Abilene Bound!!!!!!

My how time flies! We’ve been Ducklington residents for almost 6 months now. We’ve learned to drive on the wrong side of the road (tiny little roads! . . . with roundabouts!) sitting on the wrong side of the car. We’ve picked up words like “lovely” and “brilliant” and “dodgey” and “posh” and “cheers.” Will we be able to remember our Texas roots!? We both still say “fixin’ to” and “y’all.” Some things never change, right? We’ve become accustom to walking instead of driving and we’ve become avid recyclers. We count British pounds instead of U.S. dollars and we think in Centigrade instead of Fahrenheit (Either way, it’s hot in Texas and not hot here!). We’ve come to love 50 degree mornings and 75 degree afternoons and afternoon tea and the funny conversational chirps of black birds that sort of sound like R2D2. We’ve had a “garden,” not a yard (which takes 5 minutes to mow instead of 2 hours) and everything in it blooms! Our time in England has overwhelmed us and God’s call for us to come here is undeniable. This has certainly been one of God’s most exciting adventures for us.

We are, however, very excited about coming home, but in a sense we feel that we are leaving “home,” too. The folks at Ducklington Baptist have embraced us completely and have truly become our family. On July 4th, they actually hung the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes in the front of the sanctuary. We will miss our Monday evening Bible study together and our Wednesday evening prayer times. We will miss joisting with Janice on Monday mornings over whether a word is English or American and who had it first. It is easy to see that the Lord has melded us all together in our love for one another and for Him. There are a couple of our elderly members who continue to need lots of love and care and their spouses need continuous encouragement from the body as well as practical help with some of their daily responsibilities. It is sweet to see the body of Christ function so beautifully as they care for these precious saints.

Our replacements, Brian and Paula Brewer, have left their 3 young adult daughters in Illinois and are settling into our little house quite nicely. We had the opportunity to Skype with the Brewers twice and instantly felt that they were going to be a perfect fit to carry on the work here. Their hearts are also firmly grounded in discipleship and they will continue to encourage this church to wait on the Lord and seek His vision for the ministry.

When we arrived last January, we were met with snow, rain, drizzle, more rain, more drizzle, darkness by 4 p.m. every day, more rain and more drizzle. The skies were gray until at least March, but 9 Bartholomew Close became a place of sanctuary and prayer for us as we sought the Lord’s direction as to where to begin. Little by little His plan of nurturing, teaching, uniting, and loving this sweet body of believers became amazingly clear to us. Sometimes daily we found ourselves sharing Christ with our neighbors and others we met as we acclimated to our surrounding. We found that the British were not as reserved as we had been prepared for them to be. In most cases they quickly opened up to the subject of “the church” when they became aware of why we were here. However, without exception (unless they were believers), they kindly verbalized that they really saw no need for “the church” or “faith.” Life, in their opinion, was pretty good. They have a home to live in, food in their cupboard, a job that provides for their needs and most of their wants, someone to share life with (not always a wife or a husband), and they really didn’t “need” the church or faith. Each time we tried to explain to them that what we were doing was really not about “the church.” It was about a relationship with Christ. We have found them to be very much like Americans. Along the way we hope and pray that seeds have been planted and that those who remain here will be blessed to harvest fruit from our labor.

The beauty of this country is astounding and is almost impossible to describe! This past month as the sun has come out and the temperatures have warmed, we have taken every opportunity to walk the countryside. The Public Pathway system of Great Britain makes is very easy to see the country by walking through fields and villages, along rivers and sometimes right through people’s gardens. We have continued to be enthralled by 900 year old churches left unlocked and open to the public with 300 year old Bibles laying open on the pulpits for any visitor to look through. The heritage of faith is everywhere, yet the guest books in these old sanctuaries read like those in fine museums. “Beautiful Building!” . . . “Thank you for maintaining such a rich historical treasure.” . . . “Lovely, peaceful place.” We always wanted to write (and sometimes did) in capital letters – “What about Jesus! Remember Him!?” These beautiful old buildings were raised to the glory of God shortly after the turn of the millennium, but now the One Whose Glory they represent is never mentioned. Yes, this is a mission field!

Yet! . . . the Spirit is on the move. God’s people, those who have a passion for His Truth and who love this country, are sensing a fresh new call. They are looking past their historic buildings, outside the walls of yesterday’s traditions, and are communicating to the upcoming generation. They are praying for a revival. We attended a service recently on a Sunday night in Burford complete with guitars, drums, and even a harmonica. A young Scottish woman (Yes, muster all your grace! She is the pastor of the church.) brought a passionate message quoting from John Piper’s Don’t Waste Your Life issuing a challenge for us to seek God’s Spirit and His call on our lives. There was a sweet, sweet Spirit in that place. He is moving in extraordinary ways and it is spreading through churches that have been gasping for a final breath. Churches much like Ducklington Baptist are experiencing new growth and vitality. Those churches are learning to pray and wait on the Spirit to guide, but then they are also committed to do whatever He asks them to do. That evening we met an older couple from a nearby village who told us that 20 years ago their church had 5 members. Today it has over 200. God is at work here, as He is everywhere, and His people are learning to pray and wait.

It is an exciting time to be part of this movement and we are in hopes that He sees fit to bring us back. The thought of leaving England weighs heavy on our hearts as the hour of our departure draws near, but it’s time. We have missed our friends and our family very much. We are trusting that regardless of where we are, He will be at work in our lives. We will soon be back in our own house and adjusting to Texas temperature and driving on the right side of the road, but, Oh! the beauty of England and her people are set deep in our hearts.

More Adventures and Encounters . . .

When we took Granny to Heathrow a month ago, we looked at each other and confidently said, “Wow, we have more than a month left!” We’re not quite sure where that month has gone. We’ve tried our best to see everything that we had not yet seen in The Cotswolds. We have been out in the community as much as possible in order to meet people and hopefully engage them in conversation about our Lord. We have delighted in taking long (seriously long, 4-6 miles long) walks, over wold (hills) and vale (valleys), as often as possible to see this beautiful countryside, always encountering others along the way. And, we’ve eaten at as many pubs as we could afford to eat at in order to enjoy that one last Fish Pie or Bangers and Mash or yummy Stilton Cheese. (I, Brenda, am thinking that there is at least one more Fish Pie in my future before we leave here.) We’ve enjoyed the beauty and the taste of some of the most incredible gardens. Just last Saturday we opened our front door to find a bag of freshly harvested lettuce waiting for us.

Our day trips have taken us from ostentatious palaces like Blenheim Palace, where Winston Churchill was born and raised (and this is only the west face of the palace),

to walks through fields of cattle and sheep



to 12th century chapels hidden away in valleys


and more and more quaint little villages with beautiful churches.



We managed to take a real holiday and go for 3 days to visit Salisbury, Bath and Wales. The road to Salisbury took us by Stonehenge as well as the little village of Avebury which is completely encircled by those weird standing stones. Stonehenge was a bit anticlimactic since we were told by locals that the stones have been rearranged and some even stood up with cranes. Hummmm . . . you have to wonder what else we’re not being told. Bath is one of the most beautiful cities we’ve ever seen.It is a blend of Europe and England with gardens, cathedrals and 1st century Roman Baths. History records activity in Bath a century before Christ’s birth and this area is quite possibly where the first Christians stepped onto British soil.

While on our trip, we were asked by AIPM to travel to Wales to visit with pastor Geoffrey Fewkes and his wife Claris in Bridgend about the possibility of a small church in the mountains of southern Wales inviting an interim pastor to come from the States to help them.

While there, we drove some additional miles to spend a little time at the seashore. As we walked along that beautiful shore in a small seaside village we encountered a young man in a wheel chair. He was a recent amputee missing the lower part of his left leg. We engaged him in conversation about his dog and when he heard our accent and inquired, we had the opportunity to share with him what we were doing in the UK. He quickly informed us that he was an atheist. When asked what brought him to that belief, he said that there was no way he would believe “all the stuff in the Bible,” but he thought it was fine for others. The conversation that ensued was short and it was obvious that he was not interested in anything we might say. Disappointed, we continued on down the walkway only to come upon an elderly woman sitting in a motorized scooter reading a book. She could not have been more of a contrast to our previous conversation. She was a “strict Welsh Baptist,” but she and her husband (who only passed away last year) had decided to attend the Methodist Church in the village because the people were friendlier. She told us that her late husband felt that Welsh was the language that was spoken in heaven, so we told her that we would be looking her up when we got there to translate for us. She was a delight! We felt as though God blessed us greatly that day as He allowed us to see that in the midst of such spiritual darkness and apathy that His children are everywhere.

Later that afternoon, we stood outside a church in Cardiff that boasts one of only three surviving outdoor pulpits. When the 1904-5 revival began in Swansea,Wales, the churches could not hold all those who were hungry to hear the Gospel of Christ.
Churches began to build pulpits on their exteriors so that the preachers could preach to the streets as they were full of people coming to hear His Word proclaimed. What happened!? In less than 100 years, a generation now exists that knows nothing of God’s love for them. We have thought constantly that America is not far behind the UK. What will it take for our countries to turn their hearts back to a loving Heavenly Father?

The final day of our trip was spent investigating a 13th century castle in Caerphilly, Wales.
Not many towns can boast a castle sitting in the middle of the downtown area, but you can’t miss this one. Complete with moat and double walls, it is mostly in ruins now, but is well maintained and open for all to see.

As our time here is coming to an end, we feel that we have truly become a part of this beautiful place. Our neighbors and our church family have become dear friends and we are not looking forward to saying goodbye. At our regular Wednesday evening prayer time last night someone voiced the fact that God has truly changed their hearts. They can sense that through the study of His Word He has brought a renewed awareness of those around them and a deeper unity among them. The results are up to the Lord, but they are willing to do whatever He asks them to.

We hope to write one more entry on this blog before returning. As always, we love knowing that others are praying for us. Don’t stop! There is still work to be done.