Things have not stopped moving from the time we were accepted by Mission Africa. Sometimes it seems as if the 18 months of waiting were the build up before the rocket launch - I just hope it doesn't stall again. The week after we got back from our interview in Belfast I was thrown into the lions' den of the Dingwall Free church ladies mission group to take my first meeting. They were all very nice and if you're going to have problems getting the laptop to speak to the projector it helps if you're only 5 minutes from home and can send out an SOS to your husband to run to sort things out. After that things went swimmingly.
Last week we flew to Belfast again, having once more deposited the children with our long-suffering friends. They got to see Cinderella in Inverness, we got to drive in the dark through the snow down the A9 to the Edinburgh airport Travellodge in time for our 5am start the next day.
There were no interviews awaiting us this time, instead a couple of days of orientation at a lovely centre near Portadown. It was great to meet two other new Mission Africa couples as well as some old hands who'll be returning to Nigeria in January. Of course we spent a lot of our time talking about practical matters. Just how much chocolate can you get onto the plane? (apparently Nigerian chocolate just doesn't taste the same) and will the espresso machine work out there? - all vital pieces of information necessary for health and happiness.
On a more serious note, the ethos and expectations of the Mission were discussed. We'll be going out to do God's work and serve his people - love and respect are more important even than chocolate and coffee. We don't want to let him down or be a hindrance to anyone else in their closer walk with God. With a good support team, plenty of prayer and an amazing heavenly Father we'll do our best. Chris, a local minister who came to lead devotions on the Thursday, had great words of reassurance to all of us as we face the rather daunting tasks ahead. We are God's beloved children. Before we do anything he loves us completely. There is nothing we can do to make him love us more. He desires our company and our love; our deeds are a mere bonus, the outpouring of a love that he first showed us. It's a good thing to remember when you feel inadequate for the task ahead.
Apart from the fun and fellowship one of the most interesting sessions was led by an ex-RUC special operations officer who still advises investigative journalists and organisations working in insecure areas. He was there to teach us about security, what to do if you find yourself in a situation you really don't want to be in. Let's just say that now I know what to do if Fraser drags me off to some dodgy area of Glasgow. Despite dealing with what to do if you're ambushed and your car is being fired on (get out of the side opposite the direction of fire obviously!) there was no sense of fear or worry. Bad things do happen to good people doing good things but God is with us throughout. Be prepared, don't be stupid, avoid trouble if you can, fight back if you have to but even if you're overcome remember that God is still there to give you the strength to cope with anything.
As a backdrop to all this training outside the wind was howling and the rain lashing. I wasn't particularly disappointed not to be able to go out and practise crawling out of a car under fire but the weather didn't bode well for our flight back to Scotland. We didn't know that Hurricane Force 1 was battering Edinburgh airport until that was the reason given for the cancellation of our flight. We couldn't believe that the Forth Road Bridge was actually completely closed - that would add a good few miles onto our journey home, if indeed we could find a route to the north that wasn't blocked by fallen trees.
Thankfully for us the earlier Belfast-Edinburgh flight was still sitting in Edinburgh. The wind was too strong for anyone to open the hold and get the luggage out. We got two of the last five seats on that plane and sat there watching as every half hour it was delayed again. The wretched thing was still stuck in Edinburgh an hour after our cancelled flight had been due to take off. By this time I was looking forward to an extra night and dinner in a Belfast hotel paid for by Flybe but it wasn't to be. Two hours after we should have left, five hours after we arrived in the airport (yes, we did get there rather early, it's starting to feel like our second home in Belfast) we were sitting on the tarmac feeling the plane sway before it was even moving and enjoying the festive atmosphere of relief produced only by those who thought they wouldn't be on a plane at all that night.
Somehow it's reassuring to have a pilot with a sense of humour. He announced that, "You probably know why we were delayed. The weather was pretty bad in Edinburgh and to be honest it's not much better now. Sit back and enjoy the flight as best you can," in a lovely growly Scottish accent.
We had seats at the rear of the plane, all the better for seeing it swing. I actually enjoyed the exciting takeoff and landing. That's proper flying. We got back to the car by 11pm, happy to hear that the bidge was open and secure in our ignorance of the major holdups along the A9. The evidence was there though. I imagine the road-clearers have rarely been so busy sorting out fallen trees. They did a great job and we had a very clear journey home without even the snow we'd been more concerned about. The sight of the house at 2am was very welcome.
Now there's not much lined up before the New Year except school and church Christmas activities. We'll keep you posted.
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