Back in the UK
In 2024, we made a three-month trip to the UK. We were blessed to stay with my cousin Elaine and her children near Cambridge. We were able to get around and see so much, and we thank Elaine for her love, hospitality, and care during that time.
It was wonderful to visit Morecambe again, to see my hometown, meet up with my dear old friend Andrew, and return to my old church, Heysham Free Methodist. A big thank you to Pastor Mark, his wife, and Sandra for helping us during that time.
We also stayed with an old friend from Lancaster Baptist Church and his wife just outside Lancaster. They both own Porsche cars, one of which is a sports model.
One day he said, “Fancy a spin in my other car?” Of course, I agreed, not knowing it was a Porsche. When he opened the garage, my eyes nearly popped out of my head. As he sped down the country lanes at breakneck speed, my stomach felt like it hit the floor. When we arrived back, I was shaken — and very stirred.
We had previously stayed in the Ribble Valley and even had a visit from the Altrincham Rambler, who came bearing gifts — ginger nuts, actually.
We visited Clitheroe, Blackpool, and other places. Blackpool is very sad now; it feels like a poor man’s Las Vegas.
After travelling back by train to Cambridge, we were off again. This time, we were invited by Victor Jack, who had led me to the Lord, to his home and church in Bury St Edmunds. Although he is not the pastor, he is still heavily involved in leadership. We shared our testimony and were able to speak about our church in China.
The next day, Victor took us to his golf club for lunch. He still plays golf at 87! We went onto the putting green, and the first putt Keith took went straight into the hole. “Beginner’s luck,” we said — but not really, as he had played before.
After we returned from Bury St Edmunds, Elaine said the children wanted to take another trip. We had two choices: the Norfolk Broads or Cornwall.
“Oh, where in Cornwall?” I asked.
“Padstow,” she replied.
Immediately I said, “Padstow!” because I know someone who lives there. Any guesses? Yes — the Cornish Rambler, David Hobbs, has a second home there. As soon as the trip was booked, I was on the phone saying, “We’re going to Padstow!” Sadly, he was busy with business — or some other lamentable excuse — and couldn’t join us.
So we descended on Cornwall. On Sunday, we found another dead Anglican church, but this one had the added celebrity of presenter Fern Britton from Ready Steady Cook fame. She had to leave early, as she had to cook dinner in twenty minutes!
We travelled around Cornwall. I had spent a wonderful week here with my parents when I was 14, so this was a journey back in time for me. Newquay especially, as we had stayed there for a week.
The Cornish Rambler has walked the South West Coastal Path twice (600 miles long), so Keith wanted to walk a small part of it. I was dropped off near where we were staying and had to walk 10–12 miles into Padstow. This was high summer in the UK, yet we experienced all four seasons in one day — in fact, every half hour!
The path ran right along the coast. Rolling waves crashed against the sharp rocks below, wide bays stretched out with silky sand, and the constant ups and downs of the path (the downs being the most difficult) tested the legs. Finally, after descending a winding path, I reached the beach at Padstow. I took off my shoes and socks and paddled in the water, just as I did later that week at Falmouth.
The following weeks, as we prepared to set off back home, were sad. On the final Tuesday, we quietly left the house at 5am so that Elaine’s children would not know we were leaving.
So our European adventure came to an end. We did more than we ever imagined or expected.
Going back to the UK after nine years was a culture shock — not just for Helen and Sherry, but for me as well. This was a land I no longer recognised, and, to be honest, I did not feel at home there. It had changed, and I felt like a stranger walking into a world I didn’t really know.
Do I still love it? Yes, of course. I am a proud Brit. But it is now a place of memories, not of the present or the future. Sadly, I cannot see myself going back permanently — unless the Lord calls.
Devotional Thought
Have you ever felt like I described in that last paragraph? For the Christian, as we live out our lives on earth, we need to keep an eternal perspective.
Remember the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:20:
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
We should not become overly attached to the country we are from or the colour of our skin, because we are sons and daughters of the King of Kings — citizens of heaven.
We are sometimes told that if we think too much about spiritual and heavenly things, we will be of no earthly use. In reality, it is only when we think on heavenly things that we can be of true use here on earth.
The more we focus on spiritual matters — the things that truly matter — the less we will be distracted by earthly matters, which may be interesting but are not beneficial to our daily spiritual walk.
Yes, we must live in the here and now, but we must also keep sight of the bigger picture.
If you have not yet trusted Christ, remember that there is an eternal perspective to life. Please trust Him today.