Greetings from North Carolina!

We hope you are all having a lovely time with family and friends at this special time. Our last few days in Ohio were taken up with Abi's dancing party and then meeting Abi and Matthew's new doctor. We are aware Matthew has a heart murmur. The doctor in Scotland (we had to undergo full body medicals before we were accepted with MAF) had recommended we get a scan to check the murmur in between America and the next destination. Well the Pediatrician in Ohio is organizing this so we can have plenty time before we leave the USA if anything needs to be done. Abi is also being referred to have a check up with the Ear/Nose/Throat specialist as she has been snoring for quite some time now! Her tonsils are rather large and this may be the cause of it. So that was our first trip to the doctor in America! We were very impressed! Lets pray the outcome of the investigations are not too invasive for the children.

Thursday we set off for North Carolina to spend the week with our American Family. We had a wonderful drive and the Children were really good considering. We pass through West Virginia which is very mountainous and the icicles were impressive. I took some pictures along the way.

Once we passed through West Virginia the snow began to thin out and Abi commented on the fact she could see grass again!

(we haven't see green grass for about three weeks! )

This was the view of North Carolina as we passed through the border.

We have had a lovely Christmas and Abi and Matthew have had the added bonus of having two little friends to play with. Natalie (5) and Ace (3) were staying over for two nights so lots of fun was had. It snowed on Christmas day also and on Boxing day we were all able to get out and do some sledging! We also learnt how to make snow cream! Mix real snow with milk, sugar and some vanilla! Abi and Natalie were kept very busy with the making and eating of it!

We head back to Ohio on Thursday to give us a few days before Andy begins work on Monday. Thanks for reading the blog and for all your support and prayers. I usually post more pictures on facebook so try and befriend us there if you would like.

Happy Christmas!

Just a quick blog post tonight!!

It is Christmas eve, and the kids have just gone down to bed. We had a long but uneventful drive down to NC from Coshocton yesterday, and today has been a nice day relaxing with friends and family. This has been an amazing year for us, with so many huge changes and incredible experiences that we still sometimes can’t quite get our head’s around it all!

We have had cards and good wishes from so many of you – Thank you all so very much!! Unfortunately we haven’t been able to send our best wishes personally to all of you. We wish you all the very best as we take the opportunity at this time of year to celebrate the birth of Christ, and pray that you would know His blessing as we look forward to the year ahead.

Happy Christmas!!

Andy, Heather, Abi and Matthew.

This week has flown by! Tuesday was our first day of MMS training! Unfortunately child care did not work out and so Keith and Karen came to our home for the day and we read through the manuals while Abi and Matthew played. Then it was time for Abi's dancing from 4-5pm. After I got home I got a call to say the MMS apprentice wives were meeting that night at 7.30. Debra Coats was to be the speaker and as she only lives a few houses along, I would catch a lift with her. It was around minus 7 degrees C, dark and icy and two minutes after she picked me up the car broke down - no battery, no lights! We could not find the hazard lights anywhere and praise God we were not on a main road in the darkness! (American hazard lights are on the steering rack so I have learned!) Debra's husband Dale came and rescued us and jump started the car and then we swapped cars with him and we continued on to the meeting! Debra is from South Africa and was in full traditional dress. She told us her story and her testimony followed by sticky toffee pudding - thanks Mary!

On Wednesday we continued our induction with an in-depth tour around the MMS hanger. It was fascinating to see the different aircraft and the detailed work that goes into repairing them. In this picture you can see an airplane's floats have still to be fitted and behind the floats you can see the airplane is being suspended from the ceiling with it's tail anchored on a weight to stop it moving.

This plane started off in Alaska, with wheels, and will soon be starting a new life flying off the Amazon in South America!

I have enjoyed cooking meals for two families this week. On Friday night we had Pastor Don Lain of Coshocton Church of the Nazarene and his wife Nancy and daughters Abigail (20) and Christa (10). They have been living in New York state before moving to Ohio a few years ago and it was great getting to know them better.

We also had an MMS family round for dinner on Sunday evening. Paul Gettle is also an apprentice like Andy, however he has completed one year of his training already. His wife is Kristen and they have three boys Grant, Cole and Evan. We were able to introduce them to home made Chicken Korma!

We have managed to do a little more exploring this week and took a trip to the busy city of Columbus. There seems to be quite a lot to do there such as a science centre, indoor adventure swimming pool, and a zoo etc. We just went to see where the shops were and have a look around. The zoo etc. can come at a later date. The temperature has begun to get a little warmer around minus 3 now ;-) We decided to go sledging down the front garden. Debbie and Jeff from NC gifted the children with some interesting looking sledges which proved to be a huge hit - both for the kids and us! I'm not sure who had the most fun. Andy and I are really missing our wellies so while the kids were warm and dry we ended up with soggy ankles and socks! I really hope they arrive before the deep snow comes in Jan/Feb! We called the shipping company today and have our doubts that the stuff has actually even left the UK. Please pray that things will go smoothly and quickly in this area. We are so thankful for our house and the fact that there is at least one bed in it! Thank you to all who have, and are continuing to pray for us. We really appreciate it.

This week at church was the nativity celebrations and it was great worshiping with the choir and the children as they related the Christmas story. We are heading off to North Carolina for a week on Thursday morning which is about an 8 hour drive. Please pray the weather will allow for safe travels!

There is much more to the Song "Away in a manger" apart from the different tune this side of the pond. God made "A WAY" through the birth of Jesus, to allow us to come with all our faults, all our baggage, all our dirt and into a relationship with Him. This is the reason we celebrate, the reason we give to others, the reason we show his love at Christmas, that we might show others the "way" to the child in the Manger - the Son of the living God.

Merry Christmas

love from the Swanson's.

A Month and a Day!

It has been a month and a day since we arrived here in Coshocton, and you'll know from our last few blog posts that we have been pretty busy during that time setting ourselves up with everything needed for day to day life. It is amazing how much you take for granted when you have years to build up to it! Having to find and furnish a home, pass your driving test, buy a car, find a church, make new friends, adjust to a new culture, and get used to a whole new lifestyle doesn't usualy all happen in a month!

Well, you will be pleased to hear that we really feel like we are getting there! Life is starting to settle back into a routine for us now that we have moved into our home. Driving on the "wrong" side of the road, now feels normal. Walmart doesn't feel so huge, and we are filling our car up with "gas" not petrol!

This last week we have taken advantage on being pretty much on top of things to just have a bit of a relax together as a family. The weather took a bit of a milder turn at the end of last week, the dusting of snow that had been lingering melted away, and the kids were able to spend a bit more time playing outside. There is a little bit of decking outside our living room which lets them get out and about, but still keeps them penned in a bit! Matthew is ever the explorer, and very few gardens out here have fences, so having some way of restraining him is good!! The wife of the pastor at our new church was good enough to lend us some toys for Abi and Matthew, including a little kitchen with pots, pans and plates. The good weather gave them a great opportunity to treat Teddy to a bit of al-fresco dining on the decking!

Saying Grace with teddy...

Being a bit more settled, Heather is back in the kitchen doing what she does! We both promised ourselves we would watch the waistlines when we moved over here, but I'm afraid I married far too good a cook!! Translating all the recipes into American measurements, and sussing out a new oven, mean that we are trying out all sorts of old favourites again. Today it was bread - the first one wasn't quite right, so try, try and try again... very nice!

Fresh from the baker!!

We had a bit of a Christmas get together on Saturday night with the other staff, trainees and families from MMS. It was a really good chance for us to meet up with everyone again, catch up with friends we already know and get to know some other people a bit better. Heather played piano with Paul leading everyone through a few carols, then Dwight (MMS's CEO) shared a few thoughts on Christmas and what it really means. We then spent a bit more time socialising before everyone headed off home again. It was a really good evening - thanks to Dale and Deborah for opening up their home to such a large invasion! I would love to share a few pictures from the night, but we had to go on a hunt around Coshocton for Matthew's shoes before the party (a long story for another time!!), and in the chaos, the camera stayed firmly in the drawer at home!

This week I'm set to do my first bit of MMS work! I won't actually be starting in the hanger until 3rd January, after the Christmas break has passed, but before starting I will have to go through an orientation on all of the MMS manuals, systems, policies and procedures, a bit of a safety induction and a few other pre-start formalities. Some of the orientation will also involve Heather, so tomorrow Keith and Karen will be coming to our home to spend the day running through the books. We had tried a few options for childcare so that we could do the induction at the hanger, but nothing was working out, so we are doing things a bit differently (not like us...)! It will be good for me to get into this (even if parts of it will no doubt be a bit dry!!), and feel a bit more like I have started at MMS; Heather and the kids are busy finding their feet in their new lives here, and I will feel much more settled when I actually start at the hanger and begin doing what we came here to do!

Thanks for keeping up to date with our going's on - we really do appreciate all of your thoughts, prayers and support as we carry on working for MAF over here in Ohio.

Andy

Our first Visitors!

We just moved into our house a week ago and the first four days have been spent cleaning and unpacking. It is wonderful having a room each again for us all and we don't have to tip-toe around anymore. Although all of our furniture has still to arrive we are managing. We were able to purchase our car on Wednesday morning now that I also passed my driving test on Tuesday. The rest of the day was spent baking and borrowing more bedding in preparation for our first visitors! Debbie and Jeff Baisley from North Carolina who we have known for many years came to stay till Sunday morning. Our children have been blessed with three sets of grandparents, two sets in the UK and their American "Mi-mi" and "Poppy". The Baisley's drove for almost 10 hours to get here - supposed to only take 7-8 hours but they were stuck in snow blizzards along the way. It is Debbie's birthday soon so Abi helped me make some fairy cakes and we decorated them as a surprise!

We travelled to Millers Bakery ( Again!!). This place is becoming a favourite of ours. They sell all sorts of lovely things like home-made jams and pasta as well as their famous warm cheese tarts! We also took a trip to the Lehman's store in a place called Kidron. (http://www.lehman/)

It is about a 45 minute drive from Coshocton. Lehman's is an Amish hardware store. I did find Cadburies curly-wurlys made in the UK there! (not for me of course - for the children!!: 0) Most of the shops we go to around the outskirts of Coshocton county including a walmart have a car park AND a buggy park for all the horses and buggies belonging to the Amish community. We paused for a little photo outside the Lehman's shop. It was very cold that day! Lately most mornings have been around minus 9 or 10 on our thermometer.

Debbie and Jeff brought us some Christmas tree decorations and so we thought it was about time we got a Christmas tree. We have a box of decorations in our shipment so were reluctant to buy any more decorations. It was already lighted so Andy got his creative hat on and had the kids hang up starbursts tied with string. Matthew saw a coat hanger in a washing basket and was very proud of himself when he got it to hang on the Christmas tree. Abi began adding her colouring pictures to the tree and they made stars for the top. I have noted that only four days on and I believe there is nothing edible anymore hanging on the tree. There were a few peanut butter cups that I believe Andy may have nibbled at! I did feel very "little house on the prairie" hanging all our homemade decorations up. Very unique I am sure you will agree.

Sunday we said goodbye to our guests but we are glad we will see them soon as we are going to spend Christmas with them in North Carolina. It will be wonderful to experience Christmas in an American household.

We have been attending the Church of Nazarene in Coshocton for the last three weeks and believe we may have found a church to settle in! We have been so blessed by the preaching and Andy and I are in shock that we have sat together through-out the sermon for three weeks in a row! Can't remember the last time that happened. Check out www.coshnaz.org/main.html if you want to see it in more detail.

Today we thought we would go and register at the library and the video shop. Venturing out once the gritters lorry had passed we went to the library first. Matthew loved pulling books out from everywhere and I did not enjoy trying to find all the right places to put them all back. Then we continued with a screaming tantrum when he thought he could just wander away with videos tucked under his arm. Needless to say we did not get any books out today and I am sure everyone in the library was glad when we took the "noise" straight back out to the car! Andy and Abi went into the video shop and I stayed with Matthew who was still trying to come back down to a normal voice! Then a quick trip to walmart for some computer speakers ( hope to be able to skype soon) and home for lunch. Not quite the lovely outing we had anticipated but that's family life. Abi is doing well but I think is struggling finding enough things to keep her busy and occupied. We have given them a few christmas presents early to help them pass the time till our stuff gets here. I think a trip to hobby lobby to get some gluing/painting stuff might be on the list of things to do. We are beginning to feel really settled in our new home. Coshocton county is very scenic and we feel very blessed to be here. Andy is due to start work on the 3rd of January and he is more than ready! : 0)

We are keeping up with the Scottish news and are amazed at the snow in the UK at the moment. I believe some parts of America are also experiencing a lot of snow. Coshocton is just on the fringes of the major snow storms at the moment so we are quite glad we can still get out to the shops.

Our new address is 26835 Township Road 1205, Coshocton, Ohio, 43812.

Our phone no. is (001 - if calling from the UK) (001) 740 552 5220 - just remember we are five hours behind the UK. We would love to hear from you (and see you) and thank you to those who leave comments on the blog, facebook and email.

God Bless

Heatherx

Settling in...

It is hard to believe that we have only been in Ohio for just over a fortnight!


We have been busy since we arrived here, basically setting up home from scratch; it is very easy to forget the little things that we take for granted when you are planning a move halfway round the world... until you arrive and realise that you have no electrical appliances (everything runs on 110V over in America!), no face cloths, no dusters or polish, no TV, no salt or baking powder... not even an alarm clock!



Needless to say the last 2 weeks have involved arranging the "big" things, like a home to rent, a car to get about in etc, but they have also involved a lot of time trying to find good deals on electrical goods, and the bits and pieces we know we don't have coming in our shipping container some time in the New Year. Heather has spent a huge amount of time in Walmart, carefully examining every pack of food we might need to make sure she has figured out the British translation of the ingredients list... to the point that we can imagine security guards shaking their heads as the "crazy Scot's" arrive back in store for another 2 hour shopping trip!!



So now 2 week's into our America adventure, and we have found a home, signed the lease and moved in. We have bought a car to get us around. (We both now have Ohio driver's licenses too!!) We have stocked our cupboards, and have got our heads around 1/2 Gallon of milk being a "4 pint-er". It has been great getting to know the Coshocton area a bit better, and settling in to life in this part of Ohio, which will be our home for the next 3 years.


Since we arrived in USA, the weather on the whole has been pretty mild - much milder than Scotland has had for the last week or so! The snowy weather is starting to catch up with us however, and this morning saw us waking up to a dusting of snow in the garden. It has stayed cold all day, and the dusting has had regular top-ups with snow flurries dotted through the day. We are told that it isn't normal to see snow this early here (just like Scotland!), so we will just have to wait and see if this is a passing snow cloud, or if we will be shoveling our way to the car soon!!

Our new Chevy, with the first 'snow' of the year.

Thank you once again for your interest, and for "popping in" to our blog to keep up to date!

A