December 2020

Dear Family and Friends

This past month I experienced something that I haven’t experienced in over 15 years.

Earlier this year in March, I was due to fly to Florida for my yearly visit, but as the day approached to fly, the UK went into it’s first lockdown due to the pandemic. A few days later, my flight to Florida was cancelled. I ended up doing as many “visits” with friends and family on video or phone calls for the time period that I was supposed to be in Florida as much as I could, so it didn’t feel like an overall missed trip.

I also had a flight planned for December to spend the first Christmas with my parents in 16 years. But as December approached, there was another announcement of a lockdown coming, and this time I was determined that my flight would not be cancelled! Because of Covid restrictions, 99% of everything I do at the moment is online calls and meetings, so I arranged to work remotely and changed my ticket to leave 2 days before lockdown started! I arrived in the state of Georgia (where my parents live) and arranged to quarantine in secret for two weeks before surprising my parents who still thought I was coming right before Christmas!

SO, you might ask what did I do that I haven’t done in over 15 years? I got to spend Thanksgiving with not only my parents and older sister but also my aunt and uncle and some of my cousins! There was soooooooooooooooooooooo much food and it was the most people I have been around since March and to be honest, it was a little overwhelming at times hahaha. What I also appreciated, coming from the UK and having much stricter rules regarding Covid, all of our family had taken extra precautions of quarantining or testing, etc, to be around each other because a few family members have health issues. It was a safe, joyful, blessed, overeating time!

I have continued to work as if I am in London and have tried to stay as much as I can on London time starting at 5am most mornings. As I mentioned a few months ago, I will be transitioning to another Congregation at the beginning of the new year so I am in the process of handing things over and making sure that the transition not only goes well for me but also for everything and everyone that I have a connection with.

I will finish work on 13 December and be on holiday until Mid-January where I will start working with the Slough Congregation.

My apologies to all of you who are stateside for not letting you know that I was here. I needed to keep it a secret to surprise my family. I will be in Georgia during my stay this time but will come back in March to Florida for a few weeks.

I’m praying for all of you and I so appreciate your prayers as well! Please continue to pray for God’s provision in every area of my job transition. I am really excited for this next season!

Praying God’s richest blessings over you!

Lots of love

Traci