Burns Day

January 25 marked the 250th birthday of Robert (Rabbie) Burns - a.k.a. Scotland's favorite son or The Bard. Burns was a poet and lyricist and is now the most celebrated literary figure in Scotland, though in Edinburgh it seems Sir Walter Scott is a close second. Much of Burns' writing is in Scots which requires an interesting attempt at deciphering on our part. The most likely piece of work that you Americans out there may know of Burns' writing is Auld Lang Syne, the song most classically sung on New Year's Eve. Here's a little taste of Scots for you, the first couple of verses from Auldt Lang Syne:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my jo,

For auld lang syne,

We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp !
And surely I’ll be mine !
And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

The traditional way of celebrating of Burns Night (the anniversary of Burns' birthday) is attending a Burns Supper, which we did on Friday night. It was the most cultural Scottish experience we've had yet! The format of traditional Burns suppers has not changed since his death in 1796. It traditionally includes a Ceilidh (pronounced: kay-lee), which is a traditional social dance (for you Colorado folk, think square dancing to Scottish folk music!) and a tribute to The Bard through several readings of his poetry and closing with a rendition of Auld Lang Syne.

Haggis is the most famous traditional Scottish dish; why, however, we do not understand. It is made of minced sheep "plucks" (heart, liver, and lungs) and is prepared by boiling it in a sheep's stomach - think of it as a sausage. Thank goodness they served vegetarian haggis as well!

Despite these questionable ingredients, haggis is indeed a well loved dish here in Scotland and is served in nearly every pub around. Rabbie Burns loved haggis so much he composed a poem titled Address to a Haggis, which is now the most famous poem recited at a Burns Supper, just after the presentation of the haggis.

The Burns supper we went to was hosted by the L'arch Community here in Edinburgh. We were introduced to L'arsh through a friend of ours who works in the community here. We were really impressed with their vision of living in community with adults with learning disabilities, giving dignity and value to every member. Simply by 'doing life together' the assistants are able to offer the members with learning disabilities the opportunity to do things that they would rarely have a chance to do if living in a formal care facility.

The highlight of the night, perhaps the month, for me was watching the gentleman in the photo below respond to the tune of Amazing Grace when it was played by the string band. He slowly walked up to the stage and sought help to position the microphone in the right spot. The band started the tune over again and he sang, truly from the depths of his heart, as the room fell quiet and listened. I caught a glimpse of the beauty of pure worship in the room that night and it humbled me more than I can say. All evening this man had caught my attention because he reminded me so much of David, my dad's cousin who passed away not too long ago after a full and long life. He brought so much joy to so many people's lives and it was a treat to be caught up in many memories of him throughout our evening.

St Andrews

Over the New Year holiday we took a train up to St Andrews, a charming town about an hour north of us. Many know it as the birthplace of golf, which also means it is home to the world's first golf course. While we knew that Edinburgh was a large city (500,000 people call it home), we realized that we were somehow expecting it to feel more like a small town, much like St Andrews. It was great to get out of the big city and into the open expanses of the Scottish countryside, and then spend the day exploring the castle, cathedral and little shops of St Andrews. Here is a brief slide show of our adventure:

Liberti Group in Peru

Last Wednesday a short-term team from Liberti Church in Philadelphia took off for a second annual trip to Arequipa, Peru. Their return is almost exactly one year from their original visit, which we still hold so fondly in our memories. We were fortunate to have a number of visitors during our time in Peru last year, but Liberti was our only large team and it was such a great experience to have them there. There were many aspects of the trip that made it meaningful, but from our perspective one of the most significant things was watching the team love the kids, workers and community members so selflessly and enthusiastically. The resounding conclusion at the end of the trip was the the team members felt they had gained far more from their experiences than they had given, but our vantage point in the weeks and months after the team left confirmed that the love they had given to all at New Hope made a remarkable impact on everyone. I can only imagine the levels of excitement that were bubbling over among the kids and the returning group members when they were reunited last week.

After the group trip to Arequipa last year, several of the group members had expressed an interest in returning to New Hope to volunteer or serve as interns in various capacities. As the year went on, plans came together and we were able to make plans for their return in the fall. When our decision to leave for Tony's schooling was made, we were continually comforted by the knowledge that these interns would be arriving shortly after our departure to help guide and coordinate things at the home. It has indeed turned out to be a tremendous blessing to have them there, and we are continually singing the praises of Lydia, Julia, Jess, Seth, Brad and Andrew who have given of their time and resources to be there in our absence. Tony's parents have been able to be in Peru for several months at a time since we left for Scotland, and I know they are so thankful for the support of the Liberti 6 who have been there.

I don't think it is possible to describe what the transition from Peru to Scotland has been like for us, and I have therefore kept a bit quiet about it here on the blog. Our hearts were fully engaged in the work we were doing at New Hope and while I am not surprised that large portions of hearts have been left in the hands of the children, friends and church members there, I have been surprised by the pain of leaving those portions of our hearts behind. Our minds are continuosly filled with thoughts of the home, which makes it understandable that a good number of my dreams are set at New Hope. We've been thankful for the ways that we have been able to stay involve and connected with the home while living in Scotland, and we are anxious for the day we'll be able to return for a face-to-face visit.

One of the ways that has helped us to feel connected to the home is the work of Seth Shimkonis, one of the Liberti 6 who is currently at the home. Seth is a professional photographer who is using his skills to capture the reality, the beauty, and the hope of children in Peru. He is investing time in the kids by teaching them photography skills, but has also taken on a load of responsibility that is probably far outside his comfort zone by helping to care for the older boys at New Hope. Seth has started posting a Photo of the Day on his website, and I highly recommend reading through the recent entries and following along with his blog.

We are so thankful for the team that is down at New Hope this week and are sad that we cannot be there with them. If you think of it this week, please pray that their time will be safe, healthy, meaningful for all who are involved and filled with the love of Jesus Christ in every way.