What We Hope To Accomplish in Scotland

(Randy)

As excited as we are about our trip, it is sobering to realize that this journey will be God's tool for directing our near and far future.  The coming week and a half will affect our lives in the coming years one way or the other;  either, we will fall in love with Scotland and the idea of relocating there for a few years or we will realize that our calling is elsewhere.  While trying not to make too much of the trip in light those thoughts, it does tend to dull the pure, unadulterated excitement just a bit!

Lots of people have asked how they can pray for us while we're gone and during this process of discernment, so I thought that would be a great first post.  These prayer requests are what we hope is accomplished in the next ten days:

1.  The first is simple and straightforward:  a sense of if this is where God is directing us for the next three-four years

2. Clear discernment on my calling to doctoral work in Scotland;  is this how God wants me to glorify Him during the next phase of my life?

3.  Where to live?  We'll be visiting three Scottish cities and universities, Edinburgh (the capital), Aberdeen (the third largest), and St. Andrews (the place golf was created), hoping to sense a special pull towards one or another.  Part of this will of course depend on where Katie feels the best job opportunities for special education are available and which schools accept me into their PhD programs.

4.  Which professor (if any) do I feel a particular affinity towards?  I'll be visiting with three top notch theologians and couldn't go wrong with any of them;  this decision will again be dependent on which schools accept me in the end.  I'm honestly humbled (and excited) to even be able to meet with these men, so this will be the most nerve wracking part of the trip for me.  I need particular prayer for these meetings;  pray that, I will have clarity, creativity, and depth of thought even in the midst of a strong dose of jet lag mixed with mononucleosis!        

5.  Very practically-  we need an idea of if we can handle the Scottish weather!  New England was intense and Katie struggled with the darkness of winter, so we want to be careful and prudent in determining to go to a place for an extended period of time that has such a large vacillation in the amount of sunlight.  Winter days are even shorter than in New England, while summer days are extremely long even by our Southeastern standards.

Thanks for your prayers and we'll try (as internet access allows) to post pictures and any pertinent updates.  We are blessed to have such wonderful friends and family and I hope that in some small way Katie and I are able to return the spiritual nurture and encouragement that you provide to us so often!