A Wee Update for Ya!

Hello, dear readers! If anybody is still hanging on...

I apologize for my lengthy absence from blog-land. What a busy season this has been! Lots of good happenings, lots of tough happenings, but overall just lots of GRACE happening. : )

I will keep this quite brief, as I must get back to some work for pre-placement requirements, but I wanted to at least update you on life here in lovely Aberdeen.

Let's see. This past semester of school was rough in a number of ways, mostly to do with the assignments and my continuing lack of good time management. The three months flew by before I could catch up with anything, personal time included. But I will not focus on the negatives! I will simply say I am thankful for God's nearness and his provision of friends and family, especially in times of angst and difficulty.

I somehow managed to fit in a few driving lessons during that time, and I will soon take a test to obtain my UK driving license. I must switch over to this since I've been a resident here longer than a year now. Kinda silly, I know, but it has actually served me well to take these lessons and better acquaint myself with the system here! I didn't realize I was doing a few things incorrectly, and almost dangerously so, until observed by my instructor. So it's probably for the best! My first test was cancelled due to the massive amounts of snow we've had over the holidays, so I am waiting, not very patiently, for my rescheduled test to take place. I was hoping to be driving again before my second placement starts, but I must let go of that idea. I do have a car now, though, which God provided me a couple months ago! It has been nice to have something to practice with and I'll be set once I obtain my license. I shall be careful not to hurt my foot while tapping it and watching the clock...

Speaking of my placement...I am STOKED about it! I will be working half the time in a primary school and half the time in an adoption/fostering office here in Aberdeen. The second part is what excites me most! I have anticipated some experience in that area of social work, and, praise God, I will get it. I am really, really looking forward to this placement, even if it will mean more busy days.

I had a wonderful Christmas with the Mings and James out in Elgin. It was quite difficult to be away from my family for the first time, but I enjoyed the presence of such sweet friends who are like family. I guess it's part of growing up, but it was still tough to not experience the typical family Christmas traditions- namely, Mom's breakfast casserole : ) but also the Christmas Eve service we have attended for years. I felt such a void without that experience this year. However, I greatly enjoyed the laughter, the card games, the yummy food, and the relaxation found in my time there. I rediscovered what reading for pleasure is like!

James and I took a little day trip up north one day, and I can't help but share a few photos to display the beauty of the less traversed parts of Scotland...wow! Thankful to see more of this wonderful country.

We landed in Achnasheen, popluation: 50. Although it's quite remote, I would highly recommend it to anyone if you're up that way! : ) Gorgeous winter wonderland, it was!

And a couple other photos from our time around Elgin, to finish up. I have missed getting to take photos of beautiful scenes since I've not had much down time or driving capabilities. So here is a portion of the Elgin Cathedral at sundown and a lookout from the Portsoy harbor. I still love being here. : )

Until next time!
Jess

Mocha Delight

I sense the need to blog.

But what shall I blog about?

I have so many thoughts swirling around in this head of mine, yet I struggle to find one clear point to share on my blog.

Oh, here's one- I'm drinking some very, very delicious hot chocolate right now. I opted for the plain hot chocolate, not my usual mocha due to the time of evening.

: )

Perhaps that's where I will take this entry, and the upcoming few entries, into a discussion on the things I have come to love during this first year of living in Scotland. Some things were already dear to me, but others are newly found. Some are petty, others quite substantial.

Some of you know how much I love a good mocha. This preference didn't really form until after my college years, oddly enough (as most coffee addicts form IN college). I felt the [relative] need for some caffeine during my days as a nanny, and the smell of brewing coffee was enticing more than ever before. Since I had typically spit out sips of plain black coffee in previous attempts, I knew I needed to be creative. So I created, or likely re-created, my first homemade mocha and have been hooked ever since.

Medium strength coffee, a few teaspoons (or tablespoons!) of hot chocolate mix, and a splash of milk (soy is just as good). But not just ANY hot chocolate mix, my friends. Nestle Rich Chocolate is a MUST. Seriously. And for the prime homemade mocha experience, I recommend the coffee be one of the glorious Starbucks blends. That's not as much a necessity as the Nestle hot choc, though, especially on a student budget. But the two do amalgamate so beautifully!

This year in Scotland I have certainly desired mochas on a regular basis, even now in the summer. It is likely due to the stresses of student life, but perhaps also for the comfort while snuggled up under a blanket and reading a good book or chatting with God. In such a cold place, a warm mug between the hands is so sweet and soothing. The familiar taste of coffee and the-best-ever-hot-chocolate is part of this comfort, but the overall combination of warmth, flavor, and soul enrichment is what does it.

I know, it may seem a stretch to link something so petty as coffee to deep, spiritual encounters...but this is just one example of the past year's discoveries of how such measly things can truly draw me into the presence of the One who created my taste buds and my need for warmth.

One of my favorite authors, Randy Alcorn, writes in his book, Heaven:

"Every day we should see God in his creation: in the food we eat, the air we breathe, the friendships we enjoy, and the pleasures of family, work, and hobbies. Yes, we must sometimes forgo secondary pleasures, and we should never let them eclipse God. And we should avoid opulence and waste when others are needy. But we should thank God for all of life's joys, large and small, and allow them to draw us to him. ... God doesn't want to be replaced or depreciated. He wants to be recognized as the source of all our joys, and he wants us to draw closer to him through partaking of his creation. My taking pleasure in a good meal or a good book is taking pleasure in God. It's not a substitute for God, nor is it a distraction from him." (italics mine)

As I delight in the little things in life, I delight in God. And these mochas sure are delightful, although sometimes I have to limit how much I partake during especially stressful times. (Too much caffeine = upset innards and unpleasant jittery-ness). :}

Stay tuned for more thoughts of things that have drawn me nearer to the source of all joy this year.

Moving right along...

...look who's coming now!!!

Nice eyebrows, Kristine!

Sorry, I couldn't resist. This was the funniest picture I could find on my computer. Here's a more flattering one, just so people know your nose is not that big nor your eyebrows that bushy.

My best friend is flying over to visit me here! This is so exciting, folks! She finally gets to see this amazing place, and it will be so good to have her company. Stay tuned for fun stories and photos of our adventures over the next couple of weeks. : )

Keep an eye out for me, Kristine...I may be in disguise at the airport...you missing anything?

I keep hearing imaginary bagpipes...

My parents are here!

I am enjoying their company oh-so-much. We have had some really good food and lots of deep laughs already; they have only been here for about 36 hours. I anticipate a week full of exciting adventures and joyful days.

We went to the highland games here in Aberdeen today which was a great kick-off to their Scottish holiday. All three of us had a wonderful time, taking in the various sights and sounds and even a little haggis, neeps, and tatties. ;) (Two of us, anyway...) We have been home now for several hours but I still keep hearing bagpipes in the distance. It's the strangest thing. I must have really absorbed their sound today. I suppose it's kinda like the lasting sunburn from today (beautiful weather, by the way)- though I'm not longer in the sun, I still feel it.

Here are a few photos from the day. I hope to blog some more while they are here. We have some fun things planned and I will have to clear out my memory card each evening! By memory card I am not referring to my mind, although that may need clearing, too; I refer rather to my camera.

All for now; signing off from bonny Scotland,

jess

Turned Around and Upside Down, but Ever so Thankful

Hello! I am alive and well, all things considered. These past two-plus months have been unbelievably busy, mainly due to my placement which I realize I still haven't told you much about...

A brief explanation is this: I am working in a house with adults who have learning disabilities. It is run by an organization that is spread all across Scotland, providing support for disabled people in a variety of ways including community care. My role is not quite reflective of what social workers actually do in this area, but what I have experienced so far has proven beyond helpful for my future career- even if within a totally different area of social work.

I have learned TONS since beginning there, and I anticipate even more learning as I finish up these last several weeks. It has been enjoyable even if difficult at times. Working with someone who has a learning disability is challenging in a number of ways. I will spare you the boring theoretical, social-worky things I’ve learned, but it has been so cool to finally link together all the things we were taught last semester into practical situations. Best of all, I get some incredibly good laughs at that house! The people I ‘support’ can say and do some of the funniest things. And then there’s the staff…! Really, though, it’s been a wonderful experience even with the trying situations.

This has been a difficult season for me in several ways. I have experienced such an interesting combination of mountain tops and valleys. I do not loathe the valleys, as I know they are necessary and such goodness comes from our times there. As one of Caedmon's Call's songs points out, "valleys fill first." I am finding this to be true. Perhaps I'll share more on this later, but for now I'll move on to a recent event that has left me perplexed.

Some of you know that I bought a lovely old car back in March. I had some amazing times driving it around NE Scotland; it served as a sanctuary for me in this busy season. Driving has always been one of my favorite things to do- a hobby, if you will. I enjoyed every opportunity I had to get out of the city and see the breathtaking sights around Aberdeen. Passing by highland coos, daffodils, and rocky creeks brought a refreshing sense of peace and joy in my deepest parts. I experienced God’s presence in a ‘94 Nissan Sunny, of all places.

Therefore, I do not quite understand why it has been taken from me. For those unaware, I had an accident on the 6^th of June. I initially want to call it a ‘serious’ accident, but that doesn’t quite fit because I walked away without hindrance. So I’ve resorted to calling it a ‘wild ride’. That it was. I am still processing the recent incident and have yet to reach complete resolve within, but I wanted to at least give more details of what happened.

I was on my way home from the house where I ‘work’ (my placement), on a back road that I’ve driven many times in the past month or so. It had been raining and even hailing during the day, but the sun had appeared and things were drying up. I suppose I let my guard down because of this, and I failed to consider that the roads were still quite slick. I approached a bend in the road a little too quickly, and I must have hit the brake too hard; I started to skid, or “fishtail” as some call it, and couldn’t gain control of the wheel. I panicked, let go of the wheel, and closed my eyes as I tucked into myself and cried, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus….” I do remember being jossled around and can vaguely recall the ‘ride’; I still am unsure whether I blacked out for a few seconds. I now understand what people mean when they say it goes so fast yet feels slow motion.

According to Fiona, the blessed lady came to my aid, my car spun around, the back going up onto an embankment, then rolled once and again halfway, landing on the roof. In fear of the car catching fire (I’ve seen too many bad movies…), I turned off the engine first thing. In the back of my mind I was also worried that a car might come screaming around the corner and slam into me as my car lay across the opposite lane with me in it. I was suspended by my seatbelt for about 2 minutes, although it felt like an hour, until Fiona and a kind man helped me unbuckle and safely crawl out from the uncomfortable position. It was hard to convince them to help me out; they both feared moving me in case I was severely inured. But I HAD to get out. That was the most terrible feeling, hanging upside in my car and not knowing what could happen next. I felt very close to passing out from the shock and the tight seatbelt combined. My stubbornness proved beneficial for once!

To wrap it up: the paramedics came, the crowd slowly fizzled out, and the firefighters stood with puzzled faces as they looked at the overturned car and the walking girl. Eventually I was taken to the hospital for minor inspection, all the time praising the One who spared my life and softened a potentially damaging wreck. An hour and a half later, my sweet friends picked me up and I enjoyed their company and a delicious, homemade Norwegian dinner- Salmon has never tasted so fine. : ) [Thanks, Olav, Christy, and Moray!]

I still sit in amazement at how protected I was in this incident. God truly hedged me in. The name of Jesus is powerful, my friends. I cannot explain why my life was spared and others so often are not. I am struggling to understand why such a great provision has been removed from my life; I only got to drive the glorious countryside for 2 months. But all in all, I know God is GOOD. I trust He knows what’s best for me. I believe He sees the bigger picture. In the words of a song I love, He gives and takes away, but I will choose to say, “Blessed be Your name”.

Like I said, I have yet to sense resolve in this, and it has been a difficult week with mixed emotions of gratitude and loss. If any of you have words of wisdom from similar experiences, I welcome such. Apart from sore muscles I have nothing to complain about! However there is some bruising of the heart that will take some time to heal. Thankfulness and all, it was still a slightly traumatic experience.

Here are a couple pictures to document the crazy event. Praise God with me!

One of the things I will forever cherish is this… there was a pair of jeans folded up in my backseat that evening, and a few days after the accident I wore them. As I put my hand into one of the pockets, I felt something sharp and pulled out a tiny shard of glass, obviously from the windshield of the car. I had not a speck of glass in my hair, on my skin, nor on the clothes I was wearing that night, yet a tiny piece of glass made its way into jeans folded on the backseat. This spoke to my heart, as silly as it may seem. God knows the number of hairs on my head, and He wasn’t about to let shards of glass harm me. ;)

That’s the gist of the story for you. I realize it may be a bit long-winded for some and not detailed enough for others. My hope in sharing it is that your heart would be drawn to the loving God who saved me.

In other news, my parents will be here in Aberdeen on Saturday! I am stoked! I haven’t seen them (apart from Skype conversations via webcam) since Christmas, so I am really, really excited. These 6 months have flown by yet crept by so slowly. I will get to see them and the rest of my family (and friends!) in August/September, when I go home for my brother’s wedding, but it will be so fun to let them see my life here in Aberdeen. I’m giddy!

In July I will have another special visitor… : ) Kristine is coming!!! Oh my, lots of excitement that cannot be contained! If any others would like to visit, just hop into her suitcase, okay? I’m pretty sure it has one of those expanding compartments...

I will end with some more photos of recent life here… I continue to LOVE living here, even if I’m back on the city buses again. ;)

beautiful sunset on one of my last country drives

Duffus Castle in the glorious sunshine!

Although I no longer live along the River Dee, it continues to inspire me.

I await the final word on the car, whether it is redeemable. It's a rather stinky situation either way, but I'm praying for God's best to happen.

I am thankful.

Have I got some folks for you!

I had the wonderful opportunity to travel out to Banchory (about 15 miles from Aberdeen) last night to hear some folk music. The duet was Duncan Chisolm and Ivan Drever, who have apparently been around for years but I've just now discovered them. And let me tell you- I was in love! With their music, that is. I believe there are many moments in life that are foretastes of my eternal home- Heaven- and this easily made it into my category of 'glory moments'...those "as it should be" feelings we get when seeing a stunning sunset, laughing from a child's hilarious comment, or hearing skillful musicians play their hearts out.

So here is a link to a video of this duet playing elsewhere (thanks to another fan) to give you a wee taste of their beautiful music. This is a more upbeat tune but they also deliver some amazing slower paced songs. Take a look on youtube for more samples. : ) [I am clueless as to how I can post a video onto my blog, and I haven't the time to figure it out...so, any tips from you genius bloggers?]

All is going well. I will aim to update sometime this week...
jess : }

No, Scotland's calendar is no different...

Well, thanks to my math-wiz brother, I need to correct my calculation in the last post...I have been here nearly 7 months, which is 5 months short of a year, not 3. So thank you, Drew for gently notifying me of the awkward calculation (although it really shouldn't require your extraordinary intelligence to notice my mistake). : ]

Also, I forgot to mention how extremely blessed I was to receive a video from Kristine with a variety of messages from friends in Belton! To all of you who were able to participate: thank you for your thoughtful words of encouragement and, from a select few, your complete goofyness! I laughed, I cried, and I declared out loud that there's no place like Belton. ;)

I will leave you with a photo of my canine love, who has made herself queen of the Heaton household (at least among the other dogs). Thanks, Mom and Dad, for treating her to some bluebonnet bliss. : )

Oh, and a photo of a beautifully sunny St. Andrews I enjoyed while Bonnie was busy smelling the bluebonnets on Saturday.

Love to all. I will try to post again soon about my placement, which finally begins tomorrow!