Ystradgynlais

My first week in Wales was really restful. I slept well every night and did not have much trouble with jet lag, in spite of the time difference (five hours ahead of Eastern Time). I live with a host family in a town called Ystradgynlais, in the Swansea Valley. It is so peaceful here, and my host family is such a blessing. There is a small mountain right behind the house, as well as a river that flows down from the mountains. It rains a lot this time of year, though the valley has been blessed with quite a few sunny days in the past few weeks. Walking places is a way of life, even in the rain. The temperature was in the mid 60’s when I first arrived and is now in the mid 50’s. I have enjoyed meeting many people from the church and community. A few speak Welsh as a first language, though most speak English.

Weekly schedule

My weekly schedule involves a wide variety of things. When I first arrived there was a lot of renovation work to be done on my host dad Andy’s new building for his business, so I spent quite a few hours painting, helping with wallpaper, picking up trash, etc. Definitely a highlight of my time so far! Sundays are full days; everyone attends Swansea Valley Bible Church (SVBC) in the mornings and then meet in one of four branch locations in the evenings. I have been rotating through each of these four locations in order to get to know the people better and see how each branch functions. Mondays I volunteer in the church mission shop, which is like a thrift store run by volunteers and the profits all go toward missions of some sort. Tuesdays I will be rotating between Tuesday club (an over 50’s group) and a leaders open house. On Wednesdays I go to a mums and tots group in the morning, and a church prayer meeting in the evening. Thursdays there is another prayer meeting in the morning, and Fridays is Kid’s Club (age 11 and younger) and youth at SVBC in the evenings. Saturdays are either off days or miscellaneous other events (leaders meetings, church cleaning, etc.).

Exploration

In between all of those activities I have had opportunities to do a number of things “just for fun.” 🙂 During my first week here I went to the sea, and with all the cliffs and bays it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen! It brought me to tears when I remembered looking at pictures of Wales months ago wondering if this is where the Lord was leading me. To see it in person was absolutely incredible and such a powerful reminder of God’s goodness and faithfulness. I’ve also had the opportunity to hike a mountain, go running, join the church choir, spend time with people, buy something at the post office (all by myself!), see the home where Rees Howells (an intercessor and the founder of the Bible College of Wales) grew up in the late 1800’s, and visit the Carreg Cennen Castle ruins. So blessed every day to get to enjoy this beautiful country!

Crossing cultures

Though English is the primary language spoken in Wales, it truly is a completely different country with its own unique words and culture. As a foreigner, culture shock and making mistakes is inevitable, and I have to choose daily to humble myself and become like a child, willing to laugh at myself and be open to correction and learning new things. And sometimes that means admitting that I have absolutely no idea of what someone just said to me, even though they were speaking English! Always an adventure… 😉 Below are just a few British words that I have learned so far for you to enjoy! 🙂

• Squash – a common juice made out of a concentrate
• Jacket potatoes – baked potatoes
• Garden – backyard
• Torch – flashlight
• Kitchen roll – paper towels
• Hoover – vacuum
• Chemist – pharmacy
• Lolly – lollipop

Blessings to you all! 🙂