Scotland Update 4

Having sent out my newsletter last week, I thought I would share some funny things that have happened since I've been here.

Conversations:
Like last week when I was having a conversation with a few people after a prayer meeting. Cathie (Pastor David's wife) was telling us about her niece and said this: "She's growing up so fast...and we all know she's going to be quite a cracker!" My mouth dropped open, since calling someone a cracker in California is a negative way of calling them white trash (right? is that just me?). I had to ask her to clarify what she meant...and we all had a good laugh when I explained what I THOUGHT she said, verses what she meant (calling someone a cracker is saying she's stunning, from the word firecracker). =D

Words:
Or, I could tell you about the different words that SOUND very different from how they are spelled. For instance, the first week I was here, I was at a dinner and we were playing a game where you take a word out of a hat and have to get everyone to guess it by acting it out. The word I pulled was Kilncadzow. I explained it was a VERY Scottish word, but had no idea what it was and everyone kept guessing things that weren't right. One word they kept guessing was "Kill-Kegg-eh". But time ran out and they finally took the paper from me and, between laughs, told me they DID guess it right...it WAS "kill-kegg-eh." Apparently, this is how Kilncadzow is pronounced locally...although, I still can't figure out how they get that from this word!!

Here are some other word phenomenons or differences:
Milngavie, a town, is pronounced "Mull-guy"
Dalziel, a local community, is pronounced Diehl.
Any towns or names ending in "burgh" are pronounced "burr-uh".
Zucchini here is a courgette.
Snow peas are mangetout.
Cilantro is coriander.
Baking Soda is sodium bicarbonate.
Cornmeal is polenta flour.
Pants are Trousers (and saying 'pants' refers to undergarments...)
Trainers are Running Shoes
Jumpers are Sweatshirts

I'm sure there are many more...but these are the ones I can think of right now.

Settling in:
Lastly, I'll share a story about how I'm settling in here. When I was coming back from London, I had to take an 8-hour bus ride from London to Glasgow and then get on a 1/2 hour train from Glasgow to Motherwell. After that long trip, I was so excited to curl up and go to sleep: I was looking forward to getting back to my flat. Well, as I was on the train, we came around a corner and I could see in the near distance the distinct skyline of Motherwell and the first thought that came to my mind was "ahhh, I'm home!" And then, suddenly, I realized I had just called Motherwell my home. It was a strange feeling, that I was at a stage of not just visiting here, or settling in, but that it was home.

Then, a few days later, I was wandering in and out of places in the city centre and walked into the library to see it for the first time (and borrow their wifi). As I was walking up the stairs, I heard someone say "Erika" and thought "oh that's funny, someone has the same name as me...I haven't met another Erika here!" Then I heard it again and closer, so I turned around and realized, it was someone I knew...calling me! It seems like such a small thing, but to be around in town on my own and have someone I know see me and say Hi...it spoke volumes, since I am so used to being in SLO and constantly seeing either someone I know or someone I am related to. It was like the Lord was giving me a little assurance that He has me here in this community and that He wants me to keep being a part of it. =)


Praises and Prayers:
Pray with me:
-For unity in the body of Christ. For our time of praying this week...and beyond.
-For So:Love, a community outreach June 10-15th (I think I got the dates wrong last time) involving multiple churches in the area
-For the upcoming missions team (June 27 - July 8) and their outreach to the community.
-Continued work on the New Believer's Guide

Praise the Lord:
-Fusion, a bible study through Motherwell Calvary, was at my house last week and Alex and I led the group in a time of prayer and worship...praise the Lord it went well and, although neither of us are gifted with musical talent, we made it through worship! haha...
-A refreshing time at the conference last week
-for coffee mornings and the continued ministry that is going on there each week.

--
Joyfully,
Erika Bennett

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