IT’S BEEN OVER A MONTH… TIME FLIES!
I’ve been in Scotland for five weeks. I have enjoyed every minute of my time here. It is truly my home away from home, or, should I say, my America away from America. I have really been able to open myself up to the people and to the congregation. I have adjusted a lot easier than I thought I would. I think one of the reasons I’ve adjusted easier is because it’s a lot more modern here and has a lot of things in common with America. They’re small things, but things that do make a difference.
Scotland is a very beautiful place and is full of history. At the middle of this month, I was able to make a trip to Edinburgh, the capital. Melanie and I took the train and rode the tour bus around Edinburgh while listening to an automated voice teaching and discussing the city’s history. I feel a little closer to Scotland, now that I’ve learned a little history.
A LITTLE ABOUT MY TEAMMATES…
I live with Melanie Huggins. She is from Lockney, Texas and she was also my very first roommate when we started AIM. We ended up going to the same area church in Sudan, Texas. I was able to work with her and knew that things would work out great between the two of us. She is also a graduate from West Texas A&M University. (Go Buffs!)
My other two teammates, Zach Yarbrough and Justin Kellar, live in a flat as well but in the Village, which is about a fifteen-minute walk from our flat. Zach is also a Texas boy. While three out of the four of us are from Texas, Justin puts a little diversity in the team. He comes from the great state of Washington. They bring a lot to the team and have been able to connect with the boys in the youth, which has been a great blessing.
WHERE I LIVE…
Melanie and I live in a two-bedroom and one-bathroom flat (apartment) in East Mains, which is still in East Kilbride. The flat is very spacious and has heating, which is a pretty big thing because I’m cold most of the time and also, it gets pretty cold here during the winter months. It’s not the central heating like we have in America. Here, they are heating radiators and they keep the place warm!
WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO…
For the first three and a half weeks I was in Scotland, I was patiently (or, as patient as I could be) waiting for my disclosure to come back in the mail. I filled out this form the minute I stepped foot into my coordinators’ home (Alex and Gillian Gear – Alex is pronounced Alec) on September 26th. After I filled it out, all that needed to be done was to mail it off and wait for it to come back. In the meantime, I’m not able to volunteer anywhere without this piece of paper. The way it was explained to me, is that it’s kind of like a background check. But, I finally
received my disclosure on the 21st of this month!
I’ve been able to go with Melanie to ShopMobility on the previous Wednesdays of this month and will now be going every Monday on the bus starting October 27th. This is a place that is located in the town center, which is basically a really big mall, but has a grocery store inside, too. ShopMobility is a place where the elderly or disabled are able to rent out scooters while they are shopping around the town center. ShopMobility also offers to pick up the elderly or disabled and take them to the town center, bring them the scooters, let them shop, and then we take them home. I’ve been given the pleasure of riding the bus to pick them up and drop them back off. I’m basically there to help take their bags and help them on and off the bus when necessary. But, it really is a great time to talk with the elderly and get to know them.
On Tuesdays, we have team Bible studies with each other and our coordinator, Alex. We normally meet in a coffee shop, such as Starbucks. He and his family have been in the States and returned on October 17th, so I haven’t had much time to be around him. On the Tuesdays Alex wasn’t here, we met up at Jonathan Ogg’s home. He’s another part of the missionary team here with Alex. We studied the first two chapters of Job. It was very eye opening and really opened my heart back up. We had a lot of discussion between us and him and even with each other.
After the team studies, Melanie and I take a bus to a sheltered home (or, assisted living center). Once we get there, we visit about four elderly folks and serve them lunch. The lunch is catered by a local place and brought to the assisted living center. The best part about doing this is, again, being able to visit with them. In most cases, they’re already living alone or have just lost their spouse. The way I look at it, they need people to talk to them too. They need Jesus in their life and that’s what I’m here for. I’m there to be a light to them. Hopefully, I’m a bright enough light to allow them to see Jesus through me.
I started to volunteer at Kirktonholme primary school on Wednesday, October 22nd. It’s a fifteen minute walk from my flat. I am there every Wednesday and Friday helping with the kindergarten classes (known as primary one here). The children remind me so much of my little brother, Landon, which is a blessing to me because I really do miss him a lot! I’m basically in the classrooms to aid the teacher in any way I possibly can, whether it’s to trace and cut, make copies, or file the children’s papers. I really love it and the faculty is very friendly.
Every Monday night is youth night. We go to a local school, which is one of the schools we are volunteers: Kirktonholme. While we hold this youth night here, it isn’t always just the youth from West Mains Church of Christ (which is the congregation I am attending), but children from Kirktonholme also come. We play all sorts of games with them: Uno, Jenga, dodgeball, and even video games, which is what the younger boys enjoy playing. I’ve been able to connect with several young children and it’s been neat to see how they really do watch every move you make and what you say. It reminds me all the time that, not only children watch, but so does the world. I’m an influence in one way or another.
WEST MAINS CHURCH OF CHRIST…
This congregation reminds me so much of the congregation back home. It’s fairly small (about 35-40 people every Sunday morning service) and they worship in a building that they are renting out every Sunday and Tuesday. Instead of having services on Wednesday night, we have service on Tuesdays. The congregation is mainly married couples who have children, just had children, or are just married and no children yet. The youth consists of about ten or so and a few are above the high school age, which is really neat. It’s about a fifteen-minute walk from our flat to the building.
Before services on Tuesday night, we have craft club, which is held at the building. We meet about an hour before evening services and have different crafts for the children to do. When I first arrived in Scotland, they were making picture frames and flags. Not just any flags, but American flags and picture frames with red, white, and blue stars around it. It was really neat. The craft we’re working on is Thanksgiving themed. We’re using the hand turkeys!
UKRAINIAN ORPHANAGE CHARITY FUNDRAISER…
On October 25th, the West Mains Church of Christ helped raise a little over £1,800, which is approximately $3,600, for an orphanage in Ukraine. Here, the living conditions seem to be barely livable and the children come from homes where they were beaten or set on fire with a little help from kerosene. We’re hoping that this amount will help the orphanage and allow Jesus to shine. The night was filled with laughter, children in Halloween costumes, and memories that will last us a lifetime.
WEATHER CONDITIONS…
If it’s not raining, then it’s cloudy and windy. There have been a few times where the sun would shine all day long, but I don’t remember a day where there were no clouds in the sky. The wind has broken two of my umbrellas. I’m counting to see how many umbrellas I buy in the year that I live here (haha)! Seeing clouds is a very common thing around here. It’s starting to get pretty cold in the mornings and sometimes during the daytime. Winter is officially coming!
On our walk back to the flat from morning services with the church, I had stopped on the sidewalk and was looking both ways before crossing the street. There was a fairly large puddle on the road and there just so happened to be a car driving by. And, once the car hit the puddle, water came splashing towards me and I was soaking wet. Honestly, I had never seen this happen except for those times you see it happen to people in the movies or maybe on a television show, but for the record, it happens. I have a feeling that it won’t be the last time! I definitely had a good laugh out of it!
MANY THANKS…
I just want to say thanks again to every one of you for making this happen. With your help, I’m able to make a difference here in East Kilbride, Scotland. If you could, please continue to pray for the team here in Scotland as well as the people we are around on a daily basis and for those we walk past on the sidewalks and streets. Pray that we all have an attitude like Christ and continue to make a difference.
Daily Schedule
Sunday: Morning and evening church services
Monday: ShopMobility (morning-afternoon); Youth night (evening)
Tuesday: Team Bible study (morning); Lunch club with the elderly (afternoon); Craft club (evening); Evening church service
Wednesday: Help at Kirktonholme Primary School (morning-afternoon); Team dinner, games, and movie night (evening)
Thursday: “Off” day
Friday: Help at Kirktonholme Primary School (morning-afternoon)
Saturday: “Off” day (but, rarely “off”!)
**“Spare time” is spent with the youth and/or members of the congregation so we are able to get to know them better!**
