Day 5 - Scotland 09

Today was quite full and gratifying. I took the morning to prayer walk some of the neighborhoods and try to sense what God might be saying. I had hardly left the house when I greeted a woman on the sidewalk on the next block and she said, “I saw you on Sunday.” It turns out that she is not a member of the Loch Gilphead church but attends fairly regularly with a friend. She complimented me on the message from Sunday and said that she has two daughters living in the USA – one in Oregon and one in Tennessee. I mentioned that Sam, from our team, was heading to the university in Knoxville, TN and she said her daughter actually lives in Knoxville and is getting ready to have her first baby. I said that knowing Sam’s affection for the people of Loch Gilphead, she would probably be happy to ring her daughter up and meet her. Trish, the woman, then gave me her contact info so Sam can get in touch with her. A good start to the morning as it seemed God was working in the timing of my walk.

The Holiday Club itself went smoothly with a little over 40 children attending. This afternoon, we had a meeting with members of the Scotland team that are interested in coming to the USA in the summer of 2010 as part of the mission partnership. We answered as many questions as we could but plan to give some immediate and serious attention to suitable projects for a team that could number between four and twelve people next summer. Input from LGBC members is welcomed and sought.

Tonight the time with the teens was special. I had met a 16 year old girl at the church building earlier in the day. She had volunteered that she had quit school due to being pregnant (I wouldn’t have known about the school part but the other I could have easily guessed.)  As I was leaving I asked if anyone had invited her to the teen activities in the evening and she said “no.” When we explained what was going on, she said she would try to make it. She did make it along with an aunt and two younger cousins. After the games, Whitney shared a testimony of recommitting her life to Christ after a time of trusting in things that had let her down. It was a great testimony that opened the door for me to ask the aunt about her faith and relationship to Christ. We also had clear opportunity to share with the soon-to-be seventeen year old single mother. The gospel hasn’t yet captivated either one of them, but we have introduced it and are now praying for them. It doesn’t get much better than sharing God’s redemption story in our own lives and then being able to engage others with how it can become a part of their lives.