Until We Meet Again

Well, it's just about lunch time on Friday, and Holiday Club is wrapping up as the kids are finishing crafts and about to sing a few last songs before we all head out for our picnic!! It's been a crazy busy week, but it has been so much fun and such a blessing. And despite the rainy morning, the picnic will be great as well... this, I'm sure of!

Friday morning is always bittersweet as we know that in just a few short hours, club will be over, the decorations will be taken down and forwarded on to Smithton for use next year, and we will all be heading our separate ways until we meet again.

This morning, the kids have done some great singing, they've recited the memory verse for the week ENTIRELY FROM MEMORY, they've made their secret agent badges, watched dramas that tell them how Jesus is with them ALWAYS, and they've heard the good news of the Gospel from a local minister. It really has been an awesome morning.

We're headed out now for the picnic and I know that it will be a sweet time of fellowship with these kids, their families and all of our friends from Nairn.

Please continue to pray for this town, for these kids and their families, and for all of our friends here. Please pray that the Lord will do a great work in this place, raising up a generation of Christians that lead this community. We earnestly pray for revival in this place and ask that you would pray that with us.

It's never goodbye, but always UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN.

There pictures and such posted later... it's unknown as to when further internet access will be available.

Day 4 - Spy Kids Holiday Club

Hi friends -

We're almost done with Holiday Club for the morning! Just trying to get you a quick note as when we're done here, our internet access will be nil for the day!

We've had a great morning! The kids are proving how good they are at learning scripture by reciting the memory verse for one of our leader friends who has been unable to join us until today. They have said the ENTIRE VERSE (1 Timothy 3:16) from memory and they've shouted it loud and clear so there is no doubt that they know it!

It's currently craft time and the kids are in the spy groups making a cross out of tissue paper so they can hang it in their window and let the light shine through! We've had a great time for drama and singing today as well. We've sung some of our favorite old songs as well as some new ones that are quickly becoming favorites!

Here are a few pictures from the morning.

Hello from Kayleigh !

Hey guys, so far the holiday club is going great ! I miss everyone who was here in previous years so much but love having Emily here every year. ( She so didn't tell me to say that ! ) It was great to hear from Whitney on the phone today, it was good to go over the cheer she taught us, i miss her lots. It is so good to have the Americans here, the holiday club wouldn't be the same without an American touch ! The crafts, drama, songs and games are so much fun and I hope that the children are able to learn more about Jesus and come to know Him as their saviour. I am looking forward to the next few days and I wish everyone could stay for longer. Yesterday Andrew and Matthew played some Scottish music and we taught some of the Americans a Scottish dance, it was so much fun ! I was also in the drama yesterday with James and it was also good fun.

I hope you have fun reading the blog and please keep us in your prayers for the next few days.

Kayleigh.

3 Down, 2 To Go

Well, Wednesday morning has now come and gone and we're on in the middle of our crafts and sports time this afternoon. This morning went off without a hitch and we had a great time with all of the kids. I think the kids especially loved the drama today as they got to see Trey get a cream bun smashed in his face! We have again had a great time of fellowship, singing, teaching, worshiping, etc. Just over 50 kids attended this morning and our afternoon activities have about 40 kids here right now, which is such a great turnout!

The morning ran as usual with drama, music, teaching, games, and crafts. The teens helped with the teaching this morning by putting on a drama telling the story Zacchaeus, and they did a great job with it.

Last night, we had dinner with our friends Neil & Catriona Cameron at their home in Cawdor and several families from Smithton came through and joined us. It was a great night of food and fellowship.

Below are pictures of dinner last night as well as some photos that Amanda has taken of holiday club and crafts/sports time.... some of the photos didn't load, so I'll try to upload more tomorrow.

Tuesday Morning

Well, the second morning is in the books. It again went off without a hitch and we had a great morning of worship, fellowship, and teaching. The kids are loving the drama, the singing, the games, the crafts, and the Bible stories.

Today, we did something a little different. Each group had a different Bible story lesson that was taught in the form of a spy activity and the kids had to search out the clues by putting together puzzles or doing a short scavenger hunt or decoding anagrams, etc. It was really a brilliant exercise and by doing it this way, the kids helped to teach themselves and each other the Bible stories.

The craft today were the spy glasses and they've turned out really well. There were all sorts of items the kids could use to decorate them... there were some decorated to look like American flags and Scottish flags and so many other great ideas. All of the kids are such individuals with their own sense of creativity and it really shows through in their crafts.

We're currently at the hall for afternoon crafts and sports. One group is making mosaics under the direction of Mrs. Elaine. And the others are outside playing American football, which is always a hit!

Last night, we were treated to a great dinner at the United Reformed Church, which is the church home of our friends the Hendersons and the Hamiltons. Susan and Karen both worked so hard at holiday club yesterday and again at afternoon crafts and then they went home and cooked to help prepare our meal. They are such generous folk and we love them and very much appreciate their hospitality. It was a great blessing to be able to spend more time with our friends and their families.

Please continue to pray for all of the work going on here in the Nairn community. The Holy Spirit is moving in this place and it's really quite amazing to see and such a blessing to be able to be a part of it. The community is so grateful for IPC and for the team it sends each summer. Please continue to pray for the children of Nairn. Continue to pray that their hearts would be open and receptive to the Gospel. Pray that we would be able to be the Gospel in shoes for them, that they might know the love of Christ by the way that we love them. There is a lot of sadness and hurt here, but there is also an abundance of hope. Pray that these kids would come to know the Lord and that an entire community would be changed as a result. Please pray for Mud and Maggie and their ministry here. They have such an energy and love for this community, and we pray that their ministry will take root and that lives would be changed.

Here are a few pictures of holiday club this morning.

Off and Running

Hi friends!!

Thanks for checking in on us. We're still trying to work out the kinks with our Internet access, and while we are hopeful, I can guarantee loads of posts. But we're trying!!

As in the past, we've hit the ground running this week!! We started with dinner on Saturday evening at one of the local restaurants, the Havelock. We've really come to love this restaurant over the years and Andy, the owner is quite gracious to us as he will keep the kitchen open a little later in order to accommodate us as we arrive in the late evening after traveling for a 19 hours.

Following dinner, we headed back to the Granary at Kilravock Castle, where we are staying this year. As much fun as it was to stay in the community of Nairn last year as we stayed with families and in the old church manse, it's really quite nice to have the whole team in one place where we can meet and review the day and take the opportunity to fellowship and pray with one another.

Sunday started with worship at the Nairn Free Church. It was a great time of worship and fellowship with dear friends. Mud brought the sermon from the book of Numbers and spoke about being faithful to the work and mission that the Lord has called you to, even when the world looks at you and laughs and calls you stupid. It was really an encouraging and uplifting sermon as we were embarking on a week of service that the world sees as foolish. Sunday service was followed by fellowship and lunch with the congregation. The food and fellowship was absolutely delightful. Sunday evening was spent in worship again with the free church congregation and it was great seeing all of our friends so much on Sunday and having the opportunity to catch up on the things that are happening in Nairn and Smithton.

While 10 of us were worshiping at the Free Church, Sir James McDonald was extended an invitation and asked to speak briefly to the congregation of the United Reformed Church about the holiday club and the mission team that comes over. The holiday club is such an event in this town each summer and it truly is a community effort. What occurs here each summer is such a beautiful picture of the entire community and separate bodies of believers coming together as one body of Christ to share the Gospel with the children of the town. The URC congregation has agreed to send over two of their members, Susan and Katie Henderson (mother and daughter), to Memphis so that they can see how VBS works at our church and how other aspects of our Children's ministries run. It's really an exciting side road that has come about as a result of IPC's faithfulness to the community of Nairn and the mission here. We are so looking forward to having them next summer and returning the hospitality to them.

Today was the first day for holiday club and it was absolutely brilliant. We had about 50 kids. It was a great time of talking with kids about how Jesus is different from all other humans. We played games, sang songs, and had a great time of teaching and fellowship. Mud scripted the drama and it went flawlessly as our team members and the teen helpers jumped into playing their roles. We're just wrapping up an afternoon of crafts and sports where we've had about 30 kids hanging out making crafts and playing ultimate frisbee.

I cannot say enough how much we covet your prayers. Please be pray for this town, for these kids, and for this club this week. Please, please pray that the hearts of these kids would be softened and receptive to the Gospel. Pray that they would come to know Jesus as their savior and that a generation of Christians would be raised up in this place. Pray also for the volunteers here. Pray that they would have the energy to continue the ministry to these kids throughout the year. Pray that the Spirit would fill this place and that hearts would be touched and lives changed. Pray for our mission team, that we would be well rested and just so open to loving these kids and their families right where they are.

We are so grateful for your prayers and support.

Until next time, Cheers!

Sweet Embrace

Disclaimer: This post is a repost of the string of mobile posts that didn't quite turn out correctly. We're hoping to get a new post together hear soon.

Well, friends, the journey has begun. A few have already arrived at our final destination; I'm sitting in Chicago waiting on my next flight; and the rest will be departing from Memphis in just a few short hours.

In an effort to pass the time, I thought I would enlighten you on just a few of the things that have been on my mind lately.

I guess I should first confess that the stress of traveling and leaving "life as I know it" behind for a while still has me feeling a little overwhelmed. BUT the excitement that comes when the anticipation of arriving gives way to the reality of arriving at a place you hold so dear is beginning to drown out everything else... even the intense hustle and bustle of O'Hare.

The thoughts of the sweet embraces bring a smile to my face and an inexplicable joy to my heart.

To say I am blessed is an overwhelming understatement. And I have a feeling that the rest of our mission team would say the same.

We are blessed to be called by the Lord to this mission in this year.

We are blessed with family, friends, and coworkers who support and encourage us in our mission to bring the Gospel to Nairn. They give us the freedom to do so while taking care of things back at home and work while we're away.

We are blessed to be members of a church that preaches the Gospel.

We are blessed to be part of a church that sends it's members out into their community and the world to share the Gospel.

We are blessed by the relationships that have been built over the years... Blessed both as individuals and as a church.

Please take time to pray for this mission. Last I heard, there are already 50 kids registered for Holiday Club. Please pray for the hearts of these kids... that they would be receptive to the Gospel, that their eyes and ears will be open to see and hear the Gospel that a generation of Christians would be raised up. Pray for the members of the Nairn community that have worked hard in preparation for this week. Pray that they would be energized as holiday club commences and pray that we can be an encouragement to them in their faith and in their mission to love and serve their community. Pray that relationships would be built and that those relationships that already exist would only grow stronger. Just pray that the Lord would bless this week, bless our mission and bless the town of Nairn. And as our church home faithfully lives out it's mission, there are two other groups in the mission field this week. Please pray also for our senior high students as they are in Peru and in London this week, faithfully serving our Lord and those communities.

We earnestly covet your prayers and appreciate the love, support and encouragement you give.

Please be patient for updates as I am unaware of exactly what kind of Internet access I will have. But I will update as often as I can.

Cheers, until we meet again.