First Steps
We have now been in Scotland for just over three months. It is hard to believe it has been that long already, but it is also hard to believe it has only been that long! A lot of the craziness of moving to a new country has worn off, and we are settling into our new routines. We know many of you are praying for us regularly, and we thank you for your faithfulness. We also know that many of you are eager to hear how things are going and what the next steps for us look like.
Since our last update, Lincoln and Oliver have started school, and they are really enjoying it. The transition to public school in a new country was an often repeated prayer request as we traveled on deputation. We would love you to keep our boys in your prayers, but we also want you to know God has already been answering. The boys have made several good friends and are settling in very well. They are enrolled in after school soccer, after school swimming, and regularly meet up with friends at the park. It is so good to see them building friendships and doing things they enjoy.
On her way to get her brothers from school!
From the beginning of deputation, we shared a four step process for “effective disciple making” that we find in Acts 18. We have been very intentional, over the last two months, to think of this often and try to employ it. Step one is to “identify and immerse ourselves in communities,” which we have tried to do consistently. Autumn, especially, has had so many opportunities to join various communities in the area. To list just a few, she regularly volunteers at the school for events they have going on, she meets with a group of ladies every two weeks for coffee, she has met other mums outside of school several times for playdates with our children. Together we have both joined a local game club that meets every other weekend. Tim has also enrolled at St. Andrews University, doing further study in Biblical languages, which has given him some opportunities to meet people in the community.
The next step is to “cultivate relationships.” Once again, Autumn has been able to continue relationships with several of the ladies she has met and has been able to build friendships with them. Pray that we are able to make opportunities to open our home to some of these friends and our neighbours as we have hoped to be able to do.
The third step is to “present a clear and persuasive gospel.” With this in mind, as well as the final step of seeing a church planted, we are starting a formal “Bible group” that will meet every week at a local coffee shop. This will not replace our efforts to do one-on-one evangelistic Bible studies in our home, but it does provide a low pressure place to invite people in order to talk about the Bible, most of whom may never have done that before.
Tim’s brother, Trevor, and his wife, Amelia, along with their two girls, have moved up to partner with us as we plant this church. It has been a huge blessing to have them close by.
We have been exploring churches in the nearby areas and have been encouraged to find a couple that teach the gospel clearly and are not too far away. One in particular has a good amount of young families and is very excited about what we are here to do in Dunfermline.
Please pray for these next couple of months, as we begin this Bible study, continue to develop relationships in the community, and look for leading from the Lord in whatever next steps He has for us.
