Blessed!

It has been a long time since I updated last. Actually it has only been about 1.5 weeks but so much has happened! Wow I don't know where to begin. How about this...I'm sitting in the living room of people who were complete strangers until two days ago. Right now I am watching the San Antonio Spurs beat the Miami Heat while typing on a laptop via a wireless connection! Yeah, I feel like I am at home. Not to mention I am eating some awesome turkey soup and have a room upstairs with a huge bed and all of this is available to me at the cost of....0!

Let me backtrack a little bit here. Last week after my night shift I went up to Stirling Scotland. When you here Stirling think of William Wallace, Braveheart, yada yada. One of the volunteers is placed there and his host family completely welcomed me into their home. They gave me my own room, pizza, tuna pasta, drove me to the train station, pretty much put their complete home at my disposal! They have two little children and I enjoyed the time we spent together, we were able to stay up late into the night twice talking about everything from Christianity to music and Mighty Python!

When I came back to Edinburgh I worked over the weekend after seeing the Wallace Monument and the Stirling Castle. On Monday I jumped on a train with Nick to go to the Time For God conference in London. The theme was "New Begginings" and we explored the theme via the grueling task of watching movies! We would watch a film and then discuss the themes and how it relates to our expriences. It was great to get together with the other volunteers and we were given a lot of free time to talk, play games, and wander the city.

Now you might wonder where am i? Well the family I stayed with in Stirling has family in Wiltshire England, which is where I am. Since I was down in England for the conference I wanted to use the location to my advantage. The family from Stirling called their family here in Wiltshire and asked if I could stay with them. They didn't hesitate! So after the confernece I jumped a train over here and they too picked me up from the train station.

And man do I feel spoiled. Wiltshire is home to two important landmarks, Bath, and Stonehenge. So after picking me up on Thursday they brought me to their home, their kids have since moved out, so they have a lot of space. On Thur she cooked me a traditional English meal and then we went out to a community play. Yesterday I took a bus to Stonehenge and of course they wouldn't let me leave without a packed lunch. When I came back in the evening I went out with Mr. (I should leave some anonymity) for curry night with the guys from the church. I had my first curry experience and the six of us enjoyed enough food for twelve and talked late into the night at the restauraunt.

Today I went to Bath and I just got back a couple hours ago. They had a birthday party to go to so they gave me a key and left the house at my disposal! Wow, I am so blessed. They have opened their house to a complete stranger and before they left they told me to make the homhe my own. She has been trying to do my laundry and won't let me go a minute without food or warm tea!

Oh yeah, it gets better! Not only do I have the luxury of internet and television (this is television on steroids, american channels!) but tommorow they want to drive me around some more of Wiltshire and show me some more sights. Now I already convicned them to let me make them breakfast, which will be pancakes and french toast, but in the evening we have churcfh at 4 pm. Then after church is the church potluck!

The only thing I was worrying about was, how am I going to watch the Steeler game on Sunday. Well, guess what? Their son who is my age and lives here in town is a big American Football fan, just like his roomate. Guess who they follow? That's right, the Steelers. And of course there are two AMericans in the congergation who are from where else? Pittsburgh! So when they heard about me being a fan they said I had "no choice" but to go to their flat and watch the game. I said, "but...but..well... if I have to." Ha ha. Wow, sometimes you just know God is watching over you.

By the way Stonehenge is awesome!