Well here we are everyone.

We are halfway through the month of May. The month where teachers cram students with information to prepare them for the finals like Armageddon is upon them. Where the students either study like a squirrel stuffing food in its mouth only to realize they cannot breathe, or they accept their fate, throw up a "hail mary", and hope for the best. It is the month where adults work day in and day out, while the world outside their building begins to look more and more like vacation weather. Parents everywhere face the holy fear of an inevitable summer spend with their children 24/7, and yet at the same time daily get pumped for cutting loose with family and friends on their vacation. Summer camps, mission trips, work experience, summer playlists, road-trips, family reunions, swimming in the ocean, boating on a lake, getting tan (or sunburned if you're like me), and travelling the world are all just around the corner. We just need to get there.

Even as I write this blog, Molly is dancing and jamming out to Justin Timberlake's new song "Can't stop the feeling". Here it is, you're welcome.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5RobDomh5U[/embed]

All of that to say, whoever and wherever you are, this is May, and we completely understand.

What are the final months as a missionary like?

We have been asked this question a few times and the answer is not a glamorous one. The last few months of being a missionary in a foreign country feel a lot like my senior year of high school and the last semester of college all rolled into a cross-cultural smorgasbord of joy, anxious anticipation, and satisfaction in a job well done. It has been a wonderful season of growth, testing, and fruit, but we are not finished yet.

Just like most of you, we too are in the final stages of preparation for the summer. We have begun to plan exactly HOW all of our stuff will get back to America in one piece, as well as cleaning out/giving away things we cannot take back with us. We have created summer playlists and planned who will be the last people to visit us in Enniscorthy. Additionally, as of yesterday, all of our flight are officially booked and Molly is in full travel-planner mode.

For those of you who don't know, here is a quick update for our summer where we will transition from Ireland to Texas. Prayers are appreciated!

June 5-6 We will do a leadership retreat for our Alive Church Interns.
July 4-8 Alive Church and Beltway Park Baptist Church host their huge Summer Camp for everyone in Enniscorthy. Last year we had about 60 teens and 340 kids all in the same week, and we are praying for an even bigger camp this year. People have already begun signing their kids up and the whole church is getting really excited!
July 24 This will be our last Sunday in Ireland at Alive Church. At least for now.
From July 26-August 4 we will be visiting friends and family in Europe before we head back to Texas.
Then, for the whole month of August we will not be starting jobs just yet, but we will be taking the month to (1) Spend time with dear family and friends, (2) Visit churches and partners who have supported us so well for the past two years financially and spiritually, and (3) Begin to reintegrate ourselves into American culture.
Lastly, in September we will transition into the city we will live in, and will start our jobs. AND THIS IS IMPORTANT: We are planning to end all of our financial support on September 1st, which will bring a completion to our partners' 2-year commitments. We officially began our missionary adventure in September and by September it will have reached its finish. You guys are amazing, thank you so much!

Bye Bye little Olaf

The only cloud in what has been the beautiful sky of May, was that we had to say goodbye to our beloved Volkswagen we affectionately named "Olaf". After a beautiful 1 &1/2 years of unwavering transportation, our little guy suffered a loss of compression in pistons 3 and 4. For those of you not into car mechanics, because I most definitely am not, Olaf died of a broken heart because he just loved Molly and I too much. At least he died doing what he loved most: an early morning drive.

So after two weeks of taking Olaf to multiple mechanics we have decided to depart with our beloved automobile for the remainder of our time in Ireland. But whenever we walk around Enniscorthy or take a bus from city to city we will hold our heads high in salute to our fallen comrade in a foreign land.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NbBGrBxRhs[/embed]

Rest in peace buddy.

The gate of thanksgiving

For anyone who has spent some time in church or with Christians, you all will have have heard this verse used, usually before or during the worship songs.

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!" - Psalm 100:4

As a worship leader, I have definitely read this to encourage myself and the church to worship God for what He has done, not for what I want. We all need this reminder from time to time: Worship is about God, what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do. When worship becomes more about myself, what I want, and how I feel in the moment than Who God is, then I have placed myself in the throne of my heart (where God should be). Giving genuine thanks and gratitude to God takes my focus off of myself and back on Jesus, which ignites heartfelt worship in my soul.

I'm reminded of Moses' tabernacle in the Old Testament. In order for me to enter His presence in the Holy of Holies of worship, I have to first enter through the gates into the outer courts, which can only be done through open and public declaration of my need and thankfulness for merciful God. Interestingly enough, you enter the Holy of Holies by first walking through the gates and outer courts, AND you leave the Holy of Holies through the outer courts and then the gates. This is why thanksgiving and praise are the beginning and end of all of our worship! This is why worship preceded every successful battle in the Old Testament!

However in similar way, I see thanksgiving as being both the appropriate entrance and exit to worship, as well as the best way to enter and exit a season of life. Molly and I entered this 2-year adventure in wonder and gratefulness for His calling and provision to get us here, and I want to leave the same way. This is a crucial part of finishing a season well!

So here is my aim for the last months of being a missionary in Ireland (and feel free to join me): I am going to celebrate and give thanks for who God is and what He has done every day. I'm going to aim for worshipping Him, instead of worshipping Him just so He can tell me what is going to happen in the next season. I am going to worship Him to see His face more clearly, not just to ask Him for what I want. I'm going to spend time with Him and rest, instead of worrying about how things will look this summer. I'm going to savor every day in Ireland, every person who comes to visit us, and every moment I spend with the people of Enniscorthy, trusting in Him to go before me fighting the battles of the next season before I even get there.