Scotland Report

It is well past time I should be writing about my trip to Scotland this past August. I'm sure I could think of a thousand excuses for the delay, but let me be clear that "I just didn't care much" is not one of the excuses. I am greatly appreciative of the support and encouragement I received in preparation for my trip. I am deeply aware that I am surrounded by an amazing family in Christ:)

Christmas is a great time to reflect, so I hope that if you've a already heard a report on the trip that hearing about it again will only be a great reminder of the faithfulness of our God and the exciting work He is doing around the globe. As I reread my journal to refresh my memory for this report, my heart just swelled as I recalled all the things I was able to experience over there. So many meaningful friendships were built, so much growth was experienced, God's Word was readily received, and so many people's faith was reignited - my own included.

When my team of 8 mimers, 2 chaperones and our director, Tim, arrived in Scotland we spent the first couple days training with 4 of the youth from the Youth Fellowship who were part of our team for the rest of the trip. Those two days were huge for building  team unity and I was blessed to have a team that got along with each other really well. Having so large a team allowed us to be in two places at once. In the mornings throughout the next week half of us were able to help out with a holiday club (VBS) at Erskine UFC while the other half distributed flyers promoting our afternoon beach outreaches. In the afternoons we played games on the beach with the Youth Fellowship (YF - made up of youth from both churches in Burntisland and Kinghorn) and anyone that came in response to the flyers.

After games we gathered for a mime presentation, and after the presentation we invited everyone to join us for a Bible study through 1 John. We were encouraged that almost all of the youth that came out usually stayed for both the presentation and the Bible study. On Thursday we had an evening beach party we called "Big Uglies Night Out" in which, amongst the usual games and miming, we also introduced the Scots to an American phenomenon called "S'mores" and had an intimate time around the campfire sharing testimonies and talking about things we've allowed ourselves to become callused to that God would have us surrender to Him, renewing our commitment to be a light in all areas of our lives. It was particularly encouraging to hear from an older gentleman from the community who had casually joined up with us during the week share about feeling convicted about his broken family relationships. He resolved to pursue better relationships with his family, and I feel that the example he set challenged the youth that night in a way we can't. At the end of the week our team celebrated a great week of holiday club with a barbecue on the front lawn of Erskine UFC. Oh childlike faith! I am always encouraged by the great excitement children have when they hear the stories about all that God has done in ancient history and how quickly and easily they relate these stories to present-day situations. I pray that they remain firm in their faith as they grow older and life inevitably becomes more complex.

During that week on Wednesday we had the opportunity to drive up to St. Madoes and do a presentation and workshop for the YF there. We had a great turnout and they learned the mime so well that they were able to present it during their Sunday worship service. Due to having just wrapped up their week of holiday club, their Sunday attendance was about 100 people more than usual. Praise God that so many people were able to clearly see and understand the gospel through this! It was so well received that they have asked us to help them set up their own mime team. They loved hearing about our ministry's focus and passion for discipleship and they are completely on board with it. Since our trip to Scotland, the Kinghorn/Burntisland YF have already returned and done another mime workshop in St. Madoes and communication with them is ongoing.

Over the weekend we were able to learn a few more mimes to present and leave with the YF mime team. We celebrated the end of summer vacation Scottish-style with a Ceilidh dance and a back-to-school program for all the students returning to school Monday.We also had the privilege of being witnesses at the baptism of our Scottish teammate Peter West on Sunday in the Firth of Forth in Burntisland. It was a very moving event and a great light to the community as many people passing by stopped to hear and see what was going on.

After a sweet day with our dear friends Jim and Jeanette Neil, retired pastor of Erskine UFC, Tuesday we headed to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world. Edinburgh bursts at the seams during this 3 week festival as thousands and thousands of people teem into the city. We were only able to get on a waitlist for a chance to perform on stage, but we hoped for the best. Well, as God is an awesome God, we not only made it onto a stage, we made it on stage 3 times throughout the day! Minister Jim Reid, minister Chris Beatty, Mrs. White, Mrs. West, and several YF accompanied us and were able to talk with many bystanders during and after our gospel presentations. I pray that the people who saw our mimes would continue to be challenged and prompted to respond to the message of hope. We closed the day with dinner at minister Allen Sharp's home where spent a great deal of time reflecting on the trip and talking with the Burntisland/Kinghorn YF mime team how to help them further establish their team and receive more training in Bible study and discipleship methods.

The youth that were part of our team during the trip have a great burden for reaching their peers. I'm sure the thought of initiating discipleship-oriented ministry amongst their peers is very intimidating for them (it's intimidating for just about anybody), but I think being part of our team for 2 weeks was very empowering and encouraging for them. Pray for them! High school is really hard for Christians no matter where you live, but especially in Scotland. Additionally, many of the YF don't come from Christian homes. Their journey through life as a Christian will never be unchallenged, but they travel it so faithfully and willingly even so. I feel blessed to know them and to be able to witness God at work in and through them.

On Wednesday we thought our trip was over because all we had left was to travel home, but it's not over till God says it is. We flew from Edinburgh Airport to London-Heathrow and then found out that our flight to JFK was delayed 3 hours. We finally boarded late that night and normally the flight to JFK would be 6 hours but ours was only 45 minutes! Due to some minor mechanical malfunctions our plane had to turn around and at 1AM we found ourselves back in London. There's something about going through a crazy experience together that makes friends out of strangers and in the midst of all this mild chaos we were able to befriend a woman from Turkey, Selma, who spoke very little English and was struggling to understand what was going on with all the delays. She became part of our group for the next 24 hours as we helped her check into the hotel and find our flight the next day. She got to see pictures from our trip and hear all about our ministry and invited us all to come to Turkey some day. Who knows whether we will be able to take her up on that offer, but I pray at the very least that our evident faith will have been God's avenue into her life. We also had many conversations with other various people on our flight and were even able to hand out some more business cards. Who knows what God will use to reach people!

The trip was everything we'd hoped and almost nothing we'd expected. A great passion for God is stirring in those communities and it's exciting! Being part of a team again was also a great encouragement for me. I've been a long time off on my own doing the college thing, so it was more than refreshing to be able to be part of a group again with like-minded believers who hold each other accountable, deeply encourage one another with the Word, and spur each other on to maintain living, active, and visible faith. I knew I would benefit from this, but it was even more so exactly what I needed than I realized as I prepared to move out here to Nebraska, initially knowing virtually no one but family and entered a very full schedule studying to be a nurse. I'm blessed that God is so intimately aware of the needs of my heart, and I'm so glad I was able to go and be part of this amazing experience:)

Thank you for taking the time to read about the trip! Have a wonderful Christmas!
- Jessica King

**Photo cred goes to Blythe Elizabeth Photography and Clarissa Bias**