I don't think I've ever mentioned that Andrew (Jody's student) is a builder. He builds houses, and during his spare time he works on his own home in Findochty. The house above is Andrew and Anne's house. We went by Findochty yesterday afternoon to tour Andrew's home and go on an outing with Anne and the kids. Because of the climate here, houses are built of stone. Even the roofs are made of slate...they are built to last a while! Anne and Andrew have a view of the ocean from their home. What a beautiful place to live. The best part for Andrew is that his brother is building a house right next door, and his mother lives a few houses down a neighboring road.
After viewing the houses, we went with Anne and her boys plus a little 8-yr-old girl named Beth to the town of Cullen. We drove to a forest and went for a short hike. Along the way, we played hide-n-seek, played on the rope swings, climbed on an old fallen tree, and found a tent like structure made from tree limbs. Abby was in paradise, because she found leaves that she turned into fairy wings. We ended the day by going to the Cullen Town Square to get homemade ice cream. It was a fun day.
The church service and sermon today was a good reminder to keep joy in our lives, for that is where our strength lies. We can have joy because we know where our joy comes from. Andrew tells us that the people here tend to be less positive than most Americans. I don't know if that is true, but I know that I needed to be reminded to enjoy the things I have so that I won't want to seek after the things I don't have. Keeping joy in our lives allows us to be more free from sin, because we aren't tempted to sin. I'm grateful for this time of joy in my life---the opportunity to make longlasting memories with my family and to build friendships with Christians who live an ocean away!
We plan to spend the afternoon packing and planning for our trip to Edinburgh. We leave tomorrow morning to spend 3 days there, then we will head to Lyndisfarn, or Holy Island, in Scotland. Jody hopes this trip will be an inspiration for his spiritual formation class and book. Keep us in your prayers for safety as we travel on this excursion.
Jody, Stephanie, & Abby- It is so wonderful to hear about your trip. It sounds like you are fitting well into Scotland, making new friends, and seeing a lot of great sights. I love all the detail that you're sharing; it's like a little piece of Scotland is here with us. We know you are having a fantastic time, but know that you are loved and missed from Tennessee. Tell Abby that Benjamin got a new puppy, Corona. She met Hershey last night and they have become friends. Love, Kim
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