Scotland and Amsterdam

December 19, Friday:

JR and I said good-bye to the kids, and Kelli dropped us off at the airport. We were heading to Aberdeen, Scotland with a brief lay-over in Amsterdam.

During our lay-over, JR scouted out how to leave the airport for our longer layover on the way back to Berlin, and we ate at a restaurant. Deciding to be adventurous, we ordered the "local appetizer". It ended up being fried pieces of meat, sausage, and cheese. But for dessert, we ordered some apple tart thing with a "spiced cookie sauce". It. Was. Wonderful.

And then... we were finally (finally) heading to Scotland. (I'd been wanting to take JR to Scotland since we started dating.)

We were picked up from the Aberdeen airport by Fenella and Holly Strachan. I can't believe that 6 years went by since I saw them last! We got in the car and headed to Peterhead.

Since Billy and Beth were still at the church building wrapping up their class, we stopped by. I hadn't seen the new bldg., and JR hadn't met Billy yet.

So we burst in on the scene. And when JR joined in one of the games, some of the teenage guys exclaimed, "He's massive!".

As the class wound down, we decided to head back to the Strachan's home and order some indian food. (I love Peterhead Chicken Tikka). I hadn't seen their new home. It is really lovely. I love the old archetechtural details in it... and the choices they have made with carpet, paint, and so forth are really beautiful.

At the house, we met up with Amy and Hannah.

We all gathered around the table for a late meal of feasting on indian food. It was so good! But not as good as the company.

Billy and JR visited and got to know one another while the girls and I reconnected over musicals and videos of Amy and Beth performing, and Jane Austen.

Needless to say, it was a late night.

December 20, Saturday:

Without the kids to wake us up, JR and I slept hard until 9:30 or 10. It was so nice.

And no sooner were we out of our beds, than Fenella's parents, Jackie and Alexa, showed up with one of their friends. Jackie and Alexa are some of the sweetest people you will ever meet. I love seeing them. And I'm always amazed at how well conversations go, considering the fact that they are both deaf.

When their visit was over, JR and I went on a walk around Peterhead by ourselves. First we headed to the grocery store to get some batteries for our camera, and then we headed toward the North Sea. JR was in charge of the camera, and since he fell in love with the place, we have pictures from every 200 yrds. or so. :) On our walk, we found a play-ground with a zip-line. I hopped on it first, but we have a picture of JR on it in the slide-show.

At the corner (under the sign for Keith Inch) we ran into an older gentleman who talked with us for about 10 min. He preached a good sermon for us, but couldn't be persuaded to come and check out JR's sermon the next day.

We eventually made it past the harbour to Merchant Street. That's where the old church building and the Strachan's old house was. So, from there, I knew how to get to the "town square" area. There were people out Christmas shopping. And there was even bagpipe music playing rather loudly over some speakers. :)

After looking through a few shops, we found a place to eat. When we stepped out, we ran into Fenella, Billy, and the twins, Holly and Hannah. The 6 of us, stepped into a coffee shop and visited some more.

We picked Beth up from work (she took Amy's shift, so Amy could go to Dundee with some friends for the weekend) and headed out to pay a visit to Billy's parents. JR still laughes about hearing the Strachan's talk to each other without having to keep an American audience in mind.

Back at the Billy and Fenella's, we had dinner and then watched their version of "Dancing With the Stars". The guy Fenella voted for won the competition much to everyone's satisfaction. Then we played the world's longest game of Phase 10. (So much for JR getting some good sleep before his sermon the next day.)

December 21, Sunday:

Since the youth classes were suspended during the holidays, Billy, JR, and I got ready for class and left the rest of the girls to join us later.

We walked in and were greeted warmly. I'm always surprised by how many people remember me. So, I guess, if you want to be remembered... when you first meet a group of people, be really jet-lagged, and wear a funny hat. :)

JR did the sermon Sunday morning. I could tell he was nervous, but he did a good job. The dynamics in the congregation are very different from those at Meridian Woods. And it was only his 5th sermon ever... But he made one of my wildest dreams for my dream man come true: he preached in Scotland. I am so proud of him.

After services, we ate lunch with the Strachans, and then headed out to Boddam to take pictures of the lighthouse and visit with my friend, Deborah, who recently moved with her family to the area. (When I went on International Campaigns, Deborah shared her room with me both years.) I hadn't even heard what she was up to lately, and come to find out, she lived in Florida right before we moved here, and now is married with a daughter and a baby on the way.

Our visit ended with just enough time for us to head back to the Strachan's to get ready for evening services and JR's second sermon. This was the first time he'd done 2 services in one day. Once again, he made me proud.

We stayed late after services while the guys played ping-pong and soccer, then headed back to the Strachan's to introduce JR to fish and chips and to celebrate Amy's 17th birthday.

(I can't believe that she's 17 already.)

Now, JR does not like fish. But we all kept insisting that FRESH fish made all the difference. And he ended up really liking the fish and chips.

While the girls and I watched Hugh Jackman in "Oklahoma", the guys played video games. And it ended up being another late night before we headed out really early Monday morning.

But while it was just Beth and me watching the movie we were able to talk. She is a remarkable young woman. She is intelligent, perceptive, and funny. I pray that Naomi grows up to be the kind of girl that Beth Strachan is. (I could only be so lucky.)

December 22, Monday:

We woke up really early to drive to Aberdeen to catch our flight. We really enjoyed our time in Scotland, and were blessed by the Strachan family. There is such a lot of work to be done in Peterhead. The growth in the youth programs shows that there are spiritually hungry people. Whether or not God calls us to Peterhead, we will continue to keep the people in our prayers.

I don't remember the flight from Aberdeen to Amsterdam AT ALL. I slept from before take-off to landing. I was out. I guess I needed it. :)

Since we had a longer lay-over this time, we decided we'd get out and see some of the city. So we hopped on the train. I LOVE train travel!!! Eventhough this was only a 20 min. ride, it brought back a lot of memories from my semester abroad.

We hit the city and started walking. We found ourselves in a little street that had some interesting cuisine. JR ordered what he thought was a french bread pepperoni pizza. But upon biting into it, he discovered a hot dog. The man could not have been more excited. There are 2 pictures of it in the slide show.

Our wandering around landed us in the Red Light district. Luckily it was early afternoon, so it wasn't too skanky yet. But we didn't stay there long. :) We headed over to the less embarrassing blocks and wanderend in and out of little shops. At one place we got a choc. covered waffle that was amazing! And we headed back to the train station and got back to the airport for our flight back to Berlin.

When we got back to Brent and Kelli's place, the kids were very excited to see us. We missed them, but we were also glad to get some time just to ourselves.

We would like to ask for your prayers in discerning the Lord's will for us and whether He is calling us to partner with the Strachans and the Peterhead church to work with the families in Peterhead.