The Next Stage of the Journey

And so, onwards, to the start of the next stage of this amazing journey.  The part where I actually get BACK to the United Kingdom and how that all happened.

I find it interesting that at times it seems like the "watched pot never boils" theory seems to come into effect with God and the way He works.  I don't actually think it's true, but it sometimes feels like it might be.  By springtime last year, I had not thought much about Scotland nor getting back there.  I had in the previous four years experienced some major health challenges and the idea of moving overseas and away from my support network of family and close friends was remote at best, slightly frightening at worst.

I'm pretty sure the scriptures say something about God using crack-pots (or, you know, jars made of clay - potato/potato), however, and so on with the story. 

After hearing nothing from God regarding Scotland for some time, last April the doors swung wide open in a way that only He could have done.

On Sunday morning, April 7th, I received a text from a close friend and prayer partner of mine who now lives in Alabama.  She was the one that I travelled to Scotland with on the first trip.  Her text read, "Hey, Bakes, do you want to go on a missions trip to Scotland at the end of June?"  To which I - of course - replied, "Yes!  Send me details!"  I didn't hear back from her right away (I think she was actually in a church service at the time).  Then later in the day, chatting with another close friend of mine, he asked, "Hey, Bakes, do you want to come to Scotland with my wife and I in July/August?"  To which I - of course - replied, "Yes!  Tell me more!"

And then all of a sudden it hit me.

God was speaking about Scotland.  Clearly speaking.  Here were two opportunities - genuine opportunities - to return to the country to which God has called me.  I don't think the message could have been any more clear had God spoken audibly and said, "Bakes.  Pay attention now."  (I'm rather glad He didn't.  That would have freaked me out....)

Later that same evening I received another message from my friend in Alabama.  Her message stated that she wasn't able to go on the trip with me, but if I wanted to go she and her husband wanted to pay for myself and another person to go on the missions trip.  What???  I hadn't even had time to tell the Lord that I couldn't afford to go before He had already answered that difficulty.  Now I knew He was doing something.

It is possible to tell the really, REALLY long version of this story by going into great detail about the people that I looked to for council and the things they said, as well as even the amazing ways that God continued to point me in this direction.  I will content myself here with saying that for the next week, each trusted person with whom I spoke confirmed that this was God's timing and God's directing.  Even the books I was reading (oh yes, more than one!) seemed to hold messages from the Lord.

Finally, nearly a week after the 7th of April, I put down the book I had been reading to really ask the Lord if this was His work sending me back to Scotland.  (Because apparently I am a bit of a Gideon and all the other signs weren't quite enough for me!)  His response was clear:  "Go.  I have work for you to do there."  And as if that weren't enough, when I finally picked up the book again to resume my reading (it was a book about repentance) the very paragraph that I resumed reading was all about the 1949 revivals on the Scottish island of Lewis.  Of course it was.

OK, Lord, I get it.  I'm going back.

To date, I had assumed that I was returning to Scotland for a visit.  But I had no idea what was actually in store....

Waiting Like Jacob

I am SO behind in continuing the story of my journey to (and from, and to again) Scotland.  Truthfully, the task has seemed somewhat overwhelming, and I have shied away from sitting down to actually start.  And now that I am looking at telling the story of the seven years since I returned from Scotland in 2006, it actual;y seems quite simple, and I find I can tell the next chapter of the story in two short words:

I waited.

Truly.  I notice that in the last blog post I made note of the fact that the Lord told me I would be returning to Scotland one day.  I also notice that I didn't happen to say that I felt like the Lord told me I would return to Scotland one day to live there.  I would love to say that I then waited through the years with saint-like patience, knowing that Lord would fulfill His words when He knew that the time was right, and that I did not even once question this or feel frustrated, nor did I ever experience a feeling of just wanting God to get on with it.  

Yah.  Right.

A whole lot more accurate would be to say that I continued to believe the words spoken were true but at the same time was longing for the time to come.  I had seasons where I looked for job after job overseas, just to see if I could find something that felt right so I could just go.  I had seasons where I wanted to escape from whatever was going on in my life in Vancouver and so my thoughts naturally drifted often to Scotland.  Did I have seasons where I waited patiently?  Well, if I am to be honest, yes, sometimes.  But definitely not always.

Seven long years of waiting.  But different from Jacob, I did not know that seven years was the time frame within which I was waiting.  However, when the Lord speaks, His words do not return to Him void, without accomplishing that for which they were spoken.  God does not speak promises in vain.  

The seven-year wait was about to end.

On The [Hallowed] Ground

And so, on with the journey!

Day one in Scotland concluded with a harrying rush-hour drive in Edinburgh and a new found piece of knowledge that street signs are actually on buildings rather than posts.  Once we figured this out, we found our accommodations, parallel parked the car (in only three tries) and sallied forth to dinner and sleep.

Three glorious days in Edinburgh included Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood House Palace, tea, wool shops, St. Giles Church, The Royal Mile, more tea, pictures with William Wallace, a role as the Duke of Argyll in a historical re-enactment for tourists, and, of course, more tea.  From Edinburgh we travelled to Oban (east coast) and enjoyed a picturesque drive through the countryside on our way there.

While in Oban we took the ferry to the Isle of Mull, and then a bus tour through Mull to a foot-ferry on the other side that took us to Iona, the 'cradle of Christianity' in Scotland.  There we walked to Iona Abbey, and spent time with Jesus on the beach. 

After three days in Oban we travelled south back into England and stayed overnight in the Lake District (Windemere).  From there we traveled back through London to visit friends in Essex and tour London for three days before heading home again.

In recounting the above, it feels more like telling of a holiday than an assignment or destiny of some kind with the Lord.  And yet, it was so obvious to my travelling companion and myself that the Lord was present and with us in everything we did.  We found little reminders of His presence everywhere we went.  He was speaking to us everywhere.  Karen, my travelling companion, was also moved to tears at the recognition of all the heather around her - something that God had promised she would see even though we were in the country past the heather season.  When doing devotions together on the ferry to Mull, we found that Isaiah 55 was definitely highlighted for both of us:

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord,

'For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

(Isaiah 55:8-11)

And then upon arriving at Iona Abbey, found the same scripture carved into the lectern.  Perhaps this does not seem like a lot, but when each day is filled with experiences such as this, the sense of God being present and speaking is as unmistakable as it is beautifully overwhelming.  The messages, if summed up to their most concise words possible, might read:

 

     I love you.

     I am here with you.

     I am doing something amazing.

     What I have promised, I will fulfill.

 

All of which were incredible things to hear and experience in an intensity the likes of which I don't think I have ever quite experienced before.  And all of this still married to the certainty that this is my home - where I have been called and placed by God for some purpose as yet unknown, but where I feel more belonging than any other physical space I have ever inhabited before.

 

One of the specific things I heard while still in Edinburgh (I think) was God telling me that I was going to come back to Scotland one day, and I thought that I would come back to live there.  Independent of that thought on my part was Karen's hearing a similar message from the Lord, except that hers took the form of, "Let Baker do most of the driving, because she's going to need to know how - she's coming back here."  

 

In this simple way, God told me that I was coming back to Scotland one day.  Again, I did not know when.  Again, I did not know how or for what reason or purpose.  But as much as I had seen Him do to get me there this first time and as much as I had heard Him speak and see His faithfulness at work throughout our time there, I was able to believe again for His Word to be fulfilled, knowing that it would not return to Him without accomplishing that for which it was spoken in the first place.

 

And so, home again to wait in faith.  And to pray for Scotland, which is now so deep within me that I cannot remember the time before I loved this country and knew I was bound to it.  And to praise the Living God for the way He calls us to something, equips us for it, and even more, allows us to love and enjoy every step of this journey with Him.

 

 The lectern in Iona Abbey, quoting Isaiah 55:11.

 "So will My Word be which goes forth from My mouth;

It will not return to me empty,

Without accomplishing what I desire,

And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."

Fast Forward Seven Years

And so, forward seven years to continue the story!

Throughout the seven years that followed the initial word from the Lord about going to Scotland, I continued to receive words from the Lord and confirmation through the Body of Christ that this was indeed what God was saying and going to do.  And I myself dug in and learned a lot more about Scotland.  In the process of both I fell in love with this wonderful country.  Who wouldn't?  It has such a rich history of revival, war, beauty and pain.  There is so much to love and so much for which to pray.

I continued to wait for God to reveal what was next in the plan regarding Scotland, determined not to force His hand or 'make something happen', as I am unfortunately wont to do.  I remember someone once saying, "God told you He was taking you to Scotland?  Well, girl, get on a plane!  You'd better go!!"  But thankfully, that's not the way God works with me, usually.  Sometimes it's the way I work with God, but historically that hasn't always panned out so well, as you might well imagine.  But in this case, I did wait.  Truthfully, I couldn't quite figure out how it was going to happen, not being in a position financially to just pick up and go, and not knowing what on earth I was supposed to do once I got there. 

But then, something wonderful happened.  A very close friend and prayer partner of mine phoned me up one day in 2006 and told me that she had to go to Wales on business, and that she wasn't going to Wales without going to Scotland and that I was going with her.  She herself had felt a pull to Scotland for a short while, and has said to me afterwards that she believes the Lord put that in her heart just so that it would open up a way for me to get to Scotland.  So within about 6 weeks we planned and departed on our trip!  And better than that: since my friend, Karen, was going for business, our rental car, petrol and much of our hotel stays were paid for.  I was able to fly totally on Air Miles points that my mother had been collecting for my Scotland trip for years.  Though we weren't going until September, I still had my holidays from work available.  Everything worked out amazingly, and I still marvel at how inexpensively and easily I went for a two-week holiday in the United Kingdom.  That can only be God's hand at work.  How beautiful.

We left Vancouver on September 3rd, 2006, and flew to London, staying the night in Nottingham with family of Karen's.  And the day after that we drove north, all the way to Edinburgh. 

I don't think I will ever forget the experience of crossing the Scottish border.  Karen and I had stopped at the sign that says "Scotland" to take pictures (of course), and I actually took a picture of my first steps into Scotland.  But it wasn't until we actually got back in the car and drove across the border that the real impact came. 

I was in the driver's seat at the time, and as soon as I drove across the border, I started to weep uncontrollably, and through my sobbing I said to Karen (no small feat, by the way - talking, sobbing and driving on the right side of the car and the left side of the road!) that I'd just come home.  Like no other experience of home I've ever had, I just knew somewhere deep in my spirit that this was my home, and I had come home.  It was strange, since I had lived in Vancouver since I was four or five, and it was truly my home and where my family was.  But this was something deeper.  This was my true home.

After explaining that to Karen, I told her that I had to pull over and get on my knees and thank the Lord for bringing me to this amazing country.  And that's just what we did.  About 100m into Scotland we pulled off the highway at a pullout and got out of the car and got on our knees in the dirt and praised God.  By this time we were both weeping, and our praise was not hindered by that in the least.  In fact, we only stopped because some big rig trucker pulled off behind us - I think he might have thought we were ill or in trouble!  Little did he know.

And this was only day one.

About to cross the Scottish border for the first time (you can see it in the background on the right of the picture, actually).  God is good.

How It All Began

Many of your have asked me how "all this Scotland stuff" started.  And I generally - believe it or not - give you the shorter version of the story.  Hard to believe, I know.  So in case you weren't privileged enough to have me talk your ear right off in response to that question, I will give some more of the details here now.  Though truthfully, the details are likely to come bit by bit in different blog posts, or you'll all lose interest and start telling me you're enjoying this new blog while secretly reading the title and first paragraph and hoping that carries you through any potential conversations we might have about it.

Anyway, moving on....

So 'all this Scotland stuff" really started almost exactly 14 years ago.  I was at a listening prayer conference put on by Brad Jersak (author of Can You Hear Me?) and as part of the exercises of learning how to listen to God's voice in prayer, we were given a series of simple questions to ask Him.  One of the questions was, "Where do You want to meet with me, God?  Where is our safe place together?"  And when I asked God that question, I immediately got a picture.  It was a picture of a rocky cliff (from the perspective of standing on the top of the cliff looking out, not looking at it from below), and the rocks had grassy parts all around and in them, and there were big rocks on either side of the place on the cliff at which I was looking in my picture.  And as soon as I saw the picture I knew it was the highlands of Scotland.  That in itself was extremely odd, as I didn't recall ever even seeing pictures of the highlands of Scotland, nor had I ever before had any particular interest or exposure to Scotland or Scottish things.  True, my family heritage does partially come from Scotland, but it was generations ago and never something that was given more than a passing comment in our home.  Nevertheless, this was the picture I got.  When I went home after the conference, I looked up information on the Scottish highlands, and sure enough, they looked exactly like the landscape of the picture I had seen in my vision.

After that series of questions at the conference, we were then put in partners and given an opportunity to practice listening prayer for another person.  I was partnered with my friend Sabrina, though I hadn't told her anything of the vision I had in answer to the earlier exercises.  What she heard God say for me was along the lines of (and I'm slightly paraphrasing here, since the actual words are recorded but somewhere in a box in Vancouver), "I will give you paint and canvas and everything you need to step into your safe place with Me."  And all of a sudden I felt that God was doing something very large.

Over the course of the next number of weeks or months (I don't actually recall which), it felt all of a sudden like everything was about Scotland.  Raffles had trips to Scotland as their prizes.  People mentioned Scotland in casual conversation.  I saw Scottish flags everywhere and heard Scottish accents almost as often.  It might seem trivial, but there was an intensity and frequency to all of it - coming on top of feeling like I'd never heard anyone mention Scotland before - that I could tell was God calling me to pay attention.  And so began the knowledge that God was telling me that He was going to take me to Scotland.  For what, I had no idea.  When?  Even less of an idea.  But the seed had been sown and received into fallow ground.  Now the task at hand was to believe and to wait and to pray. 

That's how this highland journey all began.

Continuing the Journey

I wanted to title this blog, "The Adventure Begins" or something else particularly esoteric and intelligent-sounding.  But as I started to think of some more clever title it occurred to me that the adventure is not beginning.  The adventure of my life and my call to Scotland is well on its way.  It is simply that I am physically a lot closer to living in Scotland than I have ever been before.  I plan to use this new blog to record the things God is doing and saying regarding the call and the journey to (and in) Scotland.

Thanks for coming on the journey with me!