Week 6: Scotland and Holidays

Hello!

I missed writing a post last weekend due to being in Scotland for half of it. I was also preparing for this week!

Last week, we had lots going on, with two assemblies, a toddlers group and our after school club. In addition to all of that, Andrew and I went up to Scotland to pick up and move our newest team member, Belinda! She is from Scotland, and has a lovely Scottish accents. Since we were up there, we stayed in Edinburgh at the Bible college where Daniel, Grace, Andrew, Grace, and Belinda have all attended. It was nice to see the college and explore a little bit of Edinburgh.

On our way up to Scotland, we drove through Newcastle, where there is a structure called "The Angel of the North," really there isn't much to it, just metal, shaped kinda like a woman with wings. Nothing spectacular at all.

Modern. Art. 

We made our way from Newcastle through the countryside of Northumbria into Scotland. This part of the country is where they filmed the movie, "Braveheart." It was quite beautiful countryside, and until we got into Scotland, it was fairly clear and you could see much of the country (side note: Yorkshire is beautiful country, that is where Downton Abbey is supposedly set.). As we crossed into Scotland, I snapped a couple of photos.

Looking into Scotland

The return trip I got a shot of the stone marker between the two.

The amount of fog was crazy on the war back, this was only about 30 yards away.
Those flags are the English and Scottish flags.

The driving parts of the trip were exciting because I got to see more of Scotland. As we drove up to Aberdeen, north of Edinburgh to get Belinda, I was able to see Perth, Dundee, and the North Sea. It is a windswept, and in parts, bare country. But it is so pretty, and where there were trees, they were mostly evergreen, except for the random patch that had changed colors, so you knew those were deciduous trees even from a distance.





Since we were in Edinburgh, Andrew was able to meet up with a man he had worked with in church while studying at the Bible college. I have a great respect for this man's wisdom and even though he didn't know me, he was able to help me look introspectively at myself, my faith, as well as American Christianity. We also were able to spend time with a vice principal of the Bible college and his wife. They also were an encouragement to me and asked probing questions which I sincerely appreciate.

While in Edinburgh, I got to see the Edinburgh Castle, John Knox's statue, tomb, and house. In case you were wondering, he founded the Church of Scotland, which is a presbyterian version of the church of England. Knox's statue and tomb were in St. Giles Cathedral, a Church of Scotland structure that looks similar to many other European cathedrals, but using Scottish stone, and some parts have a blue ceiling (the color of the Scottish flag).

I also saw the Scottish Parliament, Scott's Memorial (Sir Walter Scott) and went down the main shopping strip of Edinburgh, Princess Street.

Edinburgh Castle.

Scotland is a beautiful country, and we often think of it as the home of presbyterianism (which, formally, yes it is). There is a darker side to Edinburgh, and to much of Scotland. Recall high school English class when you read Shakespeare (or SparkNotes as may be the case for some), if you read the tragedy, MacBeth, you would recognize that it is set in Scotland. Shakespeare wrote shortly after Martin Luther, but before John Knox was even born. He describes Scotland in a dark manner, including three sisters who are witches(eye of a newt, double trouble, boiling brew etc.). The Scottish were known as mysterious folk, where witchcraft was accepted and not uncommon. Sadly, the same is true today. Europe's largest celebration of wicca and paganism, Beltane, is held in April in Edinburgh. As many as 30 different locations in old Edinburgh currently still are being used for sorcery of some type.

On a lighter note, Scotland also has wonderful food, I bought haggis in the grocery store while there, and had some Wednesday. I finished my food, it wasn't terrible although I haven't determined if I would want it on a regular basis just yet. Also, Scotland has its own soda, Irn Bru. Irn Bru is/was more popular in Scotland than Coca-Cola, only one other soda has been able to manage within a country, and that is Inca Cola in Peru. Irn Bru is orange colored, but to me, it tastes like bubblegum.

That's the stuff.

All in all, Scotland was a great trip, and I'm so glad that we now have Belinda down with the team on the estate. She is here permanently, and is now living on the estate.

This week has been very, very busy as the children are out for half term, and so we ran a holiday club, similar to what I helped with when I came in May with the team from Mississippi State's BSU. We started the week with about 36 children, but by Friday, we had grown to 51 children at the community centre for our club. It was a blessing to see so many children coming. I was very impressed with how well behaved they actually were while listening to the stories, learning the memory verse, and eating lunch. We fed them a proper meal this time as we knew many would not have a proper meal all week long otherwise. The school here generously bought the supplies we needed for the lunch, the relationship between Earlesfield Community Church and the nearby school is very positive, which is a pleasant change from the relationship between most public schools and churches in America.

We also tried a Bible study with some older kids (middle school aged) on Thursday evening. I was pleased by how it went, as we were unsure how they would respond to the planned activities and Bible study.

I have now been here 6 weeks, I still have about 9 weeks left to go. As I approach the halfway point of my time here, I've found myself now accustomed to being "the American" in a British world. I think come the New Year when I return to America, it will definitely be a reverse culture shock. I am really enjoying my time here, and yet at the same time I look forward to when I return home. God has provided, and I know in my heart that He will continue to provide for me, even in the uncertainty I face when I return to America. The hard thing is getting my mind to understand that fact.

I hope this update finds everyone well, and satisfied in Christ. Peace and blessings to you from Christ.