Singin' in the Rain w/Louie

Gang,

So, It’s been a little while since we last informed you about our exciting lives…I’ll pick up where I left off. Our friend Patrick left and as soon as he was gone Sarah started rehearsals for the Courtyard Theatre’s production of “Singin’ in the Rain.” She is now into the run of the production. It’s going great for her. She is having an interesting experience to say the least. She is working from 9 to 5 as usual and after that she’s off to the theatre from 6:30 until 10:30. I think she’ll be glad when it’s over, but she is enjoying it while it lasts.

Also, Sarah made friends with another member of the community cast. She is in the community cast but she is not from this community. She is from Winchester. She had accommodation for a little while but when that was over, she didn’t have anywhere to stay. And, we decided to invite her to stay with us. So, for most of the month of September we will have the lovely Saira Belle staying with us. It’s been a trip. She stays in the living room and we have to be as quiet as mice ☺

My job is going well. I really don’t have much to report about that except to say that I love it!

Get into this…we totally met Louie Giglio. I realize that name may not mean anything to some of you. But, he is a huge evangelical preacher in the US. His name is associated with the Passion Movement, One Day, Chris Tomlin, and the David Crowder Band. We have heard him speak on a few special occasions. However, we are always in the crowd with thousands of other people. Well, before Louie was a big speaker and he was just a campus pastor in Texas, he used to do short term missions to England and even to the county of Herefordshire! So, he was back. Speaking to a crowd of about 800. And at the end of his talk, we walked right up to him and talked. It was totally weird. Before, we had only seen him on a platform surrounded by so many people and now we were just talking to him. We heard him give 2 messages…they were both inspiring. Anyway, I figured some of you who are Louie fans would want to know that.

Our next trip will be to Budapest in November. We just booked it yesterday. But before then we have a slew of other interesting things to look forward to. We are seeing two concerts: Embrace and Muse. And I’m running a half-marathon in Cardiff. Also, for my birthday (Sept. 3…27 years) Sarah got tickets to a Rugby game on Oct. 1st. It’s going to be fun. Our friends Claire and Jez will be going with us. That will be sweet!

Speaking of my birthday. We had a really nice time. We barbecued up at Claire and Jez’s and later that night we went old school and set up a fort in the living room. A fort is, you know, made of clothespins, sheets and chairs. We watched a movie under there. Sweet!

Also, be thinking about us on Tuesday. We are taking the first part of our Driving Test…the theory part. I know you probably think it will be easy because we have been driving…but the test system is so different here. About 50% of people fail their first time. If we fail…it will stink for both of us…so, pray for us on Tuesday.

I guess that is about all. Again, we have more photos available at www.suelfam.blogspot.com AND I have finally bitten the bullet and set up a myspace account. I have been avoiding setting it up, but now it’s done and I would love for you to add us as a friend. You’ll find us at www.myspace.com/suelfam. Email back with exciting updates!

Happy September and good luck to all you students!

Jason (and Sarah)


Pics: 1. Sarah in "Singin' in the Rain" 2. Jason and the ole b-day cake 3. Sarah and some of the cast (Saira, our houseguest, is next to Sarah) 4. All the friends in "the fort" for the b-day party!

Oh, The Places We've Seen

Hello to you again, friends

Wow, we have had an exciting month! But, whew I’m glad we are settled again. We last left you as we had just returned from Portugal. Since then we had a weekend in Ireland and Northern Ireland, a weekend in Barcelona, a week with our friend Patrick visiting from the States, and another weekend in London. Let’s get up to speed…

The Ireland Trip…
We flew into Belfast, which is the capital of Northern Ireland. At the airport we rented a car…our means of travel! We had a day and night in Belfast and on that first day we traveled to the northern most tip of the country to a place called the Giant’s Causeway: a collection of natural hexagonal rocks. The only other one like it in the world is on the coast of Scotland. In fact, both formations were once a part of the same chain…the rocks were formed from volcanic activity. We then drove around Ireland taking in the Cliffs of Moher, the Dingle Peninsula, Clonmacnoise (an ancient Monastic city), The Rock of Cashel, and the towns of Dingle, Cork, Blarney (home of the Blarney stone) and Dublin where we ended our trip.

I can’t say enough about what a great time we had. We put 900 miles on the car we rented and when we returned it we were exhausted. But, the beauty we took in was unmatched.

The Barcelona Trip…
Well, just getting to Barcelona was a trip in itself. Our original flight had a layover in Frankfurt, Germany. Upon arrival in Frankfurt we were informed that the employees of the Barcelona airport went on strike, which wouldn’t be resolved that day. So, after waiting in the line for the transfer desk for about 5 hours, we were finally told that the best the airline could offer us was to fly us out in about a half hour to Düsseldorf, where the airline would pay for us to have a night in a hotel. After the hotel and early the next morning we would board a flight to Barcelona. And that’s exactly what we did. So, instead of arriving in Barcelona Friday morning, we got in on Saturday morning. All in all, we didn’t lose much time in Barcelona, but we did gain a few grey hairs from the airport turmoil.

Once we got to Barcelona we met up with our great friend Patrick Peringer. I invite you to check out his website (http://myspace.com/peringer) if you want to hear more about the trip. But, from our perspective it was a great time. Barcelona is the city of Gaudi. Gaudi is an artist, whose sculptures and architectural designs are prominent in the city. In fact, some say that Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia is to Barcelona what the Eiffel Tower in to Paris. We took in the Gaudi (and his contemporaries), enjoyed the street performers along Las Ramblas (the main city strip), and tanned and swam at the beach. It was Patrick’s first time to swim in the sea and he was “well chuffed” about it (well chuffed is a British expression for very excited). It was great fun in Barcelona, and although our time in Barcelona was over…our time with Patrick was just beginning!

Patrick’s Visit…
Patrick was with us for a little over a week and we did a lot in that time despite both Sarah and I having to work. We explored Hereford and introduced Patrick to our friends here. Many laughs were shared over card and dice games. We went for a walk in the nearby Forest of Dean. We took Patrick to our local (and favorite) castle called Goodrich castle. We went to a local pub. We went for a night out in our neighboring town of Worcester where we ate Portuguese food and saw “The Breakup” at the cinema. And then we were off to London.

All of our visiting guests love to visit London. With Patrick, we did the usual: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey (we actually went inside this time), Trafalgar and Leister Squares, St. Paul’s, the London Eye, Millennium Bridge, Shakespeare’s Globe, Buckingham Palace (we witnessed the changing of the guard…in the rain ☹) and the parks. After, just about two days of this we left Patrick. He had one more night to spend and a flight to catch early the next morning. I do know that after he left us he went to the Tate Modern Museum and thoroughly enjoyed the Kandinsky exhibit.

Back To Normal?

Not exactly… I am still finding my footing for my new job. Sarah has now started rehearsals for “Singin’ in the Rain.” I’m not in it because it conflicts with my new job. But, I work for the theatre, which is doing the show, so I do have some involvement. And, we are studying up for our driving test. That’s right…driving test. We are allowed to drive on our U.S. license for up to one year and then we have to pass both written and practical parts of the U.K. drivers test. I know…it’s dumb. But, that’s the way it is. So, we have to pass the test before October 28th (that was our date of arrival one year ago).

So, are things normal? No…but we wouldn’t have it any other way! That’s all for now, but we would love to hear from all of you. Sent us an email if you get a chance.

Love to All,

Jason (and Sarah)






Pictured: Jason and Sarah at the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland (the pic with hexaganol shaped rocks). Jason and Sarah in front of the majestic Cliffs of Moher (Ireland). Patrick and Jason in front of the south entrance to Sagrada Familia (Barcelona). Jason and Sarah near Gaudi's infamous Lizard Fountain in Barcelona.

New Job and a Visit to the Algarve

Pictures) The beach in Portugal...cliffs and caves!
We took kayaks through the caves for a first-hand look inside them. It was pitch black inside some of them, and with the waves pushing us UP and DOWN about to knock our heads into the sides of the caves, it was a bit scary! But worth it!


Hello all!


For those of you who don't know, we've got great news...Jason's got a new job here in Hereford! He'll be starting as the Education Officer/Youth Drama Person at the local theatre in Hereford! It's the Courtyard Theatre. This means he'll be in charge of all the youth theatre (including directing "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" for 2 casts of 80 kids!!) as well as working with all the primary schools in Herefordshire. He'll collaborate with the primary school teachers and lead interactive workshops for the classes on whatever subject the teacher is doing at that time. For example, he had to do a workshop for his interview as a practice, and he did one on "Unity and Diversity". He did loads of activities with the kids teaching them about this subject.

Anyways, this is great news, and means he'll start August 1. It is a full-time job with good pay. He gets 4 weeks vacation time (not quite as much as normal, but still good!) plus holidays and sick leave. Since he starts in August, and then doesn't get a vacation till Christmas (he has to take them when the kids are out), we're getting a lot of traveling in now...

So we've just gotten back from another adventure, this time in the Algarve. That means Portugal. We went with our friends Claire and Jez, and Claire's brother Keith. Claire's friend's fiancee's parents have this place that we got for a super good deal....luxurious golf resort! The beaches in Portugal are unbelievable, with cliffs above them and steep long staircases leading you from the cliffs to the beaches. All along the beaches there are caves in these cliffs. We kayaked inside the caves and took a boat trip one day all through the caves. So cool. (Until I found out I get seasick...just like in the movies, I was puking over the side of the boat...not my most glorious moment!)

Anyways, after I send this email, I'll be putting some pics on our blogsite, so check them out.

We leave for a roadtrip through Northern Ireland and Ireland on Friday! Another long weekend of fun! Also, Jason and I celebrate 4 years of marriage this Thursday! Yay!

Missing you all but having a blast in Europe!

The Suels







Pictured: 1. Took a boat trip through the caves. 2. Jason, Sarah, Keith, Claire, and Jez on the boat. 3. Walking through the town of Lagos to eat fresh fish for dinner one night.

Summer Has Started!

Hello Family and Friends,

Well we have a lot to update you on, so I’ll get right to the good stuff. I’ve decided to divide this email into sections, so that it will be easy for you to devour. If you are like me and have trouble holding your attention for the duration of a long email, treat the sections of this email like chapters in a book…feel free to take a nap or have a snack after you have finished the section. But, be sure to return to the email for “another exciting chapter in the lives of Jason and Sarah Suel!” (to be said in some announcer voice)

Sports and Leisure:

Well, we are actively involved now in some sporting activities that you should know about. First, Sarah has continued her impressive regimen at the gym…getting up at 7 in the morning to exercise…sometimes I join her. She has also started taking some classes at the gym with our friends Claire and Rosanna.

I have been playing squash at the gym with Sarah and also with my friend Jez. We aren’t really that good, but it’s a fun game and it’s similar to racquetball. Sarah and I really became great friends in college while playing racquetball, so the game holds great memories for us. I decided to take my squash game to the next level and, along with friends Jez and Chris, have joined the squash league. Exciting!

Finally, on June 4th, I ran in the Blackpool marathon. Marathons in England are different...to say the least. There is nothing like running a marathon and have few to no supporters. The last few miles, which are usually full of people cheering you on, are basically full of tumbleweeds and people giving us funny looks. I would let Sarah type some on this subject but she gets too frustrated and angry. Anyway, despite lack of support I finished the Marathon in a little over 4 hrs. Not the time I trained for, but not bad considering. I am planning to do the next one in October in Cardiff and then, hopefully, London!

Travel:

Well, you can count two more countries as having been visited by us. This month we took our much-anticipated vacation to Greece. Unlike our other trips where we have tried to see the landmarks and stuff in the city we were visiting, this time we just wanted to relax. So, we didn’t go to Athens or Crete or Rhodes or any of the super well-known Greek places. Instead we had a great time on the Island of Corfu (Rhoda Beach to be exact). We stayed for one week and that week saw us rent bikes and cycle to the highest point on the island (Mt. Pantakrator), we rented bikes and found some more secluded beaches away from the main tourist path, we had a night out in Corfu Town where we did some shopping and took in the sights, and finally we took a ferry boat trip to the country of Albania…that’s right Albania! We visited Saranda…an impoverished town that is trying desperately to improve its economy, and we visited the ancient city of Butrint. This little city was basically just ruins. We had a tour guide and all and he showed us all around and we could see the Greek, Roman, Turkish, and Venetian influences…really interesting place! And, one more country we can say that we have set foot in!

Leisure:

On a very exciting note, Sarah and I have both auditioned and been accepted into the cast of “Singin’ in the Rain.” The musical is being presented at our local theatre and I am so excited about being in the cast with Sarah! The only other play we’ve been in (the only play Sarah has been in) was “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” back in 1999. So, be sure to send your congratulations to Sarah. She had to audition and perform a song and everything! I’m so proud of her!

Future:

Another exciting moth awaits us. Towards the end of July we will be vacationing in Ireland and Northern Ireland…two more countries! And, as soon as we get home our great friend will visit us from Bowling Green, Mr. Patrick Peringer. We are so excited about his visit! He’ll be here for a week and a half or so…oh man, can’t wait!

Well I guess that just about does it for now.
We love you all and hope to her from you (or see you) very soon,

Jason (Sarah)

Pictured are Jason at the Blackpool Marathon (with Blackpool Tower in the background), Sarah at the ancient city of Butrint, Albania ducking under some ruins, the lovely view from our beach towels on Rhoda Beach, and Jason and Sarah on their bike ride to the highest point on Corfu Island!

Inviting the Abbotts and Prague

Hello Friends & Family, Blokes and Girls, Lads and Lasses,

It’s Jason here writing to tell you about the exciting lives of the “SuelFam.” This month we have much to discuss and it centers around two interesting subjects: namely, the visit from Sarah’s Parents (the Abbotts) and our recent trip to Prague, Czech Republic.

First, let’s tackle the Abbott trip. Sarah’s mom and dad flew into the UK on an overcast spring day and much to their dismay…the weather didn’t get much better. For the week and a half they were here we did a lot of cool stuff though. I’ll recap the highlights:
• Driving all over Herefordshire and viewing the beautiful scenery and seeing some pretty need little villages
• Celebrating Easter with a big meal at our friends’ Claire and Jez’s house. There were at least 15 guests in total and after our big meal we threw around the American football that Sarah’s dad brought us (me) from the States.
• Going to a proper Castle called Goodrich Castle which is about 30 minutes from our door
• Experiencing Stratford-on-Avon (Shakespeare’s home): we took in the regularly touristy stuff as well and seeing Romeo and Juliet as performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company
• Navigating our way through Bath, which is one of our favourite places to take our guests but on this occasion, it was so busy that I had to drive around a parking garage for over 30 minutes…the Abbotts were freakin’ out!
• And, of course, there was London…all the usual highlights with one added benefit…the wheelchair. Let me tell you the London underground has never heard so much squealing as when me and Mr. Abbott helped Sarah’s mom down an escalator!

They flew out on a rather pleasant Monday, we breathed a quick sigh of relief and we were off again! This time we flew to Prague on Saturday and stayed until Monday. Prague is definitely a city we would recommend. It is different enough to where you are really taking in another culture and it is small enough that it is manageable. The only problem is that it is full of tourists!

We took in the Castle, the Astronomical clock (when it was built, the artist was blinded after he had built it so that he could never create another like it…yikes!), the Art Nouveau (the movement started here), and, of course, Marionettes. Yes, the Marionette tradition dates back 300 years in Prague so I was in puppet heaven! And I managed to get Sarah to let me buy a handcrafted Czech Marionette. Another interesting fact, Prague is the home of Good King Wenceslas of Christmas Song fame. Actually, he wasn’t a king but a duke. Either way, Sarah and I were humming the Carol for most of the trip.

And now we are home again to relax for the next couple of weeks until June 4th when I will be running the Blackpool Marathon…excitement is building and training is going well. I can’t describe to you how beautiful it is here in the springtime. Flowers are blooming and they have many flowering trees. There are fields of yellow amongst the green. I assume this is some sort of yellow flower/weed, but when there is an entire field of yellow it is truly breath taking.
Be sure to check out our new pictures on our Webshots page (there’s a link to the Pic Archive on the right hand side of this page). There is plenty of new material there. We hope this email finds you well and enjoying your spring. We’ll email you again soon, but until then email us back and let us know what is going on with all of you. We LOVE to hear about your lives!

Peace,
Jason (Sarah)

(Pics: 1. The Abbotts in Stratford-on-Avon 2. The Abbotts in front of Big Ben 3. What the Czech!?! An interesting street sign in Prague 4. The Astronomical Clock in Prague)

Suel's Relaxing with Friends and Family

Hanging out with Suzy, on a typical Herefordshire country walk and partying in Bristol (with random boys who jumped in our picture!)
Hello all!

Well, for once we're not sending you pictures of a trip we've recently gone on! We've been taking it easy since we got back from Belgium, France, and the States. We had Suzy Dally visiting for about 10 days once we got home from America, and we had a blast with her, of course. We visited several different cities, saw the sights, and enjoyed the simple Herefordian life with her. Since then, we've had several weekends now of just hanging out, something we haven't had in awhile. It's been nice.

Jason's news: Still working as a youth worker, still enjoying it. He's ready to lead a drama class of his own, and his boss is up for it. So he's planning that now. Jason was sick last week, a bacterial infection that lasted about a week. But it's almost gone now, just a small cough left. Jason and I are going to start up an 18-30s ministry at our church, and will be having our first meeting April 7. We'll see how that goes! And Jason is also still playing guitar in the Sunday evening services at our church. This is the more contemporary, casual service. They call it a Cafe Service, cause there's tables and quizzes and snacks. It's fun.

Sarah's news: Still loving my job, it's going great. It's been getting busier, I've recieved over 10 new patients this week, so I'm up to >30 now. It's crazy trying to schedule in that many people! But it's good being that busy, too. I've never bored! I'm starting up my first community group soon, teaching an Anxiety Management group to about 8 old ladies who suffer from panic attacks. Should be interesting! I'm looking for a venue and transport now, so once that works out, I should be up and running. Still working out at the gym about 4 mornings a week. Still on my own 3 evenings a week while Jason works (that's what's happening now).

The Abbott's (Sarah's parents) will be visiting on Easter week, for about 12 days. Looking forward to being crammed in our tiny house for that long! Just kidding, but we are looking forward to showing off our little town and home. We'll be heading to Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon (for some Shakespeare!), and London. Also, all the surrounding villages around Herefordshire. Should be fun!

We've just had daylight savings time here (yours in the States is coming up), and it's still bright and sunny outside now with it being almost 7pm. It's already throwing me off!

We're heading to Northampton this weekend, for a little getaway for one night. We found a sweet Spa Weekend deal online in a 4-star hotel. It looks beautiful!

We'll talk to you soon, keep us updated. Send us some info on you, and we'll look forward to hearing from you! We love you all!

Jason and Sarah Suel
Top: Jason's family (parents, sister & her hubbie, and newphews)
Middle: Sarah's mom and grandma
Bottom: New friends Claire and Jez (we love them!)

Great Times & Rocky Times

Hello all,

I (Jason) am writing this blog from the Atlanta airport. Crazy, I know…we are back in the States, unannounced. Unfortunately this is due to the recent passing of my Grandfather on my Father’s side, my Pappaw. This happened Monday morning and we should arrive back home Tuesday night in time for the funeral on Wednesday…hopefully I’ll have sent this email by then. You should know that my Pappaw died peacefully in his sleep due to heart complications. His health had been declining these past few months so, although we are certainly saddened by the news, we are not shocked by it. He is survived by his wife, my Mammaw, who is as strong as she is beautiful. Keep her in your prayers.

But…there is more to tell. While we are in America for the week, last week(end) we were in Belgium. I thought I should write a little bit about our wonderful visit. We left last Thursday from Hereford and took the coach (bus) to London. We played in London for the day and got up early the next morning to head to the Eurostar (train) station. That’s right, instead of flying we took the train, through the Chunnel and on to Brussels! That was a fun experience.

We arrived in Brussels to disappointing weather, but we tried to stick it out and do what we could that first day. So, we went to a comic museum. Among other things, Belgium is famous for comics. Some of you may remember the popular cartoon “Tin-Tin” about a boy and his dog Snowy and I’m sure you all remember the “Smurfs.” Both of these are apparently products of Belgium. The hotel we stayed in was a highlight of our trip, the Art Siru Hotel. In the late 80s, artists were given free-reign to the hotel, to paint and design each room as they wished. Each room was different, and told the story of the artist with a picture of them. It was amazing! Plus, we were given an “American” buffet breakfast daily!

The next day we took a side trip to Bruges, a medieval town about an hour away by train. It has canals all through it, with many bridges (Bruges means “bridge”). It is a beautiful and picturesque city, and we enjoyed our day. We ate Belgian waffles (much sweeter and delicious!) and bought plenty of Belgian chocolate.

Our last day was spent back in Brussels with better weather this time. We wandered around for a good hour first thing, lost. Brussels is one of the most difficult cities to navigate, we found. Finally, we found all the touristy things: the Grand’ Place (main square), Hotel deVille, and Mannekin Pis (Peeing boy statue!). Good fun. Then we took the tram up to another part of town to visit the Atomium, which reopened the day before, so it was sparkly and new. This is a huge building in the shape of an atom, built in 1958 for the World’s Fair. Inside is a museum and was very interesting. All in all, it was a great trip. We hope this trip back home will be good as well. It will be really good to see everyone. However, as soon as we return home (England), we will need to drive back to London on Thursday to pick up our great friend and adopted family, Suzy Dally. We will host her in the UK for a little over a week and we are looking forward to a really good time.

I guess that is all. Everything seems like a whirlwind to us: London, Belgium, Hereford, US, and back. One thing is for sure…there’s never a dull moment for Sarah and I. We are really thankful for that at this time in our lives.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers,

Jason and Sarah

Wonderful Welsh Walks

Hello all!

We have just come home from a weekend trip to St. David's in Wales. Just thought we'd tell you about it. St. David's is about 3 hours almost directly west of us (London is 3 hours east of us). It's on the coast. My supervisor at work, Cheryl, goes there often and recommended it. It is super popular in the summer for surfers and coastal walkers, but since we went in February, it was almost deserted! We felt like we were the only ones there, it was so peaceful.

Basically, St. David's is the birthplace of St. David. So his bones are kept in a beautiful cathedral in the city. Also, this is the smallest city in Britain. Which actually doesn't mean much, cause there are a million "villages" in Britain which are much smaller. But technically, it's the smallest "city". Also, since it's on the coast, there are miles of coastal walking paths, along cliffs above the crashing ocean waves. It was so beautiful.

So, we stayed in a B&B, the only people staying there. It was nice, and smack in the middle of the city. We explored the cathedral, and also the "Bishop's Palace", right next to the cathedral. This was ruins of a palace built in the 1300s for all the Bishops of the time to live and work from. It was so amazing. We were able to walk all through the rooms and crypts, and again, we were the only people in there for the entire time we toured around it! Spooky, crawling through some of the dark corners and stairwells!

Later that day we walked St. David's Head, about 4-5 miles along the beach and cliffs. We didn't run into much this day, except beautiful scenery. The next day, we drove up a little farther to a tiny fisherman's village called Porthgain (pronounced port-gine). We walked to Aberreidi Bay, where along the 4-mile walk, we went down to a rocky beach, shared the paths with about a million stray sheep, and visited the "blue lagoon" (an old quarry). It was a nicer walk than the day before. We ended the trip with lunch at "the Sloop Inn", built in 1729 for the fishermen in Porthgain, and still serving happy customers like us!

We've got pictures from Wales on our website, you should check them out. (suelfam.blogspot.com). Look under "pic archives" and St. David's.

We are well this week, Jason's been working a lot, but enjoying it. He has to commute by bus, which is a pain, as well as costly, so whenever he can snag my car, he does. He's getting it all day tomorrow cause I've got a work conference, so he's glad for that freedom!

We are going on a Youth Retreat Weekend this weekend with our church's youth group as sponsors. It will be the first church youth work we'll have done since Maumelle! We are excited, there will be 25 kids going, as well as our 4 good friends (2 other married couples). Should be fun. Then next weekend will be a 4 day trip to Brussels.

Keep us in your prayers, as we do for you. Keep us updated, as well, we love your encouragement, support, and love.

God bless,
Sarah and Jason Suel

Top photo: We climbed down a million steep creeky rusty stairs down to this beach...the water was freezing!










Bottom photo: A view from inside the Bishop's Palace walls to St. David's Cathedral.

The Beauty of Settling In...

<--Fog in the Welsh valley makes for a picturesque Sunday Drive.

Hello friends and family!

Sorry it’s been awhile since we’ve updated you all on what England life has been like, but getting settled has had us busy! But here’s the British scoop:

Jason: Has quit waiting tables, and is now working full-time as a Youth Worker in Ross, a nearby town (about 15 miles south of Hereford). He has officially started, but the kids don’t start coming to sessions until mid-Feb. He’ll be teaching the teenagers drama stuff 3 evenings a week in order to keep them out of trouble. They are from somewhat poor neighborhoods with a good chance of them getting into drugs, etc., so this program is offered for them. It is super popular and the kids love it. He’s excited to get going on it. His employer is a guy named Barry, and they hit it off right at the start. He’s a Christian, too, and got married the same year as us. They have him on full-time through March. Then in March, the fiscal year starts over and they’ll “reassess”. He may get bumped down to part-time then because of finances, in which case he has gotten certified as a life guard this past week in order to take up extra hours at the Leisure Pool.

Sarah: Still loving my job, getting more and more into it and taking on more work. My patients are all so great. I go into their homes so I really get to know them on their turf and their families, etc. It’s really personal, which I really like. And when I see that I’m making a difference, it means so much. Driving has gotten much better, no more being scared. I can drive through a narrow street with less than 6” between my side mirrors and other traffic (on both sides usually) straight up a hill going about 60 mph through a thick fog with no problems now! That’s pretty typical, actually!

Travel: Since our Christmas in Paris went so well, we’ve got a few more trips up our sleeve…we’ve just book tickets to Brussels on Eurostar (train) for February for 3 nights. We’ll probably take a day and go to Bruges. (These are both in Belgium). Then when our friend Suzy Dally comes to visit (our first visitor!! We’re SO excited!), we’ll go to Cardiff (capital of Wales) and London for sure, and probably Stonehenge. Then at the end of March, a trip to Prague in the Czech Republic. Then in April, Sarah’s parents are planning a trip over (yay!), so we’ll go wherever they want to go. Then in May, we’re hoping for a trip to Romania and Hungary with our friend Adi. Then in July, a trip to Ireland has been booked, and possibly a trip to Spain with our friend Patrick. Then we plan to go to Greece for a week in August!! So that’s the plan so far for the next months! Jason has had to plan his vacation times for his new job/boss, so we were made to actually decide on a few things.

Sunday afternoons have become our “exploring” days after church. We just take the car out to a nearby village or town and explore. So far we’ve seen almost every neighboring Hereford area. It’s really fun.

We are soon to become members of the Baptist Church here in Hereford. We are hoping to set up some sort of young adult ministry here (like in BG), although on a much smaller scale. There are no ministries like this here.

We went on our first British hike this Saturday with some friends. It was bizarre! No trees or vegetation, only snow and ice! And open fields and hills. And wild horses and sheep! It was super different than any hike we’ve ever done. We took some pictures, and are going to put them on our blogsite tonight, so take a peek when you can. It’s really beautiful.

So that’s us in a nutshell! Keep us up to date with yourselves and families. We always love to hear what you’re up to. Take care and God bless, and come visit when you can!!

Love in Christ,
Jason and Sarah Suel

PS: Be sure to click on the Pic Archive link on the menu to the right to check out new photos!!!
<--Six friends hiking up Hay Bluff on the Welsh/English border
Jamie, Jason and Jez are anxious to get down for a cup of tea.

Pic Archive!!!

We have set up a Picture Archive to showcase many more photos. If you are interested you can visit us at http://community.webshots.com/user/suelfam, or you can click the link labeled Pic Archive under the 'Links' category on the right hand side of this page.

Suel's in Paris

Hello Everyone,

We wish you very Happy Holidays from the UK! We are just writing to tell you how our Christmas was and hopefully hear back from some of you about yours. Also, we are happy to inform you that we have started a blog site! When we last emailed we sent pics and adding those pics took us a long time…especially with about 150 of you to email! So, we started this site in order to post more pics for you to look at without having to email them. Don’t worry, you will still receive pics in our emails from time to time, but if you are really interested in our travel pictures, check us out at http://suelfam.blogspot.com. The messages that will appear on the blog will be the same as our emails, so don’t feel like you have to read it again. Now, on to Christmas…

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to travel home for Christmas. Instead of sulking at our flat for the holiday, we decided to go to Paris! We left early Christmas morning and came home the following Wednesday. So, we had 3 days and 3 nights in the beautiful city of Paris! The weather was really cold, and we walked the entire city several times in the cold, but it was worth it! The city is totally lit up at night, and great. It snowed all day Tuesday, and was beautiful. We ate a French picnic lunch every day from the fresh markets. We went to basically every monument there, with our museum pass. It was great…the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph, Moulin Rouge, Notre Dame, Musee d’Orsay, Saint Chappelle, Rodin Museum, you name it! It was a great, albeit strange, Christmas!

Tonight is New Year’s Eve. Jason got off work early, just came home at 4pm. We are going to a party tonight then will hang out with our friends Claire and Jez. Should be fun. We hope you are all doing well, and have a great new year! Thanks for keeping in touch, we always look forward to emails!

God bless,
Sarah and Jason

Ahhh...Paris: the City of Love!

Champs Elyses...the big Avenue

Outside the Moulin Rouge

A gargoyle on top of the Notre Dame...367 steps high. Every gargoyle was different...there were lots of them!

Outside the Pyramid of the Louvre Museum

Saint Chapelle's beautiful stained glass.

Dinner in our tiny hotel room.

You think about that! Sarah in front of her favorite sculptor (Rodin's) "The Thinker."

Notre Dame welcomes us!

The Pompideau building...this building has all of the plumbing and air vents outside the building instead of inside. A real architectural innovation.

Happy Christmas from Hereford!

Happy Christmas everyone!

(We don't say "merry" here, it's "happy"!)

We are well and finally settled into our new home in Hereford! The Christmas lights are up in High Town, along with the Carousel that goes round with carols singing for the past month now. It's really lovely
here in the town.

I (Sarah) am really enjoying my work, my clients are so great...elderly and confused with dementia or anxiety or depression. I love seeing them through the week, and working on their problems. I take them to town or go for a walk or clean their wardrobes or freezers...organize them better and get them to figure out their daily lives a little better. I got my first Christmas present today, from my favorite client...pansies for my window box! I told him about it and that I didn't know what to put in my window box at home in the winter, and he bought them for me! Along with a gift card to a bookstore and a nice card for me and Jason.

Jason is still waiting tables at the Left Bank, the posh restaurant here in town. He is doing lots of Christmas parties there and still working late hours. He is quitting after Christmas, though, as he got offered 2 other jobs: one as a Youth Worker, working with troubled teens in Ross (a neighboring town, about 10 miles south) 3 nights a week. They want him to incorporate drama into their evening sessions. And they are paying him loads of money for 3 nights! And during the days, he'll lifeguard at the Leisure Center. He will get to choose his own hours and he'll get paid more than waiting tables. So he's excited to start this new schedule.

We are settled into our new flat now, with everything we need. Our plans for Christmas this year, since we're on our
own and can't come home, is to take our 3 days off and go to Paris! We will leave Christmas morning and be back on Wednesday. We found a good deal for flights and 3 nights in a hotel. We'll be staying right near Montmarte, where the Moulin Rouge is! This way, we can use our Christmas money from our families on a great trip and we won't be so sad about not being in Arkansas!

We'll write more, but we do wish you each the best Christmas! Please keep in touch, and take care!

Love always,
Sarah and Jason Suel

No Turkey Day in the UK!

Friends and Family (all those celebrating Turkey Day), Greetings from England!

Well, we’ve finally made it! After months of anticipation and excitement, we are finally settled here in Hereford, UK. Thank you for all the support, prayers, and thoughts you may have sent our way!

We had to undergo quite a few mishaps before arriving in the UK (and some since we’ve been here), but all is well. Moving is never easy…and certainly not moving continents. Our original departure date was Oct. 7th, but due to some work permit issues, we did not arrive in the UK until Oct. 28th. We took the plane from Chicago to Atlanta to Paris to Birmingham, and the train from Birmingham to Hereford. Then, Sarah’s new employers had reserved rooms for us a local B & B. We thought we would be able to sort a new apartment out quickly…we were mistaken. Most places required their tenants to have lived in the UK from 1 to 3 years before renting to them. We were fortunate enough to find one place that did not. However it’s not like in America, it took over a week of waiting (after viewing the apartment) before they would allow us to occupy. This is where they would normally do background/credit checks…but there wasn’t much to check out on us. Plus, they originally wanted us to pay 6 months rent and a deposit before we could move in. After pleading with them (and a few tears on Sarah’s part), we were able to move in with just 2 months payment plus a down payment…but money is another issue altogether.

On Nov. 2nd, we transferred money from our US bank account to our new UK bank. As of today, it still has not arrived. We have been told by both banks that this is not “normal.” However, it does not help that our money is somewhere between Bowling Green, Ohio and Hereford, UK. Praise God that our debit/credit cards still work. But, they will only work so long because the account that they are tied to is the same account from which we withdrew the money that is now “on it’s way.” I won’t lie to you, it has been a headache. But, Sarah’s work was kind enough to give her a pay advance and we were able to take care of the rent money. So we’ve moved in!

(email addendum: between typing this email and sending it, our money has arrived! I repeat our ship has come it!)

But enough about the mishaps…let me tell you about all of the wonderful differences between the US and the UK. Aside from the fact that things move at a much slower rate than they do in the States (e.g. moving into an apartment), the cities are laid out much differently. Each city we’ve visited has what’s called a high town or city centre area. The difference lies in the fact that everyone gets out and walks around high town…no cars allowed. It is very quaint. Old and young are perusing the shops. Very busy all the time. And there’s no Supercenter WalMart where people we get all our things at one place. Here, you go the butcher for meat, the bakery for bread, and the vegetable stand outside for “veg”. Lots of stops for one “tea” (dinner). And since our fridge is the size of a dorm fridge, (as is everyone’s), we shop more regularly. Not much freezing here, since the freezer can barely manage ice trays.

Our little flat is great, it is very small, which is fine since we don’t have much. Sarah’s co-workers have since donated: table and chairs, 2 dressers, 3 night stands, 1 enormous wardrobe with mirror, 2 shelves, pots and pans, dishtowels and rags, bath towels, microwave, toaster, silverware, cooking utensils, bedspread, pillows, drinking glasses, Tupperware bowls, pot holders, and we have a couch, TV, VCR, and iron coming!! I mean, her work couldn’t be better, honestly! Everyone is so nice and generous, and she loves the actual work as well.

Sarah also received her car this past week! It is currently only hers for work, so this past weekend we couldn’t drive it and we can’t drive it in the evenings. It is only for work. But this week, we are changing it over for our private use. We will then pay 35 pounds a month (about $60) and it will be ours. The taxes, insurance, maintenance, and a gas allowance (not all, but part) is all paid for by her work. Pretty sweet. And it’s a nice car, a 2002 Corsa. It’s tiny, like all cars here. Sarah is pretty freaked out by driving, but she’s doing well. It’s very different, obviously, and the entire road system and driving experience is different here. Very narrow, winding roads, fast drivers, totally different signage. We’ll get the hang of it eventually.

Enough practical talk…let me tell you one interesting Hereford story and then we’ll be off. A few blocks from our flat, there is a very distinct smell. Since we moved here, I have sworn that the whole town smells like blueberry muffins. Sarah says it smells more like PB & J and toast. Everytime we would go outside, there it was, this smell. Well, I just learned what it is. As it turns out Hereford is the foremost producer of Apple Cider in the UK. So, the bakery smell is the yeast (fermentation) and then there’s the obvious fruit smell. So, wherever we go there it is…the sweet smell of cider.

I wish we could tell you about every adventure we’ve already had: reading Celsius instead of Fahrenheit, getting lost and finding our way again, running red lights because we don’t know how to drive in this country, taking 3 hrs. to bake a potato because we don’t know how to use these “cookers,” turning all our clothes grey in the wash because we didn’t realize it was a brand new washing machine, learning to cook and eat vegetables we’ve never heard of, learning every possible way to stay warm because our flat (apartment) doesn’t have central heating (right now we are warming ourselves by what we call the “candle fire”, also we call our apartment “condensation city” and every morning we wake up with water dripping in some window or crack…condensation is a headache, learning to pull a chord to turn on the shower, the fun of learning to drive on roundabouts, and learning a whole new language…honestly, we are two countries separated by a common language.

Well, I guess it’s time to end this THE LONGEST EMAIL IN THE WORLD and bid you adieu.

Happy Thanksgiving and eat some stuffing for us,

Jason and Sarah
4 Newbury Court
Bobblestock, Hereford, England
HR4 9NL

Home: 01432 264 774 (as of Nov. 30th)
Mobile: 07929 556 171
(US must dial 011 + 44 first, then you might need to drop the zeroes from the prefix of our phone numbers…but we’re not sure ‘cause we’ve never done it)

PS: In case you’re curious, yes we did get to see Harry Potter 4 on opening weekend with a theatre full of little English kids…it was “brilliant!”