Mercy Ships Connections...

While in Glasgow, we were able to connect with our Mercy Ships friends Peter and Lindsay, whom we met up with back in June 2023. I spent time with Peter one Tuesday night, enjoying a catch-up at Costa Coffee, right near the BBC Scotland headquarters. He also gave me a tour of his church, Harper Church, and we talked about ministry opportunities in the UK.

A few days later, we all joined them at Harper Church for their evening service on Sunday, 22nd December. Peter shared an encouraging message on Zechariah's prophecy in Luke 1 - how Jesus is the horn of salvation, showing the tender mercy of God.

View towards the Finnieston Crane (left) and the Clyde Arc.

Mercy Ships brothers. :)

Lovely to see these friends again!

Glasgow Warriors vs Edinburgh...

After confirming our travels to Scotland back in September, I was sure to research if there were any rugby games happening during our stay. There was one game scheduled on the southeast side of Glasgow - at Scotland's national football (soccer) stadium, Hampden Park. Glasgow Warriors were facing Edinburgh in the 1872 Cup, part of the United Rugby Championship, on Sunday, 22nd December. (The URC also features South African teams, so I was familiar with this competition.)

And so I bought the tickets for Riaan and I to enjoy a rugby game together. I have many fond memories of watching schoolboy rugby games with my dad in Cape Town, and I wanted to share the experience with my son. :) We were in the highest level of the stadium, making for breathtaking views of the pitch below. The home team, Glasgow Warriors, ran out victorious 33 - 14 in an exciting game.

Walking to the stadium.

Outside our entrance gates.

The Scottish flag in the stadium.

Kick-off time!

The stadium hosted 27,500+ spectators, a record for a Glasgow Warriors home game.

Selfie after the match was over.

Electric atmosphere in the stadium - just before the match started.

Queen's Park Baptist Church...

We spent a second Sunday morning at Queen's Park Baptist Church on Sunday, 22nd December. It was the nativity service - another special time singing carols and celebrating Jesus's birth! We enjoyed spending time in this lovely, friendly church.

Riaan with his angel crown. :)

Joy to the World, one of my favourite Christmas carols.

Montassir Christmas Party...

Shirley and Montassir hosted their annual Christmas party on Saturday, 21st December. It was a lovely time meeting their friends, enjoying delicious snacks, and playing the Secret Santa game. We had so much fun on a rather cold evening.

Our three children before the party.

A great time of fellowship and connection.

The Secret Santa game in the lounge area.

Eliza had so much fun!

Riaan dives into the bag to search for a present. :)

Silverburn Shopping Centre...

We visited Silverburn shopping centre to run some errands on Saturday, 21st December. It's a really nice, modern mall. We enjoyed browsing at various shops, toy stores, and a vendor fair. They even had tartan dog collars! I didn't find the Crawford tartan there, though.

Intricate golden stag.

These two love their aunt!

A refreshing sign in this sweet toy store.

Silverburn is built where the old Pollok Centre used to be.

The children had some fun in a recycling truck before we headed back home. :)

Date Night...

Candace and I had a lovely night out on Friday, 20th December. We enjoyed tasty Indian food at The Village, close to my sister's house. We then walked into the centre of town and browsed for stocking stuffers and secret Santa gifts. It's so nice to be able to walk around a town without fear of any crime. Thanks to Shirl and Montassir for watching our three children. :)

Former Dundyvan Church...

While Candace, Shirley, and the children enjoyed the amazing Time Capsule Waterpark in Coatbridge, I walked to the ruins of a nearby church. This is the former Dundyvan Parish Church, constructed in 1905 during happier times. It has been in a state of disrepair since at least 1995, having been ravaged by fire and the slow passage of time. Plans to demolish it seem to be on hold, possibly due to the historic nature of its gothic architecture. But as a visitor to the area, I don't know the full history. It must have been a beautiful church in its heyday. 

The rest of the family head into the Time Capsule Waterpark.

While I explored the ruined church.

The church is still an impressive structure.

Stained glass still clings stubbornly to these windows.

Carol Service at Queen's Park...

We went to a lovely carol service at The Point, the hub of Queen's Park Baptist Church's community outreach, on Thursday, 19th December. Unfortunately, we missed the outdoor carol service, but it was lovely to fellowship together in the church, sing a few Christmas carols, and enjoy some more Christmas treats. I really missed mince pies and Christmas cake! 

I was also able to connect with the church pastor and talk about ministry work in the Middle East. It also turns out that he was a church volunteer when the Mercy Ship M/V Africa Mercy was in Newcastle, being converted from a Danish rail ferry to a hospital ship! Talk about a small world! :)

Frasers Christmas Lights...

We visited Frasers in the evening on Thursday, 19th December, to see the famous Christmas lights. My oldest nephew, Rhyenn, has been working in the warehouse of this large department store. Frasers is really like a big shopping centre, complete with many different departments - like menswear, shoes, cosmetics and jewellery, toys, and lady's designer wear. The lights were really pretty, draped from the top level all the way to the bottom.

Candace and I with the amazing Christmas light display.

View looking down from the top level of the store.

Caffe Nero Work...

After visiting Kelvingrove Museum, we had a couple of quieter days. I worked, and Candace and the children explored more of Glasgow, including the local library. The sun showed itself, albeit briefly, during these beautiful days in Glasgow.

Riaan and I spent a lot of time together, visiting the closest Caffe Nero. This coffee shop became one of my favourite places to frequent during our visit. It was quiet and clean and allowed me to focus on my work. While I worked, Riaan sat reading his Famous Five book.

Seabirds on the Clyde River.

A family of swans sails past the Squiggly Bridge.

My sister has seen this same family of swans on many occasions, watching them grow up. :)

Approaching the Squiggly Bridge on a beautiful day!

On the same bridge several days later. It was blowing a gale!

Our favourite coffee shop. :)

Good selection of drinks and snacks. Made us miss quiet coffee shops.

Riaan focuses on his novel. :)

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum...

We went to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum on the afternoon of Tuesday, 17th December. There were many reasons for returning to this beautiful place - the 13h00 organ recital, as well as the Supermarine Spitfire that I somehow missed seeing on our last visit. 

We caught the Subway from West Street Station to Kelvinhall, from where we walked to the impressive museum. There were so many amazing sights just on our walk, including the University of Glasgow, established in 1451 (pictured over the bridge)! 

But my favourite part of the visit was certainly getting up close to a real Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane. This type of aircraft was instrumental in the Battle of Britain back in World War II, and so seeing one in person (after reading books and watching countless films featuring them) was quite special. 

The organ recital was also fantastic, as the organist played a vast selection of Christmas carols and hymns. All in all, it was a wonderful visit to one of Glasgow's top museums. :)

The updated, modern subway in Glasgow.

My beautiful family. :)

Family photo outside the museum. Anya was slowly disappearing into her stroller. :)

The beautiful organ in the main hall.

Listening to the lovely music.

Dinosaur display. They also had a coelacanth display - the 'living fossil' that captured my young imagination when I was a child.

Natural history exhibit.

Knights and soldiers.

Our newly-hatched chicks. :)

City of Glasgow Mk 21 Spitfire.

It has pride of place in this hall.

Running away from the powerful Spitfire! :)