We are writing this Blog on what will be our last day in the
UK for some time, we leave the IMC for N'Djamena Chad tomorrow morning at 6:45am,
the 19th June. The last few weeks have gone by in a flash as we have been
combining Church visits with saying our goodbyes to family and friends. This
has been a draining time and both feel emotionally exhausted by the whole
process. Saying goodbye particularly to family has been very tough and at times
felt unchristian and selfish as we leave those we love behind in tears. However
God has been present throughout this time and through His Love, help and
guidance we know this is the right thing to be doing and is what we have been called
to do.
Our bags are now finally packed and have been unpacked and
repacked many times. How do you pack up your past 30 years into 6 suitcases and
can be sure you haven't forgotten anything important? But through this process we
have come to realise that there is so much "clutter and possessions" that
we can and will need to do without. A few family mementos to make our new home
feel familiar, photos, MP3 player and a Kindle were high on our list of
priorities. We pray that we can make new friends quickly and settle into our
new surroundings so that we don't start longing for our old life. It does seem a
little ironic however that as keen followers of all sport we are leaving in the
year the Olympics comes to the UK, England are doing OK in the European Football
championships, the Tour De France is about to start and Wimbledon is just
around the corner. God does seem to have a great sense of humour, but his
timing of our call could have been a little better perhaps.
We look forward to our arrival in Chad and we ask that you
continue to remember and pray for us. The initial few weeks do seem a little
daunting, but we are thankful for those who have gone ahead of us who will be able
to meet us, help us settle and show us around. We shall be living at the
hospital for a few weeks initially before moving into the capital N'Djamena to
start our language learning at summer school. Hopefully it won't be too long
before we can re-establish Internet connections and update you with our
progress.