As the autumn progresses and we begin to feel the joy of cooler nights, crisp mornings, and the beautiful colours of the coming autumn, I realised it was about time for an update!
This summer has been an interesting mix of work and rest, plans and changes to plans, friends, summer heat, new beginnings and coming endings…so although a lovely season, an ‘interesting’ one! “Waverley Life” has been bubbling along in the house and on the grounds with various weekend retreats, quiet “Reset” Days, weddings, worship events, summer bbq with live music…all sorts! (https://www.waverleyabbey.org/)
I stepped out of my Cafe role for the summer, to shift to supporting the College Admissions and Registry teams, helping get applications processed and confirmed, and ensuring that past and existing students all get their year-end grades and qualifications. Ultimately, it’s been mostly data entry, checking grades, and preparing certificates and letters to be sent out, basically the ‘fiddly stuff’ that takes up time for people on the team who don’t have time!
At the beginning of June and at the start of my ‘new decade’, I took the opportunity to visit the Coastal Roots community in Cornwall, getting to celebrate with them the baptisms of 5 young people who were ‘dunked’ in the Atlantic Ocean, and then also stopping for a lovely catch-up with my wonderful friend Georgina who lives nearby. From there I headed to Wales for a few days of personal retreat with the Community of the Sacred Cross at Tymawr, taking some time to reflect on the last few years, and to ‘sift through’ things at the start of a new (birth) year.
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| The absolute gem of a flat I got to borrow from a friend in Cornwall |
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| My morning coffee spot... |
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| The wonderful Coastal Roots family gathering for baptisms |
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| Not every community gets to do their baptisms in the sea!! |
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| My wonderful friend Georgina! (and a REALLY yummy lunch) |
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| My favourite spot at Tymawr |
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| Although the woods nearby are a close second!! |
Ironically, I came back from Wales without necessarily a clear knowledge or direction for the year ahead, but with a sense that this summer and autumn were to be a season of ‘being open’…to new thoughts, new opportunities, new possibilities.
And so the summer continued! Summer is always a slightly shifting dynamic here, as people rotate taking annual leave, etc, but in July we had a lovely woman, Rosie, join us for a month as she explored monastic practices and rhythms of prayer as a lifestyle. At the end of July I had a lovely week celebrating my friend’s 25th Wedding Anniversary with the Polylux community in Germany, and then in August we all began to return and prepare for the arrival of our first cohort of 24-7 Academy trainees, the Global Week of Prayer happening at the beginning of September, and the return of Rosie, who at the end of her time we invited to join us more permanently for a season, to which she agreed! 😊
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| Visiting old haunts in Neubrandenburg |
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| Celebrating friends with my polylux family! |
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| and catching up after too long a time! |
The arrival of the Academy trainees has been a wonderful joy and injection of life and energy into the Waverley Abbey environment. A group of 11 young people between the ages of 20-30yrs, come to spend the autumn based at Waverley, joining in and serving through the rhythms and practices at the heart of the House of Prayer here, as well as learning and serving from/with speakers and projects from the 24-7 Prayer International team in Woking, and Emmaus Rd Church in Guildford, they’ve spent the last few weeks settling in, finding their stride, and bringing a buoyant sense of life throughout the whole house and grounds!
Now as we all settle into the Fall season, we begin to look forward to what’s coming next, which for me will include a Community Visit to two of the 24-7 Prayer Swiss communities (Espace Selah, and Montmirail), incorporating while there a ‘birthday treat’ for myself in taking 2 days to go mule-trekking (trail rides on MULES!!) with a friend, and then at the end of October heading to Stuttgart for the annual 24-7 Prayer “Gathering”.
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| Summer-time beauty at the ruins |
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| cherished time with my Aunt |
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| including a day's adventure visiting the Knepp 'Re-wilded' Estate in Sussex! |
In the midst of these things, I will also be beginning my own transition, as it became clear to me over the course of the summer that part of the invitation to be ‘open to possibilities’ of this summer and fall, will be that in December I will be concluding my time as part of the Waverley House of Prayer, and ‘moving on’.
I’ve been excited to see all the new growth opportunities coming into sight for Waverley, but have also always felt that I was primarily here to help 'lay the foundations' and, with a sense that WAT is beginning to enter 'Phase 2' of it’s ongoing vision, it’s become clear that it’s now my turn to step back and out, and leave space for whatever God wants to do in or through the small 'Frances-shaped' space that I'll leave.
It's been a gift and an honour to have been part of the early stages of the incredible vision that God has for this place, and I’m not planning on losing complete touch with things happening here! But it will be from a different place and perspective!
At this point, the idea is simply to end well, here, and then head to Canada for Christmas with my family, returning in January to begin weighing/considering what my ‘Next Steps’ might be.
As always, I thank you for your love and interest in ‘my doings’, and for the way you support me through friendship, prayer, and financial support!
I continue to try to live my life being “True to Christ, Kind to Others, and taking the Gospel to the Nations”(OMS Vows) in whatever way I can. Hopefully bringing encouragement and friendship to people and communities across the nations, as they grow and develop into all that God has for them and the people around them, and to walk in faith through each season, relocation, and place of service that I’m lead to! It’s not always easy to live out and pursue this way of life, but God has never ‘let me down’ in His leading, and I continue to be blessed beyond words through the friendships, love, and support I receive from those who choose to support me in these ways! Thank you.
And if you are interested in learning more about the way and reasons why I live this way, or would like to help through donations towards my monthly support, you can do that through the links to the right of this page, or simply get in touch and I’d love to meet up for coffee or a Zoom chat! 💛
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| Mini the cat nicely settled in to my Aunt's new cottage |
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