Quick Update

I am trying to write this before my host-mom (Sandra Haugh) comes back with chicken and chips (french fries) for me and four starving 12 year-old boys, so if I want to get some food I have got to type fast!

We have just concluded the retreat weekend we helped with at Mourne Presbyterian Church. Not many kids showed up, but we had a really good time with those who did. And it was also a great way to get to work with, and know some of the kids on the Mourne team who are going to be with us on Kitty’s Road starting tomorrow. Bill lead a series about what it looks like to have a relationship with God vs. following a religion. This is actually the lesson theme for the entire trip. But it is so relevant at any point in faith– and I found my own soul ministered too during the weekend sessions.

Today we split up and attended several of the different local churches that are working in partnership with our team in the Kitty’s Road ministry.

But what is next?

Tomorrow we hit up Kitty’s Road! On Saturday a small group of us went and said hello and handed out fliers in the community about the week’s events. We had such a warm reception and it was so good to see everyone again. But tomorrow we get to introduce the whole team to everyone and I think it’s going to be great.

Our new catchword for the week is “flextaneous”. Compliments of Sam Chestnutt. It means the combination of flexible and spontaneous. So please pray that we would be flextaneous as we are embarking on a new week in Kitty’s Road, by the grace of God.

Thank you so much for your prayers. We feel their presence with us all the time. We love you all!

Northern Ireland Team

ps. Pictures coming soon!

We have arrived!

Sigh…what to tell first? Well, we are here safe and sound. I am currently writing this from my host family’s study which overlooks the harbor out onto the Irish Sea. It’s lovely. We are spending some time with our host families this evening, getting to know them, and just spending time with them in general. Last year we didn’t really get to see them much because we were doing so much, but this year Samuel provided a time in our schedule this week to just appreciate the families we are staying with. Mine, however, are having a little family reunion about now, so they excused me to my own devices…

Well, things have been going brilliantly. We all had a great flight except for the fact that none of us could fall asleep. So by the time we got to Dublin, it was about 10:00am, and Samuel had a full day prepared for us. We stopped briefly at a couple historic sights on our way up to Kilkeel, I don’t actually remember much of what the tour guides said on acount of that I was so tired, but it was still lovely to see more of this gorgeous country. When we arrived at Kilkeel we had a lunch of fish and chips before gearing up for our first training session with the pastor of Mourne Presbyterian, William Bingham. We were also reunited with some of the teammates from last year and met the new ones. Joel and Eva slept through most of the training, but the rest of us were not far behind. At this point we had all been awake for over 24 hours.

I went to bed after being awake for 34 hours feeling exhausted and but entirely happy to be back.

We have not started our ministries yet. This year we are going to be having a retreat with the youth of Mourne Presbyterian, and so that is what we will be doing these coming days, sleeping on the church hall floor. From there we will

go to Kitty’s Road and then on to Annalong.

It has been great to see everyone here we met last year and meet a bunch of new folks as well. But continue praying

for us as things haven’t really geared up yet. If you think of us here are some things to pray about:

1. The Mourne team/youth. Many of these kids are risk social status and presecution at school for being a part of this ministry, and are going through hard times in their lives. Pray that Satan would not attack them and discourage them during these weeks. They are such wonderful youth and have such a heart fo

r ministry and the Lord. Please pray that they would be protected and not discouraged about their participation.

2. For health. We are all tired and are traveling and though we haven’t done too much yet, I have had a sore throat these past two days and am hoping it doesn’t turn into anything else! But for general health, for protection from injuries or anything else that the Evil one might try to use to get in our way.

3. We trust tha

t God has a lot in store, which means, as Samuel reminded us, that Satan is gearing up to hinder us in anyway possible. So praise be to God that we have a God who is not threatened by anything, and that He is on our side. Pray for our Spirits.

4. Finally, pray for those who are leading this trip and teaching, that we would have wisdom and grace towards all.

We thank you so much for all your love and support! I will have some pictures up soon!

The N.I. Team

Taken by Bill Walsh

We leave today!

IMPORTANT UPDATE! 

We are meeting at 1:00pm not 1:30pm!

We are leaving the airport at 3:30pm, but are meeting there at 1:30pm if anyone would like to come fellowship and pray with us before we take off.

Also, if you still want to financially support anyone on the team there is still time to do it. Bethlehem accepts support until December for summer mission trips. Often times the bulk of support will come in after the trip has been completed so no one should feel like they shouldn’t because they are late!

Once again, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU all of our supporters who love us and the Lord by sending us. We love you and we cannot wait to update you about the ways that the Lord is moving.

Things to pray about:
1. The forecast has been 60s and rainy for the next week. Most of our activities count on good weather. So please pray that God would prove himself God over the universe and the weather by providing sunshine at the opportune moments during the trip!

2. Also, there has been rioting in Belfast this past week that included children. Please pray that this political demonstration would not affect hearts towards the gospel, and that we would still be welcomed with open arms. Especially since so much of our desire in going is to see Northern Ireland living in Christ-like harmony. Read the story here.

3. Traveling mercies. Please pray that no one of our luggage gets left by the way side and that we make it there in one piece.

4. Health. Pretty self-explanatory, except just pray that we get good-nights rests.

We love you all! Thank you and God bless!
Northern Ireland Team 2009

Keeping our teammates– current and former–in prayer.

For those of you who might have supported this team last year, I just wanted to ask for your prayers for Amanda Johnson. She was a key member of our team last year and such a blessing to have along. As some of you may know already, she and her husband just experienced the painful miscarriage of their son, Bennett Torger. Our hearts and minds are with them as we prepare to leave, knowing that God is faithful with the struggles that we face at home as well as overseas.

They have graciously updated their blog, letting their family and friends know the details of their pain. If you would like to know how to pray for them in more detail, check out their blog.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Northern Ireland Team

Things to pray about!

This morning I got an email from Claire Olson, who (along with her husband Jason) is leading the small-child teaching times. She sent out this encouragement for all of us who will be teaching and I wanted to pass it along to you all and ask for prayer. “Remember that we are trying to communicate to the children how great God is so that hopefully someday, through the planting of these seeds, they will come to see him as great and wonderful enough for them to put their trust in Him…our focus needs to always be on His power and greatness as manifested through his love, compassion and desire for His children to know Him.”

That really is our heart as we set out for Northern Ireland this week. Please pray because teaching is a heavy responsibility! You must be accountable for every word that crosses your lips, so please pray that we speak only what is from the Lord.

Have a great Sunday!
the Team

Welcome!

Welcome the late start of our team’s blog! With three days until we depart from Minneapolis, we are all scrambling to get the rest of our support, find closure at work, say good-bye, and make sure we don’t forget our toothbrushes– hectic to say the least. But things are well underway and we are so excited to see what God has planned for us this summer in the Kilkeel and Annalong.

For some of us, this will be the second time in Northern Ireland, and we are excited to reunite with old friends as well as meet new ones. But God has put together a great team with new people this year, and I am confident that He has a purpose for each member’s presence of the trip.

We would like to say thank you for those family and friends who felt the call to support our team financially and through prayer this year. Tonight we are being commissioned and your presence is valued if you can make it.

I would like to close this first blog with just a few prayer requests:

• That we would submit our hearts as clay to the Lord, and be open to anything and everything He wants to teach us.
• That we would be filled with discernment and love in our interactions with the Mourne Presbyterian Team, the folks in Kittys Road, and the kids in Annalong.
• That God would work in the hearts of those we come in contact with for His glory.
• For traveling mercies.

Thank you so much!

The Ireland Team 2009