To read our January Prayer update on our missions trip to
Scotland, click here!

And to sign up to get these in the future, click here!

This weekend, we are sending out prayer/financial support letters for our Missions Trip to Scotland coming up in the fall. If you would like to receive one, please email me by clicking the “Contact” button up top with your address!

We still need a LOT of people praying for this trip, for Scotland, for James & his family as well as around $2200 more in support (we have already collected/received pledges for $600!).

Thanks!

(Update: I just received a random email from my uncle (my mom’s brother). He has been researching their family name (Gillchrest) and it’s actually of Scottish origin. No wonder I feel drawn - I’ve got Scottish blood running through my veins. Also learned that James once dated a girl with the last name Gilchrist, which is a variation of Gillchrest!) How cool!

I had a follow up appointment with my neurologist today about all the diagnostic things they’ve been putting my body through for my headaches. They confirmed with KUMed, where I had my angiogram, that I have no vascular malformation (blood vessel problems) or masses (brain tumors). All great news that the bad stuff has been ruled out. After talking about my headache patterns, they think that I have hormonally triggered migraines since most of the time, I am fine except once a month for a few days. And that would make sense because the time I had them for several weeks, I had just come off extensive estrogen therapy, so my hormones were all over the place trying to level out. Now that I’ve been off of it for almost three months, I only get headaches when my estrogen naturally drops. They gave me some interruptive medicine to take should I get a migraine. So, yay! Thanks for all your prayers!

They also got the results of my sleep study - I woke up (brain waves interrupted) 238 times in 7 hours. No wonder I feel tired all the time! They’re trying to get me to do another one (which I don’t really want to do) soon. Now that I’ve taken proactive measures to reduce my stress, I’ve been sleeping okay most of the time.

Another “Yay God” (as we call them on staff) is as of now, we have about 25% already raised and/or commited by people for our Scotland trip! We haven’t even sent out support letters yet - this is just from talking to people or people donating online! We are so incredibly thankful as God begins to pave this path for us! I have been in contact with a few people there through YWAM and Every Nation (other missions organizations) and hope we can all bond together to really make an impact for Christ!

Sorry, there’s not much else to say. I can’t really think of anything to post about except daily life! Have a great Wednesday!

Recently, a friend of mine and I were talking in detail about some of the events that have happened in my life in the last few months. It’s nice to have those friends who tell you the truth (yet they do it in a graceful way). I’ll save you the lengthy details, and we’ll just say I am learning that patience is an area in my life I need to really work on. I’m learning to let things go that I normally would have passionately fought for. Sometimes passionately fighting is a waste of energy. Sometimes it’s not. I’m learing to discern when to go to the mattresses.

On the patience side of thing, Chris and I have decided to definitely go to Scotland next fall to help James and the forthcoming Mosaic Edinburgh make an impact on the people of Edinburgh. Being the information-gatherer I am, I have been reading and studying and getting my hands on any and all information I can about the Scottish culture. Did you know underwear is called pants there? And pulp-free orange juice is smooth orange juice? Just a few things I’ve learned.

Anyway, fall 2006 is a long way off - almost a year - and I am ready to go NOW. I love having the hope and the “looking forward to” looming in the future, but I want to throw my clothes in a bag and hop the next flight to NYC then to Edinburgh.

But I know we have a lot to learn, a lot to pray for, and a lot to do before we go. God willing, we will have all our debt (except a car payment) paid off by summer. We have to find people to pray for us, the church plant, James & his family and the people of Edinburgh. We have to raise some money so we can go. Get passports, the list goes on. All these things requiring patience. (Which, by the way, to find out more about the Scotland trip, how to pray for us or how you can help, just click the Scotland Trip button up top.)

Sorry there’s nothing much profound here. Nothing controversial. Just a little bit of life sharing.