Keeping at it for His glory

I can’t believe that it’s been four months already! I feel like the longer I’m here, the more I come up with ideas. I guess that’s fitting since it does take some time to get an idea of the culture and what people

like to do. It also takes time to get to know people. Things don’t seem to come easy here… I’m not sure if they really come easy anywhere, but it’s not one of those places where you have a special event and get 50+ people to come right off. You have to really keep trying new things to meet new people. Some things work better than others and some things just seem to absolutely flop. That’s when it’s easy to get discouraged. I think for me, I’m constantly thinking “What did I do wrong? What is missing?”  You wallow in thoughts like that and everything seems very bleak. That’s when God reminds me that I’m really not all that important to control who comes or doesn’t come. I could plan the best program or event but God is really the one who brings the people. It’s a comfort to know that if 50 people come or if no one comes that God still gets all the glory.

With that being said, Teri and I started the Mums & Tots group. The flyers were designed, posters put out, newspaper advertisements made, radio announcements made, toys washed, bread and jam bought… and no one came. No one has come in fact. It’s been two weeks and no one has come. I think Teri and I were both a little down about it for a while. Just like I said before, that’s when God reminded us that it’s really not all up to us. We’ve decided to keep it up, pray about it, and just have fun! We’re going to have prayer time and Bible study while we wait and see if people come. That way, the time isn’t “wasted.”  I’m looking forward to it this week! Meanwhile, Cali loves it that we turn church into the biggest playroom she could want with a buffet of toast and jam  all for her!

Don’t get the idea that things aren’t staying busy! We had another lovely ladies tea this past week. We had a great time talking about the need in Derry and started gathering ideas for a ladies event that the church ladies could invite  their friends to. We ended the tea by going around the room and praying for Derry. It was really a sweet time of fellowship!

I also had the opportunity to have my friends from university over last week. I love those girls! They really have a heart to serve God. We just had a fun evening together. I wished I would have thought about it earlier, but it would have been awesome to start a weekly Bible study with Teri and the girls on campus. Sadly, they are finishing up finals right now and are scattering for the summer. I’m going to miss them so much!

As I said earlier, there are so many opportunities to minister here. There’s a lot of religion in this city, but it is still without the gospel in many areas. I took the Snode kids to the cathedral near the church and there were probably 20 people there, in the middle of a weekday, saying prayers. It broke my heart. There is absolutely no hope in what they believe. Jesus Christ is risen and has all the power over sin! I’m so glad that He paid the price because there’s nothing I can do to merit salvation. There are so many people that still need to hear the gospel here. Pray for Derry!!

So many blessings!

Thank you so much for all the prayers and support over the past week and a half! I know that I’ve received at least $500 in donations and I’m sure there’s probably more in the mail. There is still a great need for this month and the next few months. If you will please consider supporting me sometime between now

and July, that would be a great blessing. I will continue to keep you posted on how God blesses! I am trusting God that I will be able to serve here until my scheduled departure in July.

God has blessed in so many other ways also! First of all, I got accepted into the health program here. I had my meeting and they just took me in. No difficulties. It was such a blessing. I have been in good health since my month of tonsillitis, but it is so nice knowing that I don’t need to worry about having a separate fund for medicine.

I celebrated my birthday on April 2nd and it turned out to be really wonderful. The Snodes took me out for lunch and gave me a lovely gift. Everyone at Northwest Baptist showered me with cards and gifts and they had a cake for me on Sunday night. I also got a package of cards from Blythewood Baptist in South Carolina. Needless to say, I felt very loved and spoiled. I’m so thankful for my family in Christ!

On April 3rd, I had the opportunity to teach for the Ladies Fellowship. I was so nervous, but God really helped me and I think it went pretty well. I am so thankful for ladies that have taught me how to put a Bible study together (yes, I’m talking about you, Maria Morgan and Teri Snode)!  :)  I definitely prefer to be in the background, but I’m happy to go through any open doors God has for me.

All the kids here are out of school for two weeks for Easter break, so the Snodes planned a short holiday in County Donegal, Ireland and they were so sweet to let me tag along. It was so much fun seeing the countryside. We got to see two castles and I took a ton of pictures! The kids had so much fun too! No school! What more could you ask for?!

Over the past 2 weeks, we have handed out thousands of leaflets for the Good Friday Service and Easter. The Good Friday service was so good. Travis preached on Christ’s sacrifice. It was such a blessing and we had a visitor! Please pray that the Easter service goes well.

Teri and I are trying to start a Mother/Toddler group. We are going to open up the church for a few hours every week for mothers to bring their kids to play. Hopefully, it will be a good way to meet ladies in the city. We don’t know if it will work, but we need to try something! One thing about reaching new people, is that you have to constantly be coming up with new ideas. I’m looking forward to trying this one out!

Thank you so much for praying!!

The need for support

I want to start this post by saying that I can’t thank all of you enough for all the prayer, love, encouragement, and financial support that I have received. There is no way that I could have come here to learn and minister without so many people willing to sacrifice their time and money. Thank you for giving of yourselves to the Lord. He is truly worthy!

I can’t believe that in another week I will have been here for 3 months! God is so good! He always provides. For me to stay here and work in Northern Ireland, I need to raise another $700 now and at the beginning of April. I still need about $2000 for the rest of my time here.

Will you please consider giving so I can stay here for the remaining 3 months that I committed?

There is an address for any cash or checks sent on the side of this blog. If you would like to give electronically, just click here. Paypal does take a small percentage, but you will still receive a receipt for the remaining amount for tax purposes. Any contribution would be a blessing!

Thank you so much for all your prayers and love!

Holidays here in Northern Ireland

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind! We have had so much fun with all the different things going on. It’s also been challenging and hard work, but such a blessing

Thank you so much for praying for the St. Patrick’s Day Festival! Everyone here said that twice as many people came this year than last! I think we has 30 people come in over the day. We also were blessed to have Roe Valley Baptist Church in a neighboring town come help us out with everything. I really enjoyed it and I think everyone else did too! How awesome is it to spend St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland?!

Things over in the city were very festive. Everyone seemed to be wearing the orange, white, and green (flag colors of the Republic of Ireland). There were flags and painted faces everywhere. There was a parade too. I’ve didn’t even know so many people lived in Derry! It was quite a site .

Before the festival, we worked 10+ hrs per day for a few days making improvements on the church building, getting the games prepared, making bags of material to hand out, running errands, and decorating the church. By the time we were done, the church looked amazing!  It still does. Thanks again for praying!

The day after the festival was Mother’s day. Teri and I taught the kids a little song that we wrote. Well, Teri pretty much wrote all of it. They were so cute! I think everyone that came loved it.

I am having a blast teaching the kids Sunday school with Teri. Pray that more children will come. We also had another ladies tea. It’s always a blessing to get together and spend time with all of them. They are so sweet! Pray for us as we try to start some new ministries. Teri and I are looking into starting a Mother/Toddler group after Easter break. It would be a great way to reach new ladies! Pray for us as we make the arrangements to start it! I’m so excited about some of the new ideas!

Thank you so much for all the prayers concerning my health. I had tonsillitis for the better part of a month. Thankfully, I am feeling much better now. We all were able to get some rest after St Patrick’s/Mother’s Day. That really helped! Please continue to pray for the ministry here!

Two Months in Northern Ireland!

I can’t believe that I’ve been living in Northern Ireland for 2 months. Time goes by so fast! I’ve learned a lot. Life here is becoming normal. At first, everything was new and fascinating. There were so many things to explore and discover. There still is, but now, I think I’ve gotten into more of routine. It’s a lot like my life was at home- work at church, spend time with friends, outreach, go to church… I honestly love it. The normality of it all leaves me a wee bit homesick at times. God has been really good though. He’s given me a ministry and friends here which has made a world of difference. I think that is the biggest change from last month.

Work at Church

We have been so busy at Northwest Baptist Church. We’ve been working at making the church a more beautiful place. We painted the downstairs and it looks so much better now. The men-folk sealed up a window to make it warmer (Yay heat!). It’s still a work in progress, but it’s going to be lovely when everything’s done!

We’re also working on a host of events. St. Patrick’s Day is a huge deal here so we’re planning a festival. I heard that it is one of the most attended events of the year for NWBC. It’s next Saturday, so please pray for us! The day after that is Mother’s Day (yep, it’s different). Then we have Easter. This past month, we had a family quiz night. I put together the trivia slide show. It turned out to be a lot of fun! The church here is wonderful. I wish all of you could meet the people here! We pass out leaflets every week and we seem to always be brainstorming ways to reach more people.

We started Sunday School! I teach every other Sunday and I really love it! The kids are so cute! Pray that we get more children to teach!

Adventures with Catherine

Catherine told me that I should start a blog just for all the random things we do together. Considering that I struggle keeping up with this one, I don’t think I’m quite ready to start another one! We are still doing Bible studies together and I think we are both being blessed by that. She has taught me so much about the culture. I have learned everything from cooking to slang. We went on a trip to Donegal, Ireland, last week and we had a blast. We saw a proper Irish castle and ate some gorgeous Irish food. We took the bus out there so we walked the rest of the day. We had  so much fun. It was fun watching my Northern Irish friend become a tourist. We talked for hours about the culture and the Bible. Even though things are a little slow around here until the late spring and summer months, we still enjoyed just walking around the shops and the countryside. I think we walked about 8 miles that day! It is so beautiful here!

All my pictures are on facebook and I would welcome all of you to see them. Here’s the link.

Just Life

Almost all of the cars here are manual. So thanks to Travis and Teri, I am now learning to drive a manual car on the left side of the road. It’s exciting. So far no one has died. I’ve already driven on the proper roads but I’m at least another lesson or two away from really being comfortable. It’s a lot to remember but I’ve only driven on the wrong side of the road once… that was scary!

Today, I rushed to buy Mother’s Day cards and mail them so that they would get to the States by next week. I got to Bible Institute late and told them why I was so frazzled. Travis just laughed and told me that Mother’s Day wasn’t for a couple of months in the States. Whaaaat?! A wee bit of culture shock there. I guess my mom is going to celebrate 2 Mother’s Days this year!

Prayer Requests:

My health has been struggling this month. If you could please pray that it would improve, I would greatly appreciate it. Also, I don’t have health insurance here and I’m in the process of applying for it here. Please pray that they accept me.

Please pray that my support would also increase. I am so thankful for all those that have given both financially and in prayers. God has provided for all my needs. Please pray that in this coming months I would gain more monthly supporters. It is my prayer that I would not only be able to pay my bills but that I would also be a blessing to the church and the missionaries here. Thank you for making this possible. If you would like to give, there is information on the side bar of my blog. I can’t thank you enough!

Here are some other things that you could pray for: Church, upcoming events, and the salvation of some individuals. Thank you for your prayers!

A wee bit of Irish culture

Quite often I tell my mom all the things that I’ve found to be different about living in Northern Ireland. She said that I should write a post about some of those things. So if you enjoy this, thank her. I love you mom!

There is no way I could write about ALL of the little things I’ve noticed since moving here. It is a completely different culture, so it would take books to write about everything. I must admit, that out of all the countries I’ve been to, Northern Ireland would be the most like the States. However, because a lot of things are similar, I feel like I have to work a little harder at noticing the differences. Most of the things that I’m writing about today, are just little things that make me smile.

Stroke City

Derry has a long history of being divided. There are many political and even paramilitary groups. The two main groups would be- 1) those that want to be united with Ireland and don’t want to have anything to do with the UK (the catholic side, or cityside) and 2) those that want to be part of the UK or at least don’t care any more (mostly protestants, or waterside and a lot of catholics now too). The fighting and violence reached it height in the 60′s and 70′s, however there are still harsh sentiments shared between the two sides even though little action is ever taken.

The River Foyle

To make thing a bit more divided, the city is divided by a river. One one side the catholics live (cityside) and another the protestants live (waterside). Many of the road signs for the city have been vandalized and the “London” part of Londonderry has been marked out. One side wants to have nothing to do with London, so they just call it Derry. The other side wants to be associated with England so they call it Londonderry. So, just as any good government does these days, the government decided to be politically correct and separated both names by a stroke (/), and wrote all the signs as “Derry/Londonderry.”  I’m not sure if that really made anyone happy, but people here joke around and say that they live in Stroke City.

Tea!!! and other yummy things…

They LOVE tea here. I feel like when they’re not drinking it, they’re talking about when or how they will get their next cup. It is served with every meal and then quite often in between. It is actually a catching habit.

Tons of tea!

I’m enjoying the tea here too. It does rain a lot and there’s nothing like a cup of tea to warm you up! Tea is also a great way to witness to people. If you offer someone tea, they are unlikely to refuse. They also like to sit down and chat about everything while drinking it. People strongly believe in taking time to enjoy tea. Even at the Starbucks here, the hot drinks come in real mugs. That’s just how they like it!

Biscuits (cookies) and margarine are huge here. I have never seen more cookies in my life! They are generally eaten with tea. Since there is always tea, there are biscuits EVERYWHERE! Margarine is used for scones (like american biscuits), toast, pancakes, and any sandwich (instead of mayo). I walked into the shop and noticed that there was a small section of real butter and a whole aisle of margarine!

Shop by my house

Chips. Not potato chips, but more like steak fries. They are probably one of the top three most consumed product here (along with biscuits and tea). Chips are eaten with everything. Pizza, chicken curry, spaghetti, fish (duh!), or just alone. Yeah, I think Northern Ireland must be a picky eaters paradise!

English. It’s not all the same…

They use different words here. Some stuck right away, and others I still struggle to remember. Here’s just a few: Say trousers, not pants. Pants are underwear. Say shop, not store. A store is where you store things (yeah, we’re confused in the States). Say bin, not trash can. Say rubbish, not trash. Say creche, not nursery. Nursery is preschool. It’s red sauce, not ketchup, and brown bread, not wheat bread. Chips, not french fries, and crisps, not chips. I could go on for a lot longer, but I’ll spare you. Words like gorgeous and beautiful are used to describe food. The word “craic” (sounds like crack) is used in a great many ways. Such as “It was good craic” meaning “I had a great time” or “What’s the craic?” meaning “What’s going on?”.  The word “wee” is used VERY often. I went to the doctor today and I was asked to fill out a “wee form” and then take a “wee seat”. I don’t think I’ve heard the word “little” since I’ve been here. “Aye” is also constantly used instead of “yes”. I need to work on saying “aye” and “wee” more.

What culture doesn’t give

So much of the culture here is friendly and unique. Harmless. However, people here (just like people in the States) think that they are good. They’re friendly, involved in the community, most even go to church on a regular basis. None of those very good things can get them to heaven though. Titus 3:5 says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us”. Please continue to pray for Northern Ireland!

Learning in Londonderry

 

Londonderry

I’m still here! Still alive! Things have been wonderfully busy since I arrived. It was nice just jumping into the swing of things over here. I’m sorry it has taken me forever to write again (I have a feeling that I might be saying that again :p). The worst part about taking so long to write, is that I have so much to write and I don’t know where to start!

City Walls

I’ll just have to share some of the highlights. One of the most exciting things for me, is that I made a friend. Her name is Catherine and she goes to a university in the city. She has made it her responsibility to make me Irish. How awesome is that?! We’re actually having great fun. Last week, she took me round the city walls and told me so much about the history. Northern Ireland has a lot of confusing history  for being such a small piece of land (Catherine agrees). It was all very interesting and I have so much more to learn. This week she’s coming to my house to teach me how to make some of the sweets that are served with tea around here.

The best part about this is that we also get to study the Bible every week together. It is really an encouraging time in the Lord. Catherine is involved with the Christian union at her school and she knows some other girls that want to learn more about the Bible. So pray for us as we go through the material and both prepare to teach even more girls! It’s actually very exciting. God is really good!

I have to say that I have greatly enjoyed getting to know Teri Snode. She has already taught me so much. She is doing a Bible study with me (in addition to studies with other women) and I am learning so much about God and my relationship with Him. It is time that I cherish. She has also been honest and open about things that she has struggled with in both her personal life and ministry- things that God had to teach her. I could ask for nothing more as a mentor and friend.

Teri held a ladies tea at her house and it was an awesome opportunity to get to know some of the ladies at church better. They were so much fun to talk to. They told me all the places I needed to eat at, all the parks to go to, and pretty much all the sights I needed to see. It was a great time of fellowship. I’m addicted to tea already too!

Catholic Graveyard

Please continue to pray for this country. There is an abundance of religion but few have a true relationship with God through Christ.

Hello Ireland

I’m here! I had a great trip over with no surprises, which is what I had prayed for. However, it wasn’t uneventful. The screaming baby in the row in front of me and the elderly Greek lady behind me who always punched my seat every time I tried to lay it down, made the trip interesting.  I had good intentions to take pictures of the beautiful countryside from Dublin to Londonderry, but I was out cold as soon as I sat on bus. Sorry friends! I promise to post pictures before too long.

My house is so beautiful! Thank you so much for everyone who prayed that the Snodes would be able to find an appropriate place for me. It is far more than I ever asked for or expected. The house is for sale, but even if they sell it, it will take 2-3 months for everything to go through. Since selling is the main goal, my landlady is letting me live there for a very reasonable price. I not only came to a house which was fully furnished, but my landlady set the house up for me with pots and pans, a tea kettle, an electric blanket, towels, toilet paper, and she even bought me a bath robe! It was all such a blessing.

I’ve had such a great time getting to know Teri too. She has already taken me all around the city, helping me find all the things I couldn’t bring. We even stopped at McDonald’s for tea (yep, hot tea at McDonald’s). It’s been great getting a feel for the city and even learning some of the history. There’s so much more to learn though!

I’ve also got to help/tag along with quite a few church activities: a ladies meeting (at a neighboring church), outreach, and youth club. Today was my first day in a church service. I got to do creche (their word for nursery) and then help out with children’s church. I really enjoyed it. The kids were so much fun and very sweet. I also met some of the ladies at the church too. I loved talking to them (yay English!).

Thank you for all your prayers. I don’t think that things could be going better. Please continue to pray that all my promised support comes in and that I would finish raising my needed support (which is only about $2000 now!). Promise to post pictures soon!

“Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loadeth us with  benefits, Even the God of our salvation. Selah.”   Psalm 68:19

Leaving in 3 days!

Here goes my first blog post. Bear with me people. As I write this, I’m telling myself that I will not delete and rewrite this 5 times. We’ll see…  This blog is going to be a journal while I’m in Northern Ireland. Nothing fancy, but I want everyone praying for me and supporting me to be a part of this 6 months.

I can’t believe that I only have 3 days until I fly out for Northern Ireland! The past few months have been a whirlwind and God has been so incredibly good. I’ve prayed about this since last spring and it has been amazing watching God open door after door.

I am so blessed to have many very godly influences in my life. I would like to publicly (well, as public as this is ) thank Betty Gardner, Amy Coffey, and Jillian Bashore for their encouragement and advice. They have spent hours talking to me, praying with me, and praying for me. They greatly encouraged me to take this trip and I have learned so much already!

I would also like to thank everyone who has supported me spiritually and monetarily. I have so many people praying for me. Thank you.

I’m looking forward to meeting to Snodes and seeing the ministry in Derry. They have helped me so much with finding an apartment and answering my millions of questions about everything as I prepare to move over there. I would encourage all of you to check out their website and pray for them and Northwest Baptist Church.

Please continue to pray for me as I run around gathering everything I need to take and organizing it and my thoughts (not my strong point sometimes). It’s a lot to think about. I think that this whole process has given me a greater appreciation for missionaries who pack up everything for life. It really makes six months look like nothing!

Please also continue to pray that I would be able to raise to rest of my support ($3800). Thanks again for all the prayers and support!

“Even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many”  Matthew 20:28