The Amman Valley

I recently had the opportunity to spend about two weeks with a family in the Amman Valley, which is the valley west of where I was staying previously. This enabled me to more easily get involved in various activities associated with the branch church (Hope Church) and community there. One of my favorites was soup and a roll for £1 on Fridays, where anyone from the community is welcome to come eat lunch in a dining hall within the pastor’s home. They also facilitate in the church building a kids’ club and youth group weekly, which is considered an outreach since the vast majority of the children and youth who attend have basically no exposure to any form of Christianity at all and have really tough family lives. On Thursday nights the pastor and his wife host a course called Life Explored, primarily for a few people who do not know God but who want to learn more about Christianity. This provides them with a safe place to ask questions and be open about their doubts and skepticisms.

Fish out of water

A few weeks ago I was invited by one of my host moms, Christie, to go to Cardiff (the capital city of Wales) with her for a day. The only challenge for me was that she was going to be working from an office the whole time so I was left to explore on my own. However, I was not going to say no to having an adventure in a new city, so I agreed. Armed with a working mobile phone and a map I decided to explore Cardiff Bay and then opted to walk a half hour rather than try to figure out how to ride a bus into Cardiff City Centre, where I felt completely like a fish out of water. What was I, a country girl and foreigner originally from a small town and rural community, doing in the busy capital city of Wales by myself? I was almost certain anyone looking at me could tell I felt out of place and had no idea what I was doing. However, after achieving my goal of locating Cardiff castle and walking around it I spent some time shopping for souvenirs before heading back to Cardiff Bay for lunch, satisfied that I had had plenty of adventure for one day! Perhaps next time I will be brave enough to attempt the bus. 😉

Revival sites and other adventures

I have been so blessed to have had the opportunity to visit more places that I had hoped to see, and a few that I had no idea even existed! One of my host families took me to Loughor to see Evan Roberts’ childhood home, Moriah Chapel, and Pisgah Chapel, which were associated with the Welsh Revival of 1904-05, in which Evan Roberts was heavily involved. I also had the privilege of walking the grounds of the Bible College of Wales in Swansea, which was founded by Rees Howells in 1924 and still offers classes to students.

I was surprised to learn that for Batman movie fans, the country of Wales has a claim to fame: the Henrhyd waterfall, which is the site of the filming of the Bat cave scene in Batman: The Dark Knight Rises. The best part of this waterfall is the fact that you can actually stand behind it. On another day getting a ride home turned into a detour and walk up the Black Mountain, which offered lovely views of the area, and though it was cloudy the rain held off until we were safely back in the car.

Preparing to say goodbye

With only two weeks left here in Wales and Christmas quickly approaching my thoughts have begun to turn toward home. Perhaps part of my increasing restlessness is also due to the fact that while during my first six weeks in Wales I stayed in one home consistently, in the recent weeks I have lived in three other homes for 1-2 weeks at a time. I have absolutely loved getting to know more families better, but I am beginning to be ready to not live out of a suitcase anymore! And in fact, the very thing that I prayed when I first came to Wales – asking God to prepare me to come home when it was time – is already coming to pass.

But the emotions are mixed. I have grown to love the people and what God is doing here. This church (the Swansea Valley Bible Church) that began 25 years ago has a call to go down the valley to the city of Swansea and then spread out to the east and the west, advancing the Kingdom of God. Many local pastors are now wanting to be involved in what God is doing, and more people from the communities are becoming interested. I also love how the believers here feel like a family. I love the sense of community and how they love one another, even through tough stuff. And I love how when they gather together to worship there is something childlike about the way they sing and dance in the presence of the King. There is certainly something deep and special here that I will miss. But I know I will be back again someday, and that makes the thought of leaving and saying goodbye a little easier.