Change of Place

Well, it has been some time since we have posted. That is mainly due to our unsettledness. Thursday we said good bye to our dear friends in Scotland and to Scotland itself. We had a most enjoyable time there, an inexpressibly enjoyable time. The scenery was terrific, the weather was outstanding, and the people were a delight. The saints in the Tain/Fearn congregations were an illustration of Colossians 1:4: faith in Christ Jesus and love for all the saints. Didn't the Lord give us a lovely farewell sunset?

The sadness of leaving Scotland was minimised by the welcome of the Cambridge folk. Ian and David Hamilton picked us up from the airport and after an hour drive through some non-descript countryside we arrived at Ian and Joan Hamilton's home in Cambridge. The welcome we received was warm, about 28C warm. It was great to see each other face to face again. (Ian stayed with us for a weekend some years ago and we remember that stay with particular fondness. A couple of summers ago the Hamilton family, save the two oldest sons, stayed with us for a week. We remember that time with fondness too!) Following the Church prayer meeting the Hannula family came back to the Hamiltons for refreshments. That was a particular delight for us since Mr. Hannula wrote the hymn we often use at baptisms at Riverside (This Lamb, Good Shepherd) and the book "Trial and Triumph: Stories From Church History" that we and our children have thoroughly enjoyed.

Cambridge is a beautiful city, though its beauty is different than Scotland's rugged natural beauty. On Saturday Jessica, Joshua, Stephen, and Lucy took the bus to the city centre. Cambridge is famous for its colleges and the architecture of these old buildings is fascinating. I am sure that most of you will be able to recognise this building.

I preached on the Lord's Day in Cambridge Presbyterian Church. The one in England, though it would have been a pleasure to do so at the one in Canada! The congregation is a foretaste of Revelation 7:9. There are Malaysians, Americans, Brazilians, Scots, Nigerians, Dutch, South Africans, Ugandans, and others worshipping together. That in itself was a privilege.

Today we moved to our last residence until we return home. Micaiah is completely confused about where our home is! It is kind of fun listening to him attempt to describe home. We are staying at the home of Chad and Emily van Dixhoorn. Lucy grew up with Chad in St. Thomas and so it was pleasant to have a wee reunion on Saturday evening. Chad is working on a fascinating project here (http://www.westminsterassembly.org). The van Dixhoorns left for Amercia this morning and we moved in this afternoon. We are only a mile from the city centre so we imagine we will be doing a great deal of walking around the city while we are here. Joshua is currently sleeping in his cabin pictured below. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Jessica's parents.