Inverness Bible Fellowship

Visiting Guidelines & Good Stewardship

First, a few unpleasant statistics:

More than two hundred visitors from around the world travelled to the Highlands to visit and stay
with us, in the last two years.  Visitor(s) have stayed an average of 5 - 14 days.   

Our heating oil, electric, and water bills have increased fourfold.  It is imperative that all visitors
understand that we are missionaries, living and ministering in the United Kingdom.  We are fully
supported by the donations we receive for this purpose.  

The currency exchange rate from US dollars to GB pounds is nearly two-to-one.  The amount of
donations we receive are cut in half due to this exchange rate.  Due to this poor exchange
rate, our income level is defined as "poverty level income".  However, because we are not
citizens, we are ineligible for any public benefits.  

Our grocery bills at times have increased tenfold.  It only takes 2 - 3 visitors and we have seen our
grocery bill double.  We have seen as many as fifteen visitors in one month with a grocery bill
over £1,000 [ $2,000 ].  Ouch!  

Household and appliance maintenance expenses have doubled.  Through incorrect and over
usage, household and appliance maintenance expenses have more than doubled.   

Soaps, linens, bed sheets, paper goods, and other supplies expenses have more than doubled.  

Petrol [gasoline] is priced at £4.50 [$9.00] per gallon.  Most visitors do not rent cars for their
transportation, but still want to see the sites.     

Only a small percentage of visitors have contributed to
these increased expenses.  As a result, there have been
times when we are not able to pay our bills on time.

It has become necessary to establish the following daily
accommodation rates for all future visitors, which
includes one meal per day:  

Our supreme desire and vision is to see people come to faith and maturity in Jesus Christ.  This is
our only purpose for being here.  If you require accommodations for some other reason, we
may not be able to assist you, depending upon available of rooms and/or scheduled ministry
activities.   We must be good stewards if we are to remain here.  

If you and/or your group would like to come to minister on
a short-term trip, please proceed:

1.  Download the appropriate forms.
2.  Complete the information requested on the forms.
3.  Return the forms to us via mail or email.

OTHER IMPORTANT TRAVEL INFORMATION & LINKS

Air Travel:

There is an international airport here in Inverness.  The airport code is:  INV  

Train Travel:

Bus Travel:

Accommodations in Inverness:

Vehicle Hire [car rental] in Inverness:

Restaurants in Inverness:

Highland Tours & Sites to See:

Things to Bring With You:

Tips and Suggestions:

Call your bank before coming to inform them you will be using your debit/credit cards out of the
country.  This could save you the frustration of having your cards deactivated for suspected
fraud.   It is also a good idea to bring the fraud phone number with you, in case you have to call.

Don't carry a lot of cash.   The best method of exchanging your money is by using your
ATM/Debit/Credit cards.  No additional percentages or fees are charged when using the ATMs
to withdraw money, other than your bank's international fees.  These fees can still be higher than
anticipated, so it is best to withdraw larger sums, less frequently.  

Tone it down a bit.  Visitors can often forget to be sensitive to residents of this area.  Most
Highlanders tend to are quiet and reserved.  Remember that European news media tends to
report America's involvement in global issues from a different angle.  Our mission is to make
disciples, not to get others to agree with our personal opinions.  

Be mindful of your vocabulary.  Certain American words have different meanings in the UK.  We
will communicate these to you upon your arrival.      

Knives are considered a weapon here in the UK.  All knives, including pocket knives, are illegal in
the UK.  Your pocket knife could be confiscated and discarded if discovered.  Jail time and fines
can also be assessed.   Leave you knives at home.    

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