YAWA 2009

I was away again over the weekend for the annual St. Columba’s Young Adult’s Weekend Away (YAWA). We spent the weekend with Paul and Natalie in their beautiful home near Elgin and though our numbers were a little depleted this year there was as much banter as ever.

I know the first thing everyone wants to know is the result of the legendary Girls v. Boys Trivial Pursuit game!! This year was the most closest game I’ve seen yet. The girls led for most of it but got stuck on that last piece of pie as the boys crept up and took the victory . . . just!

There was more competition on Saturday afternoon as we had a massive treasure hunt across Moray – three cars of team members set off with cameras in search of goat statues, cathedrals, conga lines, silly hats and biblical gardens! Much fun was had by all and I don’t think the residents of Elgin, Lossiemouth or Forres were left too scarred.

We went to the Lossiemouth Baptist Church on Sunday which was very nice. They gave us a very warm welcome and it was a great service.

Dan and Stef led the teaching for the weekend. Both sessions were very powerful and, whilst I can’t really speak for everyone else, I was certainly moved and challenged. We spoke about identity and wholeness. So here, if you can cope with the deepness, are some things I learned and was thinking about:

• A lot of my identity is all wrapped up in church, i.e. St.C’s at home. That was who I was. It was how I defined myself. It gave me purpose. Now that it’s gone I’m floundering a little. Studying ridiculous amounts is one coping strategy – identity in achievement. I suspect it’s also one of the reasons I’m having trouble choosing a church – I have no identity in any of them and that’s really strange. But Stef reminded us that our identity is ultimately in God, as His children, as who He created us to be.
• We were singing on Friday night and it occurred to me, as we sang about Jesus, how easy it is for my theology to become skewed. I read and think all day everyday about big abstract concepts about God but actually my theology needs to be more Jesus centred. I need to think about Him and the cross more because it is that which defines my stance and opinion.
• Dan asked us to consider the hurts and disappointments of the past which dictate our responses to situations and pressures today, how we respond out of our brokenness. This one was painful. Difficult memories to conjure and to admit the affect they had and still have on me. I’m never as strong as I appear. There is so much more going on beneath the surface. I face demons like everyone else, if not more so. But Dan reminded us that God is still working in us and giving us the desire and power to do what pleases him (Philipians 3:20) – and it’s a work that continues as we grow in Him.

At St.C’s on sunday evening George, George and Ciaran shared a little from a passage of Scripture which had spoken to them recently. They all spoke brilliantly and God spoke through them. It was awesome to see how God is at work in the lives of others, to be reminded of His continual speaking and moving and to be inspired by brothers in Christ.

Then it was onto the train back to Edinburgh.

Road Trip

I had an amazing weekend of banter!!

On Friday, with Faye at the wheel, Pamela riding shotgun, Ruth, Stef and I nice and cosy in the back, we left the overcast ‘deen for the wet and windy Edinburgh!

Having navigated the horrendous traffic and roadworks in the centre of Edinburgh we dumped our stuff at Stef’s very lovely flat and headed out for dinner, stopping for tea/coffee and then again for cake, along the way. It was a very good cup of “Chocolate Flake Tea” from Teapigs, which I shall be hunting out again (also quite fancy their popcorn or organic honey bush and rooibos teas . . . the latter primarily for the funny name!). We had a lovely meal at the Vittoria Restaurant before returning to the flat (ice cream to go in hand) for some late night debates on creation, heaven and predestination!

After those very late night conversations it was up and out just a little too soon for “Gingers! The Musical”, one of the fringe shows: Eight gingers, one room … a hilarious portrayal of trials and tribulations this genetic minority face. After all, beauty’s in the heart, not the hair! It really was hilarious, as we heard each of these poor gingers stories through music and dance.

We then headed to Musselburgh (“The Honest Toon”) to see Carolyn and Owen and after lunch with them (including some brilliant Irn Bru sorbet from the legendry Luca’s ice cream parlour) we took a walk down the beach. Much amusement was found on the skate ramp (minus skateboards, obviously) – what is it they say about simple things please simple minds?!

It was then back on the road to go to Galashiels to stay with Ruth’s parents for a night. As with almost every occasion we are together, there had to be Gilmore Girls involved, so we watched another few episodes where very little happened, but that is the joy of the programme!

It was a bit of a rush the next morning after an even later night led to some of us sleeping in but we made it to church on time. It was a lovely service in a beautiful building at Old Parish and St. Paul’s Church. I learned some new hymns and Rev. Steele preached a challenging message about conformity to society and the importance of remaining faithful to God’s commands.

After lunch it was unfortunately time to return north again, but we made good time and were back at church for the evening service.

It was a great weekend. Really good fun with amazing people. Thanks guys!!

Skye – part 3

Okay, so now you pretty much have the day by day rundown, I thought I’d also let you in on some of the smaller, slightly more random things that are always the type of things which stand out for me.

First of all is sheep on the road. I got very excited when it first happened and to be honest it never fails to amuse me. It’s just something that I completely associate with Skye and in particular the complete disinterest of the sheep in the cars – their attitude is very much, “I was here first – it’s my piece of road – you will wait your turn”; as they give you a bit of a glare. And of course there’s always a chance of a nice piece of lamb for dinner!

The other thing I really love about Skye are the roads, or more precisely driving on them – it is so much fun!! High speeds (though I, of course, stuck to speed limits!) around windy roads with few other drivers and amazing views. The chance that another car could be hurtling around the blind corner of the single track road right towards you keeps you on your toes and makes it even more exciting. Getting stuck behind tourists only doing thirty does, however, bring out the worst in me. It is so much more challenging and interesting than driving round the suburbs or town centre. We only had one incident of clipped wing mirrors and you just shouldn’t listen to Stef about the overtaking on Loch Ness – I had plenty of time!!

The Gaelic Salms in church on Sunday morning once again gave me goosebumps – there’s just something about it, so beautifully haunting.

Sitting on that rock watching the sunset was quite possibly the most at peace I’ve felt in about a year – all thoughts of work and results and university were forgotten as I considered Stef’s suggestion that God had crafted that view just for us, there and then, to sit and look at. I’m sure many others have been priviledged to enjoy it too but that God knew as he created it that we would one day sit and look at it amazes me.

So that was Skye – now it’s on with life in the real world, at least until my next visit.

Skye – part 2

Okay, you ready for this??

After quite literally months of anticipation, a whole two hours of planning and just 5/6 hours sleep at 11am on Sunday 7th my friend Stef and I left the granite city for a week on the beautiful Isle of Skye!!

The drive up was pretty uneventful – Stef stayed awake all the way to Keith, far better than my estimation of Inverurie, and then I was on my own until Inverness where we stopped for some shopping. We made it to Kilmuir, in the very North of Skye where we were staying, just in time for the evening service which was lovely after a long day travelling and quite a contrast to Frenzy the day before. I have to be honest though, and say that I probably preferred the small service of maybe thirty people in a building nearly 100 years old to the gathering of 7000 or so the day before.

On our first day we went to Dunvegan Castle, the stronghold of the Chiefs of the MacLeod Clan for nearly eight hundred years! We took a small boat out on to the loch to see the resident seals and then had a look around the castle before taking a walk through the gardens.

That evening we took a walk up the road, further towards the most northerly tip of the Island and climbed a wee hill (not even a molehill in comparison to most of the mountains on Skye) to watch the sunset over Harris in the distance – at least I think it’s Harris, Hector can correct me! It was really quite something. I can’t understand how people think that a world as beautiful as ours can happen by accident.

The next day we took a boat from Elgol to Loch Coruisk – an isolated loch, surrounded by the Cuillin mountains and  inaccessible except by boat or foot. With three hours to spend ashore Stef was determined we were going to walk all the way round it and did a great job of ensuring I made it. I was very grateful that she was there to chivvy me along – I would probably have gone for the shorter trip and just pottered about at the mouth of the river if it hadn’t been for her and the views were most definitely worth the walk! There were some precarious moments through bogs, over boulders, when Stef attempted to climb a very large rock, and I was never certain that we’d make it back in time for our boat home but sure enough we made it in plenty of time and in good health. My day was absolutely made when we got back on the boat and were offered a cup of tea and a piece of shortbread – some of us are very easily pleased!

On Wednesday we went to the Museum of Island Life – a little glimpse into the history of the Island and particularly life on the crofts over the past two hundred years – and then spent some time in Portree visiting all the little shops full of lovely things before heading home, where I hada nap and Stef cooked the roast for dinner!!

On Thursday we went to Talisker Distillery and each had our first dram. It burned is all I’m saying!! We went on a tour around the distillery and saw how it all works, giving me time to sober up (yes it was necessary – alcohol really does have that much affect on me!) before we spent the afternoon driving around Waternish (North West part of the Isand) from one craft shop/ visitor attraction to another. Stef bought some wool at Shilasdair where we saw how they dye their own wool and then we went to Skyeskyns and learned how they still tan the skins in the traditional way. Going into their showroom was perhaps a mistake however, because I walked out with something that looks like this:

Except, mine is more beautiful! I really wrestled with myself about it – and still feel a little guilty – but I needed a souveneir and what better to remind myself about Skye than a sheepskin!!

We had a bit of a lazy day at the cottage on Friday before Stef’s big day running the Isle of Skye Half Marathon on Saturday. She did really well and made us all very proud though I believe moving is now proving somewhat difficult!

On Saturday night, Stef’s parents took us to the very prestigious Three Chimneys restaurant. I have never been and probably will never go to a restaurant nearly as posh again – we had pre-starters and pre-desserts!! I spent most of the night in a state of complete shock at the sheer amazingness of it all – the setting, the building, the service, the food – it was all impeccably fabulous! My parents had always spoken of it like something that was far beyond our means, something I could hope to experience one day, far in the future if I saved up for a month or so, so to actually be sitting there experiencing it was really quite cool.

Then, unfortunately it came time to return home.

Well done if you got through that but I’m afraid there’s more to come . . .

Skye – part 1

I returned last night from a fantastic week on the Isle of Skye. I’ll get round to telling you all about it later on today but for now the nosiest amongst you will be glad of some photos (click the ones below to see more).