September 2008

Time to Take Stock

Three months have passed since we arrived in Ireland on June 20th and not a day goes by that Trish and I don’t still walk around town and say in tones of wonder and awe, “We live in Ireland.” For 3 ½ years, we held on to the fact that God had called us to this amazing land. Since January 2005, we have walked the waiting process. Our hearts longed to begin the journey with the Irish, but we also understood the importance of waiting for God to open the doors for us to come. We are truly blessed and know that we could not be here if it wasn’t for people interceding and lifting us up in prayer and giving sacrificially to support our financial needs. Thank you so much for your love and faithfulness. 

Here’s an update on these last months. I was recently sharing with Chuck Mylander, director of EFM, that I feel that we are in a place after three months that I hoped to gain after six. These first months have been an adventure learning about life in Ireland and we have certainly enjoyed laughing at ourselves in the process. Fun questions like what is “whinging” (whining or pitching a fit) or asking people to repeat themselves multiple times so we can figure out what they are saying. After driving comfortably for 20+ years, now faced with learning to drive on the left side of the road and a whole new set of traffic laws. We feel like 16 yr. olds again.

We have also spent a significant amount of time learning about our town and finding what the needs of the community are. One of the areas that we will be investing in is working with kids and youth. Ireland as a whole is very young population and Wicklow town is no exception. I have seen more kids walking the streets of Wicklow than I have seen in any other town or city. Pray for wisdom on how to go about this. 

There are many options and we need discernment. We are also getting involved and volunteering in the kid’s school. Tricia went to the PTA annual meeting and was volunteered by one of the other moms to be a board member and was approved. Pray for opportunities here.

One of the biggest joys has been the people that we have meet and who have shared their lives with us. It’s a blessing to see the relationships that have begun in such a short time. There are a few that we can see as being part of a core team. Please be in prayer for these relationships as they develop.

And this is only the tip of the iceberg. The first three months are done; it’s exciting to think what’s next?  Please continue to pray.

Answered Prayers: 

The power of an interceding group of people is amazing.  I wanted to share just some of the specific answers to pray that we have seen in the short three months.  We asked you to pray for the schooling for our kids.  They are in a fantastic school just minutes walk from the house.  Their classmates are friendly and helpful and we have made some amazing contacts talking with the other parents.  We asked you to pray for new relationships.  God has blessed that prayer.  Trish spends most evenings with the other moms on our street and getting to know them.  We have made many friends and even found a few that we are praying will lead into a Bible study in the coming months.  We asked you to be in prayer for our housing.  The neighborhood we are in is a snippet of old Ireland in the sense that all of the kids go out and play together and while they are out, many of the mom’s and dad’s come out to talk to one another.  We asked for God to go before us.  We have had several people say that it is amazing to see how much has been done after such a short time.  To God be the glory!

Kids Corner:

Moriah - Age 5: I have seen a lot of sheep and I like the sheep. They are all around and have paint on them. I like school. My team got a sucker for being the best last week. I like playing with Leah. She’s my best friend.

Jonathan - Age 9: I went to a basketball game, Notre Dame vs. Irish national team and Notre Dame won by one point. The picture (at right) is taken at Avoca handweavers. I had my birthday and turned 9. Everyone at my party had a blast.

(See 'Missionaries' for information on other EFM missionary personnel.)