FIC Family
Second stop in England: Sedgebrook Hall of Northampton for a Freedom in Christ International conference!
On first arriving, we wandered across the street to see the neighbor's sheep.
Meet the Shaardas: we seem to find memories everywhere! The kind gardener who spoke to us about the sheep asked if we could duck under the invisible alarm radar on our way out to avoid startling the sheep. And this was how we accomplished that.
Exploring the grounds.
Makai loved to climb up these stairs and throw a paper airplane to the lower floor.
His other favorite was the swimming pool. Although small, it was a huge plus to have while babysitting him. Makai is a fearless swimmer and could enjoy the water for hours.
The landscape after a rain shower.
Beauty all around as spring colorfully announces itself.
Fallen flower
drifting down
never neglecting
lovely lush
pale pink
wandering with
God's glory
dutifully displayed
Every morning, Makai walked to breakfast in his pajamas.
Entertainment
Coming from Uganda where it rarely rains during the day, I always felt a bit surprised when an entire day would boast cloudy skies and steady drizzle.
Emalai met two wonderful new friends. Although from three different countries, the girls loved each other and spent entire days playing.
Creative entertainment: throwing a hat to each other.
On Saturday, most of the group headed to Oxford despite the rain.
We teens and my mom first visited a museum we'd toured on our last trip to England.
Next stop: the covered market.
Understanding lifts its possessor
Climbing higher than ground floor
Highlighting vibrant life color
Of stories diverse as culture
Giving appreciation for Director
Who weaves the narrative together
Mimicking every other area of town, the covered market boasted many coronation decorations.
Even cakes for the special day!
I spontaneously joined a walking tour on their stop at this building. It was so worth it! Because...
I have now seen the door that inspired Lewis to write the Chronicles of Narnia! The face on the door gave rise to Aslan and the decoration on either side of the door produced the character Mr. Tumnus.
This lamppost inspire Lewis to use a lamppost at the entrance of Narnia.
Flickering
bright
though
wearing
down
(2 Cor. 4:8-12)
We decided to climb the tower of the University Church for a bird's eye view of the city
I'm amazed by the intricacy of the structure's art, knowing how long ago this incredibly high tower was built.
A portion of Britain's oldest university
The stone steps were visibly worn down in the center due to years' worth of feet treading over them. What were all those people going through? What were their lives like? Did they climb the tower with jubilant bounce or feet dragging in despair?
Graduation day for Oxford students was in the rain. Despite this, hundreds of family and friends crowded the streets under umbrellas.
Latin America night! The FIC family had a blast dancing the night away.
Sunday, coronation day!
Emalai and her friends: Magima from India and Sophie from Brazil.
Walking to the nearby station for a steam train ride.
How wonderful to see folks from all around the world joining together in adventure, conversation, prayer and celebration as one family!
While us girls took pictures in the train coach, Luka was in the engine car, watching the workers shovel coal and drive the train.
Grace served as one of the photographers for the conference.
A royal train
This sign reminds me of the need for balance and avoidance of extremes. God lavishes many good things upon one's life: body, friends, emotions, energy... Yet the best things can be twisted to dangerous shapes if one believes lies and jumps into extremes or refuses to invite God into that area. Just as trains are a wonderful invention made for ease of travel, they can cause terrible destruction if not driven correctly or rightly feared by passerby's.
Enjoying a popsicle on our only warm day in Northampton.
I met so many people at the conference who impacted me in deep ways. This is Gabriella, an incredible woman from Brazil who overcame traumatic abuse and now proclaims the truth of who she is in Christ! Though my Spanish and her English were extremely limited, we connected on a heart level. What a wonder is the unity of the body through the Holy Spirit! Truly we are one temple built up together in the Lord.
Melissa is the youth leader for FIC. She and her husband, James, interviewed several of us teens for a series of testimonies they will be posting in their Youtube channel, https://www.youtube.com/@genfree
They spouted out the love of Christ in hugs, laughter and listening ears.
Our coworkers in India, Rathini and her mom.
Makai enjoyed having dinner with Rathini's father.
I appreciated Helen, our friend from Malaysia, playing with Makai. They became fast friends.
Always a gift to see Papa and Shosho (Swahili for grandmother), the Ostendorfs, again!
Our Uncle Tim even came!
I now have invitations to visit all over the world, from TX to New Zeeland, to India!
The African and Latino teams praying together after the official conference ended. Sadly, prayer often becomes a habitual thing in countries where Christians are not persecuted. Through the conference, testimonies and seeing God answering my own prayers lately, I am relearning how immensely powerful prayer in Jesus' name is!
Grace and I spent hours with these sweet girls on their last night at the Hall. We all grieved that we'd waiting til last minute to do so! Through two languages and lots of laughter we communicated and connected.
Polaroid pictures!
Love you guys!
(Aside from Rathini, my new friends included Angie from Ecuador and Daniella from Colombia)
While in England, us Shaarda kids tried marmite (a favorite spread in England) and freaked out because it tasted so foul! Yet the English truly love this salty, yeasty condiment. Even at Sedgebrook Hall, there were small packets of marmite in the breakfast buffet. Later, we found marmite flavored rice cakes at a store.
Don't worry, we won't be trying them :)
The landscape of the area took one's breath away! When driving to a nearby town, my mom repeatedly exclaimed, "We should stop here and take pictures!"
Waiting at the bus stop in Harborough. We took the bus home; what an adventure! First, we didn't know which bus stop to wait at. Then, we didn't know when the next bus would come because the posters gave conflicting information. After getting on the bus and being dropped off a mile's walk from the Hall, we took a family stroll in the drizzling rain :)
An old school house, a famous icon for the town.
Majestic old buildings
Dad and I found a tower which used to belong to a factory that made equipment for WWII.
Coronation art
Back to the airport! We said teary goodbyes to Grace, who is spending the summer in Michigan, then made a rushed walk to our flight. The next morning they switched our gate, sending us on another speed walk through the miles-long airport. Thankfully, we have a fun Dad to spice things up!
Makai's "eye glow"
Spending a night in Dubai before heading home
I promise we weren't upset. Just being our crazy selves :)
Luka was stoked at the sight of Uganda's national stadium from the plane window.
Cutie
We made it back... then had to stand in long lines for immigration, luggage and security. Despite initial frustration at the time this took, it was a joy to be home again. My dad and I agreed that even the capital gave us vibes of arriving home. I recognize this as a great blessing. Many TCK's (third culture kids) don't have a place they fully feel at home. Thank God He assures all Christians that our home is not on the earth, but we are citizens of Heaven!
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