Squirrelling

After a busy but enjoyable half-term week visiting family in England and having fun at my cousin's wedding, we're back in Dingwall.  Sometimes I feel that we're actually in limbo-land at the moment.  There's so much to do but not much that we can get on with.  With God's timing I can see us rushing around madly in the last week of May (which is rapidly approaching) as he puts the final pieces into place.  I'm looking forward to it.

We can however tell as many people as possible about what's happening in our lives and something about what the Lord's doing in Nigeria.  This week Sid and Jean Garland reach the Highlands in their tour of Scotland and will be speaking in Greyfriars, Inverness on Thursday and Castle Street Church hall in Dingwall on Friday (24th February).  I'll be working with Sid who was one of the founders of ACTS (Africa Christian Textbooks) and he and Jean spent many years serving in the areas of health and theological education with Mission Africa in Nigeria.  Fraser and I shall be going to both meetings too.  We can't say much about Nigeria but we can let people know how God has been guiding us towards the mission, kindly encouraging us and pointing us towards the doors we should be going through.  It's great to get a chance to tell people about his faithfulness and give them an opportunity to get involved in this work.

Meanwhile I'm doing what I can to gather things in preparation for our new life in Nigeria, a bit like a squirrel preparing for the winter.  Last week I was in Cambridge with my sister and we went into the Lakeland shop.  I'm sure I'm not alone in being able to spend a fortune in it on things I don't really need but which would make life and culinary exploits so much better.  Usually I can justify it as being for the good of my family and last week was no different.  I saw (and not only was it the last one on the shelf but it was also in the sale and so definitely waiting for me) an old fashioned pudding basin with the Lakeland twist.  It didn't need a pudding cloth ready to provide a home for millions of bacteria, it had a ceramic lid complete with grooves for the string to keep it fastened.  Of course I had to buy it, after all it even said Sticky Toffee on the side.  It'll be great if we find ourselves in a situation without an oven -  all I'll need to make puddings is an open fire and a saucepan.  I suspect it'll be a great way to make friends.

Good-bye hens

We are now a chickenless household.

Ever since my experience with the rat and the rapidly developing escapologist talents of one hen in particular I have been quite keen to find "Scotch" & "Rye" (named by James) a new home.  Today they went off to live with a family from church who are hoping to develop a croft and ultimately use it to work with disadvantaged youngsters.  I know the hens will be well cared for but I feel strangely bereft.  It's not that poultry are very bright or loving but they are warm and soft, come running when there's the slightest prospect of anything edible and make lovely little noises.  (That is when they're not squawking their heads off for no apparent reason.)  What's more, they're a lot more productive than cats (though we love Ari dearly) and we'll miss our large fresh eggs.

I have had something to take my mind off their departure.  I was sent my first book from ACTS (Africa Christian Textbooks) to edit.  It's great to get started although it highlights the fact that we're in the second month of the year already and we're hoping to get to Nigeria in the sixth.  There's so much to do which can't be done yet, we're just hanging on and trusting God, getting ready to ride the wave.  Anyway, this book, by a Nigerian author, is on the subject of Christian marriage and the ideal home.  I'm finding it very interesting and extremely down-to-earth and practical.  It does however give an unsettling insight into the attitudes of some of the Nigerian Christians when the start of the book is taken up with reasons why it is not good for a husband to beat his wife!  It shows how great a need there is for good books to teach and encourage the Church in Nigeria.