Road Trip

Monday we took a road trip with the Thames family, Derrick, Dayna, and their baby girl, Hope. First stop was House of Bruar, where we had breakfast and did a bit of window shopping. Then, we drove north to Inverness, where the weather was awful. We tried to walk a bit and enjoy the scenery, but the wind and rain rendered that impossible. Instead, we relaxed at Leakey's Cafe, an old church made into a bookstore/cafe. It was very cozy.
Then we drove on to Loch Ness. On the way, we stopped at a layby to take some pictures. Rusty and Derrick "hiked" down to the bottom and got quite wet! A tour bus that was stopped called us over to have hot chocolate with them, and the driver, Neil, who was in his kilt made us feel very welcome with his Cadbury hot chocolate (best chocolate EVER!). Then we went to Urquhart Castle at Loch Ness. It's a ruin (sort of) and we got to see it at dusk, which was incredibly beautiful.
On the way home, we played lots of car games, and then ended the day with dinner at Glover Arms, which serves good old-fashioned comfort food. It was a fabulous day.

Driving On the Left

As you probably know, here in the UK, you drive on the left side of the road. While I've been a passenger on the left for several months now (Rusty picked the driving up right away), I have now begun driving, and it's harder and scarier than I thought. The main reason is that the majority of the cars in the UK are manual...to find an automatic usually means that you're riding in a nice car, so, we are among those who must shift. Now I've driven a stick shift before, and have even owned two cars with sticks, but I've never had to drive a stick with my left hand on narrow, two-lane country roads while focusing on driving on the left side of the road. Yikes.
The reason that I'm driving now is an exciting one...we've purchased a car! It's a 2000 Peugeot that we've named Jacques. John and Isobel had loaned us their Land Rover, which was an enormous blessing. However, when we got the chance, we got something smaller with great gas mileage. It was a cheap little car, but it's in great shape and we love it. It's perfect for zipping around those narrow roads I mentioned.
So, next time you're driving, think of me, driving on the left, and shifting with my left hand. And then, say a little prayer.
Here's Jacques...

O' Christmas Tree

Because we're trying to save our money, we weren't going to get a Christmas tree, but a little birdie sent us money to purchase one. This year's tree is also special because it's our first REAL tree! We've always had an artificial one (for a variety of reasons), but this year I insisted on the real thing. We went to Dobbie's, a local garden store, and picked out a beautiful tree. Our neighbors, John and Isobel, generously loaned us lights and decorations. We set it up right away and have been enjoying it very much! So have the cats, who seem to love chewing on it...

Love From Home

Rusty and I have been so blessed to receive many cards and care packages since we arrived. It's been hard to feel far from home when we're constantly reminded of the many family and friends who have shown their love by trekking to the post office with envelopes and heavy, expensive boxes to ship us those American luxuries that we miss.
Perhaps the item that I miss most is my coffee creamer. If you've ever had coffee with me, you know I like to dilute it with vanilla creamer and lots of Splenda. While the grocery stores here have a large selection of various creams, there's just nothing like the coffee creamers we have at home. However, mom came through with a precious box of Inernational Delight vanilla creamers that I ration strictly and drink with pleasure. Her box also contained each of our favorite macaroni and cheese's, green chiles, enchilada sauce, and a few other favorites.
Another thing we've missed are ziploc bags. It's shocking that we have whole aisles devoted to them, but you just can't find a decent ziploc in the Uk. They are these flimsy little baggies with twist ties or sticky, resealable tops...ugh! But again, Tiffany was incredibly thoughtful and sent some baggies my way, along with some canned pumpkin in time for Thanksgiving. When I was preparing for my annual Thanksgiving baking, I was shocked to find that canned pumpkin is not sold in grocery stores. When I asked people how they make pumpkin baked goods, they gave me a "DUH" look and said, "with real pumpkins!" (although we've found that most of them have never tasted a home-baked pumpkin anything). However, using fresh pumpkin means you have to buy and bake it in season, which I missed. But, never fear, I have now received several cans of pumpkin in the mail, my pumpkin rolls were a hit at Thanksgiving with the Americans from our church, and I'm good to go for the holiday season.
All in all, we're having fun searching for those favorite things we missed and trying out all the things that are new, but it sure is wonderful to get those American treasures from Her Majesty's Royal Mail.
Attached are some pictures of our most recent treasure box from Randy and Barbara...they sent a whole load of holiday goodies (no red and green M&M's in Scotland), and some hard to find cooking ingredients (chocolate chips in a bag large enough to make cookies with, green chiles, Mexican spices, and more.
Thanks everyone!

Coldplay: Viva la Vida

The first weekend of December, Rusty and I went to Glasgow to see Coldplay. We'd seen them twice in the States, but they're just so good, they never get old! May of you know that I have a not so secret crush on Chris Martin. Rusty was kind enough to take these pics of him for me. He was looking especially nice, and I like to believe that he was singing especially for me! :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

In the past few weeks, we've had several great snows here in Crieff. This is a beautiful place to live in any day, but waking up in a snow-covered cottage surrounded by beautiful white hills and branches, deer, sheep, bunnies...it's all too beautiful. Sometimes on the drive home or a walk around, it hits me that I'm really here, living in all of this beauty. It truly is amazing!
On one of these snowy days, Isobel suggested that Rusty and I go "sledging" (Scotspeak for "sledding"). We certainly hadn't thought of it, but what an idea!!! We got all bundled up, scouted the place for some spots, and "sledged" to our hearts content. SO fun.

And here we go again...

So, I've now discovered the trouble with posts like my last one...posting big life decisions on the Internet sometimes means you have to go back and change things, which is what I'm doing with this post! While we were thrilled about the position in Glasgow, a few more visits, prayer, and some sensitivity to the Spirit has led us away from that move, so...we are NOT moving to Glasgow! In fact, we've decided that we'd like to stay in the Perthshire area and are pursuing that. I've still not been able to find work, which has been difficult, but we know that God is faithful and that we can trust in His provision. In fact, just this week, we've received several unexpected monetary gifts and have been reminded that God is not limited by financial problems.
Anyway, we're both looking for work everywhere we possibly can. I have two interviews next week and Rusty is continuing to put in applications, so we are hopeful. I have to say that despite making this huge life change and facing months of unemployment, God has given us peace and we feel that we are in the right place. Life in Scotland has been a beautiful blessing, and every day, as we find ourselves amidst unbelievable beauty and overwhelming hospitality, we are so grateful and glad to be here.

Open Doors

I am thrilled to share that after much prayer and semi-patient waiting, Rusty and I finally have the "open door" we've been praying for here in Scotland.  Rusty has been offered an associate pastoring position at a church in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland.  The church is in need of someone with creative ministry ideas to reach out to the hundreds of unchurched community members who use the building each week (as well as the local universities).  We have accepted with great enthusiasm and are looking forward to being of service while we're here.  This position will mean that Rusty will commute to school 1-2 days a week, but the train is very convenient and we are confident that this is where God is leading us.  The coming days and weeks will reveal the details, and we are still looking for housing and a job for me, but it is so exciting to see things start to unfold.  Thanks for your continued prayers and support...

The Body of Christ

Since coming to Scotland, I have had the opportunity to hear Rusty preach several times, which has been exciting. He often preaches using the Lectionary and several of his messages have addressed love of God and neighbor and what it means to be the Body of Christ. This past Sunday, we had the opportunity to hear a guest speaker, who preached about The Good Samaritan and addressed several of the same issues:
What does it mean to be Christian?
What does love of God and love of neighbor look like?
What does it mean to be Christ's hands and feet here on Earth?
One of my favorite passages Rusty has used is 1 Thessalonians 2:6-8. Paul writes, "...As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us."
I have often been disturbed by Christians who seem to think the role of the Church is merely to pass judgement and to set a new moral standard for the world. I am saddened to reflect that many Christians "share Jesus" in ways that are hateful, condemning, and anything but attractive to the world. On the contrary, this image is one of LOVE...the tender love of a mother...love that is so consuming it results in the sharing of our very lives.
Rusty and I have been priveleged to truly see this love in action nearly every day since coming to Scotland. It has been incredibly humbling to be on the receiving end of the way that the Church here have shared their very lives with us. The church has worked to help us secure our very basic needs, such as shelter, food, and employment, and they have also displayed a love and a concern for us that is almost puzzling, until I remember that this is the very thing we are called to do as the Body. They have made our burdens their own. These people don't care that we're "outsiders". They simply see us as their brothers and sisters in Christ, and that is enough. What a lesson for a people that is often very egocentric, equating Christianity with a personal piety and ignoring a hurting and broken world.
If I were to leave Scotland now, even after only 5 weeks, I would take with me this life-changing lesson of what it means to be Christ's church and a true picture of Jesus' words in Matthew 22:34-40: "Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
If the world does not see our love, they will not see our Jesus...

Pictures!!!

Finally, after much finagling, I am adding some pictures of Kindrewry Cottage (our temporary home) and the grounds at Ochtertyre Estate. I thought I rotated them all in the right direction, but something went amiss and it's too late to fix them now, so hopefully you can appreciate them anyway!
Special thanks to Tiff for guiding me through the slideshow. :)
Enjoy!

Settling In...Part 2

Once again, I must apologize for my sporadic posts. There's really so much to say, but unfortunately, our laptop freaked out last week and had to be left at the Apple store in Glasgow...thus our already minimal internet access became nil! But, here we are at the library in Crieff, and I thought I'd share an update, but unfortunately, no pictures since I'm not on our computer!

I've been in Scotland almost a month now, and it's starting to feel like home. I love our cozy little cottage (which I will post pictures or a video of ASAP), our neighbors who have been incredibly kind and generous, the church presence, and the whole experience of being somewhere new. Overall, Scotland is a beautiful place full of generous and helpful people. Most recently, John and Isobel have loaned us their Land Rover, which means that we can get around much easier and don't have to rely on public transportation. They added Rusty to their insurance and even bought us roadside assistance. And no, you can't have them, they're OUR fabulous neighbors! Sunday we got to experience the hospitality of a wonderful family from the Perth church, who hosted us for lunch and afternoon fellowship. I also got to meet Derrick and Dayna Thames, an American couple who have come to do ministry at the Perth church. They had a baby 2 weeks ago and have been fun to get to know, and even though I didn't realize I'd have a need to be around other Americans, I do, and they're great! Also, on the upside, we've recently registered with the NHS, Scotland's National Health Service, which basically means that if you're here, you're taken care of in the healthcare department. This means free treatment for most things AND very affordable prescriptions.

Last week, Rusty and I registered at the Crieff Medical Centre and had our introductory appointments. It was absolutely amazing...all we did was fill out some paperwork.  Once we got there, I got right in, and it took me a few minutes to process the fact that the actual doctor came to the waiting room to get me. She was the first and only person I even spoke to...no waiting around!  She was very friendly, took my height, weight, blood pressure, history, etc.  During my appointment, I also learned that prescriptions here are incredibly affordable (the one I needed was FREE) and within 3 years will be completely free.  It really is amazing and refreshing to be in a country where you know that every man, woman, child, and elderly person has everything they need medically.  No one is working into their retirement years so that they can afford insurance or prescriptions, parents don't have to avoid taking their sick children to the doctor to save money, etc.  Our new friend Dayna just had her baby here and it was totally and completely free.  In fact, her baby will even get home visits from her doctor until she's school aged AND a weekly stipend from the government to help pay for things she needs or to stick away for the future. I've heard a lot of folks in the US badmouth the system here because of supposed long waiting lists, etc.  My experience with the NHS is minimal, but so far, I have to say that everything has been positive, and I think it says something about a nation when they would rather have everyone taken care of than reserve healthcare for those who can afford it.  And in fact, if Scottish citizens want to, they can buy health insurance and "upgrade" their care.

I'll close this lengthy post with a prayer request...Rusty and I are eagerly seeking a permanent home and jobs here in Scotland.  We have some possibilities, and we know that we are in God's very capable and loving hands, BUT our human nature is making us feel antsy for these issues to be resolved.  We'd appreciate all of your prayers.

Accidental Adventures

Since my last post was just "catch up", I thought I'd post a few more pictures today. After we drove my mom to the airport in Aberdeen, we decided to take a detour and see some of the Highlands. We don't own a car yet, but we had a rental car and thought we'd take advantage of the scenery. After leaving Aberdeen, we stopped at an adorable little village, Kincardine O'Neil, which claims to be the "oldest village in Deeside" (Dee is the river). It was so quaint and lovely. We went in to the Village Store, got some makings for a picnic lunch, and walked down to the river to eat. It was absolutely gorgeous, but just about all I've seen of Scotland is. We also saw our first sheep on the road on the way home. We've seen MANY sheep but none on the road until that day. Anyway, here's a little taste of the beauty of Scotland!

Settling In

First, I must apologize for the long delay between posts. My mom and I arrived safely in Scotland nearly two weeks ago, and I am just now making this first post from Scotland. We had a wonderful whirlwind of activity the first week, making the most of every opportunity to explore while Mom was here. The other reason for the delay is the lack of Internet access.
Rusty and I are staying in a wonderful country cottage, loaned by a very generous family in the Nazarene Church in Perth. It is beautiful, cozy, and peaceful, but it is also quite remote, and we have no Internet in the cottage. The main estate, Ochtertyre House, has wireless, so on nice days, we can sit in their courtyard and borrow theirs, but the weather here is often chilly and rainy, and there haven’t been a great many “nice days” so far. All this to say that posts from the cottage may not come as often as I’d hoped, but once we’re settled somewhere else, we hope to have more consistent coverage.
So Mom and I arrived in Aberdeen on October 1st after a long journey. We were greeted by John, husband of Isobel, housekeeper at Ochtertyre. They live in a lovely apartment on the property and have been incredible neighbors thus far, offering rides, meals, sightseeing, etc. John offered to pick Mom and I up (nearly a two hour drive) and he met us in his kilt! Rusty was in London when we arrived, getting our animals through customs and preparing for his own long drive (on the left hand side of the road) with our 3 animals, but he had left us dinner and Isobel met us with a plate of pancakes (which seem to be a typical snack food here) and we settled in quite nicely. We were also quite relieved when Rusty arrived late that night with the animals and our family was intact once again.
During the week my mom was here, we took beautiful drives and saw lots of wonderful sights. We made it to Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Aberdeen, and a number of small villages. We also did quite a bit of “settling in”, visiting Costco, Ikea, Tesco (our new grocery store), and a number of Scottish eating establishments. It was so wonderful to have her here and I hated to see her leave last Wednesday.
Since it’s been two weeks since I posted, I could probably write forever, but I’ll close with a quick “status update”. Rusty and I will be staying in the cottage at Ochtertyre through mid December. He will be traveling to Aberdeen for school 1-2 days a week, perhaps staying a night in between. He has several scheduled preaching engagements in local Nazarene churches and is pursuing some pastoral possibilities. I am looking for a job as well and have put in quite a few applications in quite a few different places for quite a few different jobs! It is a long and frustrating process, but as in my last post, I am learning to wait and trust. We are so grateful that we are able to stay in this beautiful place while we look for jobs and a home and wait on God’s leading.
So, “that’s us”, as the Scots say. We are missing our dryer and Ziploc bags, but have been overwhelmed by kindness and hospitality and are quite enjoying learning a new culture and seeing all that this beautiful country has to offer.
Until my next post, here are a few pictures that truly do not do this beautiful place justice…l

John O'Dea and I at the Aberdeen Airport

Rusty and I and the view from Kindrewry Cottage

Mom and I in front of the cottage

Crieff, the nearest village

Waiting on the Lord

Those of you who have been with us through the small and difficult details of this process of moving to Scotland know that it's been a path of ups and downs and a huge test of patience and waiting. Rusty and I spent a lot of time together in prayer, agonizing over things like scholarship money, housing, pet transport and the ultimate decision of whether or not to even go. While it was often difficult, I will say that this process has truly enriched our marriage and led us to a new state of dependency upon God. There were days when something we'd prayed about was answered (like the church in Perth finding us free housing for 3 months) but answered in such a way that forced us to continue to WAIT and WATCH and PRAY and TRUST. I've realized that I've never truly trusted God, knowing that our future is completely and totally in His hands, and that I'm powerless to control or comprehend it. It has certainly not been easy, but it has been amazing.

As I mentioned, Rusty's school money has been on our prayer list for quite awhile. In the spring, we found out that he'd received a very prestigious award, an ORS scholarship, which covered a good portion of Rusty's schooling, but we were planning to take out loans for the rest and hope that he received more help in years 2 and 3. Well, this morning Rusty called me bright and early (due to the 7 hour time difference) to tell me that he'd arrived at orientation to find that he'd been given a full scholarship. I cannot tell you what a huge blessing this is, and it reminded us once again that God is providing for us and that while we can't see what's ahead, He is there and waiting on Him truly is sweet!

The Wonders of Skype!

Today Rusty and I got to have our first Skype conversation. It truly was amazing. Here we were, an ocean apart...SEEING and talking to each other for FREE! Yay! It was really great to see his face. It was also funny seeing his face, because he was sitting in the dark. Wearing a headlight. Outside. In Scotland. Weird.
The neighbors are letting him borrow their wireless signal, so he was just hangin' out outside the "big house". I asked if it was scary. He said only if you're scared of rabbits.
Anyway, he had a great report. Yesterday he went with the Scottish Nazarene DS to visit Glasgow and a church in Paisley. They visited about some ministry opportunities, which we'd appreciate prayer for. He also got to have dinner with some very nice folks from the church in Perth, one of whom went to Point Loma and is friends with Dustin (small world!). They ate at a "chippie", and the dinner choices included fish and chips, fried pizza, AND fried hamburgers. Hmmm...
He also learned not to use the words "fanny", "pissed", or "crap". Apparently, these can be quite offensive. Good to know!

Small Joys

I spoke to Rusty this morning and wanted to share some joys/blessings I am really grateful for...

• Countryside so beautiful that it's "like a fairy tale"

• The kindness of strangers...when Rusty arrived, he felt lonely and isolated. He has since met many of the neighbors and has been overwhelmed by their friendly manner and quickness to help! Some examples...John and Isabel, caretakers of the estate the cottage is on, stocked the cottage fridge, showed Rusty the way to the "loch" and boathouse, offered their internet and fax, have given him rides into town, and tomorrow are taking him in to Edinburgh, the capital, so he can go sightseeing and shopping at Costco! Another neighbor offered her internet. When he came to use it, she was out but the nanny (a retired cancer researcher) said she was expecting him, insisted that he come in, use the internet, and have tea! Other neighbors told him about some possible part time work opportunities within walking distance, and I have heard from another source that some people around our age from the church are going to visit him soon and show him around.

• After a bit of difficulty, he was able to set up our bank account and to get a reliable phone card. Next week, he's hoping to nail down cell phones.

• We had been told that we'd need to pay "council tax" (utilities) for the cottage but when Rusty inquired as to how to set them up, he was told they were paid up for the year and not worry about it.

It's easy to worry about Rusty when he's alone so far away and to get anxious about life in a new place, but there is so much to be thankful and look forward to and I know that God is in control!

And He's Off...

Yesterday marked the first big step in our move to Scotland. Rusty and I, along with his parents, spent the weekend in Denver, at the end of which we took Rusty to the airport to begin his long journey to Scotland. It was an eventful trip to the airport, which included hauling a MASS amount of luggage for one person, 3 different check-in lines, a mad dash to security when I noticed I had forgotten to give Rusty his book, a lot of crossed fingers as his very bulgy, 80lb. bag of books went through the x-ray machine, and finally...waving goodbye as we watched him disappear to the underground tram.

After he left us, Rusty had a 6 hour flight to Washington D.C., another 6 hour flight to London, and the last leg...2 hours to Scotland. Because we're going to be staying in Perthshire instead of Aberdeen, he then took a 90 minute train ride. I'm not sure that Randy, Barbara, or I slept well wondering where he was and when we'd here from him, but I received the last call today at 1:00 (9pm in Scotland) that Rusty had arrived without a hitch, had been fed, and "bedded down". The call was from Rev. Tom Findlay, the Nazarene pastor in Perth. He and his congregation have been extremely helpful in helping us get settled. He picked Rusty up from train station and helped get him settled at Kindrewry Cottage, where we'll be staying for the next few months. Rev. Findlay once again went above and beyond, calling me internationally to say that Rusty was exhausted but safe and settled and would touch base tomorrow as soon as he could.

I must say that it is a strange feeling to know that Rusty is in Scotland, but it's kindnesses like that phone call that remind me that he is in great hands and that God has gone before us to prepare the way!

Rusty's luggage...3 suitcases, backpack, and satchel bag STUFFED to the brim!

It takes a village...to check Rusty's bags!

Rusty and I at the Denver Airport

Barbara, Randy, and Rusty