Spackling, and sanding, and plumbing, oh my!

Saturday night live...actually everyone is in bed but a few night owls. The day has been filled with LOTS of hard work, but the reward is seeing not only the Hayes Barton room progressing but also another room we have dubbed "The Family Life Center or The Annex." Most everyone had sheetrock dust in their hair, drywall mud caked on their clothes, and grins on their faces. In the morning we will worship at the Overtoun House with members of His Family Church. Dave will be preaching (we can't get a break! ;) ). In the afternoon we will take a cruise up Loch Lomond and visit a beautiful little village where we will finally get to see something other than the Overtoun House, We hope to have a "proper cup of tea" while there and enjoy some much needed rest,

Here are some pics of some of HBBC's Men on Mission. Check out those muscles!

Sometimes a picture is truly worth a thousand words...

Cooking with Kathy and John

Wanted to update you on how we are surviving here in Scotland. Some are aware that Scotland has some interesting foods such as haggis and blood pudding. Thankfully, our gourmet kitchen staff has spared us those delicasies and have opted instead for more familiar fare such as delicious citrus chicken, tatties and neeps (mashed potatoes, turnips, and carrots, rice pudding, chicken soup, fruit cobblers, and even cappucinos, espressos, and mochas brewed by John the barista. Check out these pics of our cooks in the line of duty. Don't miss Kathy's cameo as Julia Child!

Pilgrims' Progress-Day 1 (Planes, Pains, and Sheetrock Dust)

The day that we had all been waiting for finally arrived as 21 Hayes Barton memebers took to the skies on our 11 day missions trip to bonnie Scotland. After a relatively smooth flight, we joined our friends at the Overtoun House to begin our work in earnest.

For those who may not know, the Overtoun House is a grand baronial estate which has been leased to provide a center of healing and hope for the area. Built in the mid 1800's, the grandeur and glory of the former years has suffered much neglect over the years. In 2001 Bob and Melissa Hill had a vision to take this crown jewel of the area and restore it to become a ministry to the poor and hurting in the Dumbarton area. The ultimate goal is to create a residential space where women in crisis can come to get support and training to support themselves and their young children. We at HBBC have partnered with them over the past four years to provide support and funding in their renovation process and have agreed to finish and furnish a family room which will bear the name "The Hayes Barton Room."

When we arrived on a typical gray, misty morning for Scotland, we met the Hills and got to see our room for the first time. The room is an architectural dream with all kinds of charming angles and curved walls, but there is lots of work to be done to create the beautiful room we have in our imaginations. The concept of creating is a wonderful thing. We get a sense of what God must have felt when He formed this world out of chaos. In the following pics, you can see a bit of creation in process. "And it was evening and morning on the first day..."