Long time, no post!

Wow, sorry folks it's been so long. I took a week off from posting, and then the Internet went down here in Edinburgh, then I took off for Brussels and I just returned 3 days ago to find the city still having computer problems! But finally the mess is all sorted out and I can try to give a little insight into what has been going on in my life.

Highlights over the past 3 weeks...I had a chance to climb Aruthur's Seat which is the highest point in Edinburgh, it is absolutely beautiful and gives a great view of the city. Another day I had off I jumped on the wrong bus and ended up by the Craigmillar Castle. Normally vistors are charged 5£ to tour the castle but since they were just getting ready to shut it down the lady there allowed me to do a self guided tour for about 1 hour! It was fantastic! I finally was able to join a soccer team and I played my first game a couple weeks back. We are 5-1 and it's looks like I got lucky and joined the best team in the league! We have a game tommorow that I am gearing up for.

I have started attended a small church of about 100 people. There is a house group that meets every fortnight and I really feel at home in the congergation. I'm meeting with the pastor sometime soon to talk about ministry opportunities and to just connect with his family. They are from Flordia and his wife already offered to cook me a homemade meal!

Work is going just fine although it can be demanding. I just returned from 3, 12 hour shifts in a row and feel quite drained. I have the next 3 days off and then I work 7, 12 hour night shifts in a row! The rewarding part is that I get the entire following week off. The residents are great guys and girls but they demand a lot of attention. At times I find myself getting frustrated with their complete lack of motivation to move on from the House. Other times their complaints and bickering overwhelm the staff. However, I am encouraged when I see guys move into their own flats and even if I have a tough day everything is washed away when a resident asks me about my faith.

What else..? Oh yeah, Belgium! I was able to take 6 days off and go to Belgium to visit my friend Caroline. We studied at Bluffton together and she lives with her family just outside of Hasselt. She met me in Brussels where we spent the night and toured the city. She had friends in every city so lodging was cheap and food was provided! We then headed to a terrific little town called Lueven (spelling?) It is a town of predominately university students and has a great feel to it. We ended the week by going to the diamond city of Antwerp and then spending a couple of days relaxing at her home. All in all it was a fantastic trip and we were lucky to get such great weather!

Here in Scotland it is starting to cool down but I'm staying plenty warm! I'm still learning the city and am starting to feel more settled. Thanks for your prayers and e-mails. God Bless

Mike