Home.
I feel like I was made for Ireland. From the moment we stepped into the city I’ve been astounded by its beauty. The bus ride that took us to our contact’s house was enough to leave me speechless. One particular turn along the funny side of the road revealed shades of lush grass framing the most beautiful sea I’ve ever laid eyes on. The beauty here has constantly brought tears to my eyes.
I’ve been amazed to encounter pieces of my childhood. The flowers and birds like magpies leave me in a constant state of joy and reminiscence.
Yes, we are the beach team.
I know we’ve joked about it, and though we were warned, we all secretly hoped for it. Words are not enough. I'll get some pictures up asap.
Roughin’ it?
The first two days here I was filled with inexpressible joy from the LORD. Every detail of each day blew my mind. So many gifts from Jesus that only He could know would touch my heart. Needless to say, nothing is quite what I expected. We have been well taken care of by the LORD and are blessed by our contact. All of us-three teams that is-fit into a big house down by the coast. Two dogs and a well-used kitchen make it feel homey, though it’s not without it’s own challenges. We thank God for hot showers and hot dinners. There is always tea to be made and shared. Still, we never forget that this is only temporary and keep our hands open.
Daily life.
I share a bed with two other girls, but most people cover the floors. The boys take up down stairs. We all eat breakfast and join up for devotions in the morning. Then we have ministry time. We’ve been partnered up with a church and mainly spend time focusing on evangelism in different parts of the cities. Each person we meet is a blessing and a memory. I’ve met several people in shops I have hopes to follow up with them as the month goes on.
We usually have one team stay at home to take care of the cooking and laundry, a big task with 22 of us living in one place. Though it’s worth it to stay joined up for a few weeks longer. We don’t know if they’ll be keeping the two all girls teams separate and pairing up the others three and three again. We stay on our toes. It’s a good thing.
Moments.
I wish I could paint you all a picture. There’s just no way to describe all the scenery, the laughter, the tears and the triumphs in a blog. I do invite you to ask me questions. Tell me what do you want to know?
I’ll say this. I’ve cried unexpectedly, laughed so hard I spit water across the table, laughed so hard I nearly peed my pants, shook from the cold, been warmed by hugs, given smiles to friends like family and joined in prayers of warriors. I’ve struggled where I suspected to, and been surprised even by what I’ve expected. In all, there is God, and HE is GOOD.
Details.
Launch: Consisted of team building time, speakers who moved our hearts and sweet worship time. Not to mention an amazing night shared with squad parents that I wish everyone could have been a part of.
Travel: We flew to Ireland in a day and were really blessed by the airline we took. The tail and wings of the plane had shamrocks on them. Oddly it’s the only thing I’ve taken a picture of as of yet. Ha ha… Don’t be mad, my teammates have captured plenty. Meanwhile, my guitar has been well loved, especially in the airports. I’ve been getting song requests and I’m sure the video some of the girls took will make it online any time now.
Weather: It’s cold. It’s wet. It’s lovely.
Food: Um… Ya. I will say that I haven’t had any traditional treats yet, but I immensely enjoyed the fish and chips we had.
Random: The accents are much more difficult to pick up than I had expected. They mainly just mumble a lot. The people are great, they say hello as we pass on the streets. All the dogs are what I’d call ‘real dogs’ and not ‘eagle snacks.’ I haven’t heard much traditional music yet, but have savored the bits I’ve caught. The architecture is kind of punk rock mixed throw into old English and the people are pretty hipster.
God’s Power
We have been amazed to hear from people back in the States who have been given knowledge by the LORD of our struggles. Also, your prayers are felt. Thank you so much and please don’t stop. Oh and a good friend here was diagnosed with cancer a couple days ago. We prayed. His results came back negative and he’s all good now. So you figure that one out. I say: God is awesome.
God’s Presence
I can’t get enough of Him. But He is ever with us. I’ve almost had some trouble accepting so much blessing from the LORD. I had expected to jump right into hardships, but in turn have faced ones I didn’t expect. Today I had to work some things out with Jesus. He showed me this, that God’s promises are true, that He will finish His work. Every knee will bow. Every tongue will proclaim. Every nation will worship. He will finish what He’s started in me. And HE IS GOD. So He can and will bless me as much as He wants. This is HIS story. I get to be a part of it. I’m resting in that today.
For now…
Please pray for health and spiritual warfare. Bless our sleep. Unity and peace to remain in us as a squad. Specifically loving our enemies. Listen to the LORD, He will tell you what we need. I need rest, and time with HIM personally. He knows the rest.
Know that I miss seeing your faces and hearing your voices. I ache to retell all my stories in person; words don’t do world race life justice. A video is in the making, so hopefully you’ll get a taste soon enough. If you check out some of the other blogs there are some videos up already. Also know that I would blog every day if I had more access. You are still welcome to email me, facebook me, and comment all up over this page.
All my LOVE
Ps. PRAISE HIM for what HE is doing <3 Seriously. <3
