Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Hip, Hip Horay... We got a home today!
Thanks so much for praying! We finally signed today on a cute little cottage style house in Causewayhead which is just 3 min. from the city of Stirling. When I say sign, I mean sign. I think Marc actually signed more documents than we did when we bought our house! What a process! Anyway, we are so glad to have a place to call home for now.
It is in a good central location and in a good neighborhood. Amazing! We are excited about the fact that there are 3 bedrooms, however the rest of the house we will just say is "cozy". (thats cute for small) There is a small kitchen and a bathroom, of course, and a living room that will also hold our eating table. I dont think we will have room for our love seat so we will just have to cuddle on the sofa. Heh-Heh :) My friend Tracey reminded me that the smaller the house, the less there is to clean. Good point! Seriously, we are praising God... and just in the nic of time! Frank and Becky are coming home on Monday.
I mentioned something about a good central location. It was interesting to stand atop the William Wallace Monument the other day (a 2 min. walk to the house) and listen to the audio tour in the headphones. They said that this area has always been a very important part for controlling Scotland. It was said that whoever claimed the land here controlled all of Scotland. (It is interesting to look at the map and think about their trade and travel) Not that we are going to own all of Scotland or anything, but we both looked at each other and thought the same thing. We will pray from the mountain tops, through the towns, over the fields and hold Jesus' name like a banner over the area and just see what He wants to do. Who knows, maybe He will do something in that little area that would have an effect larger than we could even imagine! I think it was Hudson Taylor who said, "Expect great things from God, Attempt great things for God". Thats it, its every Christians calling to believe, listen, trust and obey. Its a privilege really! Maybe its something small but it struck our funny bone.
Tomorrow I will go and meet with the head master of the local school to see about registration for Kayleigh. We are hoping to get her in to the smaller Bridge of Allen School rather than the larger Stirling City one. We will see how all that plays out. Its car shopping then. Have our eyes on an old mini van we saw in a shoping centre parking lot, its a real beaut, but it just might work!!!
Ok, everytime I finally write in this blog, I end up writing way too long. Oh well, your still reading, are'nt you?! :) Thanks! Have a wonderful day!
~ Julie
Thanks so much for praying! We finally signed today on a cute little cottage style house in Causewayhead which is just 3 min. from the city of Stirling. When I say sign, I mean sign. I think Marc actually signed more documents than we did when we bought our house! What a process! Anyway, we are so glad to have a place to call home for now.
It is in a good central location and in a good neighborhood. Amazing! We are excited about the fact that there are 3 bedrooms, however the rest of the house we will just say is "cozy". (thats cute for small) There is a small kitchen and a bathroom, of course, and a living room that will also hold our eating table. I dont think we will have room for our love seat so we will just have to cuddle on the sofa. Heh-Heh :) My friend Tracey reminded me that the smaller the house, the less there is to clean. Good point! Seriously, we are praising God... and just in the nic of time! Frank and Becky are coming home on Monday.
I mentioned something about a good central location. It was interesting to stand atop the William Wallace Monument the other day (a 2 min. walk to the house) and listen to the audio tour in the headphones. They said that this area has always been a very important part for controlling Scotland. It was said that whoever claimed the land here controlled all of Scotland. (It is interesting to look at the map and think about their trade and travel) Not that we are going to own all of Scotland or anything, but we both looked at each other and thought the same thing. We will pray from the mountain tops, through the towns, over the fields and hold Jesus' name like a banner over the area and just see what He wants to do. Who knows, maybe He will do something in that little area that would have an effect larger than we could even imagine! I think it was Hudson Taylor who said, "Expect great things from God, Attempt great things for God". Thats it, its every Christians calling to believe, listen, trust and obey. Its a privilege really! Maybe its something small but it struck our funny bone.
Tomorrow I will go and meet with the head master of the local school to see about registration for Kayleigh. We are hoping to get her in to the smaller Bridge of Allen School rather than the larger Stirling City one. We will see how all that plays out. Its car shopping then. Have our eyes on an old mini van we saw in a shoping centre parking lot, its a real beaut, but it just might work!!!
Ok, everytime I finally write in this blog, I end up writing way too long. Oh well, your still reading, are'nt you?! :) Thanks! Have a wonderful day!
~ Julie
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Today was a real Scottish rainy day! It rained for 10 mins. dry for 10, rained for 10,well you get the picture. I got stuck inside the grocery store and as I was headed for the exit in the pouring rain, I remembered just to wait a few, it will probably clear, and it did.
Speaking of groceries... Its funny the things you miss. Its exciting to try new brands and find out how much you don't like them. Its funny that Scotland has loads of cheese selections and almost every single one of them is a cheddar variety! Most things come in small packages too! The chocolate chips bags are about 1/4 the size, a lot of things are packaged smaller than the monstrous portions we get in the states. (I miss Shady Maples bulk isle and produce and deli!) I still haven't found pancake mix yet. (I know mom, I can make pancakes from scratch but I don't have the recipe here yet.) No real vanilla, no snack crackers and no Root Beer to be found. But there sure is plenty of Nutella, Marmite, Veggiemite, Baked Beans, Funny Sausages, Blood Pudding, Meat Pies, Chips, and Custards! (All exciting in their own right! Its fun to explore and see what your stomach can handle. :)
I actually made Hummus for the first time, inspired by Karen Prasads love for Lisas hummus in New Zealand. It sure was exciting but a bit heavy on the Garlic. Whoops!
ON A MORE MEANINGFUL NOTE.....
We had an awesome time visiting with a family called the McMillans who live in Callander. What an amazing, God honoring, family! You may recall us mentioning something about meeting a stranger on a parkbench in centre city Stirling. (God Appointed!) Well, we went for dinner with him (Ian), his lovely wife Anne, their triplet girls and 1 son (young teens). What an enjoyable evening! We laughed a lot! They also had a Church House group that night that we stayed for. It was refreshing to be around them. Stay tuned for some cool connections that God allowed as a result of this meeting! Also some pretty cool blessings for us! (The kids said on the way home that they reminded them of their cousins!) God is at work and we were Glad to Meet Ian and his family!
Speaking of groceries... Its funny the things you miss. Its exciting to try new brands and find out how much you don't like them. Its funny that Scotland has loads of cheese selections and almost every single one of them is a cheddar variety! Most things come in small packages too! The chocolate chips bags are about 1/4 the size, a lot of things are packaged smaller than the monstrous portions we get in the states. (I miss Shady Maples bulk isle and produce and deli!) I still haven't found pancake mix yet. (I know mom, I can make pancakes from scratch but I don't have the recipe here yet.) No real vanilla, no snack crackers and no Root Beer to be found. But there sure is plenty of Nutella, Marmite, Veggiemite, Baked Beans, Funny Sausages, Blood Pudding, Meat Pies, Chips, and Custards! (All exciting in their own right! Its fun to explore and see what your stomach can handle. :)
I actually made Hummus for the first time, inspired by Karen Prasads love for Lisas hummus in New Zealand. It sure was exciting but a bit heavy on the Garlic. Whoops!
ON A MORE MEANINGFUL NOTE.....
We had an awesome time visiting with a family called the McMillans who live in Callander. What an amazing, God honoring, family! You may recall us mentioning something about meeting a stranger on a parkbench in centre city Stirling. (God Appointed!) Well, we went for dinner with him (Ian), his lovely wife Anne, their triplet girls and 1 son (young teens). What an enjoyable evening! We laughed a lot! They also had a Church House group that night that we stayed for. It was refreshing to be around them. Stay tuned for some cool connections that God allowed as a result of this meeting! Also some pretty cool blessings for us! (The kids said on the way home that they reminded them of their cousins!) God is at work and we were Glad to Meet Ian and his family!
Thursday, June 03, 2004
On our way to a play date yesterday (Julie and the kids)we were driving up the A9 and wouldn't you know... bump bump bump I got a flat tire in Frank and Beckys car! The kicker was that there was no place to pull over, I had no cell phone, no way to contact the people we were to meet, Marc couldn't rescue us even if I could call him because he had no car and the kids were teary eyed thinking they wouldn't get to play at Rebeccas house. Ugggg!
So, like the adventurous auto mechanic that I am, I decided to find the tools for a change. There was a spare, but I could not get the jack to work. (Yes, my hands were completely black and hair was frazzled already!) I was also afraid that it would bust into the rusty spots in the bottom of the car. So as I lay on the ground looking for a safe spot for the jack, I muttered something about how "friendly" these people were whizzing by on the highway and asked God for some help! I was failing miserably at my attempt. I was ready to beg for help.
wouldn't you know the next vehicle that I decided to flag down just happened to be labeled a licensed AA (equivalent of our AAA) Tire Repair man with his gadgets in his van and everything!!! (Now really, how often do you see one of them?) I told him he was sent by God and the kids and I agreed that he was our auto angel! What a riot! We drove away laughing!
So, like the adventurous auto mechanic that I am, I decided to find the tools for a change. There was a spare, but I could not get the jack to work. (Yes, my hands were completely black and hair was frazzled already!) I was also afraid that it would bust into the rusty spots in the bottom of the car. So as I lay on the ground looking for a safe spot for the jack, I muttered something about how "friendly" these people were whizzing by on the highway and asked God for some help! I was failing miserably at my attempt. I was ready to beg for help.
wouldn't you know the next vehicle that I decided to flag down just happened to be labeled a licensed AA (equivalent of our AAA) Tire Repair man with his gadgets in his van and everything!!! (Now really, how often do you see one of them?) I told him he was sent by God and the kids and I agreed that he was our auto angel! What a riot! We drove away laughing!
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
To say we are a little frustrated at this point would be like saying Abraham Lincoln was a little significant in the course of American history. Speaking of Abraham Lincoln, isn't he one of the presidents on Mt. Rushmore? So I guess you could say this frustration experience would rank high up there on the Mt. Rushmore catagory for frustration in our lives.
In case you are wondering what we are talking about. Oh just a little thing like finding a place to live. The refrigerator box is looking more and more like a real possibility. Just kidding for those of you that aren't familiar with my sense of humor. As it is right now, we put money down on a house last week and have been waiting for our reference check to go through. I (Marc) called yesterday to check on the progress and was told there is a snag because all of our income comes from the USA and therefore cannot be validated. This is a bit strange since we told them at the beginning that we are here on missionary visas and therefore by law, cannot earn income in the UK.
We made it very clear to them how we recieve our income and that they could have this verified through the Impact World Tour main office in Kansas City, Mo. We would later find out that they never even contacted the office. So, basically at this point our only options are to pay 7 1/2 months rent up front (which we can't do) or to have someone from the UK co-sign on the lease for us. Since we don't know anyone very well here, this is a little difficult. So at this point we've contacted the ywam national office and they are seeing what they can do. We will keep you up on the latest developments as they come in.
This whole thing though does put things in perspective. We do have a roof over our head, we do have plenty of food to eat, we do have warm beds to sleep in, we do have each other, we do do have the peace that transcends all understanding in Christ and we don't have to worry about someone killing us because of our faith in Christ. Many people around the world have none of that.
Over the weekend we visited a castle in the town of Doune. While we were there we were able to see the living quarters of kings and queens of Scotland during the early renaisance period. We came to realize that the average American or westerner for that matter, has a higher standard of living than Kings and Queens of not that long ago. So, this should serve as a reminder to all of us of what we do have, and none is more important than our relationship with Jesus Christ. Praise God! He will be glorified somehow through this whole thing.
This brings me back to Abraham Lincoln. Many of you I'm sure are familiar with his struggles early on in his poiltical career. He failed time after time in running for office only to get up every time to try again. Over the years he worked his way up to become one of the greatest, if not the greatest president in the history of our great country. What kept him going? Not his own might or power, but God's spirit. God had given him an eternal perspective which puts everything else in it's proper perspective.
Well I know that this started out as a bit of a rant, but I thought I would share what was happening with you all since some of you seemed a little confused by the whole thing. As Rick Warren so aptly put it in his book The Purpose Driven Life, " life is a test, a trust and a temporary assignment. That has been ringing in my ears all throughout the day. If you have the book, read chapter 5 and you'll know what I'm talking about. If you don't have it, get it and read it! We'll see how this test turns out.
God bless you all!
More later
In case you are wondering what we are talking about. Oh just a little thing like finding a place to live. The refrigerator box is looking more and more like a real possibility. Just kidding for those of you that aren't familiar with my sense of humor. As it is right now, we put money down on a house last week and have been waiting for our reference check to go through. I (Marc) called yesterday to check on the progress and was told there is a snag because all of our income comes from the USA and therefore cannot be validated. This is a bit strange since we told them at the beginning that we are here on missionary visas and therefore by law, cannot earn income in the UK.
We made it very clear to them how we recieve our income and that they could have this verified through the Impact World Tour main office in Kansas City, Mo. We would later find out that they never even contacted the office. So, basically at this point our only options are to pay 7 1/2 months rent up front (which we can't do) or to have someone from the UK co-sign on the lease for us. Since we don't know anyone very well here, this is a little difficult. So at this point we've contacted the ywam national office and they are seeing what they can do. We will keep you up on the latest developments as they come in.
This whole thing though does put things in perspective. We do have a roof over our head, we do have plenty of food to eat, we do have warm beds to sleep in, we do have each other, we do do have the peace that transcends all understanding in Christ and we don't have to worry about someone killing us because of our faith in Christ. Many people around the world have none of that.
Over the weekend we visited a castle in the town of Doune. While we were there we were able to see the living quarters of kings and queens of Scotland during the early renaisance period. We came to realize that the average American or westerner for that matter, has a higher standard of living than Kings and Queens of not that long ago. So, this should serve as a reminder to all of us of what we do have, and none is more important than our relationship with Jesus Christ. Praise God! He will be glorified somehow through this whole thing.
This brings me back to Abraham Lincoln. Many of you I'm sure are familiar with his struggles early on in his poiltical career. He failed time after time in running for office only to get up every time to try again. Over the years he worked his way up to become one of the greatest, if not the greatest president in the history of our great country. What kept him going? Not his own might or power, but God's spirit. God had given him an eternal perspective which puts everything else in it's proper perspective.
Well I know that this started out as a bit of a rant, but I thought I would share what was happening with you all since some of you seemed a little confused by the whole thing. As Rick Warren so aptly put it in his book The Purpose Driven Life, " life is a test, a trust and a temporary assignment. That has been ringing in my ears all throughout the day. If you have the book, read chapter 5 and you'll know what I'm talking about. If you don't have it, get it and read it! We'll see how this test turns out.
God bless you all!
More later
A beautiful day hiking the mountain ridges of the Ochil Mountains. The kids were amazing and seemed to love it! The sugar rushes from the rock candy helped too Im sure!
Still waiting, now not so patiently on the home situation. It seems as though things are not running as smoothly as planned for 2 Graham ave. and we would like to get the shippment from the states on its way on Sat. Ahhhh we will take a breath and see what God has up in His plans.
Liam is becoming quite a chatterbox... and you thought Kayleigh was a talker! Heh-Heh! They are eating up the workbooks that everyone sent and loving "school" time! Thanks to so many who thought of them and gave things to do for the kids!
Still waiting, now not so patiently on the home situation. It seems as though things are not running as smoothly as planned for 2 Graham ave. and we would like to get the shippment from the states on its way on Sat. Ahhhh we will take a breath and see what God has up in His plans.
Liam is becoming quite a chatterbox... and you thought Kayleigh was a talker! Heh-Heh! They are eating up the workbooks that everyone sent and loving "school" time! Thanks to so many who thought of them and gave things to do for the kids!
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