Everybody wants to be Celtic
When I first starting bringing mission teams to Scotland I began to notice a reoccurring theme that came up in conversation among the American students I was working with. The phrase went something like this: “My great-great Aunt on my Mother’s side twice removed was Scottish. Our family has a castle in Scotland and I was wondering if we could look for it while we’re there?” In a country whose population is no bigger than Miami it started to make me wonder, “Are all our students decedents of William Wallace and his band of scary face-painted rebel rousers?” The simple answer, no. But there did seem to be this overwhelming fascination with all things Celtic. Outside ministry we visited castles and the students struck warrior poses for the camera. We walked on ancient battle grounds and picked thistles. We drank tea with the locals and talked for hours about how different our English was. It seemed like everybody wanted to be Scottish. Was it the romance of their warrior ways? The way they said ‘aye’ instead of ‘yes’? Tea with milk? Castles and fields of sheep? I still haven’t figured it out but I know one thing for sure: there is a large population of Americans that truly believe, deep deep down in their hearts, that their great-uncle was roommates with Robert the Bruce when they were both at Uni. So who’s to say….I know I’ve fallen in love with Scotland and it’s people and maybe if you were here you’d do the same. Because after you get over the romance of the Celts and stop pretending that you’re just ‘slipping into the Scottish accent’ you’ll learn that the Scots of today need God just as much as when they went into battle painted blue and wielding swords over their heads. Celtic fascination? Maybe at first. Heart of a missionary to reach the modern Scots even if life isn’t quite as romantic as you would have first believed? Most definitely. *Disclaimer: Sarah has lived in Scotland for 5 years and is married to a Scot named Rob. They are experiencing their first baby in March. Although she talks about the pitfalls of romanticizing a country she herself seems to have fallen pry to it…a least a little bit.