Endings

Yesterday was the last day the team did an assembly at a Primary School.  School just got out today for their Summer (what they call "Holiday").  It's sad knowing we're not going back.  It has been a great time to come up with neat stories that kids will love and tie in something that is very applicable to their lives.  I know I'll miss those times.

The neat portion of yesterday was before our we did our little "skit" in front of the kids.  There was a man who came in and talked to the kids before us.  He was one of the Olympic torch runners for this year.  When the torch was taken through Scotland He was one of the people who was allowed to run it!  He brought the torch with him and allowed all the kids to look and touch it.  Then...he let the interns hold it!  I got to hold one of the Olympic torches. 

Once in a life-time opportunity?  Yep.  So cool!  I would have taken a picture with it, but didn't have a camera on me since we're not supposed to take pictures of the kids.  It was wonderful and I'm so thankful to have been able to experience it!

Unstoppable

On Sunday, the team went to a mass communion service in a town hall.  Congregations from all around came together for worship (there were probably about 200 people there).  The service was so refreshing and encouraging to me (I was feeling pretty lousy that day) and I was so needing to hear the sermon preached, and to be able to partake of the elements.  God really knew what I was needing that day.

Our mentor preached the sermon that night on the parable of the great banquet as found in Luke 14:12-24.  The sermon was great.  Two things stood out to me and convicted me.  

First, is the phrase "Be for the world." As Christians we're called to be in the world, but not of it.  Often-times we have this idea that if we're living differently in the world, then we're all good.  But the reality is, we should be fighting for the world.  Fighting for the truth of God to be the standard and for the world to believe in our Savior.  We aren't to be apathetic.  We are not to be unconcerned with the fate of the neighbor two doors down from us or for the young girl involved with sex-trafficking in Thailand.  We are called to care and to love.  I'm more convinced of that fact every single day.

The other point that was incredible to me was this:  God is unstoppable in chasing/coming after people. He wants us to be in His fold so badly that He throws His own Song out and allows Him to die so that we can enter in to His fold.  God chases after people.  He wants to love more and more people.  That is incredibly profound, and deserving of an immense amount of thought.  

Our God wants us.  

Refreshment

Inverness was a good thing for the team.  It definitely wasn't easy.  In fact, it was probably one of the more difficult times for us.  But it needed to happen.  We needed to have these certain things come to a culmination point so that we would actually be forced to sit down and talk through things.  It was good and healthy.  Not easy, but necessary.

The best portion of our holiday in Inverness was Wednesday afternoon.  The two other teams from Scotland met up with us for a couple hours.  "Woo...big deal," I'm sure many of you are thinking.  Really though, it was a big deal.  I needed that time.  The three other girls on my team needed that time.  The guy on our team desperately needed that time with the two guys from one of the other teams.

We needed refreshment.  Desperately.  The teams for the two other cites were all friends we had made at pre-field, which is why we were all so excited to see one another.  It was such a blessing to see familiar faces, who we genuinely love, and sit and talk for a while.  We didn't have to share our life story, or tell more and more about ourselves (which is a good thing, it's so important, and I'm so thankful for it, but it is exhausting).  We just sat and talked, like fairly normal people.  Blessing.

Refreshment.

A blessing from God at the perfect time.

Sick

We're in Inverness, Scotland.

It's a beautiful city, and I'm loving it.

Minus the fact that I'm sick.  And laying in a bed in a hostile.

I really am just wanting to be home (Lochalsh) and in my bed.

But, today we get to see the teams from the other two cites in Scotland and I couldn't be happier about that.  I am genuinely excited about this, for me, for my team, and for the other teams.  I know we're needing this time so badly, and I'm absolutely ecstatic about it.

Please be praying that I don't get much more sick and that I get better quickly, and that the rest of my team stays well.

It's All Relative

The team is currently on holiday.  We're in Inverness, Scotland.  The five of us are holed up in a Youth Hostel for the next couple nights (we'll be back in Lochalsh Wednesday night).  I'm loving it.  There's something about being in a totally new place and then staying in a place like this...and then being surrounded by new people from all around the world.  It's incredible.

This evening, we were out walking about, and then ended up sitting and talking to a man we had run into.  We met a man named James.  James is in his mid-twenties and is a father to a young girl outside of marriage.  We were able to sit and talk with him for a while and get to know him.  Eventually we began to talk about God.  We talked with him about his story, what he thought about God, heaven, etc. It was fascinating.  I'm quite amazed at the people here.  He doesn't believe in God.  He believes that people who live good lives will go to heaven.  James believes morality is all that matters.  Not only that, but also that morality is relative to the individual.

I'm finding that that is more and more the case here in the UK.  If I can venture a guess, I would say that it's becoming more and more the case around the world, and especially in the US.  I am grieved by that more and more.  This idea of relativism is so far from what is true.  There is a true standard and it is set by the Word.

Be in prayer for James.  Pray for more of the Gospel to be poured into his heart.  Pray for this place, and for the world, pray that truth would go forth and sink into the hearts of people here.


Prayer Requests

1.  Pray for rejuvenation for the team, and also for the family of our mentor.  We're all quite exhausted and needing time to be in rest.

2.  Continue to pray for the team.  We're all growing more comfortable with one another, and the exterior of "always being in a good mood" is gone.  We're at the point where we're starting to see what makes each of us tick.  Things can get ugly.  Pray for us to remain united and then on top of that to deal with everything head on.

3.  Pray for James.

4.  Pray for us to remain rooted and grounded in the Word.

The Tiny Service

After our normal morning church service in Lochalsh, the team made our way out to a very small town for an afternoon service.  I went into this particular service knowing that there would be about as many of us as there would be of the "congregation."  That proved to be absolutely true.  

Six of us Americans were there (me, our mentor, and my teammates) along with the pastor of the church in Lochalsh and an elder of the church.  There were, I believe, six people who attended from that town.  Six.  

This was by far the smallest church service I have ever been too.  I'm still soaking in all of the service.  That being said, I think it was one of the more beautiful moments of my time here.  Fellowship with the people was very slim, the people were extremely quiet and left almost right after the service.  But, church can be as small as twelve or thirteen.  It can be smaller.  It can be larger.  The number of people determines very little.  These people were there for their monthly church service and it didn't matter that it only happened once a month, or that there were hardly any people there.  They just wanted to commune with God, and to be refreshed by the Word.  

One moment that brought me to reality was in the midst of singing a Psalm.  I paused to breathe, and instead waited, and just listened.  There was singing, and glorifying God.  It was beautiful.  

No matter how small or large, God will meet with His people wherever they may be.  Praise be for that!

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there, and especially to my Dad!  He's the best, and I love him dearly. 

Dance Wherever You May Be

I've been fighting for joy the last several days.  For whatever reason, I was struggling.  I was struggling with team members, circumstances, and life in general.  I've been burying myself in the word, and praying constantly.  Asking God to lift this vail from all around me, really just asking God to return my joy to me.  

Nothing happened.  Walking through day to day activities became harder and harder, being around people who are my new family was difficult.  I was in a place of being broken and crying out to God asking Him to fix this pain; and then I realized I wasn't really trusting that God would or could actually fix this brokenness.  I'm not trusting.  I'm failing to remember that God is holding all things in the palm of his hands.  He knows the past, present, and future.  And.  He takes care of all things.  He will take care of me.  My God knows what I'm going through, He knows why I'm experiencing it, and He knows what will happen in the end.  In fact, God has orchestrated all of this for my benefit regardless of  how it hurts.  I'm reminded of how precious I am to Him:

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.  But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 

                       Matthew 10:29-31

Along with that scripture, amongst quite a few other passages, God reminded me of His sovereignty and preeminence yesterday in a primary school the team was at.  I was smacked in the face, almost in tears.  Our team had finished performing a skit of a Bible story (Jesus calming the sea) and were about to sing a song with the kids.  I'm going to be honest, the children's song for the day at first glance looked ridiculous and extremely silly.  I have no idea what the song is called, but these are parts of the lyrics:

(chorus)  Dance, dance, wherever you may be

               I am the Lord of the dance, said He

               And I lead you all, wherever you may be

               And I lead you all in the dance, said He.

               

               I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame

               The holy people said it was a shame

               They ripped, they stripped, they hung me high

               Left me there on the cross to die.

               Dance, dance, wherever you may be

               I am the Lord of the dance, said He

               And I lead you all, wherever you may be

               And I lead you all in the dance, said He.

               I danced on a Friday when the world turned black

               It's hard to dance with the devil on your back

               They buried my body, they thought I was gone

               But I am the dance, and the dance goes on.

               Dance, dance, wherever you may be

               I am the Lord of the dance, said He

               And I lead you all, wherever you may be

               And I lead you all in the dance, said He.

               They cut me down and I leapt up high

               I am the life that will never, never die

               I'll live in you if you'll live in me

               I am the Lord of the dance, said He.

I was almost in complete tears at the end of the song.  God completely reminded me of the Gospel in the song and reminded me of everything I needed to hear. 

God is taking care of me.  He's pouring into me through scripture and through other people.  He's loving me.