Though Scotland is far more advanced than Taiwan was, when Linda and I were missionaries there, I am struck by how much I took for granted living in Texas.
- having a washer and dryer (the washing machine here takes almost two hours to go through the SHORT cycle...and I have no dryer)
- having HEB and Walmart within walking distance of the house knowing that I could go to either and purchase anything that I wanted...here the store is not a whole lot bigger than a gas station shopping area. To go to anything that resembles Walmart, I have to drive for over two hours over winding roads.
- only having to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $2.50 for a gallon of gasoline...the price today for gasoline here on the Isle of Skye is the equivalent of $7.15.
- it could have taken me three weeks to get a bank account, had someone had not intervened in the situation.
- oh, yeah, I have not had a Whataburger in four weeks...uuugggghhhhh, but there is some wonderful fish here...I guess fish will be my beef substitute.
I am sorry to say that there are some things that I had in the US that are of a similar nature in this society:
- such a small percentage, and I mean small, like 12% of the youth find any relevance in having a relationship with God
- the Scottish society has truly become hedonistic
- there is a bill before the Parliament that would ban a pastor from preaching against homosexuality...I understand there is a similar one in the US Congress, as well.
So, our biggest need, in both countries, is for those who are called by His name to "humble themselves and pray, and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, then He will hear from heaven, will forgive our sin and heal our lands." There is a current of unity in Scotland among the evangelicals that it is past time that we were on our faces before God. It is a grievious thing to live and minister in such a spiritually dark place, but it is exciting to know that God, just as He demonstrated to Elijah that He had a remnant, when he thought he was the only one who had not bent the knee to Baal, God, too, has a remnant here and that the swell of desire for revival is so loud. Scotland, at one time, was the spring-board of the Reformation that brought the Gospel to the Americas. Wouldn't it be just like God to revive this country in order to bring revival to the states? Would you commit to pray with me to that end? Revival will only come by means of prayer. Stand with me and all the others who will not be content until we see the healing of our lands for the glory of God and for His name sake.
Thank you for caring enough to pray for our personal needs, as well. Linda arrives in three more days. Yes, I am smiling again. Big time!
God bless you!
Sola Dei Gloria
