New Groups, New Schedules, and New Beginnings,

Hello All,

We could start this blog post with an apology, but somehow that seems ... counter-productive. Matthew and I are seeking this year to live in the moment and not let the past define us. We will try to communicate more regularly this year, but to be honest, our everyday activities are quite normal. We clean toilets, vacuum the centre, maybe work in the kitchen and get the chance to bake. We love the mundane every day activities that we do, even if they don't see to be quite "exciting enough" to write home about. So our goal this post is to let you in on the last 2 months, both the exciting and the every day. 

Winter Maintenance:

Since the beginning of December, the centre has been in a way shut down. During December and January, due to various reasons, Abernethy Ardeonaig chooses to not accept any bookings and instead to re-focus on gearing up for the new year. 

This year Matthew and I got to assist the team by helping to re-organize our kit/gear store, deep clean the property, and various other activities. I, Cynthia, really enjoyed helping to color-coordinate the instruction department, and Matthew got to get outside a lot and even gained his Archery Certification! We also cheered on friend's in a Santa dash, went caroling and celebrated Matthew's 28th Birthday in true Sherlock Holmes' style.

Christmas Holiday and Break: 

During the 2 weeks that the centre is closed down, Matthew and I got the opportunity to tour the UK a bit. We spent some time with our dear friends Brian and Isabel Kelman and their lovely family during Christmas and then rode 9 hours on a MegaBus (think Greyhound) and to the south of England. We toured London for the day and then spent time with our friend Luke's family in Sussex. During that time we celebrated new years surrounded by new friends and even got to go to the "Seven Sisters" beach and put our feet in the English Channel!

Weather and Other Everyday things:

 Man, it has been cold! It has been hanging around 0C here... Brrrrrr!!! Part of our winter maintenance has consisted of us being literally snowed in to the centre and waiting for the road to be plowed just enough to get to "civilization", aka the only very small town with a very small grocery shop within an hour's drive. It has been truly challenging at times, but Matthew and I have appreciated our time sequestered from the craziness of the 'outside world'. We are learning how to depend on one another and to seek our comfort in the simple life.  

Things to Think/Pray about:

1. Health: As it is so bitterly cold over here, it is getting harder to stay warm and healthy. Our essential oils are helping, but the cold is seeping into our bones so to speak. Prayer for warm bodies, and smart decisions to stay healthy. 

2. Next Year: Matthew and I have begun putting out applications and dreaming about what to do after this coming August. We have several options we are exploring right now and would love wisdom and encouragement in figuring out the next year in our life. 

Thanks for all your interest and for caring about us!!!

Love,

Cynthia and Matthew 

3 months in and things-are-a-changin'

Hello To Everyone Still reading our blog!

Happy 3 months at Abernethy Ardeonaig. It has been a crazy last month with friends visiting, giant groups of hungry humans at work, and birthday/parties galore! I will try to post what pictures I have, but they are scattered amongst the various camera here at the center. For those of you on facebook, look for an album coming soon.

                                  Kristina Okerman's Visit:
 A very last minute but welcome surprise came to Matthew and I in the form of a lovely young lady named Kristina this month. Friends since Simpson University, it was an absolute joy to have her some and stay with us for a week. It was great to catch-up on life and to make new memories. Here is a peek at some of our adventures.

It was so much fun to Canoe across the loch on a Mirror- Clear Day, discover a waterfall and enjoy God's Glorious Creation.

Things-are-a-changin'

The weather is colder, the people are friendlier and the friends and family back home are further. AS we have been here three months we have officially breezed past the "vacation zone". You know, the place where relationships can be placed on a momentary hold as you go and enjoy some life, but they wont be "that different" when you get back. Nope we are feeling the distance. Thank you to all who are sticking by us as we try to figure out how to be present in Scotland and Back home in the states. Please know this, that no matter how often we talk, you guys are in our hearts and our stories constantly. 

Concerning the staff here at Ardeonaig and Abernethy in general, we are finally beginning to develop depth to our friendships. We are living life and choosing into community and it is nice to finally not feel like outsiders; to be invited to the events because they actually want us there, to have inside jokes, and to be known as individuals, not as "another american". Thank you to any staff and beyond reading this blog, we are so thankful for your friendship and hospitality. 

Prayers and Thoughts:

1. The Next Step: Over the next 2-3 Months, Matthew and I need to make a decision on the next step in our lives, do we stay in Scotland, Go back to the States, or something else.                   2, Family Back Home: It is very hard to be away from family especially during the next few months
as this is our first holiday season away. We are grateful for adoptive family here, but prayers for peace this season would be appreciated.                                                                             3. Health: Living in such close quarters lends itself to a greater possibility of germ growth, which we have experienced. We both are currently fighting a variety of health issues, as is our staff as a whole, and Prayers for our entire team to stay healthy would be great. 

Thanks for Everything!

Love the shedds.

A Fantastic Whirlwind and 3 years of Marriage

The Last few weeks have been such a whirl wind. In addition to 2 large and demanding groups, we got visits from friends, celebrated 3 years of marriage, went to Edinburgh, and so much more!

                                                      The Fullen's Come to Visit:

I am Astounded at God's grace and how He is so much Smarter than Us. I have known Shane Fullen since before Kindergarten but we were on opposite ends of the social spectrum. There was a lot of pain in our past, But God in so much bigger than our pain. Through a series of events, Shane came to be a believer and we sought reconciliation. At that point we kept tabs through Facebook and learned that Shane and His Wife Chelsea were going to be touring Europe While we were in Scotland. One thing led to another and there they were in our guest bedroom, staying with us for a few days. It was such a sweet time with old/new friends. We explored the highlands, sailed on the Loch Tay, and encouraged one another. 

                                                       3 Years down, Forever to Go!

It is so weird to think that 3 years ago Matthew and I got Married! In our years we have experienced all kinds of life, but we barely dreamed we would be living in Scotland. It was truly special to be able to share our lives with people from all over the world.

                                                       Anniversary In Edinburgh

Matthew and I were blessed with the opportunity to spend a few days in Glasgow and  Edinburgh recharging and celebrating being together. We went on our first train ride and navigated the rails of Scotland!In Glasgow we spend time with our "family" in Scotland, the Kelmans (the couple we met in the states). It felt like coming home for the holidays, except for the fish soup and liver part for dinner. In Edinburgh, we were able to visit several museums, eat lots of delicious food and just be together.  We were also gifted a rediculously awesome room in a hotel and were able to just rest.

 

 

  

 

                                                           Prayer Requests:
1. Continued Health and Rest as the days grow shorter and the nights colder.
2. Unity as a team at our Centre. Living in close community is messy, Pray for Grace towards our fellow brothers and Sisters in Christ as differences occur.
3. We would seek the Lord with all our hearts, and use this time in Scotland to grow Closer to Him.

It has been an Amazing Adventure so far and there will be more to come!

Love,

The Shedds

Our first Castle: Blair Atholl and Gardens

Hello Everyone! At the beginning of September we got the chance to see our first castle... WHOOO!!! The Castle's Name was Blair Atholl and it is one of the best preserved castles in Scotland.
 "Dating back to 1269, the castle has been transformed through the ages, from its cold medieval beginnings in a strategic position during political struggles to become a fine Georgian mansion and finally a Victorian castle in the barionial style. "We loved going on a self guided tour and seeing all the history.
Funny Story: Throughout the house were located these really fancy, but almost stadium like chairs. When I asked an emplyee what they were she informed me of a common scottish phrase that "if you pay for it, you own it". Apparently, these chairs were the coronation seats

from the crowning of several kings, that the family of Blair had had to pay for to attend (as we would pay for a concert seat). However the Dukes/Earls took them home since they bought."owned" them, how funny! Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside as to preserve the 100s of paintings and such but it was truly magical.

We then toured the famous gardens and just enjoyed some wonderful sunny weather.
This particular garden was named the Hercules Garden because of the Giant statue of the mythical man located at its tallest point. I wanted so badly to just sit down and have a picnic, like they must have done in the Victorian era, but alas, our time was coming to a close.
We then traveled to the Blair Atholl Town and went to the WaterMill Bakery for tea and a snack. The mill still makes its flour from scratch everyday using next to the same machinery as almost 100+ years ago.
Overall it was a great day out with new friends; we laughed, Saw some highland cattle, Matthew Climbed a big tree, we were warne to not be like snails, we took too many pictures, and just had a jolly time.

Thanks for Keeping up with us and we will contnue to update you all as we can! Love,The Shedds

Second Chances

Hello friends and family, we are officially posting from Scotland. I know it's been a while since we updated everyone but it was very hectic and awesome how we got here.

First things first let us tell you how it all happened. As many of you know, we still didn't have our passports (with visas inside) when we moved out of our apartment on August11th. We had our tickets set for the 14th which was very nerve-wracking to not have our documentation. We went up to Oregon to visit our in laws for a few days while hoping that our passports would arrive before we needed to leave. All the while Cynthia was trying to contact the embassy requesting any information they had regarding our problem. It was looking like we wouldn't be able to go in our time frame if at all! 

The 13th rolls around and we still had no answer and no visas. At the 11th hour, Matthew's dad had a last ditch idea on how to get our passports back to us. We did what we could, prayed and cried. We basically resigned ourselves to postponing our trip indefinitely, even going as far as attempting to cancel our tickets, when we got a phone call. 

Our passports with visas inside had been found and could be over-nighted to us if we could get the embassy a UPS shipping label within the hour. Wow! After some minor hiccups and a extremely helpful embassy employee, our passports were on their way! This was one of the most emotional roller coasters of our lives. God had come through for us in His way, in His time and we had the opportunity to trust Him for a miracle. This will forever be a testimony of what God can do with the "impossible" things in our lives.

After picking up our passports at a massive UPS shipping center in Sacramento at 8:30am, we were off to the airport with 2 hours to spare. WHEW! We said our goodbyes, shed a few more tears and made our way through security and on to our terminal. 

As we were waiting to board the plane a young man came up to us because he noticed our Osprey backpacks and we had a short chat. We found out his name was Chance and like us was an adventurer and carried an Osprey. The plane started boarding and we quickly parted ways and found our seats. Just as Cynthia was remarking how funny it would be if we sat next to Chance, here he comes down the aisle and stands next to us. Turns out he had the window seat in our row. What are the "chances"? We had a great conversation all the way to Dallas about community, the way God works and how amazing life seems to turn out.

We arrived at the Dallas Airport and after a short connection made our way to London. Our plane was wonderful with all kinds of built in technology to help us pass the time. The only thing we were not able to do was sleep, and after 20 hours of traveling it was greatly needed. We arrived in London and made our
connection flight to Glasgow. The scenery was beautiful! The English and Scottish landscape was such a patchwork of beautiful fields and hills, take a look below to get a bit of an idea.

We were picked up at the airport by Brian and Isabel and it was such a blessing to not have to worry about transportation, lodging and food! We spent the next few days attempting to break jet lag, getting us to riding on a different side of the road, taking a hike by Loch Lomond, and getting use to drinking lots of tea and eating many "meals" a day. Our ever thanks to our gracious hosts!

The next blog will cover our first week here at camp, but thank you for all you have done to get us here!

Love,
The Shedds

15 days!!!!

Oh Golly how the time has flown by!

As we rush to pack up the house, plan my sister's baby shower, get ready to spend a week in Nevada, and try to hang out with as many people as possible... we are trying to take time to enjoy our last few days here. To treasure our walks on the river trail, to share in the sweet laughter of a long-time friends, to give hugs, to have as much ethnic diverse food as possible, to just enjoy the home and community that we have so grown in over the last few years.

So Thanks Again. Thanks for making our last few days here filled with love amongst the craziness, and laughter amongst the chaos. Thanks for the encouragement and continuing to call out what God is doing in our lives during this time.

GOING AWAY PARTIES: Stay for a moment or the whole time, just come say "So long!"
- Nevada residents: August 3rd @ Janice and Herb Shedd's Home in the afternoon.
- California Peeps: August 10th @ The Marker Home: (2195 cumberland Drive, Redding, Ca 96003) from 4pm-7pm.

Prayers Answered:
1. PLANE TICKETS: Plane Tickets have been purchased. There was a bit of a mix up but it all got sorted out and we will soon be on our way.
2. CAR: We were able to sell our Subaru Car to a friend of a friend and can now breathe easier knowing that it is out of our realm of responsibility.
3. JOBS: Matthew and I have both been able to transition smoothly from our old jobs and while we are sad to leave our co-workers, we are excited for our co-workers that we have yet to meet.
4. YARD SALE: Our Yard Sale fundraiser was quite a success, netting over $500 for our Trip. Thank you to all who donated items/stopped by to shop.

Prayer Requests:
1. VISAS: We are still waiting for them to be mailed to us. We know they will get here, but we would love for it to be sooner rather than later.
2. PEACE: Peace in the crazy, especially for Cynthia. We want to be able to enjoy our last few days here, not to get caught up in the little things (like how to pack the silverware or what type of tape to buy)

Thanks Again!
Love,
The Shedds

Our Digital Support Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello, how are you? We hope you are doing well, and that you are surrounded by loving family, supportive friends and delicious food! We are writing to inform you of an amazing opportunity that we have been provided with to live overseas for a year in Scotland. That is right, Scotland, as in the country. We have been offered 2 positions as Charity workers within Abernethy Adventure Centre: Ardeonaig. Matthew as an Outdoor Instructor, and Cynthia as a member of the Kitchen and Hospitality Team.

For a wee bit more information on how amazing this opportunity is, we would like to take you on a bit of a journey. Right after we were married in 2011, Matthew became unemployed. It was a very rough few months and we applied for lots of jobs, and it was then that we were introduced to Abernethy Adventure centres. We fell in love with their commitment to providing people with the gift of time away from this crazy world in the Christ-Centered Outdoor environment. We applied to join the team but were initially denied. So 2 years later, we applied again on a whim, and within 2 months we were offered the jobs! How Great is our God!                                                                                                                                                                

 In regards to our actual day-to-day activities over there, here is a synopsis. Matthew will be using his B.A. in Outdoor Education and his years of personal experience in the field to instruct such activities as: climbing, challenge courses, gorge adventures, mountain biking, orienteering, etc. in all age groups. Cynthia will be supporting the day-to-day upkeep of the facilities and preparing meals. She plans to also get involved with the spiritual development team and use her B.A. in Pastoral studies to support her fellow teammates grow closer to God. Additionally, as part of our commitment, we are called to participate in the local church and are eager to help them grow and develop towards a fuller relationship with the Lord.

We are set to arrive in Scotland August 18th, 2014 and there is still so much to do! But it all starts with letting you know about this dream. We appreciate any and all support as we prepare to leave, and while in country. We would be so encouraged to know that people are praying for us and encouraging us on this year long adventure. We have created a blog in which you can choose to follow along with our journey. 

The Website is http://sheddsgotoscotland.blogspot.com/. We would love to hear from you all and stay connected!                                            

Of course, one of the more tangible ways you can support this dream is by participating in our Fundraisers and/or donating directly. Our Goal is to raise $5000 which would cover plane tickets there ($3000 approximately one way), unforeseen expenses in county($500), and have a savings for our plane tickets back ($1500). We believe between our savings and some support that has already poured in, we have $1000 already. We also have multiple fundraises planned for these next few months and we are believing that those fundraisers will raise approximately another $1000. That means we need your help to raise $3000. The task can seem daunting, but if only 120 people gave $25 dollars we would make our goal. Whether you feel led to contribute financially, through prayer, or both, all of your support is appreciated.  (See below for ways to donate Financially)

So we ask you to consider joining with us as we embark on the journey of a lifetime. We believe deeply that God is asking us to cross "the great pond" in order that we may learn even more about how great His creation is.  While in Scotland, we will be given the opportunity to partner with God in a location out of our comfort zone, and join with His grand plan of redemption. We will be able to use our degrees to impact and support people in the special way that we have been called and trained.                                                                                           

Thank you for your impact in our lives. We wouldn't be asking you to partner with us, if we did not believe that you, through our lives, have helped get us to this point. You have been our support and mean more than we could ever say.                                                                                                                                                                       

Many Thanks,

 
Cynthia and Matthew Shedd

_______________________________________________________________________

Please mail this portion to our “state-side” physical address from July 2014-September 2015):

Matthew and Cynthia Shedd      

1427 Mary Jo Drive                           

Gardnerville, Nevada 89460

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As Matthew & Cynthia Shedd go to Scotland, I will partner with them by:

[  ] Joining them in prayer.

[  ] Making a one-time donation to help them meet their goal: Please Enclose Cash, Check, or deposit into a bank account especially created for this purpose at:   Bank of America. (contact us for the details.)

 [  ] Committing to supporting them on a monthly basis for a year. ________/month

[  ] Contacting them with opportunities for work to help them raise more support. Examples include: Baby Sitting, Yard work, Doing your dishes, cleaning your house, etc.   (Cynthia’s Number 530-262-8923)

Your Name(s): ______________________ Email address________________________________ 

Phone Number(s): _______________________________