Happy New Year from Ireland!
I can’t believe it’s been over four months since I last wrote. As I ended 2022 here in Ireland, I reflected on the new opportunities given to me and the unexpected blessings. I am happy to have an amazing church family at Church of the Nazarene Greystones. I am happy to have colleagues whom I call friends that I work with each day. I am happy to have a warm and safe home to retreat to each day. I am happy to have each of you coming alongside me in prayer and other generous offerings. Here are some fun new things that happened in the last few months.
| New Office! |
Since I arrived in Ireland, I have been working from my attic office in my house. After we moved our rapidly growing children’s ministry into some bigger portable classrooms, I was able to move into the old nursery room. All three of us on staff, Luke, Tim, and I, are working in the same building now! A big part of my job as administrative pastor is facility management and it was getting harder to manage that facility from my attic. Also, it is so nice for all three of us to be together in the building each day as we lead the church body.
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| New People! |
At the beginning of September, I traveled up north to Dundalk, finally! A student from one of my APU short-term teams was visiting Ireland and made a stop in Dundalk to visit the church we worked with. I got to go up for the weekend and reconnect with old friends in Dundalk. We had a group of Michiganders come from Luke’s home church to bless us in early October. They helped us move into those portable classrooms by building an enormous amount of Ikea furniture for us. It was so fun to have Americans here, it made me miss all of my own Americans. My first non-family visitors, Cathy and Aaron Yue, came at the end of September. We have been blessed to have some new community groups using our building beginning in the fall. It’s a blast to share our resources with the community. Part of my ministry is facilitating these outside groups and it is a pleasure to welcome all different kinds of groups into our home.
Dani, Molly, Grace, and Lorraine in Dundalk |
Molly and Cathy Yue at the Ivy in Dublin |
Molly and a dozen Michiganders in Dublin |
| Christmas and New Year |
At the beginning of December, I was able to travel to Thailand for the EFM Worldwide Missionary Gathering. It was such a nice respite from Ireland for a little while. I had the best time getting to know other global workers that I only ever read about in prayer updates. It was especially sweet to catch up with Elise Paty, another single female worker who is now a part of the EFM family. Returning home, saw me finally getting COVID-19. I had to sit out most of the Naz’s Christmas festivities, but I was well enough and testing negative to be with my church family on Christmas. On January 1, I had the blessing of preaching for my church body again about something both EFM and myself are enthusiastic about: the specific equipping and gifting of each believer.
As I look forward to my second year in Ireland, I look back at a year that God was so present in my life and the life of those we serve here in Greystone. God has richly blessed me. God has also taught me about the beauty of his grace which is a lesson this closet perfectionist could be learning for the rest of her life. As I look forward, I am blessed by the provision of God and his people that support my ministry here in Greystone through prayer and generous giving.
All my love and prayers,
Molly
Elise Paty, Chelsea Carpenter, and Molly in Thailand |
Molly’s Christmas tree! |
| Pray with Me |
Praises:
- I am really happy with how my sermon went last Sunday. I am looking forward to preaching more often.
- Thailand was amazing and such a blessing. Thank you to EFM for the provision and facilitation of that trip.
- My lease was renewed without question, so I get to stay in my house where I have made a genuinely nice home for myself.
- I was welcomed into the family of the Stephens for Christmas, and it was an absolute treat! Chatting with my family that evening was wonderful as well.
Requests:
- I have put myself on the preaching calendar more often, please pray that preaching and sermon prep get less stressful the more I get to do it.
- We are starting a new book study in our small groups next week called “How to Pray” by Pete Greig. Pray for openness and good discussion in those three small groups.
- I have begun the process of getting an Irish Driving License, please pray for the logistics and favor with the government and my memory of proper driving from 23 years ago to return.
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