The first few days...
Written by Brandon
The first few days are always a bit of a whirlwind—planes, automobiles, and time changes. You're running on adrenaline and don’t even realize how tired you are until a few days in... and then you crash!
We didn’t waste any time. After landing on Saturday, we drove straight to Wales and settled in with a well-earned 12-hour sleep.
But we wouldn’t have missed church on Sunday morning for anything. It felt like the best parts of a family reunion or homecoming. The reception was so warm—we were all smiles as we hugged, laughed, and even shed a few tears.
Grace Community Church in Porthcawl will be our home base this summer as we watch God work in our lives and in the lives of this congregation. Pastor Tom is a gifted communicator and teacher, and his wife Laura is a wonderful partner in ministry. The worship leaders, Heyrim and Joel, are humble, talented musicians, and they've been so kind to welcome Rebekah and me into the worship ministry.
As it turns out, they'll be traveling for a month this summer, and we’re grateful to be here to help fill the gap during their absence.
After church, we made a quick stop at Aldi for some essentials (obviously including biscuits!) and then headed home for some much-needed afternoon naps.
Our home this summer is a beautiful, newly renovated house right on the campus of Union School of Theology in Bridgend—just about ten minutes from Porthcawl. The president of the school is Michael Reeves, who some of you may know through Ligonier Ministries.
Last year, we stayed in the dorms, so we’re especially excited about this major upgrade to a proper house! The garden definitely needs a little TLC, but we’ve dedicated part of our summer to fixing it up and leaving it in great shape. The kids are already hard at work pulling weeds, and you can see the difference in the patio pictures!
We spent some time in the school’s garden, which is a beautiful and peaceful space—full of winding paths, climbable trees, and quiet benches perfect for reading. The kids love the freedom to roam, run, and play on their own.
We also made it down to the bayfront in Porthcawl to take in some fresh sea air. There’s a stunning spot where stone steps lead right into the ocean, surrounded by rocky tidal pools. The kids had a blast climbing around and searching for sea creatures—especially snails, which they affectionately call “the snails of Wales.”
And lastly, we’ve truly enjoyed reuniting with some dear friends—
friends from church,
friends who made us flapjacks,
friends from writer’s club,
friends for horse riding,
little friends for garden walks,
and big friends for great conversations and fun adventures.
This is really why we’re here. We love them, our hearts are with them, and in many ways, our hearts are here.
Some might even call it hiraeth—a deep, homesick longing for Wales.
