Hey everyone, We just want to give you a quick update on our lives here before we leave for our sabbatical.

Irish Residents

About a month ago we asked you to be praying for our approval to be Irish residents. Just to clarify, this allows James and I to legally serve in Alive Church for another year.

And let me just tell you, this process is harder than we thought it would be. We met with our immigration officer a few weeks ago, one of the loveliest Irish men I've ever met, who told us that he had a couple in recently who had been waiting for 3 years to get their residency. He wasn't trying to be discouraging, he was really just bracing us for the reality that the Irish government doesn't always move at the pace we would hope.

Then a week ago we were skyping our missions pastor, Josiah, and were telling him our predicament with our residency and asking for prayer. We also talked about what we would do if we did not get approved before we left for our sabbatical. In his usual Josiah way, he said he'd be praying and that visas are always difficult. He did not seem worried in the least. Josiah, if you know him at all, is one of the most solid, unshakeable people I think I've ever met, which pairs well with James and I who rest slightly on the dramatic side of life.

Literally, the next morning I came out of the bathroom and James sits me down to tell me he has some news. I was bracing for the worst but had no idea it had anything to do with residency. When he told me we had gotten our permission to remain as residents, I flipped out, as anyone would who just found out they are going to be a legal resident of the country they are living in and get to go on their much anticipated sabbatical. We are now officially Irish residents and get to fulfill our 2 year commitment here, legally.

We want to thank you so much for praying into this with us. It is a miracle that it came through so quickly. I know that you partnering with us in praying for it made that miracle happen, exactly when it needed to happen, and we are so grateful!

Sabbatical

So next week we get this awesome opportunity to go on a sabbatical which will mark the halfway point in our 2 year commitment here at Alive Church. We are going to Croatia which will make it our first time to travel to mainland Europe. We are really excited for this sabbatical, we literally can't go a day without talking about it. Here are a few things you could be praying for our sabbatical:

For everything travel wise to go smoothly, especially our flights since we are taking multiple flights to get to Croatia.
For this sabbatical to be exactly what we need to go into this 2nd year strong, envisioned, and filled up.
For it to be sunny and warm the entire time we are there. This Texas girl misses the sun and the heat and most days feels like a cold and very pale version of herself.

This Breathtaking Country

Last but not least I wanted to share some pictures from our recent trip to the west coast of Ireland in County Kerry. My mom and sister came to visit and we took a quick roadtrip over to Killarney and the Ring of Dingle to see Ireland's beloved west coast. It surpassed all that I could have dreamed or imagined. There are moments living here when I'm not sure if I'm on earth or seeing glimpses of heaven and the west coast did that for me countless times.

Inch Beach on the Ring of Dingle. My favorite beach on the west coast now. We took a pony trap ride to see a waterfall in Killarney National Park. Our pony trap driver was Robert. He had been doing it for 50 years. He told us about his long lost love and why he never married, his favorite pony named Sally O'Brien, and even sang us some traditional Irish songs and Elvis Presley of course. Meeting Robert was my mom's favorite part of her entire Ireland trip. She was smitten. Muckross House in Killarney National Park with my momma and Marissa.

Small beach along the Ring of Dingle. This view was out of this world. Ring of Dingle, I don't know if the Atlantic Ocean has ever looked prettier.

James and I also celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary on Tuesday this week. He, being the awesome husband he is, surprised me with a trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland. Belfast is a fabulous city with a lot of history and culture, including the Titanic Museum. He had the entire day planned out for us and it rivaled any of the date days you see on The Bachelor!