Scotland

I know this was a long time coming and I said I would show pics of my amazing trip to Scotland and Ireland eventually. Well here they are, but certainly not exhaustive. There are many more I could show, but these are the highlights.
In the airport just arriving in Scotland from Nigeria. It was a long trip there, but an an amazing time visiting Julie and Kate, two friends I met while working in Nigeria. We had a lovely time together and it was a great break and letdown before readjusting to life in America.

In Glascow in front of the University Museum

David Livingstone is one of my missionary heroes. Born in Scotland in 1813, Livingstone was one of the first Westerners to travel across Africa and hoped to find the source of the Nile. In his dying words he said this of his love of Africa:
"All I can add in my loneliness is, May Heaven's richest blessing come down on every one — American, English, Turk — who will help to heal this open sore of the world. And the cross turns not back.' The open sore will be healed. Africa will be redeemed."

This spoke to my heart greatly. My own heart is that God will redeem Africa of it's shame, poverty, corruption, and darkness. May the name of Jesus be heralded in this dark hour in the darkest places where no light has shone before. I am reminded of a story of one Fulani girl. She was a bush girl and came to our HIV clinic in desperately thin condition. She had acquired the HIV infection from a blood transfusion in a bush hospital. Her weight was a mere 78 pounds. As tears rolled down her face, there was desperation and hopelessness in her eyes. I began to share the gospel with her and asked her if I could pray. That day God began a remarkable relationship between her and I. On another occasion I asked H if she knew Jesus and she replied in her own language, "we are blind, we don't know anything about Jesus!" My heart sank. How could H know about Jesus Christ unless someone came and shared the truth with her? Oh may that be my life's goal to bring "Bishara" (good news) to those who have no hope.

A real Scotsman doing a mock show of William Wallace in his Castle.

I was pretending to be the guy from "Chariots of Fire" as he was running on the beach. Well not quite, but at least I had fun.

Me on the beach at St. Andrews in Scotland (the "Mecca" of golf)

The North Anterim Coast in Northern Ireland. We ate fish and chips here and spent time walking along the beach and enjoying the sun shining.

“Lord I will Bow to You”

“Lord I will bow to you, to no other God but you alone, Lord I will worship you, nothing hands have made, but you alone. I will lay down my idols, the thrones I have made, all that has taken my heart. Lord I will bow to you, to no other God but you alone!”

I continue to lay aside the idols I have placed in my life. God alone deserves all of my praise and honor for he is worthy. I deserved death and yet he has given me life. I am marveling in that today.