Energy In Town

There are so many stories that can be told from the wonderful week we had in Nairn. I thought I would share one that happened Thursday afternoon on the street...

Megan and I were wandering through town on Thursday afternoon and I ducked into a little shop that a few of us Americans have a tendency to frequent. It's a little second-hand shop that often times has some of the best, old Scottish brooches, among other things.

When I was talking with Jim, the fellow who runs the shop, he made an interesting comment that caught my attention, a comment that makes me realize that our impact in Scotland reaches beyond those whom we immediately encounter as we are there day in and day out. Jim told me that although he had not yet seen any of us, he just knew we were in town. He said that there was a different energy in town during the week, that people were a little more uplifting and optimistic... a little more energetic about life. He told me that it's like this every year when we Americans come into town.

It's different hearing a story like this. Jim has nothing to do with Holiday Club or the Free Church. The only reason we encounter him is because we drop into his shop each year. It really is a blessing to have conversations like these with others in Nairn, especially when it's someone that we do not regularly encounter when we're in town. It's a blessing to hear that your ministry is having an impact beyond that which you could ever imagine, especially when you consider that you're there to support the church and minister directly to the children in town through Holiday Club and afternoon sports & crafts camps... and then comes the story of how you impact the entire town. What a blessing and huge encouragement it is to know that we as believers, the walking Gospel, the hands and feet of Christ, can have such an impact beyond that which we "came" to do.

Please be in prayer for this town, it's people, and especially for the churches there. The Gospel is beginning to pierce the darkness and the Light of Christ is shining through. Pray that hearts and lives would be changed and that there would be a revival that would sweep through Nairn, Inverness, and the rest of the Highlands and beyond through Scotland and the rest of the UK, Europe, and the world. And praise God for the great work that He is doing.

Cheers!

Day 4 - Holiday Club & Sports/Crafts Camp

We've been home for a little more than two weeks now... And I know it's been a LONG time coming, but here we go... the details of day 4... (and yes, I remember them very well!)

The morning started as usual, with kids arriving and gathering in their groups to color on their large pictures of pirates.  Since this holiday club began, the kids have worked on large pictures in their groups each morning, and each year, the pictures are different, going with the theme for the week.  Those at IPC may have seen them around before, particularly in the Romper Room where we've displayed them in the past.  Here's a picture of some of my kids in my sea shanty group working on our picture.

Counter clockwise from the bottom left:  Syzmon, Tanya, Tarren, Lauren, Mirren, Lauren, & Iain (we were missing Jodie & Eden this morning).  We were the Shaky Ship Wrecks.

As we came together in a large group in the mornings, each day started with the Portsmouth Dance.  The kids really got into it, getting to flail their arms and swing their sashes around in the air.

The Portsmouth Dance ended each day with the kids' favorite part... throwing their sashes into the air as high as they could!

Our friend Jonathan brought the Bible story of Paul & Silas in prison and the conversion of the centurion on guard.  I'm pretty sure I got most all of it on video after snapping this quick picture.  He really did a phenomenal job.  He had the kids attention from the very beginning because he had such a unique way of telling the story.  The kids were a part of telling the story because they were the sound effects.  There were key words that the kids had different sound effects for and Jonathan made it a point to keep the kids involved in telling the story.  It seemed to be a very effective way to tell the story because the kids were able to talk about it in detail in our small groups as we went over the story and the great things that God can do.

The game for the day involved a little bit of thievery... the goal was to be the first group to have twenty gold coins in it's treasure chest.  They could pluck coins from the treasure stash in the middle of the room or they could plunder them from another group... Needless to say, there was a lot of plundering going on.  Yes, it was organized chaos.

Here's a picture of our dear friend Susan who was the mastermind behind all of the games for the week!  She did a great job.  (And the only reason I can get away with posting this photo is because she's 3,500 miles away in bonnie Scotland and I'm at home in Memphis... I'll probably get it for this one!)

This was the final afternoon of sports & crafts camp.  This was a little different schedule for us this year since it was the first year we had a fourth day, but it was a great one!  The turnout for the afternoon camps has been huge this year and it's been such a blessing to be able to spend some more one-on-one time with so many of these kids.

Here are Clare & Eve showing off their final craft for the week.

This is a table of older kids working on their final craft for the week... coloring by numbers.  Many of them didn't exactly follow directions.  Rather, they put their own touch on things, creating their own color schemes and using it.

The sport for the day was cricket, brought to us by the one and only Ethan Snitch who, along with the other Scots, taught us Americans a little bit about one of their sports.

Ethan, like his brothers & sisters, is very photogenic.

Here's a picture of Bryan with the one and only Donald Angus.

As we were wrapping up, some of the guys got their futbol (soccer ball) out and started playing around.  Here's a picture of Jack going straight at Mud who jumped right in to play.

Our fellowship dinners continued as we went to the David & Jean Sutherland's house for dinner and enjoyed a great meal and fellowship with our friends from Smithton.  We wrapped up a little early on Thursday which was nice because we were all able to get some much needed rest.

Cheers!

Coming Soon...

It's official... Holiday Club is over and half of the team arrived safely in Memphis today, shortly before 5 pm CST.  It was a long journey home, even restful at times.  Elaine, Trey, Brian, and I had a good time talking about the things that went on throughout the week, telling different stories of the kids and other Nairnites we encountered and discussing things we learned from this week.  Please continue to pray for safety in travel for the remaining team members who will be drifting home as the week continues.

Day 4 & Day 5 updates will be coming soon.  It takes a bit of time to blog all of the stuff we did and get pictures on too.  Time was limited at the end of the week and then we returned to Edinburgh to fly out where we did not have free internet and then we spent a whole day traveling.  All that being said, I promise that you will get pictures and stories from the last two days of club.  There are also some miscellaneous stories/thoughts that are well worth posting... so those will be coming in the days ahead.  I was also able to video some of the things we did each day and will be downloading and editing the footage to get some short clips to post here on the blog... It's great to hear the kids singing their praise & worship songs or to see the testimony times (and even a few good ole pirate jokes...)!

ALSO, I WOULD LOVE TO FIELD QUESTIONS FOR ANYONE WHO HAS QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT WE DID OR THE THINGS THAT WENT ON... RANDOM QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS THAT ARISE FROM STORIES TOLD, WHATEVER.  Just post your question in the comments and I'll come back through and answer them all.

We had a spectacular week with our friends and owe all honor, glory and majesty to Him alone who makes all things and sustains all things.  To Him and Him alone be the Honor and Glory for the work done this past week in Nairn... He is at work here and now, more than ever, we need to be in prayer for this town and it's people - children & adults alike!

Cheers!

Day 3 - Holiday Club & Sports/Crafts Camp

Wednesday came and went without a blog post. My apologies, but I simply needed to catch up on my sleep rather than staying up past midnight to blog.

Wednesday was another great day. The number of kids we're having for both the holiday club in the morning and the sports/crafts camp in the afternoon is remaining steady. They are really loving the activities at the club and the sports & crafts time in the afternoon.
Our dear friend, Susan Henderson, brought the Bible story to us. She did a great job telling the story of Paul and the shipwreck on the way to Rome... thankfully, as you can see on her case, she made it all the way to Rome and back! The way she started the story really drew the kids in and they listened intently as she spoke about Paul & the journey he took and events that he experienced along the way. She stressed the importance of trusting in God and his promises to provide and care for His people the way he did for Paul and even those on the ship who, at the time, did not believe, but came to believe when they saw that what Paul said was true. This story also provided us a nice opportunity to review the story of Saul's conversion and how when we come to believe in Christ, we are a new creation.
Here's a picture of Karine assisting Eve in our game time. Each group had 13 cards, lying face down on the floor. There was an image on the screen at the front of the hall. One at a time, they had to come up and flip the card and move it to the correct space or order without looking at another card. I was quite impressed with how well everyone did!
Here are Johnny (a brave black beard) and Donald Angus helping their wee ones with the craft.
Alastair even dropped in for a wee visit at the club... Megan and I managed not only to get a photo with him, but we got him to wear a pirate hat!
I cannot say enough good things about our teen helpers this week. They have really stepped up to the plate - leading music and games and helping with the kids whenever needed. Here are Cara and Kirsty getting into the song called "You Are a Star." The air guitars are a must for this one!
Here's a shot of the large group singing and doing the hand motions to "You Are a Star." It's quite a catchy tune.
Afternoons have been great this year with more kids than ever showing up for crafts & sports. It's a tremendous blessing to have mums come along as well to assist with the crafts, especially the more difficult ones. Here's a picture of Eve and her mum, Karen, working hard on Eve's new handbag.
Here are Tom & Trey goofing off during a game of Ultimate frisbee.
Beth, Elaine, Cara, and Susan as craft time is wrapping up.


On Wednesday evening, we went through to Smithton for the the weekly prayer service. Our fellow American, Jonathan Keenan, was in town preaching while Mr. Meredith wrapped up his summer holiday. It was a great encouragement to us as Jonathan brought forth God's word from the book of Ruth. We came in on the end of a series that he has worked through this summer on the book of Ruth. It was a great blessing to us to here him preach, reminding us that since the fall, God has promised to redeem His people and bring them back to Himself. And he reminded us that it is God's work, not ours; but that we are merely His vessels, the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. He both encouraged and challenged us, reminding us that these kids need to know the LOVE of Christ and that we need to love them unconditionally, exactly where they are. It was also a time of encouragement as the congregation prayed, lifting their voices to God, requesting His blessings on this week, that the seeds planted may fall on good soil and that there may be a bountiful harvest and revival in Nairn and across the Highlands.


After prayer meeting, we had the opportunity to spend some time with our friends from Smithton and see some very dear to us. It was a great time of fellowship. For those of you who don't know, this is a picture of Rhona, myself, and El (some of our most recent Memphis visitors).


I realize that I am behind on my posting and that tomorrow is Friday, which ushers in the final day of club and the pirates picnic. Please continue in prayer for this club. Tomorrow is a big day for us... it is our last day to truly reach these kids for Christ while we are here. It is also a day where we will have interaction with their parents and have a better understanding of the home life situations of many of our kids. Please continue to pray for the impressionable hearts and minds of these young children. They are thinking and asking challenging questions that really remind us that the Lord is at work in this place and the Holy Spirit is moving in the hearts of these kids. Pray that they would come to know Jesus as their savior, that they would have a saving faith and that they would become new creations. Please pray for our friends, the Nairnite volunteers, who will continue on with these children long after we are gone this year. Pray that they may be encouraged by the time spent with us; that they may be strong and courageous in presenting the Gospel to these children, giving them daily reminders of the things learned here this week. Please be in prayer for the pirate picnic - that we would have nice weather and a good turnout of parents. Friday afternoon is always a privilege for us as we get to meet the parents and carry on conversations with them regarding the things their children learned throughout the week. Many of these kids have non-believing parents. Please pray that hearts & lives would be touched by the Gospel and that entire families would come to know Christ personally and that this would spark a revival in this town.


Please continue also in prayer for us as a team as we prepare to say our goodbyes. As much fun as Friday is, especially at the picnic, it is a hard day for us. It's the end of the week and we are absolutely shattered (exhausted). It is never easy to say goodbye to our friends. Please pray that we would continue to be an encouragement to them. Pray that our relationships would continue to grow deeper and stronger. While many tears will be shed, it's a blessing to know that we are never apart when we are all in Christ... even though an ocean may separate us, we are one in Him.


To God be all the Honor, Glory and Majesty of this week and the work done here in Nairn!


Cheers!

This is Fab!!!

Well here in Nairn we are having the time of our lives, the holiday club is fabulous then children are definately a younger lot but they are getting warmed up now. The club is buzzing with excitement as the children are going from one activity to another to story time and so on.
The memory verse is going very well and the children know it of pat some with their eyes shut. My niece was taken up on stage as she new it all with out looking. I was so proud of her.
Emily has been taking more photos today so she will get them up on here soon.
I am thoroughly enjoying it as I didn't get to help much last year but this year there full time, (except today)
Well done to you all, can't believe tomorrow is Friday oh no and the tears will start again but hey Deanna will stop speaking with the american twang (mind you most of the teen helpers have picked it up this year)
Please pray for the good weather to carry on for tomorrow afternoon as we are having a "Pirates Picnic" in the school grounds.
God Bless you all
Susan Matheson

Day 3 - Holiday Club & Sports/Crafts Camp

For those itching for the next update... my apologies, but my sleep became priority last night.  Hopefully, I'll be able to get an update posted sometime during the day today.

Please do continue to pray for the children and their young, impressionable hearts and minds.  May they see Jesus in us and may we love them unconditionally, right where they are.  Things are going so well this week and we are truly blessed.  The Lord is at work in this place.  To Him be all the honor and glory.

Cheers!

Day 2 - Holiday Club & Sports/Crafts Camp

Well, another day is down in the books and it was another great one! We had the same number of kids at club today as we did yesterday which is awesome for this small town!  It's so encouraging to see this mission really beginning to blossom with a great turnout in the number of children attending and the number of mothers staying to have tea and a time of devotion with some ladies from the Free Church.  Perhaps even more encouraging is watching how the Nairnites are really beginning to take ownership of the endeavor here, putting a distinctly Scottish/Nairn touch on the club.  It is a true blessing from the Lord to have the opportunity to see the beginnings of the fruits of years of labor.

Here are a few pictures from club today... hope you enjoy seeing them!  The picture above is of the large group as things are getting started in the morning - many of them are decked out in their pirate hats & eye masks with their sashes either around their head or around there waists.  The color of their sash tells you which sea shanty group they are in... the yellow ones happen to be in the group I lead with Susan Matheson!

Here are Mud & Maggie, starting things off first thing in the morning.  For first-timers, these two have really jumped in head first to club this year and they are doing a fantastic job!

This is a shot of the kids dancing around in the morning to the portsmouth dance... it's a little different than what they've done in years past, but the kids are really getting into it (especially at the end when they get to throw their sashes up in the air)!

Mud brought the lesson today - and he is truly blessed with an uncanny ability to communicate the Gospel in easy to understand terms, especially for the kids.  He spoke to the kids about Jesus - he explained that Jesus was the most important and kindest man to ever live.  When he started, his first question to the kids was "Who has never ever heard about Jesus?"  There were several kids who raised their hands.  Mud went on to talk about how many people know about believe that Jesus really lived even if they don't believe what the Bible says about who Jesus was.  He went on to talk about how Jesus lived a perfect life... a life that we are incapable of living because we have hearts that are black and filled with sin.  But he encouraged the kids as he told them that Jesus, in the greatest act of kindness, died for us in order to forgive us of our sins and his death makes it possible for us to have pure hearts.  This is the lesson that we went back to our groups with and further discussed.  It's truly encouraging to see the kids listening and asking questions.  Please pray that the opportunities we have to talk about Jesus with these kids would be abundant and that we would be able to effectively share the Gospel of Truth with each of these children such that they may become a new creation in Christ as we talked about yesterday with the conversion of Saul.

Here's a picture of our trusty teen helpers... just a few.  They have all really been such a blessing and have really stepped up this year in so many ways.  We have a tendency to take our youth and their talents & service for granted so often, but these teen helpers have really been great, serving both the children and the leaders with such humility.

There is a spot each day for a brief game.  Today's game was much like our American game, Poop Deck... only this one had a few more tasks involved.  This is a picture of the "submarine" command.

Our drama today was about the story of Jonah and the Whale.  Our retired pirates were remembering the time when they came across a whale that then coughed up a man... Jonah.  Trey, Mud, and Morgan have made great retired pirates... but today, Jonathan stole the show as he was Jonah and had everyone watching his every move and hanging on his every word.  Kudos to a job well done guys!

Today's craft was a bandanna that the kids got to color on and decorate... then us leaders had fun tying them onto all their little heads!

Holiday Club wrapped up right around 12 noon and then we went for a bite to eat before returning for the afternoon sports/crafts camp.  Over 30 kids showed up for the afternoon activities today!  Elaine had a great craft planned thanks to the idea she stole from our own Elizabeth Fowlkes who considered paying actual money to buy a watch made of safety pins and beads... and the idea was born.  It was a tedious task, but the kids who made the watches were more than loving them by the time they were done!  And the guys were outside playing American football and another round of Ultimate frisbee with those who wanted to play sports.  Because the afternoon craft required so much tedious work, I was only able to get a few group shots of the craft group and no photos of the sports!  Sorry - but please enjoy meeting some of our great kids in these pictures!  We're also enjoying our Nairn volunteers as they join us for the afternoon activities!  What a blessing it is to have them around then too!

Here is Ceri (who has also handled all of the music for Holiday Club) with some of the girls.

Susan Matheson with Zoe, Kirsty, Kaylee, Angus, & Beth, and Ethan and Jack joined us after sports time wrapped up.

Here are Maggie and Susan helping Katie, Eve and Claire finish up their watches.

And here's Anne C. with several kids working hard on their watches.  Guy absolutely loved this one, and he's sure to be sporting his new watch if I know him...

Thank you all for your kind words and sweet messages.  They are so uplifting to us all.  I would ask that you continue to be in prayer both for the holiday club in the mornings and the sports/crafts camp in the afternoons.  Praise the Lord for the turnout we are getting and for the blessing of being able to see the fruits of years of intensive labor.  We are getting a great response from the community for both of these things and while it makes for some very hard work, it is truly very rewarding to be able to spend time with these children, sharing the Gospel with them and loving them exactly where they are.  Please continue to pray that the Lord will do a work in the hearts of each of these kids, for it is His work we are doing.  Please pray that their eyes would be open to see and their ears open to hear the Gospel of Truth and the freedom and peace that comes with it.  Please continue to pray for the Nairnites - all of our Nairn volunteers who have graciously made themselves available to put this club on for their community this year.  They are working so hard.  Please pray that we would be an encouragement to them and their efforts not only this week during holiday club but throughout the year!  Pray for our relationships - this mission is one that is based on relationships - relationships that have been built and sustained over the last few years.  Please pray that the Lord would bind us to one another through our common faith, that we would love one another and faithfully serve, support, and encourage one another in all things both when we are together and when we are apart.  I already know that Friday is going to be a hard day - not because simply because we will be tired and weary from a long week, but because it means the week is over and we will be returning home which means saying goodbye until next time.  Also, please specifically lift up a friend of ours who has faithfully volunteered with us over the years.  She is unable to be with us this year, as she has been diagnosed with cancer and underwent her third round of chemotherapy today.  Please pray for a miraculous healing for her physically and that spiritually and emotionally she would be strong and find rest and peace in our Lord.

Thank you for your prayers.  They are much appreciated and coveted.  We love you and miss you.  Everyone sends their love... the Scots & the Americans!

Cheers!

Day 1 - Holiday Club & Sports/Crafts Camp

Today was our first day of holiday club.  Club will run from 10 am until 12 pm each day this week. 

It's a pirate themed club this week and the kids are really loving it.  The townfolk from Nairn have really gotten into and are playing it as well which is so fun to see!  They were all in jeans and black t-shirts today... clearly the Americans missed that memo!  The folks here in Nairn did all of the planning and decorating for the hall this year which was a good help to us upon arrival since it allowed us to be in bed before midnight!

Here's a picture of two of the three "M's"... Megan and Mud.  (The third M - not pictured here is Maggie, Mud's wife... although he did name his parrot Maggie too)!

And here's one of my group working on their treasure chest... fully decorated in their pirate hats and eye patches!

We had around 70 kids at club today, which is a great number.  We all meet in one room, so this many kids can be quite hectic.  We split into 8 groups of approximately 8-12 kids depending on their ages.  Each group has two leaders - one Narin leader and one American leader - and at least one and in many cases two teen helpers, all of whom are from Nairn.

Here are a few pictures of the hall, fully decorated for club!

The stage, ready for the drama team to commence Monday morning...

Our daily schedule... we at least try to keep as close to schedule as possible!

And instead of a net filled with balloons, this year, we have a sky mural to enjoy.

I didn't get too many photos at club today.  I did more video taping than photographing today.  Hopefully I'll get some good pictures tomorrow of club that I can post for you to see.

After club, we had a little less than two hours to grab a wee bite to eat for lunch before returning to the hall for the sports/crafts camp.  We had a good turnout for the first day.  Many of the girls and a few fellas made a cross by number craft with thread and painted a magnet or two.  There was a good mix of boys and girls who were wanting to play sports - today it was ultimate frisbee... Trey and Morgan style rules... 

Here are a few pictures from the afternoon activities.

Ethan going in for a touchdown... only he came up a little shy of the goal-line.

The girls playing jacks after they had finished their crafts up.  Zoe won them in a game that Elaine plays with the kids as they finish their crafts.

Deanna, Zoe, & Kaylee painting their magnets.

Please continue to pray for the club.  Pray for the hearts of these kids as they are daily exposed to the Gospel of Truth - pray that their eyes and ears would be open to see and hear the Word of God and be changed in such a way that they would become a new creation as we discussed today.  Pray for the tea time that is held for the moms each day during the same time as the club - there were 7 moms that stayed for tea and a devotion & prayer!  May lives and families be touched by these ministries as relationships are build and sustained on a Gospel foundation.  Pray for the sports/crafts camp in the afternoon - that the one-on-one time we have with the kids, even if only for a brief moment or two, would be edifying and encouraging to these young kids, believers and non-believers alike.  Pray that we would be the hands and feet of Christ, spreading the Gospel with love to our friends here - pray that they may see Jesus in us, that our actions would match our words and that we would love these children, their parents & families, and the entire Nairn community well.  And may all of the honor and glory be given to God alone!

Cheers!