Bienvenue à Lyon

Just a short update from us to say that with 2 weeks to go until we leave the UK for Madagascar, our preparations are going well. The only concern we have is that our visas will be done in time, as when we arrived at the Madagascan embassy here in Lyon, we were told we needed letters “of good character” from the UK police. Cue desperate pleas to Matt's parents and Devon & Cornwall police to get this done urgently and prayers were answered as the letters were done in a few days instead of the expected 40 days! Now we have everything we need but the Madagascan embassy is now closed until September. It turns out the only one in the whole of France that is open in August is only an hour away in St Etienne so we will deliver our applications tomorrow and collect (hopefully) on Friday with a day to spare! No worries!

Before we left for France we successfully squeezed all our belongings into Matt's parents house in readiness for air freighting to Madagascar.

We are air freighting 5 Bethan-sized boxes on top of our luggage allowance on the flight.

We have been in Lyon for 3 weeks as we try to improve our French speaking. It has been much easier to focus on language learning in an environment where there is no option to speak English and without having anything else to do. We have got much better at understanding the language and we've found some people that have been willing to help us improve our own speaking. We are regularly meeting with a lady called Isabelle, who lives in Lyon, who would like to improve her English so we are able to help each other.  

Becki practising her French with Isabelle, reading Mr Non!

Talking to strangers has been difficult as we feel quite self-conscious and aware of our deficiencies. We have managed to understand and be understood in conversations we've had at church and around town so that is positive. The less said about our grammar and use of correct tenses the better though!

Bethan is charming people with her “ca va” and “bonjour, mercies, pomme” whenever she meets a French person. It has proven to be a good decision to come over here as aside from our French, we have enjoyed the city, weather, baguettes and patisserie. We are back to Dorset next Monday and fly out the following Tuesday. We will write another update in the first few days of being there and a newsletter will follow shortly after.  

Cathédrale Saint-Jean

We are going to France!

No, MAF haven’t decided to change our destination again, we have decided that the best way to improve our French is to immerse ourselves in the language and live in Lyon for the whole of August. On 27^th July we leave our house, friends and church and, having dropped off our belongings at my (Matt’s) parents, drive to the South East of France. We have flights booked to Madagascar (or “Mascar” if you ask Bethan) on the 9^th September.

Getting Daddy's bike ready to sell

 What have we been doing this month? Our “job” at the moment is to become fluent in French so we’ve had French tuition in Plymouth twice a week, self-study at home and CD’s playing in the car to help us remember the language we studied at school but never thought we’d actually need! We had a lovely send-off from our home church on 8^th June, which I’ll give more detail about later and slowly making progress with sorting, packing and selling the contents of our house.

Becki was given the opportunity to go on Cross-rhythms (Plymouth) radio a couple of weeks ago to talk about MAF and her own journey to becoming a MAF pilot in Madagascar. Hopefully this will raise awareness of MAF’s work around the world and encourage more people to support and pray for them. If you would like to hear the interview, it is online at www.crossrhythms.co.uk/radio/console/plymouth on the 6th July at noon and July 26^th at 5pm (and other times in July).

Recording at Cross Rhythms

We’ve been part of St Andrews church in Buckland Monachorum since November 2009, around the same time as we submitted our formal application form to join MAF. They have been through every step with us and we recently had our commissioning service to send us overseas. We were blessed with touching sentiment, prayers for the work Becki will be doing as well as our own physical and spirtitual welfare and it finished with the choir singing us a song. It was a lovely service and we feel very privaliged to have such a supportive church family behind us. Harriet Yeo, from MAF came from Ashford (via Edinburgh!) for it and each of our “go-team” (close friends who helped us through support-raising and check up on us when we’re gone) also spoke about us. Each gave us a bible reading to encourage us and the song by the choir was a special way to end a memorable day for us. It wasn’t quite “au revior” as we’ve been back since but hopefully nobody minds about that!

Finally, if you would like more regular updates from us, we have a facebook page that anyone can access, with regular photos and short comments added: https://www.facebook.com/BeckiMattMAF

Preparing for life overseas

A couple of weekend's ago we had an impromptu trip to London to visit Kevin & Tasha Spann, a MAF family who have been living in the Congo for the last 6 months. We first met them in Nampa last August, and recently they have been taking a break and visiting Europe so we decided to gatecrash their holiday!

It was lovely to see Bethan and their daughter, Adah playing together again. There was no shyness, they just got on like old friends! We also enjoyed spending the day with all 3 of them, hearing about their new life, the highlights and the not so good bits. It was interesting to hear about the things they miss about bringing up a child in a 1st world country and the difficulties they face in everyday life (such as the local washing powder teamed with the untreated water meaning clothes don't last long). In Congo, if you use a car seat you offend people because you are taking up space that could be used to give someone else a lift. It was a marked difference to London, as we sat in the rush hour traffic watching car after car go past with only one person in it! I think we, as a nation, could definitely benefit from the 'there is always room for one more attitude in Congo! We also got some great advice about language learning.

It was a lovely day, we all enjoyed meeting up with the Spanns, and we learnt a lot too!

Old friends

finishing Adah's sandcastle

saying goodbye

 Read more about Kevin and Tasha's adventures on their blog: www.spann-ingtheglobe.blogspot.co.uk/

We’re going to Madagascar

We got a call with an offer to join the MAF Madagascar program at the end last week and it didn’t take long to accept. Becki will be taking over from a pilot who leaves in August so we won’t be here too much longer. 

MAF is based in the capital, Antananarivo (or Tana) in the middle of the country and has 2 aircraft, which fly to around 90 airstrips around the island. It is one of the world’s poorest countries and the roads featured in a BBC programme entitled "Worlds Most Dangerous Roads" so people rely on MAF to get in and out of the remote villages. MAF are building strong links with local churches in Madagascar and are helping to spread the gospel in this country.

Madagascar is a French-speaking country and so we will do some language training either here in the UK or in Madagascar before starting in August. We will soon be assigned a link family who will be able to give us more information about where we will be living and what we need to bring with us. From the little research we have done so far it looks like a beautiful country with an amazing array of wildlife inhabiting the island. 

We will soon be sending out a newsletter with more information about the program but you can also find out more from the MAF website: www.maf-uk.org/Madagascar

Thank you to everyone who is supporting us to go to Madagascar through financial giving, prayer and taking an interest in us serving with MAF. 

Life in the UK when you are 2

With no exciting news about where we will be serving with MAF to tell you about, we thought we would let Bethan share with you what she gets up to in a typical week. When we've settled overseas she will write another blog post to give you an insight into different cultures from the eyes of a toddler. Bethan recently turned two she got lots of birthday presents including a digital camera (for kids!) which she has been practising with by taking lots of photos of the floor. On her birthday she went on a train to St Ives and a few days before, she had a train-themed party with a few of her friends.

Turning 2

We expected to have sent out another newsletter in April but we are waiting on the imminent news that MAF will give us before writing to tell you all. We will write a blog post as soon as we find out and then a newsletter will follow shortly after. We are very much looking forward to starting work for MAF but at the moment it is a feeling of “so near, yet so far” as we are ready to go but waiting on a decision to be made.

Bethan’s blog – April 2014

Sunday morning means a half-hour drive to Buckland Monachorum where we go to church. The mysterious disappearance of 15 minutes from 9:45 to 10:00am in our house means we nearly always arrive late but I race up the path to the sound of singing from inside. Then I start my eating marathon as I work my way through all my fruit and snacks in record time. I like going up to the front when the vicar does a children’s talk and then I usually decide to give the sermon a miss and head for the children’s play area with Daddy. Sometimes play is interrupted while mummy and daddy have a drink and some bread which I always try to get a piece of but haven't managed yet!

Monday is normally spent at home. Mummy does the Tesco shop and I “help” by putting things in the trolley while munching on a carrot or something. When we get home, daddy is in the garage I make him show me his dirty hands from working on the motorbike. Mummy gets on with some jobs – either work on the computer or housework – the latter means daddy and me have to go out as the hoover will make noise! We have lunch then take 4 books upstairs to read in my cot. Then I have a nap for an hour or two, while daddy pretends to sleep on the floor but I know he sneaks out as soon as I’m asleep. The rest of the day might involve playing with the duplo, brio or playing in the cardboard Thomas the tank Engine or perhaps cooking on the cardboard oven. Monday dinner is usually salmon (my favourite) and after a bath or more playing, Mummy feeds me in my room and I fall asleep at about 9pm.

cooking dinner

On Tuesday mornings Mummy and I walk to Baby sign in town, which we’ve been going to since I was born. We sing and sign to lots of nursery rhymes and songs and my friends and I steal each other’s snacks. Sometimes Rachel and Pops are waiting at home with lunch. Every now and again they take me out on my own, either to the aquarium or back to their house for the day.

Trains at Rachel & Pops' house

Wednesday is when I go out with Daddy to Chattabox, a busy group run by a church in Launceston for toddlers. They have lots of toys and vehicles to play on and a craft activity to get messy with. I’m usually shy and play just with daddy but I love having different toys to play with and watching the other children. After lunch and nap time its time to play and one of my favourite games is “Pooh getting stuck in a hole.” We build him a house from duplo with a small doorway and after eating too much honey he can’t get out so I pull and pull until he pops out. I play this over and over again. I also like doing puzzles, playing football and drawing.

Playing Pooh's stuck with Ruth

My day normally starts at about 7:30 when I’ll come into Mummy and Daddy’s bedroom and Say “ello, num num”. I climb into bed to have a feed before ordering daddy downstairs to get a satsuma, which I don’t really want but it gets him out of bed to play with me! For breakfast I eat porridge, or cereals like rice crispies or fruit and fibre. After dragging out “getting dressed” for as long as possible, we usually go outside. My favourite days (usually Thursday) are when Grace comes to play or I go to her house with mummy. Once or twice a week I go out somewhere in the car with mummy and daddy. Last week we went to the gnome reserve near Holsworthy. I dressed up in a hat and walked around the woods looking at my fellow gnomes.

Playing in Thomas with Grace

Gnoming

On Friday I might spend the morning with daddy while Mummy clears out the spare room and decides what to pack and what to store at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. We sometimes go to the small park opposite our house and play for ages on the slide followed by about 3 swings on the swing. Then we go round the estate looking for cats and dogs. Some days I do some craft at home and often Daddy decides the activity for the day should be baking cakes (I keep telling him, if he eats too much cake his bottom will get stuck in the door like Pooh bear)

Playing on the swing

Baking cakes - yes Daddy is letting me break the eggs myself!

Saturdays we often go exploring the countryside, Mummy and Daddy have written a list of places to visit before we move away from the West Country. I usually insist that I don't want to go out, I'd rather stay at home and play with my toys but actually going out is fun too. I get to discover lots of new things, like stiles and tadpoles. Here are some photos of me discovering things to finish off with xx

climbing a stile

Exploring the South West Coast Path

holding a baby bunny

playing with sand

Daffodils

first tadpole

Spring flowers

We’re still here

As we approach the date that we were given as our expected departure to South Sudan, we couldn't be further from being ready to leave! We expected to have all our belongings packed and to move out of our house around now but this has been put on hold until a decision has been made on which country we will move to.  

With other families ready to join the South Sudan program but still delayed in Kenya amid security concerns in Juba, it was jointly agreed by ourselves and MAF that it would be better for us to join another program, and re-evaluate the situation after a couple of years. We had mixed feelings about this as we were looking forward to going to South Sudan but we hope to have a long career serving with MAF and the opportunity may come around again when we are more experienced.

We should find out where we will be going within the next few weeks but relocating families is a major decision and MAF will take time to ensure that everyone goes where they are most suited. Its fair to say we don’t expect to leave the UK for at least another 2 months but we will keep everyone posted as soon as we know for definite.

Piper Arrow at Exeter used to renew Becki's instrument rating 

We feel a bit like we’re in limbo at the moment with lots of things to do but we cannot do them until we have an idea about when we will go. Becki has renewed her instrument rating for another year, which is one of the flying requirements for working for MAF. We were due to have our commissioning service at Buckland Church last Sunday but delayed this in view of the uncertainty. We are enjoying working through our list of “places to visit in Devon/Cornwall before we go” and are getting excited with Bethan about her upcoming birthday.

Please pray for the safety of people in South Sudan and that Juba will be safe for MAF families to go in the near future. We would appreciate your prayers for the right decision to be made about which program we will join and that barriers will be overcome quickly to enable us to move there and begin working soon.

Sunny day at Fingle Bridge, Devon

What's new?

As you may know, South Sudan has seen a great deal of unrest since we last wrote a blog post. Violent clashes between the two main tribes have led to many deaths, scores of refugees and cities being reduced to rubble. We have been monitoring the news with obvious concern for the people living there and with MAF evacuating staff before Christmas, we wondered what the future holds for us now. Peace talks between opposing parties were successful in January and MAF families have returned to Juba but fighting is still going on around the country and we are considering whether this is a suitable assignment for us at this time. Please pray that the correct decision will be taken.

In contrast we had a relaxing Christmas spent with family and then have hardly been home since! January saw us take our longest road trip while support raising, spending some time in Leeds and a quick weekend talking at St Hilda's church in South Shields (or very far north shields for us!!). We also stopped off in Northampton on our way home to catch up with friends from uni.

Helping Grandpa open his presents

Stopping off to meet Thomas and friends on the way to Leeds

Enjoying time with Ruth 

In the new year we reached 100% of our support raising target so we have the green light to pack up and go! Praise God that the money is in and we can now focus on preparing to move overseas. The pile to sell/give away is getting ever bigger but so is the list of things we need to get!

We have just returned from a 2 week course entitled 'Facts and Friction' that is run by MAF to prepare us for life in Africa. It was designed to open our eyes to some of the difficulties we will face adapting to an unfamiliar culture and gave us useful advice on everything from compound conflict to carjacking! We stayed in the Ashford Holiday Inn, where the course was held, with other families that were starting service with MAF in the near future.

Enjoying the mini gym at the hotel in Ashford

We really enjoyed the course with the knowledge that Bethan was in safe hands. Our need for childcare was wonderfully met by our friend Ruth and Matt's aunt, Nikki who came with us for a week each and were brilliant at keeping Bethan busy.