Another ministry update

This one comes from Amy and Elijah Brown. Elijah is now working on his PhD in Edinburgh.

Dear Family & Friends,
We hope all is well with you & yours. We’re pleased to say that Edinburgh is now breathtaking! Cherry blossoms are a personal favorite, but it’s the culmination of pleasant scents & beautiful pastel colors that are enough to pull anyone outside, despite the weather still being a bit chilly, windy & wet – the 3 Scotland Staples! Praise the Lord for color! Plus, it occurred to me since the last I sent out a newsletter, that Scotland is an island! J So Elijah & I discovered that ‘oceanfront,’ though deserted & not the prettiest that is out there, is a 40-min walk from the apartment! Very nice!
I have had a wonderful first two and a half months. It has been the most refreshing, yet simultaneously fairly near to the most stressing time in my life (taking into account that 25 warrants not much life experience). Maybe bewildering is a better word. And as it were, I have far fewer answers now than I did prior to coming, but all the same, I can testify to pervasive peace in the midst of elusive means. God’s been more than generous with miracles in our lives, and the current is no exception.
The BIG news is that Elijah’s been upgraded from a Masters to a Ph.D. student!!! Praise God for His continued provision! This not only saves at least ½ a year of living expenses in Edinburgh, but saves Elijah the task of having to write a 15,000 word Masters dissertation, as now he GETS to work on a 100,000 word Ph.D. thesis! J (terminology backwards from the States). But the real bonus… it saves us $17,000 off the overall schooling bill! The Univ. of Edinburgh is set up so that their Ph.D. students only pay for the first 3 years. So the upgrade means this previous year’s tuition has now been credited towards Ph.D. work, leaving us with only 2, not 3 more that come with a price tag. Amazing answer to prayer.
I’m going to address the topic of study, with the disclaimer that a future email will better answer the subsequent questions of ‘oh, that’s interesting, but… why?’ or ‘what exactly are you going to do with that?’ Don’t feel guilty (though I doubt you would), I myself had those questions.
THE DEGREE – Ph.D. in Christianity in the Non-Western World
THE THESIS topic – Development of the Southern Sudanese Church in Refugee Camps & Among the Internally Displaced
So that will be the crux of Elijah’s life for the next two years!
I, on the other hand, have been less than successful in finding employment. And three weeks ago as if from above, I knew that, as absolutely of a financially wretched time to know, I was supposed to start writing a manuscript for a book the Lord had laid on my heart. So I’ve given myself to the topic of "Dating God: Finding Your Ultimate Love Before Your Right Love." This has been quite the task for me, but enlightening & a joy & I’m hoping to be able to wrap it up in a month or two if we don’t go clean broke before then. If you want to know how it is we are going to support ourselves, refer to paragraph two, it’s all in there.
One of the most delightful things E&I have gotten to experience in these few months was the discovery of a Gaelic (native Scottish language on the verge of extinction) church service. We figured we’d stand out a bit, but thought for one Sunday ‘why the heck not’. So we picked a week and suited up for our 30+ minute walk just in time for all of heaven to come pelting down. We arrived a drenched, odorous mess, & they still hugged & kissed us all the same. The Gaelic language is beautiful, but it was their music that transcends foreign listeners to some unknown mysterious ‘celtic’ haven. The closest comparison that we can afford is the Sacred Harp music in the States (mainly Alabama). Both are non-instrumental, both have a lead ‘caller’ or ‘pronouncer’, and in both the voices raised follow what seems to be no identifiable melody, but roughly blend into a ‘calling’ harmonious empowering message, whether the language is your own or not. After the service the fellow! ship with these believers was priceless. They were precious people & the experience comes highly recommended.
One other bit of exciting news is that on the same day that Elijah & I ‘discovered’ the beach, we also discovered… Asda!! Better known in the States as Wal-Mart! Now for you non-Wal-Mart lovers out there, I would like for you to know that when faced with the option of buying a bottle of saline at any other store for $8 (£4), or at Asda for $2 (£1), maybe you can try to understand our excitement. And it only got better when we walked outside & saw 3 buses in a row funnel up to Asda’s entrance! We can bus to Wal-Mart! Now that is exciting! We have a trip planned at least twice a month from here until we leave!
Our last, but certainly not least bit of exciting news is that 6 weeks from now, we are privileged to be hosting family visitors! Elijah’s parents are flying out for 12 days, June 28-July 9. We are already crossing the days off the calendar & making all kinds of fun plans. Pray for them as they prepare for the trip.
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory…" Eph. 3:20-21
We love you all dearly,
Elijah & Amy
Elijah & Amy Brown
6 ½ Waverley Park
Edinburgh, EH8 8EX
UK