Reflections

As I am waiting for my flight to Texas from Newark, I thought I would take a moment and reflect on my time in Scotland. First of all, it was a true blessing. After I got over my jet lag, I felt an amazing sense of peace and satisfaction being back. The only thing that was missing was my family. The sense of peace that God gave me while I was there was wonderful indeed. The time itself went well from meeting lots of new people to some of the more practical things like housing and banking. The driving even went well. I must admit that I was quite proud of myself. It wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. It is good to have that bit of cultural adjustment out of the way. At least it will be easier to adjust once we move over. Ministry in Scotland will be difficult. It will take time to learn the culture, the language, and to earn the trust of the people. Unfortunately, many American missionaries have come and gone over the years. However, I can assure you that we are in this for the long haul. I cannot wait to get moved over and to start the ministry that God has called us to. It was encouraging to hear other believers, some Scottish and some not, say that they felt like I had the right attitude and mindset to "do well" in Scotland. AS good as that sounds, we will not be striving to do good for Mike, but striving to help the people of Scotland discover that God and God alone is worthy to be praised.

While there Bro. Alvin Dickerson was able to get the sponsorship papers mailed. We received word by mail (or post as they say in Scotland) that the paperwork had been received at the appropriate office and now we must just wait for approval. It is so exciting to wait and see just how awesome God will be.

Please continue to pray for us and our families as we continue to prepare for this great adventure that God has for us.

Almost At The End

Service went well this morning. We went to the city center in Stirling for the Christmas light turn on. It was a cold, windy, rainy night but thankfully we got home before it got too bad. I will turn in the rental car tomorrow and then on Tuesday I will head back to the States and even better back to my family.

Preaching Tomorrow

I am looking forward to preaching tomorrow in Bannockburn. It is always good to get together with others to talk about how great God is.

November Newsletter

Newletter Nov09 -

Looking For A Place To Live and Banking

Today Alvin and Dan and I went over to Cornton Baptist. I wanted to introduce Dan to Hamish. Alvin had met him before, but it had been a few years. After that they took me to several towns around Stirling. We went to Menstrie, Tullibody, and Braehead. We were riding around looking at the available housing. I have talked to some realtors and while the weren't too keen on showing houses to a guy who doesn't have an arrival date in mind yet, they are gong to send me email updates on houses to let (rent) as they become available. The main thing today was to see where we wanted to live. Some of the areas in these outlying villages can be quite rough. Drugs and alcohol are a huge problem in Scotland and I want to make sure that my family is and feels safe when they are out walking around. We still plan on being located in the Stirling area. I fell like it is just smart to be in central Scotland. I am expecting and praying that God will open up doors in many different towns. Being in Stirling will let us get to those places with relative ease.

I checked out my banking options yesterday as well. All we will need to open an account is our passports and some proof of address. Which could be difficult if we don't get the housing sorted. However, this is something that we are trusting God in. God has brought us this far and God will continue to provide all our needs. We are truly blessed to serve such an awesome God.

Another Good Day

I had dinner (tea) last night with Hamish Wishart the pastor of Cornton Baptist Church just outside Stirling. Then today I went over to the Alva Baptist Church to meet David Fraser. David is an American who has been pastoring in Scotland for about 2 1/2 years.

Tomorrow, I am going to look around at some of the areas around Stirling to check on housing.

Keep praying that God will continue to work everything out for us.

Driving In Scotland

Well, yesterday I braved the roads in Scotland. I rented a car and drove for the first time. Driving on the left wasn't as difficult as I first thought it would be. By far the hardest thing to get use to was the bulk of the car being on my left instead of on my right. The round-a-bouts were fine and I actually prefer them to a traditional intersection. They do a much better job of keeping the traffic moving.

I may get out later to just to do some driving. It is good to have that checked off of my list.