Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated; you can't cross a chasm in two small jumps. -David Lloyd George

Merry/Happy belated Christmas everybody!!

I hope everybody had a happy, joy filled day that was full of friends, family, good food and plenty of laughs and smiles to go around!!  Christmas in Belfast is not much different than it was/is in Texas. 

My Christmas actually started on Friday evening with the other Northern Ireland YAV's.  Everybody came over to Bathgate and we enjoyed a delicious meal (completely with an abundance of food), all the while laughing, joking and chatting with each other.  My housemate and fellow YAV, Ellison, soon called us upstairs (at this point we had been joined by Doug and Elaine) to take part in an Advent circle time, complete with a homemade wreath.  It was absolutely beautiful and I felt most at home during and after that time. 

Our celebrations carried over to Christmas Eve, when at 7:30am, we all gathered again in our living room to exchange/reveal our Secret Santa gifts.  We laughed, ooo-ed and ah-ed over the gifts that were given to each person.  It was tons of fun and you could definitely feel the love in the air!!


I spent Christmas day with my supervisor, his family and the extended family.  We laughed, talked, enjoyed a great meal, and watched the merriment of new games and toys unfold before us (not to mention the occasional out of the blue comment or saying :)! ).  We enjoyed a meal of ham and turkey, roastie potatoes, mashed potatoes, parsnip and carrot mash, brussel sprouts, stuffing, and gravy (I think I got everything that was on the table).  For dessert, we had a Lemon Cheesecake, Apricot Pecan Cake (all the way from Coriscana, Texas; Thanks Granny!), and fruit salad.  Needless to say, after everything was consumed, we were stuffed to the brim!

The next morning, Boxing day, I had been invited to head to my supervisor's parents house to enjoy another meal and participate in some family time.  After hellos, introductions, and presents were opened, we started off our meal with a vegetable soup.  This was followed shortly by a dinner of Roast Beef, mashed potatoes, roastie potatoes, carrot and parsnip mash, cauliflower, Yorkshire Puddings, and gravy.  I was truly stuffed after eating all that excellent food!!  After all the food was put away or consumed, a chance to sit back and relax ensued.  It was truly hard to stay awake and be sociable after stuffing myself with the delicious food, but some how I prevailed! 

Although this year Christmas was hard, with it being my first time away from my family at Christmas, it was a great experience!!  I really want to thank the Sweeney's and their families for having me over for Christmas!! I enjoyed every minute of it!

Now, I am getting ready to head to Rome, Italy till the 4th of January with my friend and fellow YAV, Christina.  We hope to have tons of fun and take loads of pictures (I have three empty camera cards just for this occasion!! Hope the battery lasts!!).  I will tell you guys all about it when I get back.

But for now enjoy the pictures of Christmas time in Northern Ireland!! Thank you so much for your continued support and love throughout this year!! It has been a good year so far and I hope it continues!!  Love and miss everybody!!

Patrick is just so excited about Chili!!

 

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. ~W.T. Purkiser

Wow!! Today is the first day in December!! I honestly never thought that this month would come so fast!!  We have been in Northern Ireland for about three months now but it certainly doesn't feel like it!!

Quite a lot has happened in the past two weeks.  Everything from Thanksgiving day, to packing hampers, to Thanksgiving celebration with YAV's to the beginnings of the many Christmas celebrations.  I guess the only place to begin is at the beginning, Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving for me was really weird and at times hard.  It was my first major holiday, other than my birthday and Fourth of July, that I have been away from home.  Not sitting around the dining room table surrounded by my family eating copious amounts of turkey and then proceeding to take about a two hour nap was really weird.  My day consisted of working in a primary school (one of my weekly activities) and then talking with my family for about two hours.  No turkey was to be had by me...yet. Haha!!  I had a great time talking to almost all of my family, seeing their faces and their expressions as I recounted my time so far in this great country.  I hope to skype with them again soon because there is no better cure for serious homesickness than seeing your families faces, smiling back at you, so proud of you for what you are doing and the huge leaps you are taking in your life.  I love my family so much and know that they will continue to stand by me throughout my life!!

Moving on to Saturday, I awoke and was down at the Dee Street Community center to help pack the Neighbors in Need hampers.  EBM provides boxes with approximately 15 items in them to pensioners and people in and around East Belfast and the greater Belfast area who are might be having trouble with some things this winter.  So along with about 50-60 volunteers, we managed to pack 450 hampers to go out in the upcoming weeks.  It was very uplifting to see how many people were so enthusiastic to help pack hampers for those in need and/or to provide food or money for the hampers, especially after the set back.  Approximately 4 days before, on the last Sunday for people to give food donations, donations were stolen from a church in Hillsborough. Here is the article that might explain it a little more, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-15815440.   It was truly amazing the support that people around Belfast showed in replenishing the food that was stolen.  It is amazing how many lives are touched through community outreach programs.  I thoroughly enjoyed packing the hampers and was very happy to help those in need.

Later on that evening, I went with the 7 other Northern Ireland YAV's to our site coordinator, Doug's house and enjoyed a wonderful meal of Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, rolls, green beans, cheesecake, cake, just to name a few.  It was absolutely delicious and the whole staying awake after the meal because it would be bed time pretty much when we got home was super hard.  Darn that Triptophan for making me sleepy but thank you for being delicious!!  The company was absolutely great too!! It was good to get to know Doug and Elaine's son and his two friends over dinner, dessert and the Auburn/Alabama game.  Our little YAV family, I think was what we all needed for Thanksgiving.  I am thankful that I am in this wonderful country with such great people who all care about each other and enjoy hanging out together on holiday's and on the weekends!!

Sunday, anybody who was able and had appropriate shoes, got to go on a tour of the new Skainos site.  It was great to see the progress that they have made in just 6 months and to know that it will all be done in approximately another 6 months.  It will be a multifunctional building that will not only allow for the church to worship and hold their events there but will also allow for other businesses and organizations around Belfast to have offices and programs within the building.  I can't wait to see the finished product but am sad that I won't be here for the official opening.  I guess I will just have to plan a trip to come back and see everything once its up and going!!

Tuesday, the 29th, the Women's group attended a Christmas demonstration through Healthy Food for All and the Going Green groups.  We saw all the wonderful crafts, gifts, and items that they will have at the fair this upcoming Saturday.  Its amazing how many different crafts you can make using simple reusable items from around your house!!  We also ate some delicious food and sang wonderful Christmas carols!!  Although it doesn't really feel like its December and only 25 days till Christmas, it felt a little more like Christmas through the merriment that all the people were having and the carols!!

All in all, my time in Northern Ireland is going great!!  The people that I interact with through the church and Stepping Stone are absolutely fabulous!!

But for now, I'll leave you with my favorite Psalm.  This psalm was read at the Sunday night worship held in Stepping Stone and led by a fellow American.  It seemed extremely appropriate after the packing of the Hampers, Thanksgiving and Skainos tour and is still appropriate after all the merriment of the past few days.

Psalm 100:
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

"The music of divine love plays uniquely in each peron's life. Through individual personalities and personal life events, the goodness of God takes on a melody all its own. The song of God needs and instrument to give it shape and voice...We are all called to be instruments through which the melody of God takes shape. Through our lives God's love seeks to dance and make music in the world." -Joyce Rupp

Well I am sad to say that it has been almost three weeks since I last posted.  Hopefully, I can get you all caught back up with what has been happening in my life. 

After my last post, my fellow Northern Ireland YAV's, our site coordinator and myself went on our first retreat to Corrymeela and the Giants Causeway.  The drive along the coast was absolutely beautiful!! We saw the ocean almost all the way to the place where we were staying.  Once arriving at Corrymeela Knocklayde, which is just a short drive from Ballycastle on the North Coast, we decided to take the rest of the day to rest, play games, and relax.  The boys decided to hike to the top of the hill/mountain that was right outside our door, while the girls decided to nap and play games.  After dinner, the girls and our site coordinator, Doug, went into town to watch the Halloween parade and fireworks.  The parade was good for a small town and included a fire twirler, drum circle, and people on stilts.  The fireworks display was bigger and longer than I ever thought one for a town of that size to have, all the while playing Katy Perry's song Firework in the background.

On the second day of our trip, we made our way to the Giants Causeway.  Before arriving, we stopped at different over looks to see the scenery.  We saw in the far off distance, Scotland, and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, and an island that is known as Sheep's Island.  The tale that goes with Sheep's Island is an interesting one because in the tale/riddle if you put 12 sheep on the island they die from over eating but if you put 13 sheep on the island, they die of starvation.  So how many sheep can you keep on the island?  Nobody really know!! The Giant Causeway is a jaw dropping sight and allows for some incredible photos!!  We walked every where we felt we could stand without falling over from the wind, uncertainty of the ground, and without getting soaked by the waves crashing on the pillars.  The tale of the Giants Causeway is funny but also very clever. 

The tale is of Finn McCool who went over to Scotland to fight their Giants but got scared and ran home.  When the head Scottish Giant got wind that Finn had wanted to fight him, he marched right over to Ireland.  By that time Finn's wife had disguised him as a baby to keep him safe and so that the Scottish Giant wouldn't fight him.  When the Scottish Giant arrived and demanded to see Finn, Finn's wife only allowed the Scottish Giant to see their "baby" because her husband wasn't home.  Upon seeing the baby, the Scottish Giant fled back home because he was scared of how big the father was going to be if the baby was that big.  Silly little tale but fun to tell!!

After our retreat ended, getting back into the swing of things was interesting because I was trying to figure out what day it was and what I needed to do those days.  All in all, I got through them and everything was done!!

On Sunday, November 6, EBM held our first Church +.  Church + is basically supersized Sunday.  We began at 9:30 (set up began at 9am) with a light breakfast of Bacon Butties.  Bacon Butties are two slices of bacon on a bap (aka a roll).  I cooked over a hundred pieces of bacon but I certainly didn't mind because there were so many people for our first one!!  After breakfast, we split into three different groups, a discussion group, a family group, and a youth group (I believe).  I was helping lead the family group.  The focus for the entire morning was prayer and communion because in the normal church service at 11, a team of 18 people who completed prayer training were commissioned into service.  I was one of those 18 and our job is, in pairs, to offer/be available for people to come to us and have us pray with them.  Its something I never saw myself getting into but I am happy to have done it.  It forces me to step outside of my comfort zone and explore life a little bit more through prayer. 

Moving on to this past week (I don't think anything happened the week between church plus and this past week), a big event happened in my life.  On Thursday, I met the Taoiseach (the Prime Minister) of the Republic of Ireland, Enda Kenny.  Although I didn't have a lengthy conversation with him, I did shake his hand and tell him about what I am doing with EBM this year.  He came to see the projects that were going on with EBM since we are in the middle of building Skainos, to see the projects that Short Strand (our neighboring Catholic community) were doing, and to present an award at the Aisling Awards.  EBM won Best Business!!  Yay for EBM!!!  Oh and not to forget, we were on the news!!  Here is the link for the video!! http://ww.u.tv/utvplayer/video/140742/115279

I know this is a lot in one post but there is one more thing!!  Tonight, we attended the Christmas lighting ceremony.  Although it was geared more toward children, the actual lighting of the tree, City Hall and the street decorations were absolutely beautiful!! I'm sad I forgot my camera in the craziness of trying to get out of the door but I promise pictures of the tree, City Hall, streets and the Christmas market will all come soon!!

For now, I hope you enjoy some photos of the Giants Causeway!!

Carrick-a-rede rope bridge

Sheep's Island

Giants Causeway

Giants Causeway again!!  Look how big!!

Walking out to the tip of the Causeway!

Just to put how big it is into perspective!!

Hope you enjoyed this post!!  More will come soon!!

"Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding" Albert Einstein

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to talk with somebody who has hurt you to your core?  Somebody who has hurt not only you but also your family and friends?  Ever wonder what peace/understanding would look like in that situation? Well this past Wednesday, I went to a talk between Patrick Magee and Jo Berry.  Pat and Jo are two people who have done this and still continue to do this today in connection with the Brighton Bomb and the hurt that was caused through the death of Jo's father, Anthony.

A little history for those who don't know what the Brighton Bomb was.  On October 12, 1984, Pat Magee set off a bomb at the Grand Hotel in Brighton England.  The bomb killed 5 people and injured 31 people.  It was an attempt to to assassinate the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet.  Pat had been to the hotel several weeks prior to set up the bomb, which was on a long time delay to allow for the bomb to sit through the upcoming weeks without exploding prematurely.  Margaret Thatcher and her husband were not injured but the bomb did kill Conservative MP Anthony Berry, Parliamentary Treasury Secretary John Wakeham's wife Roberta, Lady Muriel Maclean, Eric Taylor and Jeanne Shattock.  After detonating the bomb, Pat was found guilty and sentenced to prison for the 5 counts of murder he committed, which ended up being 8 life sentences.  He was released from prison in 1999 under the Good Friday Agreement. The Good Friday Agreement, also known as The Belfast Agreement, is an agreement between the British and Irish governments and was created to address the relationships in Northern Ireland, between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and between both parts of Ireland and England, Wales and Scotland.

Magee agreed, after several miscommunications, to meet with Jo Berry, the daughter of Anthony Berry, to meet and discuss the bomb and life in general.  In November 2000, Magee and Berry sat down for the first time, for three hours and talked.  The conversation started off with Magee trying to explain why he did through a political lens but soon turned to Berry explaining and questioning Magee about what happened and circumstances surrounding it.  From this point on, Magee and Berry have met probably over 80 times to talk with people about their experiences with and surrounding the bomb.

My eyes were opened to an incredible journey between two people from a horrible situation.  These two set a wonderful example to others that reconciliation is possible, from the smallest situations to situations on a grander scale.

On a completely different note, last Saturday (October 29), I went with 5 other YAV's to Carrickfergus.  We got to take the train, which is one of my favorite things to do here, and we were able to do it relatively cheap too!!!!  Once there, we decided that we were starving and decided that we needed to find a cheap place to eat, due to the fact that we are all on a stipend and are trying to live solely on that every two weeks.  After our cheap but delicious meal at the neighborhood pub, we made our way to the castle.  We thoroughly enjoyed our trip through the castle because after about 10 minutes of making our way through the outside grounds, a friend we met in the pub where we ate lunch and who worked at the castle, gave us a free and impromptu tour!! It was awesome to hear, not only the history of the castle, but also hear how the history of his family throughout the generations in relationship to the castle.  All in all, it was a great day and I can't wait to go back and spend a little more time there!!

“We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.” John Hope Franklin

Last Saturday, I did something that was completely out of my comfort zone.  I went to a new city, in a different country, by myself.  For me, this was absolutely terrifying at the beginning because I was completely unsure of what to expect and what I would/will do once I got to the city. 

Saturday morning at about 5:00, I was extremely unsure if I should/could even go on the trip or not.  I wasn't feeling the greatest and I was scared out of my wits but I couldn't justify losing the money I had spent on the train ticket and/or missing out on a great time.  Needless to say, about 6 a.m., I phoned for a cab (my first time doing that as well) to come pick me up and take me to the station.  5 minutes and 5 pounds later, I was at the station waiting to board my 6:50 a.m. train to Dublin.  The train ride was smooth but weird due to most of it being in the dark.  Now I am used to flying when it is dark (plus I really enjoy seeing the beautiful sunrises above the clouds) but riding on a train in the dark was interesting but a good way for me to catch up on about an hour of my sleep that I lost.  It was also really awkward because when you try to stare out the window to look at the scenery, you are actually staring at the people sitting on the other side of the train.  Finally, we pulled into Dublin Connolly Rail Station and I felt a bit more calm but was still seriously unsure of how to get where I wanted to go and how to get there.

Scenery on the train ride to Dublin

More beautiful green scenery!

I started off at the National Museum-Archeology.  I viewed everything from the exhibit of Kingship and Sacrifice to Ancient Egypt. All the plaques that were describing the artifacts were both in Gaelic and in English which was really cool because it was interesting to try and match up the English words with the Gaelic words.  It was interesting to see all the different types of jewelry and Ireland's gold that they have found all over Ireland and at the same time, mummified bodies of the Iron Age that were the result of human sacrifice. 

Description of the mummified guy below

Mummified guy in the Kingship and Sacrifice exhibit in the museum

Gold necklace's that people used to wear!! I don't plan on wearing those any time soon!!

What one would look like wearing the necklaces and ear plugs

 After the Museum, I decided that I wanted to see more of the city but wanted to be back for two tours of the National Library at 2:30pm, so I hopped on a Hop-On, Hop-Off bus.  Although I didn't get off the bus to explore the sights because of time constraints, I did see a wide variety of sights.  I saw everything from where Oscar Wilde's statue and where he grew up, to the Guinness Storehouse.  I plan on going back to view the sights in more depth later on this year but driving by the Storehouse, it had the most interesting smell ever.  To me, it smelt like somebody was cooking baby food, which is not how I imagined a brewery smelling.  

Guinness Storehouse/Brewery

Guinness Storehouse/Brewery

I got back just in time to grab a little lunch and head back to the National Library for the tour to the reading room.  The room was huge and had books dating back till the 1700's!!  Their catalog system is unlike anything that I have seen.  They have all of their books in ledgers on a bookshelf.  Once you find the book/s that you want, you take the information up and give it to the librarian who goes and looks in the stacks of the books they have and bring them to your table.  After the tour of the reading room, I went on a tour of the W. B. Yeats exhibition.  Apparently, William Butler Yeats was one of the most important 20th century poets.  The exhibition goes throughout Yeats's life from birth till death highlighting his main works.  It was interesting to see the actual works of the poet sitting in glass cases or seeing the last set of glasses the great poet wore.  If you would like to know more about the exhibition/take a virtual tour of the exhibition, you can visit the exhibition website, http://www.nli.ie/yeats/main.html. 

The library's catalog system!

Oldest book I found!! 1758!!!

After the tours of the library, I decided that it was time to head back towards the train station because it was starting to get dark and I didn't really want to be in a big city, at night, by myself.  On the way to the station, I entered quite a few shops just seeing what they had and the possibility of buying cheap items.  I entered one of my favorite stores, a soap shop.  Not knowing if I had enough Euros to buy food to get back and any unknown items I might pick up in the station, I refrained from buying.  Don't worry though because next time I am saving all of the money that I can and buy as much soap that I can (if I can find the shop again)!! :-)  It was the same way with all the chocolate shops that I passed.  They looked so good but seemed a little bit highly priced for the current monetary state I was in.  Oh well, next time!!

So all in all, it was a great day!!

Moving on to this week, the fellow YAV's and myself went with our site coordinator to the Holy Cross Benedictine Monastery. We went to their worship service which was very interesting and unique due to my inexperience with that type of service.  Talking with one of the monks and experiencing their worship and their prayer time, really allowed me to see the differences and similarities between our lives and worship styles.  I hope that I can go back one day and experience their worship again and talk to the monks again.  On our way out of the monastery, we made a stop by their little shop, which contained their homemade candles, postcards, cards, and beads.  It smelled fantastic and I definitely plan on buying more cinnamon scented candles!!


All in all, the past few weeks have been full of fun, exciting adventures, and great learning experiences!! There are many more to come and I can't wait!!  Thank you to everybody for your love and support throughout this year!! It means a lot to me and I hope you are enjoying this blog as much as I enjoy writing it!!!

Here are some random pictures to finish it off!! :-) 

Cool mosaic floor in the library

I saw fake leprechauns standing on the corner!!

A dog made out of sand!! So cool!!

"Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman

Well it has been a while since I have updated this and for that I am truly sorry.  I have been super busy and I know that's not an excuse but here's a little bit about what I have been doing.

Today, the Women's group met in Short Strand and started a program on Peace and Reconciliation. Throughout this program, we are looking at conflict and reconciliation in our lives and in the world today.  We worked through a working definition of what conflict is and how we see it in our lives.  We also explored the different terminology that goes along with conflict.  For example, we looked at the different between intra-personal conflict and inter-personal conflict.  Intra-personal conflict is a conflict that we have with ourselves.  An argument or disagreement about whether we want to eat a certain type of chips or drink a certain type of drink is an example of intra-personal conflict.  We each have this conflict within us whether we consciously realize it or not.  Inter-personal conflict is conflict between you and another person or persons.  This is the type of conflict we normally see in our everyday lives through war, abuse and through many more ways.  It's going to be interesting to be a part of this because the conflicts we, as Americans, is different than that of the people in Northern Ireland but all in all, it will be insightful to learn more about the commonalities and differences in our conflicts other than the obvious ones.

Going a little bit back in time, I went on a residential, aka a retreat, with the youth of the church this weekend to Annalong.  It was a great weekend and it gave me a change to really get to know the youth of the church.  We talked about where they see themselves in the church, what they want in terms of a youth group and what they want from the new Skainos building.  For fun, we went the the Peace Maze in Castlewellan, which is the largest maze in the UK and the second larges in the world, and to Newcastle to tour around the shops for about an hour.  The maze was a lot of fun and Tanita and I completed it without cheating and going over or through hedge.  All in all, the weekend was great but extremely tiring.  I'm still trying to get caught up on my sleep.  Haha!!

Going even a little father back, last Tuesday, the Women's group met with two or three other groups for a workshop for a play that we are going to see this upcoming Thursday, the 13th.  The play is called Guidelines by Tinderbox, a theatrical group here in Belfast.  The play is about 1% of the population that is left after a huge world disaster and how they survive.  They warn us that there are times in the play that might be uncomfortable but it should be interesting no less.  There will be more about the play in the next post.

All in all, I have had a great couple of weeks, busy but great.  This weekend we are going to Dublin for a day trip, so there will most def be pictures from that!! :-)

But for now, here are a few pictures of some of the peace walls here in Belfast, along with a few pictures of the maze!!

One of the Titanic Murals

Portraying how the Red Hand of Ulster came about

Largest maze in the UK

Largest Maze in the UK take 2!!

I feel its only appropriate to close this post with a Shel Silverstein quote: "I will not play tug o' war. I'd rather play hug o' war. Where everyone hugs instead of tugs, Where everyone giggles and rolls on the rug, Where everyone kisses, and everyone grins, and everyone cuddles, and everyone wins."  With the current Peace and Reconciliation course I'm in, this quote is all the more appropriate cause we need to learn to love one another no matter what, even if we have some differences.  Much love and thanks!!! :-)

Ulster Fry...oh me oh my!!

Well, its the end of another week at EBM!!  Its amazing how just next week, we will have been here for a whole month!!  Its crazy how fast time is going by.


So this week started off with meeting with the Kids GAP group on Monday morning for a little relaxing time....well kind of.  Each woman got the opportunity to sit in a chair for a 10 min relaxing massage.  Let me tell you, it was a great massage but it left me wanting more!! After Kids GAP ended at noon, I headed home for a wee second to grab some bags to go grocery shopping later that afternoon after my meeting with our site coordinator Doug.  After the meeting in the early part of the afternoon, I headed back across town to go grocery shopping.  Let me tell you that hauling groceries about a mile home is a tough job.  After resting for a few hours, Liz, Ellison and I went 10 pin bowling with Ellison's church.  I ended up winning a small trophy that I am to take back tomorrow to give to the next person.  I can't explain how their scoring system works or how a person who didn't break 100 and was probably the lowest scoring person got the gold cup, but it works!!









Tuesday was a pretty chill day with staff prayers at 9:15, meeting with my supervisor, working on a presentation for the Friendship circle the next day on who I am, where I come from and how I got to where I am today.  That evening, I went with the women's circle across the peace wall into a mainly predominate Catholic area to have our meeting in the Short Strand Community center.  That was a great fun meeting filled with making bead necklaces, bracelets or what ever you wanted to make, and talking about people's lives and their experiences with certain topics.  On Wednesday, I went to Kids GaP, where my job was to occupy the children while their moms, and caretakers learned a little bit more about breast cancer. It was interesting work trying to get one out of the toddlers to sit down and make a mask but it all turned out just fine!!  That afternoon, I did a small presentation for the Friendship Circle, the little elderly women who consider themselves recycled teenagers.  All went great and they loved the photos!!

Thursday, I went again to Nettlefield with Tanita to work with the P6 (ages 9 and 10).  That was fun telling them about the Prodigal Son and doing junk art about who they think God is and what he looks like.  Thursday evening was bible study where we learned about David and Goliath.  It was interesting to hear different opinions on it and look at it in a different light. Friday was Friday Fusion and the Drop in.  At Fusion, it was chaos but great fun as we fed the kids ice cream, to which they had it everywhere.  Running down their arms, on their nose, chin, face...you name it, they probably had ice cream on it.

Saturday, I had my first Ulster Fry.  The fry consisted of two pieces of bacon, two sausages, soda bread, potato break, a small thing of black pudding, and an egg.  I couldn't finish it all but what I did eat and finish was delicious!!  Maybe next time I'll see if the chef can give me a small plate instead of a normal sized one!!

Here are a couple of pictures of my time so far here in Ireland!!

 

 

Our group in Northern Ireland

 

 

A peace wall

Looking out over all of Belfast

Think and wonder, wonder and think

Wow...It has already been over a full week at the Mission!  This week has been fun and hectic all mixed into one!!

On the 7th, I began my placement and was immediately introduced to one of the programs I would be a part of this year.  Around lunch time, I hopped on the bus to go around East Belfast to pick up the sweet elderly ladies of the Friendship Circle.  The Friendship Circle is a group of ladies from both Protestant and Catholic faiths who join together once a week in fellowship.  The first meeting was basically just getting back into the swing of the meeting with a few photos from my supervisors trip to Atlanta this summer.  During this meeting, I also introduced a little bit about myself just so that they can begin to get to know me.  I will do a little presentation with pictures a little later on.  Thursday I went to do a bible study sort of group with a group of kids at a primary school in East Belfast.  We talked about second chances and hope and how that relates between our lives and Jesus.  The kids wrote down what they hope to accomplish for the year, such as "I want to be a better dancer" or "I want to still play/be better at football (soccer)".  Since it was my first time in a primary school, or any school for that matter, in Northern Ireland, it seemed like total chaos.  The kids were constantly chattering, cutting up, rough-housing with each other or trying to pelt each other in the face during the name game we played at the beginning to try and learn the kids names.  I'm hoping by the end of the 8 weeks we have with this group of P6's, I'll at least know some of their names (I'll explain their school system in a minute). Later on that night, I attended bible study in the Community Center with fellow church members.  It was a very eye opening bible study and really allowed me to think about my faith and my surroundings. 

Friday, to me, seemed like another evening/night of chaos.  There were over 60 kids that came to Fusion.  Fusion is a program for kids in grades P1-P7 to come run around, do a craft, and learn a little bit about Jesus.  For the first 15 minutes (so from about 6:30-6:45), kids can run around and play with a number of different activities in the hall (looks like our basketball gyms, but they play soccer in theirs).  After that 15 minutes is up, the kids are split into the older and younger groups which are sent into different rooms to either do the activity first or run around and play games first.  About halfway through, they switch rooms which is an interesting task in itself to get them all to sit down with out fighting and be quiet.  Soon its 8 and its a short breathing period before the older group of kids Form 1-Form 5.  That groups come in from 8:30 till 11. They basically are not really needing of like leaders just supervisors and play mates for the Wii.  By the time that is over, I am exhausted but it was a lot of fun to run around and play with a wide range of kids.

So y'll are probably like "P1-P7 and Form 1-5? I don't understand. What ages are those?"  In Northern Ireland, kids begin with nursery school at 3.  Once they turn 4/the next school year, they begin primary school, which is the equivalent of our elementary school.  The kids attend primary school from 4-11.  At the age of 11, they move into secondary school with is ages 11-16, Form 1-5.  During their fifth form, they take wahat are called the GCSE's.  It is basically a standardized test that they take for a certain number of subjects.  From there they can do one of two things, either continue on with school and go to university or drop out and find a job.  If they choose to continue on with school, they go on to Lower 6 and then Upper 6, during which time they take their A-Level, another testing situation.  I am not fully clear what each set is testing for nor can I remember how many the students must take at each level.  I do know, from talking to the kids at church, that the tests are hard and very stressful.

Whew...now we are at the beginning of this week.  The first full week at the East Belfast Mission.  Sunday, I went to church at 9:30 to help set up for worship since we are in the Community Center till Skainos is built (I'll explain more about Skainos at a later date).  After church was over at 12, I headed to a fellow church members house to be a part of the Church Council meeting.  During this meeting, the council members talked about everything from community, worship, discipleship, and prayer.  It was very interesting to hear what each group had to say and it will be interesting to see how each group functions.  Monday are our YAV meeting days.  We meet with our lovely site coordinator, Doug, in a room down by city centre to discuss how our lives are going and any topics we don't quite understand.  We also explore our faiths in different ways through not only our personal lenses but also with those we have gained by being in our communities and churches.

Tuesday began with staff prayers at 9:15 followed shortly with a  pastoral meeting.  There were a wide variety of topics discussed and although I didn't quite understand what they were talking about all the time, I did find it very informative as to what each person of the pastoral team does on a daily basis.  After the pastoral team meeting, my supervisor and myself met with three people about the different programs I can and will be a part of this year.  First was to talk about the women's group and the things that they are having up until Christmas, where they are meeting and how I can be involved with them.  Also, in that meeting, we talked about Kids GAP, which is basically a mom and tots group.  This is a group that moms, guardians, grandparents, caretakers, etc can bring their kids to be involved with fellowship with other moms and let their kids play in a safe atmosphere.  Its a lot of fun but total chaos at time since there are kids just running around and playing!! Immediately after that I rode on the bus again to pick up the ladies for the friendship circle.

I think from here on out I will have schedule which will provide some structure and consistency in what I will be doing day in and day out.  I love the change up though from the constant and at times mind numbing activities and classes from college.  It has been an interesting week but it has been fun and full of times to be in amazement at the abilities, ideas and sayings of the people I work with.  Everyday, I begin to think about things in a new light and begin to wonder how things can be and will be different at the end of my year here through the activities I am involved with.

Next post will hopefully include pictures!! :-) 

Oh the places I will go...

Well, I am sad to say that some how three months have passed between my last post and this one.  Its crazy how fast time will fly by!!  I think a little catching up is totally necessary!! :-)

Lets begin at the beginning:
My last post was back in June just as my summer in Mo-Ranch as a lifeguard was taking off.  For those who don't know quite what I did all summer, I worked at the waterfront guarding the big Mo slide, the swimming area, trying to keep the canoe check out and life jacket-wearing straight, guarded the rope swing, and the rapids, all the while taking several days throughout the summer to work on the ropes course.  Let me tell you, no matter where you work, either it be down at the waterfront or up at the ropes course, Texas weather is absolutely insane.  I think it rained two days out of the whole summer which is not good since we spent most, if not all of the summer in a stage 4 drought and drying up rivers.  I did have fun though working with some crazy fun people, going to some friends shows (The Reefs) and chilling with the most awesome housemates I could have asked for. 

Soon my time in Mo-Ranch drew to a close.  Although I was sad to leave my friends and the atmosphere of the Caleb Fletcher house, I was ready to head home and get started on the next part of my life journey.  I had about a week at home to pack, say goodbye to family, and get my entire life together to move to Belfast, Northern Ireland for a year.  Its crazy what you have to do in those few short days to be ready for the year ahead!!  Soon it was commissioning Sunday, the day before I was to leave for Stony Point, New York for a week of orientation before Belfast.  Commissioning Sunday was full of love, support, advice, and hugs from the congregation that I grew up and have loved for 22 years.  I will miss them each and everyday but know that they are supporting me no matter what through this entire year!! You rock First Presbyterian Church Temple, Texas!!

On to orientation week at Stony Point.  This week was information overload week!!  Now don't get me wrong...all the information was great but there was so much of it in such a small amount of time. It was crazy!!  We learned everything from culture shock to self care to house living, everything in between and beyond!!  Amidst all the information, small groups and YAV-to-YAV bonding (ie free time) played a large part in our processing all the information, connecting with other YAVs and just all in all, having a grand ole time.  Lots of games were played, laughs, fears, concerns, uncertainties were shared, but most of all, we grew closer as the 70 YAVs apart of the 2011-2012 year of service.  At the end of that week, Hurricane Irene decided that she wanted to be a part of the YAV group too so she came to visit for a few days.  Apart from some rain, wind, a few rooms being flooded, and some cancelled flights, nothing too bad happened.  We were very fortunate to have received what we did.  Soon it was time to leave for the airport for our 9:25pm flight to Belfast.  After a few bittersweet goodbyes and "see you laters", we boarded our bus to begin the biggest part of our journey...our time in Belfast.

That brings us to a week ago on Tuesday at 9am.  Getting off the plane, full of excitement and nervousness about our passports, we entered the beautiful country of Northern Ireland in the city of Belfast.  It wasn't until later on in the day that the jet lag really hit us.  I think falling asleep on a couch will waiting for money to be exchanged is a sign that beating jet lag in a few short days is a tough business.  Soon the week progressed on while we visited each others sites, learning a little bit about the church or organization and what that particular YAV will be doing there throughout the year.  It was all very interesting and it will be cool to see how each person not only develops in their position but what the organization and position are after this year.  Soon it was Sunday, and our first day with our respective churches.  Mine is the East Belfast Mission. 

The East Belfast Mission is currently worshiping in a community center while their new building and organization center is being built.  I will explain more about why they knocked down their church building to build a bigger building at a later time when I know more about it than what can be told in a one hour session.  Back to Sunday worship...it was a great service and I met a lot of different people. Now if I can only keep the names straight...oh well...I have a few weeks to get those down, right?! 

The final two days of orientation in Belfast have been full of useful and interesting information accompanied with a walk to a mountain/hill that overlooked Belfast.  The view from up there is absolutely amazing and is a must see if anybody ever comes to Ireland.  I'll post pictures at a later date. 

That finally brings us to today...Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Tomorrow, Wednesday, I begin my placement at the East Belfast Mission.  Although I do not know exactly what I will be doing for the next year, I do know that I am there for a reason and will learn so much and teach so much throughout the year.  Whew!! That was a long time in a few short paragraphs!!  Needless to say, I have learned a lot.  Everything from certain words, to how to work the shower, to making sure that we use the correct terms and understanding those terms when talking about certain issues.  I know I will learn a lot more over the course of the year but I also know that I will teach the people around me. 

I want to thank each and every person who has supported me throughout my life and especially during this time.  I can not say enough how much it means to be to know that I have such a great support network of people who love and care for me and who are excited to see what is going to happen in my life, not only this year, but each day forward.  So thank you again for all of your love and support!! Love each and everyone!!

To close out this extremely long post and explain why I chose a Dr. Seuss line for my title.  Today, while spending the last day of orientation for Belfast at two fellow YAVs house, we read the Butter Battle Book.  For those who don't know, The Butter Battle Book is a book about these two different sets of people who eat their toast with butter differently, one butter side up and one butter side down.  Each side comes up with a bigger and more sophisticated weapon to make the other side more like them.  Finally, the book ends abruptly with a stand off between the two groups of people.  But how does this tie into the book Oh the Places You Will Go book, you ask?  Well, for me, coming to this place is a brand new adventure full of wonder and amazement but also worries and concerns.  There is no journey in our lives that we take where we are fully certain about what we are going to do, how we are going to do it and what the desired outcome will be.  It is all left up to a higher power, whether that be God, fate, or both.  We can only hope for a good outcome where we will learn something from this experience but also teach something in this experience.

I begin this journey with hope and joy to be doing something new and interesting in my life.  At the same time, I have the common fears and concerns as each and every other person has in their lives...will I do okay?  Will they like me?  What happens if I mess up?  The good thing I learned through orientation is that its okay to fail and that there is nothing wrong with that.  So I must take each day, one at a time, and enjoy and fully live in each and every moment. 


"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."                                 -Dr. Seuss

Makes Me Think....

Looking back to my last post, it has been over a month since I updated people on whats going on and some of my thoughts!!  For me, that is way to long and I am sorry I have not kept everybody up to date since then!!  So I guess I will start back in April where I left off.

The end of April was full of excitement, laughter, and hard work.  UPC (University Programming Council) was the host and staff of what is now known as Clusterfest on April 29 (for more information and to see what bands played visit theclusterfest.com).  The very next evening members of APO (Alpha Phi Omega) gathered to celebrate our year together with good Italian food, great music, and awards.  It was weird knowing that that was the last event that seniors would participate in before becoming alumna's.

Finally, its May. May brings senior week, graduation, and the beginning of a new job.  Senior week was lots of fun, getting to hang out with the people I have known since freshman and sophomore year, chilling in kiddie pools, and having marathons of movies late into the early morning.  It was bittersweet to know that in just a few short days from then we would all be walking across the stage together,  beginning the next part of our lives.  Finally, it was graduation day.  A day filled with smiles, excitement, nervousness, and occasionally some tears (of course, when nobody was looking).  Putting on that cap, gown and hood felt so surreal because I remember the chaos of moving in to Mabee our freshman year and being so nervous/scared that I wouldn't know anybody.  Thanks to great people who were in my FYS, in our hall, and in Mabee, that feeling soon passed and I am thankful to have gained many great friends!!

After a few weeks at home, it was time to begin my time at Mo-Ranch Conference Center in Hunt, TX.  I can say that so far, my time here has been great!! Fantastic house mates, great co-guards, and fun times both in the house and out on the town.  The only thing that is a little annoying is having to work till 9 at night when nobody is there!!  Hopefully, that will get switched really soon!! That brings us to today!! Whew!! That was a fast month!! :-)

Now, completely switching gears.  While reading the scrolling headlines on the Yahoo! homepage, I came across an article about Michael Fassbender.  For those of you who don't know, Michael Fassbender was/is Magneto and Erik Lehnsherr from X-Men: First Class.  He was born in Germany but raised in Ireland.  Your probably asking, why in the world are you telling us this?  Well looking on the ever helpful IMDB at Michael's profile, I ran across a quote of his that in a way says what we are trying to do/achieve for our YAV year.  He said "We live in this society where nowadays if I want something, I take it, I eat it - it's so easy and readily available.  When you take all that away, you actually become more appreciative of the things around you.  I don't want to do it again, bu there is a level where it humbles you in a good way."  Although this quote is in reference to his movie Hunger, it is true for our society.  We take what we want, when we want it and don't think twice.  Now during this upcoming year, we are forced to think about what we need, if we really need it, and at what time would be the best time to get it due to us living on a stipend.  This will be a good learning experience for us all because upon our return we will hopefully honor, respect, and appreciate what we have.

This brings up a website that I ran across while Stumbling one day.  Its called Makes Me Think.  Its kind of like another familiar website, which will remain nameless, but it is where people can post life stories that make them and others think about their lives.  People have posted stories anywhere from relationships with people who are no longer living, to things that children do and say, to things that happen to them in their daily lives that open their eyes to the world and good around them.  I recommend people check out this website, if you have time.  It made me think about my life and all the great people, and things I have in my life daily and for the new friends that I meet each and everyday.  

Well I think that has caught everything up and expressed my ideas for now.  In a few days to a few weeks, I will be updating more and more as time draws closer for my departure for New York for orientation and then for Northern Ireland!!  Hope everybody has a great summer!! :-)

We walked along the path of life and knowledge together.

It is exactly two weeks till graduation!!  Who knew that time would pass so fast in college!!  As cliche as it sounds, I remember moving in first day of orientation.  Every box, bag and item labeled with my name and room number amidst all the chaos of every other freshman moving in to Mabee.  But that was 4 years ago.  Now its time for me to pack up everything and move out of my apartment, and off campus in order to start the next journey in my life.  I will be off to work as a lifeguard in Mo-Ranch Conference Center beginning in the end of May.  For those of you who don't know, Mo-Ranch is a Presbyterian Conference Center which has been around since 1949 and occupy about 500 acres along the Guadalupe River.  Mo-Ranch host numerous camps, conferences and retreats for people of all ages.  They also offer a wide range of activities which people can take part in, such as swimming, the Mo slide (38 foot tall slide which has been around for six decades), rapids, ropes course, canoeing, and horseback riding. 

I have been going to Mo-Ranch for as long as I can remember.  I have spent countless hours enjoying the wonderful outdoors with family and friends.  I am excited to be on the Mo-Ranch staff this year, not only because I get to spend a whole summer in one of the most beautiful places in Texas but also because I get to give back to the community I once was a part.  If you haven't noticed, I am big on giving back to communities in any way that I can, either through service or employment. 

I know that both this summer and next year will be a big challenge for me due to the fact that I am beginning a brand new adventure on my own with the support of friends and family. 

The verse that I am adding at the end of this post is another one of my favorite bible verses and passages, Psalm 100.  It says "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.  Know that the Lord is God.  It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.  Give thanks to him, bless his name.  For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."  Not only is this verse appropriate for the Easter season, but also it has a resonance for me.  I have learned over the years that without the help of our Lord, friends and family, we would not be able to live the lives we live.  For each day that we are able to wake up, we should be happy and jumping for joy because we are able to experience more of God's wonderful creation through the people around us and the wonderful world he has created. 

On to Belfast, Northern Ireland

The past few days, weeks and months of my life have been crazy but filled with love and fun.  September 2010, I began to think about where I wanted my life to go once I graduated in May.  I was positive that I didn't want to go to grad school so fast, especially after spending about 17 years in school. So, I began to explore other options.  I knew that I wanted to continue doing service in some capacity but wasn't quite sure how to do that.  I also knew that I wanted to have a great adventure and see the world, but again, wasn't quite sure how to do that either without breaking the bank.  So I began to try an think of ways that I could do both and remembered my friends who have served or are currently serving in the YAV, or Young Adult Volunteer Program.  I thought, "This program is perfect!! I get to continuing doing service while going on an adventure, making new friends and experiencing new cultures and lifestyles along the way. So I applied.

Fast forward to December/January.  At this point, I had informational phone calls with 4 different national sites and one informing me about the International sites.  Now it was time to make a decision about where to apply.  Do I want to only do national, only do international, or a mix of both?  What group of people do I want to work with while there?  Do I want to live alone or in an intentional Christian community?  I finally came to the conclusion to interview with both and let God decide where he wants me to serve.  Now came the hard part.  I knew which international sites I wanted to interview with, Northern Ireland and India, but was unsure which sites I interview with for the national sites.  So I talked to my mom and did some research of my own and decided that Nashville, TN and Atlanta, GA, were the best fits.  Now all that was left were the official interviews with the national sites via a phone call and international at the placement event in Louisville, Kentucky


Well, its now time for the placement event after having 6 days at home to hang out with the family, pack, and complete chores.  My weekend began with a 3am wake up, and 6:50am flight to Louisville to begin one of biggest moments of decision making of my life.  Meeting new people and renewing friendships with old, made the weekend so much better especially since these people knew exactly what I was going through and was experiencing the same things. 


Soon it was Friday afternoon and the beginning of interviews and continued through Saturday afternoon.  At this point, the stress level went through the roof for everybody. Waiting for the placement forms to come back with our offer for placement for the 2011-2012 YAV year.  Receiving that paper was the biggest mix of emotions I have ever felt.  Happiness, anxiety, scared, nervous, are just a few of the many emotions that were going on prior to opening that letter.  While opening the letter, I experienced a sense of calm as if God was saying "I have a plan and that you shouldn't be scared.  It will all turn out great".  As time passed on, the excitement grew as well as the sudden burst of energy which at first manifested itself by making my teeth chatter even though I wasn't cold. 

All in all, this a new adventure to be filled with laughter, love, understanding, exploration, learning, and questioning, both of my own life and the new culture I will be experiencing.  Now 1 Timothy 4:12, is all the more appropriate. 

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity". 

Change is happening every moment of everyday.  We just have to experience and live it to the fullest.