Avizandam. In Scots law, this term describes the careful consideration given by the judge before an important decision. Join me each week as we explore various topics from a spiritual perspective and take matters. Avise endum Today we're continuing the story of Gutney and myself.
Sorry if this sounds self-serving. but many people have asked about it and last time We talked a little bit about goodness background or coming to faith in Jesus Christ.
So I want to move the story forward. Uh last time Gudni was mentioning that in her church. It was intimated that there was going to be a missions trip to Scotland and at the last minute She signed up, as it were. And uh I'm gonna ask her how they travel to Scotland and her initial impressions there.
So Um Good night, you agree to go on this missions trip. To Scotland. Do you never been there before? Uh what happened then?
Well, the following Friday we had chartered or the team had chartered a ferry to take us to Scotland and it was about 24 hours. for sail.
So we were in cabins and we arrived on a Saturday afternoon. It was very nice outside and we stood up on the top of the ship and singing as we came intoward the harbor. And that night, we were welcomed by this church in Scotland that had a. Dinner for us, and that was the first time that I saw John. And he and one of his law partners were in charge of.
The team, what we were doing. We came there to give out gospel literature. We would sing in church services and travel around. uh these islands of Scotland.
So it was a little surprised there, too good for you to say that the first time you saw me was in the church in Scotland, because first time I saw you was when you came into the harbour. in a place called Scalaway in the Shetland Islands. And all of you were singing very beautifully, as you said, a beautiful scene. Um and I spotted you. Uh this uh small girl Beautiful blonde.
And uh I kept my eye on her. I I should explain that prior to that I'd been praying for a Christian wife. I'm one of six boys, as many of you know. And my older brother and my younger brother, the one a year and a half older than me and the one a year and a half younger than me, were both married. They were married about when they were 19, 21.
Uh and I at that day she never thought of getting married, but Um I was praying for it. As I saw Goodney, got in order a little bit, They were down for two weeks. I thought maybe This is the woman. that God has For me to marry. In fact, I felt fairly sure this was the one.
Goodney, was that your first impression? You saw me and were absolutely awestruck with my good looks and so on. Was that the case? Yeah. Not quite.
I just noticed him uh that night at church. But as John said, I did see two men on the harbor as the boat was coming in, but I had no idea who they were, but they were the two guys that were in charge of everything and decided where we were gonna stay. But I never even dreamt that Me going to Scotland would result in me meeting the guy that the Lord had for me to marry. That was furthest from my mind.
Well, that's what she says, but uh I think deep down um She was looking for a husband.
Now you got to understand, she spoke very, very little English. Ferues is her native language. Then they learn Danish.
So she had some school English. Not particularly. fluid, so that was a challenge for us to Communicate. But they were done for two weeks. Two of the men were staying with me in my little apartment and I asked them about Goodney.
These were the days, of course, there were no Google, social media, or anything like that.
So I asked the men if they knew anything. about this small woman whose name was Gudni Engelsda Gunnarson. And one of them said, Yes, he knew her quite well. Knew her family. They were in the same church.
And she was a very good young woman, strong Christian. And I thought, okay, so far so good.
So After the first week, I thought, you know, if I'm going to make anything of this romance, I've got to take a move, because in a week's time, she'll be gone.
So after a week, I asked her. If she wanted to go for a walk. She must have understood me something. She says, yeah, yeah, and so we went off. on this uh walk.
And that was the beginning of this wonderful relationship, a romance, as it were. And then Goodney, how was it I? ended up in the Faroe Islands just uh at that time as you were going to return.
Well, unbeknownst to me, John had bought a ticket to go back to the Faroe Islands when the boat or the ferry came back to get us. And he had planned to go to Iceland. He was going to fly from Faro to Iceland for a vacation. And so it did look like I was bringing home a guy, but that was not the case. But they gave him an opportunity to meet my family, especially my mom and dad.
And my mother didn't speak a word of English, so you can imagine how difficult that was. But my dad, being quiet, he did speak English fairly well at that time, so he understood. But anyway, that did help us getting to know each other for two more weeks. And uh then he went back to Scotland and we continued our romance by phone and by writing letters to each other. Yeah, could you imagine the days before email, text, cell phones?
In fact, in my apartment, there wasn't a phone. It was at the top of a house. And the phone, which belonged to the owners of the house, was right down at the bottom.
So that's the way we had to communicate. And Goodney wrote these long Leathers to me, of course, which I valued. Later I found out she took a long time to write them. She had a Faroese dictionary, a Danish dictionary, an English dictionary.
So I appreciate that. about her. And uh as we got to know her, I said to her, Look, if this relationship is going to develop Um, you need to come and live in Scotland. I was then a practicing attorney. I had no desire to.
Go through Danish law school and learn Faroese law and.
So I asked if she would be willing to come to Scotland.
So tell us about that good name. Yes, I was willing. Obviously it took um Uh what should I say? A very difficult time. In deciding to go to a country where I didn't speak good English.
But God was with me, and I think it was four months later that I moved to Scotland and worked there. I did it as to try to see if I could live there. But I had no problem. I liked it. I worked as a hairdresser and I made friends in the church that John was attending.
Some of the people we had met. or I had met when I came on that trip. Yeah, I mean we look back in marvel at this because there you were 22 a foreign culture, different language. I didn't know Scottish culture. And I didn't know me all that well.
And there you were. leaving your home, your family, your culture. And coming to stay in Scotland, but we knew. that uh God had put us together And uh you took that step of faith and came to Scotland and our relationship developed. And then after you came...
I can't remember how long it was. Uh I plucked up courage. To ask you to marry me, and you quickly accepted, of course. I mean, why wouldn't you? We got But he's looking at me strangely.
Anyhow, we got engaged and. We went to Edinburgh and Tell us about the engagement ring that you got, Goodney, and our plans. uh for our marriage together. I don't know if that was such a memoir. In fear of Islands, when you get engaged, you Buy your wedding rings.
And that's the same ring you wear all the time. We don't have diamonds and stuff like that in Pharaoh.
So you wear a wedding band. And so for me, with a diamond, I didn't know to say, oh, I want a small one or a big one.
So I was quite satisfied with the little one I got. And I should say that we got engaged six months to the day. after our first walk together. Yeah, very romantic. I'd forgotten that, but you're much more romantic with that.
We look back and look at the Shudes diamond rings people know. In this country, give each other when they got married, but this was still the smallest engagement ring, the smallest diamond. uh I've ever seen. But in defense of that, I had saved money. And uh we realized uh we're going to buy a home.
And so we got married in the Faroe Islands. That was 15 months, I think, after we first met and then began her married life in the Shetland Islands. I was able to put down a deposit on a house and we lived in The Faroe Islands. But we weren't there too long, Goodney, as a partner in the law firm, enjoying it. And then um My father died very suddenly, and we moved.
So let's finish this episode, Gutney, with. why we left the Shetland Islands, where we moved to and what we did there. Yeah, we had only been married eight months when John's dad, as he said. suddenly passed away from a heart attack. And John still had three younger brothers at home.
And so he felt burdened for his mom raising these three boys. Act 11, 15. and 20 and Be decided. to go back to mainland and we moved to Edinburgh and we were just half an hour away from his mom and his brothers. Yeah, before that I was in uh Private law practice, enjoying the Faroe Islands, doing very, very well financially.
The partners there treated me very, very well, so it was a bit of a shock, a real dramatic turn. And I decided to go into the prosecution service in Scotland, criminal. prosecutor which gave me a lot of experience of course. in the court.
So I applying for that, was interviewed. in Edinburgh and uh was placed in Edinburgh, the capital, a beautiful city, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. And there I began my career as a criminal. Prosecutor. Curtney, was that a good experience for you?
Being in Edinburgh, did you settle in quite easily and how did that impact you spiritually? Yes, I loved Edinburgh. It was a very pretty city, historical, as John said. I um I worked part-time, I remember, and then um We were very much involved in a small evangelical church there. And so that was our life.
Obviously, um It was very different from the islands and very different from anywhere else I had lived. I should say that Scotland compared to Fear is very grey in that the houses are all grey because they're made of granite. And so that was something to get used to. Where I came from, The houses all have different colors.
Well uh one of the many things I admire about Goodney is their flexibility. I think there she was, 22, leaving her home, moving to Scotland, and then making another move. Close to my family, my mother and brothers, but even further away from the Faroe Islands. She never complained. Uh she never said she was homesick.
Uh she accepted this as Where the Lord wanted us to be. And I would say that's very, very important for us who are following Jesus Christ. When it's clear that God is guiding you, take that step of faith. I hear so many people saying, Well, we're planning to do this, we're planning to do that, and they never get around to it.
So, I'm not saying be irresponsible, I'm not saying be impetuous, but I am saying. that being a follower of Jesus Christ means that we step out in faith. and that we know that without faith It is impossible to please God. And those who come to God must believe that He is, and He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
So keep seeking the Lord. And we will continue our story in other episodes. Avazandum. You're listening to the weekly Avizandam podcast from The Verdict, featuring Pastor John Monroe. John is Senior Pastor at Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Listen to John's daily program, The Verdict, on broadcast radio or major podcast platforms. For more information about the Verdict Ministry, visit us online at calvarychurch.com slash the verdict.
