Transfigured

This Is Scotland

2007-08-13T13:51:00.001-04:00

The first part of the video is the train station where we went every Tuesday night to do evangelism. Hope this video helps your understand more of my life for the past six months. Pray for revival in Scotland!

culture shock in reverse.

2007-08-01T21:55:00.000-04:00

So America..... (Sighs)

Its definitely weird coming home from a mission trip. Something that has been so looked forward to for the last two years, is no over. So finale it seems, but no really because once you've become part of a family you can't just turn and leave someone. They become almost a part of you. A team or unit. I really do miss all of my classmates because no one else can really understand what you have been though expect the ones you were around every day. The ones that walked with your through trials of contentment and into dances of joy. I am trying really hard to be able to communicate this to my friends, but it all seems to be bottled up in my heart. We talked at the missions night tonight and I found it difficult to sum of my main ideas from that last six months, but found it difficult. I have been enjoying the one-on-one in depth conversations.

(combined thought...written 6.26.07) on I am so thankful that God has shown me during this time how to be a friend and receive fellowship from other girls. I am really expectant when I go home that God will provide me good friendship where I am able to talk about these experiences I have had over the last six months.

8.1... It is true what Johannah said about God placing you with new people that you didn't expect when you come home. People that really need the encouragement of your stories. I am thankful for the new friends He has places in my life and continue to hope for more broken and hurting people that I can pour into.

I really do hope that we are able to go on another mission trip, but I am continuing to realize again with the 'same' sort of passion that God has placed me in Myrtle Beach for a reason. I do hope he will reveal it to me, before I become bored and bitter with the mundane aspects of life. Jesus I do need a fresh wind on your Spirit in me. Help me father to make it though. Give me joy! I love going back and reading though my notes and it has give me a lot of strength is week.

Just checking? Does anyone even read this anymore now that we are home? Please let me know if you would just rather get personal emails instead :)

Please pray for or family! Avery's patience in waiting to peruse his passions and giftings. My skin (horrible eczema problems at the moment). My new job at Starbucks. New friendships. Future schooling options and/or on-line classes. God to feed our spirits with truth.

the infamous roof jump

2007-06-23T14:17:00.001-04:00

It's blurry, but YES Avery did just do that!

PK in aberdeen

2007-06-23T14:14:00.001-04:00

My Husband is Amazing!

The Procrastion Shall Persit No LONGER.....

2007-06-10T17:08:00.000-04:00

Well, we are 'home' from outreach and settled back into our quite room on the married wing. YEAH, we have space! It has been a nice change going from a large city to tiny West Kilbride, but its only three weeks. Avery and I have already walked in the Glen five times since arriving yesterday at 5Pm. I think that is a record for us. It is very humid returning to the west coast, but getting us prepared for SC.

This outreach has been such a testimony to me of God's faithfulness. He has shown up in so many big ways, has given me the endurance to work through my emotions, brought me into a deeper revelation of his character. I have grown in my confidence and learned how to obey and trust in new ways. I love that I still enjoy learning and I am so thankful that God has placed that in my nature. I can never get enough!

During outreach we were able to make lots of new friends and have them over everyone once and a while for dessert. On our last week in Aberdeen we hosted a hospitality night, an amazingly about 50 people showed up (20 of them were the emo kids we has meet in Union Terrace Gardens). It was incredible to see how we have been a link to so many different ministries and set up foundations for YWAM Aberdeen, which is in its foundational stages. By all 12 of us doing so many ministries, Ian and Deborah were able to get a bigger picture vision for what they wanted to invest themselves in.

These are our wonderful co-laborers. Please pray for them as they get there new housing situation arranged especially with a new baby coming soon. (They are the ones on either side of the guy in the middle)

One of my favorite parts of outreach is that my husband learned how to make Swiss bread. So who is coming over for dinner when we return to Myrtle Beach?

There is much more to write and many stories to be posted, but I am going to sleep and will try to do the rest in other post throughout the week,

Team Stories

2007-05-14T10:16:00.000-04:00

... I am sorry everyone for being so slack with our updates lately. Outreach is going good! We jsut took our long weekend, so we have reached out half way point. We went to Inverness and stayed in a Caravan park. Well the girls did, and the boys tried to stay warm in a tent.

Luke had been amazing keeping our team/ family informed of everyones stories.
The first one is my story from last week followed but some other team members.

God had recently put a burden on my heart to pray for the different domains here in Aberdeen, and the book I have been reading lately ("The Old Testamnet Template" by Landa Cope) gave me a new way to look at them. I felt specifically to pray for the different churches that we are working with, family and restoration of broken relationships, education at Robert Gordon University and government (especially with the elections that, at the time I was praying, were still upcoming). God laid on my heart to pray for His foundations of truth to be rebuilt in all of these domains. I had a lot of fun going to all of these sites and to see how God is working/moving in the city. I am learning more about leadership through this time and also more about intercession. I pray that God would raise up more prayer warriors in the city because it will definitely have a huge impact on the spiritual climate of the city

This is Johanna's story:
This is basically all a quote from her journal:
The other night Taryon, Angelica, Jacqueline and I went to a pub to meet up with one of our friends, on the way there we ended up meeting a girl named Meghan who is 14 years old. During the course of our conversation she confessed:
-She had lost her virginity
-She was worried that she had an STD or was pregnant
-A boy she loved had broken her heart because:
She refused to have sex with him
She still wasn't "over him"
The boy she lost her virginity to was "a bastard"
She had started drinking and smoking because of her heartbreak, and couldn't stop now. She smokes thirty cigarettes a day and takes every chance she can to drink
She has struggled with depression and everyone in the hospital says that she "thinks to much for her age"
She sometimes believes in God, but mostly as a bad guy who makes sure she gets her punishment: "...He's not a great person. He's horrible too..."

She claims to have an open mind and wanted to hear what we had to
She was touched by us talking to her
When I prayed that God would show her that he is real she said, "that's lovely, thank you very much for that. That's what I always ask for"She said that we made her feel so much better about herself, and wants us to do that same for other folk.

This is Joon's story:
Quoted as best I can from some notes I took while talking to him:
"This week I have decided to focus more on this DTS rather than on what happens when I get home. Last week it seemed like June 30th was a long time away, whereas this week it is only two months away!
On tuesday I saw the movie Spiderman 3, it focus' a lot on choice, and the choice that Spiderman had to make. I started thinking about it and decided that I need to start making a choice in my life. I, now, choose to make the most out of this DTS, this outreach, and my surroundings. I need to choose to make things better.
My church also sent me an email this week that really encouraged me and motivated me to to want to work harder and achieve what I came here for. This is my reason for going out on Union Street and picking up all the cigarette butts for a few hours. I am choosing to make my surroundings better
I have been thinking a lot about being a 'Miracle Maker,' it is a group back home that I am involved in. The idea behind the name is that you can make miracles, that you should grab the opportunities laid before you."

This is Mael's story: Word for word from a story that he wrote me:"
"It was a Saturday, I was bored and sad about different situations outside of DTS so I decided to go and take a walk outside. So there I was walking the streets of Aberdeen looking for some of my friends that would still be up AND sober!!! I couldn't find any, unfortunately, all I could see around me was either homeless people looking for some change, and also money; or rich people coming out of the pubs and clubs and puking their guts out on the sidewalk. There Ifound myself wondering who I should cry for? Which group here is truly the unfortunate one? It was my first eye opener of the nightat around 12:30-ish
Then I saw a man playing guitar for money, he was not homeless, but like most of us didn't mind the extra money. He attracted quite an interesting crowd, and by 'interesting' I mean mostly drunk. Curious as I am, and recognizing one of my favorite tunes from Pink Floyd, I decided to check it out. There I met Billy, he, on the other hand, was most definitely homeless. I decided to sit next to him not really to talk but just for a spot to listen to the music. Very soon, as I should of excpected, Billy started talking to me in a very strong Scottish accent. I was able to make out most of what he was saying.

Billy talked about the guy playing guitar, and how he has to put up with drunk people for just a little extra money. I asked him if he believed in God and if he had a Bible; to which he replied that he had two! But when I asked him if he prays he seemed confused and said no. After that in a very random way he turned to me and asked me if I would beg for him while he went around the corner to pee! Not waiting for an answer he left me sitting there with a cup in my hand that already contained a couple of pennies.

So here comes my second eye opener; I came out with my little problems when this guy lived on, or survived by, being humiliated. The looks I recieved while sitting there were almost haunting. When on a side walk people see you as crap, barely a human being, I was so ashamed. The minute he was gone felt like an eternity, I wanted to cry. But the 'coup de grace' (French expression for 'fatal blow') was when, even though I no longer had the cup, a man came up and gave Billy and I both a Pound!

I ended up making him a couple of sandwiches and then said goodbye to him. He hugged me, and as he left he promised that he would pray for me. I went home and slept that night feeling good, not sad, not stressed anymore, just happy, maybe Billy had already started praying for me.

Matthew 25:39

Welcome to Aberdeen!

2007-04-26T07:48:00.000-04:00

So, our team has been in our outreach location for a little more than two weeks, and I can almost not believe how much has happened! I was thinking back the other day while we were walking around ASDA (UK version of Wal-mart) about how much different this time would be if we were anywhere else. I knew that God had called us here for a great season and it has been so incredible to see glimpses of His plans for us during this time. But more on that to come a bit further down…

First let me update you about--->
Preparation/ Commissioning-
We left the Seamill base the Saturday morning before Easter. Our leaders had decided that we should start our outreach off my walking with all baggage in tow all the way to the train station. And since most of you do not know what West Kilbride is like, it was NOT a fun walk. We all had our heavy rucksacks and bags walking for 20 min up and down hills, and it turned out that this morning was pretty mild. I was so exhausted after that twenty minuet walk. We arrived in Aberdeen about 4pm and had to do the same type of terrible walk to the YMCA where we are staying, except this time it had about 5 flights of stairs added to the torture. During our preparation time, we were not fully informed about our living conditions, but I had faith that God would provide time and space for Avery and I to be alone. And he DEFINATLEY came through and blessed us! We have a beautiful room with two twin beds pulled together with a great view of the city centre as well as a balcony to sit on and read.
Things that were prayed over us and for us during commissioning time:
-God’s manifest presence would be with us, in team time and ministry. (His presence would be in the middle of our circle and as we draw from Him we would be able to give to others…Worship)
-This time would be a time of focusing alone on Christ’s Holiness, and that would mean breakthrough in areas for different individuals. (His call to LOOK AT ME!)
-To Remain in Jesus and draw our sap from him; to be so connected to His vine.
-Finally, unity as a team... Honoring one another and supporting and believing of each others ministries.

Week 1- This is a beautiful city, about the size of down town Myrtle Beach. God has blessed us with wonderful weather and great new friendships. We had great team time this week with worship and intercession to plant us in this new area. Most of our ministries start next week, so we were given plenty of time to explore and go on faith adventures. We start off my praying where God would want to lead us and off we go. One morning I was partners with Karen from Canada and God kept confirming the direction we were heading and eventually we ended up at a church. No one was in the office so we decided to write them a letter and just pray for the body there. It turned out that we had a "Prayer for Scotland" meeting at the same church later in the week. Avery and Joon began delivering for Somebody Cares this week. This is a charity that provides furniture for people in a poor area of Aberdeen called Tillydrone. We also prayer walked around this area with Ian and Deborah. They are "new" long-termers, meaning that are in Aberdeen for the long haul, but have just arrived to begin a new YWAM base here. On Saturday, Avery and I went to the park to read, play frisebee, and just hang out with everyone. Well Avery started playing his mandolin and this man named George came running over. He was very loud and seemed as if he had been drinking for a while. Well we began talking about all different things and he opened up that his parents with Christians and they lived in Glasgow. Then he told us about a dream he had about demons and people praying for him. He knew he did not want to spent eternity in pain that the demon had, but wanted to be like the people dressed in white over to the side that were praying for him. He said the people in his dream were his mom, his granny, and aunt. He knew in his heart that he wanted to be like them, but he was still searching and asking God a lot of questions. By the end of the conversation he said he was 100% sure he believed in God. I am so glad I got to meet George and pray for him. He is out of work right now and has not been able to see his 6 months daughter in the past week and realy is missing here. So please pray that he will meet us for church or maybe more hanging out sessions in the park where we can encourage him. We are attending Oasis Christian Fellowship and it has been so great. It reminds me a Surfside a bit except no kids and not a big. The people are so warm and hospitable. We will be going to this church for the whole nine week we are hear and we met this really funny Californian , his name is Adam, and Avery help him with deliveries for Somebody Cares.

The Rest- Avery began ministry at the Lighthoose this week, which is a drop in center for ex-offenders in the Tillydrone area, where men and chat with Christian guys and have a good meal. I began sorting clothes in the warehouse of Somebody Cares. Pub ministry has also been a big thing for our team. Mostly the only thing that is open after 6pm in this city is pubs. We felt that it was very important to have Christ’s light go into these places, so we go out when we have free time and pray and try and meet new people. One of the biggest pub areas in called Belmont street so we are trying to target this area specifically because many university student hang out here. One night Avery had free so he went to his favorite spot called the justice mill and prayed and on his way home he said bless you to a man that was sneezing in the street and amazingly they ended up having a two hour conversation about life, pain, loneliness, and God’s role in all of it. His name was Derek and he has cone back to meet with Avery a couple of times since that night. I pray that a friendship would develop out of this very random meeting. See how God can use even a simple bless from someone. I pray that God would continue to call Derek into a relationship with himself. We have been hosting hospitality night for that people we have meet to come to the YMCA on Tuesday evenings for food and fellowship. Both weeks we have averaged about five people to come and join us. Some of these people are not Christians and it has been so great getting to know all of them and tell them how much God cares for them. Two girls in our team have made friends with people in the comedy club and we have seen two of them come to the Lord already.

We just have a sense that the harvest in the city is so ripe. God is open divine windows of opportunity and God is speaking to the people in ways that can not deny it is him like in dreams and visions. God is so awe-inspiring and His spirit is preparing the hearts of those in Aberdeen. I am so excited about the next seven or so week and I pray that I would take every opportunity that God gives me to speak truth into the people here. I am so doing ministry with children at and after-school club and in a primary school with a student union. I am so excited the see how God continues to grow my heart for this nation. No matter where we go I can see that everyone is on the same page and so desire to see unity and revival come to this land, and I eagerly except and await along with them. "The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few."

PLEASE pray for Aberdeen and all the wonderful works that are going on here.

Sorry this is a very long entry, but I have missed writing over the past couple of weeks. So much is happening, and it is hard to remember it all and put it down in words. God is definitely stretching out team and everyone has there own great stories of what God is doing in them and through them. I have been recopying all of my notes from lecture phase and pray that God continues to reveal Himself greater to me. I want to hold onto all this when we head home shortly.

Overview of Outreach on the Isle of Seil (Thanks Luke Bishop!)

2007-03-14T18:09:00.000-04:00

Hello friends, family and supporters

We just finished a weeklong midterm outreach to The Isle of Seil. We left on a Sunday morning and came back on a Saturday night.

We started our outreach at 10:30am on Sunday the 4th of March, after loading up and taking the group photo we were off!

After a very scenic drive (aka: long due to Avery sopping many times to take pictures) we arrived at Oban. Oban is the nearest shopping centre to Clachan-Seil (the town we were staying in). To get to The Isle of Seil you have to cross a small bridge as The Atlantic Ocean splits the island from mainland Scotland. This bridge gets the designation of being the only bridge to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Upon arriving in Clachan-Seil we met our host, Robert Rae and his wife Maura. They are elders of a church in the area named Kilbrandon Church (Brandon being St. Columba's uncle). They live in and own a sort of duplex and allowed us to stay in the adjoining house that they do not use. Stephanie and Avery got a room together; Luke, Mael, Joon and Lance were in another room; while Arleigh, Karen, Erika and Johanna were in the living room. Robert and Maura also provided a room in their own house for Taryon, Angelica and Jacqueline.

This is Robert on the right with the red jacket and his friend Mike smith who is the greatest Scottish gentlemen ever and Yes he did smoke a pipe :) He took us on a walk one day and he did not get a drop of mud on him while the rest of us were covered.

We started of each day with "quiet time" and "team time." Quiet time is exactly how it sounds, quiet; while team time was a chance for all of us to get together and have a biblical devotion, pray, discuss the days events and worship God.

For the first two days in Seil we had Robert come in and give us a lecture on the history of Christianity in Scotland. Mostly focusing on St. Columba and his uncle St. Brandon; while also covering some of the earlier religions that pre-dated Christianity. Robert also shared his backyard with us. His backyard being a mountain that you could see most of the island, as well as other nearby islands, from. Upon Robert's request we also imitated a tradition dating back to St. Columba in which we would take some time out three times a day for three worship songs and a prayer, the worship that we had was incredible. Avery, Jacqueline and Joon did an awesome job leading worship.

Most days we had some free-time which is always fun when you cram 13 people into a small living room. The evenings were spent with Uno, Monopoly or licking wounds from the devastating blows we took from Johanna's point system. On the ride up to Seil those of us in the minivan (Taryon, Arleigh, Jacqueline, Joon, Johanna, Luke and Angelica) discovered that Johanna keeps a secret tally of the good and bad things we all do. Upon finding out about the system Jacqueline found herself at -10 points while Luke was at -35! Others were not hit as badly as those two proving the injustice in the system. By the way all those who feel mistreated by the point system or even those who are doing well and yet recognise the injustice are welcome to join Team Minus (led by Jacqueline and Luke). Team Minus is directly involved in the plot to overthrow Johanna and the resulting revolution that will occur. Viva La Team Minus!

The next two afternoons were spent doing some questionnaires in the area. We went around, door-to-door, asking people in the area about their religious beliefs and what they think of Christianity. All of us had vastly different responses, and if you ask one of us you can get their perspective on their experience. This was our main outreach. We would split into pairs with one group of three that would spend the time interceding for the other groups. The people we questioned provided us with a consistent desire to see unity in the church, rather than the church spending all its time refining its technicalities. Overall the questionnaires provided a good basis to what people in the area are thinking.

On the Tuesday Vicki (our leader) and Deborah (who we will be working with in Aberdeen) arrived for a pastoral visit. They spent some time with us while we were all together and figured out a bit of how we work as a team. They left on Friday, soon after arriving, but not before leaving us with lively discussion (aka: Lance proving through scripture that vegetables are evil while Vicki sat on in exasperation) and some awkwardness (aka: Deborah praying).

On the Friday morning we packed up and headed to The Isle of Mull, which is just northwest of Seil. To get to Mull you have to drive through Oban. We spent most of the day in Oban. The Healing Rooms was in Oban that day. We spent that session with them, interceding with them and also prayer-walking. We had a great time there, we were very encouraged by them as well as them being encouraged by us.

Towards the evening we boarded a ferry for Mull. After arriving on Mull we proceeded to a small town called Bunessan. The Mull Baptist Church is in Bunnessan and they let us stay the night at their church. After a delicious meal and then figuring out where the fuses to the lights that got knocked out during a game of baseball were we settled down to sleep.

The next morning we packed up again and headed to Iona. Iona is where St. Columba founded a church and spent a lot of his time. There was a thriving Christian community here that brought Christianity to all of Scotland. We had to take a short ferry over to Iona, it was short but awesome (depending on who you ask). The ferry was almost cancelled due to bad weather, so you know that it is going to be a fun ride. The storm was also on Iona, we spent most of the time being cold or being outside in the wind and rain. After four hour in Iona we headed back to Seamill! We then discovered that the nine hours it took us to get to Oban only, actually, take four without all the detours.

One thing that really sticks out when we look back on the trip was all of the things that we blessed. We blessed a coat rack, plate, serving dish, glass, two sets of lights, bathroom shades, and more. When one thinks about all the things that were blessed one can't help but think of the possibilities in Aberdeen. In this paragraph (and only this paragraph) blessed means broken.

Also on the positive side we did prove (by way of a police-officer administered breathalizer) that Lance does not drive while intoxicated (good thing for someone who drove everywhere and led the way).All in all a good time was had by everyone, and we feel confidant that God will be glorified and will continue to work in the lives of the people we came in contact with.

January DTS '07 done with much joy by the tuck shop man, Luke Bishop!

*Check out Flickr for more pictures of Iona Abbey and this trip. Avery took over 800 pictures on this trip and guess what some of them were of people :)

This is a favorite one that I took--->

Avery and Lance FLYING in Glencoe!

An update!

2007-03-03T05:14:00.000-05:00

So it feels like this week has been very short . On Monday we had base worship and process day, which I really enjoyed because I got to go back though all of the notes I have taken so far and highlight the things that stuck out to me. The questions we had to ask ourselves when we were processing were: How have what I've learned during the DTS so far relate to our school themes of wind and light? What have I taken away from lectures, small groups, work duties, and one on ones? How I am I becoming more like Jesus? How will I explain the changes in my life to people at home?

I think these were good questions to ask ourselves because it helps us take stock of what we've done so far.

It is also a big value in YWAM to be creative, so twice this week we were able to express what God was showing us though painting. We did it once for outreach prep and also process time. during outreach prep time we had to pray through Isiah 40 and see what God was reveling to us and then paint it. This is how some of them turned out. The one on the left is Ave's.

I was very surprised about how much I enjoyed it and how I wanted to keep going when I got started.

On Tuesday we went to our leaders church in Troon for a morning of prayer. It was a very creative church and I really enjoyed meeting others who had such a deep passion for Scotland and the Ayershire Coast. I enjoyed our time, and saw some things I had never seen before but it was still a nice time.
This week we had lectures about identity and I enjoyed a refresher about this subject. Its really neat how we can hear something so many times, but each time God gives us a different perspective on it. I love thinking about being called God's beloved daughter and that the Creator of the entire universe chose to create me!

Well we are leaving for Oban tomorrow morning and I am very excited. This will be a great chance to bond with our team and our leaders for the longer outreach. We are not exactly sure what we will be doing, but I know we will be praying and worshiping a lot. My team role is to keep the team journal, and record any interesting happenings. Avery is in charge of hospitality for our host family and I think that is really cool because he picked something he wasn't comfortable in and is really seeking dependence on God to do it. I am so proud of him and how he has been growing over the last couple of weeks. He is so wonderful and I can say that because he is my husband :~) I hope it will be a nice week. We have been so blessed with lovely sunshine and some of the flowers are starting to bloom and it is beautiful to go on walks when we have free time.

Last night we went to karaoke down at the hydro( a hotel right next to the center) and we had a blast. Most of the boys got up and sang, and Sarah and Lizzie sang 'hey ya' by outkast and it was so funny because there were a bunch of older Scottish people there and these two white girls are rapping. it was AMAZING! Avery and I were going to sing 'iris' by goo goo dolls, but then he decided he wanted to sing by himself and he did such a great job with out knowing most of the words before he started. I ran up during the instrumental break and danced with him. He dipped me and gave me a great big kiss. It was a wonderful evening. Today we are deep frying a Mars Bar so I will post pictures of my clogged arteries at a later date

On Friday we had a royal themed special breakfrast and Avery dressed up a royal blue man and I was princess that went into her mothers closet and got all dressed up. We had such a royal feast, it was fantastic!

London Bridge is Falling Down

2007-02-20T16:30:00.000-05:00

So since my last post, we have had a week of teaching on the Holy Spirit and Relationships, and we are trying so hard to savour every moment of this lecture phase. I am beginning to look at this course like eating an elephant, I have to take it in one bite at a time.

Something that was really impacting for me during the Holy Spirit week was praying to be able to receive God's eyes for hurting people, and understand more of His compassion. I really want to desire to think this thoughts for others and fear God not man.
Relationships week was pretty good and just a refresher for a lot of things I have already heard.
"Do not the the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives the devil a foothold." Eph 4:26-27. This verse stuck out to me because I sometimes keeps a list of how people have hurt me, and I think by recognizing my anger or bitterness I will not let strongholds build up in my heart. I know Jesus has torn down the stronghold of my heart when he died for me, but I am still going through the rubble clearing process.

We had a testimony night tonight for the September DTS and I was beginning to think about going home. I know when I hear God speak I want to see the whole picture, but He is really teaching me to obey him through the journey. I began to think about what I will look like when DTS is finished, but I don' know. I want to know what an impacting week for me is going to be, and I want to know what I will carry away from this season. I long to know, but all I can do is

Ave and I had such a wonderful time in London for our first anniversary, and was so cool to see all the historic sites. We didn't pay to go into anything, but it was so amazing seeing the Gothic architecture. Riding the tube was fun, and it reminded me of Marta surfing in Atlanta. I have decided that I love the big city in theory, but not so much when I get there. It was a little overwhelming for me, and I am glad we are back here in Scotland.

Sorry I didn't post any pictures this time, but Ave did on our Flickr account so check that out :)

Currently listening to Ryan Long and missing our "Family" in the Attic!

Relaxing after a busy week..

2007-02-02T17:30:00.000-05:00

Today is the first time I have felt like a could actually breathe and process this week. We had a day away at a lovely town called Luss which is at the base of the highland mountains about an hour and half away from here. We got to explore the village, have some yummy coffee and scones, and after lunch we went hiking at a place called Rest and Be Thankful. It was so beautiful and I was thankful for the amazing view and for God calling us to Scotland.

Avery hiked all the way to the top of the mountain and had a snow ball fight and our friend Hans threw a paper airplane off the top. The views we spectaular and the air was so clean and fresh. This is a picture of some of our classmates on the mountain and at the coffee shop in the little town.

Let me give everyone a little insite into what a typical week looks like for Avery and I.
Monday- Base Worship in the mornings. One lecture. One one One time. Work duties. Wash-up After Dinner and Outreach Prep. We start at 9 am and get finished at 930 with some breaks in the process. Mondays are LONG days for the both of us.
Tuesday- Two Lectures. Intercession. Work Duies. Local Outreach. (Mine in Glasgow an hour and half away and Avery's in West Kilbride)
Wednesday- Bible Study. Intercession. One Lecture. Work Duties. Hospitality Dinner for the Speaker.
Thursday- One Lecture. Small Group. Initative Groups(like local outreach). Ministry Night.
Friday- One Lecture. Special Breakfast. Duo's (prayer time). Lunch Clean-Up. Process Time. Flexi-Time. Work Duties
Saturday- Exploring Bonnie Scotland! RESTING!
Sunday- Church and Family Time.

.. This is Avery during maintenance work duties.. He is such a MAN... I am helping out in hospitality which consists of making welcome baskets, setting up rooms for vistors, making bithday cakes, and laundry. I love it and it really doesn't seem like work and hey I learned how to fold a fitted sheet. :)

Our teaching this week was done by Ed Ravenhall on the Nature and Charachter of God. Avery and I both enjoyed his teaching style and he had such a gentle way about him. Next week we are learning about the Holy Spirit.

A benefit of living in community is always having something spontaneous to do. During break yesterday Avery walked down the the beach and got to see seals sun bathing on rock 50 yards of the shore. Every night most of our class gathers in the computer room to write everyone at home and we have also turned it into movie time. Avery's laptop is playing Monty Python and The Holy Grail and all we need is some popcorn.They also have American TV shows on the website were we got this movie. So Avery and I are going to have a date and get caught on The Office and House.

..hackysack time during lunch.. lots of fun!!

We finally got our long weekend planned after much agony and frustation. We are leaving the 16th of February for London and coming back the 19th. We are staying on a yacht that has been turned into a hotel and I am so EXCITED. Our first wedding anniversay is on the 18th and we are spending it in London! Avery and I spent to the day in the town called Largs yesterday. It is about 10 minuets by train from West Kilbride. We had so much fun and it was an amazingly beautiful day. We had deep fried pizza and chips for lunch and they were very yummy.

Avery and I hope everyone is doing fantastic and we miss you all very much.

I am going to read my book and relax for the rest of the day. :)

Time for Tea

2007-01-25T12:36:00.000-05:00

We got to experience out first Ceilidh last night and it was so much fun. It involves a traditional Scottish feast of Haggis dinner along with lots of Scottish dancing that completely wears you out. I got to dance with Avery a couple of times, along with his uncle, and the boys in our class. I am very sore today although me toes are recovering from being trampled.

(Below... A nice yummy Haggis. It was better than I thought it was going to be, just a little peppery. I would definatly eat it again, but just don't tell me whats in it :)

Well we have been in the Scotland about two weeks now and I am really enjoying getting to know the culture better. It feels like so long ago that we left America. We had a lecture on Wednesday about Scottish culture and the youth here and I really feel like God is opening my heart to Scotland and its people. Scotland is such a beautiful place, but there are truly hurting people here. We will be doing local outreach on Tuesdays and Thursdays and our long term outreach is going to be in a city on the west coast of Scotland called Aberdeen. When I first heard about this outreach, I was a little disappointed; however, God had made it clear that is where we are supposed to go. It is a new ministry in Aberdeen so there are lots of options of what we are able to do.

Our first week of classes has been very good and have flown by extremely quickly. We have had most nights off this week to just relax and process what is going on in our heads. Next week we will be talk about the character and nature of God, learning styles, as well as having a day away at Loch Lomand which is the base of the highlands and I hear it is amazingly beautiful. We got to go shopping today and buy a few things that we were craving and it is nice to have our own supply of treats. Avery and I love drinking hot tea in the evening, but we are beginning to miss sweet tea a little bit. This weekend Avery and I are on work duties to prepare supper for our classmates so maybe we will serve it for them.

Here is a picture of our little sanctuary in the castle. Our room is one of the warmest in the castle which I am thankful for. It is so pretty and quite. I am really starting to feel at home here.

Acts 6:6

2007-01-09T19:40:00.000-05:00

"Praying, the apostles laid on hands and commissioned them for their task."
The Message

How Great is Our God!

It is so exciting to know that our church family is surrounding us in prayer as we leave to go on our missions trip. It is a huge encouragement for Avery and I to know this now, and I hope we continue to realize how much we are being backed as we leave on Thursday.

God is so amazing and He contiues to meet our needs daily.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will"
Romans 12:2

Address Card

2007-01-06T18:39:00.000-05:00

I don't think I attached it to some of the letters... sorry!

Our Exciting New Year's Shindig

2007-01-01T21:48:00.000-05:00

Avery and I decide to head home on Sunday so that we could hang out with his friend Joe for New Year's Eve; however, going to Studebaker's didn't sound like to much fun. We were to tired to put on our dancing shoes so we did something much more exciting instead.
Our night consorted of a rousing trip to Kyoto Express (Oh how I will miss that when we leave in 1 week and 4 day), and then we stopped my Wal-Mart for a bottle of Welch's mixed berry sparkling cider to ring in the new year with a BANG!
We came home put on our PJs and sat on the couch and watched Batman Begins, which if you know me that is code word for SLEEP. So Ave shook me around 11:57pm thinking it was time for the ball to drop, but it turned out his watch was a little slow.

So we missed the ball drop, but we still kissed and made it a GREAT begining to the New Year.

Can you feel the Magic in the air?

2006-12-30T18:55:00.000-05:00

The majesty of the mountains is hard to grasp sometimes. I love every minute of being surrounded God's creation, but especially when I am in the mountains.

I love the air
I love the trees
I love the animals
I love going on hikes
I love the fog wrapping the peaks like a blanket
I love watching my husband take pictures of the beautiful nature
Going to the mountains makes me feel like HOME
The mountains are like HEAVEN

Over Christmas break Avery and I went up to see his Meemaw and Papa in Tennessee. I love going to there house beacuse the live on top of a mountain and you can go out in there yard and see the valley and all the lights below. The mountains of Morristown are nothing compared to the Smokies or the Rockies, but I love it all the same. I love the feeling you get in your stomach while driving to their house. It makes me feel like a little kid on a rollercoaster ride. The best thing about going to their house is that you can just sit, relax, read, watch TV, and enjoy the time with your family.

I feel naked

2006-12-26T09:14:00.000-05:00

Well, for those of you who have a cell phone....everyone!! I am losing my cell phone today! I FEEL NAKED!! but anyway I have to turn my phone back into work so if you try to call me and find that some weird guy named jesse answers the phone that is because I have to turn it over to him. so if you need to get ahold of me you can still call stephs phone. 455-0271. we will be in Tennessee tomorrow through the 31 so if anyone is doing anything cool for the new years just give us a call on stephs phone because I dont have mine. well thats all for now.

Moving Right Along --> --> -->

2006-12-16T18:39:00.000-05:00

I've said so long to MBE, and now we have to say good-bye to 6645 Breezewood Blvd also know as Avery and I's first home. It has been really busy trying to pack everything in boxes and move it into storage or into Ron and Cindy's house.
I never realized how much junk someone can accumulate in just 10 months. Dishes, cups, canned foods, bath products... etc. AHH it all just piles up and we are having to clean it all out.
It is kind of stressful, but it is also exciting because that means we are leaving in less than a month for Scotland.

-Please pray for Avery and I because I feel that living with the rest of the Milz family may be a little stressful. I love them all to death, but its different when you are living with someone. Ask God to grant us supernatural patience when situations are blow out of proportion.
Also pray for us that we have sweet times with our friends and family over the next couple of weeks because we will miss them when we leave.

Real or Fake?

2006-12-10T13:02:00.000-05:00

I did not realize how important the style of a Christmas Tree was to a person until it came time to get our 1st Christmas Tree. It was last Sunday and in the freezing rain we decided to go look for a tree. As we walked through Lowe's, I looked at all the artificial trees while my husband begged me to come outside and see all the rows and rows of the real trees.

It's hard to pick a real tree because you have to hold up each tree and look at all the sides and make sure it looks nice enough to go in your leaving room. Growing up I always had an artificial Christmas Tree, and it was always a tradition for my mom and I to set up the tree together.

Reasons I like artificial trees:

- Perfect Shape year after year

- The afternoon you spend setting up the tree and getting in the Christmas Spirit

- No yucky Pine Smell

- I have had an artificial tree all my life

Reason Avery likes real trees:

- It's Manly to go cut down your own tree

- Delightful Pine Smell

- He has had a real tree his entire life

So many things change when you get married and you learn to compromise. So Avery and I compromised and we ended up getting a real live Christmas Tree :) I really enjoy our real tree now, but maybe in the furture we will get an artificial tree one day.
At least I had fun decorating the tree!

Say Goodbye to my Little friend

2006-12-01T10:46:00.000-05:00

When Ave and I got married he had a nice small patch of scruffiness, but little did I know this November the hair would take over his face.

A group of guys in his bible study all decieded to do "No Shave Novemver" and lets just say it was looking a little hairy around church.

Ave got a little creative when he was shaving off his beard. This was one of my favorite looks, but he has had a small Hitler mustache and triangle gote.

I think I am going to miss this little addition to my husband's face and the way it tickled my face when he kiss me, but lets face it it's just hair so it will grow back. :)

Jesus I praise you for...

2006-11-28T16:46:00.000-05:00

Avery and I had the opportunity on Sunday to talk with the 3rd grade Sunday school class at church. They have adopted us as there missionary family, and have been praying for us weekly. They have also chose to take an offering each week in order to help us out financially, which I think is just amazing. They have shown Avery and I how much faith they have even as eight-years old. I mean at eight I would want to keep my dollar that my parents gave me and go buy some candy, but they are really have been blessed. They give unselfishly and they know how important it is to tell people about the love of Jesus and to live for him.

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."
3 John1:4

I also read them the stroy aboue Hudson Taylor who was on of the first missionary to go to China back in the late 1800s. Ms. Patti, their teacher, has been to China a few times on a mission trip so I thought it would be nice for them to know how it all got started, and it was a good history lesson for me as well.

Most of the children in the class have been homeschooled so they have been brought up learning how to pary and study the bible, and maybe one day God will give them a burden to do missions internationally; however, for know we can encourage them to be a "missionary" at school and with there friends.

Update of this week...

2006-11-22T11:34:00.000-05:00

Last Tuesday Cindy and I went to go see One Night With the King at the new Colonial Mall movie theater. I thought it was very good story; however, Cindy thought it was a little to jumpy and hollywoodized. I had never heard the story of Ester before so it was good to have visual depiction. Seeing the movie spurred me to go home and read the book of Ester and I really enjoyed it.

Wednesday was my last night of new members class at church and I had to meet with one of the elders to discuss my history. I will be joining the church on Sunday December 3rd.

Thursday, no Titus 2 and no ESL so I came home cleaned the house, cuddled on the couch with my husband, and watch The Office, which I was excited about because it was the first time I have seen it this season.

On Saturday Avery and I went to go see the new 007 movie with my dad and it was really good. The actor who played James Bond did an super job and the story line was believable, so everyone go see Casino Royal!

And now here we are Wednesday again, and we have completed our drive from Myrtle Beach, SC to Venice, FL to spend Thanksgiving day with my grandparent, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was a long drive, but we are here in one piece. Hopefully I can with stand my mom's snoring and make it through the week.

Avery, Mom, Dad, and I went to see Shamu yesterday at Sea World and we had an amazing time. I wish Avery would have brought his camera in so I could have had some pictures to scrapbook with; however, I took lots of video of the turtles, stingrays, flamingos, and whales so it will be nice to look back on our Thanksgiving trip experiences.

I am not sure why I am writing all of this because I am not sure how many people who read this, but I have reasoned that it is for my own sanity so I can look back and remember all of my experiences. I have had a really nice time spending time with my family so I want to look back and reminisce.

I have the hand, foot, and mouth disease, is there an immunization for that?

2006-11-15T09:23:00.000-05:00

Avery and I went and got our shots yesterday :/

Tetanus

Diptheria

Polio

Typhoid

Hepatitis A

I do have to admit, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I was really scared I was going to get a shot in the rear end, but thank the Lord my butt was spared the trauma. The shot part happend really fast (in, out, and over) and my arm didn't really hurt until later in the evening. Going to the Georgetown Health Department was an experience; Avery and I were the only white people in the building as well as the only people without a child, but it was nice to get off work early and spend the day together.

So long MBE

2006-11-08T15:01:00.000-05:00

The countdown has begun...

I will be leaving work the 22nd of December and Avery will be leaving work the 18th of December. I can hardly believe that is a month and half away, and I know it will fly by with Thanksgiving coming up. I am really going to miss working when we leave for Scotland. That sounds so funny, but its true. I believe God is calling us to a full time career on the mission feild, but I also know I have recieved some experience with mercy ministry here. I really like my job and I love the people I work with. It is rare you can find a boss who acts like your mom and 50 grandparents who ohh and aww over every nice deed you do. They shower you in hugs and kisses every morning and tell you how beautiful you are. I have to say I really do appreciate every simile and wave. I know I have touched their lives and they have all touched mine.

This is Patti and I dressed up as lady bugs for Halloween.

Getting Started

2006-11-06T13:15:00.000-05:00

I want to thank Deb Sherman so much for making this page for Avery and I. It is wonderful to have someone helping us through this process of setting up our blog page, as well as newsletter. We both really appreciate it!

Avery choose the name Transfigured for our blog because it means to exalt and gloify. We that through every step preparing and during our mission work we are able to exalt and gloify Jesus Christ.

Glorify the LORD with me;

let us exalt his name together.

Psalm 34:3 5

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 57:5

We also have a new e-mail address that you can use to reach the both of us. It is aveandsteph@gmail.com. You can also view some of my husband's photgraphs on Flickr.com, Our name is stephanie_milz.

Hope everyone has a great day! There will be plenty more to come...