-- DAY 9 --
Our last day in Scotland! Wow, this mission trip has certainly gone by fast. I guess it's because we've been so busy each day, reaching out to as many people as we could during our stay in Glasgow. God has blessed us with the incredible blessing and privilege to sing at 5 schools, share in 44 workshops, and the opportunity to speak personally with over 2000 students.
I want to thank each parent who saw this incredible opportunity for their teenager and allowed me the humble privilege to prepare them and take them on this incredible adventure to serve God over seas in another country. I do not take this lightly, for I too have children and know how precious they are. Thank you for entrusting me -- I am honored to work with this great group of students. All of them, even the ones who were not able to go, are a joy and blessing to me!
I can't thank our three Scotland Pastors enough. Their desire to reach this city with the Gospel has truly inspired all of us. We have been blessed to see their team work in planning and preparing for this youth choir outreach trip and are so grateful to work along side these men of God. Both Pastors Alan Gibbons and Alan Wells have shared that they would love to come to Bentonville and visit us at our church. Please pray with me that the opportunity might be able to happen in the near future -- it would bless them, their congregation and ours as well!
Today was a full day, beginning with breakfast at 7:15 am. Before leaving our hotel we sang in the lobby to thank our hotel and restaurant staff. (See today's video.) They were very appreciative. In fact, one of our waitstaff began crying because it was so meaningful to her! We left our hotel at 8 am to Knightswood Secondary School (like Bentonville High School). We spent 25 minutes unloading the bus and van of all our gear and then traveled to Knightswood Baptist for a time of worship and participation in the Lord's Supper. At 11 am our students began their times in the classroom and then during the lunch break we did a 30 minute concert in the auditorium.
All of the students at this school take lunch at the same time and were invited to come hear us if they wished. Because of the type of concert being at their lunch break, the Pastors were not expecting many students to attend. However, we don't know God's ways and His ways are not always our ways. He was there with us -- in every classroom question and answer session to our packed lunch concert! Yes, we had the room filled with students who gave up their lunch time to come on their own and sit and hear us. Many stayed afterwards and spoke with our students. This response from the students was not expected by the Pastors and the glory was truly given to God!
After our lunch concert, our students continued on with their classroom share times. I was privileged to go to three of these discussion times and heard our students boldly share their faith and trust in God. They answered many hard questions, like how do you know that God is real and what does God look like. Because our students are so passionate One of the Scotland students even said: "Do you always get emotional when talking about your God?" An incredible day of sharing God's love in Word and Song!
After our evening concert, we had many stand in honor of our youth. (This was a shock to our Pastors because Scottish people are not known for standing ovations, nor getting too emotional.) Many stayed afterwards to talk with our students while we loaded out our equipment. They then stayed to wave our bus off. Many of the students and adults were emotional because of how God worked in and through our students this week. (They weren't the only ones getting emotional, our students were "blubbering" as well.) We truly have met some wonderful Christian friends!
It is my desire that the momentum that the students in 412 Praise have in boldly sharing our faith and loudly and joyfully praising our God will continue once we are home. To this endeavor, I am working on several other opportunities for them to lead worship at other area churches in the near future as well as produce a CD project of our 412 Praise Choir. And of course, they will be involved in our "Celebrate America" program at the end of June. Please continue to pray with me for all of our 412 Praise choir members -- that their growth as a believer will continue and their service to our Savior will never stop!
We head home tomorrow -- with mixed emotions. The students are excited to see their families, but know that they are going to miss these special children, youth and adults here in Glasgow whom they have quickly grown to love. Pray for our safe journey home to our families. We head out of the hotel tomorrow at 5 am and get back to Bentonville at 12 midnight.
I'll make my final blog on Sunday (since we're on the road throughout Saturday). We don't know what will happen to the blog after our journey home. We do know that all of the pictures will be placed on the missionscotland09.org website for future viewing. Our students will be leading worship and presenting their home concert next Sunday night, April 5th at 6 pm. All 60 members of our 412 Praise choir will be leading this service.
Again, I can't thank all of you enough for your continued prayers, support, encouragement and love that you have for our students. It is through your generosity that this trip was possible. I have always felt that my calling was to enable others to use their gifts, abilities and talents for His glory, honor and service. I thank you for allowing me to enable these students to do this "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Good night and God bless!
Ken
Well, I thought it was time that a Scot left a comment on your blog! So, from Glasgow to Bentonville...Thank you! We have all had an amazing week and the opportunity to get to know some of your young people has been a blessing and encouragement to so many, keep walking with God each of you...there are greater things still to come and to be done in each of our cities as we reach out with the good news that Jesus is Lord of each place!
We look forward to hearing from you all in the months ahead...
Bless you all
Sandra Blair (Yoker Evangelical Church)
Put this on yesterday's blog entry by mistake...was meant for your last day's entry in Scotland...oooppss...all sorted now though! :-)
Be safe and enjoy your blessings you all have received. What a week!! I can't wait to get my hands on you Raven,miss you and love you.Call us as soon as arrive in Dallas.
Love ya,
Mom & Dad
I will stay anonymous as not to emabarass my darling daughter but Bro. Ken the emotions you all are feeling are so much like ours back here. There is nothing more joyful then to do the works of God full time and for these students to have to come back and start back to the public schools and all their daily routines is definitely a challenge....this is what the mission fields are all about..knowing without a doubt that when called we must go and preach the gospel to all the nations and that is just what these wonderful, beautiful group of teens have done,spent their Spring Break serving the Lord!! I thank you Bro. ken for giving each one of our families the priveledge to send our teens with you as a leader for them to this mission. Your vision has strengthened each and everyone of them and I know without a doubt, has made a huge impact on the people of Glasgow. God Bless you and your family. We will be praying for a safe return.
Hey!! I can't believe you have all gone home! Was brilliant the short time I spent with you! I love what you were able to do. I wish that one day, our church will be able to do the same! It is an amazing oppurtunity that I wouldn't have to think twice if I was asked to participate in this journey. You have some amazing people in the choir Bro. Ken. and thanks for the music. My school choir will be rehearsing that soon!
Jessica(Alan Gibbon's daughter)
xxxxx
It's all quiet today here. No schools to go to, no Americans visiting.
Where do I start with the events of the week. It was a rollercoaster of a week, but only with high spots. It went so quick and I believe achieved so much. What I hoped we might possibly achieve in a week was surpassed in many ways. In attendances at the concerts, the feedback from the schools, the conncections made in the week. It was inspiring.
You arrived as strangers and left as friends.
I thank you for coming. To all the adults (too many to mention by name) who made the trip I thank you for your friendship and dedication.
To the young people I thank you for coming over to inspire and share with our young people.
Finally to the parents back in Bentonville I thank you for allowing us to borrow your children for a week, they were a huge credit to you, your church and your country.
It was a privilage to have them serve with our churches over the week.
Until we meet again
Every Blessing
Alan Gibbon