We leave for home tomorrow morning.  Both churches we have served hosted "farewell teas" for us this weekend and gave us some touching mementos of our time here.  They have nicknamed us their "continental cousins."  We have gotten to know some wonderful people. We will miss them greatly and hope those precious relationships will continue across the miles. We will also miss this beautiful view of Iona Sound which has greeted us each morning out our window (except for all the foggy, rainy days, of course, which makes this one all the more special!)

The last couple of days have been quite foggy.  Rose captured this wonderful picture of the Abbey veiled in the fog.  It is a wonderful image of the mystery of the Divine. It is also typical Scotland!

We have delighted in watching the explosion of flowers on the island since we have been here.  There are more than 200 varieties of wildflowers and there are gardens everywhere.  These flowers line the walk outside our door.

Rose's bothy is nestled behind this garden.

One of our favorite places on the island is the ruins of this Augustinian nunnery. It was founded about 1200 and functioned until the Reformation. Unlike the Abbey, it has not been restored. J. Philip Newell, a member of the Iona Community and author about Celtic Christianity, says that it is his favorite place on the island to pray. He writes: The nunnery is a ruin that reflects the brokenness of our lives and the world, as well as the failure of our religious institutions...The nunnery sits open to creation.  One is aware of the elements, the connection between spirit and matter, the ancient bond between the wild and the sacred..The nunnery is a place of relationship, of intentional community, and of devotion to Christ. It has been a place where people have scrubbed potatoes together, shed tears at the news of births and deaths, and sung communal songs of the soul to the One who is beyond names but who is known as Love.  Jerry, Rose, and I know what he means.  This has been a special place to walk and sit and think and pray.

We always marvel at the water in Iona Sound which is amazingly clear and blue.  Flowers were given in church a couple of weeks ago in memory of Cissie Campbell, an islander who died a couple of years ago at age 100 and who swam in the Sound every day of the year! 

We saw this starfish in the water at the pier in Tobermory.  We could see it clearly and took this photo through 5-6 feet of water.

The summer solstice is a big deal in the UK!  At least 20,000 people gathered at Stonehenge last night to watch the sunrise.  On Iona, about 200 people gathered at the north beach for a bonfire.  The summer solstice, the longest day of the year, has been celebrated for hundreds of years in the Celtic tradition, with its emphasis on the spiritual significance of light. Jesus' birth, as the light of the world, is associated with coming into the world at the winter solstice, the longest/darkest night of the year.

This photo and accompanying caption appeared in the Oban Times:

American pastors step in as search goes on for permanent minister.

Church congregations in Iona, Bunessan and Criech have welcomed two American pastors to lead worship while the search for a permanent minister goes on. Rose Taul and Dianne Shields, from Chicago, have stepped in to cover all three churches through June. The pair arrived just after Easter following the previous minister's departure last November.  It is hoped an interim minister can be found soon.

 

It has been fun to see some of the road signs in Scotland.  Here are a couple of our favorites:

Sheep are everywhere.  Here is a quote from the Isle of Skye Visitor's Guide: "Let's be clear on this - sheep are not to be regarded as cuddly, friendly, wooly jumpers.  Treat them as devious, plotting, assasins hired by some crooked breakdown merchant to force cars off the road.  In short, they are a menace."  The folks in Fionnphort, however, seem to have a much more protective attitude. They love their sheep and lambs and see cars as the menace!

There are several different kinds of signs to alert drivers to the different animals that might be in the roadway to be on the lookout for - deer, sheep, cows, etc.  But this was a new one for us - watch out for those old folks crossing the road!

This week was our last trip to see some other parts of Scotland.  We were hopefully saving the best for last, visiting the Isle of Skye, said to be the most beautiful part of the country.  Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate. :(  It was cloudy and foggy the days we were there, so we didn't see it at its best.

So most of our photos are like this -- on the misty side!                                                                                                                                                       

This is an area called the Quiraing on the northernmost part of Skye.  It is made up of unusual cliffs and pinnacles produced by lava flows millions of years ago.

From the Quiraing, looking down on the road coming up to it!

This bridge from the mainland to Skye was build in 1995.  Until then, the only way to reach the island was by ferry. It was originally a toll bridge, but the people protested so strongly that the toll was finally removed.  The sound below the bridge is reportedly the home to many otters which we were hoping to see, but alas, I guess they were on vacation.

The other challenge of our trip to Skye came from some small gnat-like insects called midges.They bite and they LOVED Rose!  She was prepared, however, with her fashionable net hat. Enjoying such beautiful scenery (when it is sunny) requires some Scottish fortitude.  All in all, we were glad to return to Iona!

We feel our time here in Scotland beginning to wind down.  Only 3 Sundays left. :(  So we are taking advantage of every opportunity to see as much as we can. 

On Friday we visited Tobermory, a colorful fishing village on the north end of the Isle of Mull.

On Saturday we visited Duart Castle, also on Mull about an hour from Iona. (For those of you from First Pres, Duart Castle is the castle of Dr. McFayden's clan, the Macleans.)

    

We had a wonderful afternoon today!  We took a 45-minute boat ride to an island named Staffa.  It is the location of Fingal's Cave, which inspired Felix Mendelssohn's symphonic overture Hebrides.  The sound of the surf from inside the cave is remarkable.

On the way we were treated to seeing some seals having fun sunbathing and showing off for us!

But the best part was getting to see hundreds of puffins.  They are absolutely amazing.  What fabulous creatures God has created!

The weather has improved - finally.  We have had several sunny days and the high temp today was 58 - a heat wave! So we have been able to do some more hiking and explore more of the island.  One of everyone's favorite spots is St. Columba's Bay.  This is part of the path on the way there. 

This is the view from the path above if you turn around and look behind you! So whether you are coming or going, it is spectacular.

Here is Jerry at the top of a bluff by an old quarry on the Mull side of Iona Sound. 

This is the view of the village of Fionnphort from the bluff above. Fionnphort is the departure point on Mull for the ferry to Iona.

Most of our hikes end up at the pub near the ferry pier on Iona called Martyrs Bay. We love the view from their patio. It is also a great place to watch for dolphins.  (By the way, it is called Martyrs Bay because apparently 68 monks were slaughtered there when the Vikings invaded in the 800s.)

We spent a day in Glasgow on our trip last week.  This is Glasgow Cathedral.  The building was dedicated in 1197 and worship has been carried out here continuously for more than 800 years. Amazing! It is the only formerly Roman Catholic cathedral in Scotland to have survived the Reformation without having its roof destroyed because the people of Glasgow rallied around it to protect it. Today it is home to a Church of Scotland congregation while the Catholics have moved St. Andrews.

 

We stopped at the University of Glasgow.  As you can see, the spring flowers were spectacular!  The university was founded in 1450 and is the 4th oldest university in the English-speaking world.  One of its most famous alums (or infamous depending on your views) was Adam Smith.

                                     

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.  It is the home of the famous Salvatore Dali painting, Christ of St. John of the Cross, which was pretty spectacular.  They also had a wonderful collection of impressionist paintings which we especially enjoyed.                                                                                    

On our way to the train the next morning, we encountered a parade for William of Orange.  The clerk in the coffee shop where we stopped for breakfast told us that it was just a good excuse for all the guys to hit the pubs early!

We did some sightseeing in Edinburgh last week and started at Edinburgh Castle (like everyone else!) It is the most popular tourist site in Scotland with more than a million visitors each year. It was built on the top of an old volcano in the Middle Ages and was virtually impregnable. It is huge with several museums, lots of cannons (one of which is still fired at 1:00 every afternoon), a chapel, a cemetery for soldiers' dogs, a royal palace, and the Scottish crown jewels!

St. Giles Cathedral is the "birthplace of Presbyterianism" and dates from the 14th century.  It was home to John Knox who became pastor there in 1559 and launched the Scottish Protestant Reformation. Today he is buried inconspicuously outside the cathedral in the parking lot under a small placque located in parking space 23.

Rose and Dianne and the aforementioned John.

In 2005 Edinburgh was declared the literary capital of Europe for its many esteemed writers over the centuries, from Sir Walter Scott to Robert Louis Stevenson to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to J.K. Rowling.  The Elephant House is the coffee shop where the now rich and famous welfare mom wrote her first Harry Potter novel.

Statues abound in Edinburgh.  This one is of the philosopher David Hume.  Note his shiny gold toe which visitors rub for luck, much like Abe Lincoln's nose in Springfield.

Probably the most beloved statue is of this much celebrated little Skye terrier named Greyfriars Bobby, which has stood on this site since 1873. He was the devoted companion of a local farmer. After the farmer died, the story goes that Bobby faithfully slept in the local churchyard on his master's grave each night for the next 14 years! There is a popular pub named for Greyfriars Bobby across the street.

Holyroodhouse Palace is the home of Queen Elizabeth in Edinburgh.  It is usually open to the public unless the queen is in residence.  Unfortunately we were not able to visit because the queen's representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland was staying there. (We did visit the General Assembly though!)

Edinburgh is steeped in history in every direction. The streets are cobblestone and the buildings are hundreds of years old. Yet in the middle of it all sits this strange-looking modern structure which is the Scottish Parliament.  What were they thinking? :(

It was a beautiful day for a baptism at Bunessan Church today!  We had the joy of officiating at the baptism of Seren Alison Johnston.  She is an adorable baby and was delightful, stealing everyone's hearts during the service (though it looks like the festivities have worn her out by photo time!)  Her dad Andy grew up on Iona and her grandparents, former owners of the St. Columba Hotel, still live there.  Her mom Jennifer grew up in Bunessan and was baptized herself at the Bunessan Church. Seren (her name means "star" in Welsh) has two older brothers, looking very handsome. She also has a sister who boycotted the photo ops. All the siblings were lively participants in the occasion!

Jerry was the preacher for the day and had an awesome sermon about baptism. He shared a touching story about a baptism he participated in when he was Clerk of Session in Evanston. The service from the Scottish Common Order is very similar to PCUSA.  The Bunessan congregation has a tradition of singing "The Lord bless you and keep you" as the baby is presented to the congregation. Just like at FPCAH, they love giving the baby a pat. 

The font was decorated with local spring flowers and some were floated in the water, a lovely touch we had not seen before.  The parents get to choose a favorite hymn for the service, and not surprisingly chose "Jesus Loves Me."  The congregation gives the mom flowers and the baby a book.

What is a church occasion without food?  The bakers at Bunessan were hard at work with lots of delicious treats for coffee time following the service.

Though we were a long way from home, what stood out most for us today was that we could have closed our eyes and been in Arlington Heights or Downers Grove.  Truly, there is one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all.  Ephesians 4:4-6.

Today was Pentecost and the celebration of the 1450th anniversary of the arrival of St. Columba to Iona.  The event was by invitation only and we were honored to be part of it. Today was also the opening worship of the Church of Scotland's General Assembly in Edinburgh.  We are traveling to Edinburgh and Glasgow this week for some sightseeing and hope to stop in.
                                                              
Dignitaries and guests on Iona today were greeted by a bagpiper, of course.  (We also recognized him as a worker on the ferry when not piping for special occasions!)                                

                                                                                                                                                            
Guests were also welcomed by the children's choir from Iona Primary School.  Do you recognize the rugby team?

Rose and Dianne in their clergy attire to look "official" for the occasion.

A picture can not begin to do justice to the interior of the Abbey. It is an awesome worship space.

Guests were hosted to a buffet lunch following the service in a large tent erected in the Iona Primary School yard.  Islanders said they had  "never seen anything like it!"

The Iona Primary School won the local rugby tournament championship today against 6 teams from the Isle of Mull.  (The Iona team is composed of the entire school enrollment!) Their teacher/coach is Liz Kennedy, also the Clerk of Session at Parish Church, who was instrumental in bringing us to Iona.  Way to go, team!

 

Here, at last, is a picture of the elusive corncrake! We are getting quite an education in birds.  It turns out that the birds living above Rose's bothy aren't crows at all.  They are rooks, and the nests in the trees are a "rookery."  Rooks squawk loudly while corncrakes sound more like a buzzsaw.  Then there is also a cuckoo who chimes 24/7.  So we have quite the symphony of birds.  We've seen some beautiful oyster catchers with long orange beaks and look forward to seeing puffins on nearby Staffa Island. We are also told we might see sea eagles, huge birds of prey, some with 9' wing spans, that can pick up a small lamb.  We are beginning to understand why Scots are so avid about birds.  There is an organization called the RSPB, the Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds, who seems to have as much clout as Parliament!