[Editorial note: I wrote this a week ago, but had too many intervening things of interest to post it. It could be that this will be of most interest to my family, and perhaps those who are interested in what rural England is like, but if you’re bored, charge ahead. :)]
This morning [meaning last Saturday morning] I got up around 6:45, checking my email and eating a bowl of cereal. I realize now, as I begin this post, that I never stopped to spend any time in God’s written revelation, so I will pause a moment from this post to check things out where I left off in 2 Corinthians.
Wow, I was just now reading 2 Corinthians 8. God give me the grace to be as gracious and giving as the Macedonians were!
Okay, so I ate my cereal and got prepared to face the day. The boys began waking up and Keaton had to get ready to go to football (soccer) practice, with the St. Nicholas Football Club. We go with another dad and 6-year old son (Alistair and Nathan, who are Scottish) who live here at The King’s Lodge. They have a “people carrier,” somewhat like a mini-van, and we were able to ride along. Keaton was picked as trainer of the week and received a trophy that he gets to keep all week until the next practice! He really competes well in soccer, even here in England where everyone plays the game from a very young age.
After football practice, we came back to the base. I then decided to go into Nuneaton to pick up a few things at the market and some “trainers” (tennis shoes or sneakers) for Tanner. Now, since we do not have a car, what this means is a 2-mile walk into town. It was about 40 degrees today, gray and windy, so I bundled up and loaded up with a backpack.
I walked into town stopping at my favorite little cafe where I have made a friendship with the owner. He always greets me with a free cup of hot tea, already prepared with milk and 1 sugar (meaning 1 teaspoon of sugar). We chatted for about 30 minutes, as his business was slow today because of the weather, and I told him I’d be interested in bringing some people from The King’s Lodge to clean up “rubbish” (litter) around his cafe and down in the creek that runs alongside it – which is why he calls it the Riverside Cafe. He then said that he would love for us to do that and that he would give up to ten people a free breakfast if we could!
After warming up with my tea and conversation I headed the rest of the way into the market. Every Saturday in Nuneaton there is a large farmers’ market. I like to get fresh raspberries for the kids. I also bought a few tomatoes. I then went into a Sports Direct store, where they often have clearance sales and found a pair of trainers for Tanner for 8 pounds and two pairs of training pants (sports wear, long slick pants) for the boys for 6 pounds each. Those are incredible deals for here in England, even though 8 pounds means 16 dollars.
In Nuneaton, the stores are generally not filled with variety and have more of a single purpose. So, if you need many different things you often find yourself going to many different stores. I did shop around a bit for a few more deals and picked up a great book on China along the way. I had an unusual experience for me, now that I’ve been here several months, where a girl asked me if I wanted “anything else.” Unfortunately, her accent was so strong that I had no clue what she said so I asked her “what?” She said it again. I heard something that sounded like another ale? I was embarassed but I had to ask her to repeat it again. She said it again and I was still clueless. After the fourth time, and a lot of hard thinking and feeling terribly, I finally figured it out. Just when I thought I could understand the English and even all their quirky words, I was stumped.
About 3 hours and 5 miles of walking and shopping later I arrived back at the base. It was after 3 p.m. and I hadn’t had lunch so I scarfed down some leftovers, including a Cornish pasty. The funny thing about pasties in England is that you will hear people call them “pahsteez,” “pasteez,” (like snappy) and “paysteez.” What are they you might ask? A Cornish pasty is some cheap meat, typically what they might call mince (hamburger), and some small diced potatoes cooked and spiced and wrapped in a pastry so that all the meat is enclosed. It is then baked. My undestanding is that they were created in Cornwell for the miners to carry into the mine. The pastries kept the meat from getting dirt in it.
Now, I hope you can picture what it is like to live with over 100 people in one big house. I suppose if you’ve ever lived in a dormitory or fraternity or sorority house you can. We are blessed to have a “flat” (apartment), with a kitchen and private “loo” (toilet). Many of the students share all of these things and we all share one big kitchen and dining room and we eat in the common dining area about 1/2 of the time. It can be a blessing and a hardship, but generally it is fun having so many people around to discuss what God is doing in your life, play ping pong, play football, sing songs, eat with, etc. Anyway, I say that to say that often a big part of any day will involve discussions with a great many people about life, God, sports, the bible, being a dad, children, marriage, whatever. It is a discipleship community and being on staff here means that one often is in a position to disciple people almost around the clock.
Tonight has been very quiet. Regan and Tara are both sick after their long weekend at Spring Harvest. Tara helped teach the children with special needs at the youth conference and each of the kids participated as students. We have just “stayed in” this evening. It’s now 9:30, which is early for bedtime these days, but I am about to head that way. Tara is exhausted from her cold and Regan often calls for us in the night. Her fever has been high for a couple of days.
It may not seem like much, but I hope you see that it is different – because it is very different than the life I used to lead. Things we take for granted in the U.S., like having a car, can make a trip to get groceries a major task. But, on a weekend, I have time. I have time to stop and have a cup of tea with an Englishman I hope will get to know God. I have time to shop a bit for a few bits of clothes for my kids. I can have a few conversations with the 18-30 year olds around the base who are interested in knowing what it is like being married or how we can do what we do as a family. I can take some time to write and think about a book that I hope to publish one day to encourage people in their call as Christians. Being American in England creates conversation and opens doors to share why I am here, and the sole reason is because of Jesus.
God is good. All the time.