The town of Rhayader has been abuzz for the past few weeks with a couple of big annual events.  The first of these was the Rhayader Carnival.  This is not a carnival with rides and funnel cakes like we’re used to in the states.  Instead, it’s a week of events ranging from those for children to those for adults.  Unfortunately, many of them revolve around or involve a goodly amount of drinking, and for that reason, we chose to avoid most of the events.  We did, however, enjoy the antique car show and the parade.  We made some mental notes of ways we can minister during this event in the years to come, but as this was our first year, we weren’t sure what to expect, so we mostly observed.

The other “big deal” in the area was The Royal Welsh Show, which took place in the neighboring town of Builth Wells.  This is a HUGE event—far bigger than we anticipated.  It lasts for four days and brings in people from all over.  It’s like a combination of a carnival (without the rides), a flea market, and a farm show.  There are different exhibits and contests throughout the week from dog shows to sheep shearing.  You’ll find vendors selling everything from makeup to tractors.

We attended the show on Wednesday and spent the majority of the day walking from site to show.  There were SO MANY PEOPLE!  And the place was so big that after several hours, we still hadn’t seen it all.  It was impressive to be sure, but I admit, by the end of the day, my feet were killing me.

This week, Jason is off at youth summer camp.  There are over 100 campers, and from the sound of it, they’re staying very busy and active.  I spoke with Jason on the phone a few minutes ago, and he sounded so tired.  Bless his heart!  Still, this is such a great opportunity to touch the lives of countless young people.

There is Bible-based meeting in the area next week, and while we’re not hosting this one, we do hope to attend several nights and support the work.  Beyond that, we have other community events in the works and are in the process of getting a copy of  John/Romans booklets into every home in Rhayader and the surrounding communities.

We actually had a short spell of warm weather the past couple of weeks.  The temperature was up in the 90s a couple of days, which is saying a lot since most of the houses here (ours included) don’t have air conditioning.  This week, however, has been much nicer.  In fact, I had to turn on the electric fireplace on for about an hour on Monday afternoon when the rain came through.  Otherwise, it’s been cloudy but pleasant temperatures in the high 60s.  Lovely!

That’s about all for now.  Enjoy the pictures below. Most of the pics from the Royal Welsh Show are of the animals, but it was difficult to get pictures elsewhere because of the crowds.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy them.