One week in!

We only arrived little more than a week ago and already we have been blown away by our Amazing God! Thank you to all who have been praying. We got here on Friday the 12th and on the Saturday we heard that the house across the road was empty and the couple may rent to us. We arranged a viewing on the Sunday night and it was perfect! It has three bedrooms and a basement which is like a second sitting room. Although we are shipping a lot of our goods such as beds and drawers etc, this house was part furnished (very unusual to have a furnished rental so I am told) including a couch and electrical goods such as washing machine and dryer and even a dishwasher!!!! There is also a double bed in the house which is such a blessing as we are able to live comfortably until our shipment arrives. After seeing the house on Sunday Andy and I were just speechless. Our previous address in Tummel Bridge was "Riverside", our flat in Stirling which God led us to buy is in Abbey Mills, Riverside, and the house in Ohio we are about to rent is in the Riverview area of Coshocton. When we were here at Easter time, this was the area I felt we were going to live in. As I wash the dishes in the apartment we are in at present I can see our new house from the window. Although desperate to move in the landlords need a little time to finish off some jobs before we can move. We are praying this will be within the next week.
On to Monday and we opened our American bank accounts thanks to Michelle's guidance.
On Tuesday we thought we would go to Mission Auto - a car sales place nearby run by previous missionaries. They give very good discounts to MMS staff and were expecting us. Well, we had just gone for a little look to say hello and after a few hours we had a car - or should I say a mini-van. It is a seven seater and that means that I am able to pick visitors up from the airport (Columbus is a good one in case anyone is thinking of visiting :0). It also happens to belong to a local pastor who we have met on a few occasions. We are planning on settling the deal this coming week. Andy is sitting his Ohio driving test on Tuesday and when he passes ( we pray) we can get insurance for the car and it will be ours. At present we are blessed to have use of a mini-van which someone had donated previously to MMS.

Abi attended her first dancing class on Tuesday afternoon at 4.15. She joined the class no problem and although the others started in September she did her best keeping up with the moves. She even tried to converse with another little girl who just looked at her funny - I think Abi may have to adopt an American accent so they can understand what she says! There are about ten other 3-4 year olds in the class. Travelling home I decided to have a go at driving in the dark. Well the heavens opened and we were introduced to our first Ohio thunderstorm! Driving home in torrential rain in the dark on a different side of the road was quite a hair-raising experience for all of us but with the pace down at 2 miles an hour we managed to get home in one piece!

We also took a day trip to Zainsville - approx 40 minutes away. We had a nice day at the mall and were able to get some pillows and things in preparation for moving into our house.

On Friday there was a Christmas parade down Main Street in the centre of Coshocton at 6.30pm. Abi and Matthew really enjoyed all the sweets that people were throwing at the crowds as they passed and they even had a cuddle from the gingerbread man. Matthew was quite contented with the Trucks, fire engines and ambulance that came down with the lights flashing. Santa was last, riding at the top of the huge fire engine. Abi was overcome with delight when she saw him and keeps asking me if it is Christmas yet! I continually remind her why we celebrate Christmas! It was lovely to see so many people lining the main streets and to meet a few other MMS families. The weather was dry but very cold. You know it is cold when the children are asking to go in their prams and be bundled up!

Today - Saturday we decided to go exploring some more. Not too far away we went to an Amish Bakery! I am not sure if this is a good thing living so close to such an amazing bakery! Then we went on a little further to a place called "Berlin" and explored a large German food shop. Out side there was a car park AND a buggy park for all the Amish horses and carts!
Berlin is quite a popular tourist town with lots of interesting Amish craft shops. My favourite was the Hillbilly bank - a Sock with the opening glued onto a square of wood with a hole for the money. At the bottom of the sock it was cut and tied shut with a piece of string. hang it up and you have your hillbilly bank!

Tomorrow we are going to try our second church. We have decided to spend some time visiting a few - each for two weeks in a row as the ages of Abi and Matthew, often one of us will miss the service. I believe there are 54 churches in Coshocton ( approx). I can confirm that we will not be trying out all of them! : 0)

We have no TV in this apartment - thankfully there is a DVD player. Abi and Matthew are in the process of completing their cross-cultural training programme with the help of Sesame Street's double disc set! We have managed to purchase a 100 piece Tinkerbell jigsaw which is occupying Abi everyday at the moment. We have borrowed a pop up tent which Matthew has made into his "garage". I really should be revising for my written driving test which I will be doing this coming week but I am looking at my American food processor which has arrived from Amazon and planning my first baking session. Only problem is my British kitchen scales are floating on a ship on the Atlantic (we hope) so all my favourite recipes need a little more thought to convert everything to cups!

It's amazing to think we have only been here a week yet so much has happened. God is so good and I shall leave you with 1 Chronicles 16 v 28,29.

" Oh nations of the world, recognize the Lord, Recognize the Lord is Glorious and Strong. Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the Lord in all his Holy Splendor. "

God Bless
Heatherx

Well, the latest chapter has began!!

We set off bright and early on Friday morning for Glasgow airport. Our flights were both quite busy, but thankfully they weren't delayed by the weather Glasgow has had recently. When we had checked in online our seats were spread out all around the plane. Heather put her "teacher hat" on when we got onboard, and organised all our fellow passengers around so we could be more or less together. Thankfully everyone was happy to be shuffled around - maybe the thought of having a two year old sitting next to them while his parents were 3 rows away wasn't so appealing?!?!

Our stop-over in New York was just long enough to get through security and customs then catch our breath for a wee while before getting on the plane to Columbus. The pilot for that flight was quite taken with Abi and Matthew (who were about the age of his own kids) and had them both up in the cockpit while we waited for the buggies (sorry, strollers!!) to be brought up to the gate. This was a big help, as their patience threshold had dropped quite a bit by this stage in the journey!!

Abi settling into the front seat...

So glad they took the keys out before they let Matthew in!

Keith and Karen were good enough to collect us from the airport, and take us back to Coshocton. We are staying in a basement apartment of another MMS family, and there were a few welcoming goodies set out for us, and stocking the fridge when we arrived - thanks to everyone who helped!!

On Monday, Michelle will be helping us get started on the important tasks of setting up bank accounts, and finding somewhere to live, but this weekend has been a nice relaxing time catching up with our sleep and trying to get ourselves into the right time zone!!

Tomorrow we are spending a bit of time with Mark, Jenny and Abigail, who are also with MAF and about a year into the MMS programme. We will meet them at church on Sunday morning then have lunch with them before afternoon nap time - definitely naps for Abi and Matthew, and maybe for me and Heather if we slip back into GMT!!!

It is still taking a while to sink in that we now live in America! Exciting times!
Thank you so much to everyone who supports us in so many ways, and for your ongoing interest in what we are doing!

...nearly there...

Well time is ticking by, and our flights to America are rapidly approaching! We have dollars in our pockets, "We Buy Any Car" appear to be living up to their word, and we are all set to fly off a week on Friday!! We are really looking forward to being on our way to Coshocton, Ohio!!

Between now and then we have a busy time filling removal vans and saying our final farewells to friends and family around the country.

We would really appreciate your prayers this week for safety on our travels, strength as we say good bye, and sanity as we tie up so many loose ends before we go!

Thanks for all your support!

Closing chapter

This week finds us drawing things to a bit of a close here in Scotland. As I write this, Heather is rounding off her last day as a piano teacher in Perth & Kinross, and Abi and Matthew have just had their last session at The Honeypot Nursery.

Abi and Matthew say goodbye to some of the staff at Honeypot.

Our flights are booked for the 12th November; two weeks tomorrow! Although nursery and work are drawing to a close this week, we have a busy fortnight ahead as we get ready for the off!

This weekend we are heading over to Dunoon. It will be good to spend a bit of time with my family over the weekend before we leave for Ohio.
Heather has also been given the opportunity to play and sing at www.seasonsdunoon.com on Friday night, so she has been busy excercising her vocal cords for the past wee while, getting herself ready for that. On Sunday we will be spending some time with friends at Dunoon Baptist (the church where Heather and I met), before heading back up to Glasgow for a couple of days. Next week we will be spending a bit of time in Pitlochry. The removal company are coming for two days at the end of the week to pack all our stuff into a van for the first leg of it's transatlantic journey, then we have a few things planned to catch up with some friends up there. If you are free on Sunday morning (7th Nov) we will be taking part in the service at Pitlochry Baptist, then having a lunch afterwards for anyone who wants to stay.
In the afternoon / evening we'll be heading north to see some relatives in Gardenstown, before heading back to Glasgow to get ready for flying out on the Friday of that week!!

We had hoped we would be able to catch up with all our friends and family again before we head off, but time is just disappearing in front of us! The next fortnight is jam packed with trips around Scotland, but it would just be impossible to meet up with everyone, so if we don't see you before we go, thank you so much for your interest in what we are doing! Thanks for the many ways you have been supporting us, and please keep in touch as we head over to Ohio!

This is my command - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1v9

US Visa's!

Just a quick update for everyone!

Yesterday we spent the day in London visiting the US embassy for our visa interview; all went well, and we have now been given our M1 / M2 visa's for the next 12 months in America! Our next step is to arrange our flights over to Ohio where we can start our training with www.mmsaviation.org !! Hopefully we will be in Ohio by mid-November!

It has been fantastic to see how God is a part of all the little details as we have gone through the process of starting work with MAF, and it is exciting to see everything come together with yesterday being another step closer to flying out!

More family time!

Last post I shared a bit about our time with friends and family in Peebles, Pitlochry and on my birthday day-out to Amazonia.

This week we are down in Dumfries and Galloway. Heather's sister Rosey became Mrs McFarlane on Sunday when she married Kirk, and the family stayed on for a few days together at the lodge that was hired for the ceremony. They had a beautiful ceremony on Sunday afternoon overlooking the Solway Firth, with just close friends and family there. They are planning a big celebration and blessing service back up in Stirling early next year, which we won't be able to attend, so it was great that we were able to share in their special day before we head for Ohio.

Abi featured as a flower girl, Heather played piano and sang, and Matthew and I concentrated on looking as Scottish as possible!! It was a great day and good to be able to share special times with everyone there.

Monday brought Abi's 4th birthday, and it was good to take advantage of having so many people together in one place for the wedding - Abi had no shortage of helpers when it came to opening presents, and enough people at her party to play a proper round of musical chairs and have a treasure hunt!

The rest of the week has seen another birthday celebration - Hannah, our neice, hit her teenage years - and lots of opportunity for relaxing and recharging in the grounds here and along this bit of the Scottish coast.

Next week our focus will be back onto US visa's; our interviews with the Embassy have been set for Tuesday 19th October, so this time next week we will know for certain the sort of time line we are looking at for moving West. Watch this space for the update!!

Thank you so much for the interest you have shown in our work with MAF; thanks for the encouragement from so many of you, the prayers, the practical ways you have helped - it is all very much appreciated!

Another week!

Well it has been another busy week with the Swanson's!

Last weekend we spent over in the Peebles area, sharing a bit of what we are up to with Heather's extended family and some family friends - a really encouraging evening and probably the last time we will over-night with Great Grandma and Auntie Christine for quite a while! We had a relaxing Sunday morning (the first for a long time!!) then headed down to Peebles where we spent the afternoon and evening with a fantastic group of friends! Thanks to Emma and Graham for hosting, and thanks to everyone else who came along to hear about what we are up to and what MAF do! It was a great weekend, and we drove home last Sunday night tired, but grateful for so many good friends and family who are so interested in what we are doing.

Thursday had me and Matthew driving up to Pitlochry to collect our washing machine from storage. We felt it was sensible for us to keep a foot on the property ladder when we head overseas, so after selling our home earlier in the summer, we invested in a small flat in Stirling to let out while we are away. It has been exciting for us to get the keys for the new flat on Friday, but a bit strange because we have no intention of ever living in it! It has been a real blessing, getting a flat that has no need of redecorating or upgrading - hopefully the first tennant will have moved in before we leave in November!

Saturday was another good day! I turned 21 (and a bit...), so we all had a great day out with my mum, dad, brother, sister and brother-in-law. It was good to spend some time with them all before we leave Scotland for a while; we went to the Amazonia exhibition at Strathclyde country park. Could this be a taster for what lies ahead?!? Matthew loved seeing the monkeys, and Abi is quite fearless when it comes to tarantulas!!

The day was rounded off with a nice meal out, at a restaurant that had a few other birthday parties in last night! I felt a wee bit old when I realised that the combined birthday ages of the tables on either side of ours was still less than my grand total!!

Today we headed north to be with our friends in Pitlochry for church this morning. It was good to see friends who we hadn't seen for a few weeks, and we were able to spend a bit of time with Eric and Jenny over lunch before heading home again late afternoon. We might make it back up again for a weekend later in October, but it looks like the next weekend we are in Pitlochry will be our last one there for a while!

Thanks so much for your interest in our lives with MAF! It has been really quite humbling seeing how many people have taken an interest in the work of MAF, and our involvement with them.