For you shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace. Isaiah 55:12

This verse was on a farewell card given to our family by the ladies who ran the local toddler playgroup in Stornoway, Lewis, when we said goodbye to them in Feb 2016 after spending four months there.  It resonated with me so much as we were facing the scariest and biggest transition we had ever made.  We would be led forth!  We weren't venturing out into the unknown on our own, unprotected, vulnerable!  It still resonates. We have indeed experienced the joy of the Lord and His peace in this huge transatlantic journey we've been on.  How glad we are to be here secure in the knowledge that this is where He has led us. I thought I would write a little bit about the things that have brought me joy recently.

💕 I am loving... our new surroundings. Hobart is very scenic, nestled at the foot of Mt Wellington and beside the River Derwent. We are spoiled for choice if we want to go to the beach!  There are so many little bays and beaches.

💕 I am loving... being able to get out and about with our 4 very energetic little ones and enjoy the great outdoors. Hobart has a marvelous selection of playgrounds and walking trails.  The children and I have been exploring them one by one. Since we were without fixed abode for more than a full year, I completely fell out of my exercise routine and it has been so good to get back to walking regularly. My faithful and beloved double stroller in Zambia, which I bought secondhand just before Ketzia was born, was worn completely out and had to be replaced!  Buying a replacement double stroller has been the BEST investment so that I don't have to walk at a 3-year-old's pace. Titus and Reyah ride happily together in it.

💕 I am loving... being able to drive!!  I don't have enough experience driving a manual transmission so I am limited to an automatic. During our entire married life I have been very dependent upon David for transport everywhere (with only a very few brief exceptions). What a blessing it has been to have a vehicle here which I can drive.  The sense of independence has been exhilarating!  Aided by our GPS which was kindly loaned by a friend from church, I jumped in with both feet and decided to not leave one corner of Hobart unexplored. The first couple of months we were here, I learned my way around by going to garage sales each Saturday!  :)

💕 I am loving... having access to a local library. The children and I go every week to spend an hour reading stories together.

💕 I am loving... Click & Collect at my local supermarket!  You place your grocery order online and then drive to the supermarket to pick it up. My nearest supermarket is wonderful.... it has undercover parking and they bring your Click & Collect order to your vehicle for you!  For a mom with 4 little children, it is a lifesaver!  I don't have to get the kiddoes out of the car!

💕 I am loving... classical radio!  Oh, how many years I have longed to be able to turn on the radio and have beautiful music wafting through my home as I cook and clean and teach.... Now those longings have become reality!

💕 I am loving... friends to play board games, watch movies, go for walks, laugh, barbecue, talk, pray.  It is so special. The Lord is so good!  This list of things may seem petty and insignificant but they are ways that our Heavenly Father has ministered to my heart and provided for our needs and even our desires - and I am thankful.