three weeks

These past 3 weeks have really whizzed by.  I knew in my mind that the time would pass quickly, but now I can't believe that tomorrow I'm heading to the States already!  As I look back on the days since we arrived in Glasgow on the 17th of October, I'm convinced that we really could NOT have scheduled anything more into our days.  They were full up to the brim, and we managed to see SO MANY of our friends in such a short space of time.  It has truly been such a blessing!

During the last couple of weeks we've managed to visit the congregations of Partick, Edinburgh, Shettleston, Arran, Ayr, Duthil Dores, Portmahomack, and Inverness. We've traveled by bus, train, ferry, and car. And during the few days (or portions of a day) when we've been settled back into the manse in Partick in between our travels, we've managed to have 10 individuals and 4 different family units over either for a cup of tea or a meal in our home!  And while traveling we've enjoyed the warm hospitality and generosity of many dear folks.  We've loved the fellowship and the opportunity to spend time with the people we miss when we're in the remoteness of Eastern Province, Zambia.

It may sound like our life is really hectic right now, but truthfully there has been a necessary element of "pace and pause" throughout.  We have managed to have a quiet day or two with nothing scheduled in between the busy times, which has helped us get through.  Elijah especially has coped with all the travel spectacularly well!  He has managed with incredibly late nights, lots of sleepovers in strange beds, long church services and meetings, and all these unfamiliar faces calling his name!  It's all an adventure to him.  He longs to go outside constantly (living on a busy street in the city has been a trial for this Africanized toddler used to running barefoot and free all day!) and loves going for rides in the car.  Yesterday when I pulled out the suitcases to start packing, he spent quite a while happily sitting cross-legged inside his open Trunki on the floor!

It's hard to believe that Elijah and I fly out tomorrow morning (brutally early) for a long day of travel to my parents' house in North Carolina.  It will be so exciting for Elijah to go spend a few weeks with Grandma and Grandpa and all his uncles and his auntie.  We will miss David.  :-(  He will be headed north again at the end of this week to visit Beauly, Evanton, Ardelve and Aultbea congregations!  After he comes back south at the end of next week he will be visiting Ayr and Knightswood before flying out on the 21st to meet us in the States.

If you are one of those whom we've NOT managed to see yet.... well, we will be back!  :-)  Lord willing, we plan to arrive back in Scotland on the 26th of January, complete with the "brand-new model" in tow.  It's still uncertain how long we will stay (hopefully a week or two) before we head back to Zambia, but we are hoping to connect with many more of you during the end of January and the beginning of February.

Stay posted, I do hope to post photos very soon, but they are still on David's computer at present and he's in Inverness meeting with the Home & Foreign Missions Committee today!