Our Christmas Letter

New beginnings

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 19 months since we’ve moved to Glasgow! After spending a year with Rupert working as a veterinarian, and Jen working as a church secretary and a hearing screener at a local hospital, we’ve changed things all over again to start a new phase.

It all began one Sunday afternoon having lunch with our minister and his wife. You will hopefully know of our desire to one day move to the mission field and serve God how He would choose, wherever He would choose. We decided that with this desire on our hearts, we wanted to discuss how to get the ball rolling on the many things we needed to do to equip us to serve.

Our minister’s advice was nice and straight forward - just get going! He suggested that Rupert could take a part-time position at our church - St. George’s-Tron in Glasgow - alongside studying preaching and teaching at Cornhill Scotland (a course aimed at equipping church leaders specifically for expository preaching). Working as a ministry apprentice alongside the course would mean that Rupert could get a lot more out of the course by combining it with valuable teaching and ministry experience. It also gives him more of an opportunity to work alongside our church before they would send us into the field.

So, in September, Rupert finished his job as a veterinary surgeon and began studying. The rest of the week, he runs the college and career ministry at the Tron. The central part of that work is Release the Word, a 3 year bible training program for students and young workers, aiming to teach them how to handle the Scriptures for themselves. Jen leads a table of girls at RtW, so Rupert can get plenty of honest feedback on his talks! This year, we’ve been going through a Bible Overview, showing how from Genesis to Revelation, the whole Word of God tells the clear, coherent story of the gospel of Jesus.

In addition to helping lead the studies at RtW, (and learning the new ‘language’!) Jen has been very blessed to be given a position as a staff nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow. After being unable to practice for 16 months, she is excited to be back in nursing and is being challenged by the new environment. While America and Great Britain do things differently, it’s good to see that nursing is nursing wherever you go!

If you are wondering what we will be doing once Rupert is finished with Cornhill... that is a good question! At this point, we aren’t sure ourselves! But we can clearly see God using this time working with students and our local church to stretch us. And we seek to be faithful in serving Him here and now.

We pray you have a wonderful and blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with joy!

With Love,

Jen and Rupert

Stories from Abroad...

There are so many fun and crazy things that happen when you move to a new country. And it just wouldn’t be a true letter from us if we didn’t share some of the things that happens when you throw an American into another land. (Well, these are mostly stories from Jen!)

You’d think we speak the same language!

One of the most surprising things when moving to the UK is the reality that we do not speak the same language, even if we both technically speak ‘English.’ Instead, there is a whole new vocabulary you have to learn, just so that others can understand you (and hopefully not mock you every time you open your mouth!). So underwear becomes pants, pants become trousers; the bathroom becomes the loo and toilet paper becomes toilet roll. Cell phones become mobiles. Stews become casseroles, and casseroles are something suspiciously French! (Just as a side note while we are on the subject of food... it was not until I moved to the UK did I realize that the everyday cheddar that I would buy in the States is only that lovely orange color because it’s dyed! I had no idea until I was looking for cheddar amongst a whole plethora of white cheeses! I was so confused, until my wonderful husband finally corrected me!)

Go from everyday language and grocery shopping to working in a hospital, and that is a whole new level. I had to laugh one day when, during a conversation with a doctor, he corrected my abbreviation of the word, ‘discontinued’. When I apologized and explained that I am still learning, he laughed and said that it was nice. ‘It’s like you’re from a Canadian ER show!’ Now, that is where I had to correct him!

That has often been the case since I’ve moved here. Even though I have been determined to keep my American accent, I also have a funny way of picking up the accent and mannerisms of people around me. I blame it on my Dad, moving us all around the country every couple of years as kids (California, to Louisiana, to Boston, etc). It is because of this, that I am accused of being from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and even Northern Ireland. It’s a fun game to play with people, but can be upsetting to be reminded every time I call home that I’m losing my American accent!

Oh, and did I say that I can now drive on the wrong side of the road! Though Rupert still has to warn me not to run into the curb...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Beaver hunting and fireworks

So last weekend, Rupert and I went away with some friends to Kilmartin, which is on the west coast of Scotland. We stayed in a fun little stone cabin with some gorgeous surroundings!

It was quite an educational trip! Apparently, around 400 years ago, beavers were hunted to extinction. Not only for their pelts, but also for medicinal purposes! That's why when the explorers came to North America, beaver hunting was very popular. But thanks to some serious campaigning, the beaver has been reintroduced to Scotland. Three families from Norway were brought to a Loch near Kilmartin. And now there's a little 'Beaver Detective Trail' that people can follow in order to spot a beaver! So what did we, 5 adults on a weekend away, do? We went beaver detecting of course! About an hour into the walk, we came across trees and branches that had been eaten away by beavers but were hindered from going any further by flooding which wiped out the path. We didn't get close to any beavers, but we did see some swimming away in the loch. Close enough!


That night we also celebrated 'Guy Fawkes Night'. However many years ago it was, a man named Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Parlaiment building because he wanted to bring back Catholicism as the national religion. So ever year on November 5th, people set off fireworks and make bonfires to remember. Children are taught in school this saying about Guy Fawkes Night,

'Remember remember the 5th of November,
gun powder, treason, and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
should ever be forgot.'

10 years later

Rupert and I took a long weekend to travel to the Isle of Arran for a camping holiday. It's a tiny little island - you can drive around the whole thing in a little over an hour. And yet, there are mountains, castles, standing stones, and a cave where Robert the Bruce supposedly hid. The weather was absolutely gorgeous as was the scenery (see the pics below!). However, the onslaught of biting gnats (called 'midgies') squashed any desire to stay longer than one night.

On the way back from Arran, we

drove through a small town called West Kilbride. 10 years ago, I came for the first time to Scotland. I stayed for a month in West Kilbride, doing construction work on a YWAM facility. This was my first ever trip out of the country, my first missions trip, and the beginning of a great many ideas and

dreams. It was in this quiet Scottish town, I had the first desire to go into full time

ministry. It was there I read a biography on Amy Carmichael, sparking my desire to go to India (which was fulfilled while I was at college). So on this trip back from Arran, we stopped by the YWAM facility just to walk down memory lane. I saw the fallen tree trunk that I used to sit on and journal for hours, the dining room where we tore out the floor and ceiling, the garage we used as a kitchen. So many memories, so many events that were so influential. It seems funny to think that a small trip like that for a 14-year-old could have such ramifications, but I have no doubt that it did. And how funny now to think that 10 years later, I've moved only 1 hour away

from this sleepy sea-side town. God has a funny of working things out!

Spring is in the air!

Molly and I are taking longer walks these days, and (most of the time) it is beautiful out!  Granted, I'm still wearing a jacket, a sweater, and a scarf when we go out... but other than that it's beautiful!  I am counting down the days till Rupert and I make our way to the USofA for two weeks of sweltering heat and enough humidity to swim through.  :)  Ah, the land of Rita's, Coldstone, and Chick Fil'A.  What am I looking forward to the most?  Seeing friends and family I haven't seen for over a year.  Staying with my parents and having my two nephews running around.  Going shopping at the outlets with my mom and sister.  Getting my yearly quota of vitamin D at Rehobeth Beach (I don't think I should set my expectations at getting a tan... I think it would take my skin too long to thaw out after the long winter.  Just a hint of red would make me happy!!).  And hopefully finally changing my name on my social security card and driver's license!  (Those things become much more difficult when you live in another country!).  There are friends to see who have had babies in the last year while I've been away, restaurants I'm dying to go to, and plenty of City Dock to be had.  Oh, and I can't wait to feel the freedom of driving again!  Sadly, I have yet to get my license here... it's because I can't drive a stick-shift yet (or as they say here 'manual'.  I said 'stick-shift' to someone here and they thought I was being crude!).  But you'll be happy to know that I have signed up for driving lessons starting next week.  Haha, you'd think after driving for nearly 10 years I wouldn't be so nervous!  But round-abouts here are deadly... seriously.  But I'll let you know how that goes!

As far as other updates... again, I am seriously lagging behind.  I am still working as a church secretary and a newborn hearing screener.  God has shown me time and time again that He must just have the right nursing job out there for me, because 19 applications and nearly 5 months later, I've only had one interview.  He knows what He's doing, and He's teaching me to trust Him for His timing.  So I'll just keep plugging away at those applications in the meantime!  More updates on Rupert and the animals to come... lots of exciting things there!  But I'm starving after being woken up to search for our dog who got out of our front yard, for the millionth time!   Gotta love pets!  :)  

[The video is of our cat chasing gnats.  They are called 'midgies' short for 'midgets'.  Sorry that it's sideways!  Haven't quite figured out how to change that yet!]

Christians in healthcare

A story came up recently in the news here that barely made it to the headlines, but turned out to be pretty significant for christians in healthcare.  A christian home-health care nurse has been suspended for offering to pray for one of her patients.  About 6 months before then, she had offered to pray with a patient who had gladly accepted; however, the patient's caregiver thought it was inappropriate and notified the board here, who, in turn, made her complete an "Ethics and Diversity" course to make her more 'culturally aware.'  Thankfully, she refused to stop offering prayer to her patients.  So when she offered prayer to an elderly woman, the woman said no and the nurse politely replied, 'ok', finished her work, and left.  This patient then told the community nurse visiting her the next day that, 'though it didn't bother me, I think others might find it offensive.' And the nurse was dismissed that same day.  She has not been reinstated in her job yet, and I do not know if she will be.  

I am still trying to wrap my mind around it all as I prepare to get back into nursing (after waiting a year and a half, my license here has been granted, so I am applying for and interviewing at different jobs!).  But I was really encouraged by a friend of mine here in Glasgow, who was once a pediatric nephrologist and now works at our church.  He wrote a letter to the local newspaper and they published it.  This is what he said:

" I read with interest about Caroline Petrie, the nurse suspended for offering to pray with a patient.  I worked as a doctor for four years and the only patients I ever received thank-you cards from were those with whom I had prayed.  This may be an unfortunate reflection on my medical skills or it may be reflect the fact that the majority of patients are aware of spiritual realities and needs, and open to healthcare workers discussing them.  How terrible would it be if professionals were reduced to treating the disease and not the person."  (Euan Dodds)

Let it snow!

There's so much to update on... friends visiting from North Africa, starting the new job as a hearing screener, the new term teaching Joshua at Release the Word...  but sadly I have to rush off to church soon.  

So here is a pic of Molly out at Dawsholm Park, about 10 minutes away from our house.  Funny enough, Glasgow doesnt' get a whole lot of snow (don't know if you've heard about the biggest snowfall in London just last week...) because we have too much of a gulf stream being right on the coast.  So when we get it, we enjoy walking in it, and then enjoy coming home for a nice cup of hot chocolate!  Mmm...

So here's your random fact about Glasgow for today... Glasgow has more green space (ie: public parks) than any other city in Europe!