Getting Up to Speed

The last three weeks have been challenging for me. When I left the USA for Scot-
land and the University of St. Andrews in 2003, I had no sense that I would end up
taking a pastoral position in the land of Braveheart. For close to three years -ever
since I made the decision to remain in Scotland- I have been disconnecting myself
from living in the USA and setting up  a new home in Scotland. I love living in the
USA, but I firmly believe that God has called me to serve there in Scotland. Plus I
really do enjoy living in that new land where the Lord has led me and the people of
St. Fergus Parish Church to whom the Lord has called me to serve. I would never
have considered it even four years ago, but now I am grateful to God for leading me
that way.

But the refusal of my application for a visa to enter the United Kingdom as a minis-
ter of religion threw me off balance. I felt as if the rug had been pulled out from un-
der me.  When I received the refusal letter and realized that I would be here in
Longview until early next year when I could apply again, I scrambled to arrange
my life here. Fortunately I had the support of great friends who provided me with a
place to stay and a car to get around in for close to three months. But over the past
three weeks I have found a nice studio apartment to rent, bought a good used car
with the help of great friends, enjoyed being back at my home church, and made
contact with the Presbytery of Olympia about ministry opportunities.

It has been fun being back in my home town for longer than just a visit. But adjust-
ing to the change of plans has worn me out: I have been busy. When I left Scotland
in late January, I  was intending to buy a MacBook to replace my aged PC notebook
Well, I did that, and I am struggling to convert from PC to Mac. Already I have seen
the substantial benefits of the Mac over the PC, but it is still a challenge for me. I
have been shopping around for car insurance and medical coverage. Through this
all I have had to have my mail redirected to my new address, get basic furnishings
for my place, go through bags of mail from the last three years, and find out where
I could be of service at my home church. I have enjoyed old friends and made new
friends. The biggest challenge has been bringing order to my small apartment as
well as to  my life. My To Be Done list was long, but slowly I am whittling it down.
Still there are so many small things I need to do, but at least the list is more man-
ageable now.

When I first arrived here, I was encouraged to consider attending a four-day Min-
isters' Prayer Summit out on the Oregon coast. I was told that for the past 13 years
it has been a time for ministers from the area to rest, relax, and seek the face of the
Lord. I was very interested, but expected to be back in Scotland by then. But here
I am still, and I look forward to attending the Prayer Summit. It is exactly what I
need at this point in my 'captivity' here in the good ol' USA. I hope to get God's per-
spective about this era of my life. As always, I covet your prayers on my behalf.

Blessings to you and yours,