During our early months in St Ann’s Chapel we visited several churches in the area, all of which made us very welcome. We prayed for some indication of where God wanted us to be, although neither of us had a resounding directive about any of the places of worship we had visited. We visited the King’s over a period of four months - the warmth and sincerity of the people we met, together with the immediate inclusion into church life, made us both feel that we were where we should be.

The following months brought major changes in our family life. We left behind in Andover three married daughters - one with a grand-child, the other two expecting for their first time. In addition, our two youngest daughters left England to travel around the world.

eace and tranquillity? Not quite. From being at the heart of our family and very much involved in their life experiences, the transition to life with just the two of us has been one of the most difficult to come to terms with in relation to coming to the West Country. Each time we experience a change in life we know some adjustments will be required, this time we were able to prepare with prayer.

As part of church fellowship, we were invited to a weekly house group. The people there have really helped to integrate us into the area and also support us in prayer. Both Vivienne and I were grateful for the encouragement and strength we received by sharing and praying with fellow Christians.

Oddly enough Vivienne was more at ease with our younger daughters’ worldwide adventures than I was - which is strange, as normally Vivienne worries for both of us! But she had given her concerns to the Lord, and in return he had given her peace. Although not consciously doing the same, I too received peace from the Lord through Vivienne.

For me it has certainly been a period when some of my perhaps strongly held views have been refined. We both know that God has used this time to guide us to how he wants us to be; in obeying we hope we are one little step closer in the refining process of our Christian walk. We also sense there are going to be other significant challenges which we could not have considered previously with the high level of family commitment we experienced.

We have settled in our house with all the tasks that need doing and are delighted in the fellowship of Tavistock Community Church. Our two daughters that were expecting have given birth to fit healthy boys and our two youngest globetrotting daughters have continued their journey with God’s hedge of protection around them.

Barry