WE APPRECIATE YOUR PRAYERS ~ Jennifer & James Murphy (4.4.09)

All nine of the Scotland team have arrived safely and are, probably at this point, fast asleep in their beds.

Making the connection in New York was a very close call, but after an all-out sprint for about a mile through the airport, they re-opened the gates for them, allowed them to board, and were even offered refreshments as soon as they sat down (sounds like the sweat pouring down their red faces scared the stewardesses into thinking they might pass out at any moment!). And praise the Lord, all their baggage made it through as well!

We were very concerned about the team making it through customs, due to some brand new UK legislation and restrictions that have resulted in recent foreign Christian mission teams turned around at the gate and forced to leave the country immediately, but God guided them through that step of the journey as well.

Though they were all exhausted from the flight, they wanted to take advantage of being in Edinburgh by spending some time seeing the sights; so for three hours, they toured Edinburgh Castle, and walked down the popular street, the Royal Mile, checking out some of the shops.

Once in the van, the only sounds during the four hour drive came from James and Chris in the front seat, joking and laughing it up, while the rest of the team snoozed.

Upon arriving in Dornoch, each team member was introduced to and dropped off at their respective host’s home, where they each enjoyed a home cooked meal, and most likely went to bed right away.

Tomorrow the Stony Point and Dornoch Free Church Holiday Bible Club teams will meet and combine forces to put the finishing touches on the plans for the upcoming week.

We appreciate your prayers both thus far and for the rest of the mission, especially for the hearts of the kids who will attend the Bible Club, and the SPC and Free Church Team in leading the Club.

The SPC team looks forward to keeping you updated throughout their time here.

GOD WILL GIVE THEM COURAGE! ~ Anna Bryant (4.5.09)

Hiya! As Jennifer told you last night, we’re all here safe and only a little jet lagged. We slept in Saturday morning and then met in the afternoon with the Dornoch Free Church members who are helping with the Holiday Bible Clubs. It was SO cool to see how many people God had given enough courage to volunteer to help with the Bible Clubs. They have agreed to be Teacher’s Assistants and aids with the clubs, but none have jumped at the idea of being a head teacher. Most of them are still very timid about taking over the classroom but our prayer is that by the end of the week they will be leading the classes so that next year they can run the whole clubs on their own! Please pray that God will give them courage!

After that we enjoyed time teaching the songs that we will be singing with the kids all week. We decorated the sanctuary and classrooms. We’re pretty excited because we are blowing up hundreds of balloons, putting them in a large net, and hanging them over the balcony to have a “Balloon Drop” on Friday! Woo hoo!! Next, we were blessed with a great Scottish dinner at the Matheson’s house. God blessed us by allowing us time to fellowship as a group and have a debrief where we shared the many ways we’ve seen God at work already!
We went to the church service this morning where we sang a few songs beforehand. Mr. B preached (crazy, I know!) and God was once again faithful as we heard many ways that God used his words to touch people. Praise God!

We took a long walk to Embo to eat lunch at the Mackay’s where we were able to rest up a “wee” bit more before the church service tonight. We sang (a lot) and had a great time of prayer and praise with the Dornoch Free Church congregation.

We’re now all sitting at James and Jennifer’s house having our nightly debrief. We’re being joined by seven of the teens of Dornoch, too! God is good! Please pray for our first day of Holiday Bible Clubs tomorrow. Pray that the parents would let their children come to the Bible Clubs and that God would use us to bring His saving grace to them. Also, pray that through this week, the parents of these children would be touched and have a desire to learn more about what their children have been learning! Thanks for all your support and we’ll be sure to post updates again soon!

Much Love,
Anna Bryant

p.s. To the Four-Dessert Club from last year, have no fear. This is a NEW year, and Harrison Jones has established a a new club: The Running Club to meet every morning…early. (I think I preferred the dessert one…) We miss you Big Momma and Coleman! Everyone’s asking for you!
p.p.s. LOVE you mom and helen and josh and zack and anna!

OUR FIRST DAY ~ Leslie Kolmer (4.6.09)

Greetings from Dornoch Free Church. Tonight will be our first day for Holiday Bible Club. And yes, we are excited! If you were here you would see a huge net suspended over the center of the sanctuary filled with around 1,000 balloons. Banners and streamers are everywhere and classrooms are set up. The music team has practiced hard. Our brothers and sisters here in Dornoch have made some changes to their building that should prove very suitable for classroom space. James and Jennifer have done a great work here and we see the fruit of Bill and Kathy Anderson’s time in the teachers and assistants who have a sense of the challenge before them but a marked enthusiasm.

Now as I write this we have finished our first evening of the Bible club and though we are certainly exhausted you can still hear Leigh Liles and Anna Bryant singing Bible club songs. Yes, really, and there is also plenty of laughter. I think we all have the sense that we are taking a small part in a big work that God has done and is doing here and feel tremendously privileged. I hope you who have supported us will also catch the joy and energy that comes as a by product of serving wholeheartedly in Jesus name. God Bless!
Check out the photo Gallery @ Dornoch 2009 on the church web site

Leslie Kolmer for the Dornoch team.

MONDAY MORNING ~ Lynn Liles (4.7.09)

Greetings from Dornoch.

On Monday morning we went to the Meadows (a nursing home/assisted living facility) to sing, share a testimony and visit with the residents. The music was lively and fun. Harrison and Mr.B put on quite a show! Sean Skinner’s (a Dornoch teen) mom Susan works at this facility. They were all ready for us-they even had a sign up announcing our arrival. We met many Margarets, John and Mae, Mary and several others. It was encouraging to us to see smiles on their faces and tapping the tables or clapping to the music. After and hour of singing and hand motions and hugs we left to go for a leisurely lunch and back to the church for final preparations.

Anna and Leigh were inviting kids to HBC as we walked around Dornoch in the afternoon coming back from lunch. HBC started with a loud and joyful opening ceremony lead by James as the MC and the SPC band. Us Stony Pointers learned a new song from Jennifer, ‘Feet Shod’—so get ready for some fun when the band gets back to Richmond. The first lesson in the HBC Bible curriculum is Jesus is the Eternal God—I AM the good shepherd. As part of the lesson we not only had a live sheep but—she had 3 baby lambs that morning at 7:00 pm. Do we have an awesome God or what?

There are 4 classes lead by 9 SPC adults and teens and DFC adults and teens and about 12 DFC Special Aids (teens and adults). There were 33 Dornoch children for the first night—with more expected.

The band – Mr. B, Chris, and Harrison with Anna singing, of course. They were really jamming. Everyone old and young alike were singing, dancing and doing hand motions for the songs.

Our Bible verse for the Gospel lesson for the night was Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

We went back to James and Jennifer’s for a debrief and dinner. The dinner was great. The DFC folks are preparing meals each night for the team and the youth that are helping. Kenny a youth made meringues for dessert! Everyone is so hospitable ad quite gifted with preparing desserts.

MIRACLES IN DORNOCH ~ Jennifer Murphy (4.8.09)

God is working miracles in Dornoch. From the very beginning of our ministry here, James and I have had two primary goals: to work alongside the Dornoch Free Church (DFC) congregation in youth ministry and, through God’s strength and wisdom, to equip and enable them to take over for us when we leave.

I have to be honest and admit that on more than a couple of occasions, I have truly believed that most of the youth events we lead would cease to exist after our departure from Scotland in the summer of 2009 as a result of no one caring enough or being willing to take over. But, after witnessing the ways God has worked in and through the people of DFC over the last few weeks, and how they have so willingly stepped out in faith to do something they fear, I have no doubt that God will continue to work through the people here in Dornoch for generations to come.

Getting the DFC to the point it is at today has been a long process, which we have only seen a portion of, but it has been exciting to observe all that’s happened over the last 20 months.

This is the second Holiday Bible Club (HBC) put on by the DFC and Stony Point Church (SPC), and I can’t help but compare and contrast the extreme differences between the two years.
Last year SPC sent a team of 12, this year the team numbers 9. The choice to send a smaller team was intentional, in hopes that the DFC members would realize how much they would need to step up to fill the roles of the missing team members.
Last year, the children who arrived on the first day seemed nervous, unsure, and almost anxious. Gradually, the kids really warmed up to the team and were bouncing off the walls with an infectious energy. That energy, and then some, is what the kids came in with on this past Monday evening. It was wonderful to see the joy and excitement in their faces; it was like they had been waiting all year long for the HBC to begin again.

Last year the club was run completely by the SPC team, with the help of some of the teenagers from the DFC. This year, the HBC is truly a joint effort. The for leading and teaching each class is shared by both SPC and DFC people. James and I have had the opportunity to listen in on the classes while some of the DFC people have taught lessons, and we are so encouraged to hear how God is speaking through them, despite the fears that nearly paralyzed them a mere two weeks prior. We have the privileged position of being here and seeing all of the factors that have contributed to the DFC people getting to the point they are at: willing to follow God’s leading while staring their intense fears in the face.
Last year, the DFC adults stood in the back and watched, taking it all in, but hesitant to get involved. This year, DFC people of all ages are interacting with the kids, putting all of themselves into doing whatever it takes to share the love of Christ with the children of Dornoch.

It has definitely been a process; this is not something that could have been achieved overnight. Due to my and James’s lack of experience in training people how to teach, we put out a request to all our supporters, and God answered that prayer in a very real way when Bill & Kathy Anderson volunteered to travel to Dornoch to train, encourage, and equip people here to teach HBC, Sunday School, and other youth events. That, paired with the help and encouragement the DFC people received from the SPC team that is currently here, has led to monumental changes in the mindset and attitudes of people here.

God is working miracles in Dornoch. And I give Him thanks that I am here to see them.

MUCH FUN HERE IN SCOTLAND ~ Chris Caldwell (4.8.09)

We’re having so much fun here in Scotland. John, Harrison, Anna, and I have been helping the Dornoch Christian Fellowship church with their soccer camp On Goal. Everyday from 9:30-2:00 we help a fellow group of Americans teach kids, ranging from 8-15, different skills and then stop for lunch to teach about God. We also had a nice time at the monthly tea at Dornoch Free Church with some of the more aged people of Dornoch. Between the desserts and the music we all had a great time. Holiday Bible Club has been a huge success and we’re all having a great time.  (Romans 12:4-6)

A BUSY & PRODUCTIVE DAY ~ Michaux Holmes (4.9.09)

Greetings from Dornoch!

We have had a busy and productive day. The morning started with a hike on Big Burn Mountain. After our hike we went to a Nursing Home facility called Oversteps. We visited the residents there and sang for them. Leslie led a devotion on the fruit of the Spirit, Elizabeth and Leigh shared a brief testimony as well. We joined them for their afternoon tea before we headed into Dornoch for a late lunch. There was little time to spare before we needed to be at the church for the last minute preparations for HBC. One of the things we’ve done before the clubs start is to make a big circle in the sanctuary and pray.

It is always such precious time of prayer with our brothers and sisters of Scotland. We really have connected with this Dornoch team. They are really getting the hang of things from singing the songs and participating in the hand-motions to teaching of the Gospel Lessons in the classroom..

During the debrief tonight, one of the Dornoch ladies shared that she had been so nervous and scared about teaching her Gospel Lesson but at the end of the day she loved it and didn’t understand at all why she had been so nervous! What an encouragement to hear that!

As I type this (it’s about 9pm), Michael is in the next room leading a study with the teens on Galatians. Most of these kids have been helping all afternoon with HBC and then they come here to James and Jennifer’s for youth group. They seem to be soaking all of this up and enjoying every minute. It is impressive what James and Jennifer have accomplished.
We all feel like these seeds being planted are going to produce great fruit in the future

Pray for us as we wrap up this last day of Bible Clubs. Tomorrow’s lessons will culminate all that we have been teaching about Jesus. Pray especially for Harrison as he leads the final Bible lesson.

JAMES’ & JENNIFER’S LIVING ROOM ~ Elizabeth Giffin (4.10.09)

Dear Stony Point Family and Friends,

I am sitting in James and Jennifer’s living room. Their youth bible study is singing of how Christ saved them from their sin by his death on the cross – “In Christ Alone.” In a few moments we will have our last lesson from Galatians – learning that the only thing that counts is our faith in Jesus expressing itself through love.

Earlier in the evening, we had our final Holiday Bible Club. The children came and had a great time singing our new favorite song, “Feet Shod”. The anticipation for the day was the big balloon drop, which went off without any trouble at all. Many of the kids were walking out of the Dornoch church with an armful of balloons. The children had a joy-filled week and we all enjoyed interacting with them.

After all the children left the building, we had a question and answer time with the Dornoch teachers about how to run a HBC on their own. Many of them requested that a SPC team to come again next year. We encouraged them to pray expectantly, knowing that God will answer their prayers in little and big ways. We thanked and praised God together for the many specific ways He has blessed our work this past week. We ended the night by praying for the HBC children, for one another, and for our churches.

I am still relatively a Stony Point “newbie” and it has been a tremendous joy to serve on this team. I must admit I was quite shocked to be included in this trip; I was still unsure why I was going while we were sitting in the Richmond airport! But I have made relationships with my SPC and Dornoch team members that will continue to be a blessing every time I look back on this trip. I was especially encouraged this week by the Dornoch church members. Their love for God is so evident in all that they do. Being able to come and support them in ministry to children and teens has been a true blessing for me.

Thanks for all the prayer and support from you at home. We miss you all and can not wait to see you when we return.

BENEATH MY FEET ~ Harrison Jones (4.13.09)

It has been a while since I have felt the softness of American soil beneath my feet or eaten a hot dog while listening to the national anthem, but nonetheless, I remain an American and was more than happy to assist our team in learning the ways of the UK. I am charged with updating you all on the goings on of the last two days in Dornoch and so I think I will just jump into things as if you already know the characters and the plot.

After a full English lunch with Londoners Stuart and Shirley Gamble, we began plans for our BBQ Easter egg hunt to begin at 4:00 on Saturday. James won’t mind if I say at 3:20 we were still waiting to begin our plans, as the first woods location we were looking to use turned out to be a big pile of logs. After some prayer and some hard searching for a new site, the BBQ came together in just 40 minutes. But more amazing than this quick turnaround was our students and their parents who showed up in full number (50+) about five minutes before the cookout was meant to start. They must not have heard of the Stony Point rule for BBQ punctuality. The easter egg hunt was an absolute smash with the kids and after this the parents and kids all gathered around the hollowed out barrel grill for some of our bible club worship songs. It was actually a special moment, we all thought in retrospect, because James explained that to see Scots singing in public is a very rare thing. We watched the apprehension on many of the parent’s faces turn to pleasant chuckles the more we sang, and soon all anxiety was at ease. It is very possible that this BBQ made significant “warm contacts” that hopefully the Dornoch Free Church can exploit over the next couple of weeks; but there is much prayer still needed in this area.

Next on the list was a spontaneous trip to the lighthouse around the inlet at the beginning of the firth. Our team took Sean, Glen and Dexter down to the point where we hopped around the rocks on the shore, watched the sun go down, and prayed again for the future of the church and the souls of the children at the club. Mr. B kept pointing out the pastoral scenes of sheep on green hills as we went by in the van, I guess because they looked like the windows screen you can select for your computer. The evening winded up at the MacKay’s with Mr. B having significant conversations about the challenges SPC and DFC face in reaching out to our neighbors with the Gospel.

Easter morning came quickly, especially for those of us who thought staying up to play video games with my host family until three am would be a worthwhile ministry investment. Church attendance was approx. 101 Sunday morning, which was a great encouragement for many in the congregation. It was the most James and Jennifer can remember seeing at the church in a long time, not to mention that the gospel was clearly preached by a veteran visiting minister in a very understanding way. That afternoon we spent much needed time with our host families for lunch, then returned to the church for the evening service. A handful of church members gave heartfelt speeches throughout about how God had challenged them this week to step out of their comfort zones and to make Phil 4:13 a reality. Mr. B finished off the evening with a state of the church address about how practically the church can fight to make the mission of the gospel more central (or the very center) to their church. Again, for more details here, please catch Mr. B in a doorway conversation at SPC and he will be delighted to fill you in on more. All this to say though, Mr. B was our MVP.

After a quick backyard football game and a “light” dinner at Eileen’s (soup course, meat and rice dish, another meat and rice dish, and puddings), the intrepid team retired to James and Jennifer’s to get our three and a half hours of sleep. Obviously this was to be impossible, and even more so when we attacked by hooded raiders banging at the windows at 12:30 am. According to some sources, they were breaking through the doors wearing gorilla masks and bike helmets. When Chris Caldwell unmasked the invaders, it was none other than the youth group and their fearless prank leader, Eileen. Mr. B and I were lucky to hear none of this as we were fast alseep in the conservatory. Great last minute decision to move out of the den for the Jones.

As lighthearted as I wrote, there are still very many pressing issues that need prayer and action. It was very encouraging to see how much excitement the HBC stirred in the town during the week, but we need to pray that this would not simply be a quick trip to a mountain top but a resolve by many to make changes and to invite others to church. Small town churches can often struggle for church attendance, but more important than numbers is that Christ would be preached and people would come to know him and invite him as president over their whole lives. We know that our God can do this. Please be in prayer for many to realize how God wants this church to proceed.

WE ARE HOME ~ Michael Bryant (4.11.09)

Dear SPC Family & Friends,
After a long day of flying, the SPC Dornoch Mission Team is safely home.  Our time in Dornoch was filled with almost unbelievable blessing all around.  Many thanks to the Dornoch Free Church for their partnership in ministry and world-class hospitality.  Many thanks to the children of Dornoch who attended our Holiday Bible Club and to their parents for bringing them.

Many thanks to Bill and Kathy Anderson for training and inspiring the Dornoch teachers and “assistant” teachers.  Many thanks to James and Jennifer for working out all of the details.  Many thanks to all of our friends and families for their loving support and encouragement.  But most of all, thanks be to God in Christ for everything that is good, beautiful, and true.  The glory is all His.
In His Love,
Michael Bryant

P.S. We plan to present a mission project report this Sunday (4/12) at 6:30 p.m. in the Stony Point sanctuary.  Please join us if you can.

THE END ~ James Murphy (4.11.09)

The final day of Dornoch Free Church’s Holiday Bible Club has come and gone. Ten Stony Pointers crossed the Atlantic and one took the train north from England. Forty-one Dornoch children were exposed to the gospel. So were many of their parents, grandparents and siblings. An apprehensive ewe and her ten-hour-old triplet lambs made a visit. Sandcastles were built. The lights were turned off. Harrison visited the Golspie Fish Monger and returned with some stinky props for feeding the five thousand. Captain Courageous flew in from the balcony. One thousand balloons descended from the sky. Five hundred Easter eggs were hidden and, mostly, found. Two hundred burgers and sausages were BBQ-ed and consumed. New songs were sung. New friends were made. Assistant teachers learned that they are really teachers. Certificates were handed out. Colorful streamers and banners were hung up and taken down. The church building was messed up and cleaned up. The Holiday Bible Club is over. The end.

But in reality, this is the beginning.

The congregation has gained a new confidence for teaching and zeal for sharing the gospel. Some of our neighbors attended church for the first time in decades, with over a hundred worshiping together on Easter Sunday. The church is usually that full only for funerals. Children came to an understanding that Jesus loves them enough to die for them, and now they want their parents to know the same. Many were encouraged in their own faith. Boundaries were pushed. Comfort zones shattered.

The Dornoch Free Church now has some difficult decisions to make. Like many churches in our generation, it must decide who will be more important – the people inside its walls who know and love Jesus or their neighbors who, living without faith in Jesus, are lost and bound for hell. Whatever course they take, the church faces difficult times ahead. If they choose the first option, the church will continue to die a slow and painful death. If they choose to take the gospel to their neighbors, they face a culture where Christ is cursed, life is not worth living for some, and where death is suffocating. They will also disappoint, and perhaps lose, some dear members. DFC needs Stony Point’s love, support, encouragement, and prayer.

This past week, two young girls attended Holiday Bible Club. The older one is four years old. Her sister is two. They are the most beautiful kids you have ever seen. Their hair is curly, their eyes are bright, and their smiles are big. Last November their parents separated. Their young father was depressed and his life falling apart. He walked over to the golf course, to one of the most breath-taking views in all of Scotland, and took his life. For him, life was hopeless and not worth living. So he ended it. His daughters are left to face the challenges of life without their father’s guidance, provision, and protection. At Holiday Bible Club, those two little girls learned that God is a Heavenly Father who will never die. They learned that through Jesus, they have access to the Greatest Dad Ever. For them, like the Dornoch Free Church, this is the beginning.

THE TEAM

Michael & Anna Bryant, Elizabeth Giffin, Michaux Holmes, Leslie Kolmer, Lynn & Leigh Liles, Chris Caldwell, Leigh Liles, & Harrison Jones