Wow!  Time has flown by!  We got back from Scotland the week before Thanksgiving.  It seems like everything is a blur after that.  So, I will try to catch you all up from then to now.

We decided to have a just a family Thanksgiving this year.  I was sort of hoping to invite friends over, but was sort of relieved because there was so much do to after being gone for almost two week and coming home to our perpetual remodeling project. 

December was busy: shopping, decorating, homeschooling, cantata choir practice (Dave and I sang a duet in it).  This year, we got our annual Christmas letter out before Christmas. Yay!   We had a delightful Christmas Eve and Day with our family doing the things we traditionally do.  Tim spent Christmas out in Nebraska with his grandparents, sister and family.  Two days after Christmas, Tim, Laura and her four little ones arrived.  Laura was planning on being a doula for her friend who was supposed to be due the end of the month.  The baby was coming early, so Laura arrived, went up to the hospital and got to be doula for her friend's labor and birth that evening.  That's what you call close timing!

It was so good having Laura and the kids here.  We were wishing Ben could have come too, but maybe next time.  We celebrated New Year's Eve at our other house----the one we will be moving into when it gets done.  We've actually had several get togethers there, but it will be much nicer when the kitchen is done and we can actually move.

So quick update on house:  Last fall, we completely tore out the kitchen.  There was no other way to solve all the odd things and problems it had.  We took everything out down to the floor joists.  Joel, Tim and Dave spent a lot of hours leveling the floor.  In early December, we put the subfloor down and new flooring over that.  The cabinet frames came in a week later, but we are still waiting for doors, drawers and countertops.  That is supposed to get done this week.  We still have some drywall work to do in the kitchen, but it shouldn't take long to do.  The office still needs work, but once the kitchen is done, we will probably move.

Babies: I didn't have any deliveries last fall, which was nice.  I didn't have to hand off any clients or worry over a due date while I was in Scotland.  Then, this year, I had all return clients---my favorite kind.  It looked like I would have about 1 birth a month.  How easy is that?  The surprise came when the client due in February called in January in labor.  Fortunately I live close to her, because she usually has quick labors.  There was one other surprise: the baby was breech!  Everything went well and two weeks later, my January client delivered a little past her due date.  I really looked forward to this birth because I have delivered all of her six children except one.

Puppies: We have a litter of eight Samoyed puppies here right now.  They are just turning 5 weeks old and I think about half of them are sold already.  They will help pay for Michelle's college tuition, so we are grateful for these puppies.

Homeschooling: Jessica is finishing up the remaining dabs of 12th grade, Chris is well into 10th grade work.  Our spring co-op started this week.  Last fall we had 90 families, this spring, 82.  It's still a big group. The homeschool drama class play, I Remember Mama, will be on stage the end of March.  There is a lot of work to do between now and then to get ready.  Chris is the stage manager. Basketball season is just about over and our varsity teams, both boys and girls won at tournament.  Yay!!!  I didn't have any kids on the team, but since we head up the support group and pay the bills, it's nice to know the team is winning.  Volleyball starts in about a week or two, but I don't know if we have time for it like we did last fall.  

DRAMA: Spring session starts this next week. The kids have a three day training camp and then the weekly Bible studies and practices begin.  Michelle is stepping out of DRAMA this spring and is hoping to volunteer at a local crisis pregnancy center.  Jessica will run two teams of younger participants, Chris will be on one team, Tim will head up the six teams, which includes working with a local hispanic church team. 

I think that brings everyone up to date with what transpired since our trip to Scotland.  We left a bit of our hearts there.  Michelle, on the other hand, left a good sized chunk of her heart in Alaska.  We become aware that there are people all over that need to have a personal relationship with God through Christ's work on the cross.  I guess that is why I love the Christmas season, when I think about how God sent His Son to earth as a baby (like the ones I help deliver).  He set aside His deity and became flesh so that He could pay the price for the sins of the world.

I'll try not to wait so long to update!

November 7:  We arrived at the Edinburgh airport Thursday afternoon.  We left Philadelphia Wednesday evening, so by the time we got to our destination, we were all tired.  We had supper at Erskine Parish Church. After that, we all headed for host homes.  Tonight, we went to Newcraigs Evangelical Church in Kirkcaldy.  The team presented to an event called "The Mix". 

November 8: Today, we took to the streets of the main shopping area of Kirkcaldy.  The team presented in front of the stores there and invited people to come to the church we would be at in the evening.

Here is a picture taken at the church:

November 9: We went to Kinghorn Parish Church for the morning service.  This is a special day---Remembrance Day.  It is connected to Armistice Day, (Nov. 11) and celebrated a lot like we celebrate Memorial Day.  The team presented the song, "You Were There" and the theme of the mime fit very well in the service.

After the service,  the entire congregation and our team walked from the church to the War Memorial in the center of town.  The minister gave a prayer of thanks for those who gave their lives for their country. 

After that, we all had lunch at the Pastor's house and the team took a long hike around the area. 

In the evening, the team went to Burntisland Parish Church, which is one of the oldest churches in Scotland.  It was the church where King James decided to start on a new translation of the Bible in the 1600's. 

Monday, we had the day off, so our driver took us to St. Andrews the place where the game of golf originated.  It was windy but the sightseeing was fun. Here is a picture of St. Andrew's College:

November 11:

This morning we presented at Ballwearie Secondary School for levels 5 and 6 (like 11th and 12th grade), two presentations. 

(exerpt from an e-mail I sent home while we were there:)

Then, after "a cup of tea" which comes with practically everything you do, we left for Kinghorn Primary School.  On the way there, we stopped at the War Memorial in Kinghorn, where, at 11 am, on the 11th day of the 11th month (Armistice Day) we paused to remember those who died in war.  We did that on Sunday, but returned today for another prayer led by Jim Reid.  These people take this event a lot more serious than we do.  I think it is more like what we do on Memorial Day, but they do make a bigger deal over it.  Maybe if our country was invaded, we'd celebrate the event more highly, too. Anyway, after the brief stop at the War Memorial, we went to the Kinghorn Primary School where the team presented twice to classes before eating lunch in the cafeteria with the students.  I had five delightful little Scottish girls at my table.  We had an enjoyable visit.  Then we went out for recess before doing two more presentations and taking a tour of the "open concept" school.  Tim asked the youngest class to view the team, if they knew the story of David and Goliath and none of them did.  Jim Reid is the school chaplain and the one who arranged our visit.  He said that in that school probably only one in twenty students attends church and that one might only go a couple of times in one year. 

(e-mail continued:) We left the school and headed to Jim Neil's "manse" to debrief and have supper (commonly called "tea time").  Oh, I forgot that we also had tea served to us at the primary school as well as the secondary.  So, that makes two tea times that aren't called tea time and one tea time that was really supper.  You get the idea.  

November 12:

On Wednesday, we drove to Glascow and worked with a youth group in a Baptist church there.  By how, the team is getting pretty good at presenting and getting acquainted with the teens. 

This about half the way through our time.  I will post the rest as soon as I can.....

Time to update!

On the midwifery scene: Did I mention before that the last baby I delivered was on my birthday?  I don't think I've done that before.  I had been praying about what my future in midwifery should be.  I do just a few births every year: it hardly seems worth it to continue.  Add to that the increased critical spirit among midwives in the area and I was beginning to feel like I should just get out.  I really thought there would always be a comradery among this group, but it is clear that when the going gets tough in the legal scene that it is every midwife for themselves.  Sad, I think. Either way, I was getting a peace about leaving midwifery when the phone started ringing.  I have always said I can't turn down the ladies that I have always served in the past.  There are a few ladies that I have delivered all their children.  So, now it turns out I have five babies in six months starting in January.  I know this is not many for some, but for me, it is just right. 

School scene: You would think having only one student would make life easier, but you'd be wrong!  We are playing catchup from last year and that is time consuming.  Jessica is still doing some work from last year and Michelle is insanely busy with college this semester.  This all trickles down to everyone feeling the pressure of studies. 

Homeschool co-op scene: This year in our co-op has been a constant source of challenge, but God has been faithful to bless in every situation.  This is our biggest session: 90 families and 180 children, not counting the siblings that sometimes come along with mom.  We have instituted new policies for our teachers, had to deal with non-participating moms, and just "difficult" situations.  Everything has turned out well in every case.  God is good. Sometimes, the effort is tiring, but when I meet with the moms during prayer time, I am reminded that God has been a part of this co-op and He still continues to work in hearts and homes.

Home remodeling: The work continues at our future home.  It is time consuming and sometimes overwhelming, but there is progress. Yay!  I will include a picture:

This is the view from the front door.  The kitchen cabinets are in the living room---for now.  We took some walls out, partially.  You can stand at the front door and look all the way out to the back deck.  The dishwasher is sitting in the dining room (far back) along with additional cabinets.  A lot of this will change in the next month (I hope!).  The bedrooms should be done soon.  This one has the walls finished:

We had wall paper to remove and then deal with mustard yellow paint pealing off to reveal an aqua greenish blue dark paint underneath.  Now, gone!  The other two bedrooms had very dark paneling, now also gone.  We had to add dry wall a couple walls, plaster repair and now paint.  Next, new flooring. 

Here is the kitchen---everything gone!  We need to deal with a un-level floor and then we can start putting the new kitchen in.  I can't wait to see what it will look like.  Since we are on a budget, we are doing most of the work ourselves.  Yeah, in our "spare time".

Next, the big deal in my life is GOING TO SCOTLAND!  The DRAMA team, www.dramateam.org  is going to Scotland.  I am usually the one that stays home, makes sure everything gets done in order for the team to go, keeps things going while they are gone, etc.  This time, I am the chaperone.  I am excited, but it doesn't seem real so I guess when I am finally on the plane, I will wake up to the reality. 

Here is an exerpt I wrote the other day about Scotland:

 Why Scotland?
Scotland was the home of John Knox, who, in the 1560’s, brought the reformation fires to this tiny island nation.  Knox was instrumental in bringing Protestantism to the royal throne of Great Britain.  Sadly, over time, as it is in many European countries, the interest in religion and in the gospel has declined.  The percentage of church attendance has dropped to 3-4 % in some areas.  Many churches have closed and most do not have any active outreach to the youth in their area.  Sometimes, we tend to think of mission trips as trips to uncivilized areas of the world where the message of the gospel has never been heard.  However, we need to take the message of the gospel to areas where Reformation fires once burned but the embers of that zeal have long since grown cold.  The current generation of Scottish people is uninterested in traditional church and uninformed about a God that truly loves them and sent His Son to die for their sins.
Why DRAMA?
The DRAMA team from Lancaster County, PA has a unique way of spreading the gospel.  They use mime, which without words clearly conveys the gospel message.  The strong point of this approach is that it is captivating and draws people in to watch while they do not feel “preached at”.  The acting out of the songs used causes people to identify with the people before them and think through what is being conveyed. 
The other strong point to taking the DRAMA team to Scotland is that the team is composed of teens and young adults who are excited about their faith.  This is a rare occurrence in the Scottish culture.  Our hope is that our enthusiasm for Christ will be contagious. We hope to be able to assist local Scottish churches to be able to reach out and engage the teens and young adults.  Our hope is that this younger generation will come to know Christ and become part of an outreach to other Scottish youths.
Why me?
Well, that is the part of this equation that has me mystified.  Why would God pick me to go with the team?   However, it seems that I am supposed to go.  My job will be to chaperone the team, be a specific encouragement to the young ladies going with us and to insure that everyone stays healthy and safe while we travel.  I think it's sort of like being a mom to a group that is far from home and a prayer warrior on the front lines.  Keep us in your prayers.