Before we left the UK we spent as much time as we could with our two older sons Matt and Steve. This included celebrating Matt's 23rd birthday with a meal out to Taybarns.
We are so proud of our two older sons who have successfully transitioned into independence. Matt is just starting his 3 year apprenticeship to become a Marine Engineering Officer. He moved into his college accommodation this weekend and formally starts his training tomorrow. In a week or so Steve resumes college, starting his second year of Interactive Media Studies. He really enjoys his course which gives him the opportunity to express himself through his artistic designs.
Having packed our lives up into 30 bags we headed off to the airport early on the morning of 11th August. Matt and Steve met us there and we had coffee together before departure. It's always hard to say goodbye, but we hope to see them at Christmas.
Three flights later we arrived at Tyler airport where our friends Russ & Carrie met us.
We spent the first 10 days staying in the family dorm at the Mercy Ships base. During that time we began the search for a house to rent. Within just a few days we heard about a house owned by some ex Mercy Shippers who were now serving with Wycliffe in Papua New Guinea. Their house had been on the market to be sold & had been empty for almost a year. We contacted them to find out if they would be interested in renting and were delighted to find that this was a win win for both our family and theirs. Within just a few days we moved in. It is a nice 3 bedroomed house and we are thoroughly enjoying living in a house with a garden after the confines of a small cabin on the ship. The Lord has been very good to us. It's awesome to see the way God led us and provided for us while at the same time providing for the other family too.
Our new address details are as follows:
400 S. Birch Street
Van
Texas
75790
USA
Andy Tel: 001 903 526 9938
Brenda Tel: 001 903 519 4221
We still have the same Mercy Ships email addresses:
andy.cole@mercyships.org
brenda.cole@mercyships.org
One of the biggest blessings since our arrival has been the wonderful welcome we have received by our Mercy Ships family here. Within days we had offers of furniture and once we moved into our house a trail of vehicles came by dropping off beds and sofa's, book cases.....everything we needed with the exception of some kitchen appliances were offered and delivered to our door. It was amazing. Our house is now really beginning to feel like home.
Van High School
Chris & Josh have now been in school 2 weeks and are just loving it. Josh is very involved in the Theatre group and is practicing most evenings after school. Chris was immediately included in the basketball team, his height makes him a great candidate for the team. Emma has just finished her last exam meaning she could officially graduate, however she has very wisely chosen to join Van High School for a further year. This is not to repeat any work but rather to give her further opportunity to increase her high school credits. She is taking some new subjects that will be hugely advantageous to her in preparing for future Nursing training, subjects like "Health Science", "Medical Terminology" & "Anatomy & Physiology" as well as a few other subjects. The biggest advantage will be in providing her with further opportunity to stabilise and heal and also to get integrated and make friends before the BIG step up into College. She is excited and starts school on Tuesday. She is doing so much better and we are thrilled to see the huge improvement in her. Thank you so much for all your prayers for Emma.We have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know some new friends, reconnecting with old friends and generally immersing ourselves into the local small town community of Van. This included attending the high school American Football game last week to which it seemed like the whole town turned out to watch. It was GREAT! We went with our friends Russ and Carrie and really enjoyed it.
Andy and I have just finished our first week in our new roles. This was after a really busy time of getting utilities set up, including internet and phones. After 30 years of driving we both have had to take driving tests and write written tests in order to get our Texas driving licenses - scary after all those years!!
Brenda is really enjoying her role as HR Manager specifically focused on special projects relating to the Africa Mercy. It's wonderful to keep so involved in the ship HR issues and the HR staff there. Andy is working in Marine Operations working with the Safety Manager. His title is Assistant Safety Manager and as the title suggests, his focus is Safety, both here at the International Operations Centre but also Ship safety and ensuring compliance to the stringent Marine Safety Regulations.
Church
We decided when we arrived here to start our search for a church by going back to the church we had attended when we completed our training with Mercy Ships back in 2001. The church is called CCF (Community Christian Fellowship) You can see more about this church by going to their website. Just Click here We love it and immediately felt at home. The worship is just wonderful and is regularly led by Paul Baloche
We feel truly blessed. We have been here just 4 weeks and we have found a nice home, the kids are happy and settled in school, Andy & I are settling into our new roles serving the Lord with Mercy Ships here and we have found a Church where we have been welcomed and feel very much at home. God certainly has gone before us and guided us through every detail and step we have taken.
We are encouraged to know that though we are not on the ship, we are still very much a part of serving the world's forgotten poor. The Africa Mercy is completely dependent on the support of the National Offices to be able to achieve all that it does and we have our own unique giftings and parts to play to make it all work.
Africa Mercy Update
After a 2 and half week sail from Togo, the Africa Mercy arrived safely in S. Africa on 31st August to begin the "Power the Vision" shipyard phase to replace the 4 old Frichs Generators and 2 Harbour Generators. The shipyard phase is scheduled to last 4 months and all but the Technical crew have to move off the ship. Our Advance Team did a great job in securing an unused college campus called "Applebosch" about an hours drive away from the ship for the crew to live at and where the business centre will be set up. Our Eye & Dental Teams hope to continue their programmatic activities in S. Africa and also our Mental Health Team will have some opportunities to serve the local area.
The mass exodus of crew from the ship happened within a couple of days of arrival. It was a huge task. Local churches and Mercy Ships friends rallied to help.
Some of the crew luggage packed for the next 4 months stacked up in the mid ships area ready for transfer to Applebosch.
Vehicles line up in convoy to assist with the move from Africa Mercy To Applebosch.
Please continue to pray for this "Power the Vision" shipyard project. Pray that the work will progress as planned without any hitches and that the Lord would continued to provide the finances required to fund this expensive project. He is Faithful!
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