Spice girls, Stings, and Sightseeing

Three days left and it feels like we just got here. Early mornings are instantly made better by hot tea or coffee for breakfast and then a coffee break a couple hours later. The past week and a half we have finished lectures on Intro to the Bible, Christian Life, and Creation, God, Man and the Fall. All three have been very good with lots of new information that I will absorb as I read over my notes. It's refreshing to talk about practices and daily routines we should do to strengthen our relationship with our God and to learn how Christians interpret parts of creation differently. The morning lecture times are so intense that you need time to unwind after. One of the things about going to Bible College is that you are looking at the Bible so much that you find so many great verses but too many to memorise or keep in mind. :) Here is our whole group, FirstServers and first years (and one second year!):

Last February, the FirstServers did a Charlie's Angels theme for their group picture for Echoes. We decided to take some regular photos:

And then, since there are five girls, naturally, we transformed into the Spice Girls :)

We got a little crazy at PoundWorld and invested in some fake eyelashes!

On Friday night, a few of us girls went to Selkirk Street Evangelical Church for the Ladies Supper Club. There was dinner (and pavlova!) and then a speaker, Fiona, who talked about her jewelry company. It was a fun evening and nice to spend some time with these girls:

 



On Saturday evening, a few guys brought us into Glasgow to a praise night at a church. A really cool band called the Royal Foundlings (everyone should look them up! http://www.royalfoundlings.com/ )played worship songs and we sang along. They invited us to see them play again during the week and so on Wednesday we sat in the back of a church and watched them perform to school children. Before the concert, we were standing outside waiting for our ride and a wasp flew right into my eye! I still wanted to go to the concert but I could only see through one eye. :) It swelled up quite a bit. I ended up going to the doctor to make sure I wasn't allergic but it is all better now!

After their concert, the band members invited us to go with them to see Philippa Hanna in the basement of a restaurant/bar. I would also recommend you look her up! She's amazing.

It has been so cool to be so immersed in Christian activities and by Christian people, an experience that one of our lecturers said will probably never happen in our lives again.

Last Sunday, we went to Roman Road for church and the message was on Luke 6 about judging others, which was a good reminder that we should work on our own faults first. I also helped at their soup kitchen on Monday night which was a great experience!

On Friday, I went to find the house where my grand-grandad was born, right in Motherwell. The street was still there but not the house number. Apparently there were red sandstone apartment buildings but they were knocked down a while ago. Here are some pictures:

where's the house?!

 

Later that day we went to a Ceilidh at a church in Glasgow. It was the first time for most of us but it was great banter and full of laughs.

We tried the gay gordon

and failed

so we gave up.



On Saturday, we took a trip on the train to Edinburgh! It was so cool to see the capital and it was a lovely day. We walked around and snapped some pics.

random wedding at a cathedral

FirstServers take on Edinburgh!

 

On Sunday, we went to Greenview Evangelical Church in Glasgow. We drove and got a little lost but we made it in the end! After, we went to one of our lecturers house for lunch which was lovely.

All of us on our last Sunday together!

We have our last few lectures this week on Children's Ministry and the Gospel of Luke. And hopefully some time to make a few final memories!









The Joy of Motherwell

It seems crazy that I have been here for a whole week. The time has gone by so fast. We are starting to find our way around the college now and remember where all the dishes go in the kitchen.
On Thursday and Friday we did a general orientation with the first years on the course and took a tour of the college. The bookshop (with our 20% discount) is one of the best parts! In the afternoons, we spent time with Esther, our FirstServe coordinator. We talked about our placements and our feelings about this experience and being overseas. It was great to put our feelings on the table and to talk about how to deal with any problems we may have.
We have watched lots of movies and been to the 24 hour ASDA quite a bit (for DVDs and ice cream!). And we have at least four or five cups of tea a day!
On Saturday, the college held a prayer seminar that was very interesting, refreshing, and helpful. It was long but the speaker made good points that have strengthened my prayer time.
Sunday was my first experience at an Evangelical Church where they have a "Breaking of the Bread" (communion) service and then a family service. I really enjoyed their style of worship and enjoyed meeting the congregation. One little lady got talking to me and it turns out that she has a grandson at church in Glasgow where I'll be going next, her son lives in Philly, and she has a granddaughter called Fiona!
The meals here are so yummy but I couldn't stay here very long or I would gain way too much weight!
Yesterday we started lectures and this week is focused on "Intro to the Bible" and "Christian Life." They have been really cool and I've learned a lot already! It's been a while since I've had religious classes. We start every lecture with prayer and use the Bible for reference the whole time!
Today, I had to give my testimony during devotions which went better than I thought, since I only prepared late the night before...
We had some banter at the bookshop today:

And a lovely time shopping through the "sunny" streets of Motherwell:

 

I had my first "wash day" today which proved to be a challenge and a lot of fun trying to figure out how long one load would take in the washer! Luckily, Rachel and I figured it all out.

I think that's all that has happened in the last week... Maybe one of these days I'll make it outside between rain showers to go for a run!
XOXO

Arrival!

I arrived here at Tilsey College/GLO Centre in Motherwell yesterday afternoon!

At the moment, there are first year and second year students at the college and the 5 of us FirstServers. There are about 20 of us total. In just over a day, we've gotten to know each other a little and find similarities etc. This is my room:

It's a cozy little room with a closet to the right there - which I should probably make use of. There are a few other rooms near mine and we share a bathroom.

Today, we didn't have anything to do so a few of us made a trip into Glasgow on the train. It was raining, of course, but nice to be on accessible public transportation again and to see a little of Glasgow. Here's a few pictures of the main street:

We went in to a few shops - they had a Forever 21...?!?! - and had some coffee at Starbucks. :)

Despite what most people say, the town of Motherwell is quite cute with quite a few shops but that's about it. There is an "American Candy Co." shop that was quite interesting - I'll have to go in some time. They said our progamme will start tonight, since everyone's here, so I'm excited to see what our timetable will be like.

I'm so glad I'm here now and it was great to settle in and meet these girls that I'll be spending the next three weeks with! Thank you, everyone, for all your prayers and support for my travel and arrival here!

"Tomorrow"

I can't believe the day is here where I can say "I'm leaving tomorrow." Up until now it has always seemed so far away and just like with any big trip, it seems impossible that tomorrow is the day. In 24 hours I will be leaving for the airport and I still have lots to do! Packing has proven to be extensive and stressful and I probably shouldn't procrastinate any more at this stage... But thanks to my mum for (some of) the great supplies she bought for me:

I'm very excited and am mostly just in disbelief that this day is almost here. This week has been full of goodbyes and hugs (and some tears!) but I'm ready. Thanks for all the support and love during this preparation time. Next post, I'll be on the other side of the pond!