Welcome to Mattersey!

Welcome sign as you enter the village of Mattersey (pop 700) 

I was welcomed with open arms to the town of Mattersey and the ministry of Mattersey Hall Christian College in England!  I arrived on April 3rd in Manchester, rented a car, and drove myself (on the "correct" side of the road) to the college.  I feel very blessed and excited to finally be here.

I'll be staying on the campus for a few days until my living arrangements are sorted out. It is quiet at the moment as students are away on Easter holiday.  Classes resume on April 16th and it will get a bit more lively.  The timing has been perfect, however as this gives me a chance to settle into my new surroundings before the last quarter of the college gets underway.

Today I went and test drove a car that I will buy as my Speed the Light vehicle.  I'll be getting a Toyota Auris, which is a hybrid vehicle and will greatly reduce my fuel costs while in England.  With petrol running $9 per gallon, I think that may be a good idea! James at Toyota was quite helpful, and my first non-college acquaintance in England.

I also opened up a UK bank account. A seemingly normal things to do, unless you are the foreigner and then it gets a bit tricky!  However, the process went quite smooth today, thanks to Ellen at the bank (my 2nd non-college acquaintance, who lives just down the road from the college, but didn't know about it!).

I then had lunch at a small fish & chips place, that, after meeting Sheila (3rd non-college acquaintance today), I'll try to go back to and have another chat with her. Sheila helped me with my question of "In England, do you tip the waitress or not?"  Her response "it is not expected, but it is appreciated." Waitresses don't have to live on tips, but they do like them. Lesson learned and will be followed!

My rental car.

Another lesson learned today:  KEEP LEFT!! I'm driving a rental car at the moment (see pic @ left) and pulled out from a red light directly to the right side of the road. In England the right side is the WRONG side, as the driver coming toward me kindly reminded me of this fact. Moral of the story:  KEEP LEFT! Always left, never right. Right is Wrong.

I'll be keeping this blog up-to-date with stories & pics of my time in England, so visit back. You can also sign up to receive the blog posts to your email at right.  

Thanks for your prayers & partnerships, friends!

Shannon

View out my window while staying in a room on campus.
This is the chapel & classroom building and also the location
of my office. So excited to serve here!