The odyssey is about to begin -- and who would have thought that a girl who grew up just outside Crane, Missouri, on a farm would be planning to move to Scotland in three months (or so)?

On February 9, I boarded the plane from Atlanta, Georgia, for Edinburgh, Scotland. On February 11, I met with the Church Assessors of the Church of Scotland. After a bit over an hour of conversing (and another hour with a psychologist), I received a recommendation from them that I be given a Certificate of Eligibility to labor in the Church of Scotland -- well, after I do a year-long familiarization placement and three classes specific to the Kirk. I am relieved -- I have a year of training wheels so that I can learn both the Church and the culture!

I didn't know about the positive recommendation until I got back to metro Waleska, Georgia, where I live now. Still, the rest of the trip was quite good...