Thursday 26th August 2010

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 NIV
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 NLT

The Adventure Begins... Beginning something that has the potential to be life changing with an excitement and anticipation that from this time forward my life will be different is where my journey begins. Knowing that I am loved by God enables me to accept and believe that this experience will be for his purpose as he blesses me and my daughter in ways we could never have imagined possible.

The coach and plane journey were smooth and uneventful with no hold-ups or delays. (my thanks to all who prayed for us). Embarking on a flight that would take over 11 hours to complete didn't fill me with great enthusiasm but in the wee small hours when others were sleeping I closed my eyes and sang silent praise to my Father God and thanked him for this amazing opportunity.

My expectations of what the Seychelles would be like, what we would do and see and how we would live is something I didn't want to read up about or research in advance because for me to experience events first hand without prior understanding is to experience the awe and wonder of something original and unique, anything less would be to cheat myself out of the newness of what my senses were taking in.

Stepping off the plane into a warm breeze brought the reality home to me that I had entered a new place, a no going back, a point of no return, I was already changing. Customs was uneventful too, no baggage checks, or undeclared items. The one thing that did bring a smile to Bethany and my faces was watching a couple of security guards train their young golden retriever dog how to find items amongst our luggage! As we stood waiting for our bags to come off the conveyor belt, the young golden retriever wagged its tail excitedly as his handler hid a yellow ball amongst the cases and people waiting. The dog strained on his lead to find the ball and pulled his handler all over the place in his eagerness to find his prize. On retrieving it the handler hid the dogs eyes with his hand as once again his colleague hid the ball somewhere new. This was definitely not England!
The welcome sight and beaming smile of our long time friends Jane and Stephen waving and greeting us was brilliant. We knew we were in safe and competent hands.

Living as a "native" if only for a short time was something I was keen to do, however little did I realise that would be so soon off the plane! As we drove from the airport the heavens opened (rain was not part of the plan) the car which was fairly old gave a loud bang and the clutch cable was gone. Limping into a nearby supermarket car park a quick phone call and help came to our rescue. Moving to another vehicle we set off again for what was to be our temporary home for 4 days (we move to a new address on Monday)amongst the beautiful mountains and foliage of Mahe. Experiencing Mahe through the eyes of our friends as they talked to us about the sights, sounds, plants and creatures gave a much more real feel to the island than anything I could have read in a book.
As jet-lag, lack of sleep and an attempt to adjust to the new climate and time zone took their toll I found myself questioning what day is it? It was Wednesday I was told, which for our first day seemed to go on forever.
We have fitted so much in to one day already, visited the beach, paddled in the sea, been to a roadside market where we had deep fried banana that tasted just like crisps, ate at a local restaurant, watched the sun set over the ocean and drove into the mountains to settle into our temporary but beautiful home for the next few days...