journeying.

neglect has left my blog in dire need of an update.

due to the fact that i have either, a: had no time, or b: felt completely overwhelmed by the prospect of condensing this last month into a coherent post, i have failed to relay a number of great experiences. i hope to remedy this now.

i believe i last left off while we were still in the great land of éire...

we left dublin, a band of four, and landed in the beautifully gothic city of edinburgh, scotland. we set up lodging with a couchsurfer named adrian. his place was superb, shown up only by our host himself. kind, gracious, funny, and generous, adrian and his girlfriend lara treated us like family. they cooked us dinner, hung out, and adrian even left us the place for an entire weekend while he was away! jesus shows his love to us in many ways, but i find he often uses people. and usually those you least expect.

while in scotland, we had the chance to hook up with some friends of beau's, also known as 'the deadstring brothers.' the band was in the middle of their uk tour, so we caught up with them as they rolled through edinburgh. not only were we stoked for the chance to hear some live music, but it turns out these guys are great company. we followed them to perth for another show, slept in their tour van like a bunch of groupies, and headed up to inverness.

the northern regions of the uk are magnificent. never-ending ranges of sweeping hills, dotted with sheep and hedges. around every turn is another crumbling castle, emanating an air of mystery and regality. and the often-present blanket of clouds only enhances the landscape, which is intensely lush and green. our megabus ride to the northern coast was equivalent to the color tour in vermont, but probably even more beautiful. the combination of cliffs, lakes, and brilliant autumn woodlands was enough to take my breath away.

inverness is a vibrant little town, in close proximity to many interesting attractions, including loch ness, and a castle called tulloch...otherwise known as the seat of clan davidson. we had the opportunity to visit the ancient home of beau's forefathers in the town of dingwall. our explorations included a self-guided tour, a picnic in the haunted ballroom, and the discovery of a hidden staircase that led to the top of a turret, offering an expansive view of the countryside. a successful adventure, i'd say.

our hostel in inverness was positioned directly across the street from a small baptist church. we couldn't help but notice the sign as we strolled past on our way to and from the town centre every day. although we weren't there for a sunday service, every wednesday night they hold a prayer meeting, "visitors welcome." so we went. and it was delightful. we were the youngest people present, by about 30 years, but they welcomed us with open arms and thick scottish accents. we sang hymns, joined in spirit-led prayer, and fellowshipped over tea and pancakes afterwards. the body of christ is diverse and beautiful.

from inverness we traveled to sheffield, england for a long-awaited reunion with our good friend and fellow dts student, amanda! i immediately felt comfortable amongst this community of friends. we showed up at the tail-end of 24 hours of prayer, and were able to worship and pray with the group that very first night. it was spoken that sheffield was to be a safe place for me, a time to let go of burdens, and to enjoy intimacy with God and friends. and this is exactly what came to be. i was so encouraged and loved on by the wonderful people there. i learned much, and grew tremendously during that long weekend. we shared stories and insights, played music, watched movies, attended a play, went to parties, and worshipped our Creator together. oh - and while we were there, jesus freed a paraplegic from his wheelchair at the local pub through the prayer of one of amanda's friends!!!

so sheffield was ok, i guess. :)

*here ends part 1 of my update.

corresponding pictures:

SCOTLAND.