North to Shetland

This weekend brought a visit to the most northerly District in the British Isles. Shetland. What beauty, what faith, what love and concern we found there. We arrived on Friday afternoon. Unfortunately the President's suitcase didn't arrive until very late on Sunday night! It's arrival at all must surely have been as a result of the fervent prayers at the Prayer meeting at Burra church on Friday night.

By Saturday lunchtime, after meetings with the staff, there was no sign of the case (which went on a trip to another island altogether!) and so a shopping trip for "essentials" took place. Here you can see the President being advised on his purchases by the Chair of the Shetland District, Jeremy Dare. This meant that Martyn too could be a fresh expression of the President aws he led a session on Fresh Expressions of Church on Saturday afternoon and preached at a gathering in the evening.

In the evening I joined the Chair and a packed vehicle full of people up to the top of the mainland to North Roe where I was privileged to open a sale to raise monies for the North Roe Church. It was a really good community evening held in the Community Hall. I came home with a number of purchases but wouldn't put my name against my guesses for the name of the toy dog, instead asking the young lady selling the names to tell me five names of children on whose behalf I could pay for entries. One of these was the winning entry and the winner, Stuart was thrilled - his mother maybe less so as the dog was bigger than Stuart.

A late night by the time we returned to Lerwick after the 2 hour drive but a good time was had by all and over £1000 raised.
On Sunday morning I preached at Lerwick in the morning and then at Burra in the afternoon before being driven by Jeremy's wife Sheila back to the airport and the journey home. As I was checking in we were given the good news that the missing suitcase had been discovered on Kirkwall and would be arriving later that evening.
Thank you to Jeremy and Sheila and Marianne and Craig for their hospitality and to those in the District for their love and care. My first time in Shetland but I hope it won't be the last.