Ancestory Adventure

On Friday, February 4, 2011, I made a trip to visit a sick parishoner at Wake Forest Baptist Medical center.  The trip brought me right through Davie County, and specifically a dot on the map named Cana, North Carolina.  Generations ago the Frost family (my mother's side) settled there.  The branch of the family tree from which I come soon left North Carolina for Tennessee.  But in Davie County there remained a family graveyard on the old family farm.  Known as the Old Frost Burying Ground, my grandfather visited the site on a couple of occasions, first out of curiosity and nostalgia and later for a more formal reason: research for a genealogy book that he wrote and published before his death four months before my birth.  Following the directions to this sacred ground which my grandfather gave close to 50 years ago in his book, I found the Old Frost Burying Ground with very little difficulty.  It was just like Grandaddy described.
While it is my hope and plan to come back later and write a more thorough account of this trip, for now I wish only to get these pictures on this blog so that my parents and other family members can view them.  It seems I am playing the part of "scout" for another group of interested family that will come for a visit to the Old Frost Burying Ground at a future date.  Come by and see us in Morganton if you do, we're about 70 miles away.





The grove of trees just as Grandaddy described.



The awe-struck adventurer

 

There must have been 40 graves in this grove.  Nearly all that were legible contained the name Frost.

The tombstone of Ebenezer Frost, my great great great great great great grandfather.

And his wife, Elizabeth

Marker of Elizabeth Frost with the Genealogy book written by Wright W. Frost

A Warm Welcome

After saying our goodbyes in Scotland we hopped in the car to drive to the airport, stood in a line, waited, then got on a plane, got off that plane 7 hours later, then stood in several lines, waited, got on a plane, made several circles in a holding pattern waiting for a storm over Charlotte to clear, got off plane, waited for baggage, hopped in car, then arrived at home. Door to door travel time: 21 hours. Needless to say we were all wiped out, but are now recovering and slowly adjusting back to Eastern Standard Time.


The most fitting word to describe the welcome we received upon coming back to America is WARM! For the last 5 weeks we have been enjoying the cool, rainy climate of Scotland. The hottest day we experienced was when it reached around 71 degrees. Most of the time we were in the 50s and 60s comfortably wearing long pants and long sleeve shirts. Wow what a different situation greeted us in the States! But the warmth of welcome not only came in the form of the weather but even more so in the friends from church and community who have made us feel so loved and glad to call this place our home. We have experienced so many expressions of hospitality, welcome, and concern in just a few short days! It is so good to be home. But above all the welcoming expressions we have been given, the greatest have come from God. Since we have become experts on the “family day-trip” we decided that we would go over to Montreat for the day on Sunday. The entire day was a feast of God’s grace. Worshipping in Anderson Auditorium is always a special treat, but seemed like a homecoming of sorts on Sunday morning. Singing hymns from the Presbyterian hymnal filled my eyes with tears as they so often do. Seeing familiar faces, passing the peace, the Lord’s Supper, the scripture, and sermon all spoke to me words of welcome and grace. To top it all off the choir that sang in the service was from my home church in Atlanta. A contingency of the choir from Peachtree Presbyterian Church was at Montreat for a retreat and wonderfully led us in worship that morning. What an experience. That “come full circle” experience was not over yet as we bumped into friends new and old. We ran into dear friends from Charleston at the worship service and ended up enjoying visiting with them over lunch. Later in the afternoon, after playing on the playground and a “family creek-walk” adventure, we decided we’d stop in Black Mountain for some ice cream. We walked into Kilwins and bumped into our across the street neighbors from Charleston!  So we got to catch up on all the happenings in our old neighborhood. What fun that was! On our ride back to Morganton Laura and I reflected and shared how the day not only demonstrated how small of a world we live in, but just how good God has been to us over so many years and through so many experiences. In our childhood, in our marriage, in Charleston, in Morganton, in Scotland, in Montreat, and all along the way in between those places God has overwhelmed us with His grace through so many amazing, mysterious, “coincidental”,welcoming ways.

In the 15th chapter of Romans, Paul refers to God as “the God of steadfastness and encouragement”. He then makes mention of the welcome believers receive from Christ Himself. He exhorts the Roman church (which had apparently been struggling with disunity) “Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Those words have seemed especially near and fitting these last few days as our faithful God has provided me with so many expressions of encouragement. But they are also words that can be directive as I and all of us move into each new day. The God of grace has been so good and has welcomed us into His presence through so many varied experiences, places, and people. Let us all strive to welcome others – to be a channel of God’s welcoming grace – to all with whom we come into contact. And surely if we even be partially successful in that endeavor God’s grace will once again work its wonders and transform our efforts into that which can truly bring glory to Him. This is our purpose; it is our call: to glorify the One who so wonderfully has filled our lives with goodness and grace.

Well, that pretty much wraps up this sabbatical journal. I return to my post a week from today. It has been an enjoyable experience sharing these things with so many friends reading along. I have shared many things with you in this blog because in a very real way so many of you were on my mind and “with me” these last 3 months. But I have also reserved some things just for me and my family. I am so incredibly grateful to Laura, Hudson, Charlie, and Katherine for taking this Sabbatical journey with me. Each of them added immeasurably and uniquely to the enjoyment and enrichment of this journey. I also thank again the Session, staff and members of First Presbyterian Church for the gift of this summer. I am glad to be back home and look forward to continuing to serve the Lord with you. But above all I give thanks to God for giving me such wonderful people, experiences, and purpose in my life. May this sabbatical journey prove itself to be a time that equips me for faithful future ministry that expresses gratitude and praise to the One who is the greatest gift I have ever received, Jesus Christ.  To God be the glory!
-MRB

The last family pic in Scotland

This basket and a frig full of food welcomed us when we arrived home.

We LOVE Montreat!

Steady on those rocks!

This one enjoyed the ride.

The "family creek walk"

Let's be honest

At this point if you are still checking in to see if I'm updating this blog you are a very patient and hopeful person.  At this point in my journey I'm not terribly focused on blogging because it is just about time to go home!  I'd appreciate your prayers of thanksgiving for this incredible experience and for a safe return on Thursday.
Since the last entry we have been visited by friends from North Carolina and South Carolina and my parents.  Mac Sasser and his 2 children, Ben and Claire, came through Bridge of Allan while touring Scotland.  Also, Laura Harley from Charleston came up from Edinburgh for church and lunch.  What fun! 
We also got to celebrate Katherine Mae's first birthday!!  What fun that was incorporating some new Scottish traditions into our celebration.  After our 5 day trip "up north" we decided to take it easy in the lowlands staying close to Bridge of Allan.  So we went to a kids farm fun park, a sheep auction (no additions to the family to report, but we were offered 4 quid per kilo for Charlie), and just enjoyed more everyday adventures around Bridge of Allan. 
Our latest and last treat has been my parents coming for a 4 day visit.  Together we have gone to Balmoral Castle (where the royal family vacations in the summer) and Stirling Castle (the best one in Scotland), and enjoyed many meals (fish and chips!), church, and just hanging out showing off our "Scottish home".   Grammy and Gramdaddy's visit has also afforded Laura and I a chance to get out for a couple of dates!  We went for a proper "high tea" one afternoon and took the train into Edinburgh for lunch, shopping, and sight-seeing.  What a gift to us!  The boys meanwhile enjoyed showing their grandparents their favorite spots in Bridge of Allan.  (I believe they showed them their favorite ice cream parlor more than once!) 
So we are winding down this amazing experience.  Tomorrow we must pack up, clean up, and try to put the house back the way it was before we got here.  That is really hard - we went through "baby-proofing" the house (rearranging breakables, furniture, etc.) five weeks ago and now we can't remember where things were!  Nothing like coming home to a puzzle!  Sorry, Gillian and Alastir.
So I'm off to say good byes.  Sad to be leaving, looking forward to coming back when possible (learned a Scottish phrase: "Haste ye back" which I assume morphed on it's way over the Atlantic to "Ya'll come back now, ya hear?"), but also looking forward to being back in Morganton.  Thanks be to God for this adventure.
Cheers!
-MRB

Katherine loved opening presents from her new Scottish friends!

And a "Scottish Tradition" of a jello mold to deconstruct and enjoy on your first birthday!

At the funpark a good time was had by all!

Enough of this "history stuff", Dad, I want to have fun!

Me too!

Our first sheep auction - couldn't understand a word anyone said.

Somehow we got stuck with this one.

This one, too.

Glad to take this wee Scot home!

Grammy and Gramdaddy: welcome to Scotland!

Our best friends in Scotland: Iain, Tori, Oscar and Mia

Children with crossbows: is this a good idea?

Look at that deep concentration.

Even at Stirling Castle, Laura still finds her way into the kitchen.

A view inside St. Giles cathedral, Edinburgh

The John Knox House in Edinburgh

On our "date" to Edinburgh I take her to a Cathedral and a dead theologian's house and she still stays with me.  A nice lunch and a whisky tasting experience helped even things out, I suppose. 

Warning: blogging with exhaustion can cause confusion

After going back and re-reading my last blog entry, I can see that trying to put a blog together late at night after kids are in bed, after a 5 day trip (within a 5 week trip), is just not a good idea.  I guess what I was trying to say was Laura and I are incredibly blessed to have our 3 wonderful children with us on this experience - we wouldn't have it any other way - but we are in need of a "parent sabbatical"!  We have a sitter coming tomorrow night so we can go out to dinner - yeah! 
My reflection tied to faith is this:  We took on this adventure knowing full well it was going to be challenging at times with the "youngness" of our children.  It has caused some stress and the alteration of some of our original dreams/plans; but it is still a wonderful experience which will truly shape our family for the good for a long time!  So I wonder am I willing to take on "faith adventures" that will help me grow deeper in my faith, but yet surely will cause some stress/disruption of my plans or hopes?  Or do I just stick with the same old, same old, safe routine.  As I always say: "If you want an omelet, you have to crack some eggs".  And so I wonder for my faith: am I cracking enough eggs???  And so the pondering continues...as we enjoy our delicious Scottish Omelet!     

"As the stag longs for running streams so do I long for thee, O God..."

I can’t believe it has been so long since I have posted an entry! Upon reflection it makes perfect sense and I should have seen it coming: I have been rather busy. Now to be sure it is a very different kind of busy than I experience in my life “back home” (more enriching, less taxing), but in the last 10 days or so I/we have simply been getting more entrenched in our life in Scotland. First an update and then a thought.
Since last writing our family has taken several day-trips: a train into the city of Edinburgh to see the castle and a few other sites; we took a rainy-day drive to an amazing children’s science center in Glasgow; and we drove through a picturesque country side on the way to tour a whisky distillery in Perthshire (turned out to be one of my favorites: Famous Grouse). We have also ventured out on our first over night trip, a 4- night trip “up north”. We spent the night in a youth hostel that is operated in a castle (way fun especially for a couple of little boys) and we spent 3 nights at a “beach house” in the tiny fishing village of Crovie on the north eastern coast. Crovie has a unique history and absolutely breath-taking location cut into the side of the cliffs. One of the things we enjoy about traveling around Scotland is the drives through the country and then coming upon all the quaint villages along the way. In addition, I had the once in a lifetime chance to go see a round of the British Open Golf tournament. That is a special enough tournament as it is, but this year it was even more so as it was the 150th anniversary of the Open Championship and was played at the home of golf: the old course at St. Andrews. What an amazing experience that was for me. (sorry no pictures, cameras are not allowed at the tournament, but I did sneak out some grass from the 6th fairway!)

Back on the “home front” (that’s Bridge of Allan for us) we are continuing to enjoy trips to the library, the “swing park”, as well as the “adventure” of just getting in the car and going to the market. For me, I am continuing to enjoy the challenge of preaching “in Scottish”. That does not mean I’m trying to speak with a Scottish brogue, I’m just trying to communicate as clearly as I can while trying to translate my American, southern slang and colloquialisms into something the parishoners can relate to and understand. This is proving an insightful experience and giving much for me to reflect upon about how I engage in the task of preaching. I am also meeting and visiting with other ministers and enjoyed getting an authentic taste of local politics, football talk, and Scottish folklore one evening as a guest at the local Rotary Club meeting last week.

And when I’m not engaged in any of the above, I’m spending time trying to take care of and keep up with a 7, 4, and almost 1 year-old. That is probably the most joyful (and draining) part of the whole trip. With the exception of my respite day at St. Andrews we have been with the children non-stop for 3 and a half weeks! This has led to the coining of a new phrase: “Children are a gift from God, as are babysitters.” But all in all, the children have done very well and this continues to be an amazing experience and memory-making trip that we will cherish and share as a family for a long, long time.

Upon reflection about my busyness which has led to me getting behind on blogging: I think we throw ourselves into the things we are passionate about. We put our whole selves into those things we care about. That is mostly good and helpful, but there can also be some unintended ill side effects (getting behind on blogging, frustration, hurt feelings, change, etc.). Therefore, before we throw ourselves into something we might do well to ask is this something I really want to throw myself into even if there are some lumps to take as I go? From there I skip to this question: do I have enough passion about my faith? Am I really interested in growing and going deeper in faith, knowing full well that if I am I might have to take some lumps? Or does fear of the lumps and simple inertia keep me from becoming passionate about my faith growth? Tough questions. I am trying to sort them out. I’m sure I’ll have them all figured out and tied up neatly and comfortably with a bow on top by the time the plane touches down in Charlotte in 12 days. We’ll see!

-MRB


I'm sure most are interested in seeing pictures, so here's a pile.  Cheers!

Edinburgh Castle

The girls

The boys

The wholesome family...at a whisky distillery.

Carbidale Castle - our home for a night.

Yes, boys, many works of art have naked people in them!

The fishing village of Crovie cut into the cliffs

"Our" beachhouse at Crovie

Sunset at  Crovie - 10:45 pm

Hudson the Brave

Charles the Great

Katherine, Queen of Scots

Laura and Michael, the Weary (but blessed!)

Journey Journal 2

This past week I believe we have completed (for the most part) the adjustment to the new time zone. It is still a bit odd to us that it doesn’t really get dark until 11 p.m. and then starts getting light again around 4 a.m., but we’re managing. We have gotten out and about exploring the area close by and we have discovered we are in a wonderful, beautiful, perfectly-located, charming little town. We have enjoyed running and hiking on trails right around town next to the river. We took a family hike along the same path that inspired Robert Louis Stevenson, finding a cave that he mentioned being an inspiration to him. We also scaled the 246 extremely narrow, steep steps to the top of the William Wallace National Memorial. Every where we go in our town we can look up and see the Wallace Monument (kind of like Table Rock for Morgantonians!) so it was great to see it up close and enjoy the breath-taking views of this beautiful land from the top of the monument. We have also discovered some practical little things that are familiar enough to bring comfort yet different enough to bring adventure. The boys have discovered a great park just down the street and they already have cards at the local library and are participating in a summer reading program. Laura ran in a road race this morning and did quite well. The kids and I were planning to come and watch, but rain and Katherine’s nap kept us away. It will be my turn to run in the next one if it be found close by! We have most definitely been enjoying “taking life as it comes”, but yet we do want to start taking some day trips and perhaps a couple of overnights so we’ll have to start making some plans. We are really enjoying this experience. Scotland is feeling strangely comfortable.


Sermon preparation and study have been giving me an outlet for theological reflection so I haven’t done as much of that on the blog lately. The entire Sabbatical experience continues to be a rewarding, restful and enriching gift for which I am so grateful.

-MRB

The Pastor and a pair of wee Scots at the kirk.

The adventurers find the cave which is believed to help provide inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island

A cold, rainy, windy day on top of the Wallace Monument 

Enjoying the nearby park.

A view of Bridge of Allan from the Wallace Monument - note the church spire in the center

My Scottish beatuies - as lovely as the thistle.

Journey Journal 1

Well we’ve made it to the Presbyterian mother-land! While the travel over here was uneventful, there is simply no way around the fact that it is difficult on young children (and their parents!) to cross over “the pond”.  But now we are here after receiving a warm welcome from so many members of the Bridge of Allan Parish Church. We have ventured out in the car (big leap of faith driving on the left side of the road!) to a couple of grocery stores (markets as they call them here) and have had wonderful meals thus far (bringing your own chef /wife certainly helps with that!). Today we had our first worship service, and it went very well. Coffee and cake after the service again welcomed us among this very warm and friendly people. Now we are in the sitting room enjoying the Wimbledon finals tennis match. We celebrated the fourth of July early last night – couldn’t find any fireworks or watermelon, but we did grill out. Today has been typical Scotland weather: started off rainy and cool, then became sunny, an hour later thunderstorms moved in, then sunny with rain, then just sunny - windy all throughout.  It’s just 4 pm, so perhaps a few more twists are in store. We have a lovely home walking distance from the kirk and the downtown area. I look forward to going in tomorrow to meet the church secretary – I’m sure she runs the place, so it will be good to meet my “boss”.


Many more adventures and learning experiences just around the bend, I’m sure. Perhaps a little more adjustment to the new time zone will help me open my eyes to them.

Tis all for now, chaps.   -MRB

The wearey travellers at their Scotish home.

This is what jet lag can do!

Our Independence Day celebration.