home | board | compass | prayer | eCard

[Main Index]

06/24/2002 Entry: "A Country of Contrasts"

Another day, another castle. And, two days in a row of beautiful, blue skies dotted with clouds and a trip to Caerphilly Castle north of Cardiff. It's known as the castle with the leaning tower, and it is quite large in comparrison with the others we have seen.

When we got home, Debbie and I decided it was time to do some yard work and continue to enjoy the beautiful weather (by the way, Richard, when it comes to Florida weather - heavy rains, tornado warnings, lightening, hail and all that used to be every afternoon events years ago - you just live around them as you have already learned. Floridians call it liquid sunshine and when it comes down hard, it's a frog choker or a gulley washer). Here we are in a land full of 12th century castles, houses in some places that still have thatched roofs and more sheep than you can shake a stick at (God's natural lawn mowers and fertilizers) and I come home to look for a lawn mower in the garage. Debbie told me there was this futuristic thing out there, but I didn't believe her until I saw it myself. Leaning against the wall was a "Flomo". It has no wheels, is powered by electricity and hovers over the grass (not that thick Florida stuff, but the nice soft, cushiony kind of grass.) After figuring out how to use it, and finishing with the weed eater, I finally found the instructions. If at first you don't succeed, try reading the instructions. We did get the yard done, though. Didn't even break a sweat - this nice Welsh weather.

Chris and I got dropped off downtown to wander the Quadrant (city center mall). We've been here long enough now to actually run into people we've met. Nicole (a US exchange student at the University who is heading back to Wyoming tonight), Steve Wigley, the Circuit Superintendent, and a woman from the the Wesley Church on Eaton Road where I preached last night. Speaking of meeting people, Saturday Debbie and I and the kids were at the train station at Cardiff waiting to come home from a day at the Welsh Life Museum (kinda like Greenfield Village in Michigan or Plymouth Plantation). I heard a southern American accent and asked the man where he was from. He proclaimed he was from Florida and I found out he is from Crystal River, in the same district as Fruitland Park, and that he and his family are good friends with the pastor and his family of the Methodist Church in Crystal River. Not only that, but the people they are visiting over here are newly moved back from Crystal River to their home here in Sketty and are familiar with this church. Talk about a small world.

So, here we are, entering our fourth week serving a church in a country with tons of history, lots of fantastic people and a hovercraft lawn mower.

By the way, while we like the ice cream we've had (last night at nine with plenty of day light left at Verdi's in Mumbles looking out over the receeding tide and the full moon coming up over the light house, for example), the selection of flavors seems to be much more limited than in the states. I recommend Grumpy's as well, if you're in Fruitland Park some day.

Peace.

Ivan