Scotland 2009

The kids enjoyed a beautiful day at The Haven farm. The Haven is a Christian drug rehabilitation center that offers housing, counseling and life skills to its tenants. The kids sang some songs for the director of the Haven and were then taken to the farm. This was the first time some of the children had ever seen live animals up close.  There was no fear in these kids as the cows moved close to the fence to allow the kids to pet them. Some of the kids asked, “Which one is the mommy and which one is the daddy?

Afterwards, the kids had naps, dinner and then it was time for them to get ready for the first night at the Greenock Town Hall meeting. On the way to the meeting, one of the children was looking very serious with an intense expression on her face and when asked what she was thinking about, she stated “My mommy.”  During praise and worship, one of the kids looked around the balcony where we were sitting and said in astonishment, “I see people from Times Square Church all over the place!”

Again, on the way back to the hotel, another child was quiet and withdrawn. When asked what she was thinking about, she stated “My mommy.”  This is part of the work and ministry these children are involved in. Sacrificing time away from their parents so that they can serve and minister to the people of Greenock. 

This blog post was published on November 12, 2009

The kids in the daycare team studied about castles in their class prior to coming to Scotland, and what little girl doesn’t know about Cinderella and the beautiful castle she lives in with Prince Charming? So naturally, when we told them that we were visiting “a castle” there was some excitement. They were told not to expect a princess to greet us at the door, but you know little ones, sometimes their memories are a little short!

We visited Newark Castle in Greenock, which was built in 1420. Before we got out of the car, questions about who lives here were being asked. This was not the image of a castle the children had, but we tried to explain to them that real people once lived there. Then one of them replied, “That’s nothing special.” 

At dinner that night one of the other team members was asking the kids what they were going to do in Scotland. When the team member was told that we would be visiting a nursing home later in the week, she asked if she could come along. One of the kids stated, “Only if you’re going to praise the Lord.” Even at their young ages, these children know why they are here.

This blog post was published on November 12, 2009