Day 10-Last day in Stevenston

This morning we spent our last morning with our host families which was a sad, yet sweet time. We went to the High Kirk for morning service with Pastor Scott. He talked about the Parable of the Tares and how God will eventually judge everyone, and it is not the church's job to figure out who is a Christian and who is not, but rather to preach the Gospel. At the end of the service, one of the old men requested a song about seeing each other again, whether here or in heaven, which made us cry :) After the church service we went down to the High Kirk hall to enjoy a church-wide luncheon. From there, Colby and Mrs. Sorrell's host lady, Janet, took us to see lawn bowling which was quite a fascinating sport and much different from our ten-pin bowling. We then went to visit Adam and Margaret. The moms went to visit Naomi and had tea and talked with her. They put on a wonderful tea with wee nibbles for us :) Our conversations were lovely and we really enjoyed our time. However, it was quite sad leaving them. We then went back to the manse and spent some time with Pastor Scott and Antonia's kids. For our last dinner we enjoyed Fish and Chips with Ian and Elaine and then went to the Livingstone church for a song of praise night. There were hymns played, and then some of the songs from kids club which was a blast. We went back to the manse and said goodbye to all the teens and then Pastor Scott gave us a wonderful accordion concert and made us cry. We took a picture on the Stevenston rock (which is to come) and reluctantly said goodbye to all the people of Stevenston.

Day 9 - Edinburgh!

On Saturday we got to experience Edinburgh! We started off early with a breakfast of bacon babs at Janet's (the Sorrells' hostess) house. We drove for a little over an hour and hopped on a train into the city. We did a little shopping first and then some of us enjoyed Starbucks! (The free wifi was a pretty big draw, too :) ) After Starbucks we did some more shopping and found some good Scottish souvenirs to take back home. It was so neat to walk around the city and take in the atmosphere - I (Katie) LOVED it; it was not too crowded and all the stone buildings were so pretty. In the afternoon, everyone except Kirstie and Emma went to tour the Edinburgh Castle. There was a huge line to get tickets, but it was fun to listen to all the different people around us and see some glimpses of the city. Once we got into the castle, we got to see even more beautiful overviews of the city and Mrs. Sorrell and I got lots of pictures! There was also a wedding going on so we got to see some handsome Scottish men in kilts ;) We were a little disappointed when we tried to see some of the exhibits as the halls were very narrow and there was such a crowd that you couldn't really stop to read or look at anything. However, I still enjoyed just being in a medieval castle and learning a little bit of the history behind it. Plus, the views almost made up for the crowds!
After the castle we headed back to meet up with Marxs and stopped to eat some ice cream on the way. We did even more shopping as we headed to the John Knox house. Inside the house we learned some about Knox and also James Mossman who had lived in the house as well. Upstairs, Colby, Caroline, and I dressed up and pretended to be Knox. (Pictures possibly to come :))
We had a little bit of time to kill before we met with someone for coffee so we decided to make a long hike over to Jamie Oliver's restaurant. On the way there, however, we got caught in a rainstorm. About half of us had chosen to not bring our rain jackets because "It won't possibly rain on this beautiful day!" So, we hid under a tree for a few minutes until the tree started raining on, then we huddled by the side of a building, then we decided to make a run for it back to where we were meeting for coffee, then we realized that making a run for it would get us soaked even more than we already were, so we stopped in a little store. However, that store happened to be closing in five minutes, so we soon headed back into the torrent of rain and raced up to an Italian restaurant. Of course, since it was raining, everyone else and their mother had the same idea as us so the restaurant was full. We eventually decided to eat either pizza or fish and chips. Those who ate pizza enjoyed it in the rain. I think the rain really gave the pizza a nice, waterlogged flavor ;)
After dinner we met with Andrew from the church in Leith. It was neat to hear how they are getting involved with the community over there through everyday things such as going to the gym or meeting for coffee.
On the way back to the train station we stopped at one more souvenir shop and got some Scottish rubber ducks :) After a quick train ride and a long car ride, we were back and ready for a good night's rest after a very long but very, very fun day :)
~Katie

Day 8- Friday

We started the day by going into Salt Coats to have breakfast with Ian and Elaine. We ate at a bakery called The Candy Bar. Then we headed over to the 3TFM radio recording station. Maddy, Caroline, Diana, Colby, and Katie each recorded a 90 second radio address. The radio station will play one each day. Maddy's was about trusting God and not worrying about our problems. Caroline's was about finding strength in God and not in ourselves. Diana's was about her heart for the people of Scotland. Colby's was about the glory of the Gospel and Katie's was about how we cannot match up to God's standards by ourselves.

After we were done at the radio station, we drove to Kilmarnock to meet up with some of the Scotland boys and do some shopping. We went to the Killie store first which is the Kilmarnock football club store. We were in Kilmarnock for most of the afternoon and towards evening we went back to Stevenston to set up for the family BBQ at the High Kirk hall. Ian went with us from Kilmarnock back to Stevenston to hang out with us and help with the BBQ. We took the bunting and some other decorations from our American night and decorated the hall. The BBQ was when the kids from Kids Club could bring their family and friends to hang out and share about what they learned this week. We even did another puppet show so that all the families could see. We played games with the kids outside, served the food, and talked with the families before we played some Minute to Win It games. The games included the adults and the kids (Pictures to come!). We cleaned up the hall after everyone had left and drove back to Kilmarnock. We barely made it to Morrison's (the grocery store) before it closed where all the moms bought boatloads of mugs. Then we went to drop Ian off and headed back to Stevenston.

-Maddy and Caroline

Day 7-A day I have dreamed about

Today has to have been one of my most favorite days so far. Us girls started out the morning spending time with Elaine and Colby shared with us about how Christ is enough and we need put our trust in Him. We then went to the High Kirk hall for our last day of kids club. Today our theme was from Sadness into Joy and talked about how when Jesus died we were sad, but that was transformed into joy when He rose from the dead. My highlight of kids club today though was the Lord using me, a broken and sinful vessel, to lead a little boy to Christ. It was especially meaningful because I had asked for prayer for me earlier in the week about dealing with him because he was disrespectful. The Lord completely turned it around and I am so amazed at what He can do. Today has been a day I have dreamed for for a long time, and God gave me strength and boldness to proclaim His Word!  :) After kids club we went out to tea with an old couple who we have known for several years. They insisted on us trying the strawberry tart and it was definitely one of my favorite desserts on the trip. Tonight we had the ladies night and it was a wonderful time of food, fellowship and pampering. There was hair styling, nail painting, massages, and foot baths. Mum got up and shared about the song Matthew West wrote called "Hello my name is" and how we are new creations in Christ, and we don't have to keep holding onto regrets we have.

-Emma

Day 6

Today, also known as "hump day" (according to the Geico commercial), was another full day! We started with devotions and then headed to kids' club. The kids got to enjoy a puppet show presented by Maddy and Emma. They learned about how they can become a part of God's kingdom. Two of the kids asked Jesus into their hearts! We were all so excited for them and you could just see the joy on their little faces. Pray for them that they would grow in Christ.

After kids' club we hopped in the Jan The WoMAN Van (aka "Swaggin Wagon") and headed off to Kilmarnock to visit some Alzheimer's patients. They were all so sweet and several of them showed off their talents: One lady had a beautiful voice, one of the men played the accordion, and another man taught us how to dance! We also sang some hymns with them and they loved it. 

For dinner Helen invited us to her house and served us a delicious meal. We enjoyed the amazing weather outside and later Kevin taught us all some dances. After visiting for a little while, we went back into Stevenston for the teen night. We got quizzed on our music knowledge, and most of us Americans were a little lost trying to figure out all the different songs! We all enjoyed spending more time with the Scottish teens. We are getting to know them really well and they are so much fun! We ended the night by dancing to some Christian remixes of songs like "Gangam Style" and "Up All Night."

Katie

Day 5

Hi everyone!  WOW!  It seems hard to believe that over 5 days have passed since we first arrived here in Scotland.  We started our morning with the new "usual": devotions at Ian and Elaine's home.  It was such a wonderful blessing for them to open up their home to us for devotions.  All five of us girls were together.  Katie did a great job leading us.  One of the verses she used was Jeremiah 9: 23-24.  These verses (which just so happen to my favorite:) remind us to trust in God, for He is the ultimate prize.  During our devotions, it finally rained for the first time since we have been here!  We had lots of fun dancing in the rain for Elaine.  Next, we headed over to the High Kirk for our 2nd day of Kid's Club.  The theme for the day was "From Water into Wine."  It was the amazing to see how God was able to use us in the kid's lives.  This was the lesson we were least looking forward to teaching, yet it was amazing to watch God working in the children's lives as they began to open up their hearts to us.  After Kid's Club, we were supposed to help clean up around the church and the manse, but because of the rain, we were unable.  Yet, as always, God had a perfect plan.  We were able to spend the early afternoon together resting and spending extra time in God's Word.  For inner, we headed back over to the High Kirk hall.  Mildred prepared a wonderful dinner, and it was a special time of fellowship with some of our new, dear friends.  It also happened to be Mildred's 75th birthday!  W were all so blessed b y her service, especially on her birthday! Later that night, we headed over for the second teen night.  Many of the same people returned.  I was so excited to see Roisin back again!  Please continue to pray for her.  Exhausted from a long day, we came back to the house, finished up a few preparations for tomorrow, and headed to bed.  I am sure I forgot something, but still all in all it was another blessed day for The Lord.  I am looking forward to what is in store for us tomorrow!

Colby

Day 4

We started the day with the girls going to Venetia's house for devotions and the ladies going to Elaine's for devotions. After that, we went to the High Kirk hall to start getting ready for Kid's Club (which is VBS). The theme for the day was from nothing to something which was all about creation. We were all assigned a group of kids to help with. We sang songs, made crafts, had a puppet show, played games, and watched a video about creation. After kid's club, we went to Ardeer (another church in Stevenston) and started setting up for the American night. Mrs. Soost and Mrs. Sorrell made cupcakes, brownies, and cookies while the rest of us decorated the hall. Later, we headed to the YWAM base in Seamill. We toured their house (which was basically a castle...) and learned about their program and mission. After that we went back to Ardeer hall to finish setting up for the American youth night (pictures to come!!). There were about thirty kids who came in all. We had A LOT of American junk food and played "minute to win it" games. After we were done with the games Katie and Colby shared their testimonies. We also gave out the gospel bracelets with the colourful beads and explained to the kids what they meant. We had extra bracelets that we are able to give out to the kids in Kid's Club today. At the end of the day we all went back to the house where the Soost's and I are staying and had some prayer time and talked about things  we liked most about the day. I (Maddy) really enjoyed the American night. It was great to get to know the kids (they are all SUPER friendly) and just liked talking to them and asking them questions. It was encouraging to me that they were also asking questions back, it wasn't just me asking them questions. I (Caroline) enjoyed helping at kid's club and being able to talk with the kids and interact with them in a smaller group.

- Maddy and Caroline :)

Welcome to Scotland!

Broken Chains Ministry we worked at.

Enjoying Scotland desserts.

Diana's favorite dessert Nardini's.

Family Fun Day crafts

Scotsmen in kilts!

The High Kirk

Janet, our wonderful tour guide and the Sorrells' hostess.

Loudon Hill

Loudon Church

Dessert at Nardini's

Pavlova

Viking Pencil Monument

Prudence, a pastor's wife we met.

The girls and Roisin.

Scotland boys and American girls!

Sunset from Largs.

The Pencil 

Family Fun Day

Big Weekend!

We started the weekend with a wonderful lunch with Roisin and her family in Newmilns.  Roisin is a sweet 16 year old who shared her beautiful drawings with us and blessed all the girls with gorgeous bracelets.  Her grandmother, Catherine, served an amazing spread.  We have decided their cole slaw with the addition of cream is much more tasty than what we are accustom to in the States.  We also had our first pavlova.  After lunch we visited Loudoun Church (this is the first church Colonial ministered with in 2007) and got a little bit of Coventors' history.  Then continued down the road to view Loudoun Hill just outside of Darvel all the while enjoying Scotland's breathtaking countryside.  The day ended with a dinner of the best fish and chips at Tom and Sue's in Kilwinning.  We were joined by Ian and Elaine.  After dinner we were finally allowed to go to bed.  It was the best night's sleep.

Our team came together early Saturday morning for devotions before heading over for a prayer breakfast at the High Kirk hall.  We were greeted warmly by members of the three churches we will be working with this week.  It was such a blessing to come together to pray for all God will bring to the activities this coming week.  We then immediately began preparations for Family Fun Day which was held on the grounds of the High Kirk on Saturday afternoon.  A quick visit between set up and the actual event to see Margaret and Adam was a enjoyable treat.  Adam shared a devotional challenging us to appreciate the circumstances that God has us in and to recognize the hand of God in our lives.  Family Fun Day was a family event for all the families of Stevenston and was well attended with the beautiful weather.  This was a  great opportunity to connect with the people of Stevenston and meet some of the kids who will be attending Kids Club (VBS) this coming week. We estimate that there were over 175 children at the Family Fun Day. After dinner we ended the day with a trip to Largs.  Janet (Denise and Colby's hostess) went with us and was a wonderful guide. We parked near a viking monument from 1268. We then walked about two miles into Largs along the seaside. It was beautiful looking over the water with the sun setting behind the mountains/hills. We ate ice cream at Nandini's a tradition going back to 2007. Then the girls met some Scotts dressed in their kilts and had their pictures taken with them. How much fun! We then hiked back as the sun was setting at 10:45pm. Yes you read that right. The sun comes up at 4:20am and sets at 10:45pm. This was only our second day in Scotland.

Sunday began with services at the High Kirk.  Oh, how we love Rev Scott. His humble heart, his kindness to those around him and his love for Jesus was so refreshing and precious. We sat in high back pews and praised the Lord through hymns and praise songs. Scott's message was from Matthew 13, the parable of the sower. He talked about the 4 choices we can make. First, to totally ignore God. Second, to hear God but to choose to not follow Him, Third to listen to the message, like what you are hearing yet being unwilling to surrender your life to Him. Finally the fourth option is to accept the Lord, walk in His ways and obey his word. Then He will increase the harvest, thirty fold, sixty fold, even a hundred fold for His glory. We were reminded that we always want to be choosing option four and we can only do that is by being in His Word, praying daily and serving Him. It was such a blessing to be across the ocean worshipping together and praising the King. Our dear friend Margaret Durham blessed us with a lovely lunch in the church hall before we headed over to Kilmarnock for the afternoon and evening.

St. Marnocks church in Kilmarnock invited us to speak at one of their ministries called Broken Chains. The church ladies make a lovely dinner for those who are struggling with substance abuse. We opened with praise music. Katie played the piano and Russell played the guitar. Denise then shared about how we all are broken. This morning her glasses broke and Maddy brought duck tape (we have used it so much already) and Denise was able to tie that into her talk. Kirstie then presented the Gospel and how the Lord loves each one of us and that He wants a personal relationship with us. We then had an opportunity to sit down with the men and women as they ate and pray with them and encourage them to look to Jesus. They will only be able to overcome their addiction if they keep their eyes on Jesus. After we were done at St Marnocks we headed over to the Taits. Our team met Andy when he came over and stayed with the Marx's. His family invited us over for a BBQ of hamburgers, kebabs and hot dogs. Helen, Joanne and all the tennis boys came over to spend time with us. The food was amazing, especially the desserts of strawberry cheesecake, chocolate cake and a pavlova (meringue, whipped cream and fresh strawberries) We have had so much food and cups of tea. The girls were able to present and practice their puppet show and got great feedback. We have adjusted to the time change but are still a little tired. We can see the hand of the Lord move and we are so excited to see what He is going to do this week.
Denise, Kirstie and Diana

We have arrived! -Day 1

We have arrived safely in Glasgow and are trying to stay awake with coffee and tea :) Our plans for the rest of the day include visiting Roisin, who Mum and I got to know last year, driving around Stevenston and Kilmarnock and spending time with our host families tonight. Please pray that The Lord will give us renewed strength and energy to get through this long day :)

-Emma