Home Safe and Sound! :)

I just wanted to thank all of you who have been following our blog for the past month! Our debrief was a great time of over-view and sharing how we personally experienced God on this trip. We are called to serve with love and I've been so encouraged by the people we worked with (Jenny at Friendship House, Johnny at Trojan Horse, Tony at Lifeline) and their passion for their ministry. It is so evident that God is working in and through them!
As a leader I was encouraged by the way the team members stepped out of their comfort zone and would spread out in a group of young people, children, seniors and men from the hostel and talk and simply "be" with these people. Although we did alot of planning and practising of skits, testimonies and sharing, the most valuable time was just connecting with them and showing love. Our team is full of fun and laughter and I know that as outsiders watched our group, the joy of the Lord was so evident. Each individual was hand-picked by God for this experience in Northern Ireland and I pray that they will be blessed even as they are home processing what they have been through and learned. What an exciting way to begin this next chapter of their lives after high school!
Romans 8:28 'And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.'

To all families of team members...

Hello all! We're on debrief at Murlough house, which is an old mansion built in the 1850's! It's a beautiful house right on the water surrounded by sand dunes! Yesterday we spent the day exploring Dublin but I'm not going to go into the details of all the adventures we had there given the limited amount of time we have before we go into the little town of Dundrum! I guess you'll have to wait for us to come home for more stories! :)
So anyways...here are the details of our flight back home for all team members (except for Hannah and Larissa who will be in Scotland for a few more days):
We will be leaving on Thursday the 10th of March @ 11:05am (our time here in Northern Ireland), stopping over in Newark at 4:19pm and finally arriving in Buffalo on Continental Airlines (flight#3034) in Buffalo at 5:41pm.
See you on Thursday and please continue to pray for rest and God's leading in our reflections on the past month and adjusting to back home!

The Latest News...

I wrote a blog last night catching up on the whole week and then it got deleted! :( So I'm going to try that again this morning...

~Thursday we went into Downpatrick for the afternoon to participate in 'Trojan Horse' (a ministry for non-church going teens). It's fun by 'Johnny' who gets together with these teens a couple nights a week to not only keep them from getting bored and getting into trouble, but most importantly sharing God's love in a gentle and non-forceful way.

~on Friday we walked to the city bus and took it to the bottom of Cave Hills which is a 1204 feet above sea level. It was a gorgeous day with the sun poking through the clouds! Halfway we reached the cave which doesn't go too deep but is a cool sight to see and we meandered up the grassy slopes to the cliff edge at the top where we got an amazing view of Belfast! Definitely a highlight of our trip! It was very windy but we found a little crevice in the grass where we ate our lunch!

~on Saturday we moved to Downpatrick and got a tour of Downpatrick Presbyterian Church by Harry (the minister and Jenny's husband)! Then we spread out into various homes where we'd be staying for the week (members of the church offered to host)!

~Sunday we had breakfast with the youth of Downpatrick church, learned about them and shared a bit about ourselves (their group is called 'Wakey Wakey'). After the service we went to our host homes for lunch and the afternoon with our host families! In the evening we participated in the youth group's 'Murder Mystery' by dressing up in costumes and hiding around the main street of Downpatrick for them to find us! In our costumes we got alot of funny looks by the passersby!

~Monday we spent the day planning for the upcoming week, starting the day with a longer time in prayer which was very refreshing and encouraging! John and Alicia arrived in the afternoon and we all went for a walk along the water! It was another beautiful, sunny day! (Most of our days have been!)

~Tuesday we headed to Friendship House for the last day and it was packed full with breakfast in the morning with the men's hostel, playing with the younger children followed by the older children after school and then youth alpha in the evening which the team worked hard to plan. We made it like 'Survivor' with teams (we each painted our faces) and competition! They got really into it! The hardest part that day was saying 'Goodbye' to all of them. We had a good time of debrief and sharing with the staff of Friendship House and tears were flowing!

~Wednesday we split the team in half (half with Kev and half with me) to participate in two primary school assemblies. We shared two camp-style songs with actions and a skit which the kids loved! Then we spent the afternoon touring Down Cathedral (which overlooks Downpatrick and is said to be where St. Patrick is buried and there is a rock there dedicated to him), the jail where people were tried and hung and a huge estate known as Castleward built in the 1700's and decorated just as it would have been! The husband and wife disagreed on design so the house is literally split in half where one side is Gothic style and the other side is Victorian (all the way to the windows on the outside!)! The most impressive part was the secret door in the library hidden in the bookshelf! We had time to eat some pizza before heading back to Belfast for 'Lifeline'where non-church teens hang out and often have games planned and once a week bible sharing. We did 'Survivor' again with them and hung out. The leader Tony shared with us about fourteen young people who have committed suicide in the past year and asked for prayer for these young people that he ministers to. We ask that you pray for them too as there seems to be a huge issue with suicide in Belfast amongst young people.

~Today we're hosting an assembly and Trojan Horse again! 

Short message..

We're all good here! It's been very busy moving locations from Belfast to Downpatrick! I will give a more detailed update this week! :)

Full Day of Events!

Yesterday we woke up and had our daily devotions, primarily focussing on praying for each group of people we've been serving here in Belfast from the children to the elders. We had a beautiful time of worship and then the men came over from the hostel for a big Ulster fry breakfast! :) (Sausages, deep fried soda bread, potato bread and pancakes!). We enjoyed visiting with them and then one of them whipped out a guitar and played some Johnny Cash and some of their own music and our own guys shared some of their music too! We went to the nearby park to get some fresh air and play on the playground equipment! (It's a pretty cool park with a zip-line and super-fast merry-go-round). Once they were gone and we cleaned the place, the young kids came to play after school. It was a loud and wild time but the kids just love being with us and it's hard to get them to go! After that we helped some of the older kids with their homework one-on-one and it was surprisingly quiet! We've appreciated many meals made by women of Harry's church in Downpatrick and yesterday we had some delicious cottage pie! Our last event was youth alpha in the evening when we showed a video on internet safety to bring awareness of sharing personal information on the web. After that Monica shared her testimony and we sang some songs.

Today we walked to the Blythefield elementary school of ninety kids and shared a skit and and song in front of the school. The majority of the kids we knew from coming to Friendship House and we were surprised at how quiet and good they were at listening! It was polar opposite to what they normally are like! They all looked so cute in their uniforms.
Then we had devotions and got things ready for the seniors to come for lunch. One of their specialties is grape and cream cheese sandwiches! It's actually really good! Tastes like cheesecake on bread!
The kids came to play after school again and it was a fun time but we were surprised that the older ladies don't like having them around (because they're too rowdy!)!
We just got back from skating in the West of Belfast! It was so refreshing to just go out and have fun and be active!
Also can you pray for our health as a few of us have been feeling sick and exhausted. Monica went to the clinic today and it turns out she has had mono the whole time but she's just at the end of it. We're praying that no-one else has mono especially since we're sleeping in such close quarters!

A New Week!

So Sunday's service was hosted by our team for Great Victoria Presbyterian and it was held here at Friendship House! It's been fun to see the main room at Friendship House transformed from girl's sleeping area, to children's play place, to senior's lunch area, to men's breakfast cafe, youth alpha and then a church sanctuary! Each team member was involved in one way or another in the service: Paul led worship by guitar; Dylan shared his testimony and performed in the skit; Becca read the scripture passage, shared her testimony and performed in the skit; Jeff gave the message and performed in the skit; Hannah sang in the worship team and performed in the skit; Larissa sang in the worship team; Stacey sang in the worship team, made the bulletins and performed in the skit; Megan greeted at the door and performed in the skit; Monica greeted at the door, took pictures and was available for restless children in the service. It's so great to see everyone in action and using their gifts! Not only in the church service but in every area in which we're serving. After tea following the service, we split into three groups to have lunch at hosted by three of the staff at Friendship House (Kev, Jeff, Monica and Becca at Jenny and Harry's; Dylan, Paul and Megan with Ashley and Hannah, Larissa and Stacey at Natalie's). Each experience was great mostly because it was nice to be in a home after we'd been at Friendship House non-stop for ten days and the home-made food was wonderful! But it was also nice to see the scenery outside of Belfast! Rolling hills, sheep and the sea! I'll leave details for the team to share to their friend's and family since we all had a different experience but I'll just say it was very refreshing for everyone and we had lots to talk about when we got back! It's interesting how much you miss eachother after half a day when you're together 24/7!
Today we spent the morning meditating on Psalm 139 and spending some quiet time with God alone! A few of us felt God especially prompting us to go for a walk and pray for the city but specifically Sandy Row (where we are located). Once back we got some fresh food from a nearby bakery and cleaned them out of pasta and sausage rolls! After lunch the children came from school to play with us before their parents picked them up! We had alot going on at once from dress-up, to train building, colouring, running around, wacking people with plastic swords...etc. :) It was a fun time! It looked like we had been hit by a tornado when they left so we cleaned and had some free time (most of the team have taken on knitting so they've sat around like a group of ladies at the retirement home chatting and using their hands to make scarves and hats!)! Now we've just finished our evening of team building games and exercises (including writing notes of encouragement to eachother)!
I was colouring with an adorable little five year old named Gypsy today. She's the sweetest thing but it broke my heart to hear some of the dirty talk and profanity coming from her little mouth. It broke my heart to think of what she's exposed to at such a young age and I was just reminded of how much these children have to grow up sp fast in a very unhealthy way. We also heard knocking on our windows at 9pm by some little seven year olds and we were shocked at how their parents just let them wander the streets on their own in the dark and at such a late hour. Please pray for the safety of these kids!

Castle Adventures!

Today was our tourist day! So Harry Robinson (Jenny's husband) and one of the women from his church (Margaret), picked us up in a mini bus and drove us to Belfast Castle and the Carrickfergus Castle! They were both BREATHTAKING! Belfast castle is located in North Belfast in the Cave Hill area with a gorgeous view of the city. The grounds are neatly manicured with a fountain and cat-themed gardens (apparently this is a symbol of prosperity/luck). It looks like something out of a fairytale! The team enjoyed exploring and taking pictures and it was a perfect, sunny day! For lunch we had some traditional Irish food known as "pizza" from Pizza Hut ;) We then went to Carrickfergus castle which was built in 1177 and is surrounded mostly by the water of the Belfast Lough. It's the most well preserved medieval structure in all of Ireland and it's all made of stone! We spent alot of time at both castles and then came home to relax, have dinner, do devotions and sing some worship songs and we're now watching the movie 'Hook'. :) It's been nice to just hang out for the day!
We're all prepared to lead a church service for Great Victorian Presbyterian (which was where we went last week) tomorrow here at Friendship House! Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Romans 8:38
"And I am convinced that nothing can seperate us from His love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away..."

So when I said "wild" about youth alpha on Tuesday...that was an understatement! But according to Jenny, Ashley and Julie who know these children well...it was a pretty average night! So the evening starts at 7:30pm and goes until about 9:00pm and it's mainly just a hang out time broken up by fifteen minutes of bible time. The girls were easier to connect with as a bunch of us taught them 'Spoons' (a card game) and chatted. The boys were very loud and hard to control...throwing things at eachother, shouting and swearing. When the time came for us to share worship music they were still talking and acting silly and when Hannah was sharing her testimony we couldn't get them quiet. Ashley and Jenny sat down with us after and apologized for the behaviour. It was discouraging but we were reminded that only God knows what's going on in their lives and hearts. The next evening was polar opposite! We had a time before it started in prayer which we hadn't really done in the chaos of the day before. The youth watched our 'Lifehouse' skit attentively (with a few comments here and there) and even participated in questions after. Larissa shared her testimony and they were very quiet for that too! What an answer to prayer! Even Ashley was surprised at how good they were!
Then last night the team went out to the movies with the youth and it was once again wild! They were literally rolling down the aisles and climbing onto strangers' laps and under their legs throughout the entire movie! It was comical but embarassing for the team and for Ashley and Robert who came to supervise. People were obviously not happy in the theatres.The worst part was walking back to Friendship House as they scattered and ran and hid in alleyways and down the road! God definitely protected everyone though!
The Kid's Club has been going great during the day! Today was our last one and all of the kids joined in our camp songs and games and then we had a scavenger hunt which went pretty smoothly! Kevin did a little dance at the end and then all of the kids started dancing! Megan joked that it was like the ending of a movie when they start music and everyone joins in! It was great! We have fallen in love with the children here and they love having us around too! Usually a bunch of kids stay longer just to hang out with us! We pray that God will not only work in their young hearts but also in the hearts of their parents and families. One girl in particular (Ashley was sharing) was interested in becoming a Christian and giving her life to God but her dad didn't approve and just like that she didn't want anything to do with God anymore.
Tonight half of us are practising for the service we're hosting on Sunday and half of us are going to hang out with teenagers at the local club where they go for the evening. Thanks for your prayers! (I added a few pictures if you scroll to the bottom of the page!)

Colossians 3:12-17
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Each morning we've been doing devotions together as a team and each evening we close in prayer which is a great way to connect with the team, hear everyone's thoughts on what we've been doing, encourage one another and most importantly spend time together in prayer especially for the people of Northern Ireland. We ask that you do the same!
After cleaning the common area (where the girls sleep and we also host all the Children's program and anything else hosted by Friendship House) and some of the girls helped prepare the "fry" (bacon, pancakes, eggs) with Eunice. About twenty men from the men's hostel came for breakfast (as they do every Tuesday morning) and as one man joked "It's the high-light of our week!"! We had alot of fun visiting with them and learning more about Northern Ireland and they were very open about the fact that they are mostly all homeless and jobless. We've learned that the Irish are very friendly and open to conversation (and especially story telling!)! By noon we had to clean again for the children's club! Although we can't get them completely quiet when we talk in front of them or perform skits the children were very receptive and participated very well in the songs and games! The older kids that caused problems yesterday we decided to teach to knit seperately from the younger kids and they really enjoyed that! Paper airplane races were a huge hit too!
Jenny and the other staff at Friendship House have given us alot of positive feedback as they've watched us interact with the kids. Although it seemed chaotic we were told they have been very calm with us!
The team has gone out of there way to show love to these children and it's just so awesome to see them in action using their individual gifts that God has given them!
I'm hearing knocking on the window right now as we're getting ready for the youth alpha (ages 10 to 14)! This is supposed to be much more wild than even the younger kids so we'll see how this goes!

Children's Club! :)

I'm going to have to go through two days since we've been pretty busy since Sunday! Yesterday morning we went to Great Victoria Presbyterian church just a short walk from Friendship House. The church has a very low attendance of about fifty members, mostly the older generation. They were very welcoming, warm and excited to have us there. We introduced ourselves and each shared something that we've appreciated or something that stood out to us about Northern Ireland and the people. After a delcious roast beef lunch and mashed potatoes made by Eunice (the cook of Friendship House) we spent the rest of the afternoon practicing and planning for the Children's Club today!
So we woke up this morning and rushed around trying to clean up before 10am when the kids started arriving. The ages ranged from four to eleven and a wide range of personalities! We opened with a game, a skit on Jesus' love for us and we split the group into half, half playing games with half of our team and half decorating heart-shaped cookies that some of the girls baked last night! Some of the children were hard to control making things very difficult when leading games. Many of the children come from homes where they are surrounded by drug/alcohol abuse, lack of discipline and neglect so their upbringing is reflected in some of their attitudes. Often the fathers aren't a part of their children's lives or they may have children with different women (which is fairly common) so having the guys from our team around is huge! The girls are very attached to them and will stay around until they are kicked out of friendship house, cuddling up to the guys and talking their ears off! It's cute to watch! We were then treated to "chip buddies" ( french fries in between two pieces of bread, which tastes surprisingly delicious...and unhealthy). After lunch we were taken into Belfast to Shankill Road which is a predominantly Protestant area where there was alot of aggression (bombing and brutalities). We were introduced to a man who had been a part of the violence many years back and went to jail for owning a machine gun (he claimed it was for his own safety) but he became a Christian there when the jail was bombed and he realized how fickle life is. We were given more details on 'the troubles' by a retired minister from Shankill Road who then gave us a walking tour down to the "Peace Wall" separating the Catholics and Protestants in this area (which we had seen on our bus tour). It is incredibly tall when you stand under (about twenty five feet tall) it and it's a very sad reminder of the resentment both sides still hold to eachother. Grafitti and hand written messages from people who visit covers the entire wall some which are very moving. One stood out to me that was from a tourist from Germany and it read: 'We wish that this wall would fall like the wall of Berlin'. There seems to be constant practising and planning and the team has been very disciplined and eager to give their input! That's what they are up to now at 9:30pm. Please pray for much rest, especially as we go into tomorrow which is a long day (breakfast for the men's hostel, children's club and youth alpha in the evening)! Oh-and happy Valentine's Day! :P

A busy start...

Yesterday was a pretty busy day for all of us. A local minister came to speak with us in the morning and taught us about the history of Northern Ireland and "the troubles" (this is the term they use for the conflict between the Catholics and Protestants that has extended over generations). It was very helpful to hear an unbiased view about the political issues that began years of violence and killing of innocent people. We asked questions and were very well informed. It flowed with the bus trip we took, following the talk, through Belfast. It was chilly and the rain sprinkled down as we sat on the open roof top of a double decker bus. The tour was very heavy as we drove past murals that depicted the violence and aggression on both sides. The hardest thing to take in for the team was the wall that separates Catholics and Protestants in one specific area and the gate that is shut on weekends so that there is no interaction between both sides in that neighbourhood. The last half of the bus trip was a lighter more positive look on the future of Belfast and the hope of peace. There's a large star-shaped Titanic museum (because Belfast was where the Titanic was built) being constructed right in the city which should be a huge draw for tourists. Already Belfast is a much safer place than it was only a decade ago. Unfortunately we got news that Dylan's blood results came in and he has mono, so we would much appreciate prayers that he will have energy and feel better and that the rest of us would stay healthy too. So far he has felt well enough to participate in everything but his energy level is low. In the evening the team split up, half with Kevin to plan next week's vacation bible school for the local children (which we will be hosting) and the other half with me (Steph) where we went to a youth club where the children from ages four to mid-teens go every evening to just hang out with eachother. We played soccer and jump rope with the younger kids and then sat and chatted with the teens. They get a kick out of our accents and words like 'ketchup' (they call it 'red sauce') and flash-light ('torch')! Today has been a planning day (practising skits, handing out flyers and preparing for next week's children's ministry). And this evening we will be going to a Belfast Giant's ice hockey game with some of the local children! (I haven't mentioned before that the kids in the area absolutely love having us here and it's not unusual to have a constant banging on the windows and doors of the Friendship House for our attention! Never a dull moment here! Thanks for your prayers! :)

Safe in Ireland! :)

We have arrived safely in Ireland! Technically we should have been sent home when we were stuck at immigration for an hour. After they questioned our group further and learned that we are doing volunteer work they could've sent us home! It was by God's grace that we got through after much prayer and the head office let us go. What a miracle! Jenny Robinson (from the Friendship House) told us that two years ago a mission team from the states was sent home for the same reason. How discouraging that would've been! God is so good! :)
Everyone is jet-lagged but we're enjoying the sunshine in Belfast and we've already sat around with some tea and biscuits! :) Jenny and the rest of the staff at Friendship house are so very hospitable! Natalie is a bubbly young volunteer who has made us feel very welcome and Ashley runs the youth ministry and is eager to get us involved too!
Keep us in your prayers as we adjust to time change and meet new people!

Each member of the team is asked: Why do you want to go on take flight?

Jeffrey Webb - I thought the Take Flight program sounded interesting but didn't know if taking a whole year off post secondary education would be wise. After a great deal of prayer and talking to key spiritual leaders in my life I decided it was what God wanted for me. My goal on the trip is to use the skills and abilities with which I have been equipped by God to further His kingdom.

Megan Cushnie - After going to montreal for two weeks on gear up, i wanted to try a longer missions trip outside of canada. i thought it would be a great opportunity to serve others, and take a step of faith as i stepped outside of my comfort zone

Hannah Barrett - After going on Gear Up for 2 years, I became interested in missions. I planned to take a year off but did not know what I was going to do. After researching many missions trips I heard about take flight, and felt God telling me to go. I know this will be a great learning experience, as well as an oppourtunity to grow in my faith as we serve the people of Northern Ireland..

Monica Byleveld - I love serving others and have been doing it locally for the last year and a half and decided to do it internationally. i was taking off a year after school but didnt just want to work. i wanted to do something meaningful and take flight was the perfect opportunity. I love serving the less fortunate and can not wait to see the holy spirit work through not only us but the people of ireland.

Rebecca Eerkes - I was struggling with the decision of going to school or doing Take Flight, and I think God helped me realize what a great opportunity this is. Many of my family and friends also encouraged me to take part in this. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and experience a different culture as well as grow in my faith. I'm really excited to serve the people of Ireland and share God's love.

Dylan Bleijerveld - I love mission trips because I love the opportunity to see God at work thru the people I meet. Thru the past year I have had many people point put how passionate I am about youth and should get involved. Since then I have been volenteering at a youth center in my local area. I have a blast just hangin out with these youth and getting to know them. And it makes me real excited that I can do that in Ireland as well.

Paul Klassen - I chose Take Flight for a completely new and different experience. I'd never been on a missions trip before and I thought that this would be a great experience that would help me grow in my faith while helping others in an area of conflict.

Stacey Kuipery - Last year i was completely ready to go to university, but as Take Flight was being talked about I felt God's calling to be part of this program. I love being part of missions trips and seeing what God is doing in different parts of the world. I can't wait to continue to spread God's love into Ireland.

 Larissa Leonard - I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life: Graduate and go to university for psychology, but something didn't quite feel right. Many of my family members had taken part in Take Flight in the past and had only good things to say and so when I heard we were going to Ireland I jumped at the chance to be on the team. I love serving others, and can't wait to spread the love in Ireland!

Training Week in Kitchener

Yesterday the team got back from five days of training at Crief Hills in Kitchener. We stayed in a secluded little cabin that looked like something out of 'Little House on the Prairie' with a large fire place in the living room where we spent most of our time and a narrow staircase that led to our little bunk-bed crammed rooms! Our week was very structured with an early breakfast before having a quiet time of prayer on our own (or we'd use that time to go for a walk as a team to get some fresh air), and as the team joked we basically were in session most of the time broken up by meals! Marv Funk of Kitchener came to speak with us on 'Being You', 'Being Here', 'Being There' and we watched a documentary called, 'Born into Brothels' about a woman who used her skills in photography to connect with young children in the brothels of India and to help educate them. We were encouraged to be where we are, which in our case means to fully immerse ourselves in what we're doing in Ireland rather than half there half at home. And that flows into the rest of our lives in everything we are doing for the glory of God! John Bryan led us through the bible in one day! Noting key stories and passages and seeing the flow and patterns in the bible which gave a better understanding of God and also brought us to the realization that reading the bible isn't such a daunting task and it's exciting! Doug Hiebert came to speak with us on Tuesday on conflict and reconciliation. Doug has gone and led trips to Burundi and Rwanda where the locals are still dealing with the repercussions of the genocide and the tragedies that affected the whole country. It was very helpful to learn about conflict resolution within our team and to be aware that conflicts happen and it's actually a healthy way for our team to be real with eachother and understand one another if there is healthy communication. Reconciliation is an important topic for us to discuss because of the history between Protestants and Catholics so Doug walked us through what that would look like as a team to know how to address such a matter and be sensitive about the conflict as foreigners. Alicia Jansen led us in some activities on team unity and Ed Hienrichs taught on the topics of 'Spiritual Battles' and 'Spiritual Gifts'. We read through Luke 10 where Jesus sends out seventy two and related that to our experience that we are about to have. The Holy Spirit has given us each unique gifts to use for God's glory and we each did a test to find out each gift we've been given. And how awesome is that?! That was a really cool discovery as we went around the group and shared our gifts and the meanings of our gifts. The last day we practised dramas that we will be sharing in the churches and it was fun to see all the energy and excitement as the team got into character!
Overall the week was an incredible time of bonding and growing as a team, learning about our personal walks with God, learning scripture and simply getting excited about what the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives! We are so blessed to be a team that is so close and loving and we each bring our unique personalities and strengths into the group! Five more days until we're off to Ireland!!! :-)

Preparing for Ireland...

Over the past few months the team has been meeting weekly at our house where we've been going through a book by Francis Chan called, 'The Forgotten God'. We've been learning about the Holy Spirit whom we as Christians often forget about or neglect. God desires for us to invite the Holy Spirit in to our lives to guide us and fill us with His love that in return we may spread it to those around us. It's about letting go of our pride and control and relying on God in this moment, right now.  As Galatians 5:22 reads: 'But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.'
For the first two weeks we'll be in Belfast at the South Belfast Friendship House run by Jenny Robinson (the aunt of John Bryan from Eden's Spiritual Life Department). You can see what it's all about at: http://www.presbyterianireland.org/pw/localmissionsbfh.html
During this time is term break for the schools so we'll be running a vacation bible school, performing skits, sharing testimonies and building relationships. There are various other programs we'll be involved in such as a men's breakfast ministry for a nieghbouring men's hostel, a single mom's ministry and after-school activities for kids.
The last two weeks we will head to Down Patrick where Jenny's husband, Harry, pastors a church. We will be involved in sharing testimonies with the church/youth and leading worship in the services. The church is involved in the community with a reconciliation program aimed towards the catholics and protestants who have had a long history of tension. We will know more when we are there how we will be involved with that ministry.
Each individual on this team, uncluding Kev and I are going to find ourselves in situations where we're out of our comfort zones, we'll be stretched and we'll be challenged. May you as family and friends pray that God's love would be evident in our interactions with people, in our willingness to serve and our open-ness to learn and most importantly that our motives will be fully reliant on the Holy Spirit. Thankyou for your love and support!