So, December 2nd marked our one year anniversary of being expatriates. It was one year ago that we stumbled off the plane, exhausted, excited, and ignorant, ready for a new adventure. I thought this would be a good time to take an honest look back at what we’ve learned from the past year. So, get comfy, this might take a while….

Looking back, that first month was mostly one of blind panic. From the trip to Manchester for Kyla’s classes, the living in hotels and AirBnbs, finding a place to live, getting the kids signed up for school….I look back now and wonder where the strength came from. I’m exhausted just remembering it all. We’ve moved before, obviously, (being a minister means lots of practice at relocation), but we’ve never done so “blindly” like we did this time, without even the assurance of a roof over our heads. Kyla and I learned to lean on each other during that time as we really didn’t have anyone else to lean on.

Christmas was a bit lonely last year. I won’t lie about that. Thankfully it was around that time that we were truly finding our church home at London Street URC. So many of the people there made us feel welcomed and appreciated. I’ve received “worse” welcomes in some churches I’ve pastored, and this was simply them welcoming us as parishioners, not as a clergy family. Their love and support was truly a lifesaver over the holiday.

After Christmas, the girls started school. This was a dark time as I was still looking for a job and was feeling particularly useless. The bills were starting to pile up and Kyla’s income alone wasn’t going to be able to cover them. Thankfully a recruiting service in town managed to hook me up with my current employer by the end of January.

The next few months passed by in a bit of a blur as we settled into making a life here in England. We got to travel around the area, getting to know the town we live in, seeing stuff that we never dreamed of. We had our first visitors (Kyla’s parents) and our first Easter in the country.

Summer brought INCREDIBLY long days, a bit higher temperatures than what I was hoping for, and more visitors (my mom and aunt). We got to see Paris and the Eiffel Tower.

The Fall was about back to school and a new job for me as a Dispatcher. It brought a good friend to visit and good news about a promotion for Kyla.

As we come full circle to another Christmas, I’ve been given a glimpse of hope for ministry for myself (more on that when the details are in).

Overall, it’s been a year of extreme highs and lows. We’ve seen and experienced things I never would have dreamed we’d see. It’s also brought home how much I took for granted my friends and family.

Without getting too sappy, I’ll finish up with a few things I do miss about the States:

• Mexican food. Seriously, I’d trade Kyla for a burrito right now.
• Free parking lots.
• Fast, if expensive, internet access.
• More than 2 flavors of Pop Tarts.
• Honey Mustard salad dressing.
• Stores being open past 6pm.