Life on the Emerald Isle

So. This isn’t a fancy essay-this-is-what-God-is-doing-in-my-life-blog. This is more of a travel log, slightly for myself.

 

But just in case you cared, I just thought I should catch you all up on whats been happening here on the Emerald Isle. I’ve been quite the lazy blogger, and for that I apologize. I’ve just been having such a stinking good time.

 

Week 1 we spent in the Dublin city center in a hostel. We got hooked up with Dublin Christian Mission (a neighborhood club/ afterschool / gospel presence in the center of Dublin) and Lighthouse ministries (a ministry that feeds, clothes, and shares the gospel and hope to countless homeless, often times drug addicted, men and women each week). We did random cleaning projects throughout both buildings, sorted clothes, made food, stopped the Lighthouse from being shut down by the health department, got to pray with and hear stories from the guys at the lighthouse, and prepared for family camp the next week.  

 

Week 1 Highlights included: Manchester United vs. Ireland All-stars game with my team. Going to Howth (a gorgeous fishing village with cliffs on the ocean) with Jess, Nathan, and Ashley. Having God radically change my heart about community. Sunday polo game in Phoenix park. Going to Trinity Church in Dublin. Praying with them over Dublin on Monday night. Fantastic fajitas at the enchanting YWAM Dublin house.  Staying up late in the room singing and horsing around while Nathan played the guitar.

 

Week 2  was family camp in the Irish countryside. We stayed in army style tents, started our days at 8 and ended them at midnight: We jumped on trampolines and tickled kids every hour in between. Nathan, Garrett, and I led camp worship (think waves of mercy, I’m in the Lords army-the toy story version, I just wanna be a sheep, etc). We rocked. The theme of camp was “stories Jesus told”. So we taught parables (picture Rebecca dressed up like a sheep, a treasure hunt ending in cake and sprinkles, and Matt being taken to an Inn by a Samaritan after being  the recipient of ass kicking ). Long story short, we got to, if only for just a week, teach about Jesus and love on some kids and parents who come from some incredibly rough parts of Dublin. I don’t use the word rough lightly. I was blessed enough to hear some of their Cinderella stories of homes shrouded in drug/alcohol addiction, poverty, and seemingly hopeless futures. We got to speak Jesus, life, and purpose into them. It was such a joy to almost ALL of the families come to Trininty Church the next two weeks in  a row because many of them, though very involved in DCM club, had NEVER gone to church in their lives. As Garrett would say, PTL. (praise the Lord).

 

Highlights included afternoon outings from the camp to the beach, Glendalough national park, bowling, and the Courtown swimming pool ( eek. maybe this wasn’t a highlight. Community pools= sweaty, disgusting, and full of fat Irish men in speedos). On Friday I had the afternoon off and went for a run/dance/ hike into an Irish countryside by myself. (Picture me doing yoga on the top of a mountain with sheep staring at me with a gorgeous green Irish checkered hillside vista in the distance). Oh and yes. The food. We ate like kings. Breakfast. Dinner. Tea (6 PMish). and Supper(10 PMish).  We just called it getting ready for Africa.

 

Week 3 we spent back in Dublin at the hostel, praying and seeking God, doing more work around lighthouse and DCM. This week flew by, and I’m not exactly sure exactly what happened to it. Highlights included going back to Glendalough park and playing on the coolest waterfall on the planet, going to Dalkey with Jess and Ashley, and getting my tattoo (blog on that to come). Ashley and I went to the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin castle, and the gorgeous St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  Overall fantastic week.

 

Week 4: Camping out with all the world race squads in beautiful Clondalken, a suburb of Dublin. Going to the Awakening Conference and having God wreck my soul. More on that later. Spending my last week with my team, as it has become known that we are about to undergo a team change. Crap. More on that later as well.

 

As of now we are heading in Debrief, and leaving for Kenya in 4 days. Please keep praying for me and my team as we head into a major internal transition and continent change.