Home again, home again, jiggity jig...well, just 2/3 of us :(

We have been on a crazy ride thus far, and it looks as though it is getting crazier!  This Thursday, sweet Micah and I are heading home to TN, because the visa process for both of us has been stopped, and we have to start again... whew, what a headache, huh?!?

The story behind the story is that when we were applying for visas, we totally misunderstood what it meant by Micah and I being labeled as "dependents" when traveling with Kirk.  We realized our little faux pas when Kirk looked at the fine print of his visa application, which basically stated that Micah and I are required to have separate visas, even though we are his dependents.  Oh, how little we know about international travel :(... Lord, have mercy!!! Haha!

We were hopeful when leaving the US, because we read that MG and I could be on a three month "visitor pass" and apply for our UK visa during those months.  Here's the rub... are you ready for it???

We can't apply for a visa here in the UK, because, wait for it... we flew through IRELAND, which apparently means we are prohibited from applying for our UK visa internally.  Somewhere in the crazy mix of things, we missed the fact that flying through Dublin was apparently a huge 'debacle', as my family likes to put it.

I guess the silver lining in all of this is that a lot of our family who haven't met Micah can meet her for the first time.  I hate that we have to leave Kirk here alone, and I hate that we have had so many crashes. 

God is in control, and we are trusting Him.  The adventure keeps getting more...umm...adventurous!

Stay tuned.

And so it begins!

Today is the first day that Kirk will start his 9-5 study/writing. As we sat staring out our window last night, looking at a beautiful view of this city, I had a mix of emotions. First, I am going to miss having him around, like he was in Massachusetts when MG was born. Next, I felt a little scared, because there are still a lot of logistics that need to be figured out with my visa, which means we don't have healthcare (for Micah or me) until we get the bumps ironed out. The reason for the fear, aside from being a new mom in a new country, is that two nights ago, one of my worries was realized as I woke up to a snotty-nosed, helpless little baby. Yep, you guessed it- she caught 'Daddy's' cold. After the series of setbacks we had already experienced, this was just par for the course. And man, let me tell you- I handled it so beautifully... NOT!!! I immediately called my mom through FaceTime, with my 4 am, punk rocker hair and cried hysterically that I wanted to come home or have her here 'NOW'! I told her that I just can't handle anymore of these stressors and that I am tired of being tested. After all, we don't even have our phones set up, and "what if something were to happen?!" Do you hear Peace in my rant!? I surely don't. I need to get reaquainted with Him again. To add to my medley of emotions about our routine kicking off, I feel hopeful. I am hopeful that I will get to know some friends and that we will find some exciting places to visit. I am hopeful that Kirk enjoys writing and growing in his ability to communicate Truth. And I am also hopeful that I will get to know Jesus on a deeper level.

I became aware last night (with the help of my sage of a husband) that my life has typically looked like Jesus+______. Ever since we have been in Edinburgh, the '+____' has been stripped away (phones, constant community, entertainment, you name it), and I have been left with the question, 'Is Jesus enough for me?'

Ouch.

The truth is that my life often responds to that question with a resounding, 'no'!!

So, here's to hoping that by the time we leave this place, I will answer differently.

Story of the Week: Inconvenience!

One week into this adventure, and I will definitely say it has been a whirlwind.  Trying to figure out international banking, phones, immigration stuff (I still don't have a visa) has had us reach points of frustration that neither one of us have ever seen or heard out of each other.  Kirk and I realize that we have both been in a pressure cooker since Micah was born, and because she was 3.5 weeks early, we didn't really get to prepare for or process her arrival.  In the midst of it all, we were prepping for this trip, and there were so many things to do that it was inevitable that some things would be left undone.  So, here we are- trying to navigate through it all... in sickness and in health, in the easy times, and while boiling in the pressure cooker, right?!

I thought my birthday was the pinnacle of stress, but today topped it!  Kirk has been struggling with this cold-like/fever bug for a couple of days, and we haven't had the opportunity been to press pause, because of all of his orientation stuff+an 11-week-old who loves to be loved.  He decided to go in for some meetings and errands this morning, and as I headed to meet him, I noticed him limping as he rounded the corner.  Well, folks- Kirk has sprained his ankle!  The slippery sidewalks of Edinburgh... for the WIN!  Today we used a lot of public transportation, needless to say.

As I mentioned previously regarding the Scots-they don't necessarily focus on convenience, and so not only do our errands and setting up bank accounts, phones, and WiFi take 10 steps, we are now adding a lot more of them because of this setback-haha (well, sort of "haha")!  God is teaching us a TON right now about dependence on Him.  When we are tempted to retreat and come back to our familiar, comfortable lives, we are reminded of how much confirmation went into this trip (between raising all funds in 1.5 months, getting the scholarship, and the affirmation Kirk received regarding his preaching).

Tomorrow is Saturday, and I am thankful!  Here's to putting our feet up (well, I guess I will just join Kirk in his foot-up-ness) and having a bit of what the Scots are good at-rest.

This is what kept coming to mind all day:
"for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philppians 4:11-13

We certainly don't have the rough circumstances that Paul had (and I am so grateful for it), but for us, this is an arduous experience for us, so here is how I would re-word it:

For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to have my phone working and have a car.  I know what it is to have all of my needs and wants met above and be completely spoiled.  I am learning the secret of being content when I feel cowardly and selfish.  I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.

Amen.

A day to remember...

As a kid, birthdays in the Stallings household were a BIG deal!  We honestly celebrated them for a week at a time, and I felt like the most special kiddo on the planet.  This birthday awesomeness sort of created a compulsive need in me to "shine bright like a diamond" forever and a day, and I became Little Miss Entitled to All Things Good and Shiny and The Queen of I Don't Have to Do Anything I Don't Want To Do Today.  Needless to say, that need to be celebrated is difficult to grow out of, and I probably never will, but God is really great at tempering that aspect of my personality.

I learned a valuable lesson about sharing my birthday 12 years ago... 

I will never forget it- I was in Biology class working on a lab with my best friend Meg (and Kirk was actually sitting right across from me).  The principal's voice was heard across the entire school as we he instructed all teachers to stop teaching and to turn on their TV sets.  Now, for a student to hear that, you'd think it would cause a spontaneous eruption of dance, but it sent chills up and down my body... "What's the deal?  Why are all of these kids checking out of school all of a sudden?"  My friends and I got teary-eyed as we watched the footage of the World Trade Center being crashed into.  My next thought was, this is the worst birthday ever. 

To this day, my birthday is still one of the most exciting days of the year for me, but 9/11/2001 forever stays in my mind.  My heart grieves for those who needlessly lost their lives as they were simply working or traveling, and I pray that God will continue to comfort and restore those who are left to pick up the pieces.

9/11... A great day and a not-so-great-day all rolled into one.

Fast-forward to 9/11/2013- A day that I have been excited about for weeks, because it's my first birthday overseas and as a mommy.  I didn't realize, however that those two changes in my life would cause me to have a birthday that was... let's just say... different than expected.  Remember Little Miss Entitled?  Well, she made an appearance today.

As Kirk worked hard to plan our adventure, we experienced frustration throughout the day as we passed our crying baby across the table at the restaurant, got turned away at places for dessert, because they wouldn't serve families (due to alcohol being served there), and as various shopping places closed waaaaay earlier or opened later than we're used to. 

We got home tonight after what was honestly a stressful birthday, but it was no one's fault except for the expectations held inside Little Miss... Micah cried as we tried to put her to bed, and as things began to calm down, and we were about to cuddle up to watch a movie, Kirk told me he was not feeling well.  The travel, busyness of international transitioning, and being a dad hit him hard-tonight!  Man, this day- oh, how I love my birthday, and oh, how I hate learning to share my birthday love with those around me...

So here I am, up at 11:37 pm as Kirk and Micah are sound asleep in our room, and I am thankful.  I am thankful that Kirk chose to take care of himself and lay down instead of staying up to satisfy my expectations.  I am thankful that my 11-week-old gift from God is finally calm.  I am thankful that God has used this funny chain of events to teach me a valuable lesson... It's not about me.  Even on my day, the love has to be spread around.

Our free playground!

This is what we did today...

This is Arthur's Seat-the highest point in Edinburgh.  From here, you can see the whole city and into Norway in the distance.  For all you golf fans, you can also see where the British Open was held this year, too!  It was a great way to spend the afternoon after a very busy (and honestly stressful) morning running errands all over the place!

Edinburgh, it's nice to meet you!

It as been an exciting adventure thus far, and we have only been here for three days!  As mentioned previously, we prayed hard that Micah would sleep on the flight, and she far exceeded our hopes-way to go, MG!

Here are some differences about Scotland that we are getting used to:

• People value rest here, and will even go as far as leaving for a random 2-week "holiday" while working alongside someone through a project.
• Communication here is...well... tricky, I'd say.  When given directions to our "flat" the other day, a kind Scottish woman told us to go "down this alley, by the gate, but ignore the second gate, and it should be the building on your right." WHAT???!!!  No street names? No numbers?  What in the world?  We eventually found it after a couple of tries- haha!  Also, when we got in our cab, the window clearly stated that the driver accepted VISA, but when we tried to pay him with our card, he explained, "Me swiper doesn't work, so ye have to give me pounds.  Aye, sorry 'bout that."  WHAT???!!! You mean we have to walk a mile and half to get to the closest bank?  Funny stuff (well, it's funny now).
• If they make fun of you here, it means "you're in".  Scots tend to be very sarcastic, and they like to joke around all the time.  For example, when trying to explain where we are currently staying (and not realizing that it is a large area of town with a huge park), a man at church said, "So yur living under a bush somewhere in the park, are ye?"
• The weather is like a hormonal teenager.  It's difficult to plan what to wear-especially for Micah, so we just have to prepare for everything.  It could be bright and sunny for five minutes and then start pouring out of nowhere.  Apparently it rains "360 days a year"-wowzah!
• Although they are sarcastic and straight-forward (somewhat like New Englanders, wink wink), the Scots we have met have truly gone out of their way to help us find what we need, even though we don't always understand them.

Highlights of our trip so far:

• We have found some friends!  Our taxi driver, James was our first God-send.  We may never see him again, but he was helpful and kind and went above and beyond his job description.  We went to a local church and were sought out by the members within seconds of walking into the door-wow!  When Kirk was at orientation this morning, I sat at a coffee shop with Micah, and the shop owner was very kind and accommodating, and even told me that she'd help out if we needed anything.  There are also some couples studying here who we either have met before or are meeting because we have mutual friends-praise God for that!
• WE FOUND AN APARTMENT!  Apparently "flats" are hard to come by here, especially because of the start of the school year, and God totally opened the door WIDE open for us to get this place.  The cool thing is that it is located right next to a beautiful, family-friendly park that I can't wait to check out with Micah while Kirk is studying.  We celebrated with some ice cream.
• We are adjusting well, in spite of the funny cultural differences mentioned previously, but we know God is giving us this time to make us more culturally sensitive and bond us closer with Him.

We are thankful that God is at work in our lives here-even more so than we expected.  In the quietness of the night, when all of the excitement settles down, I have found myself feeling a little depressed, because I miss home, my friends in Massachusetts, and the "familiar", but I sense that God is saying, "You're home with Me.  You're not alone, and I have you here for a purpose."  So, here we are... for one year... learning, growing, and enjoying this adventure!