A Quick Update

since it's already midnight here and I need to get to sleep.   Below is most of the email I sent out once I arrived.  I only omitted my contact info.  If you're interested in either receiving my email updates and/or want my contact info and you're not on my list, leave me a message.  

It's been a great day so far, catching up with Debs and meeting Elly.  Tomorrow Debs will take me to Cambridge to meet Bekki and after spending the afternoon there we'll finally head over to Bedford.  It still hasn't hit me I'm here.  But that could be because I'm sleep deprived.  Ok, off to bed!  

Hi all, just wanted to update you and let you know I arrived safe and sound.  The flight was very nice.  There was no one in the seat next to me so I got to stretch out a bit.  However, I only dozed for an hour and a half.  No real sleep.

When I arrived at the border check, I had to wait for about 25 minutes for the nice agent to check my documents.  He had to following up with the visa application I submitted three months ago, even though that particular visa was denied, and he also called King's Arms to make sure I really am working for them.  Despite the long wait and uncertainty, I felt rather peaceful about it . . . the first 5 minutes or so.  But I knew God wouldn't bring me this far just to shut the door.  And since he called King's Arms, they knew what was going on and promptly started praying.  The agent was really nice and actually stamped my passport with a 6 month visa stamp instead of the normal tourist stamp, since I would actually be doing voluntary work.  And it was an answer to prayer because he didn't even ask to see my return flight info, which I had misplaced along the way!

Many of you have asked about my contact information, either to send donations or to send care packages/letters.  My mom is handling my finances while I'm away, so you can contact her if you'd like to make financial contributions . . . 

. . . 

I don't start work until Monday, so I have plenty of time to settle in and adjust to the new time zone (we're 6 hours ahead of U.S. central time).  

Thanks again for your prayers and support, and I hope to hear from you!

Guess who

just completed her volunteer visa application to work in the UK starting August 20?

Come on, take a guess . . .

Anybody?

Hello?!

It's ME, of course!

Application is complete and electronically submitted, the fee is paid, now all that remains is my appointment at the "Application Support Center" in exactly two Saturdays. Sounds a bit scary, if ya ask me. But I made it this far; I might as well close the gap.

Now let's just pray that the nice people of the British government will overlook the eensy weensy detail of the low funds in my savings account . . .

Ten years later

I can't believe it's been nearly ten years since I got my very first passport. For a year now I've been putting off renewing it, but the time is finally here. So with much anticipation and a bit of trepidation I've finally started the process of moving overseas next year. So here's step one:



Once it arrives I'll contact King's Arms and then work on obtaining a visa.

Scary!

What's even scarier is how quickly ten years passes. I think I read somewhere I'll get my old passport back, but I had to take a few snapshots just in case.

Here's the first page with stamps from France and South Korea:



This is the visa for my entry into China back in '99:



And here's my way cool visa into Uzbekistan in '01:



There are also many entry and exit stamps from the UK which aren't as cool as the previous two, so I won't bother with posting a pic. But once I get my visa, rest assured that I'll be posting a pic of that one!

Wow, what a decade I've had!

Peace Out!

Since it's already 11 minutes past my planned departure time, I figured I might as well write a quick post letting everyone know I'm leaving for England today! My flight's at 7:30. Thankfully it's direct and should last around 9 hours. And I'm excited because my friend Justyna is meeting me in London and we'll take the train together up to Bedford.

Even though I'm out of the country, I won't be out of the blogosphere. I plan to make a post or two while I'm over there. So I'll blog with you soon!

Safe and Sound

Well, it's 12:50 a.m. and I am sitting in front of my parent's computer in San Antonio, Tx. I can't believe that less than two weeks ago I was sitting in front of Dave and Hannah's computer in Bedford, UK. Unbelievable. It feels as though those three months were all a dream.
Gone are the days of living out of a suitcase. Yay!
Gone are my days of sleepless airplane rides! Today was especially rough. I had to call for a shuttle and they picked me up at 3:30 even though my flight wasn't until 7:15. THEN, my flight was delayed for over an hour. OI! It was Southwest Airlines, so not the most comfty, and it was a full flight. It was the longest three and a half hour flight I've ever been on. All that to say, I am so very tired but glad to finally be home. It's been four months since I've seen the parents, so it's good to see them. I'll be heading to wacky Waco next week to see the brothers, the sister-in-law, the nephews, the niece, the old college friends, and the old church. Fun times!

Back to Reality

I didn't think I would be able to post for at least another week. I'm staying with Elaine in Washington D.C. and she doesn't have internet at home, so that makes checking email and blogging a little difficult. But we jumped on a bus and then the metro and then walked a couple of blocks and arrived at Common Grounds. Now you Wacoans may be thinking of 8th St Common Grounds, but unfortunately it is not the same place. It's a fraud. But it's still a proper coffee shop where we can hang out. It almost feels like old times.
I can't believe I've been back in the States for two days already. It feels as though the last three months have all been a dream. It's already October?! Unbelievable!
I had a good journey, considering that it started at 3:30 am, that I cried off and on throughout the whole flight, and that I slept a total of two hours in 35 hours. It was weird arriving in the airport after being gone for over three months and having no one there to greet me. I'm sure Mom and Dad would have been eagerly awaiting my return if I flew directly to Texas. Oh well.
Elaine and I have been sitting here talking about life. Coming here to visit I've realized that even though we will remain close friends, we now have completely different lives. Things will never be like they were before. We knew it was coming and happening, but that doesn't make it any easier. So sad.
Well, I just wanted to let you folks know I made it back to the States safe and sound. It's good to be back and I look forward to seeing my family next week. But I did leave my heart in England and at King's Arms and I'm praying about whether I will be returning next year. I sure do hope so! But for now I must face the reality of living life in the here and now.