You are needed!

some of the old wall paper we've found! 

YOU ARE INVITED:
	An invitation to come to MAYS FARM on Saturday!We will be there to have fun, begin preparation/decorating work on some of the bedrooms, dig up a few weeds, paint a gazebo ... AND CEREMONIOUSLY BURY THE TIME CAPSULE IN THE HOUSE!

TIME: Arrive any time from 9.30am.

Time capsule will be ceremoniously buried at 12.30 just before lunch

Tea/coffee/snacks provided all day, but please bring a packed lunch (or you can visit the village shop or the local watering hole which is called The Star)

Any little help which you can offer will be very much appreciated - and if you can bring any wallpaper strippers/anything to steam wallpaper, strip wallpaper, wash walls, sponges, buckets, sanders .... (and work gloves if you need them) and long long electric extension leads (15m plus) that would help enormously!

We plan to have some fun, sing God's praises as we work, pray for one another .. come and join us as we really begin to see the house come together in time for the start of this new ministry.

8 people are coming so far – so let me know if you’re coming too, and if you need directions.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

... to a day in the Cotswolds!

Lots of people have kindly said they want to come and help get Mays Farm ready for the new ministry - that they were disappointed not to be able to come on April 1st - asking when there would be another hands-on-and-help day. You are so kind! And you are right - there is a lot to be done before the house will be ready to receive the first retreat guests! (details of this summer's retreats HERE) The exciting news at the moment is that work is progressing well - the floors are going down and the underfloor heating put in.

The chapel floor

underfloor heating in the kitchen

And the walls are being stripped ready for decorating - this beautiful paper was found in one room:

So if you like stripping and discovering ... or weeding and recovering ... 

If you'd like to help bury the time capsule ....

then you are invited to come to one (or both!) of the next work days:

SATURDAY MAY 18

and/or

SATURDAY MAY 25

Arrive from 9.30, stay til  ....  as late as you like! Unlimited tea/coffee/snacks etc will be provided; there's a pub, a village stores and a vintage tea shop in the village so plenty of places for sustenance and rest (or bring a picnic!).

The walled garden 

We'll adjourn to the pub for supper in the evening.

And while you work, enjoy the peace and tranquillity of this special place.

Take time to laugh with friends old and new.

Spend some moments praying for the ministry here.

Ride the tractor ..

Enjoy the beauty:

Might you come? Bring a friend?

Please RSVP to

penelope@ministriesbydesign.org

And if you're unable to come - might you still pray? More is wrought by prayer that this world ever dreams of - and there is much need for prayer

- for protection and power

- for the Lord to be at work in the lives of those who will come here for spiritual sanctuary and renewal

- for this to become one of those special places where God's Presence is almost tangible.

Hope you can come and draw aside from every day life for a while! Let me know when you are coming and Gracie and I will be here to greet you.  See you real soon, as our American friends say.

Last chance to book a Preview (ie free!) Retreat ...

THE VINE @ MAYS FARM

There are only a VERY FEW places left for the Preview  (ie FREE !) Retreats  at The Vine this summer. So if you would like to apply to be considered, please contact Ministries by Design very very soon!

•  Guided Silent Retreat              July 22 - 26                    ONE space still available
•  Guided Walking Retreat         July 29 – Aug 2            THREE spaces still available   
•  Guided Silent Retreat             Aug 12 - 16                       fully booked
•  Guided Walking Retreat        Aug 19 - 23                     fully booked
• INDIVIDUAL RETREATS:    Weekend of July 19 - 21: ONE room still available.                                                               Mid week of August 5 - 9: fully booked

We have been amazed at the response already, and are praying for the “right” people at the right time. The House will not be quite finished, and the work available will be things such as painting and decorating, gardening, tidying, finishing … and praying! These are all PREVIEW – the House will not be fully finished! So there is no charge, but help around the House should be offered in exchange for full board & lodging & retreat.

A WALKING RETREAT - get fit spiritually AND physically! Arrive on a Monday afternoon, settle in with a cup of tea. First session, then supper. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings, after a buffet breakfast, Penelope will lead you on one of several local walks, each of about 6 miles, with opportunities for spiritual reflections and meditations as we walk. Return for lunch and spend the afternoons as you wish to make the most of this time - praying, sitting in the chapel, journalling, sleeping; and helping out manually for a couple of hours. There will be a short session each day before Supper, which will be followed by compline and early nights. Final session on Friday morning, and leave after a light lunch. Maximum of 10 people, in en-suite twin bedded rooms.

A GUIDED SILENT RETREAT - to concentrate on your relationship with God. Arrive on a Monday afternoon, settle in, enjoy tea. First session, then supper, compline and early bed, after which we will move into silence. Breakfast will be served in your room to allow time to rest, reflect, be renewed. Each day there will be individual time with a Spiritual Director, and there will be guidance if required as to how to get the most from this time. There will be opportunity to help manually around the Centre for a couple of hours each day. Meals will be taken in communal silence or you may take your meal to your room if you wish. Leave after a final time with your Director on Friday morning followed by a light lunch if required. Maximum of 5 people, in private en-suite rooms.

PREVIEW INDIVIDUAL PRIVATE RETREAT We are also offering space for you to come on your own private retreat, again Preview A minimum of 2 nights. Maximum of 5 people at any one time, in private en-suite rooms. Spiritual Direction available if required. AVAILABLE: July 18 – 21 August 5 - 9

SMALL GROUPS WEEKENDS:  Bring your small group any weekend Friday night – Sunday afternoon, Preview (free) but help out around the house too.

FROM SEPTEMBER 1st, the House will be fully open 

INDIVIDUAL PRIVATE RETREATS (Paying) The House will be open and fully operating from September 2 for private retreats or group visits. Dates for Walking Retreats and Guided Silent Retreats will be posted very soon!

Italy Pilgrimage on the Via Francigena, Tuscany: September 7 – 14  now fully booked, but there is a waiting list available

If you have any queries and/or would like more information and an application form, please email

penelope@ministriesbydesign.org

A not-so-quiet Quiet Day

MbD planned a Quiet Day with a difference - for Easter Monday, April 1st.  Not an April Fool's Joke; more a vision of a spring-like day, people coming to spend some time joining in the Easter meditations, and then spending a few hours thinking, praying, helping out around the house and grounds. But we hadn't reckoned on the weather. Nor, that of the 14 who said they would come, most had to drop out, all for very good reasons. And when the forecast continued to promise temperatures of maybe as high as 3C with a windchill factor taking it lower, the day was cancelled.

Except that 2 stalwart friends and their (grown up) son said they would come anyway and help out for a bit and then we could all warm up with a pub lunch at half time; only the son didn't want any of the "retreat thingy" bit.

So the retreat thingy bit was put on hold - maybe for Easter next year, for it was all planned. And they and we donned our thickest warmest work gear and set out.  I chose the polytunnel - well, it's marginally warmer than the raw outdoors; and I am longing to get planting so that we have seedlings to transplant to the rest of the wilderness soon.

And as I worked, alongside a friend at first, and then alone, there was that companionable silence when there was prayer and thought and decisions. God didn't speak as such; but He felt nearer than sometimes. Experiencing God in a polytunnel is a new experience for me. But one I am already longing to repeat. I have been in again today, sensing  that it is, for me, a special place. One of those thin places.

It feels close to many of the illustrations used by Jesus. A sower went out to sow. A man planted a vineyard. (Our vine was pruned ...) A man had a field. 

Much was accomplished. Here are some before and after shots.

Above: found the chesse making trough, being reused/recycled at the far end

 Below: starting on the outside double privy

Above: beautiful carved wooden lock - for your privacy in the  privy !

Below: fresh air circulates into the privy

That was Monday. Today, Wednesday, the sun returned. I stood in the orchard, giving thanks for all that has been. for all that will be, at Mays Farm.

Tea in the orchard, anyone? In July or August? See below for how you could come and enjoy that as our guests.

Don't forget that you could come on one of the Preview (free) Retreats this summer - there are still one or two places still available, and details are HERE.  But do ask soon for your invite -  we have been amazed at the response and how many people want to come!  So ask for details and an application form and come on Retreat at this very special place!

Leave a mark - and win a free Retreat!

Time capsules. Weird or wonderful? Worth doing or will they rot  - or be unintelligible in decades to come? We are thinking of burying one beneath the floorboards. And as the floor boards are about to be refurbished and relaid, it's time to think of what might be encapsulated.

various rooms as they are at the moment! 

Photos of how it was before we started? they might fade.

A Memory stick? it might be unreadable or uncomprehensible.

So what would you put into our time capsule - what legacy might we leave to be discovered in another 100 years or so? Things that would show future generations that this is a special place, of spiritual sanctuary for those in need of space and solace, of finding time for God again, for rest and renewal and refreshment? 

Scripture verses? Maybe a Bible? Descriptions of the Retreats?

Have a think and leave a comment!

And while you are thinking, think too about our Preview (free!) Retreats for this summer - we have had an amazingly high number of enquiries and application forms are coming thick and fast so if you want to apply, send yours in very soon! Here are the details in case you missed them: an invite to join us as our guests.

The Vine @ Mays Farm will be opening September 2013. We want our Time Capsule filled and buried next week though - so jot down your suggestions and we will let you know what we choose, and post some photos!

And, the best suggestion will win a FREE NIGHT OF RETREAT, to be taken during September this year, as one of our first retreatants! (Entries will be judged by the Ministries by Design Board of Trustees and staff) Competition closes on April 2nd 2013.

We'd love that you be YOU - so get creative and think of what to put in the Mays Farm Time Capsule!

Invitation to not-so-quiet Quiet Day on April 1st.

Ministries by Design will be using an old farmhouse in N Wiltshire on the edge of the Cotswolds, which we are renovating.  The Vine @Mays Farm will be a place of spiritual sanctuary, spiritual restoration, spiritual abiding in the Vine (John 15). Regular updates here! So sign up (>>>) to get the updates delivered into your inbox. Might you pray for us as we undertake this enormous project? and come and visit - and maybe help? - whenever you can. Visitors always welcome! 

And visitors - you! - are especially welcomed on EASTER MONDAY - April 1st 2013.

No, this is not an April Fool's Joke - we truly are inviting you to come to Mays Farm for a Retreat Day on April 1st, FOR FREE!  Included in the day  -

* coffee/tea and a light breakfast on arrival, from 9.30am

* Morning devotional session at 10.00am

* Lunch at 1  - about 40 minutes to mingle and munch

* Tea break at 2.45pm

* Closing devotional session at 4pm for about 30-40 minutes

You've spotted the gaps - morning and afternoon seem free. And indeed they are; but we really hope that while you are praying/thinking/meditating you will offer your hands to help with a task around Mays Farm.  Likely projects include wallpaper stripping, weeding the garden, planting out some rhododendrons we've been given, cleaning up and pruning the raspberries, sanding , general tidying,  cleaning up and then decorating the outside double loo  ....

All you need to bring is work gloves and old clothing; we will supply everything else. Although, if you have any suitable tools  which could be used do please bring them to use yourself.

If you intend to come, please RSVP by March 25 so that we know how many to plan and cater for!

Look what we've found! And lost. And heard.

It's been a few days of losing and finding. Kim lost a large amount of cash he'd just been given by someone who owed it to him - he tucked it in his pocket but never saw it again and although we searched and searched it has not been seen again. He was at Mays Farm, working on the house as usual, and we all looked, and again the next morning, in the rain. So I prayed that whoever has found it will have been blessed by it, and that it would be someone who needs it more than we do. And if not, that they would be convicted. It's a painful amount from our tight budget! But God knows. And God provides.

For it's been a week of finding too!

Kim has been stripping wallpaper from the walls of a little room which is planned as a bathroom for the bed room next to it. A doorway has to be made through an old wall in order to make it ensuite.

Underneath the unattractive old anaglyptic  wallpaper was the most beautiful old vintage paper - sadly probably not in good enough state to preserve although we will try to have at least a little of it showing somewhere somehow.

He worked on round - and - could it be?

A DOORWAY. In the very place we need a doorway! Already there, but covered up, and now shown to be a rather splendid old carved doorway. No need for the cost of knocking through and creating.

Into his head popped some words:

"I have placed before you an open door that no-one can shut!" (Rev 3:8)

And it seems like God's Word to us for this time.

But  God has a sense of humour:

the next words go on : 'I know that you have little strength ..."

After unveiling the door, Kim went through it to begin pulling off more anaglyptic in the bedroom.

And found a hint .. a corner ..part of a beam ..

So of course he had to rip and pull - and found –

another amazing fireplace.

Bricked up and covered and just crying out for the sledge hammer and crowbar.

He now has little strength left.

But a beautiful carved fireplace has been exposed.

It speaks to us of how 'unstrong' we are - this whole project, this whole ministry, will not happen if it's down to us. We have no strength.

But God.

But God can open the door for us.

And it seems He is.

Already the Preview (ie free for guinea pigs) Retreats are getting application forms  - if you'd like to come, read about them here, and ask for an application form soon!

And the Pilgrimage on the Via Francigena is now fully booked -  so make sure you book for next year if you would like to come with us!

The Not-So-Quiet Day on April 1st has some lovely people coming - might you come too and see what the Lord might want to say to you as we reflect and then work? Come and see the vintage wallpaper and the door that no-one can shut when the Lord has opened it!

It's been a few days of losing and finding.

And hearing God confirm again His calling.

An invite to join us as our guests

Winter is coldly here  ... spring is on the horizon ... and  already unbidden thoughts about going somewhere different or special in the summer flit across our minds. Somewhere to allow ourselves the space to BE; to soak in some peace and quiet; maybe some time focusing on the Lord and on our relationship with Him. We know the very place, and this summer we would like to invite you to join us, as our guests.

In late September, Ministries by Design will be opening The Vine@Mays Farm, offering a place for retreat, a spiritual sanctuary from noise and bustle, with visitors taking part in various types of retreats, or coming for a private visit, whether for a day or for a longer period.

At the end of the building project, and before we officially open, we are offering a few preview retreats at no charge (although we will welcome any offers of help with paintbrushes, brooms etc! and any donations are always acceptable, as MbD is a registered charity).

Why are we doing this? Several reasons!

-  We have been blessed already by many many people as we launch out into our new venture. (If you missed the announcement about our moving to Mays Farm, you can read the article here) And we want to bless others. We want to bless you. Come and experience the peace and the quiet, the  opportunity to draw aside from a busy life and enjoy a few special days.

- But also, honestly, we need some 'guinea-pigs!'  A few people who will come on retreat and then tell us how it was and what is good and what might be improved.

- Some people like to have something to do manually for an hour or two during a retreat; and there will be gardening or decorating, or tidying once the builders have gone; or curtains to hem or raspberries to pick .... and if you wanted to help in that way for a couple of hours each day, it would be much appreciated. It's not compulsory - although it would be an enormous help!

 

The house will have 5 bedrooms, each with sitting areas, and with private ensuite facilities. You can relax in your room, in the Library or the Drawing room, in the chapel, the walled orchard and grounds, the local countryside ...

All retreats are full board - breakfast, lunch, dinner are all included, tea and coffee making facilities in each room.

There are 2 different retreats and each will happen at least once in July/August/September

1. A WALKING RETREAT - get fit spiritually AND physically!

Arrive on a Monday afternoon, settle in with a cup of tea. First session, then supper. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings, after a buffet breakfast,  Penelope will lead you on one of several local walks, each of about 6 miles, with opportunities for spiritual reflections and meditations as we walk. Return for lunch and spend the afternoons as you wish to make the most of this time - praying, sitting in the chapel, journalling, sleeping; and hopefully helping out manually for a couple of hours.  There will be a short session  each day before Supper, which  will be followed by compline and early nights. Final session on Friday morning, and leave  after a light lunch.   Maximum of 10 people, in en-suite twin bedded rooms.

2. A GUIDED SILENT RETREAT - to concentrate on your relationship with God

Arrive on a Monday afternoon, settle in, enjoy tea. First session, then supper, compline and early bed, after which we will move into silence. Breakfast will be served in your room to allow time to rest, reflect, be renewed. Each day there will be individual time with a Spiritual Director, and there will be guidance if required as to how to get the most from this time. There will be opportunity to help manually around the Centre for a couple of hours each day. Meals will be taken in communal silence or you may take your meal to your room if you wish. Leave after a final time with your Director on Friday morning followed by a light lunch if required. Maximum of 5 people, in private en-suite rooms.

Of course, we risk a lot doing this - you might sign up, then as you haven't paid anything, pull out at the last minute! Or you might come and not like it at all and write us a bad review. Or you might not help out manually as needed. But we believe that the Lord is calling us to this, blessing us with so much in this new home and with opportunities for ministry, and in turn we want to bless you. We hope you will know the Lord's richest blessings when you come, and that you will then want to come again, and recommend it to others to come, too. We hope and pray that The Vine@Mays Farm will be one of those 'special places' for many of us, a place where one slips easily into a different rhythm with God, a place to hear His Voice and seek His guidance.

Oh, did I tell you that Mays Farm is just 1hr 40 mins drive from London (M4 jct 17) , easily accessible by mainline trains (Chippenham), near to Bristol, Cheltenham, Oxford, Birmingham, and on the edge of beautiful Cotswold countryside?  Come and enjoy!

If you would be interested in being invited to one of these special retreats for free, as a guinea pig, then email me! (see below) and DO PASS THIS ON TO YOUR FRIENDS TOO! (men and women all welcomed, but we will take care with room allocation!!!!!)  

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO COMMIT NOW - just express your real interest and ask for an application form. If you are accepted you will be sent the details and the dates soon, and then you can sign up to come.

If you would like an application form for an invite to the free retreats, please email me now:

penelope@ministriesbydesign.org

stating why you think it would be good for you to come and which of the two retreats you would prefer.

Of burglars, beams, builders, bricks

Ministries by Design is renovating an old farmhouse in N Wiltshire on the edge of the Cotswolds, in order to be a place of spiritual sanctuary, spiritual restoration, spiritual abiding in the Vine (John 15). Regular updates here! So sign up (>>>) to get the updates delivered into your inbox. Might you pray for us as we undertake this enormous project? and come and visit - and maybe help? - whenever you can. Visitors always welcome!  This past week has been OF BURGLARS, BEAMS, BUILDERS and BRICKS

The house became ours, officially, on February 14th. We laughed, gave thanks, were delirious with joy and relief -  six months since our offer was accepted (see that story here) with  ups and downs (here)  along the way (here).  What a gift of Love and Life and Laughter, on Valentine's Day!.

The neighbour's phone call came later. Did we know the door was swinging wide? Were we there?

We were not but we soon were. Investigations showed all too soon that someone had been in.  A BURGLAR , for the brandnew, unopened, rather expensive wall paper stripper was gone. We thanked God that it was nothing worse, no fire started, nothing more precious taken. But husband is rueing the loss of such a useful and expensive 'toy.' As shall I be no doubt when I start stripping.  (the wall paper). Ebay has provided a cheaper substitute already. So much for the burglar.

THE BEAM is the one thing that has thrown up a problem. One vast old wooden beam (out of many) is rotten at one end, over a window. An extra £1500 on top of the budget. We thanked God it is just one beam's worth. The rest of the house is pronounced sound. The timbers have all been treated (which is why the floor boards are up, revealing 17th Century joists) We are good to go on.

Tomorrow, Monday, the BUILDERS return. We had rented the building back from the current owners during January, so that some work could begin, but it had had to halt for a while. We thank God for Tom and his crew; and pray that we will be living grace around them, as we work alongside them. May they see the Lord in our lives.

Finally - the fun of the BRICKS. A story in pictures of what Kim, aided by Chris on Saturday, has been doing in what will be the drawing room.

It begins with a 1950's fireplace, and an outside wall which is about 4 feet thick.

Four successively older layers of brick fireplaces chipped out. A cascade of bricks. Daylight glimpsed. One old ingelnook fireplace. Two tired dusty exultant men - one worship leader, one vicar. Thanking God for safety and fun and discoveries.

What will next week bring?

Sign up to find out! Thank you for prayers and support: you are appreciated!

Learning from the bare bones of a house

  Making a new home. Here, at Mays Farm.

A place we intend to be a spiritual sanctuary  for those in need of space and solitude and shelter; a  moment away from life's vagaries and vicissitudes.

A house goes through many changes in its lifetime.

And this one, this one, in its 400 years of history, has seen so much come and go. We are but the latest to inflict change upon it. This front house is a new addition - the late 17th Century part added on at right angles to the original early 17th Century farmhouse behind it (which is still there, the kitchen still in all its primitive glory)

It looked idyllic when we first saw it, in the summer sunshine. Never guessed what lay beneath the surface.

And now the bare bones are laid out for all to see.

It looks pitiful.

Ancient wood joists, barely holding the house together. Now treated for rot and worm, they lie there, daring me to imagine this as a place of beauty and balm and benefaction.

Can these dry bones live? 

Can mine? Can yours?

In the pain and the depression it sometimes feels that all my joists are exposed, all my bones dead and lifeless, I am without hope.

Then someone prayed over me, ten days ago. Knowing little of what I have been through, how I feel; but knowing we are undertaking a Large Project of a House. She saw this renovation as the mirror of the renovation in my life.

And I knew that pain and suffering, whatever form they take, can, if God is allowed to be at work, be the stripping down, the paring back. Necessary for the work of restoration and renovation to occur.

Right now, I am lying, joists exposed, work being done, painful treatment occurring.

But these bones will live again.

New life will come again.

Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. Ezekial 37:5

And so I look at my poor home, and I look at my poor spirit; and in gratitude I give thanks for the renovation and restoration that will one day lead to a thing of beauty, living and vibrant.

The house will take several months; I will take eternity.

Eternity  - to be made into His likeness. And HE is the true beauty.

2 Corinthians 3:18 "And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit."

I will be blogging more about the house and how it is getting on and the beginning of the new ministry here. SO why not sign up (box is up on the righthand side above) to have the posts delivered straight to your email inbox, then you won't miss what's happening! 

God is in bubbles and hugs

Living without a dishwasher. Bent over the sink, washing mug after mug, plate after plate. Although only for two. Hot water, creamy bubbles, favourite china.

And an empty mind. For five minutes, nothing.  And finding that there is something strangely peaceful and restorative in this ancient womanly tradition.

Five minutes of peace and quiet, solitude and surrender. Five minutes of Matt Redman in the background.

Five minutes which I need to spend at the sink, but  turns into the gift of five minutes with the Lord.  No longer mindless, more simply aware that HE is here, His Presence is beside me, in this little old kitchen at the Bolt Hole.

Practising the Presence in a time tested way. Loving the washing up in a totally different way for it is the doorway to a very special moment of the day. His arms around me. A hug if I did but recognise it.

Surely the Lord is in this place and  I knew it not. (Genesis 28:16)

ALL IS GIFT.

Grateful, recognisant, relaxed, aware. All washed up and ready to step on again.

After a five minute retreat.

Where have you found the Presence of God in unexpected places?

Where do you hear His voice most?

A fourth way to alleviate the bleakmidwinter blues!

I'm blogging my way out of any potential midwinter blues! I'm only making resolutions that bring energy and enthusiasm; I'm following advice from the Revd Sidney Smith to live as well as I dare right now; I'm getting as much sleep as I can; and I'm enjoying hugs and cuddles like never before. And here's another way that helps. Booking a summer vacation - it's something to look forward to and even though I don't want to wish my life away, there is something rather encouraging and enervating about planning something special for a future event. And something which will energise me and be a real treat, which will get me fitter spiritually as well as physically, and in a most beautiful part of the world.

So I thought you might like to come along!

It's a very special Pilgrimage - and there are just a few places left for the September dates.

Come join us for a Pilgrimage on the Via Francigena? We walk about 10 miles a day; our luggage is moved for us; and we have special times of prayer, devotional talks, spiritual exercises - and plenty of time to relax, laugh, walk, talk or be in silence. It's incredibly beautiful, for our souls and our spirits as well!

Here are a few introductory details, to whet your appetite.  Contact me for more information. We'd love you to come too!

NEW FOR 2013 - Italian Pilgrimages San Gimignano Canterbury to Rome Via Francegina Siena MAYS FARMRead more Visit our website BOOKING If you are interested in coming on one of the walks, please email us for full details and a booking form. To reserve your place there is a deposit of £200 with the balance due 8 weeks prior to the Pilgrimage.  Places are limited to just 10 people maximum (plus us) so don't delay! Please pray for us as we put this together; and pray about whether you might be able to come. Do feel free to contact us with any questions regarding the walk. We are so excited about this opportunity and really hope you might be able to join us; and do pass the details on to others you know who might like to come too. Grace and peace, warmly, Kim and Penelope Kim & Penelope Swithinbank Ministries By Design Mays Farm, Hullavington Walking the Via Francigena We are excited to be sending you the details for the first of our new pilgrimage retreats - in Tuscany, next June and September. As you know, Penelope has been leading Pilgrimages on the Cotswold Way for many years and many women have appreciated that opportunity. But now Kim will be joining her in leading retreats and walks for both sexes, for singles and for marrieds  - and we want you to have the opportunity to come too! QUESTIONS? call us, we'd love to chat with you! UK: 07870 497365 USA: (til  Jan 21) : 843 325 5220 The Via Francegina This old pilgrim route goes from Canterbury, England, all the way to Rome. Archbishop Sigericus of Canterbury walked it in 994, and wrote down the names of the places he'd passed through. The route has been recreated so that you can follow in the footsteps of thousands of pilgrims over the centuries who have walked these ancient footpaths. You will be walking through the gorgeous countryside of Tuscany; as you walk there will be time to reflect, to seek the Lord, to have time away from the busyness of everyday life. But with Kim there too it won't be silent all the way!! And each evening there will be devotional times led by Kim and/or Penelope. You will walk each day, but your bags will be magically taken on to the next hotel where we will all have dinner together in the evenings, and you will have many opportunities for tasting local wines and foods. The route is stunningly beautiful - we have already walked it and just loved it. From the ancient hill top villages to the refreshingly cool Roman-built swimming pool to achingly beautiful old churches and fabulous gelato .... this is a glorious opportunity for you to experience a vacation with a difference. The vacation will be organised by Alternative Travel Group and you can look on their website for further information about the walks. ATG journey However, all your bookings and payments will be done through Ministries By Design, so that it is very easy for you - we will do all the admin! Dates: There is a choice of dates: June 23 - 30 Sept 7 - 14 This is an 8 day holiday. We arrive on day 1, walk from San Gimignano to Montalcino over the next 6 days and leave on day 8. COST - £1395 (HB)   All costs are per person, sharing a twin bedded room with private bathroom facilities. You will need to arrange your own flights to Italy (Pisa airport is recommended but Rome works too), local travel to San Gimignano and from Montalcino and also your own travel insurance.  Other extras are any drinks you require with dinner, and provisions/snacks for lunch each day. Everything else is included, which makes it incredibly good value. Once you have booked,  we will send you the full details including what to bring with you, and how to prepare for this walk - physically and spiritually!