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Dear Friends,
I'd like to start this update by thanking you for your care for us! We appreciate ALL the ways you support us...each is very important to us and we're quite humbled by it.
I'd like to next say...please feel free to ignore the banner ads at the top of this email! I'll not belabor that point any more.
Much has transpired since we last talked. We've completed our Mid-term Outreach weeks and have had several weeks of lecture since then. I've also just updated our web site with new pictures (and a handful of non-exciting minor tweaks!). Check out the pics here
Most of the pictures are from our Outreach (with some still trapped in cameras as we wait for rolls to get finished!) and they will help the following words take on some bit of context.
When we last left our intrepid travelers, we were slated to have some mid-term outreach at our own house (not traveling too far!). We did, indeed, spend a few days of our outreach in our neighborhood. Our focus for our neighborhood was to try and meet people...begin the process of building relationships. We've not been here that long, so it was a bit much to expect that we could to major service tasks. Angela had an idea that stretched me a bit. She wanted to have a "garage sale" with some of the excess stuff we had around here (much of which we'd carted from Colorado and some of which was left by the previous owners). We found out that people around here don't really have garage sales. The closest thing we could find to that was a "car boot sale". The "boot" as many of you know, is the "trunk" of the car here. So, like an American "Flea Market", people will drive their cars to a large parking lot and sell their stuff from the trunk of their cars.
Well, using that as a jumping-off metaphor, we held what we called a "Yankee Boot Sale"...a "garage sale" at our house. We distributed some flyers to the neighborhood and set the stuff out. It wasn't much of a money-maker (our garage is still filled with the stuff), but we did get a fair number of curious kids and a few parents. We had some great conversations and did manage to sell some stuff (made about £3!) So, we're starting to make in-roads towards our neighbors. I'd say we probably know about 4 different households by name at least. Building relationship is so important and we're just not that great at it. We really need the grace of God for it, but I'm enjoying starting that process. Probably the biggest impediment to that process now is that autumn and winter weather is settling in and there's much less contact amongst neighbors as the weather doesn't tend to have people out and about. Pray that relationship ground is not lost and that we're sensitive to opportunities that God arranges. The people here are delightful and I'm really looking forward to the relationships that will be built.
The next week of Outreach, we traveled to some of the islands and highlands of Scotland. Our purpose was manifold: 1. Pray for Scotland and learn how to pray for a country 2. Learn about Scotland's history and Christian roots (many of which are in the islands and highlands) 3. Practice traveling and living together as a group.
God was so wonderful to us in this time. Yes we did those three things, but we could have done them in any geographical location and in any weather conditions. Instead we did them in abundant, warm, sunshine and in some incredibly breathtaking scenery...simply magnificent! I knew Scotland was beautiful, but none of the pictures I've seen seemed to be of the amazing stuff we saw and certainly pictures could not do the reality justice! Wow! Check out the web site for my paltry attempts at capturing this.
We began by driving to Oben early Monday to catch a ferry to the Island of Mull and a tour bus drive across Mull and then a "wee" ferry over to the island of Iona...where Christianity began in Scotland in 563 A.D. with the monk Columba. The drive and bus ride and ferry rides were all in magnificent surroundings. The water at Iona was so clear that, were it not for the decidedly Scottish dwellings on the island, I would have thought I was in the Caribbean! We spent only a few hours on Iona to learn about St. Columba and see where he launched into Scotland from. Then we went back to Oben and drove north to Ft. William to spend the night at a bunkhouse.
Up early on Tuesday to catch a ferry at Mallaig to the island of Eigg. The drive to Mallaig was also incredibly beautiful with amazing terrain near Glen Finnin and more white sand beaches near Mallaig. Also we were introduced to the joys of "single track roads". These are long stretches of "main road", where there is only enough room for one car to pass. There are ample "passing places", but one has to drive in a bit of a different manner, and backing up and frequent stops are part of the process. Unusual for most of us but certainly not for those who live there!
We got to Eigg and were met by the proprietors of the bunkhouse who carted our luggage for us but we all walked a mile to the bunkhouse. This was a beautiful location where we spent the next two days. We had times of learning about the history of the island (which is quite incredible for such a "small" place!). We spent a good deal of time praying here and learning how to pray. We had some team-building exercises and discussions about discipleship and team and communication. One definite highlight was the day when we took a long hike (the entire group) to the top of a "sgurr" or rock "mountain". This one was 1200 feet high. Counting our walk from the ferry dock, we did every foot of that elevation. It was all "hike" (not rock or mountain climbing) but there were some tough spots and we are, after all, a group of FAMILIES! We wanted to pray at the top...which we did...but we also wanted to do it as a challenge to take as a group...helping one another. It was tough and we didn't always act as "helpful" as we should have, but we did accomplish it and that was significant. The views were, of course, spectacular!
On Friday, we took the ferry back to Mallaig and caught another ferry there for Skye. We then drove to another bunkhouse on Skye and heard an amazing speaker who challenged us all about coming into a location and serving the people, rather than looking to serve our own agenda. This theme sticks inside of us still and speaks to us about our impending outreach in France.
On Saturday, we drove back to Paisley taking a slightly different route. Part of the route took us through Glenn Coe (southeast of Ft. William) which caused my nose to plaster to the window (ewww!) and heard me uttering "wow!...oh my!...man!" over and over again as I saw the majesty of the highest part of the highlands in an awesome cloud cover. It was "other worldly".
Since then we've had more speakers at the school speaking on "Brokenness", "Boundaries", and "The Fatherheart of God". We've had a real focus on what God is trying to do with our "ragamuffin band" to mold us into a team. Many of us have been on teams at one point or another that functioned quite well and accomplished a great deal. This is, by contrast, is an exercise in how God builds a team out of an unlikely collection of individuals and families. I've never been in a process quite like it. It's not always pleasant but it has been, at times, quite satisfying to see God at work and to see progress (of the 3-steps-forward-2-steps-back variety).
We, as staff, are currently planning our longer outreach for France. We leave on Oct 16 and we've much to accomplish before then to get ready. This is an area in which we feel VERY inadequate. Here are some prayer requests:
1. regardless of how we feel...that we would still look to God for our adequacy. 2. Some folks still need $$$ for outreach 3. Outreach schedule 4. Travel, lodging, food logistics 5. Interpreter help (much is on Angela's shoulders right now in this area) 6. Contacts with those with whom God would connect us 7. Our French language skills (or lack thereof!) 8. The process of making us into a team
Take your pick and pray for one!
More before we head out to France.... Bless you! David
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