Monday, August 3, 2015

Sunday, day of rest

It felt good to go to church. It was different but familiar, and full of friendly faces. I loved that the organ player played faster than normal, and that the prayers were said slower, with more thought.

It's winter here. The weather is breezy and chilly, but not at all frigid. I think the high was 56 degrees (13°C). Not warm but not that cold. One man felt we had come at the wrong time because it was winter. He was apologizing for the cold temperatures. Other people familiar with Utah weather had warned me that it got quite cold here. I asked if this weather typical. He said, "eh...it gets warmer." Rock and roll! I think I can handle it!

Everyone took care to put their arms around my children and help them find the right classes. What really impressed me is that not only did the parents introduce their children, but their children also took the opportunity to reach out and be truly friendly and kind. My kids felt loved and completely comfortable.

Just towards the end of church a little girl snuck into the adult women's meeting and found her mum. She had sweet blond hair and a sophisticated accent. She went to her mother and with the most cheerful expression said, "The savior loves me! The savior loves AWL of us!" It felt like a scene from A Christmas Carol. She was a darling.

Later that night we had dinner with someone from church who had also invited another family. There were kids the same age and gender for all of the kids (except Henry, but Henry is loved by all ages) and they all (awl) had a blast. There was a ton of food and no rush to get the evening over. We talked like old friends and they helped give us headstarts on some of the tasks we have before us, like finding a car, getting the kids registered in school, getting phones set up. These are big deals and we're so glad to have help. These people will be my family for the next year and I love them already. We actually all knelt in prayer together before we parted ways and it felt so good. (If you don't know about my church you should look into it. I have instant friends and supporters no matter where I am.)

The wifi in the bed and breakfast we are staying is abysmal. We thought maybe it was just the place we were staying but we hear it's slow and unreliable everywhere. Macdonalds (Maccas) is just a short walk away, so for the small price of warm french fries we can have good reliable wifi for a bit. We needed it especially when we had no phones (we do now!) and need to search for a car to buy and where local shops are. We also were very happy to sit for a few minutes after church and absorb some wifi in the building. Our entire church has the same wifi password worldwide, so we can always have access no matter where we are. (There's an analogy in there somewhere. I'll work on it.)

I've begged the rental agency to let us move in two days early. I only managed to get one day early. It is SO unpleasant still living out of 21 suitcases. I wish so badly we could hang things up in the closets and put things away in the kitchen. Just a few more days.

What we really need next is a car. But We feel like we can make it without a car except for the need to get to church each Sunday. So maybe we won't rush it. Our family will help us get there for now.


1 comment:

  1. Shelly, you had me in tears during the paragraph about having dinner with your "family". It's so wonderful that you have that comfort in a time of such upheaval! I'm glad the next steps for you guys are becoming more clear than they were a week ago. I look forward to reading more!

    ReplyDelete