Newsletter - Kelly in the UK

Words from Weald

Arriving in England
Upon arriving in England I was incredibly jet lagged as I had not slept on the flight over. All I wanted to do was find a bed, the floor of the airport would have been fine, and sleep. I met Adam and Sam, a student from the village, in the airport and we went on our way. God (and my supervisor Adam) had different plans for me that morning besides sleeping.
During the hour long journey from Heathrow to my new home in Weald, I learned a lot about what I would be doing, life in the village and how I fit into it all. Once we got off the M25-the main motorway around London-, Adam decided to introduce me to the town of Sevenoaks. He drove me all around town pointing several places I might need including the post office, the bank, Boots and Tesco. After that we drove down into the village of Weald. As w e came around a bend on the top of Hubbards Hill, Sam said, ”Kelly, look, this is the best view in all of Kent.“ Adam slowed the car and the sight before my eyes was breathtaking. I could see the whole village at the bottom of the hill and even my new home, Westwood Farm, on the opposite side of town. I could also see all the land that surrounds the village in its splendid beauty. I hadn’t been in any other parts of Kent, but from what I could see this was the best view. As we came down from the hill we drove on the few main roads in the village and ended up at St. George’s Church, my new place of work. Adam informed me that my host mom, Helen, was helping with Holiday Club and that she would take me home when it was over in an hour. In the meantime, I had an hour to spend at Holiday Club and acquaint myself with the children. WOW! I was surprised. Did they expect me to be full of energy after an 8 hour flight? I wasn’t. I was, however, very fortunate to be thrown in with the children and I got to know them quickly. I got to help with games, sing songs and have lots of fun that morning. Over the next 3 days I was a part of Holiday Club and it was fantastic! I realized that I was a bit intimidated by these 40 kids because I didn’t know how they would receive me in their already formed group that was Holiday Club. God showed me that I had nothing to be afraid of by showing me the kids playing the new games I introduced and how we had fun together, even if I was from this strange place called America. Over the next few weeks, I started getting settled in my new home. I attended every church and village function and found myself answering the same questions over and over and over again.

Settling into life on at Westwood Farm
I didn’t know what to expect. Even though I had seen pictures, I had no knowledge of how farm life would be like. I instantly became a part of life at Westwood Farm. Fred was so happy that I was interested in milking cows and he even showed me the milking parlour and how the computer system works. I even had some tuition in how the feeding system works. I am also aware that there are to be 51 calves born by mid-November. I have also been invited for tea at the other houses on the farm and I even helped pick up some of the children from school on several occasions. I have yet to buy myself a pair of Welliington boots, but I need to do so quickly because when it rains, the farmyard is all mucky. You are sure to break in shoes quickly when on the farm. I love everything about this place! From noises of the tractors, to the cows mooing (even when they wake me up at 2:30 in the morning), the ducks quacking, the chickens clucking and the dogs barking. I look forward to the coming months so I can really get to know all of the people who live on the farm and even those who live up in the village too.
Kelly