Juniper Hill

The UCF team arrived last Monday and spent their first week in Ballykeel, an estate in Ballymena. John, Erin, Dwight and I love having them here and are really excited to have them in Dunlcug for two weeks. John, Erin, and Dwight spent last Saturday with them in Coleraine and along the coast and came back encouraged by the fellowship and slightly injured by a fierce football match. I am incredible proud of Erin for holding her own and taking out one of the boys.

I took the bus up to Coleraine yesterday in hopes of spending the day with Connie and to go with the UCF team to Juniper Hill, a caravan park in Portrush that UCF has worked for several years. Connie's flights were delayed and she ended up not arriving until 6 o'clock or so, but she is here and that is exciting!

In previous trips to Northern Ireland, I spent several weeks at Juniper Hill and jumped at the chance to spend the afternoon there. In Northern Ireland, cavarvans are similar to beach houses or condos. The wealthier families will own or rent one and spend the entire summer on the coast. In general, the "residents" change from week to week as it is a holiday destination, but over the past four years, there have been several people UCF sees every year. One of those people is a guy named James.

I met James when he was 14 and was thrilled to see him as soon as we pulled up to the park. Henry, James and I sat in the grass and talked while the kids played football. James announced to us that he was saved! (He told Henry before I sat down and then caught me up on the conversation.) He said he had been praying for about three weeks and trying to do everything right but knew there was something else that he needed to do. So he went to see his girlfriend's father, who is a pastor, and they got it all worked out! So, I am already jumping up and down with excitement. I have known this kid for four years and watch Joel and UCF share Christ with him and in one of those rare moments from the Lord was allowed to see the fruit of all those words, prayers, and time. And, he goes on to tell me that he will be going to school in Ballymena this next year and there will be days between classes and football practice that he will have some time to kill. I ma already planning on what to cook him for dinner.

So, it was a good day.

Joel the hedgehog

so that's right...this is...well, was for a short time....our new pet. We were out talking to Colin a few nights go and some kid walked up and was like, hey there's a hedgehog over there. Then we were like, oh really? so we ambled over and quickly got excited when we saw it. Colin immediately decided to pick it up with his bare hands, calling it a "cute wee animal" and immediately suggesting that we name it Joel. We brought it in for a while, and though Colin informed us milk was the best thing to feed it, we soon learned online that they are lactose intolerant. nice. so we played with it for a while, which involved watching it curl up in a ball, trying to feed it a centipede and mushrooms, Colin repeatedly kissing and then regreting that, and watching it run around...after a while we decided to keep it in our neighbor, Hayley's garden (yard), which had a high cement fence and a gate. only later did we read online that they can apparently climb walls over a meter high or up houses, if they wedge themselves in between the wall and gutter. I am still doubtful and think he is hiding in there somewhere and we will find him soon. Poor Joel.

In less important news, things have been great in the past week, but are very busy now. The American team from Nashville arrived on Sunday and the Birmgingham UCF team on Monday. We have been splitting our time between those two teams, since the UCF team is working in Ballykeel this week and the Nashville team here in Dunclug. It has been very encouraging to see other Americans again, especially some of our friends from UCF, and to receive a few amenities, such as American peanut butter, measuring cups, black beans (for elizabeth), and my ab roller. so anyways, things are going great and it's late and I am exhausted and need to go to bed. So, this won't be that long, but I simply wanted you all to know what has been going on here. Please continue to pray for our work with the American teams, that the surplus in numbers will be beneficial in reaching more people and establishing new relationships, and then that we 4 will be able to follow up and build on those. The UCF team in particular will be here for a month, so we will be able to have a lot of interaction with them and be encouraged by their support and friendships. We love you all!

It came upon a midnight hour...

...and Erin was there to collect her reserved copy.

wowsers, there is a sun!

ok, so i realize it has been a whole week since anyone has blogged at all, and though the public outcry and popular vote seems to be for john, he seems to diregard this, and it has once again fallen to me to inform you all of any of the happenings lately. Ok, it has been a busy week...where should I start?

Well, the 12th went relatively well this year and seemed devoid of any major occurences, so we were very thankful to the Lord for that. The parades and marches in town on the 12th day were very interesting and though it heightened the tension, was soon over with none too worse for the wear. The kids here in Dunclug are still working on their bonfire, which will take place on the 8th of august, but seems to be characterized more this week by destruction, rather than construction. we find this humorous, for they have gathered lots of materials (wood pallets, tires, lumber, furniture, tree limbs, rubbish, etc...) and proceeded to spread it all over their football pitch in no apparent order. Then, they actually found a wee shed that they brought up onto the pitch to serve as a guard shack, to make sure no protestants come and light their material. At first, we were impressed for them to actually think of this on their own, but then realized they stopped all work and hung out in the shed all the time and griffitied it with IRA propoganda. Then, after a few days of getting bored, they tore the shed apart, breaking the 4 walls away from each other and the roof. With their guard shack destroyed at their own hands, they decided to build a new one with the pallets and lumber. Their new fort is bigger and was completed tonight, utilizing most of the substantial fire material that they had spread around the field for the bonfire. The rest of the materials they have been slowly burning in mini-American sized, normal fires each night, and actually all throughout the day too, as they get bored. I wonder if they will soon realize their stash is severely depleted and they are trashing their own estate. Oh well. It's good craic, as they say.

In other news, we have had several awesome opportunities to continue to develop the relationships with the kids. The girls have taken up baking and have had several girls over to cook, as well as making cookies for the wee kids around our house. We have also had several of the guys over to play monopoly for about 6-7 hours on a rainy day, and they want tp come back and play everyday, even though the sun has come out in the past two days and it has been beautiful outside (something we have not experienced in the month we have been here). Tonight, we had Sean (one of our closest friends here, whom the Lord has really layed on our hearts) and his girlfriend Lisa over for tea, complete with a full meal and cake made from scratch. They really enjoyed that. These opportunites are soo encouraging for us because it gives us chances to take our relationships with them past the normal, shallow level. We are beginning to get into the swing of actually living with the people now, like knowing where they live and feeling comfortable stopping by and the same for them, calling them to come play football or cook or play games on a rainy day or chill, getting to know their families, etc. All this is not only growing our friendships with them, but is providing more specific opportunities to talk directly about our faith and what we believe. As you might imagine, these times are very encouraging for us.

Let's see, what else...Colin is still hanging out with us a lot, too, which is great, but the Lord has really been stretching him to grow deeper in his relationship. Though he became a believer about 3 years ago, and even gave up a lot of the bad lifestyle things of his past at that point, the Lord is teaching him to trust him and grow in his walk. His granny is still in the hospital and on the verge of death, and he is spending all of his time with her, as she is the most important person in his life. Pray that the Lord would grant him peace and even joy in this tough time and teach him to pray and trust the Lord, even with this. Also, pray for his safety because some of his old enemies from his past lifestyle have recently been hunting him down with the intent to settle the score for good, and though he wants nothing to do with it, it is very hard to know how to respond.

John and I also just got back from talking with some boys at the bonfire tonight and feel very burdened for them. Though it started out with many guys and a lot of talk about the Bible and Christianity, a few persisted and led to some good questions and conversations. At the end, we talked with two guys, Paul and Aaron for an hour by themselves, presenting the Gospel in all of its entirety, as clear as possible. Paul is so close to believing and is clearly being pursued by the Lord, always full of questions and open to the Truth. Aaron was remarkably open and receptive tonight as well. Pray for them, as well as Michael (whom I talked with tonight clearly about the Gospel, but is not quite open yet, though he is one of our closest friends among the guys in the estate), Sean, John, Luke (Paul's younger brother), Decky, Brian, Rory, and another Brian.

On Saturday, an American group from Nashville with about 40 people will be coming to Dunclug, as they do every summer. They will be here till the next Monday, working in the estates, so please be praying for them as we help them and try to build on the work they will do with their large numbers. Then, this coming Monday, the UCF team, which comes every summer as well, will arrive in Ballykeel. They will be there for a week, then in Coleraine for a week, then here in Dunclug for two weeks. These teams help bring out a lot of kids and start relationships that we will then be able to follow up on and build on for this year, so be praying for these teams as they come and things get crazy for the next month or so. Also pray for good weather as they are here, for it is hard to get much done with rain, especially as we have been having record amounts the past month with hardly any sun. Please continue to pray for the unity of us 4 and for our personal walks, as the Lord is growing and teaching us each daily. Pray that our time in the Word and personal prayer, as well as group prayer, will be protected and a priority.

Well, sorry that this is so long, but I guess that's what happens after not posting for a busy week. We will put up more pictures of life here soon... We love you all....

the 12th of July

Well, this past week was marked by the beginning of the building of the bonfire here in Dunclug. Though the bonfire won't be until August 8th, they started building it this past week and will not stop working on it every single day until that day. This is also motivated due to the fact that the Protestants are in full force, with their massive day, July 12th. In Ballykeel, their bonfire last night was at around 40-50 feet tall and there were about 5 other big protestant bonfires around Ballymena. This is the marching season, full of bonfires, different paramilitary protests, demonstrations, and bands, and much hatred.

We are warned regularly now to be sure to always lock our doors and windows and leave nothing in view outside, or it will be lifted as bonfire fodder. This includes anything, from trashcans to clothes to bikes to cars. During the 12th and other big days during this marching season, older kids and some adults here in Dunclug get wasted and go around in mini riots, wreaking havoc on everything in their path, regardless of reason, logic, or owner. They break every window they cross, burn every car they see, and just destroy everything.

Last night the catholics here in the estate already burnt one car and broke into several homes, and it wasn't even their holiday. This is the kind of atmosphere and hatred and heightened emotions that go on during this time, which as you may imagine, makes it very difficult to break through this darkness. Almost all of the people fighting and all worked up have no idea what they are so mad about, but simply know that this is how it has been done for generations, and they know nothing different.

Please pray for the people during this time, that they may see some light in such a dark time, and that this year will be less violent and tumultous than past years. Pray also that we will have wisdom to know how to be friends with these kids, while showing that we don't agree with what they are doing. Pray also for safety and protection, for us and our friends, as we try to learn to minister in this difficult time. You saw in the last post what happened to our friend Colin last week, and that is not uncommon during this time. Also, pray for Colin and his family this week. His granny is very sick and the doctor is only giving her a few days to live. I was with him at the hospital a few days ago, and he is very close to his granny, so he is trying to trust the Lord through this. We love you all, and are encouraged by your comments and emails, etc, so feel free to send any our way!

As hesitant as I am to break the ice, people have been getting on to me (Pat), so here goes.

So Colin got jumped... in his own house. One night after hanging out with us, he went home and a few minutes later heard a knock on the back door. He opened it and was greeted with a punch in the face, then three guys attacked him until his 60 yr old ex-boxer neighboor came and chased them off. Colin fared well, getting out with only a black eye and some scrapes, but is worried about his mom, who he lives with.

This is the atmosphere approaching the 12th, which is the big Protestant holiday. The guys we know have been getting in several fights, mainly with each other, but its clear that there is some tension in the air. On the 12th communities light massive bonfires, 60ft. high, and bands march throughout the town as the prods celebrate winning some battle 200 years ago. It serves well to give an excuse to get drunk or get even, and then the catholics have a go at it on the 15th of August with their own fires, which the teenagers around here have already started working on.

There doesn't seem to be much escape from the cycle. The young prods and catholics grow up playing on the same football teams, and then get old enough to realize that they hate each other. Certain areas of town are strictly off limits for certain groups, with both sides feeling mistreated by the other.

There is an escape though, as Colin has shown us. After a rather thuggish adolescence, he became a Christian and walked away from the violence and drinking. The attack, that would in the past have been returned and then some with 15 or so friends, has been dealt with (so far) with a warning from his 300 pound dad. It is a good reminder for me that a social problem like this will rarely be solved with a secular solution (in this case integrating the schools or the myriad of other things the govt has tried), but when the Gospel spreads, the problems seem to take care of themselves.

For us however, spreading the Gospel is the problem, so please be praying for God to do His work through or in spite of us. People around here view Christianity as a list of do's and don'ts, as opposed to a relationship. I was talking to one girl probably 14 yrs old the other night who asked me if I was a Christian. I said yes, and she told me that she was a good girl; she didn't drink or whatever else. I asked her if she was a Christian, and she told me that she wasn't that good yet. That is the thought process of alot of people we are around, so pray for Brian, Luke, Decky, Rory, Ross, Chrissy, Shawn, Paul, Ryan, Kylie, Michael, John, Vinny, to name a few, that the light would break through in some of their hearts. Thanks!

Black Beans

For three weeks I have been searching all over Ballymena for black beans and had come to the conclusion that there were none to be found in Northern Ireland. Then today, Colin shows up at our door and hands me a bag of black beans! He is weak cool.

God Bless America (and Northern Ireland)!!

well, we have been here more than 3 weeks now and I have hit the point where every day doesn't seem to last forever and make it feel like we have already been here for 3 months, not three weeks. This week actually flew by and I can't believe it is already Friday. On Wednesday, we had an awesome 4th of July party and put on our own barbecue for us 4, Russell and Danielle, our neighbor and friend Hayley, our friend Paul, and then had more guests over after the barbecue for the rest of the night. We made everything true to American form this time, which meant, cheese and bacon and lettuce and tomato on our burgers and not just a plain meat patty. We had doritos, baked beans, chips and dip, sweet tea, homemade cookies, cheesecakes and ice cream. It was great, and Erin had brought us tons of decorations, so we were probably the most patriotic we have ever been. Here are some pics of our rockin party...don't get too jealous...







ok, so then... yesterday after playing football with some kids here in Dunclug for a few hours through light rain, Colin called us up and wanted to go to Ballykeel to play football on the big pitch with him and his mate David. So, when us 4 (me, john, colin david) got there, we were more than annoyed that someone had stolen both of the soccer goals, leaving an empty, useless field. So, we proceeded to walk the 20 minutes to Harryville, another Protestant community where there was a group of football pitches. However, on our walk, we were met by a torrential downpour that did not look like it was going away. The next 3 or so hours were an amazing time of playing mud football in a flooded field in the rain. Undoubtedly, penguin slides, diving headers, and completely unnecessary slipping and sliding ensued and made for a great time until the sun started going down a little after 10. At that point, we began a cold, soaking journey home and arrived ready for a nice cup of tea and shower. But not until we had ravaged our grocery armada, recently arrived from tesco. All in all, a great night.

Well, Im away. More to come soon. More pics of the coast with our friends...

Yay for friends!

This weekend turned out to be an encouraging and energizing time for me. On Saturday, we waited out some bad weather in the morning, which seems to be a pattern here. After cold rainy nasty mornings, many days during this time of year turn out to be sunny warm days. It turned out that Saturday became such a day and we went to Ballykeel with Colin and played football with him for several hours, as well as a few kids from Ballykeel. I was very encouraged by the time and had the opportunity to really find out more about his personal life and his story. That evening, we went to a Hope barbecue at Niel and Catherine's house, which not only served as great meal, but also some good time in relaxation, prayer, and worship. On Sunday, the Hope team put on the morning service, and though (or because) we did not play any major role, all went well, followed by another splendid and free meal at our friend Paul's house.

Today was our day off, as is each Monday, and Erin and I traveled to Coleraine, Garvagh, and Portstewart to meet with three of our friends from Samford, Danielle Greenwade, Laura Vandal, and Chad Robison. They are over on a 2 week mission trip and it was so encouraging and exciting to see some familiar faces and friends.

This week, we look forward to a sweet 4th of July party with at least us 4 interns, as well as Danielle, our intern coordinator with Hope, who is also American. We will have decorations and good food and will see what kind of havoc we can wreak upon this part of the UK. This week, be praying for more specific opportunities to spend quality time with some kids, particularly for me: Sean, John, Michael, Benny, and Vinny (some of the older kids I play football with-none of which are believers). Also pray that my relationship with Colin will continue to grow and deepen so that we can go deeper and help him grow in his young faith. As one more request, please be praying for healing in my knee, which I injured early on while playing football, and has continued to decrease mobility and increase pain. Thank you all for praying and for you love and support- I am a weak vessel that needs all the support I can get so that the Lord's love will be shown and not me.