White Christmas for the Paechs!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE AND A JOYOUS NEW YEAR!

The Paechs were able to get out of London via Gatwick Airport to Amsterdam on Christmas Eve. Fortunately Gatwick did not suffer the same problems as Heathrow and because it had not snowed for a few days all the flights were able to depart...so we arrived in Amsterdam and our friend Ed Sherman met us at the Arrival Hall as his flight in from Geneva arrived at around the same time.

We then made our way down to the train station and boarded the train taking us to Zwolle in the countryside (north)east of Amsterdam. The train was fantastic, so quiet and quite fast...and got us there in about 1 and a half hours. I had a good sleep, as I had been under the weather with a respiratory problem and was very tired.

Ed's wife Terry picked us up from the train and drove us to our Bungalow in Heerde a few kilometres out from Zwolle. The bungalow/Guest cottage is part of the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) complex called Heidebeek, see their website http://ywamheidebeek.org/en/ . Ed and Terry are both involved here, with Ed travelling regularly to teach in the various YWAM programs. He had been working in Geneva & will be travelling to Perth, Western Australia, early next year.

We're in Holland & it's Christmas! 

The bungalow is very quaint and cosy, and Terry (our angel) had fullly stocked the fridge and cupboard for our arrival. Outside there was snow covering the ground and on the trees, making it a magical sight. What a blessing to be here for some much needed rest an recovery (for me particularly).

Christmas Eve & the view from our bungalow door!

We slept in quite late on Christmas Day then pottered around, skyped the kids (for an hour) until our chauffeur arrived (Terry & Ed's friend Belinda - also a YWAM staff member) to take us to Ed & Terry's place for Christmas dinner. What a delight beheld us when we arrived...there was a beautiful Christmas energy in this place, beautifully decorated and food as far as the eye could see (unfortunately I could not enjoy the smell of Christmas because of my head cold - aghhhhhh!)

Ed and Terry's two sons (David and Chris - I kid you not!) and David's friend Jeroen, along with us and Belinda, made up the guest list for the evening.

The Sherman's Christmas table - clockwise: David P, Terry &
 Ed, Belinda, Chris & David Sherman, Jeroen.

Dinner was served and we all enjoyed a sumptuous meal together. It was great to gather around the family table of Christian folk here in Holland to celebrate the birth of our Saviour & Lord. Prayer, food, wine & lively conversation, especially about various musicals, in particular Les Miserables. Each of them have seen it several times. It is a favourite of both Chris Sherman & Chris Paech. A timeless story of grace. It was in fact Ed & Terry, back in January 2010, who at our dining table in Mt Evelyn, encouraged us to include a "London jaunt" in our travel plans....especially to see Les Mis at the Queen's Theatre! Chris didn't take much convincing. And it was magnificient...

A winter Christmas view!

Then present opening...we even had something under the tree which was quite a surprise. I opened the card and it was from my dear friend Sue Boonstra (who introduced us to Ed and Terry last January, and who is ably taking over my job while I'm away!). She had travelled to Holland in September and had "squirrelled" away in her suitcase some tea bags from my desk at school and had wrapped them up for me for Christmas. Now this might seem a little strange to you, but to me it brought me unstuck and I had a bit of a cry over these silly teabags. I had realised how much I had missed Sue and everyone at school and how thoughtful she had been. The card even had a Sudoku on it for me to do...which I promptly did! Sue you are a gem...thank you!

The sisterhood! Belinda and Terry!