Scotland in Pictures

 ^First time on a plane in 14 years! Loved it!! 

 Where part of Harry Potter was written!!

 Along the Royal Mile...

 Mez's two beautiful daughters! 

 One of our morning meetings

 I loved hanging out with these girls! I really hope I'll get to know them better in the future!

 John Knox's House 

 Painting at Mez's house 

  Hanging out at the Church :)

 Panoramic view of Edinburgh 

 Edinburgh Castle 

 At Portobello beach

 The Loch just below Arthur's Seat 

 At Craigmillar Castle...Probably the most magical place I've ever been! :)

A Park sort of area in Niddrie 

 The view from the top of Arthur's Seat! Absolutely breath-taking!! 

Me and my good friend Lawrie :) 

Scotland Trip: Missions

I'm not even sure where to start...I learned so much and so much happened during my trip to the UK!


The first thing that stood out to me was the faithfulness of the people working full time with 20 Schemes. In talking to different people I learned that only about 5% of the people who look for help are successful. Many make professions of faith, and live a "christian" life for a while, but they fall back into their old vices and sins. You really have to rely on God to get you through each day in Niddrie, when you have no clue what a day may bring. Someone who you thought you could finally trust might turn their back on everything and leave.
I realized how little I rely on God. I do pray and I know He's in control, but I also find myself thinking about how I can fix things, when I need to go to the bible, listen to what God has to say and pray.

I realized how wealthy I am. My family has never had very much money, so I didn't feel like I would be too out of place in Niddrie in that aspect, but I re-realized how rich I am in the gospel. I've been raised in a Christian home and have been spared from so many painful experiences. I was saved at a young age, and have always gone to a church that was faithful to preach the bible. I wouldn't give up being "poor" in a material way for the world if it meant I also had to give up all that I have spiritually! And the only reason I have what I have is because God is a gracious and merciful God!

 Missional living often means doing a lot of mundane tasks. I've heard of people saying, "You flew thousands of miles to paint walls and clean their church? Why?" Well, Jesus washed the disciples feet, even though he was the son of God, didn't he? And he was constantly traveling to different cities. I know it's not exactly the same thing, but our team was there to serve in any way we could. We traveled there to encourage the church in Niddrie to continue their work. We were also there to observe how God works in his church in another context. And it was worth every single penny. I would do it all over again countless times!

So, what did a typical day look like?
Everyday we got up at 7-ish and met at the church for breakfast at 8:30 then we would have a time of prayer before having a learning session lead by Mez or Sharon. at around 10 some of the team would head to Mez's house to paint, while the others stayed at the church to clean and paint. There were also other community projects we did, like hanging out with the neighborhood kids, painting a local art centre, or doing bible studies with people in the community. A lot of the time what we were going to do was unpredictable, because random stuff would come up that needed immediate attention from Mez, or it would rain, so we couldn't do outdoor projects.

Everything that goes on is about the community. The primary goal is to present Christ to the community by living the gospel in front of them. The principles that are taught in the bible are lived out. This is so different from what I've experience with all the other churches I've been to. With all the other churches, and the one I'm currently attending, I would go to my church with my family and we would come home. If we went out to socialize, it was only with other Christians. I remember some people would go door to door giving out tracts, and I think there maybe have been a ministry where people gave food to homeless people. That's how we related to the "world." The churches were away from neighborhoods and shut during the week (except the one that was also a christian school) or no one went there except for services. Of course we were taught that we needed to not only act like Christians at church on Sundays, but we needed to be Christ-like all week long. I kind of knew what that meant, but I'm not sure I exactly understood it until I saw what was happening in Niddrie. The church building is open at various times during the week and isn't just used by the Christians but by all of the members of the community. We were told not to assume that everyone there was a Christian. That's different than what I'm used to in the churches I've gone to. Everyone's a Christian or at least labels themselves as being Christians. And we don't hang out with anyone outside of our group.

So if I could change people in my town, that's how I would change them. Instead of being so involved with ourselves and being so inward focused, I would love for the Christian churches to be more outward focused. Instead of focusing on getting more information in our heads, it would be awesome to somehow be sharing what we know with other people who don't know. I want people to make friends with people who don't go to church and spend time with them instead of focusing on staying "unstained from the world"

I feel really bad for not posting for months! To be honest, I am forgetful and lazy.

So I'm going to do what my sister did and catch you up on the whole summer


July:
July was the busiest month for me. On the 18th I flew with my friend Mary out to Scotland where we met up with the rest of our team from our church. That night I was absolutely exhausted, but not so exhausted that I couldn't enjoy a haggis and chips dinner! The next day was a day off and we went to the Edinburgh City Center to sight see. We started off with a history lesson by seeing the place where the Scottish covanenters would have been hanged because of their faith. We also saw the Scottish National Museum and saw the view of Edinburgh from the top of it
 The view was amazing! We were fortunate enough to be there during a "heat wave" when it was sunny and 80*.  We also saw  Edinburgh Castle (unfortunately only from the outside) and walked the whole of the Royal Mile, before walking back to Niddrie. On the other days we mostly just painted the McConnell's house, cleaned, painted and fixed up the church and did some other community projects. It may not seem like we did anything significant. We didn't storm through the city converting hundreds of people, but that'ts not why we were there. We were there to serve a  sister church in any way we could, so our brothers and sisters there could focus on building on relationships with people in the community (I'll write a more in-depth post about that later).
I met so many awesome people while in Scotland as well! Everyone was friendly and welcoming! I really hope I'll be able to go back!!
My last day in Scotland, I met up with a really good friend I've been keeping in touch with over Facebook and e-mail for the past year. He, Mary, a couple from the Niddrie church and I climbed Arthur's Seat. The view from there is even better!
I hated leaving Edinburgh and everyone there, but the next day Mary and I were off to Northern Ireland. We took the ferry from Scotland to Northern Ireland, and I'm so glad we did! The crossing was perfectly smooth and the land on the distance looked like what I always imagined in fairy tales!

It started raining once we reached NI and soon after we started walking around the city centre of Belfast Mary and I were soaked through!  Thanks to my good friend Jenni (who we were visiting in NI) and especially her husband, Merv, we were able to do a bus tour of Belfast. I think the most interesting part was the Belfast peace wall. It just blows my mind how there are still places where people are so divided
 (That probably shows how sheltered I am). Anyway, at my friend Jenni's house I met a bunch of ladies from her church when they came to lunch. I also hung out with Jenni's two adorable kids! They showed me their toys, chatted with me about their lives and showed me their guinea pigs, which are also extremely adorable!  I was very sad to leave this wonderful family!

London was pretty cool. We saw Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham palace, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar square, the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, London Bridge, the National Museum and probably a few other things. By the end of that day, I was sooo tired and my feet hurt sooo bad. I walked so much that my feet had been rubbed raw in places.
The next day, August 3rd, I went home while Mary traveled on to Paris. Hopefully next time ( if there is a next time) I'll be able to save enough money to travel to more European continental countries. Or I might just stay longer in Scotland.


August-November:
I've been working hard to make back what I lost not working for almost a month. When I got back, the elevator at work had broken down so for the last 3 months or so we've had to carry all the books up the stairs rather than taking them up in the elevator. I think it's been good for our arms and legs, but it's extremely inconvenient and we lose time when we have to carry the books.

At the beginning of this month my sister, Kirsten, and I went to Wisconsin for one of our cousins weddings. It was amazing to see family who we hadn't seen for years and to meet new baby cousins. We had some good laughs and made great memories!

That's the overview of what I've been up to since I last posted. I'll probably post some more specific updates later. And I'm going to try to post more often than I have been!!

5 days!

It's only 5 days 'till I board a jet to Scotland! As the time approaches I find that I'm a lot more nervous than I've been in a while! I haven't flown since I was 7 years old, 15 years ago, so a lot has changed since then. I'm nervous about going through security and just about being in another country and another culture. I'm also nervous about meeting Facebook friends for (kind of ) the first time. There's so much unknown! What if everything goes wrong? What if people don't like me? Etc.

I know these are just my insecurities talking, but I'm still a little afraid. I'm looking forward to when I'm in the middle of it, helping people and seeing the sights!

After the missions part of the trip (I'm still not sure exactly what we're going to be doing) me and my friend Mary are going to do some sight seeing. We have one day in Edinburgh, one-ish days in Northern Ireland and one-ish day in London. In Edinburgh I'd love to see the cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter, in Northern Ireland we're visiting an old friend from California, and in London I'd love to see this crazy statue in Hyde Park among other things. :P

Actually, I just watched the video after posting the link, and apparently he's moving around?? So I WON'T be able to see it?? I'm kind of sad, now...

Christian Summer Camps

Every year bajillions of christian teens and young adults go to camp every summer. For the past 6 years I've gone to the same weekend youth conference.

Over the years I've noticed things that go on at camps that I'm sure have always happened and always will happen 'till Jesus comes back, because of human nature and raging hormones.

Top Silly Things I see at Summer Camp : 

1. Kids will never listen to "No Pairing Off!" 

Or maybe they will, but they WILL find someone of the opposite sex they like, and make sure they get that person as their partner in games. And they'll sit next to them in church. And flirt with them on Facebook and through text message for the whole year 'till camp rolls around again. 

Kids, listen to a camp veteran, cut it out! :P  You aren't getting married no matter what you think at the time! (Generally. There are exceptions.) Girls, don't fall for a guy just 'cause he can sweet talk you and he's the cutest guy there. Just 'cause he's a charmer doesn't mean he'd make a good husband. Besides, if you're truly a Christian, the point of being here is to follow Jesus, not to follow other boys. Only he can give you true satisfaction. This may seem like a cliche thing to say, but it's Sooo true!!  

2. One of the unspoken rules is "Don't be yourself!!" 

Unfortunately, according to lots of kids, being yourself means being uncool. You NEED to have the proper pair of sunglasses. On Sunday, Girls, you better have a new dress and that dress should follow the rules of modesty, but just barely. You still gotta look hot.  And on the even sadder side of things, you've got the kids pretending to be Christians, because at camp it's cool.

False. Some of the coolest people there, are the ones that don't look cool. On this, my last, year I've realized that I'm finally comfortable enough with myself that I don't feel like I have to pack every outfit I own. And I'm not even going to bother wearing a cute summer dress. *GASP* But ya know what? It's so freeing! To be yourself is to be free. In fact, when you're not being yourself, your kind of a walking lie. Think about that for a second.  

3. The number of signatures you have on your conference folder/t-shirt/whatever shows how popular you are. It doesn't matter if you don't know half the people you have sign your folder, you are still an awesome, popular person...Even if you get weird stuff signed, because they don't know you either.

Also false. One year I tried to do this and these are a few things I saw: "Hey I saw you today," "You did great on the team," (even when you weren't on their team) and "You're cool." It's just awkward. Oh--and one friend signed my folder multiple times so It looked like tons of guys had written their number on my folder. It's really ok if you only have a few close friends. Those few signatures will be far more special than if you have no more space left on your t-shirt, but don't know 90% of the people who signed it. 

Unfortunately, I know some kids who would read this and their teenage minds would translate everything into:

But seriously, the youth conference I go to has always been a blessing to me.

My Top Favorite Things (no particular order):

1. The road trip

When you're stuck in a car with a group of people for 5+ hours, crazy things are bound to happen. Most of the time you get to know people better and build relationships, although there are those people you hope and pray you'll never get stuck in a car with ever again. I've had so many good heartfelt conversations during the car ride to and from the youth conference. That's when you really get to know people for who they really are.

2. The preaching

I always come home feeling refreshed and like I've been nourished over the weekend. Not because we dance and sing, but because the preachers at the conference I go to actually dig deep into God's word. I'm often convicted and find ways where I sin that I never saw before and that's SO GOOD, because then I can see how to become more like Christ! 

3. The testimonies

I love at the end where people share their testimonies. Hearing how God works in people's hearts is the BEST. No other words needed! 

4. The FOOD!

Seriously. At the conference I go to the food is so darn delicious. We stay on a college campus and for a whole day we get to eat in the cafeteria, which means all kinds of different foods are available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I usually stick to traditional breakfast/lunch/dinner foods, but if you want to have waffles for dinner, go for it. If you want to mix all the Sodas and fruit drinks together with chocolate milk, no problem! If you want to build sculptures out of your mashed potatoes, it's not considered rude. If you decide to sit in a baby highchair while eating a delectable slice of pizza (yes, I did do this), WHO CARES? You can even have ice cream for breakfast. NO MOM TO TELL YOU OTHERWISE!!

And we're seriously fed every two hours! we show up and eat in-n-out for dinner. session one. games. snack. sleep. breakfast. prayer. session two. snack. session 3. lunch. games. snack. games. rest. dinner. session 4. snack. talent show. snack....etc. you come home and you've gained 20 pounds!

So to everyone who's going to a christian camp this summer, may God bless you through the preaching/teaching. Go and make many wonderful memories, and don't be stupid. ;) 

Since writing this 2 days ago I got some certain feedback that indicated that I may need to clarify that the first half of this post was intended to get people thinking. My intent is not to be judgmental or to speak harshly. :) 

Sickness and The Doctor

I've been sick for the past few days. Friday I started having a sore throat, but didn't think much about it, because sometimes sore throats happen. Then Saturday I went to work feeling fine, but started feeling feverish. I had a light fever all afternoon Saturday, but I felt better yesterday apart from a headache and sore throat. Today I looked at my throat with a flash light in the mirror, and my tonsils were swollen and red with white spots on them, so I'm going to the doctor later this afternoon. Now if only (as one of my Facebook friends pointed out to me) going to the doctor's office meant a visit to the T.A.R.D.I.S.!!

And since I turned to the subject of Doctor Who, I had a very strange dream about David Tennant and Matt Smith last night...

I was in a sort of warehouse place (like maybe from MythBusters?) and there had been a murder (I had been watching Miss Marple as well as MythBusters yesterday). I guess Matt Smith and David Tennant were the intended targets and I was trying to figure out who the culprit was. (the police knew it wasn't me, because I was such an upstanding citizen and too trustworthy) Then, for some reason Matt Smith and David Tennant and me and the other people who were all hanging out decided to go to the local county fair. I went in Matt Smith's car as did several other girls. David Tennant then got mad, because Matt Smith had more girls in his car, so Matt put David in the trunk. As Matt drove to the county fair, I kept watch, making sure that no murderers were following us. Once we got to the county fair, they made sure that everyone else who was there went home, so the park area was only open to our group. And then the rest of my dream was kind of a blur and I woke up. I was disappointed, because I didn't get to save Matt or David from the loose murderer.

My dreams get pretty vivid when I'm sick.

No Excuses!

Something that I'm learning about life this week is to not make excuses!

I'm currently trying to lose a little weight. I think I might be bordering on "over weight" according to my BMI or something, and I do have a little extra fat on my body, but I'm not obese at all. I'm 5'4" and about 155 lbs right now. I'd like to get down to 135, which was what I weighed when I was 19. Back then I wished I was 120, but now I laugh at my 19-year-old self.

Anyway, It's been hard, because everyone around me tells me, "You're perfect just the way you are!" or "It's good to get in shape, not that you need it." or "Why are you trying to lose weight? You don't need to!"
Another hard part about trying to get in shape and lose weight is me making excuses. It's easy to go on a 30-60 min. walk/run everyday, but the eating gets me every single time!

 I've been finding myself telling people "It seems like every time I actually start getting on track, another party happens. Someone has a birthday, someone has a graduation, or there's a church event!"
Well, I realized last night at a party (sadly, while eating cheetos, jalapeno poppers, ice cream and drinking soda)  that it's an excuse.

Two days ago, on Wednesday at prayer meeting, my pastor was teaching from Titus 2. He was talking about how older women need to teach the younger women to be self-controlled, and when he asked what self-controlled meant, someone said something about food. That started a whole discussion about how in Crete the people were taken over by gluttony and drunkenness and stuff.  The world told them to gratify their desires, but once they became Christians, they were no longer supposed to be controlled by their own desires. Instead, they were to become slaves to righteousness.  When they no longer needed to drink alcohol, or stopped after one drink, they would stand out. When they limited how much food they ate, they would stand out.

I realized that's how the American culture is. Everyone eats. We eat because we need to, we eat when we're bored, we eat because it helps us feel better. We eat, eat, eat. That's why America has a problem with obesity. Even in Christian circles you have people telling you, "You're fine. you don't need to lose weight!" or "Oh, go ahead eat that cookie, it's okay as long as you don't eat 10 cookies" Even in Christian circles, we make excuses for why it's okay to eat. "It's so-and-so's birthday. It would be rude not to eat at their celebration." "This is a church meal, I did pretty good this whole week, it's okay to indulge today"

 Stop right there. No more excuses!!

As Christians, we are called to die to ourselves, daily. We are to be known by how self-controlled we are. We have the Holy Spirit working in us!

Last night I realized instead of looking at birthday parties, graduation parties and church events as excuses for why I can indulge, I should view these events as opportunities to practice self-control. These are opportunities to stand out and be counter-cultural. These are opportunities to glorify God.

So, to everyone who tells me I don't need to lose weight:
Please stop telling me that! I do need to lose weight! Not because I'm insecure about my size, but because I need to get healthy and because I need to be self controlled! There are health concerns in my family history. My Grandma died while in her 60's due to complications of diabetes. My dad just had a heart attack last month. I don't want that to be me. I don't want that to be my future. I don't want to leave my grandchildren at a somewhat young age. (I'm sure she'd be flattered by that..heehee) I don't want my husband or children (If that's in my future) to have to worry about what will happen to them if their mother dies.

 I'm going to continue getting in shape, trying to eat healthier, and losing weight, because it is something I need to do.

Soon I will be like this dog:

Scotland update!!

Things are coming together in an amazing way for the missions trip I'm going on!

I was supposed to raise $1000 by the 1st of June. I needed about $300 more to meet my goal, so I planned on using my pay check ( I was paid $315). I thought I'd pay my phone bill with the rest of the money and I'd just have to survive the rest of the month. I'd been praying about it, but was content with having no money for the month. Then, I get a check in the mail from an Aunt who gave me $25. And another $100 as a late graduation present. And then $200 from a wonderful couple from church, who I know made a sacrifice doing that! That's already more than my paycheck! I also got an e-mail from another one of my Aunts promising to send a $50 check. So now, I've got money to buy clothes and other things I need for my trip!
God truly takes care of his children's needs! To Him be the glory!

Other than that, my passport came, and my tickets are bought. Tonight's a meeting with the mission team, and on Saturday I get to speak to a local college bible study about my trip.

I'm just so excited to see what God has planned for me, because I know whatever it is it's gonna be for my good!

Why wait?

Lately I've been thinking about marriage.

The question that's been floating around in my brain is this: "If you've found a guy (or girl) that you really love,  then why wouldn't you marry him (her)?"

I know there are extenuating circumstances, like it is a good idea for a man to be able to afford a home for his potential wife, and of course in our western culture you have to wait 'till your of age, but exceptions aside, why would you date someone for years and not marry them?

Here are arguments I've heard that support long-term dating :

• You need to get to know them first before you know if they're good for you.
• You should wait 'till you've both finished school (college).
• You should be able to fully support a wife (for men). 

And here's what I've got to say:

• That's selfish. Basically you want to "test them out" before you "buy" them. Sometimes what's good for us isn't always what feels good. Yes, you should know them well enough to know they have a good character and are a Christian (for Christians), and yeah your relationship should be built on friendship. Also you want to be attracted to them, but dating them for years to see if they are good for you...that's selfish. 
• You should wait 'till you've finished school? Going to school is like having a job. You're not going to wait 'till retirement to get married, are you? I know many couples who were still going to school after they got married, and it's working fine for them! 
• You should be able to fully support a wife...I think that he should make enough to pay rent and pay for basic necessities, and the wife can work too. The thing is, if some couples waited 'till they could afford 2 cars, a house, and cable and the latest smart phone, etc. they'd never get married. 

From the Christian point of view, you have to trust God with all of these things. God designed marriage firstly, so that man had some one to help him (Genesis). Second, for the procreation of children. After the fall, marriage also kept men and woman from sinning. The commandments in Exodus forbid adultery (sex outside of the covenant of marriage, marriage being defined as a promise a man and a woman make to each other before God) so marriage is designed to keep men and women from sinning. (1 Cor. 7:2)

The longer you're dating some one you love romantically and are sexually attracted to, the greater temptation is to sin, so you should get married. Dating someone just so you have have those fuzzy feeling and can get your emotional needs met is complete selfishness! Marriage is suppposed to be the opposite of selfishness. Women are supposed to be a help to their husbands, and husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Helping people and loving people requires self sacrifice.

So again, I ask the question, If you're dating someone you really love, then why aren't you getting married?

Just a Girl Figuring out Life

Why did I choose this name for my blog?

Because it describes what I'm doing perfectly!

When I started out at college, I had no idea what I wanted to do. At first I thought maybe I could be a teacher, then, after I took a nutrition class, I wanted to be a registered dietitian, until I realized how much chemistry I would have to take. Then I thought about becoming a teacher again before realizing I still had no idea what in the world I wanted to do!

So I decided to finish out my degree and wait to see what God wants me to do.
This summer, like I mentioned in my first blog post, I'm going to be going to Scotland to see if that's something that God might want me to do.

To be perfectly honest, I honestly just wish some magically handsome, romantic (rich would be a plus) guy would come along, sweep me off my feet and marry me. Then we'd just start having kids right away so I didn't have to wander what I'm supposed to do with my life. I'd just take care of kids.

  {What I wish my life looked like}

However, life never looks this way! Life is messy. You have to figure things out through learning from others mistakes and making a few of your own and that's pretty much what I'm doing! 

{What my life really looks like :)}

Graduation!

Last night I graduated with my AS in Natural Sciences and Mathematics (if I get a 'c' in statistics)! At the ceremony they have this tradition where you give a rose to a person who has helped you through your college education. The first person I would have to say made it possible for me to get my college degree would be God. He is the one who "directs my paths" and guides my life where to go. But it's hard to give a rose to God, so my rose is now sitting on the dining room table for my whole family to enjoy!

Otherwise the ceremony, as most graduation ceremonies are, was pretty boring. The two student speakers said all the normal gushy stuff about education. Then the keynote speaker got up and told her whole life-story. She went on and on about all the things that she accomplished in her life and then thanked all her family and professors for their support (Remember, this isn't one of the graduates speaking!) and then she went on to list all the things her sons, daughters, nieces and nephews have accomplished. I think she meant to inspire us, but I was just left feeling like I'm never going to accomplish anything. Thankfully one of my friends pointed out that because of our faith in Christ we don't have to pursue education until we can't get another degree to feel like we've accomplished something. That's not where our security is. We're secure in Christ. As long as we "do all to the glory of God" we have accomplished everything we need to accomplish here on earth. That being said, it's extremely easy to say this, but so hard to do!!

After the ceremony ended, I greeted my friends and family and got pictures taken. My two best friends, one who I've been best friends with since we were 10 (Laura) and the other who I've been close to since fall semester 2011 (Ilian) met for the first time and there was an explosion of personality! I think we're all going to have some good times this summer. :D Then, my sister (Kirsten) and another friend who I graduated with (Tez) went to hang out at our friend Anna's  house (She graduated with us too) where we played games and ate pizza. At first I kind of wished we could have gone somewhere "grown up" like this Irish Pub in a nearby town, but I think we had just as much fun, if not more, at Anna's house!

That's pretty much it! It was a fun, amazing night filled with friends who are special to me!

About Me

I still haven't been able to figure out how to figure out the "About Me" section of my blog, so I'm going to cover that in this post.

I'm the oldest daughter of 8 children, still living at home at age 22. (I do have a job, though!) I'm also a Christian and by that I don't mean what so many other people mean. It seems like a lot of other people mean "I'm a pretty good person, I go to church." or "Yeah I make mistakes, but God accepts and loves everyone."  I'm neither of those. I'm a sinner with plenty of problems. On the outside I probably look like a great girl. I've been called a "goody-two-shoes" more than once. But the only reason I can do good is because God's changed my heart, not because I am a good person myself.
I work part time at my local public library as a page (I mainly check-in and shelve books and sometimes do some shelf reading) and I've been a part-time student until now (I graduate with my AS in two days!).
A couple of my favorite activities are photography and watching British Television.

This is me on a country road by my house :)

First Post

A lot of changes are going to be happening in my life soon, so I thought I'd blog about it.

This week I'm graduating from a local community college with my AS in Natural Sciences and Mathmatics. This is a degree I never thought I would ever be getting. I've hated math ever since the first day it was formally introduced to me, and I never really thought of my self as a "science person", but here I am.

Another thing I never thought I'd ever be doing is going to Scotland; however, I'm actually going to be flying to Edinburgh in July! I'm not going to be doing a lot of sight-seeing, though. I'm going with a group from my church to work in the Schemes (we would call them housing projects in the States) with an organization called 20 Schemes. Their goal is to plant churches in various housing schemes around Scotland. The people living in these schemes often struggle with drug and alcohol abuse. (To get an idea of what I'm talking about, youtube search "The Scheme BBC" and watch the documentary that follows a few families for a year). Many of these people have never even heard of Jesus and have no idea that the only thing that will satisfy them is him.
I think of the time Jesus met the woman at the well and she had had several husbands, but the man she was currently with wasn't her husband. She was looking in other places for satisfaction. Jesus showed her that he, the Messiah was the only one who could help her. When she says she knows about the Messiah he says, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." (John 4:10) Jesus is the only person who can satisfy all our needs, and there are so many people in Scotland to tell.

  

So, those are the two main things that are happening. I doesn't seem like anything major is happening like marriage or something huge like that, but you never know where this trip to Scotland will lead. I may decide to move there because of the work that's going on.

Anyway, I should probably end here for tonight. It's a quarter after 10 and one of my two sisters is reprimanding me for not making an effort to get to bed earlier so we can get up earlier to work out.