IT’S NOT RAINING!!!

Imagine that exclamation coming from the sweet little voice of a two-year-old boy in Scotland, fists raised in triumphant victory, when his father opened up the front storm doors of their flat and sunlight flooded into the front hall. “IT’S NOT RAINING!!!” Joseph is as excited as we are each day the clouds leave for a wee while. Dundee is the sunniest city in Scotland, but that’s not really saying a lot. So we grabbed our things and went out to enjoy our breakfast on the front stoop. You have to seize every sunny day. Carpe diem solis.

Over the last six weeks (since our last update)we have been:

Figuring out what Ava wants, when she wants it, and getting her on a regular nighttime sleep schedule. This has been challenging, but seems like we’re getting the hang of her cues. (Karsee’s really the one that has figured all this out. And she translates for me.) Ava goes to bed now around 7pm and usually only wakes up once around 5am for a snack and then back to bed until 8am. This has made life much more sane for all of us. She’s trying to talk. A lot. And seems to be a pretty happy baby. Please pray that Ava would continue to be healthy and meet her developmental milestones.

Maddie getting adjusted to school. She was nervously excited the first day, and has been loving school every day since. We are so excited about how well she’s transitioned into life at school here and we are overwhelmingly grateful for all of your prayers for her. God is gracious and good. Maddie recently had a “Red Letter Day.” She received an official letter home from the Head Teacher for her excellent attitude in class and her superior reading. Karsee and I both teared up with pride as we read it.

Maddie’s school here is incredibly diverse, a happy surprise. A great many of her classmates are from all around the world. In addition to the Scottish, English and Welsh kids in her class, there are children from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, India, Japan, China, Indonesia, Africa, and Greece, all with a wide variety of cultural and religious backgrounds. She has made several good friends in her own class, and in others, and is having a great time each day. This week her best friend from school is planning on coming to St Peter’s Monday Club after Maddie’s invitations over the past few weeks. Please pray that Maddie would continue to be a light in her school and that her friends would be attracted to the Light of the world that’s in her.

Joseph learning to live without having his big sister there all day every day. This has been a tough one for Joseph. He misses his sister. A lot. For the first two weeks of school Joseph would wake up and tell Maddie it was Saturday and that she, therefore, did not have to go to school. He’s through that phase now and just looks forward to the end of the day when Maddie and Daddy come home from school and work. A few weeks ago, Karsee took Joseph to register him for Nursery (preschool for three to five-year-olds). That was pretty exciting for him and he’s been talking about when he gets to go to his school incessantly ever since. We told him that in order to be ready to go to Nursery he had to be three (October 6, less than three weeks away), it had to be after Christmas this year, and he had to be able to wee and poop in the toilet. That same week he decided it was time to start wearing underwear and he has effectively potty-trained himself. He’s so grown up.

The time without his sister has also allowed him a larger spotlight in the family during the day. He’s talking a lot, and I mean A LOT more, and his confidence in speaking to and in front of others has skyrocketed. This past Sunday he took the stage during the children’s teaching time and explained to the pastor that Jesus was there with us, but that he was invisible and that he came to rescue us and that his (Joseph’s) parents have rings and that they’re married. He would not stop talking/preaching. He’s also had a few other experiences without his big sister. The pic above is of Joseph sitting on the top of Arthur’s seat, atop an 823 foot peak overlooking Edinburgh, which he climbed with his father and his cousin Sam during a recent visit. Please continue to pray for Joseph’s transition and adjustment to all these big changes in his young life.

Karsee getting to know the local mums. Karsee has been a busy Mum of three, figuring out the instruction manual for the new wee one as well as keeping the middle child entertained during the day. She has had really excellent opportunities to build relationships with the mums of Maddie’s friends at school and at Joseph’s toddler play group. She’s really enjoying getting to know these ladies and continues to look for opportunities to share bits of the gospel as they present themselves. Simply explaining why we’re here often opens the door to deeper grace-oriented conversations. Please pray for wisdom and opportunities as she continues to build relationships in Dundee.

Brian researching and developing a model for pastoral care for St Peter’s. (No, that’s not what I’m doing in the picture there, but I don’t have any other pictures of myself. That one was taken at Stirling Castle and the court jester and I had a great conversation about the gospel when I told him why we are in Scotland). What I don’t have a picture of is all of the reading and research I’ve been doing over the last three months and the preliminary plan for pastoral care at St Peter’s that I presented and that was warmly received by the church Session this last week. As a result, I was appointed Pastoral Care Coordinator and given the green light to continue developing and implementing the plan which includes developing a pastoral care training program for the Elders and others in the congregation. This is a several-month task that will require a good deal of work and patience. Please pray that God would provide that and the wisdom needed to contextualise a great deal of information.

In addition, I’m continuing to see a handful of counselling clients and have had one meeting (with two more scheduled in the coming weeks) with outside social service agencies regarding serving as a place for referrals for counselling services. Please pray for these contacts and that God would open doors for us to care for the people of Dundee who are without the hope of the gospel.

We are very grateful for those of you who have chosen to join us in this ministry through your prayers, letters of encouragement and financial support. Without you and your generosity we would not be able to continue. We are very aware of the challenges you continue to face, and we appreciate your partnership so very much.

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