Scotland - Day 7

Yesterday was Sunday. We arrived in Fort William safely Saturday, and we got to sleep in Sunday morning. We walked to one hotel, and a bus was there to take us to the main hotel. There we had a worship service where Mr. Phillips preached from Hebrews 12:1, and talked about the life of Robert Bruce from that.

After church we had a lunch break, and so we got some food from a grocery. After that we got on the buses again to drive to Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in Scotland. We had a good time hiking part way up the mountain (in the rain) with the other people on the tour. There were beautiful views of the valley and mountains with the clouds around them.

Then we drove to Glencoe. It is where the famous massacare took place of the McDonalds. We had a short visit there, and walked on a few trails. By this time I was tired of being wet and cold.

Then we drove back to the hotel, and we had to eat quickly so we could hear Charlie Zahm sing the songs of Scotland and America. We got there and heard many songs, including Scotland the Brave, Glencoe, Flower of Scotland, and many more. We finally returned to our apartment to sleep and prepare for the next day.

----
Joshua Horn

Scotland - Day 6

Here are some pictures.

Right now we are on the bus driving to Fort William, a town in the highlands of Scotland. Last night Stephen got sick, and he has not been feeling well today, but he persevered. Since Stephen was sick, we got a taxi which took some of us and our luggage to the bus. Our first stop was the town of St. Andrews. There there is a castle and cathedral, and many Christians were martyred there. We went to the graveyard at the ruined cathedral, and saw the grave of Samuel Rutherford, a famous early reformer who wrote the book Lex Rex. There is a tower that is not ruined, and there are great views of the castle from the top.


Next we went to where Patrick Hamilton was murdered. He was the first man killed in St. Andrews. Next we saw where George Wishart was killed in front of St. Andrew's Castle, before all the students of the college. These men were killed for things like not believing in purgatory and not praying to the Virgin Mary.

After seeing these places, we were able to go in the castle. At one time the English and French were besieging a group of covenanters in the castle. They dug a mine to try to destroy the wall. The defenders tried to reach their mine, and after several false starts, they were able to break through. We were able to go into the mine and counter mine. I enjoyed this very much.

After this we went to the Ceres Highland Games. These games are the oldest continuous games, being founded by Robert the Bruce himself. There were several bicycle races, running races, shot put, hay bale throwing, pole throwing and wrestling. We really enjoyed them.


----
Joshua

Scotland - Day 5

We do not have time to write a long post, so here are some quick pictures and captions.

 Here I am with an ancient Pict Cross and a post-covenanter church in the background

 A statue of David Livingstone being attacked by a lion at his birthplace.

 Here Mommy is playing with Issac in the rain at Bothwell Castle.

 Here we are climbing on the outside wall of Bothwell Castle.

Scotland - Comming up

Robert the Bruce statue at Stirling Castle

In about a week we are leaving for Scotland .... again! We went a couple years ago and are going again with the Vision Forum Faith and Freedom Tour. Some of the speakers will be Doug Phillips, Bill Poter and Joe Morecraft. We are really looking forward to it.

I am looking forward to the castles and battlefields..

We got a new SLR camera for Scotland. It is a Nikon D80. We really like it!



If you would like to see what we are doing, check back soon for pictures and updates. You can also go to Joshua Phillips's Blog or Doug Phillips's Blog.





Alba Gu Bra (Scotland Forever!)



--- Joshua

Happy Birthday Stephen!

Yesterday (June 17) was Stephen Ethan's birthday. He turned 10. I am thankful that I have a brother to play with. I hope that he grows up to be a strong man of God.

He also started working for my father's company Datatek, just two weeks ago! He comes to work 3 days, like me. He is looking at bug reports for the files that Datatek converts. Now all of us, Rachel, Stephen and myself have all worked for Datatek at one time or another.

Today (June 18) is Daddy's birthday. His is the day after Stephen's. He is on a buisness trip right now.

---- Joshua

Memorial Day 2008

Every Memorial Day our church does a picnic for the community. We have free BBQ, hayrides, and veteran testimonies. Over 1000 people come, many from out of state, and enjoy a time of honoring the veterans and having fun. This year Doug Phillips was here, along with many veterans. It was a great day of honoring God and the veterans. I encourage you to read Mr. Phillips funny "advertisement" from his blog: http://www.visionforum.com/hottopics/blogs/dwp/2008/05/3617.aspx

Here are some pictures from the event this year:

Stephen and I helped with parking

Many boys came armed and ready for action!

Doug Phillips gave two great messages, one on George Washington, the Indispensable man to the American Revolution, and another on the staff of George Washington and the character qualities of leaders that are needed for today.

Mr. Breagy, one of our friends, told a story about when he blew someone's house down while flying a helicopter mission.

We had BBQ, hushpuppies, cole slaw and cookies. (There was PB&J for the northerners.) My mother served BBQ, and Rachel helped serve the veterans.

Daddy organized the hay rides and jeep rides and drove a tractor.

After the speeches, war began!!!

Next year, you are invited to join our church for this one-of-a-kind Memorial Day celebration. Check Mr. Scott Brown's blog sometime next spring for more information. http://www.scottbrownonline.com/