This
break has come at a good time for us and has enabled us to reflect and take
stock of things. Those of you who have
been following my blog will have realised that things have not been easy for us
– I have always tried to be as positive as possible in my writing but you can’t
fail to have noticed that I have been struggling to veil the difficulties. In the last couple of months things have
come to a head and after discussion with the World Church Office we have all
agreed that we need to curtail our appointment. We intend to return to Guyana during November to pack up and gain
some closure and will return to the UK before Christmas.
Coming
back to England has made me realise just how dry I have been – spiritually,
emotionally and socially. This has been
a time of healing and restoration for us and there are many things that have
brought me joy in the past few weeks – here are just a few of them…
- Sharing time with
loved ones
- Having hot water
showers and baths
- Eating all the
food I have missed
- Constant
electricity
- Not feeling hot
and sweaty all the time
- Having my hair cut
- Having sign posts
on the roads and predictable driving conditions
- Seeing the
changing of the season and the beauty of the countryside
- Sleeping
peacefully
I
found a quote in a book I have been reading which says ‘Those who’ve survived
periods of bleakness are often better at savouring good times and wise enough
to understand that good times are actually great.’ That has certainly felt true for us in the last few weeks as
we have gained so much pleasure from all the little things we used to take for
granted. I have also felt touched by so
many friends and family who have shown us their love in many practical ways –
giving us a place to sleep, doing our washing, feeding us, buying in treats
that we have missed, praying for us, lending us things we haven’t got, looking
after things for us…the list goes on and on and we can never repay these lovely
people for all their kindness to us. We
so appreciate this especially at this time when we feel dry and just need to
receive from others to restore our spirits.
One
of my most moving experiences was last Sunday when we went to worship at Jo and
Ayo’s church in Manchester. I cried
through most of the service as it felt so moving to be there in a place where
we were welcomed warmly, the worship music was played sensitively and tunefully
and where the church was being what a church should be. I introduced myself to a young girl who came
and sat next to me and discovered she was a student visiting for the first
time. After the service Jo took her to
meet their student co-ordinator and the girl was immediately welcomed and invited
to have lunch with a family from the church – it seems strange that such a
seemingly small thing moved me so deeply but having been starved of love and
social interaction I just felt overwhelmed by their thoughtfulness and kindness
and by seeing the people work as a team to show love to people.
During
the service I had a real sense that I needed to lay down my pride as this is
such a humbling experience for me – I am used to being the one to give and help
others and it doesn’t come easily to me to receive help. A good lesson to learn!
As
for what we will do next we would appreciate your prayers. Our resignation has been sent to the Guyana
District, and once released from the World Church Office the Methodist church
will try to find a ministerial appointment for Mark to take up – hopefully in
January. I will keep everyone informed
as to the next step once we know what it is!
This is a wonderful time of refreshing for us but also an unsettling
time as we prepare to lay down this ministry and take up a new one in the next
year.
