Week Two in Wales

             So it has been almost two full weeks since I arrived in Wales and I just want to point out that I'm writing this blog post from a pub called The Six Bells, just down the street from where I'm staying.  And just in case you're concerned, I have a nice hot cup of tea sitting in front of me.

             It has been a little bit slower week, but certainly no less full of activity.  I spent Wednesday afternoon wandering around Newport city centre (more on that in another blog post) and then led a class for the four teens we had at Church that night.  We were talking about prayer, but eventually wandered off into several other topics like the Trinity, etc.
             Good Friday I ended up taking an impromptu trip with the Winstanleys to Bowood Estate near Chippenham, England in Wiltshire.  We met some of the Winstanley's relatives there who were down for the weekend to attend a wedding nearby.  Two of those relatives were John and Margaret Griffiths.  John is the preacher/evangelist for Wembley Church of Christ (think Wembley Stadium), and has been for nearly 30 years.  Bowood is an elegant country estate built for and still run by the Marquess and Marchioness of Lansdowne.  Apparently part of the house was torn down about 50 years ago because it was in disrepair.  But the house is still very

beautiful and has such excellent gardens.  Easter Sunday we spent the afternoon with these same relatives and it was really good getting to know them and learning more about the history of Churches of Christ in London.
             Speaking of the history of the Churches of Christ in the U.K., I have become more and more aware since I've been here of the strong American influence within churches here.  American missionaries and congregations have played a huge part in the development (and sometimes un-development) of Churches of Christ here over the last 40-50 years.  In some ways there has been a good bit of dependence on American churches here, which is surprising since the U.K is obviously not an impoverished country.  That being said, I think there is more of a move towards a native, British Church and there are of course plenty of ways the churches are different here.  Just an interesting observation...
             One more thing I've been thinking about.  A couple things I'm trying to do while I'm here in these initial two months is listen to God and prepare for faithful work here.  Towards that end, I've been thinking about several questions to guide me in this "listening preparation":

              -What is Newport and what is it like?
              -What is God doing here/has God been doing here?
              -Why is God calling me to Newport and what does He want me to do here?
I'm hoping that these questions will help me listen better and in a more focused way figure out what I need to

be doing and preparing for.  Please continue praying for me that I can listen well to God and make the most of the time I have here.  Thank you so much!

Sincerely in Christ,
Chris

P.S Check out the new website I've been working on for Newport Church of Christ.  It is pretty basic and still a work in progress, but it's better than not having a website.