Latest Soul Touch News...

We love you gorgeous girlys! Ps 34:5 ' Those who look to him are radiant their faces are never covered with shame.' You both sparkle and shine with a radiance that reflects the beauty of our Father...we know you'll light up the lives of every person that you meet around the world! We are soooo proud of you! E n L x



We could attempt to be philosophical, theological, psychological, intellectual or even poetical but really the awesomeness of what God has been doing, and is doing, in the world of Soul Touch is far too breathtakingly indescribable that we're not even going to try...

for a change we're going to let others talk! And so what follows are the hearts two precious, beautifully anointed, completely divinely chosen girlys of God. Laura and Jennifer (Jen as we know her).

They are the new (and improved) Soul Touchers! Laura and Jen will be the first (we trust of many) pairs that are going to be going out and serving. Leaving in January and following the same route we took around the world the girls will live life, pray and serve alongside many of our partnership churches and dearest friends around the world. The heart of Soul Touch is give others the opportunity to worship: to be worshipful in the way we are living our lives. We believe that we are part of a generation that want to go and be Jesus' hands and feet; we want to serve and to love.

So girlys we want you to know: we love you. It is such a privilege to witness what God is doing in your lives. We are so encouraged to hear you constantly giving him the glory and we pray extravagant blessings over you. You girlys are the change and we know that as you go others will follow Christ who goes before you!

And to everyone else who is part of Soul Touch (if you are reading this now you are officially a SoulToucher), thank you! Thank you for your support thus far. Soul Touch started with prayer and it will be our prayers that will sustain us and move us forward. So lets all unitedly commit to praying for Jen and Laura. Pray from them as they prepare to leave in January and also for all the host churches who are going to, not only bless the girls, but who are going to be blessed by the love of Christ that exudes out of them!

With overflowing thankfulness and expectation that the BEST IS YET TO COME,

Erica and Lorna xxx



Wow! I don’t know where to start! I am soooooooo excited that Jenn and I are the next ‘Soul Touchers’. Lorna and Erica have been such an inspiration to so many people; I am so excited that Jesus wants us to follow their footsteps around the world!

I feel so humbled that God is blessing me in this way, what an honour to serve such an awesome God! He has been so faithful to me over the years and I am so thankful that he is letting me serve Him and His children all over the world.

This afternoon I met with Jenn, Lorna and Erica to plan our route. We had such a blessed time together; I am even excited about our planning meetings.

Thank all of you for your encouragement so far, I have such peace about Soul Touch. I totally trust God and know it will all come together.

Please continue to pray that God will use Jenn and I to serve and honour Him as we prepare for our journey.

Laura xXx

“Seek your happiness in the Lord and He will give you your heart’s desire.” Psalms 37: 4
No kidding!!! So, after years of searching for someone or something to fill the emptiness inside me, and various attempts to ease the constant overwhelming ache I have in my heart for all those who have so little yet smile for what they do have, I finally (reluctantly) gave up my fight to be happy independent, and gave it all back to God. I opened my over-protected heart and finally got over myself and my ridiculous pride and prayed. Stubborn and impatient as always, I “reasoned with God”. Basically I promised Him my heart but only on the condition He looked after it, gave me support in my journey with Him and was faithful and dependable (which by the way guys is an extremely scary thing for girls to admit they need) and I waited…

...But not for long, the very next day I was alone in St Andrews church gathering my things together to slip out quietly when I was attacked by two extremely chirpy and bubbly (keep in mind it was a Sunday morning and I hadn’t even smelt coffee yet!) girls who I believe you all know as the “original soul touchers”. That’s right… I was jumped at church by Erica and Lorna! And thank God I was. The next few months were basically a whirl wind (as is the case with most newly flourished relationships – I mean with God not the girls) of meeting amazing people, having more and more prayers answered in front of me and so many amazing blessings put into my life than I can’t begin to explain.

At New Year I was receiving the usual “happy new year” texts whilst feeling extremely sorry for myself stuck on the sofa ill for the night, when Spider (an amazing NCLC dude) text me “Happy New Year, God’s gonna blow this one out of the water for you”. I remember reading it and thinking it was nice but, as cool as Spider is, he’s not God so I shrugged it off as a nice text and a hopeful thought.

Three months on and I’m completely bowled over by how faithful God is to prayers, and the extent to which He not only blows thing out of the water, He gives you no warning and generally sends explosions of blessings just when your not looking! After my many prayers to be challenged with an opportunity to really have impact on people’s lives and serve God by serving those who have real needs, I was given the opportunity of opportunities: Laura T and I are officially the next to follow the soul touch journey!

I cannot begin to express my thankfulness for how faithful God is other than, yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiippppppppppppppppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! I am so aware of how undeserving I am of this opportunity and how blessed I am to even have God welcome me home to Him, and so the idea of God giving me the desires of my heart before I could even put them into words turns me into a gooey-eyed, love sick teenager. I really pray I can show some of this thankfulness by doing the only thing I can and leaning further into the warm, cosy hug of our Father and entirely following His lead everyday, dancing and laughing with Him and growing in Him.

I can’t wait for the tears, the laughter, the inevitable tummy aches, the amazing people I know we are going to meet, the boundaries Laura and I will push, and of course, singing along to Laura’s guitar at the end of a long day (that’s right Laura, I’m going to work that musical talent of yours for my own pleasure!). We will miss people here, but the support we have behind us is amazing and the friendships we will make I know will be worth every second. Anyway, our personal tour guide created the place and us, so what can go wrong? Watch out world…here we come!!

Hugs and blessings from an eternally thankful heart,

Jenn
xxxxx

Thank You!

Dearest friends and family, supporters of Soul Touch,

After sixteen months; seventeen international flights; five internal flights; over three hundred and eighteen hours endured on methods of public transport, ten boarder crossings by land, spanning all six continents, touching down (and hopefully souls) in twenty countries, we have finally reached home safely.
We did in fact reach home at the beginning of November however we’ve since been caught up in the whirlwind of life back in Bonnie Scotland so apologies for the lack of communication. Contrary to rumour it has not been due to the “snow sweeping across Scotland”, our fingers have not turned to “icicles” (yet), Lorna has not moved to another “country called Kirkcaldy”, Kirkcaldy is the city she lives in, however that mistake is understandable given that Fifers speak a different language, and I have most definitely not been “eaten by Nessie” but thank you for all of your concerns.



However we would really like to inform you as to our plans to continue the vision and work of Soul Touch and to thank you for your continued support, interest in and encouragement for our venture thus far. Thank you for your prayers: they have sustained us through every trial; strengthened us in weakness; comforted us in loneliness; protected us through dangerous circumstance, both spiritually and physically and they have blessed us beyond our imaginings. We ask that you will continue to commit to regularly praying for this work with the confidence that God is attentive to your requests and these prayers are being answered.
We’re so aware that we always send out prayer requests and have been really negligent at filling you in on all the answers to them, so here goes:

Firstly huge congratulations go to Lorna and Diego who are engaged to be married on the 18th of July this year. I repeat, this year! Panic not, dresses have been bought, kilts have been measured (causing much hilarity given that the measuring took place in cyber space as Lorna and a slightly hysterical Caroline shouted instructions to the two – non Scottish- gentlemen at the other side of the world, Diego and Paul in Australia, expecting them to understand the traditional attire and take the whole thing seriously. Despite the fact the guys used an industrial measuring tape we are assured the kilts will fit!). Cars have been hired and the band is booked; there will be dancing, lots of dancing! And so Diego Herrera and Lorna (Herrera to be) have much to celebrate. Divinely appointed to be together the handsome, luscious locks Latino and the bonniest lassie on the wee island of Scotland met in Australia where their love for the Lord, commitment to seeing his church radiate and their slightly bizarre, yet thankfully very similar, sense of humour brought them together. Their life together is gonna boast bright clothing, even brighter smiles and worship that will bring heaven here on earth. Bless you both; everyone who has the privilege of knowing you has the joy of seeing God at work because of your obedience to him and love for each other.Another big up praise report must be given for the provision God has made for employment since we returned home. Whilst I have returned to teaching English at Wallace High School three days a week Lorna has taken up the role as community warden with Fife Police, where she is involved in the rehabilitation and welfare of young people caught up in patterns of anti-social behaviour. Despite initial anxieties and wee concerns about how being back at work would compromise or detract from the vision God has given us we can gratefully report that quite the contrary has happened. Huge thanks go to my colleagues and pupils at Wallace High School who have made my return a complete pleasure. My love for staff and pupils there has only added to my excitement and confirmed my commitment to developing the potential of young people. With an emphasis on global citizenship and enterprise I pray that God will continue to open doors where I can utilise the skills I have acquired over the last 17 months to bless the community I’m now working in. Lorna and I continue to thank God for the opportunities to share our faith at work and pray for more and more.

When I’m not in the classroom and Lorna’s off her beat we thank God for the privilege that it is to continue the vision of Soul Touch. Soul Touch was the name given to the particular project that saw us going around the world, living out of our backpacks, working alongside some of the most inspirational individuals and committed congregations around the world.

Since returning home Soul Touch has developed further as we strive towards our goal: equipping young people with the gospel and facilitating a way for them to put their faith into action, breaking chains of injustice and fulfilling their God given potentials. We are overwhelmingly grateful for the group of Soul Touchers at St Andrew’s church, Bo’ness who are committed to this vision. Thank you for your encouragement, wisdom, patience and for sharing all your expertise with us. Together we are honing aims, objectives, the practicalities of mission teams and funding for Soul Touch teams as well as nurturing existing relationships we’ve been blessed with in the UK and around the world. We plan to continue working under the umbrella of World Without Walls, from which a number of initiatives can be developed, including Soul Touch teams being sent out. WwW is a ministry committed to: ‘encouraging the development of a just and upright society in the world through the sharing of gifts, resources, persons, vision, good practice and love, between Scottish churches and organisations overseas; contributing to social and humanitarian well being’.


Final praise report:
(Pics explained: The group in the hall is of the lil reunion we had at church on returning to Scotland. It's tradition here to always have scones 'n' a cup of tea after a everything.
The two girlys, Jen and Yvi, are two gorgeous girlys of God that God has blessed our lives with. He is revealing more and more of peeps here who are seeking God and are living in pursuit of the plans he has for them. We love them!
The apple stamped with love 'n' the crazy lot surrounding it are our friends at St Andrew's church. Our prayer is that love would be the fruit of our lives n with God at the center we are all drawn closer together.
And finally the huddle of B E A uiful peeps at the bottom are some friends from Newcastle Chirstian Life Centre, where God is rising up leaders. These guys really do make the house radiate and shine a light that others are drawn to.)




God has been so faithful and, as you are all aware, I could talk for Scotland but I will finish up with something that I pray will encourage you and bless you as much as it as us: the revival of the church in Scotland. Many people have commented, in jest, that neither of us will “be able to settle here” or that we will “not want to hang around ”. The truth is that Scotland is not only home because of our families and friends but it is an incredibly exciting place to be. Exciting does not necessarily mean comfortable or easy but we believe, and have witnessed already, a revival sweeping across Europe that neither of us wants to miss. Admittedly the church here has been injured but in abandoning it in its injured state we would only deprive ourselves of witnessing the healing process and the healing process is gonna be amazing. It’s a season we have already entered into and both Lorna and I have been encouraged and overwhelmed at the speed that God is healing hurts here and taking the church to a whole “nuther” level. Music festivals such as Clan, Frenzy and Hillsong conferences all host thousands of worshippers in Europe who are seeking and believing for God to be the answer in this really lost and vulnerable society. Although we have a long way to go we are so encouraged seeing how God is positioning individuals and congregations in a way that builds up and reaches out.

Your Partnership:
To those of you who were part of our journey, there is not a day passes that we do think of and give thanks for you. You are held in our prayers and we love you.

Finally we would like to invite you now to be involved in the continuation of the vision of World Without Walls (Soul Touch). Your support is invaluable to the development of this vision and to the souls being touched by your generosity. May you be abundantly blessed and know that in everything we do we strive to Glorify god by serving his people.

Love Erica Bonnar and Lorna Main: the original but we trust not the last “Soul Touchers”.

Soul Touch xxx


We believe it is the responsibility of the church to respond to the needs of the world and to break chains of injustice. We are called to go (Mt 28:16), to serve (Mt 25: 40) and above all to love (Mt 22: 37).

Mates in the States

This latter part of our journey has been extremely exciting and it continues to amaze us, amuse us and make our lil hearts happy on the insides. Partly because we are meeting new people but also because we have been reunited with so many friends, all of whom we've met along the way. In truth I thought there was a slight possibility that Lorna or I may have encountered a little bit of a "culture shock" upon entering the United States, given that the some 19 countries we've visited over the last 16 months have all differed very much from the lifestyle that exists here.

Each country has been equally as interesting to be a part of; each new culture invigorating to absorb and every church educational to be immersed in; not one replicating the other. Of course there have been similarities, for example the duration of the Inca empire spanned over 100 years dominating vast amounts of land in South America and evidently the culture that exists today in Bolivia and Peru is a consequence of the Inca ancestry. Creativity, artistry and strength resonate through the architecture, art and the way people live. Similarly we found the means and resources available to people living in both Kenya and Uganda to be quite similar. That didn't detract however from the striking individuality that was found in each. Means such as rice and beans are grown in both parts of Africa however the combination of these two ingredients tastes completely different depending on who is cooking and how they are being cooked. The relevance of herbs and spices in this case has more significance than just taste; their role not only infused the flavor of the meal but injected individuality and culture to the place. Furthermore culture within these countries differs between landscapes, cities and towns; dug out canoes are commonly used methods of transport in Iquitos, a city built on the banks of the Amazon river in Peru. However in Cuzco where the landscape, climate and indigenous languages differ so therefore does the transport. Canoes are completely redundant in such beautiful mountainous regions and so horses, donkeys and cattle trucks are used to transport produce such as the maze and guinea pigs eaten there. Music too is something that becomes "typical" yet for us has remained constantly powerful and worshipful throughout the nations. From Africa, to Asia, India, throughout Australia (where the an anointing to heal and minister to the ends of the earth with their lyrics is immense), New Zealand, South and Central America and here also in the United States voices are singing. All in different keys, using different languages, to the beat of different drums. Yet in harmony. The difference is culture; the anthem of unity: praise.

Music, food, language and clothing have all been defining factors of cultural identity. The colours, tastes and sounds of each have been what has made this journey truly fun. Lorna and I have felt more than blessed to have been able to experience (and love) so many different countries. However, there is little dispute over the fact that they are all very different from the culture we have come to love here in America. A culture that we both had experienced having visited on separate ventures in previous years. And so I anticipated the possibility of "culture shock". 'Would my stomach cope with large quantities of peanut butter and jelly having overdosed on tortilla wraps and frijoles in Guatemala and Mexico? Would I ever become desensitised to the offensive word they (obliviously) use for bum bags or to the fact that people in the 21st century still actually wear those? How would I feel when faced with the reality of economic wealth having seen extreme lack in other parts of the world?' These, truthfully, were things I considered.

Thankfully all fears were laid to rest when we found ourselves in the home of Ruth and Alastair Dunsmore in New Port Richie, Florida. Scots at heart Ruth and Alasdair have been living in America for the past 11 or so years with (some of) their beautiful family. Having adopted or rather adapted to certain Americanisms, they still boast their original Gourock twang as well as selfless, completely generous Scottish hospitality. We are so thankful to them for lessening the shock that we endured when we entered the States. Since then we have continued to love our time here. Being with people who really appreciate that the lifestyle of convenience (drive through food, drive through movies, drive through banks) that exists here is not actually shared by people in two thirds of the worlds population, including some living in America, has made the transition easy and enjoyable. And so as well as visiting churches we have enjoyed so many other things. As many of you will have heard by now (I'm assuming you heard the screams) Lorna and I visited Busch Gardens (a huge theme park with roller coasters and animals. The animals don't participate in the roller coaster activities but they are in the park) and Disney World.

The ultimate high however wasn't meeting Mary Poppins nor dining with Pooh and friends in actual fact sharing fellowship with fellow church distributers at Northland Church was what was truly amazing. There we met people from all over the world who are committed to using their wealth, multicultural heritage and the privilege of education to join with others. We have spoken previously about the vision that Northland has; a vision that we love and share: to exist as a church out with the physical building known as church. They recognise the importance of fellowship seeing it as an opportunity to share with others, teach others and equip others in preparation so that they can be living testimonies of their faith in the world. They use technology with such standards of excellence that they communicate effectively with this generation of people skilled in computer literacy. Their non compromising love for God and his people shows in the way that they engage with the community, locally and globally. We love them, have learned from them however we also were made to feel that we can contribute to their ministry.

And so I felt reassured that having survived Disney World the rest of the United States would be tame. However that was before we headed north to North Carolina for another roller coaster ride with Mama Marsha. There we were to continue to experience the overwhelming generosity that we've been blessed by so often on this journey. Let me introduce Mama Marsha. Respectfully known as Marsha Rantala but to many of us as Mama simply because she loves like one: generously, without condition and despite rebellion against.

Having spent time in Peru with Marsha the Soul Touchers were aware that she has boundless energy, however I think we'd forgotten just how much! A week of pampering, praying and generally loving life was what we experienced in North Carolina. Protein shakes scheduled at 7am will be forever a Soul Touch highlight as will the memory of Marsha's exercise regime (torture!). In all seriousness though as always God blessed us where we were and we will be eternally grateful for the nurturing ministry of Ardent faith and Morning Star as well as our friends in North Carolina. Those of you who were there know how much we love you and appreciate your friendship! Thank you!

Exhausted yet? No me neither...but almost. We then moved onto meet the team from Nebraska. For those of you who have never had the privilege of visiting the state, which sits literally at the heart of the US lets get the record straight...Nebraska is not a city or a town, nor is it near Alaska...it's amazing; we love Lincon. Lincon is the name of the city we were based in, visiting our friends at Redeemer Church.

Some of you may remember these folks from the time we spent with them deep in the heart of the Amazon jungle, in Puerto Alegria. As well as having fun living in the Mustard House, speaking at the Reformed University Fellowship meeting and catching up with friends we did make time to don our old clothes and paint a few walls in memory of the good times in Peru.

Random antics such as catching mice, camping in the middle of nowhere and baking bread became a bit of a common occurrence during our stay in Nebraska.


Lincon is the only other place in the world where I have seen any festivities that come close to resembling the Bo'ness fair. They do it in honor of the Huskers football match; bizarre is an understatement! Basically everyone puts on red shirts then congregates in the city centre, some sporting giant hats made to look like corn (if you are confused right now it's because the actual occasion itself didn't make much sense). Food is shared (think football not Communion although it is almost entirely civilised) and they watch the University football team getting beat...on this occasion!

Finally we are in Philadelphia with Sarah Beth Caldwell, a friend and sister in Christ whom we met in Australia. Even her name is a song, Sarah Beth is not only an amazing worship leader, her life is worship full! We continue to be amazed by the Kingdom connections that God is making and feel utterly blessed that we are able to see so many awesome people not once but twice on this trip. And so we continue on for another 10 days.

We will keep you up to date with the journey even after we return to Scotland. Oh please don't think that it's finished. This is all preparation...I'm sure "The best is yet to come!"

Love to all in abundance Soul Touch.

Off the beaten track

Sometimes, in fact let me rephrase that...almost always we Soul Touchers deviate from our original route. Many of you have followed us on the little adventures we have taken into places such as Gulu, an area of great unrest and horrible terrorist warfare in Northern Uganda; many of you were touched by the testimonies we shared of the orphans whom we met when we ventured high into the mountains surrounding Dindigal, India and latterly we have shared how the detour we took to visit Guatemala and Rio de Talea (Oaxaca), Mexico blessed our lives in unimaginable ways. So we thought we'd share a few of the special memories we've captured over the past few months on this long jounrey that leads us towards home.

Firstly we were blessed to be able to join with a congregation, complete community of people in Rio de Talea, Mexico. Their generosity overwhelmed us.
We literally had to help Mario (our host otherwise known as Super Mario) rebuild the road to get there. So when we say beaten track we mean...well yeah it was an adventure. As you'll see from the floral patterns we're modeling local culture is slightly different from what we are used to in Bo'ness and Fife. Consequently we found wearing the dresses we borrowed slightly more amusing than the locals.


Preparing lunch was a little different in the mountains above the clouds! Mainly because the kitchen utensils consisted of a log fire and some huge pots but more so because the women cooked all day and the whole community ate together. We learned SO much about fellowship!

The Least of These

News Flash- The soul touchers are now causing choas in Mexico! Since arriving only days ago we have recieved a warm welcome from the church here and our host family. Lorna and I have settled swiftly into the Mexican way enjoying dances in the park, tacos and even the national ballet, which was an amazing display of typical costumes, music and dancing.

Although relitively upbeat we were left slightly traumatised at having to leave our dearest friends in Gautemala, not to mention our beloved frijoles and platano fritos! We actually don´t have words to decribe our experience in Gautemala, hence the long silence. It was a rollercoaster or events, emotions and friendships.



Not only because of our reunion with our favourite Mexi-americans, living in Argentina, teaching in Guatemala and generally painting the whole world beautiful, friends Tim and Annette Gulick but for lots of other reasons as well.

Starting with the church, Shekinah. A church that selflessly serves and wholeheartedly loves the community it´s in. In the heart of Gautemala city this church has a heart for Guatemalan people, which was a blessing to watch. Spending afternoons helping serve food in the Lord´s Kitchen to literally hundreds of homeless men, women, children and families was only a token gesture of gratitude and and support of the work that goes on day after day through the ministry of Shekinah. A token gesture from us but one that left a lasting impression of what compassion actaully looks like. As hundreds of people: people who live, work and fight on the streets to survive, queued patiently waiting to be fed I looked upon ¨the least of these¨. Despite the alcohol that used to numb pains and ease cravings, drugs that are taken and the inhumane lifestyle these people suffer there was no anger or hostility in that kitchen. Many came in hungry and they were fed; fed with hope shared with them by the staff in the Lord´s Kitchen. Fed by compassionate hands of people who love them, people who day after day want to show them the love of Jesus. And so as I watched them enter one by one, children, tranvestites, prostitues, the, least, of, these: I was in awe. As well as eternally grateful for the hands of those that serve and for the presence of God in that place. All eating together round tables of six not one hand was raised in anger or one voice raised in drunken agitation but instead a chorus of a hearts cry was sung. People hungry, yes for food but more so for the presence of the holy spirit. No utterence of complaint was heard when asked to wait to be seated or to enter the small service being held for those who wished to attend. One gentlemen actually refused to eat until he had heard the message being proclaimed by Debbie (Pastor Debbie Flores) that day. And so as I write this from another country I can still see his children, the ones serving and the ones being served. My lasting impression is not what one might think. It is not of the rags they were clothed in, nor the stench of alcohol that plagued the air. When I close my eyes and even in the brightness of the Mexican sun I can see them clearly. Those extravegant worshippers in Gautemala. Those who blessed our lives by being themselves and allowing us to join them. Those who truly worship with their lives and not only with words. It no longer scares me to read that faith without deeds is dead because I have seen faith, deeds and the life that those two combined brings to the least of God´s people. And so we said, what can only be described as a hyterically traumatic yet fun (as is everything they do) good bye to the young people of Shekinah. Our last night of pizza and chatting around Agueda´s living room table was a reminder of why we love them. Because they are a generation of young, beautiful, talented, inteligent individuals that give it all to God.












They continue to search for more of him and so as much as we´d love to take the credit for them wanting to hang out with us, the truth is that the reason for us hanging around each other so much is that the presence of God was with us. That and the fact that Lorna really is very funny which helps! They are awesome and we miss them already!










Ok so I like I said I really cant describe all that has gone on in the last month The life of the church here is so vast. We´ve visited children´s ministries, churches outwith the city, clinics, homes and even a baby shower! But I know that however painful it may feel to leave the peolpe who have blessed our lives, fed our tummies (with the most delicious food ever, ever, ever) and nurtured our spirits for the past month I am totally, ridiculously excited. Excited to no that we have left but that the work continues. That tonight Josepi with go out onto the streets to feed and to share the homeless. That the team in the Lord´s kitchen will continue to show compassion; that Agueda and Walter will continue to host the young people who flock into their home; that the musicians will be practising, commited to the responsibility they have been given of opening up hearts for worship and that Pastor Alvaro and Debbie will continue to nurture this awesome part of God´s army that they are leading.

I hope that as you read this you are blessed knowing that in Guatemala there is a generation living for God. Without lights, without camermas but with action. We love you eternally Erica and Lorna xxx

Church Without Walls

Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." Neh 2:17

"Examining the walls of Jerusalem." The first time I read this, or rather Lorna read this verse to me, I didn't really know what it meant. It sounded like a job set for a person much more capable; spiritual; biblical than me and to be honest at times it still does but that does not eliminate the fact that when you make yourself available to God he will literally take you up on the offer. When you ask God to use you he will and so we continue to love every minute of the job we´ve been given; the job we asked for.

I had no idea that examining the walls meant gaining a global perspective of the church around the world. I had no idea that when i stepped out of the walls of my home church building I would enter into a kingdom so magnificent - superdooper - fandabydosey that it would be difficult for me to describe. However, I will try.

Church Without Walls is a name, a concept, a ministry that is commonly used to describe the efforts of congregations in Scotland to break down the walls of the churches they are in. It is the daily effort they make to communicate with each other and have relation with each other. This often takes the form of organising worship events for whole communities and/or neighbouring parishes coming together to praise and learn. It is an emphasis put on the necessity of relationships, without which we are not the church.

This enthusiasm to share visions, materials, testimonies and faith stories has blessed the people in Scotland and because of God´s favor on it this ministry has grown. The concept of being a Church Without Walls is quickly moving throughout the nations and because of our availability to be moved by the spirit, or rather our inability to contain it, we are becoming a World Without Walls- or at least how we know them in the literal sense, made from bricks, cement and hard work. And so from the realisation that the construction of mammoth church buildings were in actual fact preventing unity and destroying relationships the concept of a World Without Walls was birthed.

Originally bringing people from all over the world "World Without Walls" ministry sought to train people in film making, providing them with the training and equipment they would need to be able to share their testimonies from anywhere and everywhere in the world - to and from the ends of the earth.

Since then all those involved have planned, practised and prayed that using media, film and the Internet we would be able to eliminate the physical walls of the church, which do nothing but create barriers of difference and hoard cliques anyway. In short and the idea of walls being broken down in order to allow unity to grow has been at the heart of the whole ministry.

It might seem weird to people that in order to build something we must first destroy it. However the deconstruction of these physical walls is necessary in order to construct the spiritual walls God intends to be to unite his nations.

When you build anything you have an architect, a designer or someone who comes up with the plan of how it should look and the purpose it will serve. When I was home in May I had the complete joy of running round the new (and greatly improved) Wallace High School (the school in which I taught,loved, laughed and generally stressed out in before I left Scotland). The new school looks amazing. Although I almost knocked myself out with the automatic entrance doors I survived the tour relatively unscathed. Clean, fresh corridors now replace the old manky ones that once were. Air and light flood social areas "stimulating creativity" and huge plazma T.V screens....well I´m not sure what they are for but they look cool.

The new school has replaced a building that was deemed completely and utterly redundant. Infact it was so useless that none of the materials were used to construct the new one. They didn't transfer the old rusty pipes into the new-almost futuristic fanzabydosey automatic toilet flushing system in the new school nor did they transport the fungi infested bricks from the old but instead used a new more environmentally friendly (I´m sure) material to construct the fancy new school.

OK so I'm exaggerating I don't think everything is automatic but I do know that the environment that has been created was build with a very specific design brief. It fulfills its purpose: to educate children. Has the building changed the learning environment? Absolutely! Has it changed the learning experience? I hope not. The building is fantastic but it only serves to accommodate the already amazing people who occupy it. In the same way our church buildings only serve as a resource to create an environment that accommodates the people who occupy them.

Now when Lorna read that verse in Neh (examining the walls) my initial thought was, ´I have no place to examine anything or anybody´ and secondly ´where and who are the walls?´ Tonight I stood infront of one of them. Let me explain.

We (Soul Touch) are in Guatemala now and are pleased to report that this is one wall - one part of God´s kingdom- that is being build on firm foundations and they are building one by one - stone by stone - soul by soul.

built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being build together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his spirit.Eph 2:20-22

This week we have visited church after church, prayer meeting and prayer meeting, youth services, women's groups and worship services. Some have taken place in church buildings, some in houses, universities, soup kitchens, people´s living rooms, hospitals, brothels and on the streets of Guatemala City. Most of these ministries are orchestrated by Shekinah, a church full to overflowing with God´s favor and so in turn responsibility.

Guatemala is a country where at least 80% of its population are Christian. A nation that have Jesus Christ as their cornerstone and who are building faithfully on his foundations.

Diligently and obediently they are trying hard not to repeat old mistakes - like the school their old materials have been buried because they are deemed surplus to requirements. Instead they are committed to rebuilding his temple and are completely crying out ( trust me sometimes these guys are LOUD!) to be remoulded and rebuilt by his word and his favor.

Last week I stood at the back of a college auditorium. The band leading worship are ridiculously blessed and so the worship was amazing but as I stood behind the other students I realised what Lorna had meant 13 months ago when she faithfully read Neh to me. Before me I saw a wall. Each student a living breathing, walking talking moving part of the bride of Jesus Church.

Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." Neh 2:17

For a long time our church has been in disgrace because we have been using our own design brief - what we want, what makes us feel good. Instead of entering the church building planning to bring something to worship we often enter expecting others to contribute to our experience and then complain when they don´t.

I thank God that those days are finished. That everyday of this year I have stood with people crying out to be made new. And that he has heard that cry. That here in Guatemala the people within the buildings want to lay aside the surplus materials: selfishness, pride, laziness and especially independence and start rebuilding a spiritual host where God will dwell;

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. Isaiah 58:12

I answered them by saying, "The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding! "Neh 2:20

So I am loving this job. Seeing that the building has already started to look stunning but it cant be complete until every stone is put in place. My prayer is that you would only know how utterly valuable you are in the body of Christ; in his church. That you would see yourself as part of something much bigger than the world would have us believe. That you have been chosen by God to be part of this church and that no other stone (no other person) can fulfill the role you play in the kingdom. No one else can take your part in the wall. Firstly cause they´ve got their own job to complete but also because without you we all feel incomplete.

I want you very quickly to imagine a brick wall. It´s a new house being built and the builders are waiting to put the roof on. All four walls are complete and the wee baldy guys operating the crane is waiting to drop the roof on. Now look closer at the wall. You notice some bricks are missing. There is a whole in the wall where your new bathroom will be. There are some bricks missing in your bedroom. You notice that especially around the top of the building the bricks are scarce. You immediately notify the baldy crane guy and tell him to wait. Why? Because you recognise that you cannot complete the building until every brick is in place. Yeah sure you might be able to put the roof on but who would want to live in a house with holes in all of the walls; in a house that is short of perfection?

The church is made up of people not bricks. Spiritual people who were made to be joined together in order to be able to host a magnificent God. God (not that I would ever want to compare God to a baldy crane guy)is waiting. He is waiting for every person to be put together so that he can dwell in that place; in his Kingdom.

As we travel around the world we see young people, old people of all different colours, shapes and sizes. Some have a lot of money, some have no money at all. Yet regardless of all of these things thay are equal and not one is more neccesary than the other because none of us can be complete until we are joined with the other.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. Eph 2:19-20

We still have some more churches to visit and have not yet finished our work here with Shekinah in Guatemala but we just wanted to take some time out to fill you in on something that is so exciting and truely beautiful that you would see how wonderful and totally neccessary you are.

"Look at the nations and watch—
and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told. Habbukuk 1:5


We love you abundantly Soul Touch xxx

Bringing His Kingdom in

From singing in my first ever official international concert in Lima, Peru to speaking to people in the backpackers here in Costa Rica this month has been another adventure in our lives and in the lives of those we’ve met. Sandwiched between my debut performance (hahaha) and the days we’ve spent sharing with other happy wonderers have been events which have taught me many things. Starting with the how to balance vertically in mid air on a skinny clowns hands without injuring either of us. A random and admittedly unnecessary lesson however I had no choice in the matter. Nor did Lorna as the Argentinean acrobat proceeded to volunteer the Soul Touchers to participate in his little performance, much to the amusement of the audience and the embarrassment of us, who in turn ended up looking more ridiculous than the clown himself as I’m sure you can imagine.

We arrived in Costa Rica only four days ago and are departing on Tica’s 1am bus to Guatemala first thing tomorrow morning (or later tonight which ever you want to look at it). Although short, our time here has certainly been…..no not sweet: challenging, yes; frustrating, yes; incredible, yes and worthwhile….most definitely. Almost as challenging as our time being here was our time getting here.

We spent our final two weeks in Peru in wonderful company. Separated for the first time, in Soul Touch history, since leaving Scotland in 28th June 2007 Lorna and I were sent to opposite ends of Lima. As you can imagine we reacted as if we were being sent to opposite ends of the earth but that’s another story and a challenge we not only got over but one we learned to enjoy and were ultimately completely blessed by.

Feeling slightly apprehensive we entered our hosts houses. Houses that within the weeks we spent there became our homes, with strangers who became close friends. Juana and Carmen are staff with Union Biblica Peru. They are part of an amazing team of people, some staff and some volunteers, who teach “valores” (values) to the children of Lima.

I have no idea what amount of mileage we covered in one day but from the time we woke at 6am heading for our first bus (along with the rest of the cities population) until we collapsed of the couch at 6pm it appeared we were traveling: to schools, between schools in pursuit of other schools. Surviving the chaos of Lima´s traffic, not to mention near suffocation from the amount of people wedged into every bus, we went from school to school.

In each we were given an opportunity to share our own testimonies with the children, an experience I particularly enjoyed. When the initial excitement, of having a ´gringa visitor´, died down and the squealing became quiet enough to compete with (there was no way it was going to stop completely) I pulled out a giant map of the world. Excitedly all hands shot up despite no question having been asked and class by class the children guessed where this freckly visitor was from. The majority assumed Spain or even Peru and so that explains why they persisted to chatter incessantly as fast as their little lips would allow them to, in Spanish. Meanwhile somewhere across the dusty city a blonde, blue eyed (very beautiful) gringa was giving a variation of the same presentation, sharing her version of the events of the past 12 months and in return being asked for her autograph. “Americano, Americano, Americano” was the general consensus given regarding this gorgeous girl’s (Miss Main’s) origin and so I’m sure they were all a little bemused when she and I told them we were infact from “Escosia”.

The chidlren’s reaction generally differed depending on the age group. Obliviously content with not knowing (and not really caring) the younger children applauded their gringa visitors. Others nodded demonstrating some level of understanding and then there were the few (there always are) who told us where Scotland was: in England. Others seemed completely content continuing to believe we, or at least Lorna was indeed American. I feel a bit responsible however for the fact that there are lots of little Peruvian children who now think American men wear “skirts” (kilts) and who truly believe we are related to William Wallace.

There was a message shared however that was much more articulately communicated and most definitely understood. That was the message being taught by Juana and Carmen. The message of Jesus’ love for each individual child. It was a message that didn’t really even require the props or visual aids we’d prepared. As I shared and listened to these women share I saw, I heard that these children understood it. Squeals turned into deep breaths as little children gasped at Juana’s exciting stories about a God that loves them. Jaws dropped and huge breaths were taken as if each one was breathing in the gospel for the first time, which they weren’t these women travel each week to share with the children. The courtesy shown earlier by children raising theire hands to ask a question was long forgotten as innocent curiousity blurted out all sorts across classrooms filled with children wanting answers.

Now, some hundred miles away, (17 hours on a bus to be exact) Lorna and I are witnessing the same reactions and having to answer some very similar questions, although this time not from little children. Arriving in Costa Rica we booked into Costa Rica backpackers. As far as backpackers go it’s actually very comfortable, if you don’t mind being wakened by the constant coming and going of travelers at literally all times of day and night and if you don’t take the antics of the excitable Argentinean clown too personally.

It’s been a comfortable and equally uncomfortable stay for some of the following reasons. Firstly we arrived with the familiar feeling of “ Lord what are we doing here?’ Asking familiar questions like, “ did we really hear a call from God to come?” “ Did we imagine all of this?” ¨Should we or could we have organized this better?’ And so they go on…or at least they can if we allow these sorts doubts to infest our spirits, seeking to steal our joy.

Immediately we set about trying to find a church, thinking that was most certainly our purpose for being here; consoling ourselves and each other with the illusion that once we found one we would instantly feel better and then the real mission would be able to commence. Yeah I know you are laughing at us right now. It’s ok we are laughing at ourselves right now too.

On our first morning here we were woken at 4am by some girls leaving to catch a sunset and so we made use of our disposition. We set about driving ourselves and each other crazy by furiously sending out emails and stalking friends on facebook in hope that they could assist us in our search for a church. Within 24hours we still had no contact and so approached plan B: using our time to be productive. Facebook stalking reached a ´whole nuther level¨ and Taco Jim’s (a new friend by divine appointment) laptop threatened to burn out as we typed letters, proposals and all things business like.
We did all of these things in an attempt not to panic that we had become missionaries without a mission (or at least an obvious one; one that we could justify to the church). In the middle of the chaos we were subconsciously creating: over loading ourselves with word documents and trying to upload photos on one hundred year old computers, an activity that could potentially send even the sanest of sane people insane, we found our mission. Or rather our mission found us. We found the church we were looking for. God brought the church to us and met us right where we were, in Costa Rica backpackers. And so for the past four days we have talked and talked and talked. We’ve answered questions and questioned answers. In truth it has been one of the most exhausting “ missions” I’ve ever been on and it continues. It’s called life.

Let me share with you a spot of bother we got ourselves into the last time we went in search of the church. Last Sunday we were in Panama, we are making our way from Peru to Guatemala where our next “project’ begins. When we woke we noticed the sun was shinning, a rarity that we wanted to take advantage of. So we packed a few things ready for a day at the beach. Piling ourselves into a taxi we asked Elizabeth (female driver) to take us to the beach, a journey which according to lonely planet should have taken ten minutes. Forty minutes later, by which time the sun had gone back behind panama’s permanent cloud, we arrived at a beach. No not “Playa Bonita” as requested but a beach chosen by Elizabeth, our taxi driver, a women not to be messed with. Elizabeth told us not to worry it looked dangerous but she would accompany us into the water and would not leave our sides…which she didn’t!

Making the most of a really weird situation we chatted with Elizabeth about her family, our families, Panama, Scotland and about God. She was so excited to hear about our mission and informed us that she knew about a church that actually welcomed missionaries from abroad. She even offered to take us to the church with no additional charge as her “favor” to us.
“¿Podemos cambiamos nuestros ropas, por favor Elizabeth? Antes nosotros vamos a la Iglesia.”
As politely as possible we tried to explain that we would feel much more comfortable if we could change our clothes before going to the church. She insisted there was no time and that this was Panama. It would be fine.

With little (no) choice in the matter we arrived at the church. “I’ll be back in half an hour go and talk,” Elizabeth said inviting us to leave the taxi. As we approached the church we watched some men enter. All appearing to be wearing the same uniform black trouser and white shirt I joked “either there is a meeting or this is a mormon church.” It wasn’t a joke. Elizabeth had emptied us out into a mormon church, beach gear and all.

Lets just say we weren’t invited in but we did have a fun time trying to explain to the gentlemen at the door what an earth we were doing in Panama and that we were traveling around the world on a “missions” trip. His reaction was similar to some of the children’s in Peru, his mouth dropped and he too looked a bit dazed and confused.

Turns out we needn’t have put ourselves through the stress or embarrassment of trying to find a church.

“ You also, like living stones are being built into a spiritual house…” 1 Peter 2: 5

We are the church. I’m learning that the body that Paul describes as coming together is not only about all the congregations of the world having a massive worship fest . It is much more than that. It is about individual living stones. Individual people living as the church in their everyday lives. Whether it is in a youth hostel you never really expected to be in, in Costa Rica, in a taxi in Panama, which you’re being held in against your will, in your work place or in those times you’re involved in a “missions project”. During all of those times we represent the body of Christ. This is the church God is calling.

Come let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and we will no longer be in disgrace. Neh 2:17

Lorna and I are leaving the hostel at 1am. Our time here has been intensely wonderful. So many people traveling have stopped their journey, their search for themselves, some just for a second, some for hours to spend time with us. Even when we’ve avoided conversation (yes we are that rude and tired sometimes) they have started them, they like the children in Peru want to hear of the Living God and their purpose in his kingdom.

We have loved sharing with them although it has meant a little less sleep than usual. We have two days on a bus to Guatamala to catch up on sleep. But we’ll miss the church here. The church God brought to us: his people.