Day 6

Andy Prime telling us about his and his wife's work in Gracemount

"Today, half the group went to work with Andy Prime and his wife Sarah in Gracemount. Andy works with a project in Scotland called 20 Schemes, which works to bring The Gospel to different impoverished areas around the country. To me, this has been the best and most inspirational part of our trip. To start off, I was surprised to learn that Andy Prime is YOUNG. I was really expecting an older pastor to be leading The Gospel in these rough areas, but Andy's wife Sarah said she started working in the schemes with her brother when she was only 18. 18! She made me feel very inspired to make a change in my community. We got to learn a lot about the kids that come through the 20 Schemes program in Gracemount. A lot of them come from bad homes that usually consist of drug and alcohol abuse, which doesn't help them much when it comes to school. They often fall so far behind (because they get into trouble) that the teachers just leave them to clean and do other work around the school. I asked one little girl (who was from Africa, and believed that I was too) what she did at school and all she said was "clean". It broke my heart to see how little support these kids get at home and school; but seeing what Andy and Sarah do really brought my spirits up. Andy does some really inspiring things. He and Sarah work so incredibly hard to make a difference in these communities! I always knew I wanted to take part in missionary work when I was older. Working with Andy and Sarah really opened my eyes to see that God is calling me to help bring The Gospel to impoverished areas in Cleveland, and around the world. Andy had mentioned an internship with 20 Schemes that included 6-8 weeks working in Scotland and other countries. I definitely plan on getting involved. (Andy and Sarah are also basketball fans! Even though Sarah is rooting for Golden State, she wore a Cavs t-shirt just for us. We even got to watch some of last night's game during lunch, because Andy had it recorded on his TV. GO CAVS!)" -Kellyn

"The other half of the group went to Edinburgh for some sightseeing and souvenir shopping. First, we walked to Charlotte Chapel, where Pastor Begg once worked before he came to Parkside. A very kind man who worked there came to unlock the door for us so we could go see the sanctuary. It was beautiful! After we went to the church, we walked over to Edinburgh Castle. Rachel and I walked as far as we could into the castle without paying, and it incredible imagining all of the history that had taken place there. Next, we took a few hours to shop and collect souvenirs for ourselves and our family members. I really enjoyed exploring the streets of Edinburgh and shopping with the group!"

-Renée

On Friday, the halves of the group that split up to go to Gracemount for 20 schemes and Ediburgh for the day will switch places so that everyone else can meet with Andy and Sarah!

So later on in the evening, we all met up and went to Miles' house, as he kindly hosted the team for dinner. We spent hours with our new friends fellowshipping and playing games.

Overall, we had a great day! Everyone had a good time and we are glad to be continuing our trip safely through the Lord.

Until Tomorrow!

Kellyn & Renée

(The best prayer partners EVER)