A big thank you to the British parliament

I'm back home!  Briefly.  The journey back went to plan, the flights were all on time and it was great to meet Jan at Birmingham airport on Sunday afternoon, having flown directly over the home of our very good buddies Di & Gray who live in Kenilworth.  It was the castle that gave it away!  I managed to keep awake until after 9pm, in spite of not having slept for 2 days, sleeping for 8 continuous hours (unusual for me), waking refreshed and ready to continue preparations for Sabbatical part 2.
Why am I grateful to this ridiculous British parliament?  Simples.  If we had left the EU without an exit deal in place on the 29th March, travelling to Europe would have been difficult, complicated and costly.  Insurances, border crossings and telecommunications would all have been badly affected.  Indeed, when I made enquiries to my motor insurance company before 29th March they refused to give any advice and asked me to phone nearer to the date of travel!
As it is, I have had to organise and pay for motor vignettes for the motorways of Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia, and separate motor insurance for Kosovo (I still need to purchase it at the borders of Bosnia Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and Northern Macedonia as none of these are covered by a 'green card').
I am so grateful to God for the time spent in Tanzania as well as to all the people who were so kind and made the visit so special.  There were times when my trust in God was tested.  His active, loving presence enabled me to more than survive!  Seeing God at work in and through others is a particular privilege of pastoral ministry and I've seen this in many memorable ways in the last month.  Challenges await in Europe, I'm sure, but Janice and I look forward to all that God has in store for us and we can therefore put our confidence in Jesus to lead us all the way.

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