Scotland!

Hello all! I have missed writing to you! Kev just left this morning-- needless to say, my tummy aches w/ him not here. But only 49 more days 'til I'm home! In the meantime-- there is MUCH to see and do!

As for right now,I want to share about our time together, one trip at a time, one today one tomorrow of Friday as there is too much to share in just one post :) I have a more complete set of pictures on Facebook, so I'll just give ya the condensed version here, which will still be long:)

Kev and I met in Inverness and spent the afternoon enjoying each other and explorin'!
We came across this adorable little coffee shop, to which I said "We HAFTA go there sometime!" This will be significant later...
We had 'high tea', which sounds so sophisticated-- until you realize that w/ Kev not much is sophisticated, but good.

The next day we walked down to a little lighthouse and ate lunch by the sea--Note: If you ever buy mustard in the UK, make sure it is NOT English mustard-- we made that mistake!

GAH-ROSS!

It was so neat b/c it started storming and Kev and I just sat and watched it until it cleared up again. Beautiful analogy for us.

The next day: hiking! We walked along the river...

And came across this beautiful dam--


Then hiked up a hill that overlooked Inverness and surrounding villages/mountains.


And we spent the afternoon just gazing and talking and throwing rocks trying to hit things-- it was beautifully restful.

That evening we cleaned up and looked for a place to eat...

And came across that little coffee shop again, but this time noticed the little sign.

It was there we found God in the Coffee Roasting business in small Inverness Scotland.

We talked with our friend, Simon, for a while and he helped us out with finding out some stuff for our trip. But, it was so profound talking to Simon... not because it was some big elaborate shop, with incredible coffee (though it was good!), or any deep conversation, but because it hit home that Jesus is everywhere in his people, in everyday life. It's not just a Bible Belt thing. Or some religious ideas we all agree with about some man who is our ticket to heaven. Or a ceremony we go through once a week, or a month to make sure I'm "in with the Big Guy", or on holidays for traditions sake. It's not some hoax, you cannot explain the connection with people by hoax.

No, people KNOW him. He's living today in His people. And b/c of knowing him, these people have been changed, and their lives seem to make a little more sense now. We have come to find out how we were made to live and this man gives us that life. And so as we're getting to know Him, He begins to take over and His loved-ones begin to devote whatever they do to be about this amazing man. Like roasting coffee beans. It was just such a great picture of Christ.

I've seen dozens of beautiful "church" buildings these last few months... all with elaborate designs and saints and martyrs all etched into their walls, fancy incredible paintings of all the holy scenes, but where I found the real picture of Christ wasn't at all in these elaborate showy churches. Nope. We found him in an unassuming coffee shop that didn't even have a name other than Coffee Roasting. That is the Jesus I love, the one who is in everyday life. Who takes everyday people and says, "Common, let's go be about this life I made you to live." The Jesus who comes out of the stone cold walls of elaborate cathedrals and talks w/ people and helps them find a bike rental place and invites them to his family event on Sunday morning... the real church... more on that in a bit, I'm getting ahead of myself :)

Thanks to Simon, we rented bikes and went mountain biking on a 30 mile trail!

And we enjoyed beauty and learned about one another in a whole new way... or perhaps it just clicked for the first time. Mountain biking together was incredible for me. We had a microcosm of big life stuff. Like the uphills being rewarded w/a beautiful view... "keeping your eyes on the prize" like Paul says. And how some parts of the trail were really boring, but then, out of no where, an exquisit experience would happen. And how we HAD to go through the low stuff to get to the good stuff. Mm, what a picture. And how the soul finds rest so much more meaningful when you've gone 15 hard uphill, rocky miles for it. And how when we had to go up a GIGANTIC hill, Kevin pushed my bike for me, like Christ would do for me, so all I had to do was follow him, and he did the hard stuff. What a man. And what a picture. And how it's one step at a time. And we must live in the present bc we'll miss stuff if we're looking ahead. Gosh-- it was LOADED. So, God is in the coffee shop. And God is in the natural grandeur mountains. And God is in the man that I love.

And we ended in the evening, exhausted but one of those restful exhaustions. The one you know you've given your best that day and seen and experienced God and relationships.

And Sunday we went to Simon's church. And met amazing, loving people who were in a school gym. And they shared life with each other and knew each other, not just cordial Sunday service conversation. And they talked with us and invited us in. We saw Simon again and Kev wanted to pray with him. An amazing thing happened after we chatted a little... Simon looked at us right after we prayed and told us why God let us meet him. He commissioned us to a dream that Kevin has had since this last summer, and that I had just thought about and shared with him the week before. And Simon, not knowing us at all, heard from God and told us to go out and do the very thing we had already been throwing around. How neat! When seemingly impossible ideas are just going through my head and I mention it to Kevs, and weirldly, he's been having the same idea since summer. And we're trying to figure out whether its Him or just a random thought, and then He confirms it! I love that God works that way. That he doesn't work in formulas like "Searching For God Knows What" talks about. No, he's far more relational and intricately interested and involved in our lives for us to get to know him and do what He wants in four easy steps. He works in our daily lives and longs for us to get to know Him there. And works in a series of little events, like having an idea, and telling my very best friend, and going to Scotland, and going in a coffee shop, and meeting a man, and going to his church, and so on and so forth to where this dream will lead us, in much of the same manner I'm sure. Cuz our God uses ALL things to work together. Not just miracles, or fluffy jargon. But everyday life, the good, the bad, the ugly, the simple, the complex, the random thoughts, and the elaborate plans. He uses it all. Mmm, getting to know Jesus in life is amazing.

After that we flew back to Leicester and I went to school for another couple days and hung out w/ my man :) showing him my turf... then we were off to Italy... but that is for next time.

I love you all and hope this didn't take up too much of your time. I cannot tell you how much I love sharing life w/ you, even though it has to be through a blog right now.