touching base

Last week we spent two nights with SIM-UK (and N.Europe) in Wetheringsett Manor, near Stowmarket. SIM has field offices and sending offices, and although our sending office is SIM France, SIM-UK does handle some things for us, such as finances coming from the UK and communications with UK supporters. So since we didn't know the UK staff very well, they invited us to come and visit.

We stayed in the (very comfortable!) guesthouse, and gave a presentation of our work at the Wednesday morning Day of Prayer. It was good to get a better idea of who works at SIM-UK and what they do. We were made to feel very welcome, and also enjoyed relaxing in the grounds - the boys particularly liked the trampoline in the playground! And we admired the typical English cottages in the village, the horses and foals in the fields, and a hedgehog in one of the gardens! We even visited the Mid-Suffolk Steam Railway ... it was closed but we were allowed to go and have a look around anyway.

Wetheringsett Manor:


A cottage:


A foal:


The hedgehog:


At the railway:

presently past

Our last few church visits have included trips down memory lane for me! First we visited the Parish of Yeovil – the churches of St John's and St Andrew's – where my dad was Rector when I was a teenager. We then went on (after a couple of relaxing days in Westbury) to Bath, where Dad was vicar when I was a child. I still know people in both places, and had often been back to Yeovil, but being back in St Luke's for the first time in 18 years was quite an emotional moment for me!

In all three churches we were warmly welcomed, and there was a sense of thankfulness for past times spent together, but also real interest in what we are doing now. We feel very blessed to be supported by these churches, as by all the churches we have links with, and we see it as being very important to visit them and talk face-to-face with people. And the added bonus of having a personal link means that we already feel like family!

A few comments from others:

“Your husband's preaching was wonderful – I think we'll keep him here! And your boys are so gorgeous I could just gobble them up!” (So apparently I may be the only one returning to Benin!)

“I know I shouldn't say it, but when you stood up at the front you looked just like your mum!” (That's ok, I think my mum's great!)

The churches:

St Andrew's, Yeovil


St John's, Yeovil

St Luke's, Bath


It's tiring work, all this travelling!


And an extra big THANK-YOU to all those who have hosted us, whether in France or the UK! You have been so kind to us. (We're not leaving yet, but most of our travelling is behind us...)

moving swiftly on...

We have now visited our last church in France and our first in the UK! Our trip from France to the UK was eventful, as our one train from Poissy to Gare du Nord ended up having to be 4! The train we originally intended to catch was cancelled. I don't believe in premonitions, but that didn't stop me having one - when Marc's mum said, "We'll still have plenty of time," I replied, "If nothing else goes wrong, that is!" And sure enough, the train we took half an hour later then got stopped a few stations down by another broken down train blocking the line!

Fortunately a helpful man told us to get onto another train and we phoned Marc's brother Matthieu to get instructions on how to get to Gare du Nord as quickly (and easily) as possible. If we hadn't had Marc's parents with us to carry one of our suitcases and one of our small boys, we'd never have made it. As it was, having left ourselves over an hour to spare, we arrived only 2 minutes before check-in closed - phew!!

Maybe it was just so that when we go back to Benin we aren't tempted to believe that everything in Europe works like clockwork!

Anyway, we've had a good first week back in the UK, seeing friends and family, visiting our old placement church in Hatfield (from our time at All Nations college), preparing for future meetings and making sure all the local playgrounds are where we left them (they are!).

Our final church visit in France:


Our first church visit in the UK:


Playing in my parents' garden:

national identity

Despite being in France, I managed to watch the Royal Wedding live at a friend's house (thanks, Manue!). I still remember watching Charles and Diana's wedding when I was nearly 5, and so when Simon asked if he could come with me, I said yes (as long as he promised to be good!). I don't know if he will have any memories of it, and it has to be said that the soldiers on horses and the policemen on motorbikes interested him more than the wedding itself, but I thought I should give him the chance.

It's hard to know where our boys will feel that they come from. I am English, Marc is French, and yet we live in Benin. Watching the British Royal Wedding with French commentary is quite a good example of what our life is like! And I do want to give our boys the opportunity to feel they have some roots, so keeping up with what is going on in our respective countries is important.

It's true too, that I never realised how English I was before I lived abroad. Or perhaps I never had to feel English as compared to someone else. Apart from the clichés (and I do love Marmite and tea), it's hard to define, and must vary for each English person, but you still recognise it when you meet someone else from your own country! I think it is possible to be proud of your origins without believing yourself better than someone from somewhere else ... and doesn't mean you don't recognise the negative side of your own country.

Here is the English flag flying from our balcony in France for the 2006 World Cup:

nomads

It's a chameleon life that we lead. Our clothes might change, the language we are speaking with other people might change, but underneath we're still the same people serving the same God.

Anyway, this Home Assignment thing we're on at the moment is made for me! We get to travel around seeing beautiful parts of France (and soon England), catching up with old friends, meeting new ones, and speaking about a country and a people who we love (Benin and the Monkolés, in case you're wondering!).

We spent two weeks in Nancy. It is the city where Marc and I met and Simon was born. And in some ways it still feels like home. Obviously some things have changed, but it was good to catch up with friends from church and Marc's colleagues at the university, and meet new people. Being there for a fortnight meant that we could relax when spending time with people, instead of it being a marathon, and also meant that we could take part in regular church activities and not just the meetings that we ourselves were leading. Another bit of good timing was the inter-church service on the second of our Sundays, giving us the opportunity to chat to friends from other churches in Nancy. And staying in the flat over our church gave us some family time on our own too.

It was funny to go to an inter-church prayer meeting for the GBU (university Bible groups) and not to recognise anyone in the GBU! I helped to lead it for 4 years while living in Nancy, but of course things move on quickly in student circles. I was encouraged to hear the students' testimonies of living out their faith on the same campuses I knew a few years back.

Meeting up with Marc's colleagues was great. It reinforced the feeling that there is a real friendship there, which is going to last. We had hoped also to visit a friend of mine from the university, who is now in Châlon-en-Champagne, but unfortunately her little boy wasn't well, and we had to make do with a telephone call this week.

Nancy is a beautiful city, especially when the sun is shining, as it was almost every day of our time there! I love the fact that it is surrounded by hills, and also that there are so many lovely parks in it. Parks are one thing I miss in Benin … that and being able to walk around anywhere anonymously!

Here are a few photos from our time in Nancy:

tour de france (2)

After a good time of debriefing in Orange, we spent a long weekend in Lyon visiting friends and another of our supporting churches. We also visited the "Parc de la Tête d'Or" to see animals we haven't seen (yet) in Africa.

We are now in Nancy, where we used to live, and as a friend here said, "Ce sera toujours chez vous!" ("It'll always be home for you!") We're staying in a flat over the church and have several meetings and meal invitations lined up. It's good to be staying somewhere for a bit longer ... and Simon and Benjy are also enjoying the different playgrounds around Nancy!

tour de france

We have visited the first three churches on our official programme - from top to bottom: Poissy, Chinon and Gap. I love sharing about Benin and our work there, and testifying to what God has done for us. Yes, the travelling makes it tiring, and the boys, while coping well, have at times seemed a bit perturbed at all the changes, but it is worth it!

And I had a lovely surprise at the church in Chinon - a couple who now live in France who I'd known in Yeovil at the age of 17 and not seen since!

We are also enjoying the fact that we are able to see friends on our travels, and spend lots of time talking. Not something we get to do much in Benin (except in Monkolé, which is harder going than French!).

A few more photos from our travels. Chinon:


"Mummy, Benjy wants to hold my hand!"



Some snow we managed to find in the Auvergne:


On the road between Orange and Gap:


Mountains near Gap:


The journey back from Gap was a bit less wonderful, as it was raining and I was very sick. But at least I got that out of the way between Sunday's afternoon meeting and this morning's debrief with our SIM France Director, Jean!