People OF Paisley

People.
I like people. I’m a people person I’ve determined, and I have come to love yet more! The people of Paisley; how I love them. The people of Scotland are some amazing individuals, their tenacity, their fiery spirit, and their ability to speak whatever, and I truly mean whatever, is on their mind!
I’ve been praying for a heart for these people and this nation to develop even more strongly in me and even ability to understand some of them through their thick brogues and God has and is granting this. Every Wednesday we (the people at the base and I) fast (whatever of our choice) if we feel led, and pray for the city of Paisley.
There is a great deal to pray for and see change in this area, as is the case for any and every city. These Scottish men and women are amazing and have such incredible minds, gifts, and abilities, but they have such a spirit of defeat for themselves and have no vision or hope for the future and hate their city and they think that Scotland isn’t that great. Well, the staff here at Stanely house thought of this idea: P.I.G. = Paisley is Great. Where we once a month, or sometimes more, go to the town square memorial and grill sausages and give them away. To just brighten their day and say that we think Paisley is great and hope that they can be reminded of this and see it too. People’s response to this is fun, one they get delighted to find out that there are free sausages! They then hear us say that we love Paisley and they then think we are crazy! They think we are crazier for thinking Paisley is great then for handing out free sausages. This is funny. However, after they say that they think that we are crazy for being Americans who think that Paisley is wonderful, they pause, they smile at us and say “Cheers” (“Thank you”) and they walk away with a new spring in their step and shake their heads in wonder if whether or not we are sane! : ) Don’t worry we are. We just are eager to work in the opposite spirit that the people of Paisley operate in. We want to bring them joy and remind them that there are things about their city and their country is great! And not give into the negative spirit of despair and hatred. God’s love, hope, and creativity is what we want to bring. The teens especially need this! Just talking with them they can’t wait to get out of this city, but they don’t see how it is possible and they seem to be afraid to dream big because they don’t think it is possible.
This last Saturday there was a wonderful Pipe Band Festival, it was a competition to go onto the world championships. This was phenomenal, the music of course send chills up my spine and makes my heart beat with pure joy, but it was insightful peek into the people as well. There was such an excitement amongst the people that were hearing and watching Bag Pipe Bands marching down the road to the town square, in their clan tartan and the rest of the traditional garb. There was this sense of ownership in the air, whether they would admit it or not, they do have pride in their heritage and nation, I think they just need to be reminded of it. However, I think that it is not just a problem of reminding them of what a great country they live in and come from and being confident in their “national identity”. It goes much deeper than this. I think it has all to do with the people finding their identity in the real identity giver: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.This is something for all of us to remember, that no matter where we live, no matter what current political or economic times we live in we must rest secure in the fact that we find our value, worth and identity in God, and God alone. This is something that we hope to give them a glimpse of when we hand them a sausage or are walking into or around town and as we give them a smile or nod a hello; that they see a peace and a love radiating out of us that is not coming out of us by our own strength or will-power, but by the One who resides in us.