What are we doing here? Did we make a mistake? What is this going to look like? How do I operate this oven? How will we get there? These have been a few of the questions running around in both of our minds since we arrived on UK soil 2 weeks ago. We have had the ultimate highs watching the Lord do His thing during ministry, and a few lows too – even the simple things like going to the grocery store have been something to figure out. Cooking a pizza the other night took us forever just trying to figure out how to turn the oven on! Being here for so long and living like a local is allowing us to learn new things about the culture here. I will be glad when we acclimate a little better.
One thing the Lord has shown me since being here is to rely on Him. I am so used to having a plan and being able to navigate and figure things out on my own, but that just has not happened this time. I have had to rely on so many people to show me what to do, and how to do things since being here. I am grateful that we have had friends here we can call on to help us figure it all out. The Lord keeps showing me that He has it all in His hands and under control though, and I don’t have to know all the answers, because He does. I know how I have felt in just these past two weeks. I can’t imagine what a missionary who had never been to the country before feels like- with no established connections and friends to help them acclimate to life in a foreign place.
Our first stop in the UK, other than an overnight stop to rest in Ipswich, was in Peterborough. The Lord blessed us in so many ways in Peterborough. We had booked a small little apartment with just a kitchenette, bedroom, and bathroom essentially, trying to conserve money, but because of a water leak at the place we booked. They put us up in the Penthouse. A 2-story apartment, with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, a living room and full kitchen area. It was a blessing indeed. We were so exhausted from all of our travels that it was nice to be able to spread out into 2 bedrooms and just catch up on rest for a couple of days. We stopped in Peterborough to catch up with our friends, Anth and Didi, and it was a God-given time too. When we first arrived in the UK, we questioned, “What now?” So much of our time in the USA had just been about getting here, that now that we had arrived, we weren’t sure what “next” was going to look like. Anth and Didi were such gracious hosts. They took us and showed us their new locale (which is gorgeous, by the way), made us multiple meals and spent a day and a half just speaking into our lives, aiding in giving us a vision of what the UK would look like. It was such a wonderful time, with such dear friends. A time that Billy and I will be forever thankful for!
From there, we moved up to what will be our home base of sorts in the UK – the Leeds/Bradford/Halifax area of Yorkshire. A friend of ours, Linda, and her husband, Dave, were so gracious to us. They opened their home and allowed us and our dog to stay with them for several nights until our Airbnb was ready. They served us in every way. She provided every meal, drove us everywhere, and gave us liberty to minister if God gave us unction. We had the opportunity to do street ministry two of the days and got to pray for people in the streets. We served at Saturday Gathering, a ministry near and dear to my heart. There is just something about sharing God’s love with the people who seem to need it most. I even got to share a tiny bit unexpectedly. My heart is so full. These are the moments we are made for.
We have had several opportunities for one-on-one ministry with people and God blows us away each and every time we get to watch Him work. We have also had a few people speak into our lives and what we are doing here too. Connections are already forming and being re-established, and we are excited to see what God has in store next.
Our time since we arrived at our Airbnb has been mostly restful. We have spent a lot of time praying over the Yorkshire area, worshipping, soaking, and seeking the Lord for His next steps for us.
We have been blessed by all of our friends here. They have welcomed us into their homes and churches. Served us all sorts of food and have spoken into our lives in so many ways. We are so grateful!
We have an opportunity in June to speak at a New Wine service in Bradford, and we are excited about that. We will also be continuing to work with Fountains Church in Bradford on a close basis in the meantime, doing street ministry and working with Saturday Gathering, and just allowing the Lord to use us however He will.
We want to say a big thank you to all of you who have shown your hospitality to us here in the UK, and to those of you who are continuing to sow into what we are doing here in Yorkshire. Your support means a lot to us. Please click the video below to be taken to a slideshow of our past two weeks!