out of

goodbye, our-car!

This afternoon we drove down to our old college in two cars, to give our car to a friend of ours who still studies there, and who needed a set of wheels! Since through other people's generosity we are going to be able to buy a car in Benin, we were only too glad to be the answer to someone else's prayer in this case.

And it's nice to know it's going to a good home!

(Our car outside our flat at college last year.)

well-supported!

Our church here in Bedford, Christ Church, had a Leaving Lunch for us on Sunday (though it wasn't our actual last Sunday). In fact we were briefly interviewed during the morning service, and then there was an open invitation for people to stay for a meal to hear about our work in more detail. After the service, several people apologised to me, saying that they weren't able to stay, and I wondered whether many would be able to be there. I needn't have worried, there were about a hundred people, including quite a lot of children. It was very encouraging to give our presentation to so many interested-looking people, and afterwards we were given bits of paper with people's prayers and good wishes written on them, and a generous offering which had been taken to help us with the expense of moving.

It is such a blessing to know that we aren't alone, and that we are going to be carried on the prayers of so many people, from Christ Church and elsewhere. It is such a tangible reminder that we are part of God's family, and that we have a mission that we are carrying out together, in different ways. Our part is to physically go, but others are giving, praying and encouraging so that that will be possible.

visa visa visa visa

Yesterday we drove down to London and got our visas. Fortunately the Benin Consulate is at the end of the M1, so it only took about an hour to get there. It is an office the size of a shoebox, but very efficient. We could have paid less for our visas at the Benin Embassy in Paris, but it would have taken 72 hours instead of 45 minutes! Marc just made a slight mistake filling in Simon's application form, as he accidentally wrote that Simon was married with two children :o) The consul noticed this and suggested it probably wasn't the case!

Another thing crossed off our to-do list! At the moment I feel that we have enough time to do everything left. I also feel that I am moving into "transition mode", starting to realise that we really are going to be leaving, and very soon. I'm trying hard not to get hung up on all the "lasts" ... but still had tears in my eyes when I realised that we were at our parent-and-toddler group for the second-to-last time yesterday morning. Oh dear! Hopefully I will manage not to be a complete emotional wreck our last week here!!

Mind you, it doesn't help that I'm still suffering from sleep deprivation. Benjy had got down to one feed per night, then had a bad cough and went back to 2 or 3. Now he seems to have got used to being back on several feeds a night, and I am feeling the consequences! Prayer for better sleep for him both at night and during the day (when he finds it very hard to drop off) would be appreciated! Thanks!

We had a great time at St John's, Hatfield, on Sunday. It had been our placement church from college last year, and we were warmly welcomed back again. We were encouraged by many people wishing us well and telling us they'd be praying for us. We then had lunch with the vicar, Philip, and his family, who have become good friends of ours. And we had afternoon tea (and coffee) with a couple of lecturers from college, before heading back to Bedford. A lovely fellowship-filled day!

Despite being very busy getting ready to leave, having children means that we do still get out for regular walks in the fresh Bedfordshire air! Here are a few photos from one of our favourite places, Moggerhanger Park:

headaches (the decision-making kind!)

It's no big scoop to say that being a parent is a big responsibility. Even if you are bringing a child up in your own culture, society changes and you will have to make decisions about things which your own parents never knew about (such as mobile phones and internet access). But we're beginning to realise some of the stress of bringing children up in a completely unfamiliar place ... and we aren't even there yet!

We've had to make decisions about which anti-malarial preventive treatments to take ourselves and to give to the boys. The difficult part is that each kind has good points and bad points, due to their effectiveness, their cost, their side effects and who they are suitable for.

Obviously it is just as important to try to avoid being bitten by mosquitos as much as possible, and we have also been stocking up on insect repellent, treated mosquito nets and so on.

At the end of the day, we have to do all we can, to the best of our knowledge, and then trust God. There is no point living in fear, and at least if any of us do get malaria we know that blood tests and very effective treatments are available. Please do pray for protection!

family and bad back

Yesterday evening my sister Ali came over for tea and spent the evening with us. This afternoon I took the boys to visit my Grandpa. I am really going to miss having family members so close by, but it would be unfair to blame the move to Benin. After all, if we hadn't been going to move to Benin, we would probably still be living in France, and I never would have had this opportunity to live so close to family for six months!

I'm not feeling too stressed about what is left to do. We seem to be getting on with things well. I was anxious when my back got quite bad at the beginning of the week, but a combination of prayer and being careful has meant that it has eased off a lot. I would appreciate more prayer that it stays strong throughout packing and all the travelling ahead of us!