Hiya! (Scots' Greeting)

From Edinburgh, my new home. It's been an easy introduction in many ways, especially as Vicky has been looking after me so well, giving me stacks of tips about everything... and also especially as the weather has been the hottest ever in Scotland, by the way people are talking! For five days after I arrived, not a spot of rain and beautiful sunshine. Vicky lives near some park lawns which have been covered with (really) white bodies trying to catch a real tan!! Today is cloudy again, which is a relief in a way as I am walking a lot and have been getting sunburnt and stuff. People are really friendly here though I'm really conscious that my accent makes me stand out as a foreigner - they think I'm on holiday and will be gone with the summer.

Because there are so many tourists, Scottish traditions are being exhibited all over the place - there IS bagpipe music in the streets, and there are Scottish flags everywhere, and many many "man-skirt" (refer to Rajagopaul's Dictionary of Scottish Life) shops. I went to a ceilidh (a song and dance!) on Saturday night, where there were NOT any tourists, which was great - met some great Scots. The first two guys I met happened to have been born in Zimbabwe! Amazing!

Meeting the people on the church plant team was pretty strange. This is my family whether I like them or not. Fortunately I like them, on first impression! There are only about 25 of us so far, the rest are still arriving. I like Pastor Tom. He's really humble and real. And after the fast paced life of HP Grahamstown I think things are going to be very chilled, for the next couple of months anyway, while everyone settles in. I was so relieved when he said that this is not going to be a 'seeker-sensitive' church, something I feared - it's going to be a 'God-sensitive' church first and foremost.

I have been working hard at finding a job, filling out stacks of
application forms... the problem is that the jobs which I would want
long term are only starting mid-Augustish after the whole application and interview process. It's a bit scary, actually more than a bit scary, because I have to LIVE until then!! I've trying to find waitressing for the festival period but that's proving more difficult than I thought it would. I'm heading out again after I send this... it's been a bit tiring and discouraging, and not having all the Gtown Saints around to speak the TRUTH is just blah.

I've had a lot of opportunity to talk about God, surprisingly!! I
think because people ask me why Edinburgh and so I have to mention the church. In a city where truth is "nice for you", and where all the young people are pretty self satisfied because they have their grand socialist ideas and they marched against the "eight middle aged white men who decide the fate of the world". Abortion and gay lifestyles are absolutely normal. (I got asked what I thought about gay marriage, but not abortion yet - whew -, also got myself into a discussion about capitalism - yikes). It's SO BAD, because I can feel myself being
tempted to soften things and disguise things, and I can feel my mouth going watery, and the fear of offending people is big. Truth and Love have got to be balanced! But at least the ice has been broken and I am talking, not remaining silent!! I know one thing now - to speak about God as He is - Real. Not my belief or religion or vague consciousness which I bend this way and that. Not to tack on "for me" to my sentences!