It's been a long week...

The past week has been really tough. We are saddened by the sudden death of our dear friend and teammate, David Jack, last Monday. He was a medical student who was living passionately for Christ, and was very instrumental in us coming to Dundee. We were really excited about partnering with him here. I don't understand why this has happened. But I'm trusting in God's sovereignty and goodness. I've recently been reminded that God is weaving a beautiful and harmonious tapestry. Yet on this side of heaven, we often only see the threads on the back that don't make sense. I am happy for David, as he is with his Lord and Saviour. But I am sad for those of us left behind. Please pray for David's family and Anna (David's fiance), and her family. Please pray for grace and wisdom as we navigate the loss of our friend and teammate. Ultimately, I pray that God would be even more glorified by David's death than by his life. His funeral is tomorrow.

God's provision

That first week of getting settled was tough. Yes, the house was coming together, but I was a bit discouraged. I didn't leave the house much, and I don't think the fumes really helped either! But last week, I saw God's provision and I am encouraged. Here are a few examples:

1. God provided a car. I realized that our place is a wee bit too far out from the university and I would need one. It is a 2000 audi (station wagon) that fell into my lap and was a great price. I don't know how to drive it yet (for it's manual). But I have a driving lesson on Wednesday... so watch out!

2. My room is going to be a great haven. see pics below.

3. I got a bank account! I couldn't believe how smooth this went.

4. I made a new friend, Lizzy, a gal whom I met at church. We went to coffee and hit it off!

5. I had coffee with my friend, Anna, who is a medic student. It was great to catch up with her! I look forward to doing that more.

6. I met a dentist at church who may be able to help me get a job. He also has some connections with dental students.

7. The house we are renting is not where we first desired to live. However, we realize it is God's providence that we are here. It is near a park and the pastor and others from the church live nearby. I am anticipating some ultimate frisbee games with students in the park. Oh yeah!

Getting Settled

Two weeks ago today we moved into our unfurnished home. We bought air mattresses (and paint) and started painting! Within one week, we had the bedrooms painted, made a trip to Ikea (had things delivered) and put most things together. All in all, it was a very productive, yet tiring week. Here are a few pics....

One coat of primer and the bears were gone!

The Stadalksy's went on a date and the kids were happy eating pizza and watching a movie on the computer while I started painting my room.

I went with the color, wild primrose. I thought it would be a good idea to have a bright and cheery room particularly in the winter when there will only be 4 hours of daylight. It reminds me of my Charleston home.

John Spencer helped me paint my room!

Then it was time to put everything together.

I was happy to sleep on my own bed that evening!

This was our dining room table for a while, then we upgraded to a box!

The kids were occupied making ships for the much anticipated lego war!

The BBQ

Last week we were invited by the Miller's (a very sweet couple we met at church) to their 300 acre farm for a BBQ on Saturday. It was such a great time to get away from the city (about 40 minutes by car) and all the things that need to be done here. The weather was beautiful! Unlike most days in Scotland, it didn't rain or get cloudy AT ALL! I think we all got a bit sunburned for we definitely didn't plan on the weather being so great. It was also a great gathering to meet some new people. I met a few single young people. One girl is a medic (medical student) in Dundee on rotation from Germany. I really enjoyed talking with her. The kids were able to ride/drive a tractor and car out in the field. John Spencer and I played some football (soccer to most of you!) and croquette. Mrs. Miller is a wonderful cook. She actually made the rolls (hot dog and hamburger) for our meet. THey were yummy! For dessert, we ate fresh raspberries (picked right off of their farm) with fresh cream. They were delicious! Next year for my birthday, i might say my favorite cake is fresh raspberries and cream! Then towards the end of the day, we had a competition known as the obstacle course. Big kids could do it too! So Scott, John Spencer and I participated. John Spencer made it into the finals. You jumped over a fence like thing, crawled under something like a limbo rope, spun around 7 times with your head on a broomstick, then tried to squirt the can off of the post with your water gun. There were a few water fights, as you can imagine. We had a brilliant time!

We officially have an address!

I praise God for his provision! Yesterday we viewed the house and today we were approved, signed the lease and got the keys! The house is brilliant with a nice front garden (that means yard) and enough room inside for hosting students. It needs a wee bit of esthetic work. My room, for example, has a bear border all the way around, thus I will be doing some painting. There is no closet (which is common here) so I will be purchasing a wardrobe. I anticipate learning and experiencing more that God, like Aslan, is not safe but he is good!

This now means that we can get a bank account, get insurance for a car, get a cell phone, register the kids for school, etc, etc, etc. Here are a few pics!

Our new home!

The kids in the front garden.

I am happy to be moving forward with getting settled. Scott, in the background, is working on getting us into our new home... 5 locks and about 15 keys to choose from!

The bear border!

For those of you dentists out there!

Found a Home!

Today we looked at a few more houses and we found our home! It is a bit further out than we initially wanted, but we were encouraged by the student leaders here to find a house that bests suits the family and the students will show up! There is a park across the street and it has enough bedrooms for us all. I am so relieved. It is not a done deal, but we are in the process of making it one! Thanks for praying for this! If it all works out, we aren't sure how long it will take before we can move in. So in the meantime, we have been and will continue to stay at the home of an American family here in Dundee. They actually arrived 5 weeks before us, have a new born, have shown us amazing hospitality and have given us many tips on the logistics of moving here! This has been a perfect set-up, for they have three kids that are now great friends and playmates of Sophia and John Spencer.

The kids were sitting on the bouncy balls but no one was looking at the camera. So I told them to hold onto the ears (of the bouncy balls). They thought i meant each other's ears...this is what ensued.

Scott and Jennifer looking up more housing options. We are very relieved that the search is over!

House Hunting

Yesterday was a successful day in that we saw three properties. From 12:30 until 18:30 (6:30pm for those who need the translation!), we walked and road the bus all around town meeting up with people who showed us our possible future home. The kids did great! Although none of them will work for us, we have a better idea of what we are looking for and we hope to see a few more places today. I am encouraged and know that God will provide. Here are a few picks from the day. There was a park near by one property and the kids and Scott had some fun before we met up with the agent!

There was a park near by one property and had some fun before we met up with the agent! The kids hopped on the teeter-totter. But they wouldn't teeter. So Scott hopped on to help!