On finding our place.

I can't believe it's coming up to four years since I moved to NI. The amount that has happened in that time, both good & bad, is impossible to quantify! Having moved around a few times, I've learnt that there are certain things I need to have in place before somewhere truly feels like "home." I'm sure this list would be different for everyone, but it dawned on me this week that I do feel like I've finally found my feet here, particularly in the village we have lived in for almost a year. 

Walking is truly one of my favourite pastimes, not only is it the best way to get to know a place, but I find it helps you notice the seasons more as you watch the colours changing. And now I have a buddy with me! I take Finn on walks as often as I can because it is so good for us both to get out for some fresh air. It's the best time for me to clear my mind & he usually falls asleep as he loves the white noise & being cosy in his pram. We went down the road one day this week & that is what inspired this post. As we set off, we saw our neighbour coming back from a dog walk & he warned me it was a bit wild by the seafront. We also waved at a fellow regular baby-walker (I think he's a grandad) who always wears a flourescent yellow jacket whilst speed-walking with his pram & goes out at a similar time to me. We saw Tom's Nana's knitting friend who likes to look out for Finn as we walk past her house most days & she regularly hears about him & we waved at one of two delivery drivers who love to chat to us when they drop parcels off. The one who I know a bit better asked me this week if & when Finn would be getting a sibling!! Once we got home, I sat & thought about how nice it is to walk around & feel like you know people in your area. For this reason, a regular walking spot is definitely something I need in "my place." 

I have a few different walks that I used to do most weekends by myself as Tom is usually working but I'm only just starting to feel brave enough to do those by myself with Finn. It's a lot to get used to all the extra things you need to take with you & I like to go out as soon as he's finished a feed because that gives me maximum time to relax & enjoy the walk & usually a coffee. Funnily enough, most of my favourite walks end up in a good coffee shop, which I'll talk about more below. But, if you're ever in the area, these are my favourites: 

Bridewell Coffee - Donaghadee // Firebox - Ballywalter // Haptik - Newtownards // Copeland Distillery - Donaghadee // Joxer - Bangor // Lekker - Greyabbey

It will be unsurprising for many who know me, but finding the right 'regular' coffee shop is an absolute must. I was recently thinking about the coffee shop back home that we spent half of our teenage years in - it was always our meeting point & we spent every Saturday in there for years, plus at some point nearly all my friends worked there, including myself. They did such a good chicken & pesto mayo sandwich that I need to recreate! Since then, I've not really had my regular spot. But I stumbled upon one recently (pictured above & below) that I went to with a visiting friend & just knew it was the one. It's pretty tiny but it has a gorgeous view, lovely coffee & locally made treats plus a nice little walk around the grounds that we can enjoy afterwards. We had a visit there yesterday & it was such a sweet little trip where Finn fell asleep so I enjoyed a hot coffee in peace.

There are lots of other things that I think make a place feel like home. I am not really one for getting 'pampered,' but I do love getting my nails done & had my favourite spot in Yorkshire that I loved going to for different treatments. I've been looking for the right place for a while & have finally found someone who is local & does my nails how I like them. She is very reasonably priced & getting my nails done is one of the only times I go out in an evening these days so it's something I want to keep up with when I can a few times a year. I just went recently & decided to go super girly with pink & a glitter top! 

I mentioned in the last post that we are busy making changes in our home to make it more functional. A few different things arrived this week so we are almost ready to start the re-arranging. We need to choose a paint colour for the only room we are painting & then we can start building the furniture. I was able to shift a lot of our other things through Marketplace which has freed up some space & then this week I plan on going to a couple of my favourite charity shops to drop off some donations. I've never used Vinted but I want to sit & put some baby clothes on there & see how that goes! We've just put down the classic foam tiles so Finn can test out tummy-time & laying on his back on there. I bought them before he was born because they were on offer (!) but the health visitor came this week & said he is definitely ready to roll (at 3 months!) so we want to give him a comfortable space to test that out. I ordered one new print with a quote that I have loved for many years & found the cutest design from Violet & Alfie via Etsy (they were all discounted!) so I am excited to find a frame for that & add it to the corner of the living room that I'm imagining will be a bit of a reading nook. 

This week has been a much better pace for me than the weeks that preceeded & I am definitely starting to feel more on top of things. I've enjoyed being back in the kitchen because I've hardly cooked lately so this week I wrote a big list & went out to do the food shop whilst Tom was at home with Finn. It feels like forever since I had a meal plan but this week I made Tom's favourite 'fruity curry,' a beef hotpot & I've put our favourite BBQ pulled chicken in the slow cooker for tonight. We've had some lovely walks but taken it easy after Finn had his 2nd vaccinations this week. I started taking vitamins again & feel like I have more energy, plus it helped me finally kick my sore throat post-Covid! Everything just feels a lot more peaceful, something which I hope will continue for as long as possible. 

Much love xx 

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'Can we grow Quesadillas?'

It seems that the request in my previous blog was ignored and time has not slowed down in any way. We are already in the middle of May and although it has it's advantages such as warmer weather and beautiful blooms, I can't help but begin to feel a little bit sad as I start to prepare myself for everything to change again. Though I am very much focussing on taking one day at a time, the hours pass by at an alarming rate - especially when we are doing as much as we do!

We began our gardening project a couple of weeks ago and have already managed to put up two raised beds as well as tidying the place up a little. The first bed which will house our vegetable plants hopefully by the end of this week, are now protected from the inevitable basketball that will be flying their way with wire and bamboo sticks. I've had some great conversations with the kids about the garden, (see the title of this post for my favorite question about it!) and we have joined forces with Ferris School, our JJM/Prison Ministry as they are coming here to complete Community Service. It's so great to see them gaining practical skills and they will literally see the fruit of their labour. We plan to use whatever we grow in the garden with the kids be that at a BBQ or meals in the coming months, which is where my excitement lies. We also have some lovely plants ready to go in, which I am also excited about as this place could do with some livening up! The kids are pretty scared of the bees here which to be honest, are rather huge so I am working on reassuring them they shan't be bothered by them!

We also had our Mother's Day tea which was an absolute delight! Everybody brought such wonderful food with them, as per my strict instructions so we had everything from Victoria Sponge to Cucumber Sandwiches and more tea than you could shake a stick at! Each of us from the team had a chance to share why we came to be a part of this Ministry and what it means to us to work with these kids. It was truly wonderful to see that a group of workers from all
over the world have been called together to love a group of young people who not many other people have the time of day for.

Some of our craftier kids have been working on paintings with Keenan, our American intern who is a rather gifted guy! I have loved watching them learn from him and they have worked so hard on their masterpieces. It's nice to see them so engaged in something and it makes me excited for other projects we can do in the future. Next in the pipeline is knitting so I will have to get practicing - that's not one of my gifts!

The proud (and CUTE) artists!!

One thing that has been so great for us as a team of interns is the amazing support we get from so many families that we have met. I don't mean financially, but through opening their homes, providing meals, inviting us to spend time with them, offering to take us on trips, hosting us for games nights - you name it! That has been a real blessing to us and it feels such a treat to be served as we constantly give out to the kids throughout the weeks. It's nice for us to be around different people and share our experiences and cultures too!

This weekend has been lovely and was filled with laughter and Farmers Markets which is always a good combo. I got some time with a friend to walk around Delaware City a little which is a lovely part of this State:

 I realise I can't really be seen on the floral photograph but I thought they looked so pretty and had to be documented! It sure is nice to have some good weather over here and long may it last, I say! There are lots of lovely little shops in Delaware City and we had a nice drink in a cute cafe we stumbled upon. I hope to take the ferry across to Fort Delaware soon, that looks like it would be a fun trip!

Happiness is sunshine and a cup of Earl Grey

We also took some time to walk around Brandywine Park which I will definitely be doing again, I can't believe it took me so long to get there! It is a lovely area and is so peaceful. It's strange that it's so near to this crazy street and not far from the center City but remains so tranquil and pretty...or that's what I thought until a complete stranger came up and asked me for tissue so she could 'pee' in the bush. Classy!

A week tomorrow, I will be receiving my first visitor from England which I am SO excited about! She will be coming at the perfect time as Joni goes away on his vacation but also she will be able to support me in the middle of figuring out how my future over here will look. It has been an overwhelming time for me and it will be great to have someone who knows me so well by my side to see why I love it so much here! It will also be a nice time to find a bit of rest and do some traveling during my time off as well as have TWO WEEKS OF FEMALE COMPANY which I may or may not have been missing. Though the guys are great company, we don't always want to talk about the same things!!! I am hoping to finally see some of the Amish Country and maybe even ride the steam train! My friend doesn't know that yet though. I fear she may not be as joyful about that as I am. This just adds to the 'cool' image I regularly portray to the guys. Anywho! I just managed to cook a full meal, toad in the hole with all the trimmings with our makeshift 'oven.' Though it took me 4 hours, I only blew the kitchen fuse once so I count that as a great success. If it involves gravy and Yorkshire Pudding, it can't go far wrong in my eyes.

That's it for now! 

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Rain, rain, go away.

It's just before 8am here on a cold and dreary looking Wilmington day. I can't believe it's been almost a month since my last update, I guess that is a measure of how busy this little team has been! I don't even know where to begin but I guess New York would be as good a place as any...

Back in the first weekend of this month, we wrapped up some packed lunches, filled up the van with kids and took a day trip to the Big Apple. There were 8 kids and 4 interns and as many snacks as I could fit in my borrowed backpack. We caught the Megabus which was the cheapest and easiest option and arrived in NYC after about 2h30mins of traveling. The free wifi on board helped keep our kids entertained for the most part, though of course we had some of the usual; 'Are we there yet?!' every 30 minutes or so. At one point, one of the kids turned around to tell me (and the rest of the passengers upstairs) that he needed to do a number 2 which I informed him he didn't need my permission for.

Anywho, we took to the city on foot as the subway is quite expensive so we saw a limited number of monuments. Joni was our walking leader as I am not blessed with a sense of direction. The kids started to ask after every single block we walked, 'how many blocks do we still have to walk?' to which Joni's response was 'one more block,' every single time. 

Eventually, we made it to Central park to eat lunch:

After enjoying the park for a while, we continued to walk and headed to Times Square. That place was crazy! It was so busy and there was so much to look at that it was hard to take it all in. One thing I wasn't expecting was all the people who buy their own costumes and charge you to take a picture with them. Our kids started a new game whereby they would try and take a picture with one of the characters and then run away. I didn't know about this game until we were chased by Buzz Lightyear who informed us what was going on. 

 After we split in to groups and did a bit of shopping, we grouped back together and went to find the Empire State Building and Macy's. It was really hard to get a group photo there as the sun was in the wrong place, so you will have to take my word for it! By that point, the kids were getting tired and hungry so they got some food and we decided it was time to head back to the bus.

I think the most surprising thing for me once we actually arrived in New York was that it was exactly as you see in the movies. The cabs were driving like maniacs, horns beeping constantly, packed streets, huge overwhelming buildings. It felt quite bizarre to actually be there, living in it! We also managed not to lose any kids in the busy streets so I would say it was a great success. The biggest challenge was keeping them quiet on the ride home because people use that bus to commute between Delaware and NYC. The bus driver did help us out a lot though!

The following weekend was a chance for our team to get some well earned rest and enjoy a change of scenery. We took a trip to Lewes, (pronounced Lewis) Delaware where we camped at Cape Henlopen state park. The place was beautiful, as was the weather.
It certainly felt like the best time to get a break as I didn't realise how tired I actually was. It was great to spend some time together as a group of friends instead of colleagues and I got some really good time in to go for a long walk by myself and explore a new place. On the first evening, we took a walk together to the beach. On the way, the guys had all devised a plan whilst I walked ahead of them to disappear one by one into the forest so I was left alone. The joke was on them as I decided not to look for them but instead walked to the lookout tower whereby I watched the sunset with some strangers and a nice dog. It took them a while to find me but once they arrived at the top, I had already told said strangers how they all abandoned me knowing I was 99% likely to get lost on my own. Not that they felt bad, of course.

After the sunset, we went to the beach and I did some moonlight paddling in the sea. It was a bit brisk but not unbearable. They took a ball with them as men do and were taking it in turns to see how far they could kick it into the sea in between wrestling each other in the sand. We walked back to camp after that and lit a fire and ate meat which was very pleasant. Of course, the joke of the entire weekend was the 'tent' that was provided for me which I spent about 10 minutes trying to wedge my airbed into, which I could not physically lie down in and did not sleep a wink in. That, compared to the 8 man palace that the guys slept in was simply hilarious to them and all I heard was 'Sarah, where is your tent - I can't see it!' I couldn't even sit up in it. Not that I'm ungrateful.

On the Sunday, I got up and walked into Lewes to go to the beach. Of course, what I didn't realise was there was a half marathon going on at the same time as I was trying to walk in the cycle lane so I kept getting cheered on by families and had to inform them that I was in fact just walking to have a paddle. I made it to the beach and took a nice nap and then walked a little further to explore the shops.

I saw a Union Jack outside this shop which intrigued me so I popped in. I was so glad I did because it was just like being at home!! They had everything from Birds Custard powder to Curly Wurlys. It was fun but rather expensive! I treated myself to a Fry's Turkish Delight bar and carried on my merry way.

I walked over the bridge and came to this lovely little harbor where people were fishing. It all felt very English to me which I think is why I liked it so much. It reminded me of Cornwall in a lot of ways, except from the pirates and pasties!

I found a nice book shop which I spent a while in and went in a few rather expensive clothes shops - I didn't buy anything!

This shop was lovely! I've never been in an American antique store before, I spent ages in there looking at all the pictures and baking things. They had loads of lovely quilts and cushions - I could've bought them all!

Since the weather was so nice, I had to get some ice-cream and enjoyed sitting outside eating it and doing some people watching. After that, I filled up my trusty water bottle and headed back to camp. I thought it was quite a long journey - I walked just under 8 miles that day but it was so nice to clear my head a bit! 

This picture doesn't make the weather look as nice as it was! I was rather red faced after my day in the sun and didn't spend much time around the fire that night! I arrived back at camp and caught everyone else napping after their bike ride. They woke up so I ate lunch and took a nice long cold shower and relaxed for a while. We were then joined by our boss's family which was lovely so we took another walk to the beach and then they left. 

We had a great time! And for the first time in my camping history, I didn't have to air my 'tent' out afterwards because it hadn't been rained on!!!! NO RAIN!!! Unbelievable. 

We were hosted by two lovely families for meals on Easter weekend which was wonderful. I ate so much ham that weekend but everyone knows I do love the ham! It was so nice for us to be looked after and I didn't really have to lift a finger so I found it very restful. I did get the chance to bake a cobbler for everyone which went down pretty well! We were given easter baskets too which was so lovely. I also got to watch Mary Poppins which I had been missing in my life! I am not sure why I don't own that DVD but it has been leant to me so I have watched it a few times since!

Following on from that, we had our Golf Outing which is our big annual fundraiser. The weather for that was amazing too and we were joined by nearly 100 golfers who helped to support our work. I enjoyed driving the golf cart even though my passenger was quite fearful of my corner taking because apparently those things tip over easily. I also managed to get completely lost whilst driving on my own and had to be escorted back to the correct place by a man driving a watering device. 

It was then Spring Break and the two German interns went on trips with Urban Promise; one to DC and one to Maine. I have to say, I missed their presence a LOT but remained very busy so time sort of flew. Sort of. I had a sleepover with 5 girls which was lovely because I currently spend the majority of my time in male company. It was nice to watch some girly movies, do some painting and crafty things and talk about nails. The girls made up a talent show so they all sung for me as I was the judge which was pretty funny! They did actually sleep for about 6 hours so we watched a movie in the morning and they ate Lucky Charms before helping me to tidy up. I then had a lovely night away from the Center and spent time with my boss and his family to get my energy back. 

The guys arrived home at the weekend and my heart was glad. 

Other nice things that have occurred:

This sunset in Old New Castle

This tree blossomed on our street

One of the girls brought me a flower

I baked scones and drank tea with a friend

The girls left notes for me on the board

I taught for the first time in Grace Cottage (the prison for girls) last week too, I spoke about leadership and how they can think about ways they might change their behaviour when they are released. I also made up a game of English words vs. American words which turned out to be quite a lot of fun! They said I should patent it. Maybe I will. 

I think that just about brings you all up to date! There have been other things in and amongst all of this but I have already been writing for over an hour! One thing I can't believe is that it is almost May, I would really like for time to slow down a little bit now as it seems to be running away a little. I am trying to take each day as it comes and enjoy every minute of the time we have together. I love this team, I love this place and I love these kids! 

I also love this:

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Cakes & Lasers

Well, things have been busy as usual over in Wilmington! All of a sudden, we seem to have an explosion of kids coming to the Center which hopefully means we are doing something right. We were able to do our first fundraiser a couple of weeks ago, for which we hosted a Bake Sale right outside the Center.
For me, it was doubly good because
I love baking and I really miss being
able to do it regularly!
The fundraiser was a real success and the kids really enjoyed helping us out. It was good for us to be able to meet people in our neighbourhood and I was personally blown away by their support of the center. One of the Churches that supports us also allowed us to sell the rest of our cakes and they were so generous. In the end, we managed to raise:

$265.70!!

As a well done to the kids, we used some of the money to take them to Laser Tag at a place called Boomers in Pennsylvania. It was nice for them to go have fun and get out of the Center. There weren't enough seats in the car for me so I just sulked at home and washed the dishes. Not really. Well, I did wash the dishes. Because no-one else does. Not really. Anywho...they loved it! 

Look at their little faces.

As a team, we decided this weekend that we should spend some time exploring a bit more of our surroundings too. The guys wanted it to be free seeing as though I suggested a museum and we came up with the Air Mobility Command Museum in Dover - Delaware's capital city. It was quite a trek and not the best idea I've had since it was raining and the majority of the fun stuff there is outside but I didn't step on my plane without a raincoat and umbrella so I was sorted. We enjoyed a packed lunch in the car and then had a wander around the museum. It was actually pretty fun, we got to go in the control tower and look out at the other planes and I flew a plane (simulator) but still it was pretty scary and I felt like a real life pilot. 

Here I am with Bill & Hillary's old ride. Aka Air Force 1. 

This is what I have to live with. Not the plane.

This leads me to the exciting part! Following our fundraiser, I got to book tickets for the 4 of us plus NINE kids to travel to The Big Apple this weekend!!We are going all day Saturday, so it will probably be quite tiring, but Ican't imagine a more exciting way to get my first experience of NYC than with a bunch of our kids! We are planning on seeing as much as we can in the hours that we have.

Last week, I said my goodbyes to the wonderful Urban Promise Wilmington which was an emotional moment but also a lovely one. The kids were asked to give me words of encouragement, which boy oh boy they did! They thanked me for teaching them to say please, thank you and you're welcome and one of them said I had a strong faith that encouraged them! They sent me away with a few tears in my eyes, kind words and PG Tips. However, it's not all over - I saw them the next day in Chick-fil-A at their fundraiser! Phew.

 

The final thing I would love you all to look at is our Wishlist. We have already received art supplies, games and other fun things from it and love getting to open these surprise packages in our morning meetings. If you feel like you can support our work, even in a small, anonymous way - it could make a huge difference to our kids. We get to tell them that people who don't even know them want to send them gifts, which for them - is an alien concept. We would LOVE to take them on more trips, even just to the movies or to a restaurant as well as provide them with creative/sports/community based projects from our Center. 
Follow this link and see how you can help us! 

Thank you ALL for reading this, I love knowing that you can keep up with my journey and seeing our work here develop. As always, if you're the praying type - please send a few up for us, that we will find time to rest as well as work and that what we do now has a long-lasting impact for these kids! 

                        "This is the day that The Lord has brought about. We will rejoice and be glad in it!"

Psalm 118:24

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