A Note to our Friends...

Hey everyone!

So it's been way too long since we've blogged (me in particular...have I even blogged since we got here?), but life is going at a blistering pace here with work, many church commitments, and general day-to-day life. The pace of everyday life here is great and totally relaxing, but there's a lot to do when you're "the Americans."

I promise that sometime in the next three weeks, I'll give a full-on update about life in Aberdeen and what we're up to, etc; but for now, all I've got is a public service announcement. It turned into a long one, but PLEASE READ IT ALL. Wait, that's not emphatic enough...READ IT ALL, NOW!!! DO IT!!!! !!!!

Okay, for those of you that aren't aware (I don't even know why I made that qualification since I believe our readership consists of our parents and the censors). Aaaaaaanyway, we're coming up on our one and only trip back to the States until next August. We'll be arriving the night of the 23 Dec and leaving on 6 Jan. This has presented itself with the opportunity for awesome reunions and joyful hug-fests, but also with a bit of a logistics nightmare due mainly to the fact that Americans are totally gipped on time away from work, and can only spare the week of Christmas to take off of work (if they're even lucky enough to get the whole week).

So while we're tempted to piss and moan about how hard it is to see everyone and all, we've chosen to see the current "problem" as the huge blessing that it really is. God has blessed us with the greatest gift besides a restored relationship with Himself: the gift of family and friends that love us and care enough to spend time with us for no other reason than that they love us. You can't buy this stuff, and if you could, it wouldn't be work anything. Freely offered love is a gift that God Himself says He's jealous for, and yet He has not withheld from us the very same thing, once again proving His goodness. "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." -James 1:17

So when I pull myself away from my "self", I think I see this a lot more clearly, and I can thank God properly for the fact that He has given us more encouraging, deep friendships than (sadly) we have time to give honor to over the course of a trip home. I know this is a blessing that not everyone has, and that I could easily lose by being a jerk or not treating you all like a good friend should, so I want to you all to be sure of the fact that I love you and that I don't take your friendship lightly.

This brings me to the aforementioned problem...we are stuck in the middle of a God-blessing wrapped in a logistics nightmare: it seems that out of all our friends and family, the most anyone has off is the full week of Christmas and New Year's Day. Most of you aren't that lucky and will also be working the tail end of the week of Christmas. So here's how that plays out: we have two families and at least 6 friends or groups of friends that all have the window of the 26th to the 28th to hang out and have expressed interest in seeing us. And in the vein of the last couple paragraphs, I want to say again that it's an honor for us to be able to hang out with you. However (the bad part), the only way it will work is through us making a schedule and dividing our time up as best we can, knowing that this could hurt feelings and lead to people feeling like they didn't get enough time with us.

As you hopefully know, Whitney and I are both of the opinion that none of our friendships are so base and trivial that they should be degradingly turned into a line item in our planner (well, some my friendships are pretty base...but you know what I mean), but we've reached the point where there's no other way to do it. To give any our friends any time at all is going to mean a schedule that we'll have to be pretty firm with. And as I alluded to earlier, even though we're going to schedule times to hang out and make time for all of you, we probably won't be able to give any of you the time and attention your friendships deserve. All I can offer is an apology and the request that you don't write us off as bad friends, or worse, legalistic friendship-box-checkers...the Baptists will get that one!

So here's my plea for all you guys: if we ask to meet you at a Starbucks or ask you to come by either of our houses for just an hour, please don't feel like we've belittled your friendship or think you're any less important to us. If we're firm and tell you we can only see you at a certain time, please don't be offended or think we're being jerks. And if conflicting schedules mean that we just can't work it out to see you at all while we're in the States, please know that we're packing - literally - almost all of our close friendships into two and a half days, and trying to spend time with our families as well. We by no means wish it had to be that way, but that's the lot that we've been given.

For those of you we can't see, and the rest of you for that matter, plan on partying HARD with us when we get back. There's so much joy we get from each of you, and three days (or even two weeks) is way too little to do it justice. If anything, this year abroad has shown us how much we miss all of you, and how much your friendships personally built us up, so we want to spend as much of the future as we can celebrating all that God has done in bringing our paths of life together.

Tha gradh againn oirbh! (that's "We love you all" in Scots-Gaelic) And we can't wait to see you in the next few weeks!

-Sander

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Texas A&M University set to conquer the world

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is standing down, President George W Bush has announced

"Former CIA Director Robert Gates (and current president of Texas A&M) has been nominated to replace Mr Rumsfeld."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6130296.stm

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Paris in Photos

Ok, I'm sorry - it took a little longer for me to get this posted than I first thought. I was beyond tired from our whirlwind, four day trip to Paris. It took over 10 hours each way to get there, and what seemed to be a fun and romantic way to get there (via train, plane, and bus), really just turned into one giant ball of stress. Looking back it was a fun adventure, but lets not talk about it any more.

On to the pictures!!!!!!

Here we are at the beginning of our 'trip' in the Aberdeen train station. See how happy I look? Ah, little do I know the delays and French speaking taxi drivers in my near future. When we got to the airport we forgot that we had put my toiletries bag in the bottom of Sander's backpack and almost had all my perfume and last bottle of American mousse taken away from me! I shed a tear or two and thankfully was able to leave it in checked luggage, but going off to Paris without a single hair product was a bit much for me. (Don't worry, my makeup was in the suitcase). Then when we got to Paris, our bus back from the Ryanair airport got a little lost in major traffic. And when we finally got off and tried to catch a taxi, the driver pretend that he didn't know where the hotel was. Nice of him, right? Oh well, we got to the hotel and it was beautiful!


The hotel was just north of the Champs Elyssees, which you can see pictured on the left. Sander got the perfect picture of that crazy street with the tini smart car framed by the side of the arc. It is a miracle that he got this shot without 20 other cars around it. This roundabout doesn't have any lanes yet has 12, yes 12, major streets feeding into it. We rode a taxi through it and figured the main strategyy was to just drive in there, cut straight to your left, then right, then stop, then go as fast as possible toward your street without stopping for anything, especially tour busses.






The first day there we went on a Fat Tire Bike Tour and had a great time! We saw the Eiffel Tower, Napoleon's Tomb, the Louvre (or just the pyramid outside of theLouvre), the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees, the Tuileries Gardens, the Petit Palace, and much more. Another tour the same company offers is the Segway Tour, as seen pictured on the left. They were required to wear helments because they are supposed to be more dangerous than bikes. Is that really true? Or could it be the case that those they type of person who chooses a Segway tour could just need more safety equipment than a bike tour participant?

Here we are in the Tuleries Gardens. It was gorgeouss because the trees were starting to changee colour but the flowers were still blooming. We stopped here on the bike tour to eat lunch in a little outdoor cafe. In the distance behind us you can see the Louvre taking up the whole east end of the garden.




At the end of the tour we took pictures with the Eiffel tower behind us. Awww... For those of you who may not know the history behind the tower, it was built in 1889 for the International Exhibition and was the world's tallest building until 1930. The people of Paris hated the tower and insisted it be town down, but good old Gustave Eiffel talked them into leaving it up just 20 more years. Before the 20 years were up, it became an excellent radio tower, and so stuck a round a few more years to help with the war. By the time that wasthroughh it had become an embedded icon of France and even began drawing visitors. Just like us.




While in Paris we ate a lot of baguettes and pastriess. Most of the time ordered by Sander who has am amazing gift of pronunciation. My usual order was le sandwich au thon avec le fromage et la tomate, which if you know me, you know I needed help ordering. It was more than half the price if you bought your food at the bar and ate somewhere else, so here we are eating a picnic outside a gorgeous church on our way to a late-night at the Louvre.







Sander and I showed up at the Louvre at about 7:30pm for the free night-time session for those under 26. It was almost empty and so we had a great time walking to each major piece and then sitting down on the ground to listen to our audio guide. We were so exhausted after all we had done that day (bike tour, Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle, Latin Quarter) that we could barely walk through part of the massive Louvre. Sander summoned up the energy to copy the Borghese Gladiator though...






On Saturday we went to the Musee d'Orsay, which was covered with trash outside. It smelled so bad we couldn't understand why it hadn't been cleaned up and almost looked like it had purposely been placed there. Well, it had. We went to the restroom and saw a sign that said all the cleaning staff was on strike, so please pardon the mess. We saw the strikers when we left too, see photo. They had banners and flags, but didn't seem to enthusiastic when we were there. However, the lack of cleanliness didn't stop of from enjoying the fantastic assortment of Monets, Manets, and Van Goughs. We spent almost 3 hours enjoying the amazing audio guide and observing picture by picture the Impressionist movement take shape.


After all that art, we decided to head to one of the most famous and most visited cemeteries in the world, the Pere Lachaise. Those that know me, know I have a weird love for cemeteries. This one was terrific. It was beautiful, artistic, and really helped Sander and I gain perspective on our own life. Here people like Chopin, Delacroix, Balzac, Gertrude Stein, Oscar Wilde, and Jim Morrison are buried. When you see so many famous people, mixed in with so many people you have never heard of, you realize that death really is the great equalizer. No matter how important you are in life, you will still be buried and will be dead. You can make your grave stone magnificent and beautiful yet there is nothing is to stop people from turning it into a weird shrine of sorts. Here, at Oscar Wilde's grave for example, it has become tradition for women to put on lipstick and kiss his gravestone.

After the cemetery we fought massive crowds and did a little shopping and then headed out to a jazz club for dinner. We never found the jazz club however, even though we asked about 10 people and had our map and went straight to the supposed address. That was fine because, as it was Paris and the Latin Quarter, we were able to quickly find a riverside cafe and have a wonderful dinner with a wonderful glass of wine.

The trip home was much more intense as we had a 45min delayed train from the airport and had to run from one train station in Glasgow to the next to make our connection, but everything turned out fine. We live just a 10min walk from the train station so we had a final walk home and fell into bed. I've been recovering since.

If you want to see more, check out our pictures page for a complete album of our Paris pictures. Au revoir!

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We're Back!!

We're back from Paris!

Check back tomorrow for a post and pictures.

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The Best Britain Has to Offer: The Scissor Sisters

Ladies and gentleman, let me introduce to you a band and a song that currently holds the number one spot in the UK charts. This song has prompted the BBC to devote an entire weekend of tele to them, as well as a massive concert give-away on all their pop stations. And better yet, they're American. I bet they are proud to tell people back home that they're "big in Europe."

The BBC had this to say about them:

The New York disco group climbed from number four, knocking Justin Timberlake's Sexyback off the top spot after only one week.

As of last week they have held the coveted #1 spot for three weeks in a row, and after you see this video, I am sure you will agree that they will be enjoying this spot on the charts for weeks to come.

Britain, thanks again for wowing us with your taste and style.

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On my job

On my job I arrange for the transport for a pipeline and coil tubing service. They issed me the following items to keep me safe from harm:


A fancy vest

A mesh baseball, semi-protective hard-hat which I can't find a picture of (it's that goofy)

And clear protective glasses.

I'm just sad I didn't get a boiler suit...

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I have a temp job!!

Announcement! Announcement!

I am about to join the working world! I was called on Friday by one of the agencies I am working for with a temporary position at Qserve, a coiled tubing, pumping, slickline, wireline and well services company. Sounds fabulous doesn't it? I said no at first because it is about a 15min drive south of here (a long way for Scotland) and made the excuse that it wasn't enough money. The recruitment agency asked what I would do it for so I picked a really big amount. The recruitment agency said, "well, you can always ask can't you?" I didn't get a call back all day so I thought I was in the clear as I had a few things planned for the coming week, but nope, at almost 5pm she called and said I got it for the amount I asked for. So here I am off to my first job at a really high amount per hour. I am a little worried I won't live up to that high standard, but you can always try, right?

So, fingers crossed as my days as a lady of leisure are at an end.

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Caber Toss

Here is the video that didn't load below. Turn the volume up and try to understand the commentary. It is really interesting!

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The internet is back!

YEA! We have internet at the flat once again!

I have posted 3 videos below under the "Braemar" post AND have added the prayer circle diagram. Check it out!

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Weekend 2: Encounter '06

Update: Sander has been playing the drums! Yeah, I’m pretty excited too. Last Sunday he played for the main worship service at church and will have lots more chances in the future. I am super excited he is playing and getting to use his skills, but I’m also excited to just see him play. For the four or so years I’ve known him, I’ve seen him practice/play a total of about 7 or 8 times. Honestly I feel jiped. As a result I feel I am due a chance to see him play with a band about 873,241 times before I am fully satisfied that he really is a drummer and isn’t just living a lie.

In other news, this past weekend we got to be part of an incredible event called Encounter ’06. It was held here in Aberdeen and was for the whole northeast of Scotland. It was designed to be something that all ages and all denominations felt welcome. They had a few speakers, music, and a few informational booths set up with what ministries in the area were doing. It wasn’t that large of an event considering the size of the area it encompassed – maybe 300 people during the day and at most 1000 people at the evening session – but what mattered was the overall spirit of it all. Everyone seemed happy to be there, everyone seemed excited to take the message to heart, and everyone was so different. I’ve been to great events where people are inspired and lives are changed, but it always seems those events have a very specific audience; usually the upper-middle class Texan between the ages of 18 and 23. Here there were elderly couples singing along with the drums and electric guitars. There were single mums and their little kids praising the lord. There were trendy and eccentric teenagers on the front rows listening carefully. It felt so authentic. The message of the weekend was about how we could take to heart God’s message, realize it wasn’t a message just for Sundays, or just for when we hang out as believers, but was a message for how we live every minute of our life. They spoke primarily about how we could do this in our workplace (or school, or home) and how we can do this in our community.

Our Workplace:

Billy Graham said: "I believe the next great move of God is going to be through
believers in the workplace."

It was from this statement that our speaker Mark Greene, the executive director from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, keyed off of. Before I go into that, let me tell you a little about the London Institute. It was created to research and problem-solve what has happened to Christianity in the UK (and Europe for that matter). Did you know that Europe is the continent with the least number of evangelical Christians per capita? Less than Africa. Less than Asia. So, from Mark’s research into these emerging trends in the UK (and Europe) he was able to hit some great points about how we are to take our Christianity outside of our church and into our world.

He made a huge point that Christianity and evangelism founded on the model from the 1950’s will not and should not work in today’s culture. He said that previously people had this idea that we should go out and convert as many people as possible and then try our hardest to contain them in the church; convert and contain. He reminded us that this is not at all what Jesus taught us to do, He taught us to go out and disciple as many people around us as possible and then release them to go out and do the same; train and release. To do this however, we must be able to make the gospel applicable to daily life. Yes, Christianity is the way to eternity, but Christ also said that His kingdom was here, now. He said that to be a Christian in the workforce doesn’t mean you have to wear Jesus pins and behave perfectly all the time. People don’t expect perfection, but they respect authenticity. We will never be perfect examples of love, peace, patience, and kindness but we can show people that these are things that we strive to be, that authentically matter to us. It is in these moments that people can ask questions and begin to have their heart stirred toward Christ.

To me this all made so much sense. Remember: the goal isn’t to make converts, but true disciples. I could probably finagle an emotional moment between co-workers and friends or I could probably argue someone on creationism/resurrection/etc. where I could get them to admit there is a God and they want to go to heaven. But if the goal is true disciples I would rather take the longer route where I follow the Holy Spirit’s leading, seek to leave traces of grace, and always be willing to give an answer (no, not a pre-emptive sermon) to why I do what I do. In these moments and from this foundation discipleship can happen even before someone decides to follow Jesus.

I know I am going into a lot of depth here, but it was so interesting and inspiring. One last point and I am done.

He pointed out that in Christianity there is no hierarchy. He said we usually see pastors, missionaries in foreign countries, and full-time ministry staff on a higher level then our Christian friends in the workplace or as mums at home. Nope – not the case. Christ died for all and we are all coheirs with Christ. We all have a ministry and we all have to try to live this with our whole life, not just our free time on Sunday or Wednesday evenings. So he encouraged us to pray for our friends at work, for families to pray for the school and the children they play with, to pray for the mom’s they meet on the playground and pray for the co-workers at the office.

This idea of praying for each other and considering every Christian’s daily work as an opportunity for ministry gave me an idea for a system of prayer circles. [I whipped up a diagram on Publisher because the few people I told here got confused till I sketched it out. See the post below.] There are so many people and things we want to pray for, but I have found a long list can be overwhelming and counterproductive. Instead of trying to pray for everyone you know and every ministry around each day (which, unless you are a superhuman with 4 free hours for prayer each morning, will never be accomplished), what about just praying for one specific person a day. Every Monday pray for Sally and then ask Sally to pray for you each Monday. Get someone to pray for you Mon-Saturday and then pray for them on that day as well. You could send them a line or two to your prayer person on their day through email/phone/text message letting them know you prayed and possibly give them one or two things you need prayer for.

I’m very excited about this and really feel like this will be a great way to encourage one another on to love and good deeds and make use of the incredible power we have in prayer. This could work if you started it just between friends, at church, and/or in small groups. I don’t want to be stressed, or stress the people I ask, at the thought of trying to find 6 people right away who would be willing to pray for you once a week. So, these circles could just start out with just 3 people on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Then a prayer request would be to find people to fill in the rest of the days. The goal shouldn’t be to create a complete circle right away, it should just be to begin praying for others and having them pray for you.

Our Community:

Remember I said Encounter had speakers that talked about how we should live a life for Jesus not just at work but also the community? Well, I know I went on and on about the workplace and prayer, so I will keep this short.

The segment on community was shocking and encouraging. They ran video and had person after person come up and share what they were doing in the community to reach out to groups that most people weren’t even aware existed. I found out that in Aberdeen on Friday, September 15th, 600 babies were aborted and there is not one crises pregnancy center to love and care for the girls that are in that situation. There has been no central place for worried woman to come and get information, or just support if they have post-abortion hurts. They are starting a center that will be open early next year, but it is shocking to hear that in the 3rd largest city in Scotland, this isn’t already a part of the grace being shown to the hurting in the city. They also have a center to help homeless families reestablish. A center to aid teens in drug addictions. A center to feed the hungry. A workplace ministry to get men and women into employment. A rehabilitation program for those just out of prison. So much is just getting started here to reach out to the community. It is hard to grasp that isn’t something widely available or established, but I am so glad to hear that the Christians here, even though they are few, are willing to work so hard to help the oppressed in the city and offer them a true hope that won’t fade.

Ok, I’ll end on that, but I would love to hear your thoughts. Leave your comments or feel free to email us. We have been told we will have internet again by September 28th, but I am trying not to get too excited. Fingers crossed!

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Prayer Circles Diagram

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Weekend 1

Written September 12th:

It is a lovely evening here in Aberdeen. It was a warm day and is in the low 60’s outside right now. Not bad since it is almost 7pm. I am sitting at our new desk set in a little alcove made of windows listening to the Curious George soundtrack by Jack Johnson. Ahhhh…the only thing that could make this better would be an internet connection.

Today has been a wonderful, terrific, totally good day! I was driving off to an interview this afternoon when I saw a global delivery guy drive up to the apartment. My mom said the package she sent me was supposed to be in tomorrow so I pulled over, thinking it might be my orthodics, and asked if it was for me. It was, but much to my surprise, it wasn’t from my mom. It was a box FULL of new pajamas, robes, and nightgowns all made of warm and snuggly material from my Aunt Cindi! I was so excited to open that box. I was like a little girl at Christmas pulling item after item out. The weather here has been sooooo much colder than I thought and I know I will be in those flannel PJs in no time.

But the fun day doesn’t end there. My friend Valerie, the wife of the other exchangee, knocked a little while later and had a package the UPS man delivered to her while I was gone. And this time it was the package from my mom. Yes – the wonderful orthodics (just like Dr. Scholl’s inserts) that have taken years and months to get. For those of you don’t know, I got a stress fracture in the ball of my foot the summer before I went to college at my last Irish dance competition ever. I had doctors tell me there was nothing I could do, so I basically haven’t been able to run or walk long distances without pain for about 5 years now. Well, I found a specialist in Houston who fitted me for an orthodics, however he made a big mistake and I didn’t get them before we left for the UK. My mom has been spending the last two weeks reading page after page of customs forms, fighting with the doctor’s office, etc. But today they came and today I ran. Yes. I ran and I have absolutely no pain in my foot!!!!!!!!!! IT HAS BEEN FIVE YEARS!!!! YEA! HURRAY!

Enough about all that, I bet you wonder what is new in Scotland? Well, as my last post mentioned we went to the Braemar Gathering the first weekend in September. It was absolutely freezing, but so much fun. I think the pictures and video will show you just what I mean. (To be added when we have internet...sorry!)

After that weekend Sander settled into his job and we were able to make a few new friends. Our guides who took us to Stonehaven got together with us on Thursday so the guys could play catch. Sander is thrilled of course to find someone who will play ball with him here. You can’t even really buy baseballs here, so he brought about a dozen with us, just in case. Looks like there are others who might be interested, so perhaps a UK branch of backyard baseball could be in our future?

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Braemar

See our pictures link above for lots more pictures. Here is some video you might enjoy. The caber toss and tug of war video have commentary by the Scottish announcers. If you listen very closely you almost believe they are speaking English.

1) Caber tossing


2) Tug of War


3) Bagpipes and more bagpipes...not for those with acute hearing

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Internet gone...

I woke up the morning of September 1st, not to happy families singing me 'happy birthday' over Skype, but to a flashing light on our modem and no internet. It was quite depressing for it to go off like that with no notice, but even more depressing the reason why. I made the 45min walk into the 'centre' of town to use the library's computers, only to find them down. So then I went a paid a ridiculous amount to check my email at a cafe. There I was able to find our internet provider's contact info and give them a ring. Turns out, the person who was in the flat before us had an internet through September 20th but cancelled at the end of August. Understandable since he left mid-August. But in a strange, socialist-run kind of way, they explained that even though we don't have service now and no one is paying for anything they wouldn't be able to release the line for new service until his contract was up!! That is all they would say and got very hostile when Sander politely asked to speak with someone who could explain this further to him. I guess they don't like getting money.

All in all it is very frustrating. I have walked 45min down to the center of town to use the free service at the library. It is very busy though, I have a time frame that I can't go over, and I am surrounded by a lot of people. Oh well, what is international life without some trouble?

So, please be patient we have updates (complete with video) that will include: "Pictures with the Queen of England!" "Our ride to Braemar, and What We Saw There." And of course, "The Semi-Merry UnBirthday To Me."

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Aberdeen - the first few days

We’re here and our stuff is set to arrive in a few minutes!! After an extra week of waiting we will finally have our shipment from Texas. Poor Sander has had to wear the same two shirts and ties to work this week. Not too fun since he is part of the “new graduate” program and not only sees the same people each day, but is also meeting lots of the higher ups. Oh well, he has handled it with grace and the shipment is here as of this morning. I have a whole day’s work in front of me to unpack and get the house set up more like a home. The apartment itself is great though – lots of windows and closets and is really big and modern compared to what most people around us have. We are a 15min walk north of Duthie Park and a 15min walk south of Union Street (the main street with all the shops and bars). An excellent location. Overall the apartment is quite posh really.

This last week has been one crazy adventure. It is so different coming to a foreign country not as tourists but as temporary citizens. As a tourist you just have to worry about finding your hotel or the next train somewhere. As someone who will be here semi-long term you have to figure out how to set up a phone account and where to pay the bill if you don’t have a bank account. You immediately begin interacting with the local people and have to try and make friends with people who come from a totally different culture then you do. As a tourist it is easy to just breeze over the local culture – you can sit back and enjoy it at a local pub, but then go back to the hotel with your friends and family and enjoy life the way you are used to enjoying it. Some of these experiences of immediately becoming part of the daily life here has been fun, some have been annoying, and some stressful.

Our first experience was the Asda. Yes, the Walmart of Aberdeen complete with “rollback” pricing. Beyond that I really don’t see any similarities. Asda is clean, logically set out, and they have a lot of cashiers working. So, we show up on Thursday ready to have a quick shop when right away we see travelators and know this trip won't be anything like our HEB trips back home. A travelator is basically a ramp escalator so you can go up to the second floor with a full shopping cart. Anyway, after we were wowed by the moving ramp we merge into the regular shopping traffic. We felt like we stuck out like a sore thumb. Everyone kept running into us but basically ignoring us. No polite British, “Oh, pardon me” did we hear. Nope. We were on our own and we were in everyone’s way. How were we supposed to know how to shop for groceries here? Who knew there were different ways of going down the aisles? We were just trying to read what was on each aisle and try desperately to find mustard and pretzels, which they don’t have. Oh well, I am getting the hang of shopping now and have had a lot of fun looking for local jellies and cakes. I love the cream honey they have here too, it is delicious!

This last weekend we met up with a guy named Scott and his gal pal Rachel. We met Scott back in Houston; he is the brother of the wife of a couple we met at First Baptist. They are our age and were lots of fun. They took a whole afternoon and evening to take us to Stonehaven, just a little south of Aberdeen. It is famous for being the first town to deep fry a Mars bar. I know, you probably have already heard of it, right? The weather decided to warm up and we had a great walk along the ocean and through the town. Afterwards we came back, got some take-away, and came back to the apartment. It was nice to go out with some friendly locals as it made us feel more sure of ourselves for some reason. Maybe we felt like we had and “in” to the culture now, some point to understand all the differences from. Anyway, we had a great time and felt more confident to go out and explore via the car.

Sunday we went to church with Scott and met his wonderful mum and dad. They were so nice and guided us around the tea time after the service. We have noticed that everything is just a little more formal here. There were nice people actually serving the tea or coffee for us (no self-serve here) and even added cream for us if we wanted it, and they served us treats on real plates. Then afterwards, someone came by and picked up your cup and saucer for you! It was a big change from the serve-yourself styrofoam and donut and napkin life we are used to in Houston. We also loved meeting the various people at the church as they were all so genuine and welcoming. Scott’s family had us over to lunch afterwards and we had the most amazing Shepherd’s pie and then chocolate layer cake with real cream poured over the top. I had to ask what the cream was for when they brought it all out. I really don’t know how they don’t all gain 100lbs from eating this way!

After our fun 4 days in Aberdeen it was finally time for Sander to begin work. It has been really interesting for him because he and Chris, the other Mustang exchangee, have been lumped in with all the other “new graduates” for an introduction week. In the UK they have a graduated education system so he is with various stages of new workers. First, he is with 16 year olds that have opted out of their last two years of high school and will work for 4 years as designers in training and take one day a week to attend trade school classes. He is with 18 year olds that have just finished all of high school and will take a year to work as interns before they go to university. Then he is with recent university graduates who are just beginning their first job. They had a welcome dinner and bowling night on Monday and they let Valerie and I come. It was so funny/fun. It was held at Sunset Boulevard and had what they called “American style bowling,” Dodgems (which are bumper cars), an arcade, outdoor carnival rides, and a place called Miami Beach. Now, Miami Beach was where we ate and it, again, was very different than Houston life. We came in and a waitress sat us and then got our drinks then walked us in groups to the buffet. The food reminded me of some things from the 12^th Man cafeteria, but with the only main dishes being a curry, salmon, and some type of pork. Then we ate and our waitress came by again and picked up our plates. It just seems strange because the whole place, had it been in America, would have been all fast food and we would have just bussed our own tables. Back in the bowling alley we bowled a few games and most people made ample use of the large, well stocked and well staffed bar. It was all just so much nicer then in Houston, but then I just couldn’t shake the feeling that this isn’t how a bowling alley should be. It should be smoky and filled with older men with matching shirts. The place was filled though, on a Monday night mind you, with young, college aged people. Oh, and on the door it said “No Football Colours Allowed!!” Apparently you aren’t allowed to wear a jersey representing a soccer team in any bar or club anywhere in the UK. It might insight hooliganism and they might have to call out the hoolivan.

The saddest thing about meeting all the young designers in training was to hear about their social life in Scotland. They were young looking 16 year olds and they told us all about how they started drinking at 12 and had been drinking heavily every night this past summer and only stopped on Sunday as they were starting work, but were going to go out again that night. They said there was just nothing else to do in Aberdeen so they just got drunk all the time. I asked if it was expensive and they said, “oh yea! But at least we are getting it out of our systems young.” Sander also asked if they worried about alcoholism, but they didn’t think that applied to them. But, they admit they get drunk every day. Our definitions must be different. Among the older group, everyone goes out to get a few drinks to socialize, which sounds fun to me. But then there are the few older ones who talk in the morning about not going to bed till 6am and that there may or may not be a girl back at their place “liable to steal everything.” This during their first week at work. It is definitely a different culture and one that seems pretty unhealthy, but not everyone is like this at all, especially as they get older.

So, lots of differences, but for it all I think Sander and I are settling in just fine. I can drive really well now; I even drove down what is basically a one lane road against a whole line of traffic successfully. Sander is a pro of course. All that bus driving and close calls have made him an expert down these narrow roads. We have a few local friends already and are ready to make more. I’ll keep you updated as our adventures continue. Be sure and check out our pictures too!

Cheers!

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Update coming soon!

Hi! I know a lot of you probably wonder what all we have been up to the past week. Don't worry - I have a blog and I will publish it tomorrow. = ) It has been really busy the last few days and we have had lots of technical dificulties. But, in the meantime, check out our new picture website and see some of our pictures!

Click me!!

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The roundabouts

After some false starts and some scary moments, watch how Sander deftly manoeuvers around this small roundabout.

It's even more exciting when I take on the challenge!

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British Punk

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We're here!

We arrived!!!!!!!! This is just a short post to let you know we are safe and let you know a little about our 21 hour trip. More to come later.

We got to the airport - finally - and only went a little over on the weight limit.

We were really sad to leave Texas and our families.

The Andrews were nice enough to come to the airport with us.

So were the Rays!

We finally arrived at our apartment after a very adventersome "cab" ride from Dyce.

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Updates! Updates! Updates!

The international movers have come and gone. In three and a half hours they packed up all 737 pounds of our belongings and stamped them with barcode labels and numbers. I guess this means we have to go to Aberdeen if we ever want to see our stuff again. It is a strange feeling seeing everything finally go out the door. As I walked through the house last night gathering up any last minute items we would need in the suitcases I thought, “I guess this really is happening.” For months now we have talked about the opportunity, talked about the waiting period, talked about finally knowing we would go, and now, after all, that talk has become real.

Amazingly enough I am not stressed…ok, as stressed as I have been in the past about major life changes. Realizing that I truly feel less stress then even just a year a go helps me see how much God really has done in the past year. I think it is so easy to forget where you came from or forget where God has shown His faithfulness. Usually I just move on and start thinking about whatever is to come instead of thinking about what has already been done. Sander told me about this passage he read in Hebrews chapter 9 yesterday:

Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover, But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

He said that at first he was pretty bored with the day’s passage. Where was the resounding statement of faith/repentance/justification? Where was the soul-piercing statement that made you say, “Oh - that is so true?” I mean, a passage about the rooms of the tabernacle is ok and all, but where is the good stuff? Then it hit him. This is a passage about where God’s presence chose to dwell. This is where the high priest, and only the high priest, was allowed to actually come in and interact with God. And so, in this place where God meets with man, what items are found? The jar of manna - an example of God’s past provision. Aaron’s staff - an example of God’s power. The stone tablets - an example of God’s communication. All of the items are there are examples of what God has done in the past. So, could the same be true for us? Could the place where God could meet most closely with us be in a heart that has set up remembrances to His past faithfulness, power, and communication?

I’ve been thinking about that today as I start to look ahead at the year in front of us. I have forgotten so many amazing things God has done in just the past year because I have been so caught up in thinking about what amazing things He might do in the coming year. That is not how I want to live. So, today I am going to sit back and make a list of everything God has done to show more of Himself to me and those around me. I want to celebrate what He has done so I can believe that He can do so much more.

As I am remembering amazing things God has done, I want to remember the small group that has encouraged and helped Sander and I along the road to marriage probably 100X more than we can even grasp at this moment. What better way to spend the first year of marriage then with other couples going through the same struggles, emotions, and joys. I loved coming to class and seeing couples holding hands and working so hard to love the other and Christ with their whole heart. Just being in the room, where people remembered your name, encouraged us and made us realize we weren’t alone in figuring out this whole strange “leaving and cleaving” business. I think I feel like our marriage has gone from being like a newborn baby to a 1 year old who is just learning to toddle along. We don’t know everything yet, but we sure have come a long way from a year ago. Thanks for all that you guys did to help us get to this place! We will be praying for you all while we are gone.

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Our Upcoming Adventure

I'm sitting here amidst boxes and stacks of soon to be packed belongings. As I walk through the apartment and hear the echoes, it really hits home that we will be moving soon. One the one hand it will be sad to leave "our first home" but on the other hand I'm ready to leave. Thankfully our new neighbors, both human and insect, have really helped ease this transition for us.

I've gathered up everything I just can't live without in Scotland...and the pile looks a little too big. I have been going to the bathroom scale with pile after pile to estimate how much I've stored up. It’s a bit much. Surprising huh? Thankfully Sander will be home early tomorrow to help me narrow down my selections. My clothes alone are pushing the weight limit. Maybe I can just get an extra suitcase. Or two. Or three.

It is hard to pack up all of my things knowing I won't see them for a year. It seems as if this past year we have lived a transient life - keeping lots packed away knowing that we would be gone in August. I still dream of a cute little three bedroom home decorated with all our fabulous things, but it seems like we will have to wait at least two more years for that. This doesn’t mean we aren’t excited about our upcoming adventure, but it is hard to face the fact that we will be transient year after year. It is just a little difficult to build lasting friendships and community when we keep jumping from one place to the next. We know that this next year will offer us lots of opportunities to make new friends, and we’ve already got some Scottish acquaintances, but we really desire depth over quantity. I know our biggest desire for this next year is to go deep – whether just over emails or over a pint at the pub. We really hope that this blog helps us out with that.

So, keep reading, keep the emails coming, and lets get this year abroad going!!

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Wedding!!!!!!

Sander and I love weddings. Oh yes. June 10th we were pleased to participate in the nuptials of our good friends, Daniel and Julie. Julie and I have been friends since Phillies began, but we became couple friends over a spring break trip to Devil's Den State Park in the grand state of Arkansas - the birthplace of Wal-Mart. On the trip Michael and Nicole had been engaged about 5 months, Sander and I were engaged for about 1 week, and Julie and Daniel...well, they were just dating. But, they got with the program and were married at just the right time this summer.

They had a fabulous ceremony that went much deeper than most. Matt Chandler said that weddings can seem a lot like the days in the movie Groundhog Day - the same thing over, and over, and over, and over, and over. But this ceremony was refreshingly different. Since the pastor performing the ceremony is the husband of Julie's mentor he was able to personalized the ceremony. But more than that, he directed the service to place a huge emphasis on communicating that this was a covenant relationship and helped explain all that a covenant entails. I wish I could have taken notes it was so informative and inspiring, but alas, I had to stand at the front with the bridesmaids.

Beautiful huh!?

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