hehe

Mull Weather

By a summer visitor

 

It rained and rained and rained and rained

    The average was well maintained

And when our fields were simply bogs

    It started raining cats and dogs

After a drought of half an hour

    There came a most refreshing shower

And the queerest thing of all

    A gentle rain began to fall

 

The next day was fairly dry

    Save for a deluge from the sky

It wetted people to the skin

    But after that the rain set in

We wondered what's the next we'd get

    As sure as fate we got more wet

But soon we'll have a change again

    And we shall have

                                                         a drop of rain

author unknown

New Pictures

I've uploaded new pictures to my Flicker account. To view them go here.

With the many images that flood in from the Republic of Ireland, one might think this country is deeply committed to the Christian faith. Some say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in this case a thousand words are inadequate. Ireland has a strong history of devotion to the Roman Catholic Church, even when it was illegal, but today even that devotion is only superficial. As one man at Grace Fellowship Church here in Killarney commented, it is like a dark cloud, thicker and blacker than any rain cloud that has ever covered this island. This island has become the playground of Satan.

I am reminded every night of this playground as I look out the window of my flat (apartment). Youth and adults alike flood the streets; scantily dressed and barely able to walk as they soak up the drunken culture of the land. These people can be very religious, but only for tradition’s sake. They do not know God, they know tradition.

But hope does come through churches such as Grace Fellowship. This tiny group of believers gets together every Sunday and Wednesday singing their hearts praise to God. They continually pray and thank God for the salvation which they have received, then pray it for their brothers, sisters, parents, even spouses. A wife whose husband detests the day she was baptized. A daughter whose mother has cancer and does not know Christ. A man, raised in a staunchly Catholic home, disappointing his extended family by taking his own family out of the Catholic Church to be “evangelical.”

Such is the ministry in the Republic of Ireland. Many towns here do not even have an evangelical church. Killarney is blessed with a small one, and it is this ministry that I have come to know and love, and am thus thankful for your prayers and support in sending me here. This is become just as much your ministry as it is mine. Pray for this church.

Prayer Needs:

Pray for Brian, he visited the church recently after having not been there for 10 years, and we believe he does not know Christ. He may even become a primary contact for my culture studies as he mentioned that he and I should go hiking.

Culture adjustment – Ireland may speak English, but do not let that fool you. I have sat through many conversations scratching my head trying to understand not just the accent, but also what their words meant.

Had to post this

Instructions from my "Cooker"; it is an oven with a stove top on it.

cure the elements
This generates fumes, so if you suffer from breathing problems, get someone else to do it (even if you don't suffer from anything, it's not a bad idea to get someone else to do the dirty jobs).

Also thought you might enjoy the directions for baking a pizza I am making now:

1. Pre-heat your oven to the perfect temperature as indicated
2. Carefully remove the packaging and spread out the topping.
3. For the perfect crispness, don't use a baking tray - just slide your pizza on to the middle shelf of your oven.
4. Bake for indicated time (you could use this time to prepare a mixed salad).
5. When your pizza is golden brown and piping hot, place it on to a wire rack to cool slightly - then share the delicious tast of Goodfella's Delicia Pizza.
*For best results cook from frozen. These are guidelines only.

Yes, I am still alive!!!

It has been a while. I arrived in Ireland on the 12th and things have been moving almost non-stop ever since. Only about an hour ago did I get internet established so I could begin making updates here (let alone contacting family to let them know I am ok).

From Saturday through Thursday I was able to receive a general tour of Killarney as well as what is called the Dingle peninsula. The reason for this touristy action was we were also entertaining another visitor, Rachael, who is on a discovery tour with CrossWorld. She is a Canadian considering coming to Ireland as a full time missionary so while she was staying with us we spend a significant portion of time learning about the region’s culture, geography and history. For me the tours were only a snippet introduction to what I will be doing with my culture studies, blanketing many areas of study. For pictures of my tours I am uploading a select few here.

I am now settled into my flat (apartment), but am still working on transportation (a bicycle – yes even when it rains). The bike needs new tires and a new pedal which we bought today and will hopefully change out tomorrow.

Sunday and Wednesday did consist of meeting members of Grace Evangelical Fellowship. The church consists of approximately 10 members who clearly love God. Worship was rudimentary compared to what we are used to in the States but irregardless, their worship is still truly worshipful and thus honoring to God. It is not about how “produced” our worship is that makes it good, it is about whether we truly believe and praise God with the songs we sing and the words we speak.

Things to pray for:
1.) Getting adjusted to the cultural setting. Handling money (euros) and remembering to look in the right direction when crossing the streets can be stressful. Imagine not knowing how to count your change when in a long line!

2.) Making contacts. The existing church has no one in my age bracket. It is my prayer that I will meet some young adults whom I can befriend. If they come to Christ as a result – bonus praise to God!

3.) Settling in. There is still much to do in regards to getting situated and beginning the culture study. Larry and I hope to sit down on Monday to hash out those details.

4.) Personal spiritual formation. I went for a walk last night after being dropped off and it hit me just how alone I am here. Up until last night Rachael was around who is a little younger than I and she made the initial transition a bit easier, but now in many ways I am on my own in a foreign land. Somehow I truly believe my communion with God will grow significantly over the next few months.

Cultural Fun Facts:
1.) light switches: up is off and down is on
2.) yes they drive on the opposite side of the road
3.) Showers: you don’t just turn on the hot water, you also have to turn on the water heater (and there are no switches in the bathroom, they are outside the bathroom)
4.) Language: yes they speak English, but meanings of many words are different and there are other words we use they do not and words they use that we do not.

arrived!!!

I am now officially in Ireland. It is exciting but the jet lag is taking over. I will be back when I'm more alert and have a better internet connection so I can post pictures.

I'm Flying!!!!

Hello all, this message was prewritten and scheduled for posting for you all so you can track my flights.

If you would like to see where I am today, the first flight I will be taking is American Airlines flight 86 which departs from Chicago's O'Hare airport at about 5:30 pm. To track it, go to the following web site; AAL86.

Then tomorrow morning (well, not exactly sure what time it would be because I have local time departures listed) I will be flying on Aer Lingus, Flight 713 which you can track at this web site; EIN713.

Needless to say I love flying and am sure I will enjoy these flights. Safe travels!