Saying Goodbye To Glasgow

Hiya! Okay...I'm back at the internet cafe in the city centre of Glasgow. I'm trying to email any chance I get. So here I am for £2 (roughly $3.50) I can email for an hour...   Last night was brilliant! We went out to the Hurlet house (where Jake & Cherry, the pastors of the church here in Glasgow live) for a wee BBQ (hamburgers, crisps, and Irn Bru...which is a Scottish orange colored soda pop that tastes a bit like bubble gum, and ice cream) and we had a tour around the place (it's a huge estate with lots of acreage and it used to belong to a Seventh Day Adventist Bible College...and was also the estate for the Earl of Glasgow many many years ago). They've done a lot of work on it (it's a rather large place)...lots more to do...but looking good so far (it is the current place for the Harvest Ministry College). It was nice to spend a bit of time with them and Jake teased me a lot (I had forgotten how he can be...so you put him and my dad together and I was the butt of their jokes!! oh my goodness!!! lots of laughs)...we were later joined by Mark & Brenda (Mark had been in the college with me) for tea and biscuits back at Maggie's place where we're staying at...which turned into a wonderful time of prayer and ministry (I've missed how Glaswegians pray...we were up till 1am!!!). I've had such a great time here in Glasgow with old friends it's sad to see my time ending here.   Today we came into city centre on the train (the train is my favorite way to travel on public transport...I'm going to miss it!) and we walked to Sauchihall Street from Buchanan Street (still in the main shopping district) to meet Alistair and his wife Liza for coffee (Alistair was in the college with me). It was wonderful to sit and chat and to meet Liza (she is lovely! and she's an artist!) Again, I've been so blessed to see people and to spend time with them here.   Sidenote: I just bought some bracelets (the colored ones that are sort of made of rubber) from the 2 football teams here in Glasgow. Football (soccer) is quite big here. In Glasgow they have 2 teams (The Rangers, who are mostly supported by the Protestants who can be a bit more slanted towards the English...and The Celtics, who are mostly supported by the Catholics who can be a bit more slanted towards the Irish) rivalry is can  be quite violent and dangerous in the city during games (don't wear the wrong color into the wrong part of the city or to the opposing teams pubs!) It's a way of life here we just don't really understand in America...it's quite serious at times...they take their sport very serious. Anyways, I just went into the sport shops for the teams and bought some bracelets (supporting both sides).   Emmmmmm.....my time back here in Glasgow...I've got all sorts of thoughts and feelings I'll need to process thru and debrief when I return back home to Boise...I've missed this place and these people...and I'm so glad I had the chance and opportunity to come back to visit. Holidays never seem to be long enough when it comes to relationships...but I must say that I've been so blessed. Being back here...in ways I still feel so comfortable in Glasgow, like I could step right back into my life here very easily...and yet, life is so very different now...things have changed, people have changed, I've changed, circumstances have changed...and I know that being in Boise is where I'm supposed to be right now...it's my home and God has a plan...but even so, It's good to know deep down that I still have wonderful friends here...no matter where I go, what I do...God breaks down cultural barriers and time and distance. I've been very blessed.   Tomorrow we will take off for Prestwick (a bit southwest of Glasgow) near the airport. We'll be staying over night because early Wednesday morning we're flying out to Dublin Ireland on Ryan Air to start the next leg of our trip. I'm a bit torn in my emotions as I look to leaving Glasgow and Scotland behind...but I believe deep in my heart that I'll be back (don't know when or how or whatever...but I know I will).   By the way...I think I'm going to go thru tea withdrawals when I get back to the States...I'm back into the habit of drinking loads of cups of tea all day long!   Oh and before I forget...all of you who have been over here to Glasgow or who have met people or know people from here...they all say HIYA! and send a cuddle to you!   Thank you for your prayers. Please pray that my parents and I will be under the weight limit for the flight to Dublin...I'm told that Ryan Air only allows 20 pounds...and if yer over they charge you very high fines. We will be shipping boxes of our souvenirs back to the States tomorrow in hopes of reducing the weight.   I'll email from Ireland as soon as I can. I send cuddles!  Cheers, Lisa