Day 6 (maybe?) of my Thankful challenge. I am truly thankful for my time overseas serving with the Ministry to the Military. I learned so much, changed so much, survived so much, and remain friends with so many. Through that time I got to live about 6 months in Scotland and 4 1/2 years England. Both places were wonderful in their own right. Spiritually, I changed significantly from the Southern-Church-of-God-You-Cant-Do-That mentality to one where Grace became an operative word. I served as a civilian alongside Lutheran, Assemblies of God, Methodist, Church of Christ, and Catholic chaplains. Each of them added to my life and helped me find a place in the Body of Christ that was truly my own. Perhaps more than any other, the Catholic Chaplain helped me in this respect. He stepped way outside his own parishs comfort zone and hired me to be the Christian Education Director for the Catholic Parish. He introduced me to the writings of Henri Nouwen. And he asked me to represent the chapel at an Anointing of the Oils ceremony that took place in a 1,000 year old cathedral. Those oils were prayed over by bishops and priests and laity and then shared out to all the churches represented. Each time someone was anointed with those oils the prayers of those in attendance were symbolically transferred to the one over whom the priest would pray. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life. And then there was Thanksgiving at Ely Cathedral where the Americans brought pumpkin pie (something new to Brits) and the Brits brought mulled wine. An amazing time. My kids went to school in Scottish and English schools. They looked so cute in their school uniforms (Im sure they would say differently). It wasnt until we had been there a couple of years that Brittany let her accent slip at home. It was then we realized they had both been speaking in Scottish and British accents at school to fit in. Some parents might have cried. I was simply amazed at their ability to mimic accents. I got to experience Cats, Les Mis, and Phantom of the Opera on the London stage. I shopped at Harrads. I traveled to Cambridge, Bury St. Edmunds, London, Bath, Wales, Loch Lommand, and more. We took 20 hour rides to Germany for retreats. The girls went to summer camp in Italy, Estonia, and Africa. I expanded my foodaholism to include Haggis (both traditional and fried on a stick), Bangers and Mash, Fish and Chips (real, authentic, straight from the ocean), eggs and tomatoes and baked beans for breakfast, High Tea, Shepherds Pie, Scotch eggs, and too many more to count. I met remarkable ministry workers like Matt Haase, Frank Alcorn, Owen C. Martin, Larry Martin, Robert A. Moore Jr and more. And photographer extraordinaire, Art Moore and the wonderful Mr. Bebo. I was introduced to British television with the likes of (the original) Whos Line Is It Anyway?; Yes, Minister; Morse; Mr. Bean, and Fawlty Towers to name a few. But beyond all that, when my life was absolutely falling apart, my church stood beside me and the family. They ministered grace and love and healing and forgiveness. They showed me what the Church, the Body of Christ, the Fellowship of the Saints, and the Koinonia of the New Testament was all about. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I am truly thankful for every minute of it.
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 01:42:26 +0000
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