleeping the best so we usually get plenty of time to see them. Below is the view out the back.
Since the last time we posted we have been flying around visiting people. We have managed to close 6 of the 9 cases.

Andrew felt achy all over and had a pretty constant headache for a week. He had no fever thankfully and though the tiredness hasn't lifted the rest of the symptoms seem to be a thing of history. We appreciate your prayers for him as he is susceptible to severe headaches. But we know prayer works!

I developed a heavy cold but avoided going to the doctor. Until last Thursday. I had twisted a muscle in my back but continued doing the things I had planned and by the evening it was quite angry. My temperature went up and so I succumbed to the inevitable. I was diagnosed with bronchitis and given a pile of medicine. It's the first time since coming to Mexico that I have had asthma-like symptoms even though I had it bad as a kid. Anyway, time heals as they say and things are looking up.

The kids have been great healthwise. They are tired though and so after tomorrow we are hoping they will be able to get the rest they need before the big journey. Tabitha has struggled with all the changes and is expressing it in anger. We went out with our old neighbours this morning and it was lovely to see our happy, singing daughter again. I should imagine things will settle down once we finally get on the promised airplane and she sees family that she has been desperate to see for ages. She has no idea of the painful consequences of our leaving but she has so much to look forward to.

God willing we fly out around 9.o0am local time (3.00pm in Britain) on Thursday. We should arrive in N. Ireland (with 15 layers of clothing each!!) at 9am local time Friday (3am Mexican time) It's almost 24 hours when you consider the drives to and from the airports. We continue to appreciate your prayer as we say our final goodbyes (the hardest are last!) and for a safe journey (with kids who sleep!).