Walking with God

Final Update About Scotland

2012-01-25T12:12:00.002-05:00

Here is my update concerning my time in Scotland!

My new update!

2011-07-30T09:43:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone! Here is my new update! Click on it to check it out. :)

I hope those of you in the States are melting from the massive heat wave I hear is going on over there. It's barely topped 70 degress here, and I can tell that I'm adjusted to Scottish weather when I think that is hot! I suppose it's good that it doesn't get much warmer here, because many of the buildings don't have air-conditioning. :) The sun still rises around 6am and doesn't fully set until after 10pm, so that is something I'm enjoying.

I'm praying a lot about my future and what God would have me do. If you think about it, pray for the Lord's direction and guidance for me. I don't want to take a step somewhere unless He leads it! Kind of like in Numbers when Moses was leading the people out of Egypt, and they had a cloud during the day and fire during the night to lead them, and how the people didn't move until they saw the cloud or the fire move. Numbers 9:15-23

Back at Seamill

2011-05-24T19:14:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone! I'm back at Seamill, getting settled and enjoying the quiet. :) Look for an update in about a week, detailing what I did! I thought I would add a picture I took while in Aberdeen:

It reminds me being still with God, just resting in Him and taking that time to listen. Such an important reminder for me, when my mind feels like it is going 100 miles an hour.

"Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exaled among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!"
~Psalm 46:10

News from Scotland

2011-03-26T13:17:00.007-04:00

Hello!! Hope you are all doing well! I thought I would write a little update as to what has been going on with me lately.

Last week we had some time off, and I decided to go camping in the highlands with a few other people. It was so beautiful! (And windy and cold, but that's to be expected...) It was so nice to explore more of Scotland and take some time to relax. Here was our campsite:

On the way up, we also went to Loch Ness, which I have never seen before! (Hard to believe, huh?) Here is my first reaction to seeing the Loch:

And in other news, I've decided to help the January DTS by co-leading part of an outreach! I'll be in Aberdeen for 4 weeks, participating in some of the ministries that I helped out at when I did my own DTS outreach there 2 years ago. Here is a picture of the city center:

And here is the team I will be working with! My co-leader is the one with the blue shirt in the middle.

I'm excited about what these next few months in Scotland will bring. Please keep me in your prayers if you can! Please pray that God would help me lead, and that I would continue to show His love to others - both to my team and those who we will meet up with in Aberdeen.

Thanks!!
~meredith

2011-02-10T16:54:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone!
Don't worry, I'm still here! Sorry for the lack of updates! Lots of good stuff has been going on here in Scotland, and I'm settling in for the next good portion of the year for being here. It was wonderful going home for Christmas, and things have started off well with the new DTS - this is their first week, and it already looks like God is going to do a lot with them.

I'll be working on my update, so look for it in the next few days!

Back Home

2010-12-16T17:04:00.003-05:00

I'm here in Indiana! I arrived safely without incident and with all of my luggage (phew!).

I'm going to be here for 3 weeks, and I'm so thankful that I've been able to come home for Christmas.

Check out the video below - it's a bird's eye view over West Kilbride on a particularly nice day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS-XEgjlWLI

Upcoming news

2010-11-23T11:05:00.003-05:00

Here is something that I'm going to be involved with coming up next week. Check out the link if you want more information! It's a great opportunity to get involved with the local Scottish community and share God's love with them. :)

Light and Life

Also, I have the opportunity to go home for Christmas this year! First time since 2007. I'll be home for 3 weeks, so if you want to meet up for coffee, to chat, or just to connect, let me know! I'd love to share about what God is doing in Scotland. :)

New Update!

2010-10-17T07:10:00.003-04:00

Check out the link below to check out my latest newsletter from Scotland - the "most recent update." Also, if you haven't noticed, I added a slideshow of pictures on the bottom of this page from the last 2 years.

Also, I have the opportunity to go home for Christmas! Pray that I find a decent flight. :)

Thanks! :)

meredith

YWAM 50th at Harpenden

2010-09-26T06:59:00.003-04:00

Here is a video I made from my time down in England at YWAM Harpenden for YWAM 50th year conference celebration! All of the UK and parts of Europe came to get together and see what God is doing over Europe and the world. The founders of YWAM, Loren and Darlene Cunningham, were also there to give a few talks and to encourage the 700 or so of us that were there about what God is doing all over the world.

2010-08-27T12:34:00.001-04:00

I'm here!! Tired, but got here safely and with all my bags and limbs. :) Ready to sleep a lot this weekend. Thank you so much for the prayers! I could feel the encouragement coming from them. :)

2010-08-24T15:19:00.013-04:00

My visa has arrived!!! Praise God!! I'm all set now to leave in the evening of this Thursday, and will arrive in West Kilbride, Scotland sometime this Friday afternoon! A little later than expected, but God is good, and I'm getting there.

Prayer requests:

- safe flight

- no lost luggage

- for me to be sensitive to God's leading about who I should talk to :)

Thank you!!!!

meredith

2010-08-15T21:22:00.003-04:00

Hi all! Just posting a quick update: I haven't received my visa/passport yet, and my flight leaves tomorrow at 8:15pm. Unless I get it back by 1pm tomorrow, then I will have to reschedule my flight for maybe later in the week, or next week. Can you pray that my visa application gets accepted, and if I change my flight, can you pray that I'm able to change it for as soon as possible, and with the cheapest cost difference?

Thanks! Oh, and I get to go back to Scotland soon! Praise God!!!

Final preparations

2010-08-07T10:33:00.003-04:00

Hello hello! It's less than 2 weeks until my scheduled flight to Scotland on Aug. 16. Packing is underway and I'm getting everything ready for my return. Aug 10 is my last day at work, and I'm still so thankful for the Lord's provision for me during this time with my job this summer. I had the same job last summer, but was barely getting 20 hours a week. This summer, I was able to work over 40 hours a week pretty much since I arrived at the end of April. Praise God!

He's also provided me with several monthly supporters, of whom I am SO thankful for! Last year I had less than $50 in monthly support, and this year I'll have almost 2/3 of what I need! Praise God, because He provided for me when I didn't have much, and I know that He has and will in this coming year. He is faithful in all things.

I've also enjoyed seeing my family and friends, sharing about my work with my church in Bloomington, Indiana, and also with the wonderful ladies at my mother's work. I'm always so grateful whenever anyone shows an interest in what I am doing, because ultimately it's not what I am doing, but what HE is doing.

In this time, I'd only like to ask for a few prayer requests:
-That I'd get my visa approved and returned to me in the next few days
-For a safe flight and trip to my base in West Kilbride, Scotland

Thank you so much for reading, and for your contiued prayers. May the Lord be with you all (as He always is). :)

meredith

2010-07-12T17:44:00.003-04:00

"I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you." Jer. 31:3

I'm always so amazed by God's faithfulness. His word in that he will never leave us or forsake us (Heb 13:5) will always be true. This has been true and will be true for the rest of my life, and yours as well! That no matter where we are, He is there. That has been so apparent to me in these days. It's easy for me to remember that when I am overseas doing missions work - I guess being in a different location, doing different things reminds me that God is near to me where ever I am. Sometimes when I am in this familiar setting, I slip into old habits, but God's word is solid in this - that even when we fall and falter, he continues to be faithful to us because He has loved us with an everlasting love. Everlasting, or never ending. Nothing will separate us from His love for us. Nothing.

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-9

From Turkey

2010-06-04T21:27:00.002-04:00

Some pictures from Turkey!

Inside a mosque:

Looking out a bus window:

Our toilet:

Turkish cay (tea):

Bridge between Europe and Asia

Near where I lived

My newest update!!

2010-04-13T05:47:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone! Here is my newest update with more info for you on what I am doing! If you can't read it, or if it's too small, just let me know and I can help you out. :) Be blessed!!!

Here!

2010-04-01T12:52:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone! I'm here in Amsterdam and enjoying the opportunity to experience YWAM in another context outside of Scotland. The base here is very multi-cultural, which is great, and I'm trying to practice my Dutch, which is not so great. :) I've been spending a lot of my time praying, reading, hanging out with God, and going on random walks around the city. So far I'm enjoying it.

I'm praying that tomorrow I get to speak with someone who runs the ministry I am most interested in. Pray for that if you get a chance!

I know that if I ever come here, I need a direct word from the Lord, so pray that God would speak clearly in this time, and that I have open ears to listen! ;)

Thank you!
meredith

Prayer Requests!

2010-03-25T17:02:00.000-04:00

Hi guys! I wanted to let you all know what's going on with me and to ask for some prayer support. As you know, I'm deciding on what I want to do now - praying about future possibilites and seeing if God has anything more for me in Scotland or anywhere else. I've been very uncertain about timing and when to do what, and it doesn't help that I'm in a crunch with my UK visa expiring on April 30, so I need to make a decision by then.

In the last month or so, God has been putting the city of Amsterdam on my heart. This may come as a surprise to some of you - it certainly did to me! I know it's from God because it came out of nowhere. It started in Bulgaria - whenever I heard someone talk about Amsterdam, I could feel something stirring in my spirit, and I know this is leading from God. I don't know if God wants me to go and work with YWAM Amsterdam (which is located in the country of Holland), and if He does, whether it is for this season in my life or not. Amsterdam is an incredibly socially liberal city and it contains what is known as the "Red Light District," which houses a huge sex industry. I've had the women in this industry on my heart lately, specifically those who have been trafficked to work in this industry.

So next Monday for a week I am going to visit the YWAM base in Amsterdam and check the city out and explore ministry opportunities. These could be opportunities in prayer, advocacy, etc. I know that I can't NOT visit, since I know that God is trying to say something to me. So can you pray for me, that in this time I would hear clearly from the Lord as to what He wants me to do?

And I'm also praying about whether to continue being on staff with YWAM in Scotland. My heart is in Scotland and I still have such a huge heart for DTS and to see people realize their identity in Christ.

So here are my prayer requests:
For God's clarification and direction during my week in Amsterdam
Direction and conformation about whether to continue on with YWAM Scotland
For clarity within the next few weeks!

Thank you SO much!! I appreciate you all so much, and know that I couldn't be here, doing these things and working to expand God's kingdom if it wasn't for ALL of you. You're such a blessing to me, and thank you for all of your support, every bit of it. :)
Blessings,
Meredith

Testimonies and New Steps!

2010-03-14T16:12:00.004-04:00

I just posted my update from my time in Bulgaria online - check out the lower right corner of this page if you want to check it out!

I'm also working on a final update for this DTS - it will include testimonies from Turkey and more from Bulgaria and a few from the students on the school, just on what God has done in their lives while they've been on this DTS. They all graduated this past Wednesday, and it was so amazing to look at them 6 months later - God has done so many amazing things in their lives and some of them almost look physically different. God is so incredible, and I'm just reminded of what He did in my life while I was on my own DTS. He's kept me on the journey of freedom - remember how I was SO incredibly afraid of public speaking? I've lead public prayer sessions here at the base with a few other people, given my testimony in front of over 100 people and done so many other things I would have not been able to do before in the last 6 months. It really does blow me away!!

Right now I have a few weeks off, and I'm using this time to really pray and seek the Lord about what the next steps are in my life. This is my reality - seeking God and getting His word on what I should be doing, and then to do it with all my heart!! I only want to live a life of obedience and seeking after the Lord and showing others about who He is! He has blessed me so much - through family, friends, situations, etc. and I only want to bless others. Right now this takes the form of learning how to serve. God has challenged me in the way of causing me to think about how I serve - what do I do when no one is watching except God? How can I bless others daily?

I had the deepest conviction of my life last night. God convicted me on my lack of prayer and showed me just how important prayer is. I don't know how many tissues I used up because of all of my tears on account of this conviction, but it was so life giving! I feel like I've caught the fire for prayer!! It's so important, and I can see that now.

So on that note - let me pray for you!!! Email me or respond to this post with your prayer requests. I would LOVE to pray for you.

Okay that's all for now I think. Pray for me if you think about it - I need to figure out what I'm doing soon!! I would love to stay in Scotland but I need people who are committed to giving me a certain amount of money every month to support me - this could range from $5 to $100. Whatever amount is wonderful and such a blessing to me. The total I need a month is $450, which I don't think is impossible. So if you could support me in prayer to see this come through that would be SO SO SO helpful!!!! THANK YOU!!!!! I'm so blessed to have friends and supporters like you all!! :D

meredith

Back in bonny Scotland!

2010-02-23T15:11:00.002-05:00

I'm here in Scotland! The team and I made it back here with no incidents and all in one peace. We rounded out our outreach by having 4 more days in Istanbul after we returned from Bulgaria. We only did one day of ministry, and this ended up being prefect because we had the last 3 days to wind down and say goodbye to Turkey. God is so good and wonderful, and I'm overwhelmed by everything that He did while we were in Turkey and Bulgaria. I'll be writing an update concerning Bulgaria, and then another one summing up everything that happened in Turkey and what God taught me, and how He used me and my team!

If you could, pray for me concerning future direction. I'm waiting to hear from God about what the next step is after this DTS is over.

Blessings!
meredith

Bulgaria!

2010-01-18T07:52:00.003-05:00

As a school, each team has the opportunity to do a "boomerang" trip - where we will leave Turkey for up to 2 weeks and do work in another country, and then we return to Turkey for a little bit before we leave. My team has prayed about it and we're going to Bulgaria for 12 days! We're all really excited, and we're still in the planning stage right now, so hopefully we'll know for sure what we're doing soon. The current info is that we'll be working with gypsies, but that is still negotiable.

Time in Istanbul has been flying by so quickly! We only have about a month left, and then it will be back to Scotland for 3 weeks and then the school is finished. I've been so challenged by being a leader this time around as opposed to a student. God has challenged me in every aspect of my walk with him, and it's so encouraging to think about where I was a year ago, and where I am now. God is so faithful.

We're going to have the opportunity to lead a church service and invite all of the friends we have made so far to it. Many of the students have developed friendships with some Turkish people and also a few Nigerians! We had a friend over a few nights ago, and before he left, Rachel and I felt prompted to give him a Turkish New Testament, and we're just praying now that the Spirit will speak to him. :) A couple students on my team were able to lead a man to Christ on Saturday - such a testament to the Lord!! We were all so encouraged and uplifted by this, and we're all reminded of just how much every aspect of what we do here is important - whether we're tilling the soil, planting the seed, or watering it. But it is God who causes the growth. :)

God's told me recently that I have to lead from a place of faith, so if you could pray for that, I would greatly appreciate it. Also if you can pray for direction for after I am done with this school. I'm in a season of walking by faith, so I'm just waiting to hear what God says next.

Thanks for everything!! God is doing some great things here in Istanbul! :D

meredith

It's 2010!

2010-01-01T12:10:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Istanbul!! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and also that you're enjoying 2010! We've had relaxing times during the holidays here, and over Christmas we were able to pass out gifts to the local community near a church we attend. It was so amazing to see these people come to the service the next day, and even more incredible was that we saw God heal people with our very eyes! It was such a testimony to who God is and what He is capable of. :)

During the week, we make the trip from Asia to Europe a few times, hop on up to an area near the Black Sea, and travel all over our side of Istanbul. Our team has from the first day known we would have a "bus ministry," and this has been so true, considering we are often on the bus about 2 hours a day. We've already met people, made friends, been able to pray for people - all on the bus. Along with that, we've had people get various body parts stuck in the doors, we've been hanging out of buses as they move, we've been pressed in so tight that I could reach all 7 other people on my team with one arm, and we've had numerous balancing issues as the buses stop and start quite quickly. But in the midst of it all, God has been with us, and His joy never fails to show up when we are on the bus together.

We've been in Istanbul for over a month now, and I can't believe that time is flying by so quickly. God has blessed us though with some great and wonderful experiences so far, and I can't wait to see what else He is going to do in the next few months. :)

meredith

Here!

2009-12-11T16:46:00.003-05:00

Hello from Istanbul!!! We're all here we just finished the lecture part of the school. God has been showing up in so many ways and I've been incredibly blessed to see the students step out in faith and boldness - both in their walk with God, and also in what we're doing! Most times we end up talking to people we meet on the bus, which is so awesome. Our apartment is nice, and it's so fitting for our team. It isn't the largest of all of the teams, but it's perfect because one thing God spoke over us as a team had to do with unity, and I know that if we were in one of the bigger apartments, we would be having a much harder time walking in unity with one another. It's just another reminder that God knows. :)

I'm really wishing that I knew Turkish, but the Turks are really kind and willing to help us foreigners out. I've been so blessed by the hospitality in this culture, and just the openness in general. We should be beginning our work next week, which is exciting.

Pray for

Divine favor and encounters

Opportunities

That we'd all find time with God - so important!

Unity and love in our team

If you'd like to receive my full updates, reply to this with your email address and I can add you to my list. :)

meredith

Off I go!

2009-11-26T18:27:00.002-05:00

I'm leaving for Istanbul tomorrow!!! Pray for safety for me and my team and that we make (along with our luggage) all together and in one piece. :)

PRAISE: I received over $1000 in the last few weeks in donations toward my time in Turkey!!! Praise God and thank you to everyone who so generously donated!! You have no idea how much you have blessed me! :)

And a Happy Thanksgiving!! (to my American readers)

Urgent Prayer Request!

2009-11-18T14:40:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone!! I have an urgent prayer request to pass along! We're leaving for Turkey next Friday and I need to have all my outreach fees paid by then, and this amounts up to £1000. Going on outreach is more expensive than living on the base here, for reasons such as transportation, food, renting a flat, etc. So I need to raise that in the next week!! PLEASE pray for me! I'm believing that God can do anything!!!!!!!

Thank you SO much!! :)

meredith

October Update Posted

2009-10-27T13:57:00.002-04:00

Hey guys! If you don't get my email update, I just posted my most recent update. Look on the bottom right of this page, click on the link and you can read about what God is doing over here in Scotland!

Tour of the base where I am staying

2009-10-02T12:37:00.000-04:00

Back from Turkey!

2009-09-21T07:39:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone! I got back from Antalya, Turkey yesterday after a good 12+ hours in transit. Thank you to everyone who prayed for the work we had a priviledge to be involved in over there. It was amazing!! God really showed up and I had the honor to see believers from several different nations come together to pray for Turkey. Such a blessing.

As soon as I can I'm going to send out an update of what happened while my team and I were there. We kind of had a rough start (delayed flights, missed flights, spending the night in London), but we finally got there and it was very much worth the delays. Once I get my update ready, you'll be able to view it online from the link in the bottom right corner of this page.

Thanks again to everyone!! Keep praying because God is moving!! :)
meredith

Off to Turkey!

2009-09-11T17:49:00.003-04:00

Hi all!! I'm off to Anatalya, Turkey tomorrow!! My team and I will be working with the 24/7 Burn - 100 hours of prayer and worship in and for Turkey. I'm so excited that we get to be a part of this movement! It's also going to be great to be able to experience Turkey before we lead the students on an outreach there...to know why exactly God wants us to go.

I'll be there for a week - Sept 12 through the 20th.

Pray for safe travels for us! And that we'd experience the Lord in new ways and be an impact to those around us!

meredith

Here!

2009-09-03T15:50:00.004-04:00

I'm in Scotland! I got here Tuesday morning and I think I am adjusting to the jet lag alright. It's been nice to get back into the rhythm of things here again and it almost feels like I never left. I've been getting caught with old friends and making new ones, and starting next month there will be 3 schools happening concurrently here! So we're going to have a full house. :)

Two more members of staff should be arriving in the next few weeks. And from Sept 12-19, the team and I are going to head over to Istanbul, Turkey for a 100-hour prayer and worship session for Turkey! It's the first time I'll be in Turkey so it should be a new and exciting experience. It will be nice to go and familiarize myself with the culture so I can tell the students what it's about and what God is doing there! Time to catch the vision!

I've had a little setback with my funding, so pray that God will provide what I need. I know He can. And pray for encouragement for me, since I know the enemy is going to use this to get me depressed and worried.

I'm leaving Aug 31!

2009-08-29T12:17:00.002-04:00

It's down to the wire now! I'm leaving this upcoming Monday at 5pm and should get into Galsgow at 10am Tuesday (all on no sleep!!! I can't really sleep on planes...). I'm getting really excited and getting all my stuff packed up and taking care of any last minute things I need to do.

In other news, I'm pretty sure we'll be going to Turkey for outreach! Istanbul, specifically. I've never been there before so I'm excited to go there and learn about Turkish culture and the people there.

Because of this, my expenses are going to be a little higher than I first thought, so right now I'm praying for 50 people to give $20 or more so I can get the extra thousand I need to go to Turkey. I'm believing for it and praying for a miracle!! I know He can do it!!!!

Coming soon: I just bought a bigger memory card for my camera, so one thing I'm going to do when I first get to the base in West Kilbride is take a video of the building and my room - basically where I will be staying. And then I'm going to upload it on here so you all can see!! Because pictures only do so much. So look for that in the next few weeks. :)

One month!

2009-08-03T13:30:00.007-04:00

Less than a month before I go. I'm a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Excitement because I love Scotland and it will be so nice to get back there, and nerves because a lot of things need to happen before I go. If you're willing, I have a prayer list!

~~My visa - I need it within the month~~
~~Plane ticket~~
Full financial support - I'm still about ~~$3000~~ $2000 short
Final preperations for the school

Thanks for everything guys!! I value your prayers SO much....and we all know that God can do some amazing things through prayer. :)

Hope you all are well,
meredith

UPDATE:

As of 8/13 : I have my visa!!! The British Embassy approved my application and I just received it in the mail!

As of 8/5 : I have my plane ticket! My dad and I managed to find a last minute deal with United Airlines - they were trying to get rid of their last few seats so we managed to get a reduced ticket price!! Woo!!

As of 8/4 : Now I'm down to needing only $2000!!!

Update

2009-07-05T17:43:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone! Here's some good news for you: I've been OFFICIALLY accepted on staff at the YWAM base in Scotland! Woo! I'm working on getting my British visa right now...very complicated since they just changed everything, so pray that everything goes well for me!

Now, the only thing left is to raise support! If I get enough money, I'm planning to be back in Scotland by Septemeber 1, which is in less than 2 months! Crazy. Time certainly does fly.

Revelations

2009-06-27T22:39:00.004-04:00

Here's something I've been thinking about recently: I could go the rest of my life and never pray again and or read the Bible and God would STILL love me, because I am his child. My action or inaction can never change the fact that God has marked me as his own. Spending time with him does change the quality of our relationship, but it will never make me more worthy or deserving of his love. We have that always if we belong to him.

Now THAT'S something to be thankful for. :)

New look

2009-06-08T23:20:00.007-04:00

Hi everyone! As you may have noticed, I've redone my blog! I decided I wanted something a little more personal, and the above picture really means a lot to me. I saw this while I was sitting on the beach in Seamill one afternoon. I was just reading and generally have a good time with God when I looked up and BAM! I saw this!! Incredible. I can't even describe how much more amazing this looked in person, but I think this picture is a close enough likeness. It was so encouraging because it reminded me of something - that God can break through in our lives no matter what is going on! Just as this intense ray of sunlight broke through the dark clouds, God can do exactly the same in our lives. No matter where you are, God is just waiting to burst through into your life with His light! I love it!!

Here is a random picture I'm going to share, because this has been my face as of late:

I would call this look....my pondering look. Much thinking has been going on lately. Lots of thinking....

Granted, when I've been thinking recently I haven't been blinded by the sun like I was in this picture, but you get the idea.

God is about to do something BIG. I can feel it.

oh yeah. bring it on.

Life as I know it

2009-05-28T21:54:00.004-04:00

I've been hanging out at my parents' in Indy for almost 2 months now. I was talking to a friend a few days ago and we still can't believe it's almost June. Sometimes Scotland feels like a distant memory and it feels like my days here are just running together. Maybe when I finally get a job that's more than 10 hours a week I'll feel like I'm actually accomplishing something. But I do have a few interviews coming up, so that's something good! And one other thing, I hate job interviews...I've decided. It's basically having a conversation with someone and selling yourself, or making the interviewer like you. There's no way to get to know someone in 30 minutes and then make a decision about them. But it's made me realize something - putting people in boxes is stupid. No one is the same, so judging them and putting them in a box will get you nowhere. When we put people in boxes, we oversimplify them, and the problem with that is that NO ONE is simple. Not even close. I don't like to be oversimplified, so why should I ever oversimplify someone else? I think all of this just makes me realize how purely awesome people are. Everyone is so radically different. AWESOME.

Wow, that was a tangent. Hah. Anyway, as for the future, all I'm doing right now is waiting to hear back from the base in Scotland that I plan on returning to. I applied for staff a little bit ago and hopefully they'll get back to me soon so I can know which visa to get and all that jazz. Just some waiting to do now! Then the support raising and planning will begin! I have a feeling that life will probably get a lot busier soon....

My new church is good! I've gotten involved in the prayer team and I'm really enjoying that. Before I left Scotland I had a lot of people comment about how they felt God was calling me into a gifting of intercession, or prayer, and when I spoke to a staff member at my new church, she felt the exact same thing, without knowing anything else about me. So I suppose that's a conformation for me, if I needed one. I've got to say though, I have absolutely no idea how to do this, but that's okay, because God's bringing me along at the pace I need to go and He's pretty much awesome, so I know He's got a plan in all of this.

So! That's my life as of now, in a really condensed form. In a word, it's good!

2009-05-08T13:34:00.004-04:00

I'm still here! The plan is still to return to Scotland in the fall, but at the moment I don't have a job! I'm trying to get a job so I can save up some money for my time over there, so if you all could pray that I find a job soon, that would be much appreciated! :)

God's been doing a lot of things lately, but I still feel like I'm in a transitional mode. I know that I love Scotland and its people, but I still feel like there is a piece missing from the puzzle. I've realized that I have a heart for discipleship, which is why I'm trying to staff the DTS in Scotland this fall. God has also been opening my heart up more and more concerning prayer. I'm trying to understand what it means to walk in faith and how to commit myself to prayer....wanting to see God do the miraculous.

God has told me that I'm going to live my life in seasons, which fits I think, since I tend to grow restless after being in one place and doing one thing for a long time. I know for now that the season I'm in has to do with YWAM in Scotland. I'm excited about this, but at the same time I have no idea where the next step is going to be, or when it will happen. I'm excited to see where God is going to take me, and I think it's just a matter of following where He leads.....and who knows where that will be!!!

It's always an adventure with God!!!

Support Letter and Prayer Card

2009-04-14T12:35:00.001-04:00

I'm working on my new support letter and I've made up a prayer card for anyone interested. Let me know if you would like one! :)

I'm back!!

2009-04-03T10:41:00.002-04:00

Hello! I've finished my DTS and am finally back in the States after a few weeks of traveling. I've been trying to get settled in and attempting to readjust to life back here. God's been gracious to me because it hasn't been as difficult for me as I know it has been for some other students on my school. And it's great to be back! I've been thinking about what I can write to you all to sum up my time in Scotland - just how much God changed me and all of the things He did. Expect an update early next week!

In my update, I'll be writing about how I feel like God has called me back to Scotland to staff a DTS this upcoming fall. Scotland completely has my heart, and I love YWAM and what the Discipleship Training School is all about, and I want to see Christians grow in their faith and be challenged to step out for God, as He helped me do on my own DTS. To do this, I need to raise about the same amount of money as I needed for my DTS. I've added a PayPal "Donate" button on the left if you feel led to give. I know that God wants me there, so I'm standing in faith to see my support come in. Will you stand with me in prayer? Thank you for everything.

(And if anyone reading this blog doesn't receive my updates and would like my final one containing my thoughts on DTS, just respond to this post with your email address and I will add you on the list!)

To all of my supporters, prayer and financial, once again, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! My time in Scotland wouldn't have been as impacting without your prayers and encouragement. I want you all to know just how much you mean to me. :)

God bless!!
Meredith

End of outreach!

2009-02-18T15:06:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! Sorry it's been a long time since my last update on here. Times have been flying by here in Aberdeen and I leave to return to West Kilbride this Friday. I'll then have 3 weeks before I graduate from my DTS! I can't believe it's been that long...that I'm done with outreach and in the final weeks here. I love it here so much - Scotland has grown to feel like my second home.

I'll only post a little bit right now since I don't have much time, but I'm going to write a lot more when I get back to the base this weekend - so look for it!

We've been working a lot with people here who have troubled pasts - those who have dealt with alcoholism, drugs, abuse, violence, self-mutilation...you name it. We learned a skit over midterm outreach that we've performed for the various places we've been working at...at least 5 times in the last few weeks. Here is a link to the skit if you want to watch it. I'd recommend it, and it's only 5 minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA

These people I've been working with have dealt with all of these temptations, and the girl in the skit reminds me of the men and women I've spent my last few months with. They are people who have been torn apart by all the crap this world has in it, and they've believed the lie that they aren't worth it...that God wouldn't save them or won't forgive them. These are the people God has given me a heart for, and the people I've grown to love. Scotland today lives in bondage to alcoholism and violence and struggle with feelings of worthlessness, something I've seen with my own eyes. The youth have nothing to do and feel like nothing matters, so they spend their time caught up in drugs, alcohol and sex. But God has a calling on this nation. It seems so appropriate to me that this is the country where freedom is highly valued....watch Braveheart and you'll understand haha. And yet, the Scottish people don't live in that freedom. God has said that revival is coming to Scotland - that the fire of His Spirit is going to sweep over this nation. That Scotland is going to do a great many things. They were created to be warriors in God's kingdom, and I think that this why I think that they struggle with violence and worthlessness - Satan always chooses to attack us where he knows we will work best in the kingdom of God.

I'm excited to see what God does in Scotland in the upcoming years. I hope I'm here to see it. I'll just have to see what God has in store for me.

That's all for now! I'll update more later. Be blessed!

meredith

January!

2009-01-08T05:07:00.005-05:00

Hello! I thought I would do an update since it's been awhile. The lack of a computer has been proving harder than I realized to do these frequently. I guess it goes to show just how dependent I am on technology sometimes.

Anyway, I've been in Aberdeen for a little over a week now, and it's been good so far. The week before we did our outreach time in West Kilbride and that turned out really well! We did a lot of caroling in an effort to bless the community and did a lot of practical work, like picking up litter and dog waste. Since being in Aberdeen, we've gone out with a group called the Street Pastors, who go out on certain nights and help those in need, usually those who are struggling getting home from the bars. They also carry around flip flops to pass out to women who are walking around barefoot because their shoes are hurting them. I did a lot of prayer walking for that on New Year's Eve when we were in the town center, and it was nice to get out and see all of the people and it wasn't a very roudy night, considering there were thousands of people out. Since then we've gone to a soup kitchen and a center for female drug addicts and have gotten connected with a local church up here. Everything has been going really well and I've been learning alot and being challenged in new ways. God's been reminding me of all the promises He's given me since I've been here in Scotland and that's been really encouraging.

For a prayer request: pray that God would show up in a tangible and supernatural way in my life. I'm really hoping and believing for a miracle, a testimony of how powerful God is.

2008-12-17T14:08:00.005-05:00

Here are some pictures!

A castle!

and awesome beach view

the roads on Benbecula

my crazy team

Benbecula. Notice how there are no trees? It's too windy for them

This is at Glencoe, on the way up to my midterm outreach on Benbecula.

This is a view from a nearby town.

The main shopping area in Glasgow.

Posing on Guy Fawkes night.

Something I saw on the beach a month of so ago. Check out that sun!

I'll try to post some more soon! see ya!

I'm back!

2008-11-30T11:02:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! I can't believe it's almost December and that I'll have been here for 2 months soon. Time really flies. God has been amazing and has done so many great things in my heart and life and I feel like I'm only scratching the surface of who He is and what this life with Him is all about.

We got back from midterm outreach a week or so ago and it's honestly taken me that long to process all of it. (hence the delay on this update!) But, I think I'm at a point where I can talk about it. So, we left Friday morning around 9:30am and didn't get to the Isle of Benbecula until about 1am the next day. The ferry was 4 hours late so we ended up playing card games for awhile in the ferry station. The next day we went on a prayer drive around the 3 islands - North Uist, Benbecula, and South Uist and it was really good to get a feel for the place and pray into what God is doing up there. On Sunday we went to church in the morning, had a potluck lunch and spoke a little at the evening church service. Everyone was incredibly welcoming and self-sacrificing in their hospitality. It was so amazing to see such generosity and we were all so blessed byt it.

Monday and Wednesday mornings we led some school assemblies and in the afternoons on Tuesday and Thursday we led the junior youth club, which had kids attending from around 7-11 or so. Every night of the week we also led the senior youth club, which was for 12-15 year olds. This was our main ministry and we had so much fun with the kids. On the first night I honetly felt a little out of my comfort zone because I've never worked with teenagers before and I left feeling inadequate and ineffective. But God did so much through that. By the end of the week He really gave me a heart for the kids and I felt so at ease with all of them. He completely turned my heart around and I think He rewarded my act of stepping out in faith. The last night we had a youth cafe and performed a really powerful drama and asked if any of the kids wanted to become Christians. Seven raised their hands!! It was so amazing and such a testimony to what God is doing up there - how His Spirit is moving and revealing God to them. Apparently that's a pretty rare thing for the youth to be so responsive - praise God! He did it!! So thank you for ALL your prayers! God really moved in a big way up there.

It was also challenging for me because I kept feeling the weight of pressure to speak out in front of the group - like do a teaching or something - although I didn't really want to. I realized later that I was under some heavy spiritual attack that week. The enemy was really hitting me where I'm most vulnerable - in my feelings of self-worth and my speech and community. I realized that I need more alone time than I thought and how much I love community. It was very isolated up there and that was really hard for me. And because I had so much breakthrough the week before relating to how fear controls my life, it is fitting that I came under such heavy spiritual attack. Satan saw that he was losing ground with me and he fought it hard...and I gave in to it. I've realized that I can live in one of two ways - either fighting against the powers of darkness or submitting to them. But the thing is, it's not really a battle because if we have the Spirit of God, we've already won! It's just realizing that this is true and claiming that victory every day.

The biggest revelation I've had recently is from Gal 2:20, where it says, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." How amazing is this!! We don't have to submit to sin or the devil any more! Nothing has any claim on us anymore except God. Whenever I feel myself pulled down by fear or I feel spiritually heavy, I remind myself that my flesh is dead and that I am freed from all of it, and I just feel this JOY rising up in me and often I can't stop myself from laughing out loud at the awesomeness of it all. God is so great and there is so much untapped freedom and life in Him that we pass over because we think it's not for us or because it's in our head but never fully reaches our heart.

I feel like if I could sum up my time here, it would be this: God has taken what I've known in my head and planted it in my heart so that's it's real to me.

Blessed be the Lord most high, who was, and is, and is to come.

November!!

2008-11-05T14:23:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone! Today is Guy Fawkes Day here in Scotland. I'll shortly be going to a bonfire in memory of the man who tried to blow up Parliment. I can actually hear fireworks from the computer room right now. Look it up online if you're curious! :)

So many things have happened since I've been here...it's hard to explain how much God is changing my life, and I feel like mere words wouldn't cover the amount of things I've been learning and just how much God is growing me. I'll try to explain a little bit, in case anyone's curious.

Every week we have an evangelism track, and one of the options I was able to do is called friendship evangelism. This is about 5 of us going to the local pub and just chatting with the locals - being the presence of Jesus in a place of darkness. And my leader said something like that a few weeks ago that I had never thought of: we are the light of God and when we enter a room, our mere presence changes the atmosphere. I think for a long time I boxed up God and what it really means to be a Christian and I didn't allow myself to be used by Him. But these pub nights have been so much fun! Most of the people in my group are pretty quiet, but we just sit at our table and by the end of every time we go, someone has approached us and we end up spending the evening with some pretty amazing people. And this is the REAL Scotland. These are the real people who have broken lives and who are reaching out for a Savior. I love talking with them and it's been so amazing to see how God uses everyone in His kingdom. And it's not like we go into the pub and save every person we talk to, and it's not about that anyway. It's about planting seeds, watering them, and sometimes letting God do the work.

And one HUGE thing that I've realized is that Christianity isn't just about saving souls. .... Now, before anyone wants to call me a heretic, let me explain. Okay, so we have John 3:16, which says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Yeah, yeah, we've heard that one before. BUT, listen to John 17:3: "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." Did you get that? God sent Jesus to give us eternal life, and eternal life means KNOWING GOD. Whoa! This completely hit me when they first spoke on it because the Christian life isn't just about winning souls over for Jesus. I mean, that's good and we shouldn't stop, but if we only do that, then what about this life now? Yeah they're a Christian now, but what now? Jesus came to give us eternal life, and eternal life is to know him. It isn't just about going through the motions, going to church every weekend and doing the "right thing," it's about knowing God! And when I heard that, I just thought, do I know God? I mean, I know all the scripture and theology, but do I know Him in my heart? Is He really first in my life? Would I really be able to submit to His will, whatever it might be because I love Him that much? I pray I can, and thankfully God gives me grace when it's hard. But He is so good. I've been having quiet times in the morning and He's spoken to me so much.

So, God's voice. Hearing his voice was sort of more a lofty idea, something that I never really understood before I came here. And not that I have it all figured out and I can discern His voice all the time, but I hear it now, and I know it's Him. It's not just a feeling, either. God speaks in words and can give pictures to us too. For me, it's mostly words. God's been really just pouring out his love over me this past month, speaking to the places in me that still needed healing from brokeness. Self-image has been a hard thing for me, and a few weeks ago I heard a thought in my head that said, "How beautiful you are my darling. My delight is in you." And I wondered, was that God? I kept it in the back of my mind for a few weeks and as I've been learning how to hear his voice, I've been realizing that the words I hear in my head are from Him, and I can tell when he's speaking to me. Yesterday I had a long quiet time with God and he said the same thing to me that I wrote earlier. And I had forgotten that he said that until I looked back through my journal and saw that. It was so encouraging! I heard the same thing as before. And this happened again today when a group of us prayed about what to do for our midterm outreach, and myself and about 3 others got the word "fun." That was also encouraging because I heard the same thing as others, and that can only be from God. So my challenge to you is this: do you think you hear God's voice? Don't believe the devil's lie that you can't, because God wants to speak to you! And you can hear his voice if you are a follower of Christ. It is possible to talk with God. The greatest times I've had here are when I'm alone in a room, just having a simple conversation with God, me talking and Him answering. He has blessed me greatly.

I still love everyone here and my roommate is so great. Here are a few prayer requests:
-pray for my team, for unity in the Spirit and that the devil wouldn't get a foothold in our group to create division
-God's leading and direction for my future (I'm starting to get a little bit of the picture, but it's still a little unclear)
-that God would continue to teach me about sacrificial loving - he's showing me how to set my needs aside for the needs of others ... which is hard to do without God's grace sometimes
-pray that God would really show me what it is to walk with him and how important prayer is
-pray that He'd use me to bless others, as He's blessed me so greatly

Okay, I've got to get off the computer now, but I'm going to attempt to upload some photos as soon as I can - aka. as soon as the computer is free for a chunk of time!

God bless!!
meredith

Being here

2008-10-18T08:18:00.003-04:00

Hey! I thought I'd upload a few photos from my time here so far. This one below is a picture of all the girls here - both staff and students. The guys weren't in this because we all made them take the picture! On my team, there are 5 guys and 11 girls. Needless to say, there's never a moment when I don't have someone to hang out with.

This next two pictures are from an area called Rest and Be Thankful. I honestly don't know if that was the name of the mountains or just the area in general - it was a little hard to hear in the minibus. Sadly, the day was completely rainy (very common in Scotland), but it was nonetheless beautiful.

These last two are from Loch Lommond, near the town of Luss. It was so beautiful there too.

Hopefully I'll be able to upload some more photos of the base where I'm staying and all of my team members. It's so hard to choose only a few because everything is so beautiful and all the people are great.

If I could pick one thing I've learned about God these past 2 weeks it would be just how BIG He is. I've realized that I've kept Him in a box for so long, limiting Him in what I thought He could do. But God is so much greater than we can even fathom. He who made the heavens and the earth -the complete UNIVERSE - loves each of us and cares about every aspect of our lives. Every day I'm amazed that a God that big would take the time to speak to little old me. Truly my life has been blessed.

And in closing news, we found out our outreach locations and I really felt like God was telling me to stay in Scotland, which was one of the options. Yesterday we found out that everyone got their first choice for outreach locations!! And I can't even tell you how rare that is. Needless to say, God really directed everyone to the places He wanted them to be. So I'm going to be in Scotland for the full 6 months! It's really what's been on my heart these past few weeks, and God knew.

In Scotland

2008-10-05T15:48:00.003-04:00

Hi guys! I'm here safe and sound. I'll try to send a formal update soon, but here is some quick info: I have a roommate named Barbie from England and I'm blown away by God's planning in this - we are so much alike and it's been amazing just getting to know her. Everyone here is wonderful! There are alot of us from the States so it doesn't really feel like I left home a little...that is, until I look out the window and see the beach and a nearby island. Everything is so amazing and beautiful here and I feel so blessed by the relationships God has been developing so far.

We went to a great church this morning - the Spirit is there and moving! This church also is such a blessing because it's basically everything I love about church! Freedom to be who you are while also that strong community and focus on God and practical ways to live for Him.

My ankle is doing better - thanks for the prayers! We begin our first day of classes tomorrow, so pray for openness and willingness to meet with God.

Thanks and I'll write soon!
Meredith

PS : I will also not be able to check Facebook at all. Probably for the next 6 months. So please send me emails if you wish to talk. Thanks!

2008-09-25T15:31:00.002-04:00

Prayer request before I go:

Last Saturday I went hiking and (naturally) sprained my ankle. So you can see how this puts a little of a damper on my upcoming trip. It's getting better slowly but surely, but I can still use the prayer for full healing before I leave next Friday!

As of now, it's just turning a lovely purple color:

New focus

2008-07-13T15:10:00.008-04:00

So since my life has a few changes coming up, I've decided to refocus this blog. I'll be going to Scotland in October on a DTS, which is discipleship training school, for 3-6 months. It's through YWAM, or Youth with a Mission, and the first half of my time will be spent on a Scotland base, learning about God and doing my missionary training. Then the second half will be outreach time, either continued in Scotland or I will travel somewhere else. I've been thinking about doing this since last December, and it almost feels unreal that it's actually going to be happening in less than 3 months.

So the focus of this blog now will be about Scotland and my DTS trip. I'm so excited to see what God does in Scotland and wherever else I will be. But truth be told, my heart so much desires to be in Scotland that it's almost a longing. And not just because it's beautiful and they have accents - I've gotten that reaction many a time since I've told people I'm going there. My heart feels like it belongs there with those people, living with them and ministering to them. I want them to know God, and I want to go because God has become someone of little consequence in Western Europe, with only around 2% of people who would consider themselves evangelicals.

This is where I will be:

The "A" in the picture is where Seamill is, which is where I will be - on the west coast of Scotland. In the picture, Ireland is the island on the left and Scotland is at the top with England below it, for those who don't look at maps often.

And this is a picture of the base I will be at:

Now granted, I will be here in the winter...so picture this with........snow. And maybe me wearing about 10 layers just to keep warm.

More to come soon!