Scotland Children's Ministries

Fall Trip thoughts and prayer!

2010-11-12T09:09:00.002-05:00

This trip was to be my "Yes" trip! Meaning that without a group, i could say "yes" to everyone that i wanted to have some time with. Of course, we all know it does not really work that way; even with it just being Dustin Burnette and myself, sooner or later, you cannot say "yes" anymore! That point happened much quicker than i expected; we arrived on Saturday 30 October in the late afternoon, and by Monday, i was already having to say "no" to potential meetings and engagements to those i love and care for in Dundee! There are only 24 hours in a day, no matter how well it is organized, and no matter how good my intentions! Aside from not seeing everyone i wanted and needed to see, it was a wonderful week. So many people expressed Thankfulness to God and Blessings that Dustin and i were there with them, but they may not realize the Thankfulness and Blessings Dustin and i felt for the privilege and honor to be there in Dundee with them! I am inspired by the perseverance and faith of our brothers and sisters fighting the "good fight" against all odds, humanly speaking, in such "cold" places around the world and here at home. I Thank God for opportunities, big and small, to share and grow in this walk toward the light!
with HIS love and in Jesus Name,
ted

... and this is why we go.

2010-06-08T18:40:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning i looked at the poinsettia i have kept alive for five years and noticed the soil was dry. Giving the plant a much needed drink, a thought ran across my mind. This is why we go. Countless people bombard me with the same question upon my return - how many lives did you save? Posing such an inquiry would lead one to believe there is a score card somewhere in Heaven. Serendipitous event of a dry plant gave me the answer i have been rummage around for since i started traveling to Scotland. With a captivated audience eager for a response, i offered, "None, but we watered many."

i hold in my hand one of many rocks that became an involuntary contribution to my collection. Closer inspection of the treasure reveals crimson spots scattered about its surface and i cannot help but to envision this representation so boldly illustrated - the blood of King Jesus being spilled for these people. How many of these rocks litter the coast of Scotland as a reminder from the Saviour who loves them. No, it is more than a reminder. It is a desperate cry! A desperate, pleading cry from God who gave the ultimate gift and from His Son, who paid the ultimate price. All we have to do is pick it up and accept the gift.

Walking along the beach at Saint Andrews, a battle waged between the footprints i was leaving behind in the sand and the rushing tide. Eventually, the tide won and washed away all remembrances of where my size ten shoe had made its mark. i would go back and reinsert the print, but the outcome was always the same if i did not keep a constant vigil. Margaret Thatcher said, "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."

As i put away my passport until another trip on Take-A-Chance airlines, i am forced to ponder how long will our footprints last on the people of Scotland if the sentry’s diligence is wavering?

Thoughts from Scotland, Part 3

2010-06-02T22:22:00.001-04:00

Today was filled with many sites and sceneries of Scotland. The team went to Edinburgh, I did not go there so I will allow Blake Watson to share his thoughts on the place.
“Today was your traditional Scottish weather. Overcast with drizzles of rain all day long. We got up early and were in a rush to catch the train to Edinburgh. I cant imagine what Edinburgh looks like on a sunny day. It was marvelous. Huge buildings covering the city. We stopped by a little shop to get something since we missed breakfast, (I missed Rose’s cooking). Once we got to the royal mile you could instantly see the beauty and vastness of the Edinburgh castle which is said to be the safest castle in the entire kingdom. The castle stood taller than anything else I the entire city and probably most altitudes for miles. So lets just say the walk up to it was quite the mountain climb. When we reached the castle, we crossed the bridge over the once existing moat, and the first thing I spotted was two statues placed on the walls beside the castle entrance. The two statues were of William Wallace (and no, not Mel Gibson) and Sir Robert the Bruce. I knew then seeing that, I would find something of his inside. After exploring for a while I realized just exactly why it was the safest castle. The altitude gave you sight of everything all around you, along with about 700 cannons defending their fortress. One cool thing they did was turn several of castle rooms into museums. One of these is where I found my Robert the Bruce memorabilia and the amazing display of his kingship. One thing I cant forget is the display of the Scottish soldier who carried a baby on his back sack throughout an entire battle. After leaving the castle we hit two shops on the Royal Mile before eating at a four story McDonald's!”

The rest of the group that did not go, had some time of rest, and some more walking around the city. A couple of the group went with Bruce t the sports center where we played some indoor soccer, or as the Scots call it, football.

Around dinner time, the team met up at the Lochee Church for food and began setting up for the HUB night. The time began for the children to show up. Part of the team stayed in the sanctuary running through their parts in the drama, some went in the back to be praying, while the rest stayed in the game room to play with the children. After game time and having some snacks, the kids proceeded to the sanctuary for some dramas and games. The drama team performed some fantastic dramas, putting on a total of four sketches. Blake Watson then delivered the message for the evening. He spoke on choices and how they effect our lives. During the dramas and the talk, the children didn’t really act out to much and seemed receptive for the most part, which for kids is really good.

After the service was over, the group got together and had some time of sharing and prayer. A couple of members shared about some things they have enjoyed about the trip and how the Lord was working in and around them. It was a pretty good feeling to kneel before Jesus and talk with Him as a group.

Illuminations of Blake WATson

2010-06-01T19:47:00.003-04:00

Illuminations of Blake WATson

The Attic was an absolute BLAST! We went to pick up the kids at several different bus stops on my first lift on a double decker bus. The kids were so excited and we all had a super fun time. The two highlights had to have been young boys beating us in a soccer drill and when Eric Mills downed a can of Irn Bru in three seconds. I was only on my first gulp. After all the chaotic fun we did our silly dramas on Creation that the kids loved and then i spoke on choices. Somehow my shower story ended up in these. They were amused by the stupid American. We took the kids back after it was over and I broke out my £ 3 harmonica and started tootin' around with the kids. The Attics leaders, headed by Bruce, and us met back at Elim for tea and a discussion on how the night went. Positive! Positive! Positive! Yay!

-Blake

Thoughts from Scotland- Part 2

2010-06-01T19:15:00.003-04:00

Cup of Joe Grimm - Part 2

As God's Word said there is a time for everything, today was the time to begin laboring. The team arrived at Elim to help Bruce set up for the Attic. The Attic is a youth ministry that is held on Monday nights and whenever the children have a vacation from school or as they call it a holiday.

Upon setting up the stage, we sat down and had some tea. The team was split in half, one going to help the Attic and the other the Hub. The Hub is a youth ministry with leaders from Central Baptist and a few other churches, which is held also on Monday nights. The teams got together to go over and practice their dramas. Once done, they headed over to city center to have some lunch and had an opportunity to do some shopping in downtown Dundee. The team also had an opportunity to buy some Scotland souvenirs.

After a long day at city center, the Attic team went to Elim for dinner and the Hub team had dinner in Lochee. The Hub and Attic setup for their service is very similar, but unique in their own perspective. The team went to the Lochee church, had dinner and then began setting up for their service. Having the pool table, ping-pong table, and Playstations ready, the children began coming in. Having a bit of play time, that allowed the children to settle down and used up their energy. After words we gave the kids juice and chips to eat for a snack. Some of the drama students had a sketch prepared for the kids. Kelsey, Madison, Mandy, Sam, Steven, and Andrew performed on the creation of the world. The sketch was performed in a humorous way except toward the end when Adam and Eve were banned for the garden. After the drama, they had a question and answer session about the the Genesis account. It was the boys verses the girls, and the winner receiving a piece of Big Red gum. Big Red is quite a treat here in Scotland, since they do not sell it here. Ted then delivered the message on the account of Levi (Luke 5) and Jesus which was delivered extremely well.

After the talk, the group was split between boys and girls to play team games. Teams had a great opportunity to love and be a witness for Jesus to the kids. For some of these kids, it's the only love they will receive. As with so many inner city children, raised in broken homes, single parents, and walking the streets by the time they are seven, it is also the typical story for many of these kids. The Hub is truly a light for the Lochee area. After the service the team headed back to Elim to talk about tomorrow's schedule and then called it quits for the night.

- Joe

Thoughts from Scotland- Part 1

2010-06-01T19:11:00.005-04:00

Cup of Joe Grimm – Part 1

A lightly drizzling morning came as the team headed to Elim Pentecostal Church for worship and fellowship. The service started well with some worship songs focusing on the love and majesty of Jesus Christ. The team fitted right in with their Christian brothers and sisters in Scotland, as if they were regular members of Elim. After the time of worship in song, the team had a opportunity to introduce themselves individually in front of the congregation then followed was a small sketch by the drama team and a testimony from Mandy. Blake, Jody, Andrew, and Kelsey portrayed different ways some Christians “try” to pray. The sketch was humorous in ways, but at the same time convicting. Showing us how we as Christians come before the Lord in ways He did not intend us too. Kelsey’s character displayed how one should come before the Lord: real, honest humbled, and focused on God. Following the drama Mandy began sharing with us her testimony, a little about her struggles she has faced in life, and then how God came about in bringing her to salvation. Pastor Graham then gave the sermon. His main focus was on prayer and praise. How the both should be present in a believers life, and you will be “lopsided” in your walk if you only have one, common in your life.

The teams plans to go and have a picnic with some of the church members at the park was altered, due to the rain. But a member of the church named Rosemary offered her home as a place to eat and have fellowship! Her home was a beautiful, traditional home near the farmlands in Scotland. Going from where we were in the city to Rosemary’s house was like going from downtown Knoxville to Gibbs. No big buildings, traffic jams, or crowds, pastures of beautiful, wavy, green grass and traditional stacked stone fences. The food was awesome, having some traditional Scottish sandwiches, bread, crisps, and of course some Irn-Bru. After filling our stomachs we got to know our Scottish friends a little more by sharing stories and hanging out.
After relaxing the team headed back to Elim for a quick overview of the schedule with Bruce and then headed to Central Baptist Church for the evening service. Centrals sanctuary looks like a traditional 17th century sanctuary, with beautiful carpentry work behind the pulpit that reaches over 60ft to the ceiling. The worship was mixed with contemporary and traditional music, but all was glorifying. The associate pastor Angus spoke on the “Rich man and Lazarus”. His attention to the rich man being in hell really spoke to me about what we are doing here in Scotland. Many people are gonna be in hell like the rich man apart from Christ, so our work over here should be more motivating with that in mind. After the service we went downstairs to have some tea, and introduced ourselves individually to the members of central.

We went to the city center to have a late meal before we headed home. Some of the team had a opportunity to purchase food for some of the homeless setting in the streets, and ate with them while showing the love of Christ. It truly was a example of what Christ did when He was on earth, loving the outcasts of society. This Lord’s day has been truly fruitful for the Scotland Mission Team of Fairview Baptist Church. Great time of worship, fellowship, good food, and beautiful scenery. One could not ask for a better day.

- Joe

Dundee Update #5

2009-06-25T09:01:00.001-04:00

Hiya everyone!

Let's see here...my last update was nearly 2 weeks ago...so much for an email every week! lol

I'm going to have to get my calendar out to recollect everything!

Alright, so Dad made it back to the States safely, which most of you will know by now anyways...lol

Generally, the past couple weeks has been a bit more chill...just been helping Bruce and Carolyn out still, whether helping in the house with the boys, or going into the office with Bruce to work on Attic admin stuff. Both is fun!

The Thursday (11 June) after Dad left, I got to go on home visits with Bruce, which was good! We went around to loads of different homes in the Hilltown- he does 52 visits every week normally!! We had a late start tho because of a meeting, so only got to do about half of the visits that afternoon, and it was still loads! It's so cool how Bruce is referred to by the kids as "the Attic Man!" and he is known by loads of kids just everywhere. There was one home that we went into, a little girl named Paige and her mum's name is Silvia...and Silvia is a Christian! That was refreshing! She told me a bit of her story- there is a church in the Hilltown called the Full Gospel Church, and there is a man there named Ewan Gurr who gives food to folks who don't have any, and he just really loves and is on fire for the Lord. So last year, Ewan was on a prayer walk on some of the streets here in Dundee, and he prayed specifically for the building that Silvia lived in (I hope I'm getting this story right...), but apparently Ewan was feeling quite discouraged, and wondered if these prayer walks were doing any good...and considered quitting them. Not 5 minutes after Ewan returned to the church that day, Silvia showed up asking for food, and through that she became a Christian! She and Paige also attend the Full Gospel Church now...and its just a great thing...God thing!

We also had Fiona (blind and deaf friend) for lunch on that Thursday, and she had her wee 8 month old grandson along. We had a good time with Fiona as well, and she is always fun to have around...her guide is also named Fiona, and she comes along to church with blind/deaf Fiona sometimes, so that's a good situation I think!

On Friday night, the 12th of June I went to a wedding with Iain, and it was a BLAST! It had a ceilidh dance after it, so I was totally loving it, and loved that I knew the gist of basically all of dances, meaning I'm basically a local. haha

Saturday we went down to Glasgow for a "family barbecue" at Iain's sister Heather and Woodsy's house. That was a fun day with what I later realized was all couples- Heather and Woodsy, Alison (Iain's other sis) and Jamie, Andy and Julie, Catia and Johnny, me and Iain (the only unmarrieds), and then the one single person- Lucy, Heather and Woodsy's 2 and a half year old little girl. lol It was a fun fun day!

On Sunday I got to sing on worship again at Elim, then after church a few people went around to Sarah McGregor's for lunch which was also good...just fun fellowship with some fellow Jesus-lovers! =)

Monday night was the last Attic of the term before school holidays. The night went really well, but the Attic is really really lacking for leaders- so please pray for that. A few of the leaders have sort of fallen away from God...(or rather, a better way of putting it...they are perhaps chasing after wordly things rather than Kingdom things.) Anyways, please pray for God to supply leaders, and to bring back the others if that's His will.

Wednesday was Clanz, the teen gathering at Elim, and we basically hang out with teenagers for a while, make smoothies or hot chocolate, have a talk, and split up into a few small groups for discussion time. It's totally different sort of small group than to what I'm used to back home- my girls in mine and Misty's small group at Fairview are generally Christians...they've been mostly raised in church, but the majority of these girls that I've talked to at Clanz are lost (or a few are very young Christians, and/or sort of "get it."), and so it's a totally different scene than at home!

Also on Wednesday, I went to Home Fellowship with Iain at the youth pastor's house, and there was some intense discussion- there is a bill being passed that will make it ILLEGAL for any organization (including the CHURCH, which is basically what is being targeted) to discriminate against hiring homosexuals in the church......WHAT?! I think there is also a bill that would make it illegal to speak that homosexuality is wrong- I could be getting my stories mixed up here, but I think that's what it was...meaning it would be illegal to tell someone that being gay is wrong, including preaching it. PLEASE PRAY! The Church of Scotland has also very recently allowed a gay man to remain a pastor in the church......................

Here's what the guy who helps lead the Home Fellowship, sent out in an email, which better explains it than I did...

The Parliamentary bill, which will effectively remove our right to express Biblical truth regarding homosexuality, is in an advanced stage - please pray that this will not go through and sign the petition below - it will only take a moment!

Another Parliamentary matter which is very important to pray about at the moment is the equality bill, which will force churches to offer equal employment opportunities to everyone (except in teaching positions or positions of leading worship services), extending current equality legislation to cover sexuality as well as race/disability. Basically they are trying to force us into following their secular agenda.

Note - these are not just government plans - they have support from all the major parties! So it is even more important that we pray and act if we want to continue to have freedom to live by Biblical standards!

PLEASE PRAY...(...and America is undoubtedly not far behind I would imagine...?)

Moving on... One day last week, perhaps Tuesday or Wednesday (all my days are running together), I went on home visits for the HUB with Sarah B, which also went well...although loads of people weren't home, or just weren't answering the door. One home of a brother and sister named Tre and Morgan was terrible...the house smelled of smoke and some stinch, and I started coughing pretty bad...I've had a cough, but it was getting worse due to their house... Then another house we went to, the house was quite nice and seemed pretty well off, and the lady who was the child's guardian seemed nice enough, but dressed in mostly black, and there was a a witch's hat hanging in the entrance hall...not sure if this was for costume or what, but it seemed a bit alarming...so I prayed for the house when we got into the car. =(

Then on this past Friday night, Iain and myself, Alison and Jamie went to St. Andrews for dinner at a posh restaurant called The Doll's House, and it was really yummy!! =) They wanted to take us to dinner, so that was really nice! Afterwards we walked around the town for a bit, Jamie got an ice cream, then I got a coffee, then we headed back for Dundee and watched a movie at Ali and Jamie's.

Then SATURDAY! Fun day- we took Hub kids to a theme park called M&D's, just outside of Glasgow. So much fun! The theme park wasn't totally amazing, but the kids had such a good time, which was GREAT. Some of the kids have been to some cool places, but some have maybe never left Dundee, so it was such a treat for them! We were split into groups, with 2 leaders to about 8 kids, with a total of 35 kids that went. Iain and I had a group of girls, and they were so great. One of our girls was Morgan, which I mentioned above, who lived in the not-so-nice house. I went on lots of rides with the girls, which of course I totally loved, and one of our girls named Stephanie is 12, but she is really little...looks about 7 or 8, so she nearly always had to have an adult with her on most of the rides that she could actually ride, so me and Iain took turns with her. She took my hand once when we were walking...and she is just a sweet kid...minus saying the F-word a couple of times on the Ferris Wheel....lol (Okay, not actually funny.)

Alright, so Sunday I lead worship for the 1st time ever on a Sunday morning for a church! It was so fun, and I think God was using me! (Ok, I know He was...cause it wasn't me on my own!) I was really nervous, moreso at the thought of it all, but once we practiced for a couple of hours before church, it wasn't so bad. It's more of the speaking stuff that actually makes me nervous, than the singing stuff...I'm fine with the singing part! lol Simon Kennedy played guitar, Steven on bass, and Gary on drums...and Lindsay on vocals. =) We did Revelation Song, Hallelujah (your love makes me sing!), Surrender (I'm giving you my heart, all that is within...), Worthy is the Lamb, and a rocked out version of In Christ Alone! It felt like God was just flowing right out of my mouth...loved it!

So today is Monday, and I had a totally chilled out day today! Bruce, Carolyn, and the boys went on a wee holiday this weekend in a caravan south of Glasgow, so I had the house to myself for the weekend, and today I just hung out in the house. I cleaned up few things in the house a bit this morning, after sleeping til 11, and later went out and sat in the sun and started reading "Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claborne. (It's gonna be a good book!) The weather was amazing today, and it's still hot in the house just now! (Nobody really has air conditioner in the houses...it's not needed.) But today it was 75 degrees, and it's still about 62 right now...so quite warm for Dundee! I'm loving it tho, and I got some tan lines on my shoulders today, which is always a plus! =) Then tonight was the Hub, and Iain picked me up after work, we ate a frozen pizza at his house, then went to Hub. Last week was supposed to be the last one before summer, but they decided to go ahead with another one tonight, which I was totally happy about! So I'd say there were between 25 and 30 kids there tonight, and they had a bit more laid back night tonight- they showed pics from M&D's, then had a bit of extra game time playing volleyball over chairs in the big room- kids against leaders...I lost the winning point for us at the end! lol

Now I'm back at Bruce and Carolyn's, and they've just gone to bed, and I'm just away to mine in a few minutes...tomorrow I'm either going into the office in the afternoon with Bruce, or helping Carolyn out in the house- it's funny, as they sort of bid over me when decided who "gets me" the next day. haha

Alright, goodnight!
Thanks for reading the ramblings. =)
Linds

Dundee Update #4

2009-06-09T22:55:00.001-04:00

Hello all!

WOW. Even when you leave normal life in America and come live "normal" life in Scotland...it's STILL busy. lol So I am just now finding a few minutes to write out this email, and it has taken me two days to do it!

I'm not going to do a day to day summary, but rather a summary of the past 2 weeks- otherwise it would be more like an essay than an email. So I will give the highlights!

The American Team came over until this past Wednesday, besides my Dad who left this morning- and what a week! God is good... Our full team of 16 people was split up into two smaller teams, one working with the Attic Kids Club, and one with the Hub Kids Club. I was with the Hub team...so that is where my highlights come from. =)

The team arrived on the Sunday (24 May), and it was a full day of them almost literally hitting the ground and running (and on fumes I might add!). Monday was also a full day for the Hub team- we had a Fun Day during the day, as the kids were off of school on a bank holiday. I was a bit overwhelmed at first...the kids were not obeying or listening to anything I said, and were running around like a bunch of monkeys. lol It's funny now, but at the time, I was really struggling...however, Monday night through Friday night we had the Hub every evening, which was much much much better than the start on Monday! Every night began with the kids coming in at 7:30pm and hanging out in one big room where they could play games, or they could go into another room to do crafts, which we had a different one for every night. (One night we painted glasses, one night we drew pictures of things in God's Creation, one night we made bookmarks, one night we made salvation bracelets, etc.) Then the kids got a snack before going into the big room where the music was done by me and Adam Whipple, a drama or two was done, some tricks that gave visuals of the gospel by Darren, and then onto a God Spot also by Darren. The kids really enjoyed themselves in all of these things...especially dramas and magic and music with motions!

On the Tuesday night, I actually was not at the Hub as I went to a tribute service to Doug Haley, who most of you knew. =) He came over to Dundee for years and years being used for countless things for the Kingdom here in Dundee...and he's the reason I started coming over.

Wednesday night was a major highlight- long story short, God lead Misty to give her testimony at the Hub...and it was amazing. I was so proud of her, and God really really used her! He spoke right through her and to the kids... This event then lead to another major highlight... One little girl named Chantel who comes to the Hub, went up to Sarah Bertram at the end of Misty's talk, and said that what Misty had said was really sad. Sarah said, "It is sad, but it's okay now, because she has Jesus, and you can too!" (Or something along those lines.) Chantal looked back at Sarah and said, "But I do have him!" So come to find out...last year some of the kids from Hub were going to Teen Ranch, and at the last minute there was an extra space for Chantel to be able to go along as well. Chantel has a very bad home life like SO many of the kids in Lochee where the Hub is, but Sarah said hers is one of the worst she has seen. When Sarah and Catia went to pick up Chantel to take her to Teen Ranch, she had a crumpled up piece of paper in her hand that had John 3:16 on it, which she had received at Hub for the weekly memory verse, and she said that she could say the whole verse! Sarah and Catia knew that God was working in her life, and they prayed all week that God would move in Chantel at Teen Ranch. So on Wednesday, they found out that she HAD become a Christian a Teen Ranch that week!!! It was so great...and Sarah gets all teared up every time she tells the story because of how God moved in Chantel's life. I think she is only 12, so please be praying for her! Sarah and Catia went to visit her and take a her a Bible and Bible study, and her family aren't Christians...so it's going to be tough for this little one.

Another highlight was a girl named Stephanie, who is probably also about 10 or 12. She was asking a lot, of lot, of lot of questions after Misty's talk, and I think is very close to getting what this Jesus stuff is all about. =) (I was not in the conversations with Stephanie, so I don't have a lot of details...but God is at work in her, and that is such a big deal to have any of these kids responding to God!!)

I was amazed at these kids...generally the behavior was not too bad, but there were a few select kids, mostly boys, who were so hard...more like hard-hearted... It's hard to explain how they were, but basically LOST. They just don't know Jesus, and seem to rebel against it in ways.

One of our dramas of the week, we referred to as "The Screaming Girl," which was me...but probably better referred to as "Heaven's Gates." Basically a few people walk up to "Heaven's Gates" where the angel is standing, and it is announced by one of the angels that there has been a car accident, and they will soon be receiving some souls. As each person walks up the gates, the angel looks to see if their name is written in the Book of Life. Everyone's is, until the last girl, me, who then start to go ballistic saying, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY NAME IS NOT IN THERE?!?! .....WHY?!" And then as she starts to get violent, two angels carry her off SCREAMING and out two doors to hell. I literally screamed like murder....and at the end was shaking and just had to sit for a while and cry. That drama really gets to me...and just seeing how lost these kids are made it even more real...I think I did well by really trying to get into the part, but at the same time it wrenches the heart...

We also did a few other dramas...a variation of the Good Samaritan, the Everything drama, and a couple more I think.

During the day throughout the week, there were a few bits of free time where we did some sight-seeing, then we also got to go into a couple of primary schools to do assemblies! This was great, and the kids really seemed to enjoy it...even the teachers! Basically we can go in and say what we believe "as Christians" while presenting the gospel through songs, dramas, and a talk!

Also, this past Monday night, those of the Americans who were still here did the Attic, which was great!!

I think that summarizes the week pretty well....there is loads more that I could say...but I need to move on I think. =)

As it turns out, there has been a slight change in the plans of this summer...Attic Camps have been cancelled this year. (Did I already put this in my last update? I don't think I did...) Bruce and Carolyn have had SOOO much going on and they've been so stressed out, that they just need a "God-induced break" as I like to call it. There is also a leader-shortage, which makes it difficult to do camps...but the main thing is that they need a month off to just be a family and with God, and to get over the stresses of lately (for instance...their house has just been renovated, and the builders vanished and left their house in SHAMBLES)...so a break is much needed I think! I was pretty disappointed, but it seems that God is just taking me different directions this summer!

...Sunday at morning at church (Elim) I helped lead worship with Bruce...and it was amazing. It was not our hoarse voices (we were all at a big Christian Music Festival on Saturday called Frenzy, and everyone's voices were shot after screaming and talking so loud! lol) and it was not of our own doing...but it was Spirit-lead worship, and I don't think I've really experienced what I experienced Sunday morning before. I'm used to worship that is organized and we always know what chord changes will lead to the next song, etc, which is not a bad thing I guess, but today was just free worship...we sang unexpected songs, sang unplanned melodies and harmonies that just seemed to flow out of us...and it was just amazing...and it was GOD! That's basically all there is to say about it I guess...but I have been put on worship now for nearly every Sunday while I'm here...mostly singing with whoever is leading worship, but I'm also doing 3 Sundays of me actually leading...oh dear!

Last night was the Hub again, and it was really good! We had "Hub's Got Talent," and split the kids up into 6 teams to come up with a talent, then Dad, Catia, and I were the judges. Good fun! And the talents were funny too! Then after that, Dad did a talk about using our talents for God.

After the Hub last night, Iain and I went up to the Law, which is the highest point in Dundee. I just needed to be outdoors a little, and see the beauty of Scotland, which is all around, and literally up the street from Bruce and Carolyn's. I experienced something strange while I was up there though. As we looked out over God's Creation, from a mosque somewhere below, you could hear an amplified middle eastern sound of music in worship of a false god. It made me so sad, and I started to sing out a bit of worship to my JESUS over the city...however I'm losing my voice, so it was only for second, but it just made me sad. This city is right on the front line of a spiritual battle.

Anyways, so now I'm staying at Bruce and Carolyn's house, and yesterday I spent time with Dad before he left out this morning to head back home, and then today I've been helping Carolyn paint their bedroom. It's been busy, like I said, but so good, and I love living with these boys...Ewan was complaining that I've not been around for him to see...and yet I only moved in on Sunday night. haha He's like a little brother! (Although I do miss my real little brother back home like crazy!)

I think I have rambled enough, and although I've said so much, there is so much more I'm sure that I could have written. Please keep praying as I'm just trying to serve wherever I'm needed- even if its just painting walls. =) Also pray for Dad's safe return home as he is on a plane right now.

Thanks for listening/reading!
Jesus Bless!
Lindsay

better late than never...

2009-06-03T18:37:00.003-04:00

Hello Friends and Family, Brothers and Sisters,

Please forgive me for being so long in posting and update! Our schedule has been full since we arrived, to the point that i was becoming sleep deprived. With two separate teams working with 2 different children's ministries, every moment was precious. i was also able to provide much of our own transportation with church provided 15 passenger mini-buses; of which i am so thankful for!

God is so good! We all have been blessed beyond measure, and many seeds have been sown here. We have also been blessed with many opportunities to encourage and support the leaders and staffs of the childrens' ministries; which is so very important, since they have little and sometimes no support here locally.

We have also been blessed with unbelievably warm weather! This past week there were several days that broke temperature records for highs! In fact, i had never imagined seeing so many sunburnt Dundonians! Our team brought mostly cold weather clothing, and we ended up needing short trousers and t-shirts! It was a wonderful problem to have!!!

i could easily write a book on all that God has done here since our last trip, and all that He has done the past week. Here are a few pictures instead; there will be more...

with HIS love,

PS
i can't post identifiable pictures of the children under British child protection laws...
ted

All is well...

2009-05-26T18:56:00.002-04:00

Hello family and friends! Setting down at a computer to post a blog or pictures has proved to be very difficult. I did want to let everyone know that everything has been great here in Dundee, and all is well. The Holiday Club (VBS) at the HUB youth ministry has been wonderful. There has been about 30 children for each session so far. The ATTIC did not meet Monday since the schools were closed for holiday. We did have a memorial service at Elim Church Tuesday evening honouring Doug Haley. It was a beautiful time with so many of the people and children that Doug's love had touched in some way! There were some tears, but for the most part, it was a celebration of his life, just as the funeral had been back home in the states. On Wednesday we will be visiting a local primary school to do a 30 minute program during their assembly time. We will be sharing Jesus with the children, in the school!
with HIS love,
ted

the au pair...

2009-05-21T15:00:00.001-04:00

Hello all!

It's been a week since my last update...and I think that I am going to have a hard time remembering everything from every day...I have been quite busy though, and not really had a chance to write an email telling of everything until now.

Let's see here...I'll give you a summary of the week:

On Friday of last week, I didn't have anything required of me, so I had another long sleep in (it took a few days to get on the right sleep schedule...5 hours time difference from home!), then I got up and planned to go into town to a couple of places...but the rain was pouring and it looked so cold outside...just not a nice day. So I was lazy and stayed in the house until Iain got off work and came to Sarah's. We then ate at hers, just the two of us, because Sarah was going out, but pretty much just leaves her home open to us or whoever, and is so very hospitable! So anyways, we ate the leftover food from the Wednesday night, then we went to Iain's Auntie Sophia's so that I could meet her. She is not actually his aunt, but more of a grandmother who took care of him and his siblings a lot when they were children. She was lovely!! She is nearly 82 I believe, and such a sweet lady. I was wearing my wellies (rainboots) and she kept going on about how "smart" my Wellington's were!

On the Saturday...Iain and I went up to Letham (about 25 min north of Dundee) to his Dad and Kate's house. I had met his Dad on Wednesday, but had yet to meet his stepmom. It went pretty well though, and we ate and hung out with them for a few hours. (I'm not going to lie...I was pretty stressed out over this meeting!! lol) After that we came back to Dundee and had some chill time, before going back to Sarah's where we hung out with her, Alison, Jamie, and our friend Johnny (Catia's husband).

Sunday was of course church, and I went to Elim in the morning! It was so good...I got to meet some people in person, who I actually talk with quite a bit on facebook but had yet to actually meet! And also caught up with some folks I already know...I love it there so much! The sermon was great too...Graeme preached on tempation. Then after church, Sandy and I spent the day together, which was good! We went to a place called the Corn Kist for lunch, then we went to a place called Lunan Bay, which is a beautiful beach where there is also the ruins of Red Castle, which I had never noticed before. It was a fun day, altho I was still feeling the jet-lag, and seemed to be a bit "off" for much of the day. We had a good time tho, as always! After that I then went back to Iain's, and we went to church at Central. They have a new pastor which I had not seen before, and he preached a great message as well...which also touched on temptation, among other things which I can't recall at the minute! After church, I was craving pizza, so Iain and I were going to go back to his to make a frozen one...we walked in the house, and there sat his brother Andrew with two fresh Domino's pizzas!! I was so happy. lol

Monday started the real busyness! Bruce picked me up at quarter past 9 (no more sleeping in for me!!), and we headed to his and Carolyn's house where I got to play with the boys, and help take care of them. Poor Ewan has the chicken pox....so he was all spotted and not feeling that well! I also painted in the new spare room of their house for about 3 hours. After helping them for the day, I think I went back to Iain's for dinner, then we went to the Hub at 7. It was so good! I had never been before, and altho I felt a bit awkward at first since I didn't know any of the kids, I felt at ease as I saw a little face that I knew- a girl named Jody who went to Attic camps a couple of years back. She is a red haired girl with a freckled face and red glasses...and she is a sweet one. There are different things that the kids can do at the beginning, like playing pool, foozball, playstation, or doing crafts. I stood over at the craft table for the most part, and just sort of chatted with the girls who wanted to do that. A few girls made cards for one of the Hub leaders that his wife just had a baby the night before...they were so fun. After that the kids go into the sanctuary for the talk and learning of memory verses...which was also good. "I can do all things through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13," and "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10." If the kids could quote the verses, pretty closely at least, they were given a sweetie (candy), and they were pretty good! On the way to leave, one little girl who had some sort of learning or speech impairment, quoted one scripture from about a month ago, and Catia gave her 3 sweeties! Johnny did the God-Spot (talk), and he used the visual of a glass being full or empty to illustrate John 10:10, as well as showing a video that illustrated it well. We also played games at the end of the talk which was good...volleyball using chairs as the net, and a very badly inflated ball. lol It was much fun tho, and the kids seemed to love it!

Tuesday was back up and at Bruce and Carolyn's again for more painting, this time with Carolyn and Sandy, and doing some other things around the spare room as well...sanding, cleaning up plaster, etc! Ewan was even more spotted, and when they put calamine lotion on his spots...it sounded like he was dying!! He screamed SO loud(!!!), and its not even supposed to sting...poor guy! I helped out there for the day, then Sandy dropped me back off at Sarah's...where I got cleaned up to go out on visits to hand out flyers for the Hub activities next week! Sarah, Iain, Catia, a girl named Mary, and myself all went out to visit the homes. Catia, Iain and I went together, and some of the places we went were nearly shocking. We took turns going to the doors two at a time, so that we didn't bombard the door with 3 people. One home that Iain and Catia went to the door, the old guy was wearing 3 coats in his house, meaning there was no heat. One door that Iain and I went to, the lady that came to the door was as high as a kite... One multi (multi-story apartment building) that we went into, there was blood on the stair case. We told the janitor, and he said it was not blood but chemicals...but Catia is a nurse and she said that was blood. It was crazy...CHILDREN LIVE IN THESE PLACES!!! One little girl that used to come to the Hub has apparently gone missing...she ran away, and her mother doesn't know where she is. Catia also told me of another little girl who is only 8 or 12, I can't remember, but either way....her father and sister have both died, and her mum has been in jail for 4 years (I'm not sure if the two situations are related or not). It's just so sad the things that these kids have experienced already...at such young ages...things I've never experienced in my 21 years, they have experienced already! Despite the sadness of seeing such circumstances, it was good handing out the flyers and there were many good responses in regards to coming to the activities of next week! The rest of the American team will be over, and half of us will be with the Hub, and half with the Attic. The Hub team will have a game/fun day on Monday during the day, as the kids are off school, then every night from Monday-Friday the Hub will be on. Saturday there is also going to be a coffee morning for the parents to come along to, which excited many of the children's parents! Pray for a good turn out so they can hear about Jesus!!

Wednesday...was good! I went in to the Attic office with Bruce, and helped there with Attic stuff...I made the flyers for the home visits next week (advertising the Americans coming over!), and then Sandy was also in, and while I made the flyer, she did most of the other small jobs we were given to do, while Bruce was away at a meeting. After we were done with everything, Bruce was still not in, so we played a invigorating and nearly violent game of foozball! (I knocked over the coffee maker with my arm...lol) I had never really played it before, and I got pretty good! haha Bruce came back then, as well as Mhairi a few minutes later, and then we all ate lunch. Bruce, Sandy, and I went up the road to a butcher/bakery and bought our lunches...I had something called macaroni and cheese, that looked and tasted nothing like macaroni and cheese! haha I just got it because it looked good tho...it was almost like chicken and dumplings, except it had cheese and bacon/pork in it. After lunch, Sandy and I ran a couple of errands for Bruce, then back to the office, then we had Clanz, which is the teen night at the Elim church. It's basically for the kids who are too old to go to the Attic. It was so good! Mhairi and I were in charge of making smoothies with the new smoothie maker, which is a big hit! The teens just hang out for the first hour or so...Playstation, Wii, smoothies, and chilling out, then for the last hour or so, we watched a Nooma video (maybe some of you have heard of them?) that makes them really think...the one last night was about gratitude basically...and then we split up into groups and have discussion time. This was INTENSE for me. I sat with a girl named Eve, which I've known at the Elim for a while, and her two friends Holly and Tabitha. They are 12 years old, and Tabitha is EXTREMELY intellectual...to the point of talking about taking physics, and using big words and having deep thoughts. She is not a Christian...and as we talked about the video, I began to realize this in things that she said. At the end of the conversation of me trying to show what God means to me, and how thankful I am for the things He does for me...she clearly stated that she was not religious. I told her that I was not religious either...I just love Jesus. I said that Christianity was not religion. I asked her what she thought about Christianity, since she was at a Christian function, and she said she thought it was good....soooo. I am not used to hearing somebody blatently say that they are not a Christian...in most of my experience, it's been more of a case of thinking there were, when really they didn't understand or really get it, or had a marred idea of what it is...but not just outright saying they are not a Christian. It was fine tho, and hopefully she will keep coming back and God will soften her young heart to His love! She was a fun girl, and interesting to talk with! As the conversation was ending, Iain came in to pick me up, and later we went to Home Fellowship with folks from his church...this one is at the youth pastor's house, and it was really good! We (about 14 or 15 people) ended up discussing discipleship for about 2.5 hours...what it is, what it should be, how it needs to be better implemented, how some people aren't getting it, how some people can't find it...etc etc. It was a good night of talk and fellowship.

Today, Thursday! I got a text from Bruce last night saying I didn't need to come in until 12:30 today, so I got to sleep in!!!!!!! lol I slept til just before 10, and then got up and Sarah and I had bagels and coffee for breakfast, and chatted til we were too late for her to take me into town before her work meeting, and she instead drove me to the bus stop where I got a bus into town! I then walked to the Elim, and Bruce came and picked me up and dropped me off back at their house. To sum up today, I hung the laundry out to dry, moved all of the books from a bookshelf, to a different bookshelf in the spare room, helped take care of the boys, mainly Arran (the 6 month old) for the first part, then later I took Aidan and Ewan to the park for probably an hour and a half. It was so fun! Ewan took his bike and Aidan made me carry him for much of the time. lol Most of our time was spent sitting and watching these skater guys skating in the skate park...it seemed the boys were totally mesmorized by this! Then they got tired, whiney, and hungry, and we eventually made it back up to the house, with me carrying Aidan and pushing Ewan's bike for part of it too! (it was probably a mile walk...much of it uphill.) Carolyn said I did pretty well being out that long with them! Haha...I totally loved it tho. I think I have become their au pair (Fancy French word for babysitter...lol)! But if God has brought me here to simply help out around the "White House", and taking care of 3 amazing little boys...I am totally ok with that! =)

So now I'm back at Iain's writing this, and he is in the kitchen cooking me a surprise dinner...even though I clearly see that it is pasta involving bacon since I started cooking that part of it before he even got home. haha...it surely smells divine tho!

Tomorrow I'll be at the White's again, and Saturday Iain and I are going on a date! We realized a couple of nights ago, that although we've seen each other quite a bit in the evenings...we've not really had any time to ourselves, so we've planned time this weekend, which will be great. Tonight we are going to pick up Adam Whipple at the train station, and then the rest of the American team gets here on Sunday morning...yay! Please pray for a God-guided and productive week to come. I'll email more later!

Thanks for reading all of my ramblings again...hope they are entertaining. =) I'll try and send out an email of pictures in the next couple days, so you can sort of get a visual!

Jesus Bless!
Lindsay...the au pair.

"Secret Millionaire" filmed in Dundee...

2009-05-19T11:08:00.000-04:00

i am here...

2009-05-14T10:07:00.001-04:00

Hello all!

I made it to Dundee safely, on time, and I am in possession of all of my luggage! Praise the Lord!!! The flights went well, I made it through Dublin with time to spare, and arrived in Glasgow Airport in good time. Thanks for the prayers!!

Yesterday was a bit of a chill day. Iain picked me up at the airport and we went by his sister's house (in Glasgow) for a quick cup of coffee, then headed up the road to Dundee (about an hour and a half to two hour drive). It was so wonderful to be back with him...and feels totally normal. =)

To sum up the day...we just chilled out mostly, I took a much needed shower (haha...you're just sort of gross after that much time on planes!!), ate some lunch, got my cell phone in order for over here, and just walked through town a bit. We also stopped by Iain's Dad's work, so I met him...and he hugged me! I didn't really expect that, so it was a nice meeting! On the way back up the road to Iain's house, we passed the Elim church, and I noticed that Sandy (one of my best friends in the world...) was walking into the church, and I went totally bazurk with excitement! Iain pulled in to the church, I jumped out, ran in and just sort of jumped into the room where Clanz (teen gathering sort of thing) was being held. (I had no idea that Clanz was last night...we were just driving by!) Anyways...everyone was so excited to see me, and I was so excited to see them! They screamed, especially Sandy and she PICKED ME UP and spun me around!!! hahaha I loved it! So we stayed there for a few minutes and chatted, then went on to get my things from Iain's house, and head to Sarah Bertram's house! I'm staying with her, but we also went to have tea (dinner) with her, Alison, and Jamie. (Alison is Iain's sister, and Jamie is her husband.) It was fun and we ate outside...and I was freezing, but for May in Scotland...it was pretty nice weather! lol

So today I had a long lie (I slept in) and then got up and had breakfast with Sarah, then we both got ready and she drove me in to town to the Attic Office where I met up with Bruce and Fiona (she is the blind and deaf lady from trips past!). I spoke with her for a few minutes while Bruce went and got the van. ...I have not talked to Fiona since last summer, so I am having to use a paper with all of the hand signing on it to remember how to speak with her again! But it is coming back quickly...thank the Lord! I just love her so much...she is so fun to be around. Sometimes you can't help but laugh tho, because when we sign into her hand, she can speak verbally back...but she speaks very loud at times, so it's as though she is yelling at you! lol But she is such a fun lady, and we get along great together! She loves spending time with people, and she loves when people can speak with her!

Bruce and Fiona and myself then went back to Bruce and Carolyn's house where we had lunch. I finally got to meet my newest little brother Arran! =) He's sweet! I played with him for a bit, and he also spit up all over me! haha He's only 6 months old tho, and I feel myself becoming motherly...because this didn't bother me at all! haha I cleaned him and myself up, then Aidan wanted me to play on the trampoline with him! So fun. I love that those boys never forget me, even though I'm gone for months and months at a time. Aidan is 3 years old now...and I've known him since he was 12 weeks old, so I love watching him and the others grow with each trip over! Ewan was at school today, but I am anxious to see him in the next few days as well!

I had a chat with Bruce...and he said that he might have me helping Carolyn with the boys and with the house more over the next while, more than actually working in the Attic Office (they've just TOTALLY remodeled their house...new bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, stairs...total renovation...not to mention the new-ish baby!). I told him that wherever he needed me to help (and the team) whenever we are over, is totally fine...that we are here to help lighten THEIR load, whether that is working with the Attic or digging ditches in the yard (a team helped them with that once before!). So I'm looking forward to spending more time with them and helping them out. They really do have their hands full...so many ministries and three kids of their own now! So please pray that my hands will be helpful! I also volunteered Iain and myself to watch the boys so that Carolyn and Bruce can just go hang out together!

So now it's mid afternoon on Thursday...and I am at Iain's house as I am writing this. He and his brother are both at work, so I am just chilling out here for a while, and later I think I might go watch him play football. I'm still quite tired from all of the traveling, and I don't really have much to do today...the busyness will start next week I believe!!

I think I might go clean the kitchen now...and be a good girlfriend! =)

Thanks for reading...sorry for rambling! More later. =)
Jesus Bless!
Linds

2009-05-13T05:31:00.000-04:00

Hello my brothers and sisters in Christ!

It is finally time, yet again, for me to write to you about the plans for another summer in Dundee, Scotland!

First off, for those of you who received the email updates from last summer...I have just reread the last one that I sent to you, and it set me on fire for that city even more. I asked you in the last email to please pray for the future plans for this summer, and I thank all of you who prayed! The plans are falling straight into place: I bought the plane ticket about 5 months ago (all paid for!!), I think that I have enough money to live on this summer (I am trusting that whatever God provides financially will be enough...He knows what I will need!)

I leave on May 12th, and I'll be staying in Dundee until August 22nd. Can I please tell you just how excited I am?! =)

This summer will be different that most, however, as I have even more reasons for returning. Of course, my main reason to return is to work with the Attic Kids Club, and also the Hub Kids Club, working with the inner city kids of Dundee. I will also get to work with some of my amazing friends there- to encourage and work alongside them...for the Kingdom! I pray that God will do great things in me and through me! (Please pray for that too!) I will again go to summer camps like I have done for the past two years, and I will also get to work with a team from my church (Fairview Baptist) that is coming over for just over a week on May 23! I am so excited about that, as I've not gotten to serve with a team from my home church in 3 years!!

Also, If you know me well, or remember my last update from 2008, you probably know or remember that God put an amazing man named Iain into my life last summer...well he is still in it! We are actually seeking God about wedding plans for the summer of 2010! Much of this summer will be spent with him too...when I'm not doing ministry stuff (like in the evening and such). He has come over to TN twice since I was last in Dundee, and I have never experienced anything so amazing and so founded on the Lord. God is our Everything and our Rock! It will be amazing to live in the same country for 3 months, seeking and serving God together in the same place. rather than 3,860 miles apart like every other day of the year! Please pray that God will grow us in HIM this summer!

Anyways...I will continue to update you on things in Dundee throughout the summer, and if any of you do not wish to receive this email, or if you know someone who would like to receive it who doesn't already, please let me know! I love sharing the summer with you! And I will try to update at least once a week, if not more! There will be times where things are really busy, and time when things aren't, so at times there may not be much to update, and at times there may be more than I can write about...but I'll do my best!

Please pray! I leave today at 3:33pm out of Knoxville, and then I go to Chicago. From there I'm going to Dublin, and when I arrive there I realized that only have ONE HOUR to get thru customs and on to my next flight- PLEASE PLEASE pray that I arrive early to Dublin (which is likely) and that I don't miss my last flight to Glasgow...I'm really nervous! But I know God is in control.

Thanks so much and Jesus bless!!!
Lindsay Reed

2009-04-29T05:21:00.006-04:00

Please pray for the next mission team to Dundee, Scotland; here is the team list and each person's travel dates...
*Lindsay will be in Dundee over 3 months.

Ken Arnold (Sat 23 May - Sat 30 May)
Shawn Fritz (Sat 23 May - Wed 3 June)
Misty Gelhar (Sat 23 May - Wed 3 June)
Mindy Grimm (Sat 23 May - Wed 3 June)
Heather Haley (Sat 23 May - Sat 30 May)
Stephen Jackson (Sat 23 May - Wed 3 June)
Eric Mills (Sat 23 May - Wed 3 June)
Kendra Munsey (Sat 23 May - Wed 3 June)
Diane Lyle (Sat 23 May - Wed 3 June)
Jessica Petre (Sat 23 May - Wed 3 June)
Lindsay Reed *(Tue 12 May - Sat 22 Aug)
ted reed (Sat 23 May - Tue 9 June)
Kelly Shumate (Sat 23 May - Sat 30 May)
LeAndra Shumate (Sat 23 May - Sat 30 May)
Steven Shumate (Sat 23 May - Sat 30 May)
Adam Whipple (Wed 20 May - Wed 3 June)
Darren Williams (Sat 23 May - Wed 3 June)

2008-10-15T19:40:00.002-04:00

Tonight there were 25 kids at the regular HUB Monday night meeting! Many of the children tonight were new, as several of the regulars from last weeks VBS/Holiday Club could not be there. It was a fantastic evening, and the HUB staff seems extremely encouraged. All the kids wanted to know if the team had gotten home safely (yes), and were very vocal about how much they miss them. One boy, about 12, was sitting alone during game time; he looked sad. i sat down beside him and ask what might be wrong? He said nothing, then ask me what day i was leaving. i told him, and then he said, "do you have too? do you have to go?"
i managed not to cry just then...

Tonights "God Spot," as they call their lesson time; was the ten commandments, the new command that Jesus gave us (to love others as He loves us), and the greatest commandment- to love God with all our heart. We talked about how much God loves us, and how he showed that Love through Jesus.

Worship music was the high demand item of the evening; not refreshments, not games, not crafts - the kids wanted to sing praise songs! It was beautiful, especially when kids who have never even been to church, were raising their hands in worship during the song "Awesome God!" All of the kids from last weeks VBS remembered the hand motions to "Lord I Lift Your Name on High!" It is a wonderful song to teach the children the basic story of Jesus. The chorus repeats several times. This was the most requested song for tonight, and for all of last week.

Lord, I lift Your name on high
Lord, I love to sing Your praises
I'm so glad You're in my life
I'm so glad You came to save us

Chorus:
You came from heaven to earth
To show the way
From the earth to the cross
My debt to pay
From the cross to the grave
From the grave to the sky
Lord, I lift Your name on high

Thank You JESUS!
--

The American team is safely back home now. I am in Dundee until Saturday night (the 18th), flying out of Glasgow Sunday morning. The remainder of this week i will be visiting with friends, loved ones, and hopefully more of the kids. Friday i am honored to attend a traditional Scottish wedding, which lasts most of the day. Please keep praying for the children of Dundee...

Day 5

2008-10-14T19:44:00.001-04:00

Michael, about 12 years old, accepted Jesus this morning! Please pray for him and the follow up, he was not back tonight.
It was an emotional last session with the kids, with lots of tears from the children and the adults! Several of the kids brought us cards and gifts.
with HIS love,
ted.

Day 4

2008-10-09T19:44:00.004-04:00

It has been another wonderful day! This morning there were 15 kids (not totally sure of that number), we divided the boys from the girls and had a deeper talk on a relationship with Jesus. The questions some of the kids ask were intense, they have been exposed to so many lies!

We also did a serious drama that we had practiced for weeks prior to our trip, it is called the "Everything" drama. It portrays a teenage girl literally walking hand-in-hand with Jesus, then being distracted away from Jesus by money, drugs, drinking, etc. The entire time she is drifting further and further away from Jesus, He is trying to draw her back, but the evils (portrayed by people) stand between her and Jesus. In the end, just before committing suicide, the girl calls on Jesus...

Hopefully you can view a You Tube version of this drama yourself at: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA or search You Tube for the "Everything" skit by Lifehouse...

Many of the kids AND the few adults that were helping us this morning seemed impacted by the performance! Two teachers (it is fall break here) that were there helping us appeared to be crying.
We performed the drama again tonight, and God used it again, even with many of the kids being the same as the morning session! It was beautiful. You could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.

During both sessions today, several of the children were asking when we would get to sing the worship music, they were even requesting songs! Four of the girls told us they had found some of the songs on the internet and been listening at home. One little boy kept asking for the song "Awesome God," (by Rich Mullins) we have been playing the Michael W Smith version that is simply the chorus repeated over and over.

This boy comes from a very poor, rough home. He is dirty and smells. He is rowdy and can't sit still. When the music played, he walked up to the front of the sanctuary, stood in awe as he gazed at the words on the screen, and did not move the entire song (4 min 40 sec)! His stillness and awe was one of the most beautiful pictures of worship i have ever seen...

Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom power and love
our God is an awesome God

Day 3

2008-10-08T19:11:00.000-04:00

Today was incredible! We had 13 in the morning session. The kids were asking questions today that made it obvious the Holy Spirit is moving on their hearts! After the early meeting we went visiting families of the children to try and minister to them and promote the bowling party the HUB sponsored tonight. There were 36 showed up to bowl!!! Many of the kids that came tonight had never bowled before. We met a young girl today on home visits that said she would bowl tonight, she showed up with a friend; both girls (about age 12) want to attend the VBS/Holiday Club tomorrow. I am sure all the team members have their own stories to tell from tonights adventure (we have not swapped praises yet, we finished late), but the 2 girls were both in my bowling group of 6 children; i had just met the one today during visitation, and when she saw me tonight - she came running with outstretched arms and gave me a bear hug! Her friend quickly took to me also, by the end of the first game she was sharing her milkshake with me and told me "i was her new best friend..." There is so much more, but it is midnight here! All Glory to God and Thank You Jesus.with HIS love,ted

Day 2

2008-10-07T19:13:00.000-04:00

There were 10 children at the AM session, and 23 at the PM! Both meetings were incredible, with more new kids showing up every day. During the morning session after the music and a drama about standing before God after our death, a young girl (about 12 or 13) called me aside. Her name is Nadia, and she is very strongly opinionated. She told me that she was an atheist, and that she had not wanted to attend and "hear all the God stuff!" But she had decided to check it out with her friends, and that she liked it! Nadia said that she especially liked those songs we were singing (very upbeat & fast). As the kids were leaving the morning session, some of them were still singing the songs to themselves (No one like you , and Lord I Lift Your Name on High), including Nadia! Thank YOU Jesus...with HIS love,ted

DAY 1

2008-10-06T19:42:00.000-04:00

Today was a fantastic first day of VBS (Holiday Club) here in Lochee, Dundee. Seven children made their way to the first (10:30 AM) session this morning, even though they could have slept in for the first Monday of their fall break. We had some fun & games, started learning some songs, watched some illusions and tricks, enjoyed a drama, had a Bible story, started learning to pray, and of course refreshments with the children! I was happy to see a girl and a boy that i had met on previous trips.

The evening (7:30PM) session was amazing! There were 19 children; who played video games, pool, air hockey, fooseball, ping-pong, and other assorted games and refreshments for the first hour; and then the second hour was worship music led by two talented young Christian ladies from Dundee University (Vigil & Magdalena), a simple story about God's love, and a video from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, that they graciously donated and permitted us to show publicly called "Graffiti." Please watch the video yourself at www.passageway.org (i have watched it about 20 times! i love it!!!)
We had the video on the big screen in the old church hall, with the music very loud - to the point the kids could not talk over the beautiful, easy to understand, modern Gospel presentation of Salvation! There was even one of the children's dad that stayed the evening and also heard the Gospel of Jesus.

I must give thanks to God and our hospitality families for the wonderful meals we have had, especially our dinner this evening! We had a huge, delicious Italian meal served by a couple from Central Baptist Dundee; with fresh flowers, crystal stemware, etc. I nearly cried when i saw the spread of food they had prepared for us, complete with 2 homemade desserts - both heavenly. The couple and their daughter served us and the HUB team as if we were royalty! Their act of love for us was overwhelming to me...

Thank you all for the continued prayers and the wonderful emails of support! You cannot imagine how much that means to us.

with HIS love,
ted

we are here...

2008-10-05T02:40:00.001-04:00

We had a very warm (even though the weather was frigid) reception at the Dundee train station Friday afternoon; about 10 people from the 2 churches we work with here were waiting on us when we arrived! It was so exciting to see them that we stood outside hugging and chatting for nearly 30 minutes in the bitter cold.
Saturday was very productive in preparation for the VBS that starts Monday. Most of us slept late this morning since we had not slept in 30 hours or more getting here. We did some set up and tried to familiarize ourselves with the facility, and then handed out 100's of leaflets advertising the VBS (Holiday Club) at a large grocery store less than a block away from the old church building where we will meet each day. We also handed out leaflets to the surrounding neighbors. The HUB team from Central Baptist Dundee that we are working with, had distributed nearly 1000 leaflets this past week!!! Saturday evening we had some wonderful fellowship and fun with the HUB ministry team, enjoying a meal together and then playing games for hours!
There is a picture of downtown Glasgow just before we entered the train station to catch our train to Dundee. Michal talked to a young atheist on the train about Jesus! Every member of these teams has been absolutely amazing, i am honored to be here with them...
with HIS love,
ted

Dundee Update #4. The Finale.

2008-08-10T00:15:00.000-04:00

Dear friends,

I am back in America now and thought I had better send one last update, at least for this year!

First off, let me begin by saying that this summer has been beyond what words can describe. When I am asked about the trip, I am never sure what it is that I should say- so much has happened! And when I am asked that question...I feel that the answers that I have given have not been adequate. Maybe my answers have not given God enough glory. Let me try with this.

On this trip, I learned what revival is and what it can mean in a city. Revival is not a term that we should use loosely. Revival is not a week-long church event. Revival is an awakening in the body of Christ. Revival is something that we should all be praying for in the current situation of our world. Duncan Campbell once said, "Revival is a people saturated with God."

"I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you." Revelation 3:1-3

Bruce White said in his talk one Sunday at church... You can't revive something that is dead (the lost). You can only revive the Christians- wake them up- then God's presence will leak out of their lives to the lost. Revival is for the church.

Revival. Why? We need it. We can't create it, but it is something that must be prayed for. We need a vision for it. Revival is an awareness of God, sweeping through a place and a people..."Revival is a moving of God in the community, and suddenly the community becoming God-conscious, before a word is said by any man representing any special effort." -Duncan Campbell.

Revival was a huge part of what I learned, and of what is being prayed for in Dundee. Graeme (the pastor at the Elim Pentecostal Church) and Bruce have been praying for this, and are encouraging others to pray for this for Dundee.

I could go on and on in telling you what revival is...but this video link will tell you so much more. Please watch it...at least some of it. It is about 30 minutes long, but it will tell you what I am trying to explain!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwbps9k5Dj0&eurl=http://www.facebook.com/home.php

Next I would like to give a little bit more of an explanation of what the "mission field" or ministry in Dundee is like.

Dundee is different. Scotland is different. It may be civilised and it may have strong culture and deep ties in religion and the history of the church, but much of it is just that- history. Scotland may not look that different in pictures...the people may not look that different in pictures. But they are. The atmosphere is different...it is not our "Bible Belt" and it is not a place where the love of Jesus is running rampant. I have many Christian friends in Dundee, but they are a rarity. I picture it like this- you have the muslims, buddhists, eastern religions that are rising up in the world, in Europe, and I see the United Kingdom as being the front line of a spiritual war. My friends, the Christians in Scotland, they are on the front line of a spiritual battle. I picture myself, and the others who go over to Dundee for a "mission trip"...as reinforcements. We are being sent in to back up the others in the battle. And whether that be going out into the streets to evangelise, or whether that is working with the Attic, or whether that is working with the Hub, or Nightclub Outreach, or 18+, or going into schools, or asking someone to lunch so that you can love on them for maybe just 30 minutes out of their day, or encouraging the Christians who are already there- it is ministry. I for one, feel that my main ministry is lending my friendship and encouragement to my friends there. Some people would say that this is not a mission trip. That is fine, and I can see the assumption in that. However, if you are living in a country, a city, that is spiritually cold where there is not much encouragement- maybe it means the world to you when a friend travels 4,000 miles to spend time with you, to have fun with you, to love on you, and to listen to things that you are not able to tell anyone else. Maybe encouragement is a mission in itself.

Jesus calls us to "Make disciples of all nations..." Disciples. Yes, spread the Good News, but make disciples too. Disciples are the ones who are already Christians...disciples are the ones who need the encouragement and nourishment to grow. In one of our nightly Bible lessons at camp, that was done by Kate Kay, she spoke of the story in Luke, in which the friends of a paralyzed man, lowered him through a roof into the room that Jesus was speaking in. To illustrate this, she had a group of the kids try and pick up Bruce to show them what the man's friends had to do just to get him to Jesus. She emphasized in this story- the friends taking their friend before Jesus. I think that is a good example of friendship and encouragement- just taking your friends to Jesus. I was given the opportunity to pray with a few friends while I was there, and at least one of those being on a weekly basis (or more)...so this is what I picture as taking your friends before Jesus.

Something that I learned in a Bible study that I was recently a part of, is that when you become a Christian, Jesus comes into you to live out His life THROUGH you, IN you, and AS you. Basically, in living your life (in submission to God), Jesus is given the opportunity to live through you and on to others. Living your life: going to where life takes you, doing what life takes you to do, crossing paths with the people that you come across- Jesus lives out of you in all of these. So when I go to Dundee, maybe it does not appear that I am out grabbing people and screaming in their faces, "BE SAVED!" But by just living there for a little while- letting Jesus live through me, in me, and as me...my life is in turn a witness to people. Spending time with people there- whether they are already Christians, or whether they are lost as a goose, living Jesus in front of and to them...shows them something that maybe they have not seen before, and will notice, and maybe it will be something that they will want.

So Dundee is probably not what you think of as the typical "mission field" like Africa, or the jungles of South America, or third world countries, but it IS a place where people need to be loved with some Jesus-love. And if a few of us can go from a little town in Tennessee to a city in Scotland to give someone a hug, buy someone lunch, hang out with someone for a day, just to give them some attention and show them that someone cares- so be it- it's a mission. A big part of the ministry in Dundee is in the relationships being built with the people that we know there. Relationships take time...that's why we keep going back. I could give you accounts of loads of kids that I've seen grow up in only the 3 years that I have been going over to Dundee...and families that I have known...and the changes in people (for good or bad), the friends that I have made, the closeness that I have with a few select people there, etc etc the list could go on- in saying that, my point is, after those people get to know you from trip after trip- and you tell them why you are there (to spread the love of Jesus, because God has given you a heart for Dundee, because you love them...etc etc), they start to see something different in you. It takes time.

(Another quick example of the difference in our countries... Upon my mentioning listening to Christian radio in Tennessee, my friend Sandy seemed almost shocked at this idea! Apparently the idea of Christian radio is quite far-fetched for her!)

I guess that begins to sum up what I am trying to say about Dundee, and if it has been too "in your face" I apologize- God has struck something in me over the past few days, and I felt as though I needed to share my heart!

Onto other things now- I just want to share a few highlights that have really stuck out to me about this summer.

The first week and a half was spent doing some administration stuff in the Attic office, some of the "behind the scenes" stuff, I got to go to the teen's cell group twice and spend some time having fun with some teenagers, I was able to attend a couple of different cell groups...which was greatly encouraging to me! Also in this time I was able to spend time with Fiona, the blind and deaf lady that I spoke of in past emails. When we prayed with her and over her, she saw flashes of lights in her eyes, and when we prayed for healing for her eyes and ears- at one point when we spoke her name- she said, "WHAT?!" She is DEAF...can only hear faint noises. She answered us. We do not think that she is a Christian yet- but God is DOING something in her life! I was also able to go on some home visits in this first part of the trip- go into some homes with Bruce and spend a few minutes with the families of some of the Attic kids...most of which are rough to say the least. I also got to help out at the Attic office by painting the Attic logo on the outside of the office.

The 2nd and 3rd weeks were Attic Camps...definitely the highlight of the trip! 2 weeks non-stop with kids, night and day. Stressful- but worth it! (I already wrote quite a bit about these two weeks in past emails, so I will just leave it at that in this one.) The weekend in between the two camps was my friend Lisa's wedding, which I got to sing in! That was a wonderful weekend! I was also able to share Jesus with a lady during the wedding reception meal. I was talking to her as though she were a Christian, then it hit me- don't assume. So I asked her if she was a Christian, and all tongue-tied she told me that she was, but probably not like me. I ended up telling her about my faith in Jesus and that placing my life in His hands had changed my life- I would not be where I was if not for Him and His leading in my life- she said, "You really believe that?" (Of course our conversation was much more detailed than this- but that's the short version!) Also at this wedding, God brought before me a wonderful Christian young man! I was not looking...and God just threw him right in front of me.

In the 4th week, the weekend after camp was a fabulous 30th birthday party for my friend Jamie, where we had fun playing on a bouncy castle and eating good food and having great fellowship with quite a few Christian friends! The Monday after camp I got to have dinner with my dear friend Jill's mum and stepdad, Sandra and Neil...(who are not Christians, but I think God is at work there!) The next few days after that, I went down to England to search for some of my ancestry, and took along with me a new friend called Mhairi- I think inviting her to go with me was one of the best things I could have done! She is a sweet and loving girl who has had it pretty rough, and I think this wee holiday really encouraged her! After that I went and visited my friend Susie in Edinburgh- she is one of my closest friends, and also in need of much encouragement, so this time with her and her family was wonderful!!

The following week and a half, I spent time with more friends during the day time, such as Tammy, Nikiti, Katie, Lisa and Dave, and my best friend there called Sandy. I got to go to hospital with Sandy while she had some tests done, then spend the rest of the day with her relaxing, as she had tubes down her nose. The other days were spent with the other aforementioned names- eating together, shopping, etc. One conversation that I remember in particular was one with Tammy and Nikiti, in which I encouraged Tammy not to date the wrong kind of guys- such as muslims! Most of my evening this week was spent with the young man from the wedding...his name is Iain...and I have no doubt whatsoever in my mind, that God has placed us in each others lives!! (Isn't that exciting?) The last Saturday there was spent with Sandy- we went on another one of our adventures, this time to Glenshee (mountains!) and we did a big walk up a huge hill! Then ended up driving all over Scotland doing some sightseeing! The last Sunday I went to church, then spent the day with Iain in a little tourist town called Pitlochry! It was lovely! Then Monday I spent time with Bruce and Carolyn, Ewan, and Aidan having a nice family day out! (I'm part of their family, by the way! haha) Tuesday I met up with my friend Mhairi for lunch and then hot chocolate and spent the day packing before spending the last evening with Iain. Then Wednesday was the dreaded day that I had to leave, and Bruce, Carolyn and the boys took me to the airport in Glasgow...it was harder leaving this time than ever. Carolyn made the statement in the airport that I looked forlorn.

So that is the SHORTEST version of this summer that I could possibly have given you. And to sum it all up... God has moved in me this summer. He has taught me things. He has grown me. He has taught me to rely on Him and trust in His will for my life. He has taught me to seek Him out about new and wonderful things that He has placed in my life. He put sudden twists and turns into the summer...things that I know are going to keep changing my life! He has given me closer friendships in Scotland. He has taught me to appreciate my family and friends in Tennessee. He has changed me somehow. The list goes on...

So in prayer and seeking God, I am hoping to head back to Dundee next summer just after exams finish, hopefully around the 3rd week of May, and staying until the first week or so of August! This will be a longer trip...I would be there early enough to help with the Attic before it finished for the summer (and there would also be a mission team from my home church there for a week of that!), go on home visits, spend time with people, Attic Camps, hopefully help with the Hub (Central Baptist's Kids Club), and whatever else God puts before me! This amount of time would also give me a chance to "test the waters" a bit more...seeing what living in Dundee is like, and would give the opportunity to not only seek God with Iain and us being 4,000 miles apart, but in the same city for a while!

Thank you to each of you for your prayers and/or financial support...I would also appreciate your prayers for me in these future plans!

In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.
Proverbs 16:9

Jesus Bless,
Lindsay

Update from Dundee #3

2008-07-19T15:00:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone!
Where do I even begin... first let me apologize for the long long delay in sending this update! It seems that most of my time spent online is when I'm about to go to sleep, and me writing while being tired usually doesn't make much sense.

Anyways...
The last I wrote was before Attic Camp. So let me tell you of camps. The Thursday night before I left for camps, I started feeling ill. Friday I stayed in bed the entire day. Saturday I slept late, but felt well enough to move my things from Catia and Johnny's house to Liz's house (I've been staying there now for a few weeks.), and then by Sunday I was feeling well enough to head to camp. The first full day of camp was great! We took the kids to Craigtoun Park in Fife (across the River Tay from Dundee), and had a blast there. There were paddle boats, a small "train" that you can sit on and ride around the park, a nice little cafe that the leaders enjoyed, a playground, small trampolines, much grassy area for playing football (soccer), etc. By the time Monday night rolled around, I felt horrible again and went to bed quite early. This was good tho and by Tuesday I was alright enough again! Thank you Jesus. I had also brought an antibiotic with me incase of sickness (I got sick last year), and this came in handy. Tuesday we took the kids to Forfar park and then to swimming. The best part of this day was at the park...our kids were on this see-saw-like play thing, that seats 3 on either side...but probably 15-20 kids were all over it, and they were singing Jesus songs from the Attic at the top of their lungs! What a sight! And a beautiful sound! There was even a kid that was not with our group that was singing along...he must have known these songs too! Wednesday we took the kids to Broughty Ferry to do their thrift shopping and to have time on the beach...which was SO cold. Some leaders and kids were in the water- NOT ME! Way to cold. Thursday we went to Perth, where we went to Inch Park and to Perth Swimming. This was a blast. It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day. Friday the kids went home.

Each night at camp we had meetings, which consisted of music and singing with motions, and a bible lesson geared toward the kids' age group. Much of our time was also spent just loving on the kids and spending time with the kids. There were too many that made huge impressions on me for me to tell you about each of them...we'd be here reading this all day!

(I apologize, I'm not being very detailed, as I have much more to write!)

Friday after camp, I went home to Liz's, where I rested for a bit, then went to wedding rehearsal for my friend Lisa's wedding, in which I was to sing. My voice was still a bit rubbish from being sick...which I was not very impressed with. Saturday was the wedding, and what FUN! (Weddings here are a bit different than ours, and take up the whole day!) The service was at 2, and I sang during the signing of the register (they sign the marriage certificate in the service). Then from there the "special guests" went to where the reception was to be held and the professional photographs were taken, then eventually we had a meal and heard all of the speeches and things, then later the rest of the evening guests arrived for the "party" part. There was dancing, talking, spending time with people...so fun! Traditionally there would be a Ceilidh (traditional Scottish Dance), but this wedding had a big-band swing orchestra that Lisa plays in. I loved this! I had a great time dancing with a new friend!

Sunday we went back to our 2nd week of camp, which was also good, but not quite as easy as first week. First week we had calmer kids and great weather. Second week we had not-so-calm kids...and horrible weather- not the best mix. We did much of the same stuff as first week, but also a bit different due to weather. On one day we went to the cinema and saw Kung Fu Panda, while some of the kids and leaders went back to camp to play the Wii and Playstation. Another day we took them bowling. I struggled a bit more this week as I felt that much of my week consisted of yelling at kids, granted, they have to be disciplined, but I hated having to be like that! All in all, it was another great week, just with more stresses, which are expected! I would not trade either week for anything in the world tho, and cannot wait until next year!

The Saturday after camps, I went to an AWESOME birthday party! My friend Jamie turned 30, and they had a big barbecue...with a bouncy castle! SO FUN! And to think...I was the youngest person (aside from the few kids) at a party with a bouncy castle. LOL It was a blast. I also met a man at the party who made an impression on me... His name is Lance and he's from Louisiana. He came to Scotland on a ministry visa about 7 years ago, had not planned on staying, but ended up marrying a sweet lady here. He told me that where I find peace and joy is where I should follow. That stuck with me.

Then Sunday I went to church, then to lunch with my wonderful friend Sandy, then back to my friend Sarah's house (where the bouncy castle was) for more time on the bouncy castle with friends! (The castle was not being picked up until tea/dinner time!) Monday I went to lunch with friends for Tammy's birthday, which was pretty fun, although I actually found Monday to be a very trying day...possibly attacks from the enemy, I won't go into details, but it was a rough day. Tuesday I went to St. Bees, England for a couple of nights to trace my ancestry! I found the grave of my Great Great Great Grandparents!!! This was amazing to me...there I was, 4000 miles from home, and sitting on the grave of people that I had heard of my entire life, and in a place that my Grandfather had told me of my entire life. He has never been there, so I went for him and took loads of pictures for him. (He loved them!) On Thursday evening, I came back up to Scotland, and am now in Edinburgh visiting my friend Susie for the weekend...we only get to see each other once or twice a year, and it is wonderful being here! Her family is like my own!

Tomorrow I will take a bus back up to Dundee, where I will spend the last week and a half. Bruce and Carolyn have been away on holiday in Italy, so there was nothing for me to do with the Attic this past week with them being away, so I took a little time off of my own. :) The last bit in Dundee will be spent spending time with people, doing a little bit more work at the Attic office (I have to finish painting the logo on the office shop-front, and anything else Bruce needs done.), and savoring my time here before I have to leave again.

During these weeks in Dundee, I have grown more friendships (Grown old ones, and gained new ones!) That is one of my favorite things about being here. God blesses me with friendships/relationships that stretch across oceans...and last in spite of the distances. Every time I come back, nothing seems to have changed with the majority of my friends here, and I am so thankful for that...those are the best kinds of friends! As I've said in previous updates from last summer, and maybe the summer before that...there is something about this place that doesn't let me leave it easily. Perhaps the people? Perhaps the fact that much of my heart is stuck here? Perhaps God has a reason for this? I do not know, but I am praying much on this subject. I am praying for God's guidance and confirmation on many aspects of this. If you could pray too, I would appreciate it!

Again, to any of you who have not gotten any of the previous updates, please let me know, and I apologize for anyone being left off!

Thanks for reading this! I hope to send another one soon!
Love in HIM
Lindsay

Lindsay's Summer 08 Update #2

2008-06-27T15:01:00.000-04:00

Hello all!
Where did I leave off?
Oh yes, I last said that I would be helping with the kids club last Friday. It was interesting! We played games with them the whole time. Sort of a "get them off the streets for a while" event. There were only 6 kids, and 3 leaders (myself, Mhairi, and Jackie). You would think with there having only been 6 kids that it would have been a piece of cake- not the case. Two of the boys fought the ENTIRE time...actually on the ground, on top of each other, hitting and really fighting...screaming things like "F you!" and "F your mom!", etc etc. (These boys were probably about 7 or 8 years old!!) The other leaders and I were actually holding them down! Then after, Mhairi and I had to take 3 kids home, 2 being those two boys, and as we are walking through the Hilltown, one of them is trying to throw rocks at the other (who I was carrying on my back so that they would stop running at each other). Then the kid picks up a to-go box outside of a kebab shop, which is filled with some red sauce, and he begins to sling the sauce at us...it got all over Mhairi and I. So that was an interesting evening to say the least...and just shows you a little of what many of the kids are like here- just hard.

Saturday, I went down to Edinburgh on the train to spend the day with my dear friend Susie, who was having her birthday celebration...such fun! My train out of Dundee was at 7:30am, so I was up and out quite early! The train trip was amazing...beautiful scenery, much of which I had never seen along the east coast. Upon arrival in Edinburgh, I walked along Princess Street (the main road through down town), and just loved being by myself there on the busy crowded street, next to the old buildings and the castle. It was invigorating! Then I got some breakfast at the McDonald's (which by the way was super-nice inside! It looked like a nice Japanese restaurant or something...nothing like any McD's I'd ever seen!) Then I made my way to Susie's house, where I was embraced with warm welcomes. I had not seen them in a year! I loved spending the day there...Susie is definitely one of those friends that time and distance never strains our friendship. :)

Monday I worked at the Attic office for most of the day, then we had the best boy/best girl trip for the Attic. We went around picking up kids, then took them to the Blackness Firestation, where they were given a tour of the station, and the firetrucks, then they got to spray the water hose and such! Fun stuff. They seemed to enjoy themselves! It was great being around the kids! One in particular, Billy, who I know from camps last year talked to me a lot, which I loved since some of the other kids were new and I didn't know. He got on the minibus and said, "I haven't seen you for AGES!" :) After that I went on to our good friend Liz's house, where I had a wonderful tea (dinner) and great conversation with her, her cousin Phillip from Zimbabwe, and her friend Paul who is a musician/composer. A great day!

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday was more Attic work which has been fun, along with cell groups and Clans (the youth cell group). Bruce gives me random jobs to do while at the office. Thursday I began to paint the logo above the door of the shopfront office. I didn't get finished yet, but so far it looks pretty good! Then Bruce went and got Fiona(the blind/deaf lady) and we spent more time with her...I talked to her alot! And then we prayed over her...for healing of her ears and eyes. Bruce put his hands on her eyes as we prayed, and then her ears. This was amazing. We were crying out to God to heal her...for any sign...for a miracle. We were praying loudly. All at once. In unison. After we prayed we began to say Fiona's name. We were almost yelling...which almost seemed comical at the time, but serious too. We wanted her to hear our voices. Suddenly, as we are shouting "FIONA! Fiona!! FIONA!" She says..."Yeah!". WHAT! Did she hear us? It was small. But it was something. I had tears streaming down my face. Some would say that she was humoring us. No... It was something. She can feel the presence of God when we pray. We are not sure of her salvation, but God was...and is doing something in her life. She says that when we pray over her she sees flashes of light in her eyes, and can hear high pitch noises. Pray that God will continue to work on Fiona! And continue in small steps towards her healing. :) Jesus put mud on the eyes of a man who was blind from birth, and when he told the man to wash his eyes, he could see. Who is to say that he would not heal Fiona's eyes or ears? It would change her life, and what a testimony it would be. She could even get her daughter Shannon back. (Shannon was taken to live with her Dad because Fiona was seen as uncapable of caring for her.)

Anyways...camp starts on Sunday! However, today it appears that I have something like the flu... I started feeling pretty rough last night, woke up feeling horrible, and I slept all day today... I actually went downstairs at about 7 tonight and played some games for a while with Catia, Johnny and their friend Sarah. I can definitely tell that people are praying for me tho! I feel a difference in how I felt this morning and now! So please keep praying! I don't want to miss any of camp...that is what I am mainly here for.

So that's me this week! I will try to send another update next weekend after week 1 of camp! Although my friend Lisa is getting married that weekend, and I'm singing in the wedding, so I may be too busy to email! Soon tho.

Jesus bless and thanks for everyone's prayers!
in HIM
Linds

Lindsay's Summer 08 Update #1

2008-06-19T17:00:00.000-04:00

Hello all!
Where do I even begin? I shall start with the airport...

On Monday as I was nearing the time to board my first flight, it was cancelled. As I stood in line to get a new ticket, I met a nice lady by the name of Jan. To make a long story short, we got the same flight out of Knoxville the next morning, and we spent the entire following day toghether in Philadelphia Airport. We went everywhere together, spent time together, ate lunch together, guarded the luggage as the other one went to the restroom, etc etc. Obviously we got to know each other quite well after much conversation and sharing things of our lives! I made a new friend in her, and that was the first "God-thing" of my trip! My original layover was meant to be 3.5 hours...and our new one ended up being 12 hours, giving us much more time together than originally planned. She was a joy to spend the day with! I told her that I had talked to people in airports, but never like that! As she boarded her plane (5 minutes before mine) we hugged and she even kissed me on the cheek. What a blessing to meet her!

I boarded my final flight to Glasgow, not feeling very well, so I took a Dramamine- I slept from close after dinner until the people beside me woke me up for breakfast! By this time it was daylight again, and I was very close to Glasgow! After leaving the plane...two of my favorite people in the world, Bruce and Alison were awaiting my arrival, and of course I greeted them with huge hugs! We drove back to Dundee and talked non-stop for the 2 hours or so that it took us to get back. After taking a much-anticipated shower, I went with Bruce and Alison to the new Attic Office in the Hilltown, and then Alison and I went into town to catch a bus to her mum's house, where we picked up her little nephew, Brandon Lee who is 2. As soon as we were on the bus, he fell asleep lying on my leg, which was so cute...then into town for ice cream, then to meet her mum again. Last night we went to Clanz, which is the sort of "cell group" for ages 11-14 or so, which was great seeing everyone and the message by Bruce was great, even tho by this point I was about to fall asleep! After that, tea (dinner) at Bruce and Carolyn's and onto Catia and Johnny's after that. Oh yes...Aidan talks now (Bruce and Carolyn's 2 year old), which is crazy to me (he was not talking much 6 months ago, and I've known him since he was 12 weeks old). He cracks me up! At one point Ewan and Aidan and I were on the trampoline...Ewan started pulling my hair, and Aidan was scratching my face...ouch, but funny!

Okay...today...my favorite. I woke up at noon!! I set my alarm for 9 and 9:30, but didn't even wake up! So I caught a bus and went into town, then walked up what seemed the hardest hill in the world to get to the Attic office where Bruce and Chris sat with Fiona, a deaf/blind lady. The people of the Elim church have been ministering to her a lot, and a few have learned how to speak to her through signing on her hand. I tried this while I was over 6 months ago, but fumbled and was not sure what I was doing. However, after I drank my coffee, and Bruce told her I was there and we talked through him a bit, I sat down beside her with a sheet of hand signs in front of me, and began to "speak" with her. You have to spell out every single word, letter by letter with the exception of about 3 words such as you, where you push her hand toward her. After 10 minutes or so of this, i was not even looking at the sheet any longer, and actually had a conversation! I was amazed..and I think God was helping me! Her guide came to pick her up a bit later, and even said that i should be a deaf/blind guide in America, and she kept asking if I had done this before today...no, Bruce said. I loved it. Later we took a picture together, and she started tickling me! So funny.

Later I went on home-visits with Bruce and a girl from Canada named Jackie. (She was glad to hear someone else from North America! She is a YWAM missionary and has been here since September.) We visited kids going to camp in a couple of weeks, and spent a lot of time with a couple of families, one being the Harkins, when I know, then another I don't know anyone's name but the little girl, Tyler, and her mum, Louise. This was great. Some families are quite the experience...mostly lost...and I heard lots of the F-word...or most of the words, really. It's crazy to me to see what people's lives are about sometimes, and what concerns them, and how they live, and how many mothers have 3 and 4 and 5 kids and all different fathers. Crazy.

...Now I am sitting in Catia and Johnny's house, and Catia is SCREAMING at the TV (and as she walks up the stairs now) as she watches Portugal and Germany play football (soccer). She is Portuguese. lol She is cracking me up! (I am staying with her and her husband Johnny for 2 weeks! Love it...)

Tomorrow I will go to the Attic office again and a couple more home visits, then helping the lady Jackie with a kids club that I've never been to. Saturday I am hopefully going to Edinburgh to see Susie for her birthday cookout! (She is one of my best friends here...I've stayed with her a few times, and she came to the States a couple years back.)

Mostly, I am just amazed at how normal it feels to be here. Bruce said it is a sign that I am used to a place when I just jump right into things. I can't believe I only arrived yesterday! I miss you all back home...but I know I am supposed to be here...I love that feeling. :) Bruce also told me today that it is great taking me to camps because of my attitude towards it and the kids and stuff. That made me feel good to know I was wanted. :) I can't wait...2 weeks til camps.

Okay...sorry this was a LOT. I just had a lot to say...or ramble! More later. :)

in HIM
Lindsay the Dundonian. haha

"Hope"

2008-03-17T20:50:00.001-04:00

Those of you who know me or Lindsay, Doug Haley or any of the short term missionaries to Scotland, are aware that the "Attic" children's ministry service on Monday evening is the center of our focus each trip. Tonight was the night, and it was totally awesome! The team from Salem Baptist Church of Halls, was absolutely incredible. I had been concerned about what to expect, simply because i did not know the majority of this team; i came into the plan for this trip only 3 weeks ago! Having trusted the situation to God and the fine people of Salem, i obviously had no need for concern, because the Salem team surely brought a smile to God's face tonight, (they most definitely did mine) as they kept the children's attention with games, music, a memory verse and a Bible story about following Jesus! The younger members of the team took the stage and were very energetic and entertaining while giving glory and praise to God. The young lady who led the Bible story, Ashley, i do not even know her last name, allowed the children to ask questions after reading from Matthew 4:18-20 and explaining the verses. I was afraid the kids would ask random questions that did not relate to the lesson, but to my surprise, they ask questions like; why do you believe in Jesus, how old were you when you believed, how old do we have to be, how young is too young, do people make fun of you for believing? Ashley never hesitated in answering their questions with wonderful, yet simple, childlike, understandable, Biblical answers. Ashley is just 16 years old! The Salem crew had obviously prepared and prayed for this night!

While all of this was taking place, a little girl that appeared to be 7 or 8 years old, was stealing every ounce of love and compassion from me i could find. I do not know her name, so i will call her "Hope." Hope looked healthy, and is a beautiful little girl. She seemed small, perhaps from lack of food, but not hungry. Hope sat quietly on the back row, not participating in any of the music or activities. She seemed sad and her little brown eyes looked empty and "hope"less. I smiled at her several times, but she never smiled back. During one of the worship songs, i got down beside her and sang the words of the song to her, as i smiled at her with my best smile, and and prayed for God to let her feel His love. She looked at me intently as i sang, but kept a serious expression. After the song i stepped back, but stayed close by. A few moments later, Hope moved her chair back so that she was beside me. During a game that followed, i had to push her back up into her row, but as i let go of the chair, she grabbed my hand and held on tightly - with both of her tiny hands. My hand was so much bigger than hers, that she could only grasp a few of my fingers. As i stood there with Hope holding my hand, her sad look slowly changed, even smiling after a while. She began playing little games with my hand, and even held my hand up against her baby soft face, as if my hand were a teddy bear or baby doll! Hope, now holding both my hands, held onto me for the entire service; and by the end, she was laughing and happy, eyes big and sparkling, her face glowing with the love of God! She even quoted the memory verse word-for-word;
Matthew 4:19, Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

I know with all my heart, that if nothing else happens the remainder of this trip, a seed of God's love, His Word, and His "Hope" was planted in her little heart (and so many more)! Thank You God for "Hope," for the Salem group, and for the Attic and the Attic staff! This trip, as far as i am concerned, has already been a definite success. Please continue to pray for the children of Dundee, please pray for "Hope."

with HIS love,
ted

Drive to Dundee!

2008-02-16T15:58:00.003-05:00

I am going back to Dundee, Scotland in March - from Friday the 14th through Monday the 24th.
This was an unforeseen surprise!
Salem Baptist Church of Halls (Knoxville, TN) asked me if I would join them for their 2nd trip to Dundee, I accepted, and I ask your prayers for this trip! I am very excited to return to Dundee, and I will post a list of all who are going from Salem as soon as I can, so that you may pray for each person by name.

Dustin Burnette,
Matt Dyer,
Chad Pressley and
Bruce Crabtree; all from Fairview Baptist Church,
will going to Dundee the 7th through the 17th of March.

I also have a huge praise to announce!
The AWANA's of Fairview Baptist Church had a pinewood derby car race, "DRIVE TO DUNDEE," on Wednesday evening the 6th of February, of which the children got sponsors for their race cars, had a chili & hot dog dinner, and ask for donations. The children raised almost $1700.00 that will be given to the "ATTIC" children's ministry in Dundee, Scotland!!! Dustin, Matt, Chad and Bruce will be presenting the check to Bruce and Carolyn White of the "ATTIC" children's ministry, as soon as they get to Dundee (arrive on Saturday, March 8). Praise God and Thank You Jesus!!! Thank You to all of the AWANA children and leaders for their hard work and faithfulness! The race was not only a huge success, it was FUN!

With HIS love,
ted

Random Update from Lindsay

2008-01-02T17:29:00.000-05:00

Hello all, Lindsay here!

Just thought I'd pop in a leave a wee blog. haha
Hope everyone is doing well. It's pretty cold here, but not much colder than TN is right now. However, they are calling for snow tomorrow which would be awesome! I was hoping for snow while I was over!

Not a ton has happened since we've been over. Lots of visiting people which has been good. I've met a lot of Jill's family and a few friends. It's been a different kind of trip so far- not mission work really. Just spending time with people...which I suppose could be just as good.
Church was great as always on Sunday. The pastor from the Edinburgh Elim preached. It was wonderful to see those of my friends that were there. After church, Jill and I met up (she went to Central Baptist that morning) and went up to Bruce and Carolyn's for lunch...and of course it was great- Carolyn made soup.

New Year's Eve was fun! Jill and I went to a Ceilidh at Teen Ranch (a Christian teen camp), where we knew basically no one! However, we had fun dancing together and taking turns being the gent! haha After, we headed over to her cousins house where we hung out with Jill's old friends from school.

My birthday (New Years Day) was a blast! Bruce and Carolyn had a bunch of my friends over to their house in the evening for my birthday! Was so much fun! Carolyn made a delicious cake (it had a layer of strawberry and cream inside....SO GOOD!) and a few folks brought wonderful birthday presents. Being with all of those friends absolutely made my birthday! It was Bruce and Carolyn, Ewan and Aidan, Sandy, Alison, Tammy, Fiona, Andy and Julie, Pete, Katie, Jill, and me! (I don't think I've left anyone off!)

Today has been a very lazy day- for me. I've not left the house at all. Just sat around watching TV and catching up stuff online. It's probably good though, as my throat is swollen and I keep coughing...probably good to be out of the cold! Jill and her mum have cleaned out a closet...and Neil washed the dog. lol We are having Indian food for our tea (dinner) tonight. Doug and Natalie will arrive Friday, so we'll be headed down to Glasgow to pick them up and renew Jill's passport.
I guess that's about it for now...I know that was all very random...but I just thought I'd fill everyone in!

Have a wonderful day and Jesus bless!
Linds

In Scotland for the New Year!

2007-12-31T15:31:00.000-05:00

Lindsay and Jill are in Dundee for the New Year!
Of course, everyone that knows Jill, realizes she is from Dundee.
They are visiting with family and friends, staying with Jill's mum and step dad, Sandra and Neil. Sandra and Neil got married here in the states July 2006, in the Great Smokey Mountains. (Pictures below)
The girls arrived on 28 December 2007, and will return on 11 January 2008; along with Doug, and his cousin's daughter, Natalie. Doug and Natalie are leaving for Scotland on Thursday 3 January.
Lindsay's birthday is 1 January, 20 years old!
Happy Birthday!
i love you,
dad

A Diary of Dundee, October, 2007 by Adam Whipple

2007-11-23T19:00:00.000-05:00

This is probably some of the most honest public writing I have done in prose form. I beg your forgiveness for things you may not understand (which is evidence of bad communication) and for surnames which I have forgotten and given names which I have horribly misspelled. I hope this is a good replacement for my myopic answers to questions beginning, “How was your trip…” A few of the minor events here recounted happened on different days than I have written down, basically because I can’t recall the exact day. Again, your forgiveness I implore…

The clean, glimmering light of the dawn breathed over the horizon into cold air and ricocheted off the airfoils of the 757. In my aisle seat on Continental flight 36Q, next to Eric and Mindy, I awoke to the bustle of stewardesses and the smell of toast. Our fitful sleep had been punctuated with a movie that I didn’t really watch, and I had stood in the aisle for a while between 2 and 3 o’clock, Greenwich Mean Time, having a good conversation with Todd about what we really think of the mechanics of becoming a disciple of Jesus (though I don’t suppose ‘mechanics’ is the right word). I hate sleeping on planes; those seats are shipped straight from the Tower of London, if you ask me.

We had taken off from Newark Liberty International into a cloudy ceiling full of the impersonal drone of the Manhattan skyline, but the cloudy sky we broke through into the outskirts of Edinburgh was pregnant with possibility, with meaning and openness. Except for a couple of scheduled times and a few other inklings, we had no idea what work was prepared for us in the coming week. We were herded off the aircraft like lethargic livestock into the ready arms of UK Customs officers, where I found myself stopped by both the official and her superior as well (both asking the same questions). Were I a bettin’ man, I’d say it was because of my shaved head and rather prominent beard, which has gotten me accused of (in no particular order) being a sex offender, a terrorist, and an Amish man. It doesn’t worry me anymore.

Bruce and Carolyn were there to give the six of us a lift to Dundee, and seeing the countryside between Edinburgh and Perth again was almost as good as seeing my old friends, whom I’ve known all my life, though we only met last March. The gorse-bush-dotted craigs rushed by, giving way to the wide basin of the Tay and an early morning view of Perth. Something is always in bloom in Scotland, no matter the season. Blackberries, jonquils, thistles, and thousands of blossoms I can’t name sprout from the black, rain-heavy peat as if laughing with color at the ubiquitous croaking of the ravens. We reached Bruce’s house in Dundee at about ten in the morning and strewed ourselves unceremoniously about the lounge, where I promptly acquired my long-awaited sleep while others went to Tesco for provisions. After lunch, we set out for the first stop: the cliffs at Arbroath.

It’s one of those experiences you have to be there to understand (like most, I guess), watching the muscular red sandstone reach down from dark furrowed fields into the tug of the North Sea, while gulls freewheel above the mortar-fire of the surf and pick straggling snails from the kelp-strewn rock beds at low tide. It’s one of my favorite places on Earth. Something about the sea always calls me. Perhaps that it’s bigger than me, that it holds depths I cannot reach, that its power is so beyond our scope as to be inestimable. Plus, we usually stop at Marco’s for fish and chips afterwards (with gargantuan fillets of haddock pulled straight from the sea at our backs).

Chad and I were staying at Rose’s house in Broughty Ferry (or bruach Tay in Gaelic, meaning ‘Bank of the Tay’). Her cottage is on Brook Street, two blocks over from the Firth o’ Tay itself. Upstairs, from my bedroom window, I could hear the church bell across the street tolling the hour as the har crept in off the sea, obscuring all but the brightest of lights in the evening. Sleep came easy to us, as it would all week. Give us grace for tomorrow, Lord, for the work will surely begin.

Sunday saw Chad and I waking to the glorious perfume of Canadian bacon drifting up the stairs from the kitchen. Rose’s kitchen is rather akin to an oyster; it’s the small place in which items of great value are found, and as I am somewhat food-centric, you can guess where I first drift in the morning. Breakfast was in the vein of bacon, eggs, and toast. It seems that toast, crumpets, English muffins, and the like are a permanent fixture of the Scottish breakfast table. They lend themselves, as my friend Richard said, to a more contemplative time before addressing the day, as opposed to the Cracker Barrel breakfast, which lends itself to going back to bed afterwards to address the onset of sleep caused by too much sausage gravy. After breakfast, we left for church at Elim Pentecostal on the other side of Dundee near Ladywell Roundabout, where prayer before the service was about to begin.

I have always been blessed to be at a loss when praying with those involved in ministry in Dundee. It is an experience that lets you feel the bricks and mortar of the Kingdom of God being laid around you, while English tumbles from your mouth in a haphazard cascade, and you thank God in your mind that there is grace enough for busted-up prayers from broken-down sinners. I’m sure the eloquence thereof also has something to do with hearing the Scottish accent. We were also blessed to be present for a baby dedication that morning, as we prayed for Johnny and his wife Terry in the raising of their daughter (if she’s anything like her dad, she’ll be an all-star football player). I wish I could tell you what text Graham preached on, but most of us were still so jet-lagged that we had a hard time staying awake during the parts of the service when you sit still. I do remember that I sat next to Gloria, who is a great Scottish lady in the most dignified terms, and who has a spectacular sense of humor (as we shall see later in the game).

Now, you might think that, being six vaingloriously unsophisticated Tennesseans in Scotland (and half of us for the first time, at that), we would drift naturally toward restaurants labeled NOT KFC. But instead of doing Sunday lunch at some local place, I was informed that, yes, indeed we would be paying homage to dear ol’ Harlan Sanders and his international grease-fried empire. So I chose to visit the bakery next door and get a scotch pie and a chicken bake (something akin to a pot pie and a Hot Pocket), and then I ate them in KFC.

The beginnings of the day paled, though, in light of the proceedings which we attended when we filed into the balcony rows of Central Baptist Church that evening and sat in those high-backed wooden pews as if we were in the Globe Theatre. And indeed, the Lord’s genius in the evening nearly had me jumping out of my seat and into thin air. The parishioners of sixteen churches from the corners of Dundee filled the ornate old sanctuary to bursting, both with their presence and the iconoclastic hodge-podge of their denominational traditions. Pentecostals sat next to Baptists, and Congregationalists (I’m not particularly sure what that means) sat next to members of the Church of Scotland. We sang together, and we prayed together, and we wondered at the beautiful kaleidoscope of it all.

Unbeknownst to six rather easily-spotted Americans in the balcony, the leaders of those churches had been meeting together over tea for years, simply to befriend each other and discuss ideas and callings. The charter that they unveiled during the meeting was the prayerful work meant to call the churches of Dundee together in a unified rag-tag bunch to serve a rag-tag city. Then Jim Clark preached on Ephesians, chapter 4.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all.

Thus admonished, we went downstairs to a blether where most of the group from the sanctuary filled an even smaller room until we were standing in each others’ pockets, as it were. The ladies from Central Baptist somehow tunneled their way through the milieu carrying trays of exquisitely constructed hand-sized pastries, which I quickly proved to be bite-sized. And of course, tea was served. On a large scale.

We also fit in time for watching Gary and Matt’s band at Dexter’s later that evening. It was great to have a guy from the UK with a somewhat British accent on stage, instead of a guy from America faking it. Plus, punk rock with a solo acoustic guitar and drums takes guts. My favorite part had to the song with the lyrics, I’m a Mormon and I don’t care. I had hoped to spend the late hour after the concert walking along the Tay with Chad and trying to figure out why God had made us roomies other than to have a good laugh. But he went to call his wife and kids, so I struck out alone.

On Brook Street, the air doesn’t move much, thanks to the high courtyard walls that surround everything in Scotland. But one block south, the wind stretches its northerly fingers in among the houses and whips down the lane off the firth. I turned up my collar and pulled my hat down tighter as I trod down the sidewalk next to the waves lapping in cold dark froth at the stony shoreline. I don’t think it was chance, either, that led me to absentmindedly turn my head to look back at a natural pier jutting out into the dark toward a fishing shack. There, in the lee of the pier, six white swans floated silently on the inky water, holy ghosts bobbing in the loose rhythm of the Tay.

Monday was one of the few days that had been planned. We were to spend a great part of the day setting up for The Attic at the Mark Henderson Center in Hilltown. Bruce’s calling for the time being is to run The Attic, which is a weekly high-energy church meeting (of sorts) for the kids of Dundee, with a good portion of them from Hilltown, Kirkton, and Lochee, which are somewhat scandalous sectors as neighborhoods go. This is rather ironic to me, as Bruce is one of the most soft-spoken men I know. But, last March, I saw him don a white-man afro wig and some Billy Joel sunglasses and proceed to play like he was one of the Rockers from Grease. It’s always the quiet ones.

I’m not quite sure when this ministry started, but they do have staff now that started out as kids coming to The Attic every Monday night. The Attic seems to be the main reason that we blessed and obtrusive American teams cross an ocean, braving Eustachian-tube-popping airplane cabin pressure and 2-star Chicken Marsala, compliments of Continental. And yet, this would be the second time that I did not go to The Attic. Last March, I had grabbed my guitar and run pell-mell through City Centre to get to Central Baptist and play a mini concert with Lindsay Reed for the ministry they had organized for college-age kids there. This time, a lady named Sarah gave me a lift (by way of Johnny and Katya’s house, where I was fed, again) to The Hub, a ministry in Lochee run by Johnny and Katya for teenagers. This time, I had borrowed one of Bruce’s guitars and was again playing an unplugged set in a place which I had never before seen. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken.

The first thing to catch my attention was a central ping-pong table, waiting for me and challengers. I would call it table tennis, as they do in Scotland, but ping-pong sounds much better with a Southern accent. I faced off against a girl named Jade for a while until the concert, and then found that she paid better attention than most of the kids. Huzzah for ping-pong! They were, as Johnny had said, “a rowdy bunch,” but they were quite timid compare to the kids outside, who were running around in packs, literally. The kids in packs were not allowed in because of their behavior the previous week. So, they decided it would be good to return the favor by throwing firecrackers at the building and jumping up and down on the roof, which they did with much enthusiasm during the last song I played (bless them for waiting until the end to test the group’s ADD).

It was then time for a Q & A session, in which I answered that, No, I did not know any Oasis songs well enough to play and sing them, and would they like to play and sing while I listened. I can’t remember what question Jade asked, but it was a good one, and she paid attention to how I answered it. I went for another round of ping-pong afterwards against a Portuguese fellow named Tana who gave me a good run for my money and ended up beating me (by a small margin). To be honest, I was more excited to hear him pray in his native tongue, and to know that God speaks Portuguese.

To cap off Monday, the men from our group went to meet an amazing Irish fellow named Andy to again take part in the Nightclub Outreach, in which we stand out on the street between the hours of eleven and one in the morning, talking to people on their way from the pubs to the clubs, and praying for a chance at bald-faced evangelism, which is not my great gifting by the way. The last time I attempted this, I ended up loaning my hat to a couple of inebriated party girls so they could take cell phone pictures in it, and I listened to a drunken diatribe about how great I was from a fellow who had stumbled out of a pub that had to rival Jabba’s Palace from Star Wars in its dinginess. I wasn’t certain that he remembered it the next morning, though I may never know. This time though, I had prayed for the boldness to overcome my absolute fear of rejection, and furthermore, the wisdom to keep from being an overzealously boorish street preacher. And thus, I met Michael.

Michael walked by with all intentions of going to the ATM on the way to Fat Sam’s, only to be stopped by a bearded American handing out lollipops and asking if people wanted a leaflet. Michael was apparently used to Andy’s crew being out and about, because he recited his retort about being an avowed atheist and made to walk on by. So I asked him why he was an atheist. I never really got a straight answer to this question, but I did find out that Michael works at the Overgate, selling cell phones for a living. He seemed to have a great deal of respect that we had foolishly paid money to be out in the cold and wet to talk to people because we had faith. He is someone I should like to have a coffee with sometime. I wish I had found him at the mall the next day, but I did not. There was certainly sufficient cause for conversation among him and his two friends on the way to the club, and for that I am thankful. I was also thankful for Andy’s wisdom in reminding us to pray that, seeing as grace and providence are not ours to command, we would not be subject to the temptation to feel that we had failed. I hope to continue to be a part of this ministry when I get the chance. Eric seemed to take to it with great success as well, as I watched him be congregation to a beer-soaked sermon from a fellow who I think was named Adam. It must be remembered that Eric was Eeyore at Disneyworld for some time. We did not cease to remind him of this at every turn. I know for a fact that his Eeyorist skills were utilized often during the week. Thank you, dear Walt Disney, for your Jedi training.

Tuesday, I awoke with the exciting and slightly paralyzing thought of playing football with Bruce and his friends at the weekly ‘Dads & Lads’ match. I had been playing a weekly game in World’s Fair Park back in Knoxville for a couple months, hoping that I wouldn’t get effectively steamrolled when I got the chance to play. Still, I was the obese American in the pack, and the calf muscles of these athletic Scots began to remind me of Ninja Turtles that I used to have. I was a little apprehensive about the match, feeling like the kid eyeing that last present and hoping it’s the coveted Lego model and not the knit sweater. But first things first, we had to dig a trench in Bruce’s backyard.

For those who think that missionary duties are glamorous endeavors filled with mass conversions and successful ESL classes, you haven’t dug a trench. The idea was to control runoff and keep it out of the conservatory, the back wall of which was half-buried in the side of a hill. The problem was that we began to dig up history as we went along, finding the cumbersome remnants of an old set of stairs right where our trench was supposed to be. The romantic in me decided that we had found the last Archbishop of Canterbury’s private whiskey cellar. But as we tried to pry it up, my back quickly countered with the argument that it was merely a heavy stone wall, meant with all authority to stay put. So, we dug half a trench, and commenced with puzzling over what was to become of the Archbishop’s whiskey cellar. I felt bad for Bruce, knowing myself what it was like to have partial yard projects staring at me from around the lawn. But he said it was best to leave it for the moment, and we went to eat as I begged to borrow clothes for football.

It should be noted that Bruce and Carolyn’s conservatory becomes the dining room of whatever group is present. With the six of us, Bruce and Carolyn, their two boys Aiden and Ewan, and Bruce’s mum Rose, it became something of a tight squeeze (but not nearly as tight as the seventeen-person American team in March). The benefit of this, however, is that Carolyn’s cooking far outstrips the greasy spoon options of the chip shops and kabob stands in town (though I love the greasy spoon options). The table is usually festooned with vegetables, bread, juice, and some sort of ingenious creation of her own. I will never eat tuna salad again without thinking that I should put corn in it.

Bruce loaned me a pair of trainers and some shorts and off we went to pick up Richard, Gary, and Johnny before heading to the athletic center. I have to say, the weekly football games in Knoxville (with foreign exchange students who had all had footballs in the womb) paid off. After I had forcibly removed my liver in the locker room to make space for more lung capacity, I didn’t get too terribly winded. I actually scored a couple of goals, and felt pretty good about myself, having earned the great American victory of not appearing totally foolish.

Here is where we lose our way for a moment, as my memory is a little cloudy. I remember going to Liz Donald’s flat on Roseangle down near the west end. Liz has been a dear friend and an honest and kindred spirit to me ever since Ted and I stayed with her last March. But this time, I got to meet her son Aaron, who, if he is not a genius, could certainly pass for one. He is as interesting a person to talk to as you could ever meet. We spent nearly an hour simply talking about the animated works of Miyazaki and the Japanese films Yojimbo, The Hidden Fortress, and The Seven Samurai, though I don’t recall the director’s name. Aaron is the other person on Earth to whom Japanese classic film is interesting. Others from our group gradually drifted to Number 38 Roseangle, and I decided, as I often did, that I would rather be off by myself. I don’t remember much after that.

I do recall that we had later taken a bus out to some part of town to meet Tammy McKay’s mother, sister, and brother. And her dog, Patch, who seemed to be glad to see both Mindy and myself. It was at her mother’s flat that she asked us if we would “like to go meet the blind and deaf lady.” I was slightly aghast at this carnival-barker diction, but I have never known Tammy to be politically correct, or calm, or speak perfect English. Also, I have never known her to lack in caring for someone. I walked down the dismal stairs and through a banged-up door into the flat across the hall. Trash bags were sitting in the hallway, and none of the lights were on. I shouldered my way in among Ted, Mindy, Eric, and Todd, who were standing in a bedroom in the blanched light of the afternoon that filtered in through a dirty window. On the floor, a woman sat on the edge of a mattress, while Tammy knelt beside her, talking to us and drawing with her fingers on the woman’s hands. The woman’s name was Fiona.

Fiona was not born blind and deaf. I’m not aware of the circumstances in which she lost her sight and her hearing. I don’t know if she counts it a blessing, but her un-wholeness is certainly the avenue through which blessing came to us, standing there watching miracles happen before our eyes, because Fiona was the picture of joy. Tammy, who had taken the time and money to recently buy a book and learn how to communicate with Fiona, squatted down beside her and told her our names. Watching them talk, sorting through the frustration like they were friends putting a puzzle together, we saw them full of love and patience. They persevered where I might have given up and resigned myself to bitterness.

Ted asked if we could pray with Fiona, and she said that it would be alright. So I knelt down and put a hand on her shoulder as we prayed, but I could find no petition, only thanks. Thanks that I had been given this humbling gift of being present for a dance between two worlds – the world that is my own, and the world that Fiona has access to beyond my Veil of Unsight. She walks unhindered by her eyes and ears, and left only with the inner Light of the Holy Spirit. She got up to hug us all, helped by Tammy, before we left. I put my arms around her tiny, wiry frame and felt her grin vibrate in the air above my right shoulder. She is privy to sights I will never know this side of death, this side of Paradise. Only in small rapturous moments in music, in seeing that Renoir of the woman in the sundress with the umbrella, in seeing the conflict and harmony of lines in a good photograph, can I brush up against that sight and sound to which she has an unencumbered gateway. She was a wellspring.

Tammy had also convinced us to go to Cadets with her that evening. The Sea Cadets are like a marriage between ROTC and the Scouts. They have no connection with the Royal Navy. It’s merely a program to ingrain discipline and responsibility into young people that sometimes have no other paradigm against which to judge right and wrong. We didn’t know it when we were standing outside the fence in the cold evening air waiting to be let in, but Tammy was to receive an award that day. We were ushered in to the main room – bearing décor suspiciously reminiscent of a British warship – and into an upstairs gallery to watch the proceedings of the assembly before being led on a tour of the facility by Tammy and her friend, being shown the boats, and having a lesson on tying a Spanish bowline.

The C.O. himself was something of a cross between Wilford Brimley and a serious Richard Attenborough. He was everything you could ever want in a gym teacher, except he carried himself with that famous high-born class that allowed him to inspire healthy fear into these kids with only his ample presence. At the closing assembly, as we looked on from the gallery, he called them to attention and admonished them with words like, “Rubbish!” which made us snicker under our breath, because it’s such a great word to bark out at people. He called out names a few at a time, and Tammy was the last (I think he meant it that way because we were there, bless him). She had a hard time hiding her grin beneath a stoic exterior as he handed her a small red patch with black bordering and shook her hand. I wasn’t aware of it then, but we were the only ones who had come to see her receive this small piece of embroidery for which she had worked so hard. We were her family by invitation. I hope I don’t soon forget it.

I had been waiting for some time to get to walk with Chad, and Wednesday promised to provide us with a grand opportunity, since we did not have to be at Elim until one. The crest of the dawn seemed lost in the har, which had given up being a seaside attraction and had become a full-fledged fog, melting into the overcast sky and creating a cold white canvas, wet and chilling. We decided to walk to town from Broughty Ferry.

It should be noted, that Chad, whom I had not met until arriving at the airport the previous Saturday, is probably as opposite from me as a person can be. I am given to be overly-reticent in new situations, just to deal with my own social fears. Chad is usually the class clown for the same reason. He is a self-proclaimed Redneck. I roll my eyes inwardly (if not outwardly) at every “Git-R-Done” and pontoon boat and Ford diesel bulletproof Howitzer that I see sucking gas down the interstate. Chad kills things to feed his family. I like pressed tofu. So I’m not too passionate about it, just marginally so. So my first inclination in meeting my roommate was to roll my eyes at God and ask, “Okay, what do you want me to learn?” But as the week progressed, and even more as we began to walk along the seaside road toward central Dundee, we were forced to get to know each other.

It wasn’t all that painful, especially as we both appreciated the view down a tiny lane towards the Tay, where we turned to take photos of the alien cityscape drenched in fog. We also found blackberries growing by the side of busy roads, in October. They weren’t just any blackberries though. These were the size of your thumb. We thought about getting a bucket and begging Rose to bake us a pie. The other berries we found will go forever unnamed. But it shall suffice to say that if you are walking along the road from Broughty Ferry to Dundee in late October, and you happen to pass a bush with glistening ruby-hued berries, they are not edible. In fact, once you get past the gorgeous exterior, they smell eerily similar to rotten meat. And the smell sticks to your hands and jeans. The smell says, “Don’t eat me. I will give you raging influenza, lupus, and the gout.” Realizing through the berry-induced delirium that we were late (no, mother, we didn’t actually eat them), we hopped a bus and caught up with the rest of the crew for lunch at Elim before setting up. The schedule for the night was that I would play, Gary and Matt’s band would play, and then Chad would give a testimony.

The high school kids that came weren’t much less rowdy than the kids at the Hub, but there wasn’t any reason for complaining. They were there, and that gave us opportunities to build relationships. Amongst the crazily juxtaposed itinerary, we met a few of the Cadets who had shown up. Still, the crowd was not much into folk music until I brought out my cowboy hat. It’s not really a cowboy hat, but it passes for one to most Scottish people. Tammy makes a habit of stealing it and wearing it around until I have to go somewhere else. It is still amazing to me the change affected in the attentions of a crowd by resembling the consummate American archetype. I mean, I’ll never be the Marlboro man, but they don’t seem to care. Talking to Pete later in the week, this became an interesting recollection when he told us that half the reason that we were effective was because we were a novelty.

Chad and I found ourselves together once again on Thursday. This guy and I can’t get rid of each other! After Bruce took us to lunch at Taza, an Indian buffet down by the docks, we got on a bus with Nikita and Chris out to parts unknown to do home visits with the Attic kids. The few homes I went to with Bruce in March in Hilltown were up in four apartment towers which are a haven for drug crime, muggings, and the like. The towers are now slated to be torn down for that reason, but we were invited in to most every place we visited. I had felt somewhat successful in breaking the ice with people. By contrast, the area we went to with Chris and Nikita was almost suburban in its idiom, but no one really wanted us in their house. Some of the parents didn’t seem very involved in the Attic beyond knowing that their kids go on Mondays and blindly trusting the staff to be responsible. Perhaps they don’t care as much as we would hope. The Dads & Lads weekly football match is one of the success stories about getting parents involved. We did get to stop and talk to a few people on the sidewalk or on their front porches. Chris always introduced Chad and me by saying, “We’ve got the Americans with us this week.” Next time, I could wear an Uncle Sam hat and sing Yankee Doodle, but we’re a spectacle enough as it is.

We had dinner at Liz’s with the whole crew. She fixed us a traditional South African meal of something that I can’t spell, but it sounded like “Bo-BWUH-ti”. Over the winter squash soup appetizer, I got to meet her other son, Clinton. She told us the story of her encounter, as a child, with an evil spirit and how it responded to the name of Jesus. She told us about shamans in the tribes near her childhood home. We heard the story of how she had gotten arrested for having an assembly in the rain in the park and immediately released. We talked about the absurd child protection laws that are the plague of parenthood in Scotland. The US isn’t that far behind, either, with the weight of fickle vindictive accusations kids can make against adults. I can remember getting a phone call of my own from a lawyer asking about a coworker, whom I unfortunately didn’t remember well enough to help. Liz advised us to get a police-done background check for our own protection. And then the door swung wide for Chad and I to really get to know each other.

He said that he knew it was wrong, but he felt that child molesters should be hanged. Now, to give him the benefit of the doubt, he was coming from the position of having two little boys and a wife, all of whom he would defend with his life, just like any sensible husband and father. I would probably say the same thing. Still, I was livid. I got up and walked to the kitchen to collect my thoughts and try to form some sense of understanding about why I was angry. The best that I could come up with was that it was a rash thing to say and that I felt that the grace of God, if not the trust of man, is offered to everyone. Was it simply that I didn’t have kids and couldn’t particularly understand? Probably somewhat. At any rate, I looked at him and quietly told him that we needed to talk.

When we got back to Rose’s, what I expected to happen was that I would make good on my intentions of bringing Chad to understanding. What did happen was that we spent the better part of an hour confessing our pock-marked histories to one another and hugging each other before going to bed. I still can’t quite conceive what happened. Somewhere in the chain of events, the human connection was interrupted and replaced with a divine grace. We couldn’t take credit, we could only wonder and be thankful.

I’m usually at a loss to confidently and sufficiently explain in conversation why I continue to take photographs, even though they’re mostly below par. Or why I do anything artistic for that matter. It truly stumps me except in moments of clearest revelation by the Holy Spirit. I only know that somehow, stories matter. Stories hit close to the heart of being. Jesus often told stories to get his point across. Perhaps, in the telling, they reveal more about us than they do about the subject matter. And so, I take photographs. If I get lucky enough – and right now it’s all luck, for there’s little skill involved – to translate the beauty of what I see onto this tiny strip of film, and then to put this picture where you’ll see it, I will feel that I’ve done my job. Friday at St. Andrews was hardly my day off. I enjoyed it just like any other day, but it was my day to translate stories.

After getting to a museum too early and walking off alone past the mathematical institute (I am told that Ted’s accustomed response to ‘Where’s Adam?’ was, “Oh, he’s off somewhere”), I returned, and Todd and I broke from the group to make for a second-story coffeehouse, where we found the beauty of lox and lettuce on a bagel. Then we plumbed a couple gift shops on the way to the impressive ruins of an old seaside cathedral.

For a guy who owns a trucking company, Todd constantly struck me as someone who was rather like a pastor. This may come of being the father of three adolescents, but he has all the characteristics of an intelligent listener. A slightly irreverent one (and this was fine and dandy with me). I couldn’t tell you exactly what we talked about that day, but I do remember that we were open with each other. There was no stiff paradigm as to what the conversation would be about, except that it should be honest. He is a good man. He’s also the only other person I know who likes The Blue Nile. We lost ourselves among the cathedral ruins, taking photos and reading the ancient epitaphs of Renaissance-era parishioners. A little kid walked by me, hand in hand with his dad and pointed to me saying, “…a cowboy.” I wandered again out to the sea.

The cloudy light glinted off a tiny oil slick trailing a fishing trawler being pulled in by a tug. I asked a fisherman who had walked out onto the seawall with a boy and two dogs if I could take their picture. So with his permission, I started to snap photographs, praying that they would turn out to be something other than rubbish. The little boy in his raincoat looked at me dubiously while the dogs did not cease to bark, but I felt that something had come through the 35mm lens over which I had little control. Art, if it is about anything, is certainly not about a large sense of control.

I caught up with Todd again and we strolled out to the beach next to the golf course. That’s the original golf course, for those keeping score. St. Andrews is where the Scots invented the game of golf. I’ve never been present for a good shot in golf, not since I would have paid attention to it, anyway. But as we strolled quietly across a greenway, a fellow not ten feet from us drew an iron from his bag, stepped into his stance, and without a practice shot, nimbly lofted the ball about 150 yards to drop it right next to the pin. I won’t lie; it was impressive, and I had to clap.

As we walked out onto the beach, the beach where they filmed Chariots of Fire, I couldn’t help but think of that line, “God also made me fast.” I was also in the middle of Madeleine L’Engle’s Walking on Water for the duration of the trip. Perhaps it was a combination of the two and of something else, but I couldn’t keep from feeling that I was being pulled a little closer to knowing what the Lord’s purpose for my life is. If my history of knowing Jesus is in indication though, I’m sure that all my certainties will be as important as Beanie Babies in a very short time.

It began to rain as we arrived at the bus station back in Dundee. Mindy, Chad, and Martin (a Dundonian friend who joked up and down the streets of St. Andrews with my roommate) were supposed to meet us, but they had split up and wandered off. This caused me some due consternation for Chad, as he had depended all week on someone else’s sense of direction, but I consoled myself with the thought that, if all else fails, one can walk to the edge of the firth, and walk the few miles of shoreline to Broughty Ferry. So I wandered off myself, and walked through the Wellgate in search of photogenic scenes (of which there are precious few in a shopping mall). The search led me, not surprisingly, to the back of the Wellgate, nestled cozily up against Hilltown, separated by a river of mad traffic and a main bus stop.

I wondered to hear my name called over the din and the rain, which had taken on a cold turn. Tammy and Nikita stood across the street shouting to me, so I decided that I would wait with them and then take the bus to Broughty Ferry to wash clothes and pack my luggage for the pre-dawn commute to the Edinburgh airport. I felt somewhat strange, standing in the rain amid the crowds with these two sixteen-year-olds, one of whom had been quite wary of me in March. After Tammy left Nikita and me to catch her bus, the odd feeling of having acquired a little sister became more pronounced. I suppose it had something to do with the fact that Nikita has a tendency to crown any consistent men in her life as father figures (which scares me to death). She calls Ted her dad with all assurance. This gets complicated when you cannot understand someone’s accent. Nevertheless, I felt that it was a proper summary of what had happened to me that week. Like it or not, Adam, you’re now tied more closely to these folks than before. I think I like it.

The interesting thing about plans is that they usually get disrupted. I had plans to eat and to do laundry before going to bed. Instead, I ate with Rose and began laundry as Chad got back (after getting considerably lost), and then we got a call that we should go for tea at Simon and Mauri’s house on the other side of town. It was Simon’s mother Gloria. I said I would prefer to sleep before getting up at four in the morning. Gloria said that she would be sorely disappointed. So off we went across town (and bless Rose for having a better attitude about it than I did).

But really, I would have missed out, because, if you’ll remember, Gloria has a tremendous sense of humor. Most of the Christians I know from Dundee do, perhaps out of necessity. After we had filled our mouths with all the hors d’oeuvres possible, Andy ushered us into the lounge and began to explain the “animal game,” in which we would all have an animal sound to communicate, and we would try to become Tarzan at the top of the food chain. All this while our sounds would change and the speed of the game would increase. The best part was seeing Gloria do the alien (with all the enthusiasm of a pro wrestler), in which your ‘sound’ was to put your hand under your shirt and make it look like an alien exploding from your stomach while you made a hideous vomiting noise. People over the age of forty doing this causes nothing short of hysteria.

I’m not certain that I truly awoke Saturday until Pete pulled in to the petrol station parking lot with Chad and me in tow. Two other cars pulled in beside us, carrying Eric, Mindy, Ted, and Todd. Like Pete, Simon and Andy had given their morning to cart us to the airport.

Petrol stations in Scotland, as well as grocery stores and sandwich shops, bear the marks of a society which has aborted God and the family. Magazine racks wear nudity and false sexuality like Southerners wear ball caps. I sometimes envy men who say that they don’t have a difficult time keeping their eyes from straying to pictures that degrade and tantalize. Either that, or I think they’re liars. It’s not easy for me in a week when I am focused on the work of Christ, so I can’t imagine how it is for someone living with it day in and day out. But pornography is only a symptom. Liz touted some other symptoms for us at dinner earlier that week. The one I remember is that Dundee has the highest pregnancy rate in all of Europe. I also remember a couple of newspapers with articles about how the most violent crimes in the city are statistically committed by more children than adults. Rape, sodomy, murder, violent assaults – these are the acts of children.

I am forced to say what is unpopular. People, without Jesus, drift naturally towards apathy, delusion, fear, and pride. Scotland used to be a country from which missionaries were sent. Now, the opposite is necessary. I heard no end, standing on the street corners on Monday night, of the relativity of truth. You can’t make a people see reason, but the few Christians in Dundee have spent a great deal of time praying for the Lord to open the hearts of the city to the liberating slavery of serving God instead of being dominated by vices and fears.

There is an old copy of Anna Karenin on my bookshelf. On the spine, it bears the words, ‘Shelf of Fiction’, and below that, in a shield, ‘Veritas’, meaning ‘Truth’. It is interesting that so much truth should be found in fiction, in stories. Our own stories were the vehicles by which we entered into the confidences of the disconnected post-modern minds of Dundee, Scotland. I may never see all the ripples made from dropping us six pebbles into the waters. But, as it is not grace of my own that brings me redemption, I am glad for trust in the one whose feet tread the waves.

I daresay I’m biased.

Unfamiliar Words

Biscuit // a cookie.

Blether // an informal get-together or matriculation where tea is usually served and people spend time getting to know each other and talking in general.

Chips // French fries.

Dundonian // the dialect of Dundee, characterized by a fast, strung-together English with wide vowels, whereas a ‘high’ Scottish accent has rolled R’s and a rich timbre. Comparable to Newark, New Jersey vs. upstate New York. Dundonian takes some practice to understand.

Firth // a bay of sorts where a river widens out and meets the ocean.

Football // soccer.

Hilltown // the area just north of City Centre, known for being a bit rough around the edges. Not a place you’d walk alone at night as a woman.

Law, the // an old Scots word meaning ‘hill’, The Law is a hill above Dundee, north of City Centre, where a fort once stood. It now boasts a monument and a cell phone tower, which is higher.

Overgate/Wellgate // shopping malls.

Pub // a bar or restaurant, depending on the hour and the place.

Tea // the customary hospitality beverage of Scotland, usually served to guests as soon as they arrive. “Tea” with someone can include everything from a cup of hot tea and a biscuit, all the way to a full meal of more than one course.

Trainers // sneakers; tennis shoes.

Revival...

2007-10-22T21:38:00.000-04:00

I feel like Dundee could see a revival, a spiritual home coming in the next few years, or sooner! We were honored to attend a huge service Sunday night at Central Baptist Church of Dundee, for the kickoff of DECA; Dundee Evangelical Christian Alliance (http://dundeeforchrist.com/events/eventdetail.php?eventID=332).
There were pastors, representatives and members of 16 different churches there, all under the same roof! Pentecostals, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterians, Charismatics, and the Church of Scotland! All with a common goal of evangelizing Dundee! All worshiping together! All compassionately accepting each others different styles of worship and focusing on leading people to Jesus!
The pastor, Rev. James R. Clarke, of Central Baptist (www.cbcdundee.org.uk/main/index.php)
delivered a sermon that moved everyone! It was awesome! People appeared to be setting on the edge of their seats, people were crying and holding up their hands in worship during the music like I had never seen here! I was in AWE! The Holy Spirit was all over that service! Be praying for a revival to start in Dundee and spread across the nation!!!

--

The "ATTIC" children's service was great Monday night! Our little teamed did good, and God's Glory shined! 20 - 25 kids raised their hands for Salvation and will be visited and "followed up" with this week. I was so honored to even "know" the members of this team! They were amazing. The theme of the ATTIC service was the "Incredibles," and Todd Campbell was Mr Incredible and Mindy Grimm was Elastigirl. Kathleen Williamson of the ATTIC, was Edna "E" Mode. Bruce White, founder of the ATTIC, lead the high energy children's praise and worship music. Eric Mills performed a puppet presentation (Aslan, the Greatest Lion from "Narnia") of the David and Goliath story. Eric and Mindy also did a short drama about choices called "Remote Control." Mindy directed the children in a fun and loud game! Pastor Chad Denton of Gamble Road Baptist Church, Birchwood, Tennessee; led the service with a basic, but beautiful presentation of the Gospel on a child's level of understanding - combined with some illusions and visual tricks that complemented the message, to keep their attention!

At the same time across town,
Adam Whipple graced the teens of the Lochee area of Dundee with a mini concert, through a ministry called "The Hub" from Central Baptist Church of Dundee. Adam is an excellent musician and singer!

If we had to come home right now, this trip would have been well worth the effort!

As always, I am blessed and encouraged by the faith and perseverance of the ATTIC staff and volunteers, they are truly the "Incredibles." What a dark place the Hilltown area of Dundee would be without them; what a "shining light" they are! I love them each and every one, and I love the children with all my heart!

We also were privileged to meet a YWAM (www.ywam.org) missionary here from Calgary, Canada; Jacquie Rushford: and a young lady named Mhairi Johnson (pronounced VA-ree; a celtic name), from Glasgow, with Firestarters (www.firestartersuk.co.uk/home.htm), who also helped with the ATTIC service and spent a lot of her free time helping our team.

Please keep this Nation, Dundee, the ATTIC, and the children in your prayers!
We will post again as soon as time allows...

with HIS love,
ted

Back to Dundee....

2007-10-14T01:12:00.001-04:00

Hey Everyone,
We are going back to Dundee on Friday 19 October 2007 and back home on Saturday 27 October 2007. There are 6 of us; Adam Whipple, Rev. Chad Denton, Eric Mills, Mindy Grimm, Ted Reed & Todd Campbell. Please pray for this trip.
Luv 2 all,
ted

UPDATE....finally!

2007-09-06T20:22:00.000-04:00

Hello folks!

Please forgive my not having updated this blog in AGES. Let me update you now...

I'm back home now, and by home (this time), I mean Tennessee! I've been back for a little over a month now, and it took a little time to adjust, but all is well and I think I'm back into the groove of things now...minus the occasional urge to put on a jumper (jacket) before walking out the door when I forget that it is not cold here...and also the problems I encounter when crossing streets and looking the wrong direction for oncoming cars. However, I usually catch myself doing this silly mishaps before I'm hit by cars or get too hot in the heat!

This summer was an experience like no other. God grew me. I feel that He used me. Relationships and friendships that He blessed me with were strengthened. I have new close and personal friends there. God put people in my life that captured my heart. He showed me things. He gave me more independence. He gave me a heart for the homeless. And most of all...I'm told that I was a great help on camps and with the Attic, which made the whole trip worth while. I guess I can't really give you specific accounts of what I did while I was there, because some things I don't feel are to my knowledge. Some things I think are things that will be revealed to me later, or maybe not at all?

Generally, I can tell you that I cannot wait to go back. I am going in December for a visit, but I can't wait to go back, hopefully next summer, to be a part of those kids lives for even a little while. I can't wait to see their smiling faces. I can't wait to sing the songs and do the motions with them. I can't wait to have them capture me all over again. (Can you tell that I'm missing them?)

Thanks to all of you for your support whether in prayers or finances. You all were such a blessing to me, and in turn to others in another land.

I love you all!
in HIM,
Linds

A wee side note from the Dundonian herself...

2007-07-28T08:46:00.000-04:00

I'm NOT leaving. I hope nobody minds.

Actually...I am leaving...sadly. I leave Monday afternoon to head back to Edinburgh to spend a few days with Susie before heading back to the States on Friday. I'm so excited to see Susie, but I'm SOOOO sad to be leaving Dundee. It kind of rips my heart out a little. So if you guys could pray for me to have peace about leaving, it would be GREAT!! I can't wait to see everyone back home and spend time with them...but somehow Dundee feels like home. Seriously.

So that's me today. I love you all and thanks for reading!!!!!!!!

Update..! from Lindsay

2007-07-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

Side Note from ted,
Our dear friends, Dustin & Amanda, got married Saturday 21 July in the States. Obviously Lindsay did not make it to their wedding; instead, she went to Simon & Mairi's wedding in Dundee - on the same day! Simon and Mairi are also good friends of Dustin & Amanda's...
ted

Lindsay's Update...

Hello all of you handsome blokes and bonnie lassies!! LOL
Just another wee update from the home of the brave…and I’m sorry for such a delay!
The second week of Attic Camp was awesome! It turned out that many of the kids were older than the ones from week 1, and they seemed a little less well behaved as well…however, this could have been due to the staff’s lack of sleep and loss of patience from exhaustion of the first week! (And I had a pretty nasty cold!) But generally the week was great! I think the total of commitments from the weeks combined were 10 kids! A couple of those said they had just not been living right, a couple had been down before and may be too young to understand still, but the fact that they came down at all is a big deal…God is moving in their hearts! Not to mention the bravery it takes to stay behind to talk to a leader when all of their friends are getting up and leaving to go outside and play…and going home afterwards to parents that are most likely not supportive… I think that must take a lot.
The camp was basically the same as the first week of camp…we took them to do fun activities during the week, and then a talk and worship each night. I was the first aid person at camp both weeks, and the first night of second week I had 3 burn victims…and by this I mean…3 children who spilt tea on themselves. I know it probably hurt, but you know how kids are when anything hurts: tears, the needing of plasters (band-aids) and major first aid for minor things…by the third kid I was saying “Don’t you all know that tea is hot?!” lol But they were all good sports!
Since camps, not a whole lot of majorly significant things have happened other than the fact that I decided to stay on 2 ½ weeks extra! I was meant to leave this past Thursday, but I just felt that I had more to do and there were a lot of people that I had yet to see, so I paid only $100 to change my plane ticket and stay extra! $100 for 2 ½ weeks in Scotland isn’t so bad! Lol So this past Saturday I was able to attend my first Scottish Wedding…which was a blast! It was my friends Simon and Mairi that go to the Elim church that I attend here in Dundee. The wedding was basically like a typical American wedding- service in a church, although Graeme (the pastor at Elim) basically preached right after the vows, then there was a big meal at a big beautiful hotel in Fife, then a dance with some Ceilidh dancing…which is the best part!!! I love Ceilidh dancing…it’s the traditional Scottish dances, and I’m improving on them! It’s a blast dancing with Bruce because he pretty much spins you all over the place!
This past week has also been what I like to call “Juggle Lindsay Week” because I have stayed in so many different homes. Carolyn’s mum and dad came up to stay in Bruce and Carolyn’s house while they were away on holiday in Italy, so I was at their house until Thursday night when I stayed with my good friend Lisa C, then Friday onto Rose’s (Bruce’s mum), then Saturday night after the wedding onto Liz’s…so in one week I’ve stayed in 4 different homes…I’m such a drifter. Lol It’s all working out perfectly tho! I’m now at Liz’s for a week, then back down to Edinburgh for a few days to spend with my dear friend Susie.
This week I’m just meeting up with friends and spending some quality time! So please pray for opportunities for whatever God has for me, whether it be encouraging someone or just showing them some Jesus love!!

Love to all!!!
IN HIM
Linds

Week 2 of Camp

2007-07-22T17:37:00.000-04:00

some of my camp girls and me...

1st week of camp... by Lindsay

2007-07-06T12:35:00.000-04:00

Hello all!
We just finished our first week of camp...and it was...AMAZING!
The campground, Tannadice near Forfar (about 20 miles out of Dundee), doesn't have much to it- a dorm building, hall with kitchen and meeting room, and a huge yard and bit of a playground area. During the day we took the kids out to different places- swimming and park in Forfar, ice skating and swimming in Perth, Craigtoun Park near St. Andrews, and to the park and shopping in Broughty Ferry (the nicest part of Dundee...the more posh side-lol). At night we had songs and a talk.
The kids ranged from ages 8-13 and there were about 23 of them, then the 12 or so leaders. We split up into teams, and named ourselves, and my team was called the"Gospel Rockers", and was lead by myself and two other leaders. One of the boys in my group, Michael, made such HUGE impression on me. He is 8 years old, and one of the sweetest and most loving, yet most loud and misbehaving kids I've ever met in my life. It almost contradicted itself...he would yell out when he shouldn't, not listen to anything he was told, lost so many points for our team that we just had to stop deducting points when it was because of him. But then he had an imagination like no other...much of my time spent with him was "flying"...which was me giving cuddy-back (piggy back) rides while running out the door of the hall...to the dorms...thru the hallway...back out the door...and in for a strong landing. He always held my hand, and was always hugging me. I would just be sitting or standing and he would take my hand and hold it or play with it...always seemed to be in some sort of contact. I just tried to love him like crazy... altho at times it was hard because he didn't like to obey...but he was so funny to. One of our leaders, Sandy, was doing the talk last night, and was telling the kids that even us leaders sin...we do bad things we shouldn't...everyone does, but Jesus died to pay for that for all of us...and Michael yells out, "You all must sin at night, don't you's?!" ..since I guess we appeared not to sin in the day time around them...lol Ahhh the innocence. Anyways...I gave him a paperback Bible today, and he held onto it like a prized possesion...and told me to write in it so he would remember me. lol Then when it was almost time to leave camp this morning, he kept hugging me and told me he was going to miss me... and the last time he hugged me from his seat on the bus and kind of held on for a minute... and said he loved me... looking sad.
SO many of these kids have captured my heart...I had thought that I had been captured when I was here before, but now....NOW I've been captured. They've stolen my heart! I'm so sad that I'm not going to see the kids from this week until probably next year... andI'm sure I'll fall in love with even more of them next week when we have new kids for camp...
This week has just been great- the leaders are all great too- fun and lots of banter and slagging each other in a loving way. On the 4th of July, I went around jokingly wishing everyone a Happy 4th (obvoiusly they don't celebrate that here) and my friend Sandy started singing the Star Spangled Banner to me...then later in devotions Bruce started playingit on the guitar, and everyone hummed it while I sort of sang it... and the funniest part... Sandy ran out of the room and came back in with a cookie and a lit candle on it to celebrate the birthday of my country... LOL Maybe you just had to be there... but I thought that you Americans might find it funny. ;)
To sum it all up- God has challenged me... He has allowed me to love these kids...He is showing me new things...and it's not even over yet, and I'm already feeling so incredibly blessed. I love you all back home... and I miss you all terribly... but part of me wishes I could be here with these kids all the time. But I know there's a reason for the time I'm here. So please pray for the kids from this past week (6 of them came forward to make commitments!!!!!!), pray for the leaders for rest... and strength for next week (camp is SO tiring!!)... and for the kids coming next week! Thanks and love to all!!
IN HIM!!!
Lindsay

Micheal & Lindsay

2007-07-05T17:34:00.000-04:00

Wee update... by Lindsay

2007-06-28T23:11:00.000-04:00

I figured it was time for another wee update from this side of the globe!
Things here are going pretty great! I’ve been in Dundee for a week now, and it seems like there has been so much going on in only the past 7 days! I have spent most of my time just visiting with people. I’ve gone on home visits, which is a bit of an adventure in itself- some of the families are pretty rough…some are kind…some take you into their home and have nice longs chats…some could care less if you are there…but the common ground? They’re basically all lost. Bruce tells me that sometimes there are opportunities to speak with them about the gospel- of course these opportunities don’t always arise, and I haven’t actually seen any of that on this trip- however…the kids in these homes will be going to camps next week, and who knows what God can do thru those kids in their households? God can come alive in those kids…then they can take it home! Not to mention that in the time spent with these families by these Attic leaders, the people will see something different in them- Jesus.
Last Thursday, on the day that I arrived, we went on home visits, and we were going thru the Hilltown (the worst part of Dundee) and these young guys were gathered around smoking pot…just kind of out in the open…which was weird to me, but Bruce said that normally that wouldn’t just be out in the open. Also, while we were out, there was a little girl, probably about 3 years old, and she was just walking all alone in the streets!!!…on the sidewalk, but insane! She was so little…and no parents in sight!
This past Monday night, we had the Attic…which was stressful, but great! …One of the double-decker buses didn’t show up to go pick up kids! After that got worked out, and some Attic leaders went around in cars to pick up as many kids as possible, things went pretty well! I was the “Girl Team Captain” which was pretty fun! I got to stand at the front of the girls’side and kind of lead them in the fun and songs and stuff. Plus I was wearing a fake kilt and one of thoseTartan hats with horns and red hair coming out of it, because everyone was supposed to wear Tartan for the theme! (Tartan is the different plaid patterns that represent each Scottish clan.) I looked a little ridiculous, but it was fun! …I did notice that outside the windows were some kids from the Hilltown, acting up and even making some derogatory movements thru the windows…but I guess that’s the Hilltown for ya…in need of Jesus.
I’ve also had time to spend just hanging out with people- maybe all of these are not evangelism opportunities, but they are encouragement opportunities…which I think are of great importance!
I've spent a lot of time with a friend of mine called Alison, and we have become close friends over the past week! She is great…and I hope that I have encouraged her as much as she is encouraging me!
Living with Bruce and Carolyn this past week has also been fun! I’m sleeping in their attic-room…not an actual bedroom yet, but it is a private place where I can escape from being bombarded by two little boys every morning as I was on past trips! (Ewan is 3, and Aidan is 1!) So I’m enjoying the bit of escape that I get while sleeping up there- it’s quite cozy! The boys are so much fun to be around all the time….the first thing that Ewan says when he wakes up or comes home from nursery is, “Where is Lindsay?” He’s hilarious!And as I am writing this…Aidan, fresh out of the bath, is crying pretty loudly…but he’ll probably be laughing in about two seconds…because I think he is Bipolar-hahaha…he goes from screaming to laughing like that. And he isn’t walking yet- he just sort of awkwardly scoots around on his bum, leaning on one arm, and using his other arm and mostly one leg to move himself- it’s SO funny! Almost looks like a wee monkey. ; )
I’m also loving the fact that things here don’t seem foreign to me at all…I’ve actually been mixing up accents…which sounds really stupid…but I’ve been having to listen closely to differentiate between Scottish and even American accents…weird, right? And I’m also very used to the whole driving on the leftside of the road (although I’m never driving, onlyriding). I sometimes forget that I’m even in Scotland…it just seems pretty normal now! I’m also picking up on some of their lingo…in normal conversations…lol
Well next week I am off to Attic Camps…and I’m so excited! It will be the first two weeks of July, with a weekend in between the two, and both weeks will have two different groups of kids. It’s going to be tiring…but I think it’s going to be GREAT. I can’twait….. The only thing I’m worried about, which I suppose I shouldn’t be….is the fact that I’m not feeling very well. Yesterday I had a headache, was feeling nauseous, and was pretty shaky, but eventually started feeling some better after eating….well this morning I woke up with a really sore throat…and now I’m feeling the headache and stomach stuff again too….so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray that I won’t get sick! Hopefully it’s just the rainy weather and allergies making me feel this way! I REFUSE to miss camps! That’s why I came! :) And if I do have something, pray that it goes away quickly, and that these boys and Bruce and Carolyn don’t get sick too!
Also please pray for God to reveal Himself to me, give us opportunities, and that He’ll use me how He best sees fit!
Thanks for all or your prayers!
Love to all!!!
In Him, Lindsay

The Cliffs of Arbroath

2007-06-20T17:46:00.000-04:00

One of the most beautiful

places in the whole world!

God is so Good...

I am here! ...by Lindsay

2007-06-11T23:08:00.000-04:00

Hello all!

After a long journey, I arrived in Scotland on Thursday morning at 7am (2am Tennessee time). The trip over was good, but strange being alone! I was able to get valuable sleep on the flight, so that was good! Currently, I am staying with my dear friend, Susie, and her family, here in Edinburgh! Time spent with Susie and her family has been great! They always welcome me into their home as though I were a part of the family...they even pick on me and refer to me as "The American." At this point, I'm not exactly sure what my purpose is here in Edinburgh, but I know that God has a reason for my being here...and hopefully for more than just a visit. (Please pray for God to use me here in this house and in this city...for the Kingdom!) This past Saturday, Susie and I attended "Frenzy" which is a huge Christian music festival complete with bands such as Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Leeland, Newsboys, Starfield, and other less known bands. It was so amazing to see so many Christians from all over the world coming to one place to worship God! He was so evident in that place...people were really worshipping! It was a huge encouragement and so uplifting. And I got to meet Casting Crowns, who by the way, are super nice! On 21 June I'll be traveling up to Dundee (I think Susie's Mum is going to be driving me there, but if not, I'll be traveling by bus.) where I will spend 4 weeks working with the Attic and spending time with people there. I am so excited! I will also be attending Attic Camps the first two weeks in July! I've never been able to go to the camps, but everyone keeps telling me how awesome it is...so I can't wait! From what I have heard in the past, God really works through these camps!! Please pray for God to use me throughout these coming weeks!! Pray that He will use me as His sharpened sword and His polished arrow, and that in me He will display His splendor!! (Isaiah 49)
I love you all and thanks for your support whether it has been through prayer or funding! I would not be here if it were not for all of you allowing God to use you in getting me here!
Jesus Bless!
Lindsay
P.S. Feel free to write back! I'm on my email pretty frequently while in Edinburgh, so I would love to hear from you all!

Scotland.Missions@gmail.com