Kirkcudbright Parish Church

Mhairi’s Bit

It’s been a busy month in the Twynholm Manse, though having said that, I think I’ve been the only busy one with Chris in Israel on study leave and Rebekah in Florida on holiday.  Of course they should know by now not to leave me alone because disasters often occur!  (More of which later!)  One thing that did amaze me was how our big wide world has shrunk.  Chris was in almost daily verbal and visual contact thanks to the wonders of Skype (only so he could check up on his dogs!!)  They say it’s good to talk but when the wind is howling and the rain beating on the windows the last thing you want is someone calling to talk to you because it’s too hot to go outside!  It was on just such a day Chris skyped one afternoon and I mentioned that the ink in the printer was low.  He told me to unplug my laptop take it through to the study and point it at various cupboards and boxes (via the web cam) then, all the way from Jerusalem, he managed to talk me through changing the ink cartridges, and what was more amazing without losing his temper!  Later that day I mentioned to him that I had to put something on a memory stick for a conference I was going to and hadn’t a clue how to do it.  So after I’d followed his instructions, he took over my computer from his room in the Holy Land, it was weird to see the cursor moving about and programmes opening and closing till the job was done and what’s more it worked perfectly on the day!  There was an element of trust involved, in that, a warning comes on the screen saying you are about to let a third party have access to everything on your computer so you wouldn’t allow just anyone to do it.  It’s a bit like our relationship with God, when we trust Him completely and hand our lives over to Him everything works out for the best!

 

So what was the disaster?  Well, as I was going away for four days, (and thank you to everyone who upheld me in prayer).  Andrew was coming to dog sit and, because he was coming, I thought I should clean the cooker (he’s very fussy about his cooker, can’t think where he inherited that from).  Anyway last summer he’d left the end of a bottle of cleaning fluid for his barbecue at our house.  Miraculous stuff, you just pour over the metal grills and next day hey presto! as good as new, minimal effort maximum effect, just what I like.  I put the stainless steel gas burners from the hob in a bowl, poured on the liquid, covered the whole lot with tin foil and went out. When I got back I noticed the tin foil had turned to powder and when I took the burners out of the bowl, they’d gone completely black!!  There followed a frantic call to Andrew and a dash through to Castle Douglas with the “bits” After he’d fallen about laughing he got stuck in with wire wool, nothing would work.  The poor boy took them to work with him and spent every tea break for about four days buffing them with a metal grinder, (bless him). When I got home the cooker looked brand new, better, in fact, than it had before, (what would I do without him) and the best bit is Chris hasn’t even noticed!  Sometimes we get into situations that we can’t fix ourselves that’s when we are thankful for the family and friends God has blessed us with, who give their time and skill to help us.  In this Christmas season, traditionally the time we “give gifts” and we remember God’s greatest gift of His Son, the most precious gift we can give is our time. Time can’t be wrapped in fancy paper and ribbons and left under the tree for Christmas morning.  Time can’t be given away but it can be shared.”  May we remember to share our time with those we love and those who are lonely as we journey through Advent this year.

 

The blessings and joy of the Christmas season to you all,

 

Mhairi

 

 

Kirkcudbright Parish Church of Scotland is a Registered Charity: No. SC00583
Registered Address: 40/42 St Mary Street, Kirkcudbright, DG6 4DN