Long time no read, friends!

If you are wondering how Molly and I have been since returning to Texas, this is the blog for you! I would offer an apology for waiting so long to update you, but honestly, I was waiting for the dust to settle before sitting down to write. Even thus far, a month and a week since returning, the dust of our life is only partially settled, like an old Texan dirt road after your truck drives over it. You know what I mean.

Well, here I am, sitting in a coffee shop. I have come to accept that this is now where I do some of my best writing, because coffee shops were the main places that I blogged in Ireland (I miss you, Impresso Cafe). How high maintenance or pretentious does that makes me? I'm not sure, but if it helps me feel at peace I'll take it. And just to make me feel at home, it is raining outside...

The August Recap (aka the Overwhelming Goodness of God)

When we arrived in DFW Airport, after a much needed journey through Switzerland and Austria, we had no clue what the month would look like. Sure, we had plans and meetings, but no clear expectations for how God was going to use them in our lives. Honestly, I was a little anxious and hesitant to start the transition. But in a nutshell, God was so gracious to lavish His love on us with friends and family we haven't seen in years celebrating our return and God's provision for the past 2 years. It was overwhelming in the best sense of the word. I got to lead worship at the church that raised me as well as speak at their Missions Night with Molly. We went to church with our families, vacationed with Molly's family, and had too many lunches to count with pastors and dear friends. We had a getaway weekend with lifelong friends, we got to debrief with the Beltway staff, and we got to explore the new Beltway North campus. We had SO MUCH Mexican food, and I'm still not sick of it! Also, one of the unexpected joys was for us to get to tell our friends and family, "Want to hang out again in a week or so?", just because we can now! To everyone we got to reconnect with in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Abilene: THANK YOU. You each revived, encouraged, celebrated, and welcomed us back with open arms. We needed that.

In August, my parents were gracious enough to let us stay with them as well as borrow one of their cars as we got our bearings in Dallas. We also began looking for jobs and the church that God wanted us to join. By God's providence, two weeks after returning to Texas, Molly got a job offer as a Child Life Specialist in an incredible hospital. If you know Molly, this is her dream job, and usually the job-searching process in her field takes MONTHS. She is such a boss and God is so faithful!

September so far...

So here in September Molly is finishing up her second week of orientation at her dream job while I look/interview at a few places. Since we share a car (and I want the most time with Molly I can get) I wake up super early to take Molly to work most and fight through Dallas traffic to pick her up each day. We're beginning to establish a new "transition routine" and while it is still weird, it is getting better.

Probably the biggest news of September so far is that we have decided on what church we will be invested in Dallas! As of a week ago we have decided to be in Antioch Community Church Dallas!!! We love this church's missional vision for the city as well as their ability to build relationships and equip believers for their daily lives. We are excited to get rooted here and serve with these amazing people. We will be joining a lifegroup soon and I hope to begin helping out on the worship team as well.

Mission Field Exchange

There are a lot things Molly and I have been processing together as we continue this time of radical transition, but here is one topic we process frequently. How exactly do we reconcile Ireland and what we did there with Dallas? How do we address doing life in Irish culture with transitioning back into Texan culture? How do we live in America in light of the mission work we just did in another country? This is not a new question, I'm sure many of you have asked similar questions after returning from a mission trip. I have also done a week-long mission trip once, and while this situation feels similar, it is vastly more intricate. And I won't try to tell you I have figured this out. I do not. And even as we journey through this awkward transition we are still trying to figure it out.

Here is one thing I do know: Mission work, short-term or long-term, is meant to change you as well as the people you go to serve. It is supposed to change how you think, how you believe, how you relate to others, and how you relate to your culture of origin. Being a missionary in another culture, for however long, is supposed to awaken you to see God's global mission as well as His specific mission for your home country. You might not have known it, but you became a missionary the moment you placed your life at the foot of the cross, and no matter where God places you, He has a mission for you. Welcome to God's special forces unit.

All Molly and I are learning to do is exchange Enniscorthy for Dallas as our current mission field. You and I will never stop being missionaries. What does it look like to be a missionary? Here are a few ideas:

Place your income, financial needs, possessions, and living space in God's hands to do with as He pleases. Trust Him enough to provide when you tithe and are generous to those around you. Whether you are supported by donations or you earn a monthly paycheck, your resources come from God and should bravely be used for His glory.
Take spiritual ownership of your city/neighborhood. Notice the spiritual strongholds (depression, materialism, poverty, consumerism, identity, entitlement, addiciton, etc.) that are in your city and pray. A LOT. Take time to pray for those God places around you (friends, family, bosses, etc.). Dare to get to know your neighbors AND really care about them.
Desperately depend on your relationship with God. Spend time with God each day in worship, reading the Bible, journaling, and prayer. Depend on God as if your only hope to make it through the day is His voice and His presence. Surrender to do whatever He asks you to do that day.
Dive into the local church. Every missionary knows they cannot hope to remain vibrant outside of Biblical community. Isolation kills, just like a coal removed from a fire will grow cold. Encourage, grow, invest, and do life with different people redeemed by the same Savior with a united mission together.

The End of Partnership Donations!

As I close this blog, I also want to handle a little housekeeping. When we first asked our partners to support us with prayer or finances, we made it clear it was a two year commitment. Well, you have all blessed us so much with your generosity and your commitment is fulfilled. We have returned victoriously and God has done so much! THANK YOU ALL! You have each changed the world.

That being said, we have ended our acceptance of donations at the beginning of September. Our donation link should be removed from Modern Day and I think Beltway will give us the last donation check soon. So if you are still donating to us, we love you, but please stop. However, if you still feel called to give to missions, might I offer you a few suggestions?

Two missionaries that Molly and I support are Vivian and Audrey Wells, two sisters who are called to Barcelona in this next season of life. Molly and I got to visit them in Barcelona for a weekend last January and we were blown away by the mission work they do there in the city. Audrey has been residing in Spain for the past year and Vivian will be joining her this winter. If you are interested, check out their support pages below and pray about how God wants you to get involved!

Vivian Wells and Audrey Wells

Thanks for checking in on us everyone.

We still keep you updated on our lives right here, so stay tuned!