July: Our Last Month

Greetings from Ireland! Let me just take a moment to savor that statement being true at least for the next few days. It is so weird to think of leaving Enniscorthy, this place we have grown to call our home for the past 2 years! Yet somehow we are leaving Ireland in T-MINUS 4 DAYS FROM NOW. It's is getting real y'all.

But first before I get all nostalgic on you, let's rewind and talk about how amazing Summer camp was this year!!!

SuperKids & GForce Summer Camp

Friends and family, thank you so much for your prayers over the week of camp. It was such a blast! We had record numbers of over 400 kids and teenagers attend the camp regularly throughout the week: About 350 kids and over 60 teenagers! Beltway Park Baptist Church also sent a team of 45 (46?) Texans to help staff and lead the camp with us. All in all we had between 80-90 volunteers running the camp, and we needed every. single. one.

[Photo credit: Phil Dosa]

There were a number of things that made this year so different from last year. First, for Molly and me, doing this camp for the second time we were able to invest more fully into the experience, knowing what to expect each day and being able to know when to conserve our energy or when to hit the cray button (watch me hit the cray button!). Second, while the numbers of kids attending camp was similar to last year, we had more kids regularly coming back every single day. Third, a huge number of the teenagers who attended last year graduated, but we had a huge influx of 13-14 year olds to replace them, adding quite a different energy and excitement to the GForce camp (for those of you with teens, you know what I mean). Additionally, last year was the first time we ever had over 400 kids and you could tell all the volunteers felt stretched thin and a little bewildered. However this year we hit our stride, providing new dramas each day, learning several new songs to sing, and we were able to deal with problems effectively and with more joy than before.

To sum it up it was an incredible experience. God provided for every situation, the Beltway team was so encouraging and fun, and Enniscorthy was shaken up yet again.

Our last week goals

Many of you may be wondering what the past few weeks have looked like for us. If you have seen our facebook or instagram, you know we have been posting a lot lately, and there is a reason for that. One of our biggest goals for the past few weeks have been to meet up one last time with dear families and friends we love here, as well as visit our favorite spots in the sunny southeast of Ireland. We have spent a lot of time reflecting, reading, celebrating, eating, and thanking God for our time here. It has been so deeply fulfilling, so truly sweet, and yet wholly bittersweet all at once. We really love these people.

In the midst of all of this, we have been processing what sets the Irish culture apart in our minds. What is it, really, about these Irish people who have captured our heats? Beyond their food, words, accents, history, and geography, what has made them so dear to us? For any missionary, or person who has lived for longer than a year in another country, it is vital dive into these questions so we can emotionally grow, remember the joys of that being in that season, and integrate them into our new understanding of who we have become through the season. So get ready, here's my attempt to answer these questions.

What I will cherish about the Irish culture

1. Irish Hospitality: This is first and foremost what Molly and I enjoy here, as well as what we want to get better at. This is the innate ability of any Irish person to make you or anyone feel at home and wanted in their house, no matter who they are. This often involves a never-ending supply of tea, coffee, biscuits, and sweets offered to the guests, whether you want them or not. They will invite people over, let them join in with the life happening in the home, with only a vague sense of agenda or time people should leave. The only agenda is to laugh, eat, talk, cry, sing, and be together.
2. Pedestrian Culture: While American cities tend to be spread out over miles, most European cities are quite walkable because they are condensed around the city center. Even in a small Irish town like Enniscorthy, it will usually be easier to get around town just by walking (yes, even up the massive hill) instead of driving. It is honestly more fun to take walks once you get used to it, and you end up experiencing more of the life in the town. During lunch hour people will take their lunch and sit out by the river when the sun is out, or even go fishing in the river. Rain, wind, and cold doesn't stop any truly Irish person. And for an added plus, during our first 3 months here without a car I lost 15 lbs. just walking between out house and the church, and we got some serious leg muscles to show for it!
3. Global Mindset: Living in Ireland, in the European Union, you quickly grow to better appreciate how different cultures are. Even in Enniscorthy about 1/2 of the population are "Irish", with 1/4 being African and another 1/4 being from other European countries. There are so many languages are regularly spoken and so many cultures with their own way of doing life, all living as Irish citizens. This kind of global mindset jars you out of an "Us vs. Them" mentality and creates a desire in you to understand how the world works on a grand scale. Honestly, I was never that interested in world history until I came over here. You also begin to appreciate the global Christian church more deeply as well!
4. "Having the craiq!": Yes, that is what people say here. It is a common phrase that literally means "having a good time". This encompasses the ability to get out of your head, remove your inhibitions, and just have good fun with people you love. Get out of your comfort zone to sing, laugh, dance, and yell not caring how you may look.
5. "Ah sure it'll be grand.": This phrase is often spoken to friends or family members worrying about an event or situation. This is such a huge difference between American and Irish culture. Americans, we can so easily find out self-worth out of our productivity and achievements and status, so we prepare and plan things months and even years in advance. The Irish on the other hand don't let themselves be too bothered by stress, may throw things together closer to the deadline, knowing in the end it will all turn out fine.
6. People-oriented over task-oriented: Most Irish people will be able to set aside whatever they are doing just to talk with and get to know those around them. More than once the line a grocery store will get backed up because the grocer and the customer are catching up. They value getting to know someone just to share life, not so they can use them. They put value in remembering people's names, finding things in common, and they love to know their neighbors.
7. The Fighting Irish: Picture the mascot of Notre Dame and you're not far off. As an Irish person, when the going gets tough, when you get beat down, and when the rain continues to pour, you get back up, laugh, and ask for more. There's just an ability of the Irish people to outlast and patiently (sometimes stubbornly too) endure things that would break most Americans. No matter the economic situation, political upheaval, rising floods, constant rain, frequent days of no sun, and difficult spiritual climate the Irish people are able to walk through the tough  and savor the good. 

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it summarizes most of what I see every day. The Irish people are incredible and it has been a blessing to have lived here for the past 2 years.

We're looking forward to seeing you in the states!

One last thing. We will be officially leaving Ireland this Tuesday, where we will then spend a little over a week in Europe travelling and meeting up with dear friends. Then we plan to arrive back in Texas just in time for the Olympics, which we are crazy looking forward to! So please be praying for safe travels, no missed/delayed flights, and for spiritual direction as we enter this new season of life. 

We will keep you updated. See you soon!

From That Time Forth

Hello dear friends and family, We are T-minus 72 hours away from the whole Beltway team arriving here, all 46 members of them, for our SuperKids and Teen Camp! This means that James and I, along with our pastors and Diane Monteith (our oh so helpful Beltway missions admin.) are in full out camp prep mode. That means long and full work days that make me feel so utterly productive, which is my favorite way to be.

All that to say, I was thinking of all of you and how I wanted to you to be praying for us this next week. I ran across a quote that a friend of ours had given us back in the winter for our last 6 months here. It's a quote from C.S. Lewis' book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, it says...

"It would be nice, and fairly true, to say that from that time forth Eustace was a different boy. To be strictly accurate, he began to be a different boy. He had relapses. There were still many days when he could be very tiresome. But none of those I shall notice. The cure had begun."

The whole of the Chronicles of Narnia series is this incredible imagery of what it means to live the life of a Christian. The first time I read this book when we had just moved to Ireland, the imagery of salvation and sanctification screamed at me from this quote.

But then I read it again a few months ago in that letter, and what jumped off the page to me was the realization of how that so honestly describes us and our journey in Ireland.

It's fairly true to say because of the past 2 years in Ireland we are different people, but more accurately we have begun this journey which has transformed us into the people we are today. It's been one of the most incredible transformations I've ever gotten to witness in my own life and in James' life. One that's not been easy or smooth but has been full of challenges daily, enough challenges and pressure to make for one epic refining fire.

Along with giving you a sneak peek into that side of our time here, I do want to ask you a favor.

• If you could this week, be praying for our kids, teens, and their families to have that experience through our camps. That after this week they would choose Jesus as their Lord and Savior and begin this faith journey. That this week would catapult them into a different life entirely, an abundant life, that God created for them to live.
• I ask that you would pray it over the Beltway team that is coming and the team from our church as well. That after this week a hunger and thirst for missions and the global church would be stirred up that could never be quenched or cured. That this week people would step into their giftings and callings in greater ways than ever before. That they would fully partner with God in everything he's doing through them to bring his kingdom to earth in Enniscorthy, Ireland.
• We ask that you would pray for this camp to be a "from that time forth" moment in Alive Church. That many families who are seeking community would find it here. That leaders would be raised up and equipped during this week. That camp would be a catalyst for our church's growth and influence in the local community.

This week, these are the prayers that are on my heart. I believe with each of you partnering with us in interceding for camp this next week that the impact and influence will be far greater than we could ever dream or imagine.

We love you guys and can't wait to share with you the testimonies to come!

Cue the Crazy

Hello folks, You haven't heard from us in a good few weeks, we have been in ALL OUT CRAZY mode over here. Our ministry season ramps up in the summer because that's when we have our SuperKids Camp and Teen Camp. This happens the first week of July where Beltway Park Church (our sending church) brings over a team of 40 plus people to help put on camp for hundreds of kids and teens from Enniscorthy and the surrounding villages. This year our pastors are expecting and praying for over 500 kids and teens! Enniscorthy's entire population is 10,000 so that means more and more we are reaching a larger percentage of kids and their families in our town, and that means more families being introduced to the gospel! It's a really exciting thing to be a part of and get to see happen again this year! So if you are thinking about us in the next few weeks be praying for camp; that many would come, many would be saved, and whole families would discover abundant life through Jesus Christ.

Now let me give you a re-cap of all the awesome things we've been up to as of late...

Leader Retreat

We got to take our interns to a leadership retreat over the June bank holiday! This is something that our pastors here gave James and I free reign to run with when it came to the planning and execution of it. We had the greatest time just planning it and an even better time getting to do it with them.

It's crazy because we started this internship program in September with 6 college students who were going into their freshman year. As of the beginning of this month they had just finished their first year of college and first school year of serving in the youth ministry and on Sunday mornings. We went on this leader retreat and I was just blown away with how far they have come this year. They have matured, given, and poured themselves out into Alive Church and our youth group continually this year. They have become more confident of who they are in God and who he's making them to be. They have begun creating this culture among themselves of honor, unity, and encouragement. To get to walk with them and give them opportunities to serve during this time in their life has been one of the greatest honors we've had here in Ireland.

Along with getting to meet with God together, pray over them, and teach them more about godly leadership. We played, it got ugly competitive at times, as pictured by my husband's stank face in this picture.

We had a paint war on the beach, it proceeded to pour buckets of rain on us, and then at the end we looked like we were diseased...

Bass Family Reunion

We also had the Bass family come see us one last time. We had James' parents, Stephen (James' brother), and Brittany (Stephen's girlfriend who flew in from Beijing, China where she is studying right now) stay with us. Then a week later James' aunt, uncle, and cousin came for a few days. Needless to say we got a lot of sweet family time in! We got a chance to all be together for a week for the first time in literally years, it had been too long!

We also got to take the one Irish road trip I had been patiently waiting to take since we moved here, to Connemara on the western coast of Ireland. Connemara is one of the most untouched, unspoiled landscapes in all of Ireland and it was more beautiful than I even dreamed of, pictures could not do it justice. We stayed at the cutest bed and breakfast overlooking the Twelve Bens mountain range, we rode horses on the beach below, visited the stunning Kylemore Abbey and hiked in Connemara National Park. 

The whole family at Glendalough, in Wicklow National Park...

ALSO, these two celebrated 32 years of marriage while they were here with us! It was a beautiful thing to celebrate with them and thank them for the legacy they have handed down to us. 

Best Friend Reunion

The day after our leader retreat our friends Vivian, Kendall and Haley came to stay with us for the week! We were exhausted from an intense week of planning and doing the leader retreat right before but they were exactly what we needed right after. Their presence in our home was refreshing, light, and filled with laughter. We had the sweetest time with them (p.s. below is a picture of all of us in front of the best ice cream shop in all of Ireland just so you know for when you come visit)! It also was extra special for us because Viv and Kendall have walked closely with us during our season of making the decision to come to Ireland.

Viv, was one of the first people we ever told about getting the chance to come to Ireland to work with Alive Church. We had gotten a message about it and a few days later we were all eating at Fuzzy's and James and I couldn't keep it in any longer so we kind of just sprung it on her.

Kendall, actually was the lifesaver who let me live with her in San Antonio the spring before we came to Ireland. I had gotten a child life internship at Children's Hospital of San Antonio and needed some place to stay during the week, while James was in Abilene finishing his master's. We were literally making the decision to be in Ireland during those few months we were long distance and I lived with her. She patiently listened and waded through many a conversation with me about Ireland during that time.

It was a full circle moment to have them here, since they had seen the beginnings of this journey when it was but an idea in our heads and now they were getting to see it as a flesh and blood ministry.

We had one more special visitor this past Sunday, the Wise family, who are from James' home church First United Methodist Carrollton. They have been supporting us these past two years, so it was an awesome thing for them to come and get to see what we do here in person!

All that to say, it's been a busy and crazy season of people and ministry but it has been altogether good! I feel like every time I thank God for the people he has placed around us my words cannot even come close to the depth of appreciation I feel in my heart. He literally has surrounded us with the BEST people. We have the best parents, best friends, best church family in the entire world. So if you are one of our people reading this, I just need to tell you thank you again from the bottom of my heart. Your generosity and support is what allowed this to turn into a reality, and we will be eternally grateful for that!

One more very important thing...

Happy {a few days early} Father's Day

The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them. Proverbs 20:7

Happy Father's Day to the two men in our lives who have led in a way that continually displays Christ's sacrificial love! We would not be where we are today without the two of you! You are protectors of hearts, legacy builders, and mighty men of God. You displayed glimpses of the Father heart of God that in turn made us want to know Him more. You picked us up when we messed up, taught us what grace looked like, and set us on a course that led to life. To carry your names and legacy is a honor that we will never take for granted. Love you Dad forever and always!

It's gonna be May

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.

Finishing Well

Hi friends and familia, We miss you, love you, and are thinking of you often! I heard you are getting a crazy ton of rain dumped on you right now, which sucks currently but is going to make days on the lake a beautiful thing this summer.

So for those of you who have been following us through this journey of being in Ireland you may have realized that we are in our final stretch here. If you haven't, well then here's the big news, we are officially in our final chapter here in Ireland. Since we arrived in this final season, James and I have been chanting the matra "we need to finish well," ad nauseam. So much so that it became all we thought about, what we dreamed about, all we talked about and asked advice on. Slowly but surely, we were falling into this sinkhole of this idealistic expectation that finishing well meant everything had to go just so, just how we planned. It was not fun, and we began to feel ourselves kind of slipping away the past few weeks, into these machines whose one task was to "finish well."

But our God who is full of loving kindness decided to save us from ourselves. James and I realized that we were in a place of making ending well our everything, and so we began to give it to God. We laid down our expectations for how this was to end, we broke off the lie that it was all up to us, and began sharing our struggle with friends here.

This past Sunday we skyped with some dear fellow missionary friends of ours who have walked this journey with us every step of the way. We get to the end of the conversation and Logan goes "you know this whole conversation has been so easy, light, and full of laughter. It's been really different than all of our other conversations when we were working through challenges together, or confessing the things we were struggling with." And then he came out with this brilliant piece of wisdom that changed it all for us,

"you know I think that it's a sign of what your last 3 months are going to be here, ending is going to be light, joyful, and full of laughter."

We received it, and just like that the pile of bricks that were labeled "finishing well" that was tied to our ankles dragging us into this abyss fell off. We were free. Free to fill these last months with laughter, free for things to look differently than what we thought they would, free to enjoy every moment here.

So if you are thinking of us in these next few weeks or months, know that this is what we are believing for in this final chapter in Ireland. There are things that have yet to fall in place here, a huge one being finding the next worship leader, and we'd love for you to be praying for that with us as well.

In the midst of it all though, even the unknown, this verse has been reverberating in my head "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." Luke 12:32

That's what I am receiving.

That's a short and sweet update on us. We love you guys!