Day 10

This last blog post comes to you a day late because, let's be honest, after 9 hours of flying, anything I would have written down would have been, as our British friends would say; rubbish.

 But now that I'm back on American soil with a full night's rest under my belt, I thought I might share some of the thoughts and reflections that I've had over the past 10 days in Scotland.  If you have kept up with our blog during our trip, you'll have heard from the perspectives of almost everyone of our team members.  Now that the trip has reached it's conclusion, I'd like to share my perspective on the trip in it's entirety.  When people ask me what I learned from our trip to Scotland, this is exactly what I will tell them:

1. I am blessed beyond measure  

On a personal note, this trip was a reminder to me once again that I have the best job in the whole world.  I count it a great privilege that God has placed me in a position where I can lead and influence students for Christ, and these ten days in Scotland with 20 teenagers was just another expression of what a joy that can be.  Going overseas with a team of high school students was a daunting thought in the months leading up to our trip, and in many ways, I didn't completely know what to expect.  Now as I look back at those ten days, I can honestly say that I couldn't have been more impressed, satisfied, and thankful for the team that we assembled and sent out.  With the exceptions of a few moments of impatience, a little bit of crankiness, and a few teachable moments, I believe our students carried and represented themselves in way that was honoring to Christ during this trip, and I don't take that for granted.

2.  Hospitality is humbling

If there is one thing about our trip that surprised me, it was the overwhelming way in which the people at Musselburgh Baptist Church took us in and treated us like kings and queens for 10 days.  I was so humbled, encouraged, and challenged by the example of hospitality that these people set for us.   

The word that is often used in the Bible for 'hospitality' literally means 'love for strangers', and that is exactly what these people showed to us. Having never met a single one of us, the church banded together and opened up their homes and their lives to us and showed us so much love.  4 families opened up their homes to us and gave us a place to stay, and 2 of those families actually moved out for the week to make room for us.  

If that wasn't enough, everyday we had someone helping us get to where we needed to go, someone feeding us a meal, or people just simply taking time to get to know the people in our group.  We are so thankful to Graham, Sarah, Miles, Shelagh, Drew, Alex, Tim, Ruth, Gordon, Miriam, Jamie, Hazel, and so many others who took the time and the effort this week to make us feel at home.  I can only hope that someday we will have the opportunity to do for someone else what they have done for us.  

3. We need to think rightly about "missions"

I think that it can be easy to trick ourselves into thinking that "missions" is as simple as going somewhere with people who are less fortunate than us, helping them out with building a church, or fixing their house, or painting their fence, giving them a Bible, and then heading home.  This trip was a great reminder that "missions" is so much more than that.  

When we visited Andy Prime, he helped us to think through what "poverty" really is.  We often only think of it in terms of finances, social status, and economic standing, but Andy pointed us to the Bible, and the places where it shows us that "poverty" is a result of sin, it has effected every relationship that God created to be good, and therefore sin has created "poverty" for every one of us.  Whether it's spiritual, financial, social, or economic poverty, the Bible tells us that we're all poor. 

So missions is about finding out what people's needs are and meeting them.  So when we go on a short-term missions trip, we need to approach it understanding that every person's greatest spiritual need is for the Gospel.  We can fix up someone's house, or give them new clothes, or feed them a meal, but if we haven't given them the Gospel, the remedy to their spiritual poverty, we haven't actually addressed their true problem.  And we can only do this well when we understand that our lives as spiritually impoverished as well, apart from Christ.  When we understand that, we can stand on the level ground at the foot of the cross and help people to see how good the news of the gospel really is.  

4. Scotland needs Jesus

Scotland may not be a third-world country stricken by famine, disease, and poverty, but they are a country that is certainly spiritually impoverished.  Churches are dying out.  Less than 3 percent of the population would profess to be believers.  It is a dark place and it is growing darker.  In Scotland, the consensus is that Christianity is unpopular, it is unimportant, and it is irrelevant to people living in the 21st century.  

It is for that reason that the light of the Gospel desperately needs to go out into that darkness.  We need the preaching of God's Word as an authoritative, necessary, and life-giving solution to the spiritual blindness that affects so much of that part of the world.  

This is cause to be thankful for what Graham Shearer, Musselburgh Baptist Church, Andy Prime, 20 Schemes, and David Robertson, and more are all doing in Scotland.  They are doing what is difficult and unpopular in a culture that stands in opposition to their message.

For the Word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. - 1 Corinthians 1:18

5. We need to prepare for the days to come

It would seem that Scotland could very likely be a picture of what is to come for Christianity in the United States.  The issues that have torn the Church of Scotland apart, the New Atheism that has spread in the academic world, the loosened grip on the authority of Scripture. and a general indifference towards any idea that God even exists have been the compromises that have moved their nation away from God.  

Those very same cultural narratives are taking place in our country as we speak, and if things continue as they have, we will be in the same place in only a matter of years.

What a motivation that should be for us to get ahead of this narrative and change our nation's trajectory.  We need to fight to keep Christ in all that we do.  We need to tighten our grip on God's Word and allow it to shape and mold every area of our lives.  We must never compromise our Faith no matter how unpopular it might become.  We need to pray for our nation's leaders that God would open their eyes and change their hearts.

Whether our students feel called to do ministry in the States, in Scotland, or wherever it might be, my prayer will always be that they would simply find ways to make much of Jesus in everything that they do.  This trip offered us an amazing opportunity to do that and I look forward to seeing how God will use this experience in each one of our lives.  

How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns".

- Isaiah 52:7  

-Danny

  

   

Day 9

Rachel P. and Rachel C. will bring us our blog post for day 9:

"We started our last day in Scotland by climbing several hills (although they seemed a lot more like mountains). This was quite the treacherous hike, as we climbed seven miles in about four hours. We stopped for lunch along the way (and periodically to catch our breath as we scaled Everest). My favorite part of the hike was the abundance of sheep roaming around the hills. I may have tried to pet a few, but that didn't go well. It was very long and very steep, but I will admit that once we reached the highest point, it was awfully satisfying. The tops of the hills were in the clouds and the view was breathtaking. After a a quick photo-op and and a break to catch our breath, we headed back down the hills and went back to our host-homes to recuperate.

Later in the evening, we had the pleasure of attending a ceilidh (a type of Scottish hoe-down) at MBC.  The young people at the church had organized this ceilidh to help raise funds for a couple of girls who were going on short-term missions trips to Tanzania and Colombia! We spent the night learning traditional Scottish dances and having a great time with our friends. At the end of the night, we had to say our last goodbyes to many of our friends. We left teary-eyed and sniffling, as it was tough to leave such an amazing group of people. Despite the somber end, today was a great way to end our extraordinary experience in Scotland!" - Rachel Crowl

"Our last day in Scotland started with a brisk walk up a hill. A 4-hour 7-mile brisk walk to be exact. Paul, a Scotland hills enthusiast led us up three peaks of the Pentland hills. The height combined with Scotland's low clouds meant we were actually walking through clouds! While the walk was tough at times, it was worth it to explore Scotland's nature. 

After the walk, we headed back to our homes to pack, clean, and get ready for the final event of the week, a ceilidh (pronounced Kay-lee). A ceilidh is a tradional gaelic gathering which involves music and dancing similar to square dancing. This ceilidh was in support of two girls who were going off to do short-term missions this summer.  This was a great way to end our time with the people of musselburgh baptist church. We had fun learning the "flying Scotsman" and the very dizzy-ing "Strip the willow."

The music wound down and we topped off the night with "500 miles." Good-byes followed with plenty of hugs and pictures and "see you laters." We're sad to be leaving the people of Musselburgh baptist church who have been incredible hosts to us. There has been much mutual encouragement between the churches.

Now time to pack up and head out early tomorrow morning. We'll see you all soon!" - Rachel Peteya

Day 8

"Today we split our group up half and half again. The half I was in was the half who went to Gracemount to see Andy Prime and his ministry in 20 schemes. He met us and from there we walked to his house with him and his wife Sarah. At his house, he explain to us about his ministry and we examined the word "poverty" and the biblical definition of it as compared to how society and the government define it.  Through the discussion we were able to come to the conclusion that everybody experiences poverty because of sin, whether it is financial, social, physical, or spiritual.  Andy showed us how that understanding is what helps them to think about their ministry in the best way.

 After this we went to the house where the after-school activities that him and his wife host for the children in the town take place. There we we spent time hanging out and getting to know the children. I worked in the kitchen with a few other students. It was so cool to see the ministry that they are working in and really was inspiring to get involved not only here but back in the US. Afterwards both groups as well as the others in the church youth met at Myles house to watch films they had made during the day. Which I'm sure you will hear shot from Emily. Overall the day was great and it's been such a blessing getting to know all the wonderful people here."

-Brenna 

"Just like Brenna mentioned, the group split in two the moment we got off the bus - half headed off to Gracemount and the other half trekking up the Royal Mile. There we met with a guy named Tom Breimaier.  Tom used to go to Parkside, but now he's getting his PHD in Church History in Edinburgh!  He guided us through a tour of his divinity school and also took us to visit Charlotte Chapel, where Pastor Begg used to work!

After lunch, we shopped for a few hours until Myles dropped by, gathered us up, and led us to the bottom of Arthur's Seat, a small hill ("More like a bump really, it's only about seven hundred feet high") that actually stood around six hundred feet high. I spent the whole climb wheezing and sweating and when my iPod died halfway up the hill I looked at it for a moment then said: "Me too." But it was an amazing opportunity and, while I don't think I'll do it again, I wouldn't have missed it for the world." - Emily B.

Brenna and Emily

Day 7

"We started off the day by piling into various cars and the mini bus to take mom (Emily Schillero= the trip mom) and Laurel to the airport. After we cried and said our goodbyes, we took a ride to St. Andrews. We visited the Old Course at St. Andrews and were able to walk around the 18th hole.  After that, we split off into groups to grab lunch. Once satisfied by a variety of delicious Scottish food, we regrouped and journeyed to the castle at St. Andrews.  The castle is was incredible and we learned that it had a great part to play in the reformation and the life of John Knox. When we got inside, we explored the ruins of the castle and took some hardcore parkour selfies. A few of us ventured down into the close quarters mine for some further exploration.  After one final group picture at the castle, we headed for the cupcake store. To our dismay, they were out of cupcakes…

                

Yet again, we all jumped in the cars and promptly set out for Dundee to meet with David Robertson, who is a minister, an author, and recently spoke at the Basics Conference at Parkside.  After we arrived at the Free Church of Scotland, St. Peter’s, we filed into the pews and David took some time to speak to us as a group. He told us all about the history that surrounds St. Peter's, about Robert Murray M'Cheyne, and about what it is like being a pastor in Dundee.  He allowed us to ask him any questions we might have, which led to some awesome stories about why he wrote the books that he has authored, what it is like debating with some of the world's most famous atheists, and the vision he has for the SOLAS ministry that he is involved in.  He had so much helpful advice for us as high school students and we learned a lot from the short time we spent with him.

From there, David directed us towards dinner at a local restaurant just a short walk away from the church.  We chowed down on our sausage, haggis, fish and chips and then headed back to our host homes. Some of the girls had the opportunity to go and play soccer with some of the local Scottish girls. The rest of us met up back at Myles’ house to relax and just enjoy each other’s company. At some point in the night, a few of the guys went out to play their own game of soccer. Danny Heise (the Heisemeister) even got out there and scored a goal!!!!!! We had a group meeting before walking back to our host homes for the night." - Merlin, David, and Danny H.

Day 6

Andy Prime telling us about his and his wife's work in Gracemount

"Today, half the group went to work with Andy Prime and his wife Sarah in Gracemount. Andy works with a project in Scotland called 20 Schemes, which works to bring The Gospel to different impoverished areas around the country. To me, this has been the best and most inspirational part of our trip. To start off, I was surprised to learn that Andy Prime is YOUNG. I was really expecting an older pastor to be leading The Gospel in these rough areas, but Andy's wife Sarah said she started working in the schemes with her brother when she was only 18. 18! She made me feel very inspired to make a change in my community. We got to learn a lot about the kids that come through the 20 Schemes program in Gracemount. A lot of them come from bad homes that usually consist of drug and alcohol abuse, which doesn't help them much when it comes to school. They often fall so far behind (because they get into trouble) that the teachers just leave them to clean and do other work around the school. I asked one little girl (who was from Africa, and believed that I was too) what she did at school and all she said was "clean". It broke my heart to see how little support these kids get at home and school; but seeing what Andy and Sarah do really brought my spirits up. Andy does some really inspiring things. He and Sarah work so incredibly hard to make a difference in these communities! I always knew I wanted to take part in missionary work when I was older. Working with Andy and Sarah really opened my eyes to see that God is calling me to help bring The Gospel to impoverished areas in Cleveland, and around the world. Andy had mentioned an internship with 20 Schemes that included 6-8 weeks working in Scotland and other countries. I definitely plan on getting involved. (Andy and Sarah are also basketball fans! Even though Sarah is rooting for Golden State, she wore a Cavs t-shirt just for us. We even got to watch some of last night's game during lunch, because Andy had it recorded on his TV. GO CAVS!)" -Kellyn

"The other half of the group went to Edinburgh for some sightseeing and souvenir shopping. First, we walked to Charlotte Chapel, where Pastor Begg once worked before he came to Parkside. A very kind man who worked there came to unlock the door for us so we could go see the sanctuary. It was beautiful! After we went to the church, we walked over to Edinburgh Castle. Rachel and I walked as far as we could into the castle without paying, and it incredible imagining all of the history that had taken place there. Next, we took a few hours to shop and collect souvenirs for ourselves and our family members. I really enjoyed exploring the streets of Edinburgh and shopping with the group!"

-Renée

On Friday, the halves of the group that split up to go to Gracemount for 20 schemes and Ediburgh for the day will switch places so that everyone else can meet with Andy and Sarah!

So later on in the evening, we all met up and went to Miles' house, as he kindly hosted the team for dinner. We spent hours with our new friends fellowshipping and playing games.

Overall, we had a great day! Everyone had a good time and we are glad to be continuing our trip safely through the Lord.

Until Tomorrow!

Kellyn & Renée

(The best prayer partners EVER)

Day 5

Today, Adam and Jacob will fill you in on how things went for the team:

"We began our day by going to Wallyford in order to help Andrew, a man working with a church plant called 'The Living Room'.  He told us all about the community and the struggles that Christianity is currently facing there and in the country of Scotland as a whole.  He told us that less than 3 percent of people in Scotland go to church, and even less than that would be involved in Bible believing churches.  It was great to hear his heart for preaching the gospel without compromising, even when it gets really difficult.  

From there we went to a local nursing home to help take care of tasks that needed to be done around the building and with the residents. Some of us helped with preparations for their garden, painting, and digging holes for posts, while 8 of us participated in singing hymns with the residents. Those of us who did yardwork got a ton done and it was great to have conversations with the people living in the nursing home. One lady’s answer to every question we gave here was along the lines of “I love everybody” or “I love everything.” 

After ending our time there chowing down on some delicious fish n’ chips, we took a bus down to the heart of Edinburgh and took a tour with a man named Paul who showed us many of the covenanting sights in Ediburgh, many of which are on the Royal Mile, the section of road stretching from the Edinburgh castle to the Scottish parliament.  Paul told us all about the significance of the churches in church history as well as the importance of the people who preached and pastored there.  We learned about the Covanenters, we saw Magdalen Chapel, Greyfriars, and St. Giles cathedral.  We learned a lot about John Knox, a man who had a large part in the reformation in the 16^th century. We saw a lot of historical Scottish churches and the 4 remaining stained glass windows from the middle ages in Scotland as well. After enjoying the tour, we took a double decker bus to Jamie and Hazel’s house and had great dinner and fellowship with our new friends."

P.S.

Mom and Dad I love you- Jacob

I’m still alive- Adam

Day 4

Here is your Day 4 update from Ariana, Sarah, and Grace:

"Hello Lads, we started off the day helping members of Musselburgh Baptist Church go door to door passing out leaflets for the upcoming Good News Club. Good News Club is an event at the church in August for children ages 5-12 years old who may not know the Gospel. The children come for a couple hours a day to play games, eat snacks and learn Bible stories. The team went out in groups to different areas of the city and passed out over 1,000 leaflets. 

Afterwards, the team returned to the church around 12:30 for a senior citizens lunch. We helped serve the seniors and got to know them (Caden and Jacob really seemed to have charmed the senior ladies.) Many were not from the church so this was a great opportunity to get them in the church. We played trivia with them and proved not to know our British history as well as we thought. Some of us that drank too much tea were called "tea-jennies." After we ate and played the trivia game, Dan got to give a small talk on forgiveness. Heads up - DO NOT play a harmonica while you're around Dan!! 

After our last sip of tea, Graham took the team out to pass out more leaflets. We went door to door for about another 2.5 hours. We then stopped for a quick refresher at our host homes. In some of the houses that meant playing with the young kids in the homes, in others it might have meant a quick nap.

 The Gibsons had the team and church members over for a traditional Scottish meal. It was a great time for fellowship with new friends and also caused a wee-bit of tension during some of the games. 
All in all we were encouraged giving leaflets directly to people's homes and we will keep praying for Mussleburgh Baptist Church's Good News Club this August. We hope you will pray with us that God will open up people's minds and hearts to consider attending the church. We pray the senior citizens we met will stay excited to come to the lunch/tea time. Through the lunch time we pray they will become committed followers of Jesus Christ. We miss you all! Hugs sent from Scotland :)"
 -The Americans (aka Ariana, Sarah, and Grace)