At Last-- We're here!

WE HAVE ARRIVED!! Since our wireless connection has been so spotty, we have been unable to stay online for any extended period. We apologize for not updating you sooner!

I (Lisa) want to begin by giving you a sketchy picture of our last days in the U.S., as they happened to be some of our favorite.

We did manage to pack up the house. Note that we had a few lightbulbs to give away after we packed our lamps! They are enjoying a brief rest in our punchbowl~Somehow it seemed like an appropriate picture of packing up for us~doing what worked best and made the most sense and saved time.

My mom did the lion’s share of work packing us up, we are extremely grateful for all her hard work.

My dad did some "work" too :).

We are at my folks for the last few days in Minnesota. One of our last nights we went outside (children in their p.j.’s) to pick raspberries and run in the wind. It was a beautiful evening and an even better memory. Sorry we didn't flip the pics for you.

Our time in Wheaton (we flew out of Chicago O’Hare) was also very sweet. It was so good to see Jim's parents again--here's the three generations of men!

And we stayed with our good friends, Todd and Cindy Augustine, Eleah and Katie. Todd was out of town, but Cindy pulled out all the stops to host us, including a big party with good friends before we left. The kids got to say goodbye and the trampoline was a favorite!

Here we are with SOME of our luggage. We filled up the Augustine’s Suburban and had to use Nanna and Pappa Johnston’s SUV as well as the James’ van. EGADS!

At the airport ready to wheel our luggage in.

Here is our plane. Andrew is showing the pilots his new little toy plane.

We made it. The children held up very well. They slept well on the plane, but 3-4 hours is not enough for anyone! We are here waiting for the luggage to arrive.

We did make it safely to Tyndale House and we are settling in well. People are VERY friendly and helpful here. We live next to the warden of Tyndale House, Peter & Kathryn Williams and their two children. They are our peers in age so we have enjoyed sharing much in common. Sarah and their daughter will be in the same class together in school. And Andrew likes to pal around with their little boy; both of them are very into cars and trucks.

We have some non-Tyndale neighbors as well. We met Dorothy when we were locked out of our flat; she is very nice and has beautiful gardens. Birgit showed us to the local grocery store, then she and Peter had us for tea a couple days later; this was an interesting experience because Andrew almost immediately climbed on the couch to touch a painting of “Boats, Mommy, boats!” This nautical scene happened to be a family heirloom, painted in 1836 by a famous artist and inherited from Peter’s grandfather. We did manage to keep Andrew away from the 400 year old Japanese paper screen (a beautiful, priceless painting of Kyoto hung on the wall, probably 5 feet high & 10 feet long) that they literally designed their home around. EGADS! They were extremely nice, even when Andrew did spill his apple juice on the rug. That’s when we knew it was time to go.

They are letting me work in the garden here. Actually Tyndale no longer has a gardener so the warden has instituted “Garden Days” where all the scholars are to work cheerfully outside, which I don’t think has gone over so well. And so I think that I have found an ample way to serve while I am at Tyndale House! I am thankful for this outlet~albeit a bit overwhelming. They have a lot of gardens.

We are driving thanks to our new car, a 1998 Renault Espace. It is very nice, and spacious. It has been a challenge to drive on the other side of the road, but then, as a neighbor here has told me, keep the “passenger to the pavement” (pavement=sidewalk) and this has really helped. What doesn’t help is the sign on the local highway that says, “284 people died on this highway in 2005, drive carefully!” I really didn’t need to see that~

Two of my big adjustments have been: no dishwasher and no dryer. We hang all our clothes out in our living room or bedroom, and we wash clothes everyday. If we don’t we would never catch up! The girls have been wonderful about washing dishes~they are doing a great job, and I think that is encouraging them to think twice about getting another glass dirty when they are thirsty.

On a final note, Barry Danylak, our good friend here took us on a walking tour of Cambridge, here is a picture of part of King’s College Chapel. It doesn’t even do it justice, it is so beautiful. You must come and see it in person.