We serve a mighty God. Our God is an Awesome God, He reigns from Heaven above, with wisdom, power and love, our God is an Awesome God. I was so moved that He cares about all the little details of our trip. He went before us and we knew He was there with us. He was Faithful, Loving, a Steadfast Rock, our Provider, had arms open wide and everything we did was for His glory.
Looking back over the past two weeks I can honestly say that we did do what we came over to do. Build relationship, share about Jesus, be flexible, serve others and leave all we had in Scotland including our hearts. Scotland is a beautiful place, amazing people and has a wonderful rich christian history. We were able to see some of the sights of this amazing place, Dean Castle, Kilmarnock Football Club (they had just won the division so we got to hold the trophy) Robert Burns birth place and museum, Edinburgh Castle, St Giles church, John Knox house, Ayr, Inverness and Skye. Being able to go with the boys and the ladies to these special places in their back yard gave us a heart for them and their culture.
Our precious host families.
We all stayed with wonderful host families, the Tait's, Young's, and the Millers. They graciously open their homes and hearts to us. They served us constantly through our meals, tea, cleaning our laundry, late night conversations, hosting all the Scotland boys and us for different events, I could go on. We all loved staying with the different families and know our doors are always open for you. Watching Andy Murray play in the Wimbledon final with all the boys was amazing. I think there were 19 of us and the lovely ladies fed us all. :)
Our friends.
Over the years the Lord has brought special people into our lives in Scotland. I am going to try and name them all so that you can continue to pray for them but if I forget someone please remind me.
Helen, Ian, Kevin, Allison, Norman, Andy, Cailean, Joann, David, Grant, Mark, Connor, Ross L, Ross T, Graham, Matt, Stewart, Morna, Sophie, Gordan, Allison, the tennis ladies, Paul and Pauline, Margret, Pauline, Mildred, Ian and Elaine <3, Paul, Venetia, Tom and Sue, Grandma, the tennis kids in camp, Raymond and Lesley, Ann, Scott and Antonia, the kids, Mellissa, Rosin, Catherine and Anna Margret, David, Jack, Ann and Adam and Margaret These precious people showed us love, acceptance and their hearts. We love each one of you and we are so thankful for you investment in our lives. Thank you!
Going to Stevenston High Kirk.
This place is special, the Lord has his hand on it. We spent a lot of time at the Kirk, doing yard work, hosting a coffee morning and a men's and women's breakfast, prayer walking, passing out leaflets for their missions week this week. Please pray for their week of teaching, fun and fellowship that is going on right now. The ladies and men who came out to spend time with us and serve us will never be forgotten. Their constant devotion to the Lord and serving Him really made its impression on all of us. One of our favorite times at the Kirk was having the Scotland boys come over and some of the church member's come out and help do yard work. It was raining and we were all so dirty but we had so much fun and fellowship, conversations were had and serving together brings such a bond between people. Laughter helped that also. Boy, do we laugh a lot.
The "Scotland Boys" as we call them.
This is a group of lads who came over to visit us in Cary last year and that we have seen for the past 5 years. We have added a few new boys to the group and oh how we love them all. We spent so much time together with them, were invited into their homes and hearts. One of the first nights we were in Scotland, Helen had arranged for all the boys parents to come and meet us. It was lovely to meet all the parents and siblings. We spent time with the boys on the tennis courts, at the castle's, in their homes, in town, eating "toasties"and drinking Cool Aid. Yuck, but they liked it. lol I personally have known these boys for 5 years. I love seeing them grow into young men and I can't wait to see how the Lord will use them in the future. We shared our testimonies with them, read from the Bible together, prayed together, shared Our Daily Bread and Jesus Calling with them and several committed to continue to read them. Oh how gracious the Lord is. Our prayer is that they will have a full knowledge of how much God loves them and what He sacrificed for them-His Son as He did for you and me. We love these boys and our hearts were so heavy leaving them and the tears were flowing freely but we won't be gone for long, we are already looking into going back next year, Lord willing.
Our team!
All I can say is that I am so blessed to have been on this trip with these guys. Corinne and I have been friends for a long time but nothing compares to what we just experienced together. She was a constant source of laughter, information and love. She was my right hand and I couldn't have done it with out her. Trey and Josh have become like sons to me, they even call me Mum #2. What amazing young gentlemen who love the Lord and serve with no hesitation. Their work ethic and joy for the Lord was evident for all to see, our modern day knights. People often have asked how could I take two teenage boys with me oversees? Easy to answer-the Lord placed them into my life for a reason, I would take them around the other side of the world again in a heart beat. I learned a lot from being with them. And then there is Emma. Seeing your own child grow stronger in the Lord and fall more in love with Him is a parents greatest joy. I have loved seeing how the Lord used Emma on this trip, to show love mercy and compassion to others, the be the silent prayer warrior (often she would just be on the side lines praying for our team) just because the Lord laid on her heart to do so. To being bold about her faith. I am one proud mama of three wonderful kids and a wonderful sister in Christ.
SKYE!
For years Pastor Scott and his brother Iain have been telling us about the beauty of the Isle of Skye and for years we have wanted to go. After every missions trip it is important to have a few days of reflection. To see what the Lord has done through us but more importantly to see how He has worked in us. What truths does He want us to learn, what areas of our lives do we need to surrender, how we can get to know Him more and serve Him with total abandonment. We had set aside less than 2 days to have on Skye and to be honest they were some of my most precious memories of my life.
Skye is breathtaking, awesome, amazing, beautiful, lovely-words don't do it justice. You can see the Makers hand print every time you turn your face. Miles and miles of untouched beauty, the colors of the grass and the trees and the mountains constantly changed, the views breath taking.
"Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad, let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord." (Psalm 96:11-13)
This is how we felt being on Skye, our hearts were over flowing with joy for the Lord. It is hard to describe the feeling of being up on a hill, feeling the wind in your face, seeing miles and miles of beauty and praising His Holy Name. The highlight of the trip for me was when we climbed this huge hill (think big) over Portree and seeing for the first time His Majesty and Splendor from above, taking in that the Lord created all this yet He cares about me and wants a relationship with me. WOW! While we were up on the hill, we had some of the sweetest prayer times, praising God for who He is, what He is doing in our lives, just a heart over flowing with praise and joy. No words can describe the moment, it will live with me forever. So needless to say, spending time in Skye reflecting over what the Lord had done over the past two weeks and praying about what is to come, was very special.
I could go on and on writing story after story, laughter and joke after joke but what I want to leave you with is how AWESOME our God is! I can't wait to open my Bible to see what he wants me to learn today, I can't wait to tell everyone about His goodness and provision, I can't wait to tell everyone about salvation and what it means to be a child of God, a christian. I can't wait to see the seeds that were sown, watered and hopefully soon grow. We had the best time in Scotland and I know this trip will stay with me forever. Praise Him from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures below, Praise Him above, ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. To Him be all the glory and praise forever more.
Kirstie
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