Written by Brandon
Today was another work day for Rebekah as she is enjoying getting to be a part of the daily work life of Union Publishing. It has been fun to see her come to life as she not only writes but also gets to help with projects outside of her normal talents and routines. I have been glad to get more time with the kids as I give her time to work.
This morning it was very sunny and warm so I decided to have a beach day with the kids. We packed the car with all the beach stuff and were off to Porthcawl. On the way, we stopped off at Pastor Tom’s house (Pastor of Grace Community) as his son was studying for a math test and needed some guidance on a few problems. I told him I was coming to Porthcawl anyway and my kids would love to spend a few minutes with their dog (they have a very friendly pup that our kids had not met yet.) It seems that there is a high dog popoluation here in Wales and Zion is very sad that she is not allowed to run around petting every dog she sees out on a walk. The kids enjoyed some play time with their dog and it was fun talking math with a British twist.
After we finished, we were off to the beach. When we got there, it had turned windy and a bit chilly. As we got out on the beach (which was a Wales walk), the wind was throwing our body boards like kites. And the sand from the beach was moving like a slithering snake across the dunes. The wind was chilly and the water was even worse! It was not an ideal day to enjoy the beach scene. Although we tried to push through, there came the moment when I knew that cutting our losses would save us all a lot of hassle. After chasing a body board across the beach and sand in some eyes, we all trudged our way back to the car with defeat. All we could do was laugh. The Wales weather had won again and I assume it will not be the last we will see of it.
In the evening, the kids and I went into town as we were clued into a chess club that met on Tuesday evenings at Hope Baptist Church. It was fun walking the streets of downtown Bridgend. As we went, we ran into James, one of the guys that attends the small group we were at the day before. As we talked and he pointed out a good route to get to the church we were going to, I began to feel like a local. It isn’t often you are in a totally new place and yet run into a friendly face. James is a great guy and family man. He has been to the states a few times and has done a bit of traveling around.
Although I should have taken more pictures, I just didn’t spend much time grabbing for my phone today. Sometimes you are just having too much fun ( and trying to manage three kids in unfamiliar settings all by yourself is a lot of work!)
When we got to chess club, the guy leading the group was there and went right to work giving the kids a tutorial on playing chess. Although the kids knew the basics, he did a fabulous job helping them to see the bigger picture of the game and also setting up scenarios for them to work out. More people started to show up and the kids quickly found themselves immersed in a few chess games. The guy even sat down with Zion and had her pushing pieces around the board in quick fashion. I really enjoyed getting to watch the kids so engaged and see their minds light up as they learned something they have enjoyed playing at a deeper level. Also, it was interesting see them love something so much that I really have never had an interest in.
Selah did a great job against her opponent, and got him down to his last piece, the King, but was unsure of the techniques to get him to a check mate. The game ended up going to a stale-mate. When it was over, the main guy came over and showed Selah some ideas of how to finish off an opponent. It was a very fun and educational experience. As we left chess club, we talked about coming back again next week!
Tomorrow, we head back to the bucket list for a trip of a life time! Can’t wait to share it with you!
I’m so enjoying your trip and updates! How exciting! Love you guys!