Home Again

I'm back in Canada! It's so surreal to be home... Everything is so ugly here... Sorry, but it's true. If you'd been in Scotland surrounded by incredible architecture that was over 500 years old and amazing countrysides/landscapes, you'd think so too. I miss Scotland and the people I went with so much!! Going back to school and writing an exam was such a let down today... I think the trip really put things into perspective today... Stuff that seemed so important to me before just don't anymore. Anyways, I'm still VERY exhausted, and I have a little fishie who is very in need of a clean bowl. Here's some pics to enjoy:

Edinburgh Castle! According to a Scotsman I met, the castle was built into the base of a dormant volcano! The castle is OLD. It was re-captured by Robert the Bruce in 1314, so it had to have been around before then, but no one knows when it was first built.

This is the mountain I climbed. (Yes, Peter, it IS a mountain!!) It's called Arthur's Seat (no one knows why), and it is the central core of an extinct volcano (seems like a common theme in Edinburgh... haha). It was a HARD climb - like 30 - 45 min. STRAIGHT up, but it was worth it to see....

The incredible view!!!! That's only a very small part of the view... You can see the ENTIRE city of Edinburgh and a bit beyond from the top. It was very cool. I have more pictures of it, but too many to post on here.

I shall leave you with this. A real live red phone booth!! haha I have soo many more pictures... 216 to be exact! So, if you liked what you saw, then ask me to see the rest (in person), and I will show you!! :)

Final Cheers From Scotland!

We went mountain climbing on Arthur's Seat today! Well, it was technically hiking, but we h€ad to climb a cliff in the process, so I'll call it mountain climbing... when you see the picture of the thing we scaled, you will probably agree with me. I've never done anything like that before in my life - hiking or mountain climbing! It was incredible, but hard. We hiked for about 30-40 minutes pretty near straight up, so it was tough physically (and going down was absolutely terrifying for me), but once we got to the top, it was so worth it. We could see all of Edinburgh from there and a lot of other parts of Scotland too. I can't wait to show you all the pictures! We spent some time up there looking out over the city praying. It was a really awesome way to end the project.

We had 8 people pray to receive Christ over the past week, which is really amazing! Please pray for these people as they start their new lives! We've had so many incredible experiences that I don't even know where to start... I'll have to post some pictures when I get home and get them onto my computer! It's hard to believe that this is my last night here. I have to get up at 2:30am to go the airport. lol It's going to be interesting... So, since I have to get up so early, I best get to bed. When I write again, I will be in Canada! Crazy!! Part of me just wants to stay here....

Another Scotland Update

It's hard to believe that there's only 2 full days left of this trip. It's been quite an experience, and I've learned a lot. Deb, you were totally right about the whole "Why did I have to travel halfway around the world for God to teach me this??" thing. Anyways, we saw 4 people come to Christ today, which is amazing. I think that puts us at like 6 people total so far, so that's so exciting! We were told to expect to just be "planting the seeds" and not seeing the results, so it's cool that we have seen the results.

I'm feeling a bit tired today. We have been walking like A LOT, but I don't think it's all the exercise... I actually usually feel more awake when I'm walking than I do when I'm just sitting. I think it's because sharing for like 4-5 hours a day is so emotionally and spiritually draining. As much as I am in love with this country and enjoying what I'm doing, I'm looking forward to taking a break from sharing on Saturday to kind of unwind and then coming home where I can fully process all this.

I got to eat at Garfunkels tonight! I've been wanting to since we saw it on the first day... I didn't know anything about it or anything... I just like Simon and Garfunkel. haha Anyways, it was delicious. I had a steak, and it was wonderful. I don't know what else to say really, so I will sign off for this post. We're going to the seaside tomorrow! Cheers everyone and thanks for praying!

Another HEYA from Scotland!

Hey there home dawgs! heehee I don't think I've ever used that term before... Anyways, I have some good news! There is a girl that two people on my team were talking to today who is very close to praying to receive Christ, so you can all pray for her!! I'm finding it a bit difficult to actually get to the whole Gospel presentation because most people here are atheists or agnostics, so you kind of have to prove the existance of God first... Really wishing I had actually listened to one of the debates instead of working the door now.. Anyway, there is some info on it in our orientation package, so I'm going to look into it tonight before I get to sleep.

In other news, we went to Oddfellows Pub tonight for a pint and watching the football game. Manchester United was playing Lille. Man U won. Hooray!! Not many people around here are Man U fans, though, so I'm not too vocal with that whole thing... I'm also a Rangers fan, so that's what I tell people I meet. haha No haggis today... though my cheeseburger did have a bit of a haggis-y taste. heehee Anyways, got to get some sleep! Cheers!

Scotland Update 2!

Hey All! I'm a bit more awake now, so I'll try to give you a better idea of what's going on. We spent yesterday (Sunday) doing training all day, as well as planning in our smaller teams. My team is on the George Square campus of the University of Edinburgh, which is the main campus there. We're primarily focusing on promoting Kirk Durston's "God and Evil" talk happening on Friday, as well as doing a lot of personal evangelism with individual students here. On Wednesday, we're going to Glasgow to check out the STINT site! That's pretty exciting... I hear there's lots of thick Scottish accents there, so maybe I will fulfill my goal of meeing a Scotsman named Angus! haha We spent this afternoon doing some evangelism on campus... It was pretty discouraging at first because it was difficult to find people who would talk to us, but it got better as the afternoon went on. I'm hopeful that tomorrow will be even better because we're going to be partnering up with Scottish students to go sharing.

In other news, I have eaten a wild boar burger (quite tasty) and haggis (also pretty good, but I probably wouldn't want to eat a lot of it). The city is incredibly beautiful, and I am in totally in love with the people here, as well. Hmm... what else to tell... I don't know!! I love everything I'm doing, and I'm so glad I came!!

Something you all can pray for: People who will be willing to open up to us about spiritual things while we're doing personal evangelism and a HUGE turnout for Friday's event... We'd like to see 100 out, which is a big number for the group here... See you all next week! I hope to give another update soonish!

HELLO FROM SCOTLAND!!

Hey Everyone! I've arrived!! The flight was crazy long, and I didn't sleep a bit, so after about 34ish hours of no sleep, I am ready for bed. (Hence, this will be brief). Ahem. I am here. It's beautiful. I love it. I can't wait until we go to Glasgow. It's going to be a blast. Hostel's a bit sketchy, but fun.

Goodbye! I love and miss you all! Thanks for your prayers!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. ~1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Okay, so I realize that this is a bit late coming, but Happy Valentine's Day everyone!! I had a lovely V-Day. I got my first-ever bouquet of 12 red roses and a very cute (and yummy) tin of chocolates yesterday. I also got a cute pink daisy from Erin (kinda disappointed it wasn't the candy g... but you know.. ;) and a rose from C4C! Yay for flowers!! lol Oh man... Peter took me to Opa! for dinner last night, and it was SO GOOD. We had the best shrimp I have ever tasted.... They were amazing... It's too bad that there was only 4 of them! ;) lol I thought that was kind of funny... That you pay like $8 for a shrimp appetizer and only get 4... heehee Ah well... They were so good that it was worth it! I had souvlaki for dinner, which I haven't had since high school, and chocolate mousse cake for dessert. Ahhh... it was good... I want to go back there!! Yummmmm!

Anyways, I GO TO SCOTLAND TOMORROW!!! I found out today that I will have internet access while I'm there in my hostel, so that's good! I should be able to either give updates on here or through e-mail... I can't believe it's tomorrow! It still seems like I have TONS of time before I leave. I'm super excited, but I'm gonna miss everyone, too... :( BUT I'M GOING TO SCOTLAND!! WAHOO!!!

Theme Song of the Week!

It's Valentine's week! So, I figured in light of celebrations of love, my theme song of the week would be one of my favourite love songs of all time. It's "All I Ask of You" from the Phantom of the Opera! (I know that at least my camp people will enjoy this one! haha)

Raoul:
No more talk of darkness/Forget these wide-eyed fears/I'm here, nothing can harm you/My words will warm and calm you/Let me be your freedom/Let daylight dry your tears/In here, with you, beside you/To guard you and to guide you

Christine:
Say you love me every waking moment/Turn my head with talk of summertime/Say you need me with you, now and always/Promise me that all you say is true/That's all I ask of you

Raoul:
Let me be your shelter/Let me be your light/You're safe, no one will find you/Your fears are far behind you

Christine:
All I want is freedom/A world with no more night/And you, always beside me/To hold me and to hide me

Raoul:
Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime/Let me lead you from your solitude/Say you need me with you, here beside you/Anywhere you go, let me go too/Christine, that's all I ask of you

Christine:
Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime/Say the word and I will follow you

Both:
Share each day with me, each night, each morning

Christine:
Say you love me...

Raoul:
You know I do...

Both:
Love me, that's all I ask of you/Anywhere you go, let me go too/Love me, that's all I ask of you...

Refreshed

Today, I spent the afternoon on my windowseat reading my Bible and Driven by Eternity and praying. It was very refreshing. It's been awhile since I've taken a few hours out of my day to just connect with God, so it was good. I've been getting really nervous about Scotland lately, so I was praying that I would have the courage to share my faith and that I would actually see lives changed in Scotland. After this, I began reading Psalm 40. It spoke to both of these fears, as well as many others that I have, so I thought I would put it on here so that it can encourage you as much as it encouraged me. Here it is:

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.

Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord, who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols. O Lord my God, You have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all Your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.

You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that You have made me listen, I understand - You don't require burnt offerings or sin offerings. Then I said, "Look, I have come. As is written about me in the Scriptures: I take joy in doing Your will, my God, for Your instructions are written on my heart."

I have told all Your people about Your justice. I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O Lord, well know. I have not kept the good news of Your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about Your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of Your unfailing love and faithfulness.

Lord, don't hold back Your tender mercies from me. Let Your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me. For troubles surround me - too many to count! My sins pile up so high I can't see my way out. They outnumber the hairs on my head. I have lost all courage.

Please, Lord, resuce me! Come quickly, Lord, and help me. May those who try to destroy me be humiliated and put to shame. May those who take delight in my trouble be turned back in disgrace. Let them be horrified by their shame, for they said, "Aha! We've got him now!"

But may all who search for You be filled with joy and gladness in You. May those who love Your salvation repeatedly shout, "The Lord is great!" As for me, since I am poor and needy, let the Lord keep me in His thoughts. You are my Helper and my Savior. O my God, do not delay.

I also heard the most convincing argument yet on the "loss of salvation" issue and am fully convinced of my position on it. It feels good to put that issue to rest.

Today, I am refreshed. My Savior met me where I was at and fulfilled me. I am at peace.

Voices

As I'm sitting here in the Killam Learning Commons waiting to go over to Kelley's for dinner, there is a rather large group of Arab people behind me chatting in Arabic. One of them sounds EXACTLY like Watto from Star Wars - not even kidding... His voice has the same sound, and the accent (and language) makes him sound like exactly like him. I heard it and turned around to see who was watching Star Wars in the lab, that's how close it is. I just thought I should share this with the world. :)

Happy one month anniversary to me! Oh, and Peter... hahaha

Theme Song of the Week

Well, this blog has a new feature: THE THEME SONG OF THE WEEK! This week, my theme song is "Hallelujah" by the Newsboys. Enjoy!

Step into the sunlight, so bright/Illumination blocking out the night/She knows that the promises are airtight/There is no doubt, you can see it in her eyes/You'll hear her singing to heaven, even/Without letting out a word to be heard/In every single situation (none too big, none too small)/She looks up, and the world looks on

She sings hallelujah when all has become nothing/And her hope in the Saviour has coloured all she does/And taints the way she loves/She sings hallelujah and falls to the ground again/With hands stretched up to the sky, she's waiting for the day she'll hear the Father say...

Step into the spotlight, so bright/A character check in the dead of night/To cut the stays of reason, till death defy/All understanding in the neighbour's eye/To run the race like this day's the last to celebrate/In all we do and all we say, look up 'cause the world looks on

She sings hallelujah when all has become nothing/And her hope in the Saviour has coloured all she does/And taints the way she loves/She sings hallelujah and falls to the ground again/With hands stretched up to the sky, she's waiting for the day she'll hear the Father say...

We sing hallelujah when all has become nothing/Our hope in the Saviour has coloured all we do/Let it be for You/We'll sing hallelujah and fall to the ground again/With hands stretched up to the sky/We're waiting for the day we'll hear the Father say/Yeah, to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful one/Enter in, come on, and share with me/Welcome home, good and faithful one/On and on through eternity...

*Addendum: Best Newsboys line ever: "And try as you may, there isn't a way to explain the kind of change that would make an Eskimo renounce fur, that would make a vegetarian barbecue a hamster..." ~"Shine" by the Newsboys

*sigh of contentment*

I am having a great day. Seriously - it's been great. I had my doubts about how the day would turn out this morning when I was running late and caught a glimpse of my mullet (yes, I have a new haircut that sort of resembles a mullet... however, you will probably never know this since it will be in a ponytail from now until it grows out a bit), but it turned out absolutely wonderful. I was very awake in the nursery this morning, which is always nice, and the twins were absolutely adorable today! Then, after church, Mum and I and Auntie went to Montana's for lunch. Montana's actually wasn't that great... the food came cold and they got my order wrong... BUT after Montana's, as I was sitting in the van waiting for Mum to come out of the restaurant, Peter pulled up and completely shocked me cos I wasn't expecting him back from the Valley until like 7 or 8 tonight! So, we went out running errands, came home and watched Kingdom of Heaven, and made a wonderful feast for dinner (well, at least Peter though so... ;). And to top everything off, Peter's parents sent me money for Scotland!! I didn't even know that they knew about my trip! Seriously, I am absolutely floored... I cannot belive how nice they are to me! It's amazing... and wonderful... and... ahhh I just can't belive it! I nearly cried when Peter told me they sent something for me. I honestly did.

There is also something else that made my day even better, but it is mainly for girls reading pleasure only, so if you're a guy and don't like "girl stuff", you may finish reading this post right now. If you are a girl (as I know most of my readers are), you may read on.

Okay, so lately I've been SUPER mood swingy and dizzy all the time (mainly while driving, which is really great) and crying A LOT and doubting everything and all kinds of wonderful things, and I could NOT figure out what was wrong with me! So, this morning, I started my period! And it explains sooo much! Ahhh.... I was so happy. lol It was just such a relief. Now, however, I am out of the happy phase and back into the "sometimes I hate being a woman" phase (ie. the normal mood during such events ;). But seriously... it was very relieving. I feel back to normal now and happy because I have the best boyfriend in the whole world and *sigh* it's great... I'm having a great day...

Scotland, Part 2

In preparation for my Scotland trip, Peter and I watched Braveheart tonight. It was good. I liked it a lot. Scotland is a beautiful country, with a rich heritage. It was a scary movie, though... Scary in the sense that it made me realized how lucky I am to not have lived during those times. I'm not sure that I would have had the strength to bear it... maybe I would have if I had to, maybe that's the only reason anyone can ever bear those things. I think I would have rathered run away though. Then again, perhaps having a man like William Wallace to draw strength from would have helped too. I don't know what I want to say... I'm just rambling... but it's put me in a thoughtful mood, so that means sleep is far from me. I think, however, I will go be thoughtful elsewhere than on my blog.

Scotland!

At this exact time, two weeks from now, I will be in the airport waiting to board my flight to Scotland! That is CRAZY!! I can't believe how soon it is... Part of me is scared to death, but the bigger part of me is crazy excited! I can't believe I'm going to Scotland!! I can't believe I'm going to Scotland and not paying one cent for it! I can't believe I'm going to Scotland solely for the purpose of carrying out the Great Commission at the University of Edinburgh! It's so exciting! Seriously - what better reason to go somewhere than for that?! I can't believe this... I still have $955 to go, but I know that the money will come in... There's 3 people at my church who've said they want to give, 3 people from C4C who've said they want to give, 3 friends/their parents who want to give, and then my grandmother. It will come in. :) I'M GOING TO SCOTLAND, GUYS!!! THIS IS FOR REAL!!!!

Oh, Marketing!

Yesterday, as I was sitting at Erin's kitchen table reading the newspaper, I found a flyer for People's Jewellery, so I did what any normal girl would do - I looked through it. Thoroughly. After discovering that there was only one ring in it (don't worry, folks, NOT an engagement ring!! just a pretty ring...) that I liked, I discovered something else that struck me as being rather humorous. The flyer I was looking at contained only women's jewellery. It was more of a mini-catalogue than a flyer, too... probably... oh about 7 or 8 pages long. The flyer for men's jewellery was about the size of a 4x6 photograph, one-sided. It had like 4 things on it total. lol I guess there's not too many people out buying men's jewellery for Valentine's Day... and if they are, they're not getting good deals or much selection!!

Anyway, Valentine's Day is coming up soon, and I'm excited. I know exactly what I'm getting Peter, and it's grrrrreat!

In other news, my back is still driving me absolutely nuts, BUT I was on time for Oceans this morning! Yay!