Scotland Update 6

I'm writing this in the midst of a "UK Heat Wave"...or, a beautiful winter day in California (it's 75F here right now).

We are currently enjoying some beautiful weather and I have been soaking up every minute of being outdoors and in the sunshine.

Rest assured, though, If you've emailed me in the past week or two and I haven't responded yet...it's not because I've been playing hooky in the sunshine. It is, however, because this past few weeks have been a blur of craziness and unexpected twists.

Visitors
Please continue to pray for the adjustments/changes we are experiencing here. Pray for those who are now back in the states obtaining the proper visas and for their prompt return.

Discipleship
Also, I have started two separate discipleship relationships over the past two months. I will be sharing more with you about this in my newsletter I am currently writing. In the meantime, be praying for both of these relationships to go further, and for the prospect of new ones to come.

Social Media
As part of my day-to-day tasks, I have begun learning the social media for the church. This includes live-streaming the messages (you can watch here), helping with the video and audio during services, updating Facebook and Twitter...I've never considered myself a "techie" but, let me tell you, I am getting a crash course in these things! I am praising the Lord that I can fill these gaps, and praying He guides my steps and fingers as I learn more and more about these things!

Hazel
Hazel was one of the first people that quickly became a friend when I first moved here. When I found the flat that I now live in, I was told that she lived just a few blocks away from me and we quickly met and started walking home from church together. This let to me being invited to her house...first to pick flowers for my living room, then eventually to stay for tea (my first true "tea" experience here in Scotland). Every time I leave Hazel's presence, I feel refreshed in the Lord. She has loved the Lord for most of her life (i think she's in her 60's) and always has a way of bringing the conversation back to Him.

A few weeks ago, Hazel's back (which has given her trouble for 20+ years), went out and she herniated a lower disc. She is home-bound for at least 4 more weeks and, as you can guess, she is hungry for fellowship and teachings. I bring her the recorded teachings each week and am able to sit and talk with her as well, but please keep her in your prayers: that she would physically heal as she finds spiritual comfort in the Lord.

Thank you so much for your continued support and prayer for the Lord's ministry here in Scotland. Without your enthusiasm, encouragement, support, and prayers, none of this could happen. I am forever grateful and thankful for you all!

Spreading Like Fire

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

Matthew 5:14-16 NKJV

"So, why Scotland? Aren't there already tons of Christians there?"

Since moving to Scotland, I have been asked this question more times than I can count. Maybe even more times than I've been asked "where are you from?"

I hold my breath a little when I hear it starting to form in the conversation. Generally, my answer is short, sweet, and vague: "Well, this is where the Lord has called me, so I came out of obedience." This is mostly because I haven't found a better answer.

But, the thing is, I know that I was called here out of more than just obedience. Many of you know my story and my deep love for Scotland and the salvation of this nation. Many of you have heard me talk about my serving, seen me get excited about the ministry, pray for me as I send my prayer requests out.

Finally, last week, sitting down for coffee at another church and meeting a silver-haired saint named Ken, the question came up and I knew that I needed a better answer. Ken wouldn't take my vague "He called me..." response. He reminded me a little of jovial grandfather figure in Aristocats (all smiles and inquiries) and I knew he would want to know why.

So, I prayed for direction as the other missionary there gave his answer (I wish I could tell you what he said, but I was so concerned about what was going to come out of my mouth that I tuned him out). And, as I prayed, the Lord gave me a beautiful picture that I shared with Ken and those at my table.

Imagine a fire.

Multiple fires, actually. Of a darkness being pierced by these fires with many people gathering around them. It is a picture of people, tired of trying to find their way alone, in the dark, being attracted to these fires as though it were magnetic. And the fires are spreading. Those gathered at the fires are teaching others how to make more fire. Then some of those gathered would take what knowledge they were given and walk into the darkness to make another fire.

Soon, the small fires start spreading farther and farther into the darkness. Reaching beyond what the eye could see. The darkness is now dissipating and the light is growing steadily brighter.

But then, where the first fires once glowed bright, they start to dim. From a distance you could see the new fire's glow is still magnetic, but here, the light from where the fires once burned bright and attractive is now a mild glimmer: a memory of brightness. It was growing cold and dark again.

Did too many people leave and there was no one to stoke the fires? Did those who knew how to start, stoke, and maintain the heat and warmth move on? Were there just not enough people to keep the fires burning and so they slowly started to die out? Did they forget the warmth and brightness and grow accustomed to a lukewarm and dimly lit life?

I don't know the answer to the why's...only God does. But what I do know is that Great Britain was once a bright furnace of Christian faith, glowing and attractive to those around them. That faith, their fire, spread outward. The faithful took what knowledge they knew of the salvation of Jesus Christ and lit that fire around the world. Their light spread. The fire warmed. The skills were taught and more people learned how to start, stoke, and maintain the Christian faith.

But here in the UK, somewhere in the yesterdays, the fires lessened. The light and the warmth weakened. Yes, it's still there, and yes, there are still fires being made. The glow is still recognizable. But what once was bright and glorious and unable to be hidden from the rest of the world is threatened to be snuffed out.

Where fires were once prolific and the knowledge of keeping, growing, and multiplying these fires was second nature, there are now just a faithful few seeking to maintain the remnants.

This is why the Lord has called me here. This is why the Lord has called and/or raised up many others here as well. This is the Lord still at work here in the UK...

We are here, with the fire that only comes from the Lord, piercing the darkness and calling people to know who the true Light is. We are seeking to show others how to build up that warmth and brightness so that this 'city on a hill' (or, island on the Atlantic) can once again shine bright, not hidden from the world, but available for all to see.

Recently, I heard an American pastor speaking at a conference here and he started it with this statement (loosely paraphrased from what I remember) "It is an honor to be here today. I owe my Christian faith to you. Christianity didn't spread from the west to the east, it came westward, to America, from here. From you. For this, I am indebted to you and thankful."

So I, being just another indebted and thankful believer, consider it an honor for the Lord to call me here to serve. I have my torch in hand and pray that He would use me to once again pierce the darkness, brighten the dimly fading light, stoke fires, bring His salvation, and set this "city" back on a hill, not hidden from anyone.

Scotland Update 5

Hi everyone!

Here are some fun things going on recently. The main points are in bold, if you're pressed for time. =)

Thank you so much for each response, encouragement and prayer! They are more comforting and bring so much more joy than you will ever know!

SoLove Ministry Update
This week, the churches here in Motherwell are teaming up to do ministry under the name of SoLove. Their heart is to unify the body of Christ to reach out in the community and serve, share the love of Christ, and enjoy community with each other.

I can't tell you how exciting this is for me. It's pretty much taking everything I have a passion for, putting it under the banner of Jesus' love and salvation through His sacrifice and and resurrection on the cross, topping it with a bright red ribbon, and saying "here you go, Erika!"

So, some things to pray for as the week goes on: each day, different churches are opening up their doors as serving coffee, tea, and baked goods. Our church will be having our "Open Doors" coffee morning on Friday (we generally have a coffee morning on Friday, but this week we expect more people...and hope to keep them coming back!). Please pray for meaningful conversations and for the gospel to be shared during the different Open Doors venues throughout the week. Pray for boldness and for an openness.

Summer Fun Day
On Saturday (the 15th), we (the SoLove Churches) will be having a Summer Fun Day at a local park in Motherwell. I've volunteered to do one of the stalls (not sure which one yet!). Right now, the forecast calls for rain...eek! We've been having such amazing weather here (yes, Scotland does get sunny days! I know, shocker.), will you pray with us that the forecast changes and we get another beautiful day on Saturday?

We have also been handing out leaflets to all these events. In talking with the staff here at church, they are pretty confident of the Open Doors and Summer Fun Day being attended by church goers but, as this is supposed to also be an outreach, our prayer is that the leaflets (and word of mouth) would spread around and we would see more of the un-churched community come to the events as well. It is so important to have a church that you can call "home" but, from experience, I know how hard it is to take that first step and walk into a church building...especially alone! My prayer is that these events would, at the very least, be a stepping stone to getting people to come to church. Pray for those who may not have a home church to be able to come to one of these events and find a solid church to go to regularly. (ps: If you don't have a home church, I would love to be praying for you to find one and might be able to help point you in a direction of one...just let me know!).

Mexican Food? What's that?
I have been asked a lot if there is anything I'm missing here that I want/wish I could have from the states (as in, physically). My first answer is always: YOU GUYS!! I do miss my friends and family back at home so much, but I am even more grateful that the Lord is letting me live out this experience here (plus, I love Skype and Facetime...if you want to schedule a time to chat, just let me or Amy Maskal know!). Really, though, He is doing some mighty things and I see so much of His heart for the church here in Scotland (I'm in the beginning stages of writing a blog...stay tuned!).

But honestly, I could probably list a lot of things that are "different" here (let's not talk about Mexican food, ok?), or simply unattainable (like natural toothpaste and cornmeal...who knew?), but the bottom line is that I can handle not having these things. The Lord didn't send me here just so I can wish life was back to how I remember it, right? He is letting me experience new places, new traditions, new foods, and an entirely new way of life. For that, I am grateful.

What about YOU?
So, imagine you're on a desert island...just kidding. But, I would love to hear...if you moved away from home--to a new culture and community, what is one commodity that you think you might miss the most?

--
Joyfully,
Erika Bennett

Support: Shepherds Staff, Account 1061
Email: erikamarie82@gmail.com
Blog: erikamarie82.blogspot.com

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

Donate or become a monthly supporter:  Shepherds Staff, Account 1061
Email: erikamarie82@gmail.com
Blog: erikamarie82.blogspot.com

Just another day...

(see full image)

Scotland Update 3

Hi friends and family!

I am in the process of getting a newsletter together (with pictures and everything!) that I will be sending out by the end of this week, so my update today will just be prayer requests and praises. But rest assured, you will all get another email with the newsletter in it when it's finished!

Praise: I was able to go down to London for a few days to see my friends, David and Trista (and Adelle!) before they moved home to America. It was a great time of fellowship with their church, the Holydes, and the Parks.

Prayer: this coming weekend, Calvary Glasgow City is hosting a few pastors from the Santa Barbara area for a conference. Being only about 15 miles away from me, I am planning on attending. Please pray that this time is fruitful and that the Lord uses it to minister to the pastors and leaders.

Prayer: there is a small team coming over to serve at the church in the end of June (you will probably hear more about it as the weeks draw closer) and I have been asked to help administrate their time here. As many of you know me very well...you know that this is right up my alley! Please pray that I use my time wisely and that they Lord directs each step and administrative detail to be used for Him.

I am looking forward to getting my newsletter out and give you guys a little bit of the "big picture" of my last two months here (I can't believe its already been that long!). As ever, please email me back and let me know if there is any way I can be praying for you!

--
Joyfully,
Erika Bennett

Donate or become a monthly supporter: Shepherds Staff, Account 1061
Email: erikamarie82@gmail.com
Blog: erikamarie82.blogspot.com

How does your garden grow?

In my new home, I have a garden. If you know me at all, you know that a garden is the last thing you would expect me to have. When it comes to growing things, I excel at yeast for breads, mold, laundry in the hamper, craft projects, and to-do lists.

In my garden, I have a few small flower beds that are overgrown with weeds. Some weeds were even so pretty that I thought they were flowers. I was told otherwise.

I keep thinking "I ought to get out there and fix up the garden! Maybe plant some herbs (side note: here in the UK, the "h" isn't silent), put in some pretty flowers, maybe a berry bush or some string beans...? Doesn't sound too hard, right? Hah...you're not me. In the words of a common colloquialism here, "I canne' be bothered to do it."

The problem is, I don't have the tools to get out there and pull all the weeds. I don't have the shovels and rakes to aerate or till. I don't have gloves to keep my hands protected. I don't have a means to get to the garden center and buy the seeds and seedlings. And I certainly don't have the wherewithal to know what the heck I'm doing.

So, the weeds continue to grow. The flowers left from the previous tenant continue to cry out for attention, and the dirt sets there...getting dirtier and harder and wishing it had something in it to grow.  And every day I look out my window and think "I should get out there, even for ten minutes, and pull a few weeds." and every day I look out my window and think "you know, those weeds don't look that bad. They're kind of more like wild flowers. Pretty in their own accord. I need to just let them grow and see how pretty they become."

And every day nothing happens except a continued creeping chaos of widespread weeds and dead plants. Except for the rain coming down and the sun coming up, my garden is neglected. Those weeds aren't getting smaller; in fact, they are most prolific in their short life span.

As I look out my window today, I think how amazingly quick a garden bed, so ripe for planting, growing, and feeding, can become a bed of death with weeds choking out the growth; the ground now hardened because of a lack of tending. When I finally work up the courage to step out there and start clearing weeds, tilling ground, and planting seeds, the work will be multiplied because I let it set for so long. It might even be too late in the season for me to start planting some seeds.

I'm sure you know where this is heading.

Because, greater than the garden bed outside my window is the garden that must be tended in my heart, mind, and soul. Sitting there, with soil rich in nutrients to plant it, is a garden bed asking to be tilled, turned, planted, and tended.

In that garden are sweetly smelling flowers of joy, kindness, faithfulness. Bright colored plants of service, humility, encouragement. The growth of love, peace, gentleness, long-suffering. It's where weeds of gossip, discontent, frustration, and idleness can begin to grow. It's also where they can multiply into distrust, anger, bitterness, and hurt. And where I can look out from a window and think "you know, those weeds aren't so bad. They aren't hurting anything right now. I'll just let them grow..." only to find out too late that they are choking the plants to death.

It's where I must spend my quiet time with the Lord...using the spade of the Word, the shovel of prayer, and the gloves of accountability. It's where I need to get my hands dirty, ripping out the roots of those weeds so they don't choke the growth of life. The scary part is how often I don't choose to be in my garden. And how quickly, when that happens, I find one...two...25 more weeds to turn.

This garden, where I could afford to spend more time--instead of just looking at from a window and watch as the weeds start to overtake the growth--is just waiting for me to step inside it and get to work. The greatest part? I won't be out there alone, blindly tearing up soil and plants alike, hoping for the best (much like I will be doing in my physical garden). The Gardener will be with me every step of the way. Showing me what needs to be yanked, what needs to be nurtured, and where I need to start new seeds.

I'm ready to move past stopping and smelling the flowers of others gardens...to planting the flowers that others can stop and smell...and ultimately, I pray, they will desire a garden of their own.

Some verses to meditate on: John 15:1-5, Psalm 1, Isaiah 58:9-11, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Galatians 5:16-26