Cheerio Alex... "Haste ye Back!"

On Sunday 12th December we had a special meeting in recognition of Alex time with us at Peterhead. It was a delight to see everyone attend the farewell send off for Alex. There were many young and elderly, a fitting tribute to the way Alex touched the lives of all generations. We began with a time of singing, which of course is what Alex enjoys most. We sang a selection of his favorite songs. After the singing we watched a slide-show of photo's that portrayed Alex time with us. This was great! It became clear that almost every photo had Alex either doing something silly or making others laugh. Alex had an ability to see the funny things in life. He made it a priority to lift others and help them see the joy in life. We had a couple of film clips in the show. The first was the, "Face plant." If you know Alex, you will have seen this video clip. It was taken during a Harding campaign, when we took a day out to Rattray Beach - famous for it's sand dunes. This clip was followed by one of Alex competing against Brittany in a race to spin as fast as you can while wrapping yourself in toilet roll. The winner was the one who finished the roll first. Off course half way through the race Alex flies off at a tangent and falling over because he is so dizzy! Well, needless to say everyone was smiling after the slide show.

Next on the agenda was was a time for everyone to say something publicly about a memory they have of Alex. Thomas began the compliments with many following with their kind regards for the times Alex had touched their life. I shares some heart felt truths about why I would miss Alex. Alex then responded and passionately talked for a while. At the beginning after making the statement, "I am going to miss you all." Alex broke down for a minute and showed the impact the Church has had on his life.

We then presented Alex with a chorus book. Shaun Main has made the suggestion that we get everyone to leave a comment in the song book, knowing how much singing from it had meant to Alex. The book was full of personal notes of thanks and encouragement for all. I took the book to Anna Ritchie School for the boys who we played football with, to sign it. I have no doubt Alex will treasure this gift. Many gave Alex a gift of money to help with settling back into life in America. The congregation also gave a token gift of money to help a little too.

After the meeting we stayed to enjoy a time of fellowship around a cup of tea and some biscuits. There is no doubt that we will miss Alex and the place will won't be the same without his unique involvement. We wish Alex God's blessing as he endeavours to rejoin life in America and begin a new chapter in his life. Take care brother!

Blitz

Here goes nothing... I have left this way too late! I am going to attempt to remember all that has been of value since the last entry. Where to begin??? I will begin with the most precious first. It has been lovely having all our girls home these past days. I had the joy of going down to get Amy on the 20th. The joy of hearing her sing with the Fife Opera was priceless. Fenella has sent the file of her solo to some of you I'm sure - it is amazing. Beth got an early Christmas break due to the weather conditions meaning the boarding had to be closed. We were hoping to have Beth's new oboe here for her to try before Christmas, but since it was coming up from Glasgow that was not possible, again due to the snow. All of us were ready to be together and have some family time. Holly and Hannah were especially delighted to have their big sisters home. We were able to be together for Amy's 19th birthday and the girls had fun decorating Amy's birthday cakes. Speaking about birthdays, it was Holly and Hannah's 10th birthday on the 4th of December! They are most definitely growing up - FAST! Christmas was really fine this year. We did most of the prep for the dinner on Xmas eve, so on the day there was just the cooking. We shared the day with Fenella's mum and dad and from start to finish it truly was a good day! No stress or struggle, just good company and joy. Fenella has been off work this past week and we have had a couple of days out, mainly through to Aberdeen to do some shopping with the girls to spend their Xmas money on some clothes. Looking forward to this week before Amy leaves for Edinburgh and Beth leaves for Dyce. We are BLESSED!

In the past month there has been some cool things happen at church. I will mention as many as I can remember. I will begin with our night to show the over 60's in church we care for them. A

bunch of the younger (under 60's) did all the cooking and organising. Alex and I were responsible for the entertainment and a bunch did the food and decoration. The meal was lovely - a full Christmas dinner with ALL the trimmings! We fed around 40 of our faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. After the food we enjoyed two games together - "Countdown" and "Family Fortune." This went down well and everyone had a bit of fun in good company. I have to mention the input of the teens. There were about 15 teens there to help serve and make the night memorable. It was a good night and everyone went away full in every sense of the word.



During December we organised a Tour of some of the nursing homes to do some carol singing. We originally planned 4 homes to visit, but due to snow conditions, we only made it to 3 of them. We had the most excellent time! There was a bunch at each of the homes, with as much as 20 in some! We sang our hearts out and it was obvious that the elderly residents enjoyed the singing and especially the joy that came from the group. The group was pretty varied, we had some as young as 6 right through to some in their 60's, all singing together for the encouragement of others - beautiful! After about 45 minutes singing we would have a prayer and would then give the home a gift. The gift was rather special. In Sunday School we made rocking chairs out of clothes pegs and made cute snowmen out of cotton balls to sit on the chair. They were received with great delight. We also gave them a picture that portrayed a Christmas theme also made by the children on Wednesday nights. I was very thrilled to see the number that came to each of the homes, but more thrilling was their joy that they came to share - Memorable!




We had a lot of fun with the young ones at our Christmas party and also during our outing to Aberdeen. On the 6th December we took the young classes through to see the movie "Megamind." Before the movie we all went for something to eat at Burger King. This trip was a plan B, since we had to cancel our much anticipated trip to the Chocolate Factory due to the snow and bad road conditions. Although the kids were a bit disappointed at the change we still had a great night out and it was a fine treat for them. It is good to do this from time to time to show we care. Our party was a blast! From the start at 6.30 all the way to 8.00pm there was fun and laughter. We didn't get through all the games we had planned, but in everything the purpose was to get the kids laughing and share a good time - Mission Accomplished!

We took the teens out on the 22nd December. This again was our second attempt due to the snow and poor road conditions. We were due to go on the 17th, but postponed till 22nd. The night was fantastic!!! This is the 3rd year we have done this. We leave at 4.00pm and half of the group go bowling while the other half play football at an indoor pitch, myself of course, getting stuck into the football match! We then meet up at Pizza Hut to enjoy some food and fellowship, ands then on to the movies to see, "Narnia - Voyage of the Dawn Treader." I love these outings - they are indicators of the groups growth and joy of being together away from home. There was never a raised voice, other than in fun, and I have nothing but praise for the behaviour and attitude of the group. In fact, when I got home I had a comment on my FB from Andrew Stars which read, "Thought you'd want to know that my manager said you were all a delight to serve and the kids in the youth group were patient and polite and no fuss at all, which is rare for a table of that size! So you're welcome back at any time :)" It is always good when those observing can see what you see! There were 24 of us on the trip. My dad and John Campbell came to help out. The only down side was our surprise at coming out from the movie and finding that about 6 inches of snow had fallen! We took it easy going home and finally got home at 12.00!


Throughout all this activity there has been numerous bible classes and teaching opportunities. I don't know how close many are to the kingdom, but I'm excited for 2011!