Hi friends, 

       I’m typing this from my neighborhood Starbucks (which does not yet feature pumpkin spice lattes, but will in October, a barista informed me conspiratorially!). It’s been a lovely, mostly sunny Saturday here in New Town, and fairly productive. I (finally!) managed to open a bank account; bought, wrote, stamped, and mailed thirteen postcards, and wandered through some charity shops and markets in nearby Stockbridge before heading home and making dinner. 

       Re: shopping in Stockbridge, I’ve realized that I can rarely, if ever, pass up the chance to buy:

Couldn't resist!

1. Turkish Delight- rose and lemon flavor preferred!
2. Miniature rose bushes or stems, especially that pretty yellow/orange/pink color
3. Scottish venison sausages (amazing every time)
4. Cranberry stilton cheese
5. Secondhand Agatha Christie books (or A&E TV versions)

Now, I didn’t buy ALL of those today (only half....), but I’ve certainly indulged in each of them multiple times in the last three weeks. Irresistible!  

       The one thing I did resist- which I’m completely regretting- is a book titled “Shakespeare’s Star Wars”. I can’t begin to describe the delight it gave me to page through (from the Prologue: “in a star-cross’d galaxy, far, far away...” !!!!). There are so, so many people I could give that book to...may have to revisit the bookstore!

       Down to more serious matters...I’ve learned a lot in the last two weeks for my job at Liberton Kirk. First of all, the church/school interaction here is very, very different than in the US. In these communities, area ministers and Children’s Workers (that’s me!) are expected and/or encouraged to be involved in local primary schools, visiting and getting to know the students and being involved in their Religious Education, which is a mandatory part of the curriculum. As I understand it, any religious leader (not just Christian) can volunteer to get involved, but in our area, the Christian churches have been the most active. So, part of my job entails visiting a local primary school regularly, and helping run an after-school Christian program, Transformers, twice a month. Very different than “separation of church and state”- this is something that really impresses me about Scotland!

       I also shadowed a Sunday school class (called a “Sunday Club”) last week, and will visit a different one tomorrow. My church is currently in a 10-week series that is studying the Ten Commandments, and the Sunday School curriculum coordinates with that so that the entire family can be learning and then discussing the same thing (pretty ingenious!). This week is the commandment “You shall not lie”, and I’m also participating in a short skit tomorrow during the service that relates to that. 

Low quality picture, high quality people! At Delta (Club) on Friday.

       Though I’ve been focusing on the church Children’s Worker job, I’ve also been getting involved with the Young Life activities. My status with them is still technically in the application process, so I haven’t started a full schedule yet, but it’s been helpful to get an overview of “club” and “connection groups”, both of which reach out to kids in the community. Club, or “Delta” as this group is called, happens on a Friday night; includes activities, games, and a teaching; and is basically open to any teenager, whereas Connection Groups (Sunday nights) are more intentionally focused on discipleship. Though it seems like there are still tons of teens that I haven’t met, I have to remind myself that I at least know more of them than I did a couple weeks ago! I’m looking forward to building relationships with the high school girls (who have such lovely, lilting voices :-). 

       One huge plus has been being part of a team at the church/Young Life. In the church office where I work, there are six of us who all overlap a bit with youth work, yet have distinct roles and focuses. Because the office (which is actually a room in an old house) recently went from having two people to six, we’ve been clearing out the room and doing some rearranging to fit us all. We have three Scots, two Americans, and a German, and so far, we get on well together! I think fun times are ahead. :-) The neat thing is that the building is shared by two churches as office space, and in a way, represents the spirit of cooperation that exists between several churches in the area, who share ideas, resources, events, space, and even staff. What an awesome example!

Much homier with things on the walls!

       Back to a personal note, I’m also more settled in the flat, and have basically figured out my rhythm of life there. There are some renovations/repairs that will be happening, which has been a slight challenge, but really nothing major. I don’t have a working oven, but I’ve gotten quite creative at cooking on the stovetop. In fact...I’ll just say it...I’m very proud of my cooking so far (I’m a fast-food junkie at home, and rarely made anything but desserts :-)! Since I had to stock my kitchen from scratch, and since I only have a little fridge, I’ve been sticking to the simplest ingredients possible, and very little canned/boxed/preserved stuff. Tonight’s menu was venison sausage :-), an apple/onion pan-fried stuffing with fresh herbs, and a salad cut right from my little lettuce plant on my window seat with tomatoes, mushrooms, and oil & vinegar. Scottish dairy, meat, fish, and even some produce are widely available, and to my taste, the quality seems high. So, grocery shopping and cooking has been a positive- though an occasional fish’n’chips helps too. :-) 

       I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet that this isn’t short-term (still has a “summer camp” feel?...much like college did at first), but it’s getting there. There are quite a few ups and downs emotionally, even within the span of a day, but I’m fortunate to be able to call home occasionally from my cell (or “mobile”), which always helps. And now that I have a bank account, I should soon be able to get internet in the flat...which should definitely help with staying in touch! I love hearing about what’s going on at CCS and with people at home. Though facebook can be a huuuge time waster, there’s no doubt that it helps me stay connected, both with everyone in the US and also my new friends in Edinburgh. And as I settle into the job at Liberton and wait for things to pick up with Young Life, it has given me some great time on my own with the Lord, and for journaling, reflection, and reading. Another plus is that despite/because of paring down so much to move, it highlights how much I do have. I don't want to take all this for granted- so many don't have access to a fraction of the basics, let alone the extras that we routinely enjoy.

       On that note, time to wind down and experiment with a stove-top dessert....can I manage a chocolate pudding of some sort successfully?! And perhaps watch a newly-acquired Hercule Poirot mystery...:-)

Verse of the post:

2 Corinthians 2:14-15 “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (Thanks Sandy! :-)

Enjoy the Sabbath tomorrow!

~Rachel