grace for every good work and word

some saturday morning chocolate chip pancake love

2012-01-28T11:21:00.000Z

the birthday party

2012-01-27T16:01:00.000Z

we had a snowman theme and invited the nicholsons and a neighbor family. gwyneth seemed to enjoy it. when she went to bed that night she said she was going to dream about lovely parties and being 4.

the birthday

2012-01-24T14:58:00.000Z

just over 4 years ago, God brought a quiet and stubborn little baby in to our family. she came two weeks past her due date and certainly not the way that i had prayed for. and now she is still quietly stubborn and doing things not exactly the way that i would like. so unlike her older sister, she is shy and wild and crazy at the same time. no sitting and looking at books for hours. no sitting and listening to books for hours (unless it's about a little girl named lucy and her faun friend). no looking people in the eye and flashing bright smiles. nope. she smiles when she's good and ready and not a minute before. she runs not walks. she screams not laughs. she is my gwyneth grace. and i am falling in love with her. and i am learning to stop praying that she will be like me and that she will be wild and crazy for Jesus.

our boxing day hike

2011-12-26T16:47:00.000Z

we've had some illness this week so our "hike" was just up the hill behind the castle in our village. happy boxing day!

photos...take 2

2011-10-31T15:50:00.002Z

the joy of the LORD is your strength

2011-10-28T16:03:00.000+01:00

just a few photos from amelia's 1st birthday party. sarah's birthday was 2 days later so we sang to her as well. when we chose this verse for amelia in connection with her name, i had no idea how much strength and joy i would need! i am very thankful and learning to be more thankful for our sweet little amelia joy and for all that God is teaching me through her. the joy of the LORD is my strength.

train up a child

2011-09-15T20:51:00.000+01:00

i can hardly believe that we are already ending week 2 of school for maggie. i can't say there haven't been some bumps in the road, but i can say that the Lord has helped us. all of us. i walked her to school on the first day, the teacher introduced her to a girl named alice and they were off. i watched through the window as the other girls pointed and stared and then started surrounding her. then i watched alice take maggie's hand as she introduced her. and i remembered that God can take care of my little girl however and by whomever He chooses. the tears have been many and there are more ahead. we are praying for wisdom and discernment and gospel fruit in maggie's life as well as in the lives of her friends.

her first tooth!

2011-07-21T15:13:00.000+01:00

what happened to my baby???

no turkey on the 4th of july

2011-07-09T21:06:00.001+01:00

when steve told a man in our church that we would be celebrating the 4th the man asked if we would be eating turkey! no turkey but it was a fun day with the nicholsons. our patriotism is viewed as just well, very american=)

we let gwyneth and sarah sit at the coveted little table (usually maggie and daniel)

all american desserts!

maggie and daniel having fun!

cute-not-so-little-john

we finished the meal with some s'mores. how american was that?

carnival and castle

2011-07-05T15:01:00.000+01:00

we went to our local village carnival recently. the girls weren't too crazy about the loud music, cotton candy or any of it, really. i think they liked the ride. we stopped by the castle on the way home for a few photos.

let's go fly a kite...

2011-07-05T14:38:00.000+01:00

a week or so ago, we woke up to beautiful sunshine. we decided to head to the beach for a picnic and some kite flying. unfortunately, by the time we got to the beach, it was dreary and much cooler (we are beginning to understand why many british people often find themselves eating their lunch in their cars). it was great kite weather, though and fun to explore a new beach in our new neck of the woods.

we love you, aldi!

2011-06-23T20:39:00.000+01:00

i'm not sure if anyone else was excited about the special buys this week but we certainly were! hershey's syrup. pancake syrup. pretzels. marshmallows!

7 months and 30 something

2011-05-07T09:44:00.000+01:00

my sweet little amelia joy is 7 months old today and to celebrate, she got her first tooth this week. she's so excited she can't sleep=)
and a special happy birthday to my dear friend mels. she's classy, she's cosmopolitan, she loves the Lord. and we just love her!

and more easter

2011-05-04T21:25:00.000+01:00

easter!

2011-05-04T21:20:00.000+01:00

in case you need a quick amelia fix

2011-05-04T21:16:00.000+01:00

here she is!

we're ready for THE wedding!

2011-04-26T10:45:00.000+01:00

comings and goings

2011-04-11T17:00:00.000+01:00

we are very glad to have joe, abbie and the kids back in abergele. it seems like john and amelia are already partners in crime! i love how they are looking at each other in this photo!

and the pictures to prove it!

2011-04-07T21:32:00.000+01:00

i meant to post these w/ the last post. sorry. it's been a long day!

mothering sunday

2011-04-07T19:53:00.000+01:00

sunday was mother's day for us here in wales. apparently the girls thought it was also "totally 80's day" because they really wanted to wear their hair in side pony tails. if only i still had that crimper...

sleeping beauty

2011-03-26T14:40:00.000Z

school daze

2011-03-24T20:22:00.000Z

though i never aspired to "home school," that does seem to be what we're doing right now. we are still prayerfully considering other options. for now, maggie is learning to read and gwyneth is learning to hold a pencil and sit still. teaching maggie to read is by far the easier task. i am so thankful to the LORD for giving me the grace to do this. daily. grace. amazing. grace!

ok, i'm bragging but she wrote this all on her own!!!

a few photos from their fun day with andrew and lily

2011-03-24T20:13:00.000Z

when daddy and uncle andrew are in charge...

2011-03-24T20:07:00.000Z

have you ever heard of telford's auqeduct? the girls got to walk on part of it last saturday. at some point, the men realized that the girls could fit through the bars. they very wisely did not walk all the way across=)

have i mentioned...

2011-03-07T15:07:00.000Z

that maggie LOVES swim lessons? just take a look at that smile!

4 months!

2011-02-07T15:25:00.000Z

just wanted to say happy birthday to my little amelia joy! we love you!

she may live in the country...

2011-02-05T10:30:00.000Z

but she's a city girl at heart. we were amazed at how well both girls did in the tube stations, on the escalators and getting on and off the trains. but even more so, i couldn't believe how fearless maggie was and how she had a perfect "downtown face." no smiles. no frowns. no eye contact. just the face. love that girl!

london!

2011-02-03T16:38:00.000Z

we finally went to london for the first time last week. we had to visit the u.s. embassy to apply for amelia's passport (which we received in the post today). after a 2 hour stay at the embassy, we headed over to oxford street. it was very cold and very crowded and we were overwhelmed! we had just a few hours before heading back to our friend's house so we braved the tube so that we could at least see big ben. the girls did great and i'll never forget coming up out of the tube station and there it was: big. ben. we walked around for a bit and saw the thames before getting back on the tube and going home. we just kept praising the LORD for giving us such a smooth visit.

happy birthday, gwyneth!

2011-01-18T16:25:00.000Z

due to illness, gwyneth's birthday party was cancelled last friday night. this photo is from our new year's pork and sauer kraut dinner(postponed thanks to illness)/ goodbye to the nicholsons/ birthday party from sunday. it's been a rough start to the year but we are still very thankful for our crazy, not-so-little girl who was actually my "easy" baby! she is loads of fun, speaks with a bit of a british accent and falls down more than any child i've ever seen (to quote our neighbor). she doesn't sit still for long but she admires her older sister and loves to take care of her younger one. her sun rises and sets on her daddy (as with all of the girls in this house). she is easy to love but a little hard to keep up with. happy birthday to my little sausage-gwyneth grace!

a few firsts

2011-01-10T11:18:00.000Z

first passport photo

first sunday at church

first smile (6 weeks)

first trip to starbucks

thanks, em!!!

2010-11-27T19:53:00.000Z

starting her young

2010-11-09T20:57:00.000Z

we had our first outing while my mom was here. it was to tk maxx, of course! you can see that steve is thrilled=) we even went out to eat afterward. i regret to report that i did not take any photos of our first trip to ikea on the way home from the airport. oh well, we'll just have to go back!!

third culture kids

2010-11-08T20:42:00.000Z

we were recently invited to attend a thanksgiving lunch with some other american missionaries in the uk. i was excited to tell the girls:
me: "we're going to celebrate thanksgiving with a bunch of americans!"
gwyneth: "i don't like americans."
me: "gwyneth, WE'RE americans."
gwyneth: "oh."

and more amelia joy...

2010-11-03T19:27:00.000Z

amelia joy

2010-10-26T20:51:00.001+01:00

tired but happy mummy

proud daddy

our little family

for just a few more days...

2010-10-04T17:19:00.000+01:00

on saturday we took the girls to a park and today steve took us all out to breakfast. it's hard to believe that we won't be a family of four much longer! i am so thankful for our little family-it's hard to believe it could be any better. that is grace upon grace!

harvest sunday

2010-10-04T17:07:00.001+01:00

we had a great day yesterday for our harvest sunday. we had lunch at the church followed by an afternoon service. we also made some new friends who came as our guest speaker and family. it's the closest thing to thanksgiving that we have here. for the 2nd year in a row, we were able to get some gourds from our local florist. most people around here aren't very familiar with them and even ask "what do you do with them?" but everyone seems to like them and for us they are a little bit of home.

almost here!

2010-10-01T09:25:00.000+01:00

Don't worry, this photo was taken when the sun was shining in JULY.
Lord willing, our new little baby will be here in less than a week. while this hasn't been the easiest pregnancy and there are many things that i hope will quickly fade from my memory, there are a few things i hope i never forget:
the relief of hearing her heartbeat after a scary trip to the hospital not knowing what was going on.
the surprise and joy in the girls' eyes when they felt her move for the first time.
the wonder we all felt when the girls came to see the midwife with me and heard the heartbeat.
these last few weeks of just the four of us.

friday science

2010-09-24T16:00:00.000+01:00

we had a pretty good week of school. knowing that our baby is coming soon helps me stay motivated to keep at it for now. for today's science experiment we pounded leaves to make prints. some leaves worked better than others but everyone liked pounding with the hammer!

on the farm

2010-09-20T15:54:00.000+01:00

we've made some friends recently who live on a little farm just up the hill. the girls loved seeing the animals and they both even took turns holding the kitten! i was too shocked to take a photo. we didn't have the best weather but it was a fun time.

mudpies to magnets

2010-09-14T16:04:00.002+01:00

we officially started back to school last week. we go to story time at the library most mondays so we have school tuesday, wednesday and thursday with both girls and fridays with the nicholsons. this year, we would like to work on some science experiments with the children instead of just crafts on fridays. this past friday we experimented with liquids and solids (cornstarch + water and flour + water) in other school news, maggie is learning to read and has her 2nd football (soccer) lesson today.

a new tradition

2010-09-08T16:05:00.000+01:00

it seems that abbie and i have begun a new tradition for our church-baby showers! they are not as popular over here as in the states but our ladies bible study has really gotten in to them! and last night was my turn. i had a few suspicions but overall i was surprised. i didn't have my camera so i just have the photo below of the presents. if i get any more photos, i'll try to post them. it was fun to have the girls come for part of it and see firsthand how the Lord is providing for us.

having a baby in another country far from family, friends and familiar medical care has had its challenges. thanks to a new friend who encouraged me with this verse:
"He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young."
Isaiah 40.11

making new friends

2010-08-24T19:08:00.001+01:00

we spent a day in cricieth a few weeks ago. it is an incredibly beautiful coastal town and even had a castle. of course, we didn't manage to get any photos of the scenery! the dads had met at a conference so it was nice for the mums and children to meet. we are very thankful for Christian fellowship. the day started out on the cool side so i didn't think to take swim wear. the girls didn't seem to mind. on a cultural note, gwyneth continues to call "angharad" "king herod!" i guess we are still getting used to the welsh=)

mornings come too early these days...

2010-08-23T22:06:00.000+01:00

so i just tried this recipe tonight and we love them! i used dried cranberries and mini chocolate chips for my add- ins. i hope we have some left for breakfast=)

friday night-pizza night!

2010-08-13T15:01:00.001+01:00

just a few photos from last week's pizza night. we made potato pizza and pepperoni pizza. and milkshakes and a movie for dessert!

cousin heather has arrived!

2010-07-08T20:12:00.001+01:00

and a trip to the airport isn't complete without a trip to ikea!

heather came bearing gifts...finally gwyneth has a doll to be friends with kit!

thanks for all of the great presents!

8 years

2010-06-11T17:04:00.001+01:00

and it just keeps getting better!!
(photo by maggie)

it looks like...

2010-06-07T07:57:00.001+01:00

we'll have another cute little girl in our house, come october!

34

2010-06-04T15:34:00.001+01:00

happy birthday to my dear, patient husband.

a walk in the country

2010-06-01T21:37:00.001+01:00

just a few photos from a walk we took while on our holiday. it seems like ages ago already! we are very thankful for a relaxing time. the girls went to bed late and woke up early but, other than that, things went pretty well=) i'll try to post some more photos in the next few days.

4 years and a day

2010-05-29T21:15:00.001+01:00

i never knew it was possible that one person could drive me so crazy and at the same time,
i could love her so much.
happy birthday, margaret bethan. i love you!

happy mother's day to our moms and grandmas!

2010-05-08T21:47:00.001+01:00

mcleans to wales

2010-04-27T20:52:00.000+01:00

i thought i'd let you know that steve is working on our mcleanstowales website and you can actually subscribe to the rss feed now.

"dancing is the best part about wearing a dress!" -maggie

2010-04-12T21:21:00.000+01:00

due in october (and there's just one)

2010-04-08T20:51:00.000+01:00

some nuggets from maggie

2010-03-31T21:49:00.000+01:00

nugget #1
a while ago i taught maggie that "baptize" means "to dip." (thank you dr. bell=) she didn't say much more about it until the other day. she explained to me that sometimes she "baptizes" her cheese toastie when she dips it in her ketchup. i guess that means she got it?
nugget #2
i don't usually compliment maggie on her appearance but today when i was cutting her hair i couldn't help but tell her that i think she is so cute. this lead to a discussion about prov. 31:30 which she has memorized and i asked her what is more important than beauty. to this she replied "being praised!"
i have some more work to do here.

the bunnies

2010-03-16T15:46:00.001Z

this is what i found when i walked in to the girls' room the other day. the girls were playing somewhere else in the house. i guess bunnies need some rest time, too!

quick visit from our resident photographers

2010-02-23T21:53:00.000Z

Yusdi and Jessica were in our neck of the woods recently and came for our sunday morning service and lunch (abbie's incredible chicken enchiladas and fresh salsa!) jessica has posted a few of her fabulous photos on her blog. enjoy!

just for fun!

2010-02-18T10:58:00.001Z

encouragement

2010-02-15T14:55:00.000Z

this was very encouraging to me.

a new look

2010-02-12T22:01:00.000Z

well, i finally made some changes on the blog. "baby on board" was mostly created to keep our friends and family updated while we traveled on deputation. now that we are here, i wanted a title that captured a little more than that. and a blog that communicated a little more than cute photos of the kids. so here it is.

S is for Snowman!

2010-02-11T15:49:00.002Z

last friday was "S" day and so we watched "The Snowman" (which i had never seen until coming here) and made banana snowmen. i think this was our best craft yet-mostly because we could eat it-also because our new friend joan was there.

getting ready

2010-02-10T10:10:00.001Z

i thought these ideas were helpful. i think we'll try the jar of sweet words. we could use a few of those around here!

little mummy

2010-02-04T11:43:00.001Z

maggie's main christmas present was a new pram for her baby. here are a few photos from the first walk.

what steve's been up to...

2010-01-28T10:58:00.001Z

he's only had one lesson but is enjoying it so far. a man in our church had a music studio for many years and has offered lessons for steve.

"Q" is for quesadilla!

2010-01-26T15:54:00.001Z

for some reason, i didn't get too many photos. maggie took a really long time to color her quilt pieces and so was in a bit of a hurry when she glued them on the page. explaining that quesadilla did start with a q took a while and i'm not totally sure they got it in the end=)

happy birthday gwyneth grace!

2010-01-18T09:39:00.001Z

we are so thankful for our little gwyn. she is our clown. our cuddler. our stubborn one. she thinks the world of maggie but is so very different than her. she adores her daddy. and the Lord has taught me much of His grace and mercy through her. we love you, gwyn!

and a special happy birthday to gwyneth's "twin" (one year later). it is on days like today that the possiblity of play dates and friend birthday parties seem just out of reach and over the ocean. we miss you ezra!

snowcream!

2010-01-14T20:43:00.003Z

i watched the kids on monday morning and thought i'd give this a try. overall we liked it-especially after we added chocolate flavored syrup (don't think "hershey's") and squirty cream (don't think "cool whip"). gwyneth was the only one who wouldn't touch it or taste it.

and it's still snowing!!

2010-01-13T14:59:00.001Z

it snowed again last night and it seems as though the whole country is frozen to a halt. we have enjoyed the snow but i'll have to say that i would be glad for it to go.

a new year's wish from 1811

2010-01-01T07:13:00.004Z

"It is with the utmost sincerity, and with my whole heart, that I wish you, my love, a happy new year. May it be a year in which your walk will be close with God; your frame calm and serene; and the road that leads you to the Lamb marked with purer light. May it be a year in which you will have more largely the spirit of Christ, be raised above sublunary [earthly] things, and be willing to be disposed of in this world just as God shall please. As every moment of the year will bring you nearer the end of your pilgrimage, may it bring you nearer to God, and find you more prepared to hail the messenger of death as a deliverer and a friend. And now, since I have begun to wish, I will go on. May this be the year in which you will change your name; in which you will take a final leave of your relatives and native land; in which you will cross the wide ocean, and dwell on the other side of the world, among a heathen people. What a great change will this year probably effect in our lives!"
Adoniram Judson to Ann on New Year's Day, 1811
(My Heart in His Hands by Sharon James)

Happy Christmas!

2009-12-25T16:00:00.001Z

soft dough christmas ornaments

2009-12-14T14:22:00.001Z

the girls have been so sick we've hardly done any of our advent activities but this one seemed possible. it was a little crazy with the dough and the paint. gwyneth ended up with more on her face than on the ornaments. as usual, it was a time for the parents to grow in patience=)

happy advent season!

2009-12-14T14:10:00.001Z

well, the girls still have a bad cough and steve isn't doing so great either. we have a temporary internet situation but are still waiting for the real thing. it's been a little slow around here but we're hoping we'll all be better for the carol service on thursday night. i'll try to post some of what we've been doing over the past month but here's some pictures from our advent.

a trip to the dentist in the midst of everything else going on...

2009-10-30T14:01:00.002Z

gwyneth was too sick to be seen but the dentist checked out our teeth and we were so proud of maggie. she was a trooper!! not one tear.

school update

2009-10-21T16:45:00.001+01:00

school has been going pretty well. on fridays we try to get together with the nicholsons to have a special snack and craft. it is supposed to correspond with the letter we are working on but that doesn't always work out. "b" for bears and "a" for apples, for instance.

pumpkins!

2009-10-16T09:35:00.002+01:00

the pumpkins finally arrived at our little tesco this week. they are not really eaten around here (read: no pumpkin pie, no pumpkin bread, no pumpkin nothin'!) we had a very exciting outing to pick out our pumpkin including riding in the toy car and enjoying the beautiful sunset. we went home and ate some apple crumble. it was no pumpkin patch adventure but it was a good memory.

our Lord's day in wrexham

2009-10-15T14:31:00.001+01:00

steve preached on sunday morning at a church about 45 minutes from here. we spent the afternoon with the minister and his wife and cute little daughter. maggie loved feeding the ducks and we loved the fellowship!

moving

2009-10-13T13:21:00.001+01:00

we have officially begun packing today for our move on the 23rd of october. here is a photo of our new bungalow. i think bungalow just means it's one story. we are very excited. while we have loved living in the centre of town, we are looking forward to a house with a yard, garage, etc. the house is on the same street as the nicholsons' house. well, off to pack!

update

2009-09-23T11:02:00.001+01:00

maggie took this picture of lois and me. she took one photo and then asked us to lean forward a little bit so that she could get a better one=)
in other news, we've been having a great time with steve's parents and aunt and uncle. they left on monday and we are meeting up with them in york today. we'll stay there for a few days before we say our goodbyes. also, we put in an application on a new house yesterday and we're gearing up for the first after school Bible club to start next week.
that's all for now, folks!
off to our holiday!

what do you think?

2009-09-10T15:00:00.002+01:00

i just took this test (that's right, nothing better to do. ) and here are the results. at least parts of it seem to fit? not so sure about the overstuffed furniture.

marcia, you are a Bohemian Classic

You have a refined sensibility and bring a sense of history and tradition into your decor. You appreciate how symmetrical arrangements and beautiful, well-crafted pieces create a solid foundation to a room. But you like to shake up this restraint with objects and accessories that express your personality and your love of other cultures. When traveling, you seek out unique objects that reflect what you love, and you use them in a sophisticated way. You want people to feel comfortable in your home, and cozy chairs, ethnic fabrics, unique pieces, and even a little touch of quirk or humor give your house a laid-back, Bohemian flair.

You value comfort. Your home is a warm and open friendly place, and you feel happiest when everyone is cared for and relaxed in your space. Elements like pillows, throws, overstuffed furniture, and good lighting set the mood. You may also enjoy layering different fabrics or mixing patterns to create a cozy effect.

and not to be left out...

2009-09-07T06:39:00.001+01:00

here is gwyneth's little routine! she has to do everything that maggie does. and then some.

maggie's morning routine

2009-09-04T07:40:00.001+01:00

it all doesn't always happen in this order but this is maggie's basic morning routine chart. as you can see, she is not thrilled about making her bed. that one is going to take a while.

"crazy steve" and party in the park

2009-09-01T13:38:00.001+01:00

last friday steve was able to help out with the "party in the park" in part sponsored by the youth centre where he has volunteered. they had a good turn out and he was able to make some contacts and continue relationships with adults and teens alike. "crazy steve" was also there and the 2 steves did race on the bungee course. they said it was a draw but i think my steve won. "crazy steve" and his family have been a real encouragement to us. he is employed at the youth centre and and they attend a church in another town. the best part of the night was watching maggie do the bungee course. when we got there she said, "i want to do that." now, maggie can get excited about things only to flip out in fear when she actually tries to do them. but not this time. she did the whole thing by herself. she even let the police support officer help her. i was really proud of her!

"to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth"

2009-08-28T16:58:00.002+01:00

it seems that most children maggie's age around here will start school this fall (part-time) so i am going to do some "school" with her at home. we are excited and sobered by the responsibility. we don't know what the future holds as far as education goes. we're going to take it one year at a time. we'll keep you posted!

notable quotables

2009-08-24T14:19:00.001+01:00

steve "maggie, do you think you'll get married when you grow up?"
maggie "yes and i'll have 2 children named molly and elizabeth!"

a few days later:
maggie "i'm going to a wedding."
steve "oh really?"
maggie "yes, i'm going to marry christopher robin."

ladies outing

2009-07-31T09:19:00.001+01:00

we visited gwydir castle & gardens and had a cream tea down in llanrwst yesterday. the Lord gave us beautiful weather and great fellowship! it's hard to believe that we've been here for over 8 months. in some ways i feel like we've been here forever. in other ways i feel so unsure of everything and everyone. very thankful for the friendships that are beginning to form.

hike

2009-07-29T07:29:00.001+01:00

we hiked up a hill not too far from our flat on monday night. it felt weird to not have any visitors with us. we just kept thinking "the boys would have loved this!" at the same time, it was good to just be with our little family! i was just glad to get a picture where gwyneth was actually looking at the camera.

update

2009-07-25T07:26:00.003+01:00

it's been a busy couple of weeks to say the least. we dropped our 3rd set of visitors this month off at the airport yesterday. we LOVED having everyone here and even though we're tired, we were sad to see the boys go. they were a blessing to us and to our church. this morning we have a coffee morning at the community centre. tomorrow steve preaches in the morning at a church in llandudno and we have our evening service here in our flat. abbie and i are getting ready for our ladies outing on thursday and steve is working hard to prepare for our Bible club in august. well, that's the latest!

a new friend

2009-07-20T15:06:00.001+01:00

adapting to the culture...

2009-07-18T20:07:00.001+01:00

coming and going

2009-07-17T15:10:00.003+01:00

well, lisa has come and gone and we had a great time with her! it was kind of hard to see her go but we're thankful that she could come and get a taste of our day to day lives. justin and andrew arrived yesterday and have been a lot of fun already. gwyneth has taken to andrew pretty quickly and of course maggie is enjoying all of the attention.

why not give it a try?

2009-07-17T07:20:00.001+01:00

http://simplemom.net/5-reasons-to-line-dry-your-laundry/

llandudno

2009-07-10T07:20:00.002+01:00

we experienced the train for the first time when we all went to llandudno on it. it was a fun and relaxing way to travel! we enjoyed some shopping and walking along the promenade. daniel did have to fight a sea gull for his sandwich but other than that, we had a great time!

plenty of mac time!

2009-07-10T07:14:00.001+01:00

the beach

2009-07-09T07:45:00.001+01:00

conwy castle

2009-07-09T07:38:00.001+01:00

on thursday afternoon steve and daniel took a quick trip to conwy castle.

visit from the arnolds continued...

2009-07-08T07:18:00.001+01:00

it was fun taking jenn and the kids to the grocery store and to the park-just showing them what our life is like here.

visit from the arnolds

2009-07-08T07:15:00.001+01:00

we had a wonderful visit from the arnolds and i'm not sure where to begin as far as posting pictures. here's one from the day they got here. it was great to have another "nursery worker" at church. (yes, they flew all night on tuesday and came to prayer meeting on wednesday. are they great missionaries or what?)

update

2009-07-02T14:20:00.003+01:00

i am sorry to report that i failed my driving test. it was a big disappointment as i thought i had done a really good job, but he failed me on a couple of what i thought were minor errors. the whole thing seems a bit subjective. anyway, i won't say any more about it b/c i've decided to not be upset about it but take it from the LORD. i've booked another test for 3 august and we'll give it another go. many people here take it 2 or 3 or even 5 times so it shouldn't have been too surprising. in other news, daniel, jenn and children are here for a few days and we're having a great time showing them our life. i'm still amazed that they were able to come and i know it will be difficult to see them go. the children are playing relatively well together, the men are solving the world's theological problems and jenn and i are trying to figure out how/when/where we can get away w/out the kids and husbands for a few hours.

a song for today

2009-06-26T14:45:00.003+01:00

A MAN there is, a real man,
who once on Calvary died.
His blood for guilty sinners ran
from hands and feet and side.

'Tis no wild fancy of our brains,
no metaphor we speak;
The same dear man in heaven now reigns,
that suffered for our sake.

This wondrous Man of whom we tell,
is true Almighty God;
He brought our souls from death and hell;
the price, His own heart's blood.

That human heart He still retains,
though throned in highest bliss;
and feels each tempted member's pains;
for our affliction's His.

Come then, repenting sinner, come;
approach with humble faith;
owe what you will, the total sum
is canceled by His death.

His blood can cleanse the sin-stained soul,
and wash our guilt away;
He will present us sound and whole
in that tremendous day.

Joseph Hart, 1712-1768