September 11th till October 14th

I realize it has been quite some time since I have had an update from Scotland. I apologize. Well not that is out of the way I will attempt to wrap my past month into a nice little email sharing what’s been going on in my life.
I got back to Scotland on September 11th. It was quite weird flying on September 11th and really didn’t realize until I was in the air what was going on. So I got back to Banchory and started to get into the swing of things with my job. As a reminder of what I am doing in Scotland, I am a youth worker for the Church of Scotland and more specifically two churches in Banchory. I work with a girl named Caitlin and Reverend Tony Stephens. We call him Tony. As a team we plan the Rock (middle school age youth group, about 40 kids show up each week) and the Edge (high school age youth group, about 15 kids show up each week) and a bible study on Sundays for Edge kids. We also get opportunities to work in the schools and be part of different Christian school groups. The one that Caitlin and myself are involved in is a group called 2020.
2020 meets every Thursday during lunchtime at the secondary school called Banchory Academy (equivalent to a 6th to 12th grade school). This group is cool for many reasons but some are because Caitlin and myself do not have to plan anything for it. It is also good because there is about half of the group that either go to the Edge or the Rock so we already know them and is awesome because we get to know the other half. There are on average 20 kids who go to 2020 each week. This is an improvement in numbers from in the past so the teachers who lead it are encouraged by the growth.
We just had a weekend away with kids and teachers from 2020 and it was brilliant. It was such a great time to hang out with the kids, get to know them a bit better, worship God and learn about Jesus, goof around and do awesome activities the camp offered such as; ropes course, archery and screaming fast zip-line. We also had free time for the kids to choose what they wanted to do and I was the “adult leader” in charge of the gym area, which was so cool. We took out some basketballs and shot around and messed about and I had a good time challenging the kids to try to steal the ball from me by which they were amazed (only cause they had never really seen anyone play basketball before, but it was cool). I spent the two and a half hour ride there in a mini bus full of 14-year-old girls singing songs at the top of their lungs. The ride back was quite different although the same girls were present. They were a bit worn out and ready for home and were very curious about how I pronounced different words and letters. The big hits were the letters h and z, they pronounce the letter h as haych and the letter z as zed. Weirdoes!
The first weekend I was back Scotland was playing France in football (soccer) and its not on regular TV and I wanted to watch it so a bunch of us went to one of the local pub called the Burnett. They had a big screen with a projector showing the game. It was good. By the time the game started the pub was full with people. If you’re talking about a real Scottish atmosphere your talking about what I was sitting in the middle of. Some of you might know that Scotland went up 1 to 0 and when that goal was scored the place went crazy. It was the most excitement I have seen anywhere. From then on every single thing Scotland did was cheered. The defense cleared the ball, the goalie collected a shot, and each pass received was cheered.
The next weeks were great planning the Rock and the Edge and Bible study. We were getting into a great rhythm and I was getting acquainted with what “normal” weeks looked like. Just about the time that happened my boss Tony took his allowed two week leave, leaving Caitlin and myself to do everything by our selves…well it wasn’t exactly but at times it felt like it. Tony and his wife, Fiona were expecting their second child so Tony took time off to be with their daughter of four, Erin and wife. It was great though because we didn’t have anyone to fall back on when we didn’t get something planned and couldn’t ask Tony to make things better if we messed up. While Tony was gone things may have taken a bit longer to plan or get prepared for but everything went well and was quite good for us to get everything out on the table and realize that we could do all the things we were being asked to do.
On Friday the 11th of October Christine (my host mom), Sean (my host brother, 17 year old one), Craig (friend from Banchory and driver) and I drove down to Edinburgh to do a variety of things. First we met Calum and Meg (my host brother (22 years old or something) and his wife (who is actually from Seattle)) at their flat (apartment) to hang out there for a bit. We also met up with Kate (my host sister (middle child)) and her, Christine, Sean and myself went to dinner. After the nice dinner we went back to Calum and Meg’s flat. Once we were all there we walked to the venue of our friend Steve’s band’s CD release party/concert. The concert was brilliant although not necessarily my favorite genre of music. That pretty much rounded out our Friday night.
Saturday was an early wake up call to eat some breakfast and drive to a field to play for Calum’s IM football (soccer) match. It was pretty boring for me during the first half being that I didn’t get in and even at the start of the second half I was a bit eritated to not get in. I think they had seen me warming up and realized my level of ability. Finally five minutes into the second half I was subbed in. Forward was the position I was told to play. There had been three passes my way and one where I had to fun hard to track down. I was getting into the game. Loosening my legs up and starting to breath hard and feel good. Some how our goalie got injured and couldn’t play on so Calum knowing I play a bit in goals yelled for me to put the gloves on and stand between the posts. I was semi-relieved to be in a position I knew so I put the gloves on and started to play. The other team was yelling, “Lets test him!” “Lets see what he’s got.” After being tested three times with shots on goal and me showing off my drop kick the other team’s tone towards me changed. I was asked to just let one go in and to not try so hard. With my response to all being a big smile. It was brilliant. The game ended and the score was 4-0, us. We shook hands with the opposition and thanked them for playing. My team basically jumped on me and told me how well I had played. It was really funny for me to think about how I had gone from being a bum on the team and the only one who didn’t get in the first half to being celebrated as a good player, and was asked to play in more of their games. The goalie on our team who got hurt was telling me that he thought he was out of a job. After assuring him that I wouldn’t be making the two-hour commute to play an IM football game every Saturday I gave him his gloves back and told him he still had his job.
Although that morning was heaps of fun the second half was about a billion times better. After getting washed up and got a bite to eat we made the journey from Edinburgh to Glasgow where the Scotland, Ukraine football match was being held. In the car were Ian (my host dad), Calum, Meg, Kate, Sean (all of who you should be familiar with by now) and myself. We got near the Stadium and parked. We got out of the van and saw seas of blue and white. I was pumped. What an atmosphere it was even just outside walking to the stadium. There were people with Scotland strips (jerseys), kilts and Scotland flags or scarves, singing and chanting already. We got in and sat down. That would prove to be the last time we would be doing that for the rest of the game. The electricity of the cheering/singing/chanting fans was incredible. I loved seeing how passionate this group of people was about everything Scottish. The national anthem was not sung it was shouted from within each and every one of those fans. The match started and like I said no one sat down and for that matter there was rarely silence. It was just nothing that I had experienced…ever. Scotland went up 1-0 early and we were shocked, amazed and ecstatic. The place went crazy. Everyone was jumping and cheering and going nuts. Shortly after that we scored a second goal. Again no one could have fathomed going up 2-0. Ukraine scored and that rare silence I was typing about was right after they had scored. The two Scotland goals were right in front of us because we were on that side of the field but the Ukraine goal was way at the other side and just eerie that they scored. We though it surely had to be off sides or something. There was no way Ukraine could score, but they did. They put it on the board. That was the first half. A brilliant display for the most part of what football should look like. The second half was fairly uneventful but was quite nerve racking because we were only up by one goal. That problem was solved when James McFadden, the same James McFadden who scored the only goal against France, scored Scotland’s third and final goal. The match ended and it was amazing.
We drove back to Edinburgh and had a great meal because it was Kate’s birthday the next day. It was a fantastic meal and a great time to just chat, eat and drink. We woke up the next morning (Sunday) and went to a church we had heard. It was a good service but started with the Preacher not using a microphone, so I thought he thought his voice was loud enough to full the sanctuary but later realized that the microphone was just out of batteries and got some new ones. It was amusing. We left the service when it ended and started home. One the way home we stopped at Rosslyn Chapel. Rosslyn Chapel is a 15th century absolutely beautiful church. Its recent claim to fame is being included in the book The De Vinci Code. Supposedly there was a big boom in visitation after the book came out. Funny what people are drawn to. We poked around there for a bit and continued on our journey home to Banchory.
That was the beginning to my two-week holiday (vacation). It was such a great start. Also on my holiday I went to Italy, specifically Florence and Rome. I will leave that story for another email being this one is absolutely massive.

Pictures from Week Oneish

First week in Scotland

It has been a very busy few days which have turned into a very busy first week in the
UK.

The first bit of excitement was when I was in airport in London. This was when I had to clear costumes as an outsider. For starters all the people I knew were all from the UK so they could stand in the European passport line where I had to stand in the line marked “others.” The line marked “others” as you may have guessed was not quite as long but shockingly enough it was moving significantly slower. So as my friends had all passed me in line and gone through without a bat of an eye I made my way to the front of the line. The man behind the counter told me to step forward and the first words he spoke after that was “used to snort crack and play tennis,” I immediately was flustered and though I was about to be deported back to the USA so I said very nervously, “no, no sir.” He went on the say, “well he use to.” I replied, “no, not at all.” At that point I remembered I was wearing a shirt with John McEnroe on the front. I then said, “yeah, yeah he probably did.” We then transitioned into a conversation I had anticipated and I was free to go onto Scotland. So the trip started off with a bang.

When I got to Banchory the first few days I spent with the Brodies. I know Pete from the mission trips that I have been on with UPC and the youth group from Banchory. This is because the family I am saying with now (Mechies) were still on holiday or what we would call vacation. I had loads of fun with Pete, we played football or what we call soccer each of the first two days. The first day we couldn’t get enough numbers to play on the Astroturf field they have so we played around in the park. The next day we had enough to go 6 v 6 and that was great fun. The funny/ stupid thing about it is that if someone wants to play on the Astroturf there is a fee. It is £20, which is equal to $40. Its crazy because there is a fee for everything dealing with sports. To play tennis it cost money and they have these trampolines that are meant for 10 year olds and under but those also cost money and then of course there is a fee for the Astroturf. On the second full day or third actual day I moved into the Mechie’s house. I have still not moved into the room in which I will be living in for the duration of the year but it is good to be in the house that I will soon call a second home.

That next morning we took off the Nairn, which is about two hours north of Banchory. The reason for the trip was because my friend Kyle Scott was getting married. We arrived in Nairn and went to Peter Chalmers’ grandmas house to get changed. (Pete stayed at my house in Seattle when we hosted the team from Banchory in 2004.) We all got changed there and went to the church. I was so delighted because I was able to borrow a kilt and all the other fixings so looked like an actual Scotsman. The wedding was different from any other wedding I’ve been too because it was a traditional Scottish wedding. After the actual wedding I went with some people to get a bite to eat and kill time because the dance part of the wedding was not till later. We returned to Nairn and were ready to dance. I love the traditional Scottish dancing. I know what its called but I would butcher the spelling. It was loads of fun and quite a workout. It was also really good to see Kyle. We were actually able to talk for a good ten minutes and catch up so that was good. Before I knew it the night was over and the band stopped playing and that was time for me to leave. Because it was a two hour drive we had planned on staying the night. Some people got hotel rooms but a few of us decided to sleep in the Mechie’s trailer tent. It had plenty of room and was great once we got the campsite and fell asleep. We woke up and went to Peter Chalmers’ grandmothers house again the next morning and had some brunch and saw heaps of people from the night before. After we were done there we made the journey back to Banchory. We got home and I had myself a little nap and then we went to Aberdeen to watch Transformers (not the good by the way). So today I was still a bit tired so I slept in till 12, woke up had a bite to eat and mowed the Mechie’s lawn. This was quite a bit different that cutting the lawn at home. They had an electric mower without wheels that was plugged into an outlet inside. So weird. But got that done we had another game on the Astroturf but this time the gate was left unlocked so we did not pay.

Today I woke up again at 12 and had some food and realized it was a beautiful Scottish day so a bunch of us took a 20-minute drive to a bridge to jump off and swim in the river below. I was really excited because I had jumped off a bridge when I was in Scotland before but when we got to the bridge I realized that this one was quite a bit taller. It was about 35 feet from bridge to water which doesn’t sound like much but its pretty high up there. So Pete the guy who I stayed with the first few days went off first because there is a certain place one must land or the jump could be fatal. So Pete went first and once he was out of the way I fallowed. I knew if I stood up on the ledge looking down I might chicken out so I got up and walked right off. It was very high up and the water was very cold but was a magnificent experience all together. That was the excitement for the day. When we got back home Sean (my host brother) and I played Golden Eye for Nintendo 64. it was a well rounded awesome day.

Prayer Requests

Prayer is powerful and such an amazing opportunity! It is a time where we as week humans can talk to the creator of the heavens and the earth and see how He feels about things and for us to ask things of Him because he loves giving us good gifts. So here is a place where I would love you to come in agreement and support me with prayer.

My Prayer Requests:

* For God to meet me and for me to draw closer to Him for this last few weeks before I head to Scotland.
* For God to prepare my heart for new changes in my life while in Scotland.
* For my time reading the Bible to be fruitful!
* To prepare for saying goodbyes.

Why Banchory?

A How it started was in the summer of 2004.team of young people and leaders from the Banchory Presbyterian Church came to Seattle for a mission trip. This was when I first encountered the charm that was the Banchory folk. Immediately I made connections and had a blast. Before I knew it they had left and I tried to keep in contact with people but it was difficult.

The second leg of this relationship between the Churches in Banchory and myself happened that following summer, 2005. I was not actually allowed to be on the trip being that I was a graduating senior from high school and the trip was for students who would still be with the Edge of Seattle the next year. Somehow I convinced them to let me go (in reality it was just me asking Jeff Aitken, he is the man!). So we arrived in Banchory and immediately I fell in love with the town. It was so great. I had always wished I lived in a small town and this was my chance to do that for two weeks. Everyone who I knew from the summer before had seemed to be so much cooler and connections began to be formed and solidified. Other than a few incidences including swinging from a kitchen counter because of the free feeling while wearing my first kilt and smacking my head on the floor or getting a forehead to the jaw because of winning a header in the Scotts vs. Statesmen at the Scott’s lovely home the trip was a marvelous success in so many different ways.

While there I fell in love with the town, the church,the people in and around the church and just got feeling of this could be a place that I might want to live for the rest of my life. All these things pushed me to try a great deal harder to keep in touch with the amazing people or should I say amazing friends that I made those past two summers. I even intended on returning the following summer to find a job and hang out although that plan never panned out in the end.

That following fall, one month into the second year of university I received a bebo (an online communication service much like facebook or myspace) message asking me to come work with Tony Stephen the Youth Pastor at the Churches in Banchory asking me to work with him for a year. When I read what he asked I instantly got so excited. I was so giddy but had no one to talk to about it that would really understand. Once that initial giddiness wore off I realized that I was in school. There was no way I could go. All these emotions came with one message on an internet site and most likely a half serious offer. At that point I responded to his message but did not touch on the offer. I began to pray about it (a lot!) and talked to people who I respected. Every day I would wake up and the only thing on my mind would be Banchory and everyone in Banchory.

After five weeks of praying and talking and really seeking for what God wanted for me and what he had on my heart I felt the tugging get stronger to go. I went in to talk to my school and see what could possibly happen with my schooling if I left for a whole year. The answers were exactly what I wanted to hear. Everything financially would stay the same; I would be able to come back without any sort of downfall. This was it. I found out from my school on Friday morning, the same Friday that I was going home to visit with my Grandma who was in from Illinois. I messaged Tony back telling him what the plan of attack was. I told him that things were looking so great and that I was going home and would talk to my parents about it. I got home and all that day I was looking for a moment to talk to them about it…. didn’t happen on Friday. I woke up on Saturday and was looking for a moment to bring it up…. didn’t happen. I woke up on Sunday and went to church and was looking for a place to bring it up…it wasn’t until we were eating lunch, my Grandma, mom and dad were at the table along with my little brother and it came out. One of the most awkward conversations I have ever had or at least the very beginning of it and after the first minute I just spilled it all out. It felt so good to get it off my chest. Both parents were stunned but in the end both were supportive of the trip. That was it! Nothing could stop me now. It was so beautiful; it was such a “God thing.” It was so great, it worked with school, it worked with family and it was something that God had put on my heart but did not ask me to go until I was ready (or maybe just a little more ready).

After that it was just a matter of time until I got all the documentation was filled out and my Visa was in hand. It was officially going to happen.