** Note** I am posting this for my own sanity's sake as well as anyone else who it may be applicable to.
What to do when:
-you are freaking out about how much you have to do
-you dont have time to do it all and you feel like you arent doing enough and need to work harder
Do this:
-take a breather and sit still for at least 5 minutes
-think about who God is
-think about who Christ is
-think about who the Holy Spirit is
-think about what They are doing:
through scripture
through prayer
through the church
through the world
through your friends
through your family
and through you
-pray
-read your Bible
-talk to someone about the gospel
-and also stop taking yourself so seriously
-learn to say no
-take a chill pill
-get some more sleep
Then, get back to that elephant you have to eat, and eat it little bit by little bit.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Week 5: (July 14-20) CYIA team in Derry and meeting the family in IRE!!! :D
(The CYIA team in Derry!)
Richill Baptist Church hosted the team and allowed us to stay there for the week!
Later, the team went out into the neighborhoods to hand out flyers to parents, letting them know that we would be hosting 5-day holiday Bible clubs in the neighborhood for their kids to go to. We had many parents interested, if only to drop their kids off for free babysitting, but we were just excited for anyone who was interested. We split up into 5 teams that would go out into 3 neighborhoods each. I do not have any pictures of the kids for security purposes.
In the evening, after tea, we walked out to the Derry Peace Bridge together. We sang old childhood Christian songs on the Peace Bridge as loud as we could. It was a blast! :)
Fiona Cooper
Friday, July 19th, was the last day at the neighborhoods and together as a team! Pastor David came back to speak to us again. We went out after prayer and lunch. This time, I did the story. I felt a lot of weight about it, because it was about the Last Supper and the gospel story and the importance of it. I was very convicted about how usually we dumb down the gospel to kids and leave out important things. I felt as though the Holy Spirit really emboldened me to speak the full gospel with clarity and in a way that they could understand. But, even though we had the most kids we had ever had at the first group, we did not have any kids come to the last two. We were not discouraged, however, instead we talked together and prayed together. Gareth treated Deborah, Christine, and I to Starbucks after that to celebrate a great week as a team.
We all came back to the church to clean and eat Chinese (I ate fish and chips). After dinner, we all said our goodbyes and then Stephen Wilson, the pastor of Letterkenny Baptist, came to pick me up and drop me off at his mother's house for the night. It was nice to have a full night's sleep after such a crazy and amazing week.
Child Evangelism Fellowship- A worldwide organization in which believers evangelize to children with the gospel of Jesus Christ and disciple them in the Word of God and get them involved in local churches to spread the kingdom of God.
Children Youth In Action- A summer ministry for youth ages 14 and up to reach children for Christ. Usually there is training for youth to complete and go through to participate, but sometimes, if you are an older believer and asked by a church, (as I was) you can participate with a team.
Sunday, July 14th, started with the CYIA team leading worship at Richill Baptist. Aaron and I led worship again and the other part of the CYIA team participated as well! It was wonderful!
(Bryan, Anna, Rachel, Jennifer, Gareth, Fiona, and Deborah at Richill Baptist on Sunday)
(David Baird, the gentle and passionate pastor of Richill Baptist Church)
Later, the team went out into the neighborhoods to hand out flyers to parents, letting them know that we would be hosting 5-day holiday Bible clubs in the neighborhood for their kids to go to. We had many parents interested, if only to drop their kids off for free babysitting, but we were just excited for anyone who was interested. We split up into 5 teams that would go out into 3 neighborhoods each. I do not have any pictures of the kids for security purposes.
In the evening, after tea, we walked out to the Derry Peace Bridge together. We sang old childhood Christian songs on the Peace Bridge as loud as we could. It was a blast! :)
(Fiona and Rachel
Derry was the city of culture this year which is the reason for the flags.)
(Rachel, me, and Fiona)
Fiona is my sweet English friend from Wimbledon. Rachel is my sweet friend who lives in Ireland. They go to school together in Glasgow, Scotland. Fiona is studying religious studies and Rachel is studying to be a vet. Fiona came over to Ireland to stay with Rachel and her family and help with the CYIA team. She and I could understand the small differences of the Irish and marveled at the beauty of the land together!
(Fiona and Deborah skipping off to Derry Peace Bridge)
(Rachel, Christine, and I on the Peace Bridge)
(Rachel, Jennifer, and Christine on Derry Peace Bridge)
(The CYIA team singing on the Peace Bridge together)
(Pauline and Kenny Bingham- Pauline is one of the craziest and most wonderful women!)
On Monday, one of the pastors from another church, Tim from Cornerstone, came to speak to us before we went out. Then we all prayed together for a while and did some last preparations. We headed out after lunch. My team was led by Gareth McBeth, and had Christine, Deborah, and I. Another girl, Laura, was able to come with us on Tuesday and part of Friday. We had the smallest team. We spent an hour at each of the 3 neighborhoods that our team was assigned to. All were in rougher areas and had a high concentration of Catholics.
The rough agenda of the time we spend in our hour at each of the 3 neighborhoods:
-Start with games (usually us running around with the kids or playing football/soccer)
-Sing songs (Deborah played guitar and sang, I sang and did hand motions)
-Memory Verse with the kids
-Story time
-Quiz over the story
-More songs
-Prayer
-Games
Each day we switched around roles of who led each activity.
We had 3 kids come to the first neighborhood, 2 kids come to the second, and about 6-10 kids come to the last neighborhood (some left.)
On Tuesday, July 16th, Tim returned to encourage and speak with us again and then we did prayer time together again, sharing and encouraging each other and asking the Holy Spirit to move in the hearts of the kids we talked with. Then, after lunch and prep, we went out back into the neighborhoods. I did the memory verse that day. We had 4 kids come to the first neighborhood, 2 kids, and then 4 kids at the last. It was not as many kids as the first day, but we were glad that kids came. It's the Holy Spirit that does the work- we are just called to be faithful and speak the Word about Jesus Christ.
On Wednesday, July 17th, Tim spoke with us for the last time that week. We had prayer time together, and then headed out after lunch again. More kids came to the first two clubs at the first two neighborhoods, but both dwindled a little toward the end. The last group of kids started out with one little girl and then two more came after a little while. I was so excited to see how joyful they were that we came back and how enthusiastic the kids were about the songs. They soaked up all the attention we gave them. They were so hungry for love. All we could hope is that they saw that it was not us, but Christ in us that they were so attracted to.
In the evening, after sharing and praying together, we went to the beach to leave the church open for the Richill Baptist members to have their corporate prayer time together.
(Rebekah, Rebecca, Mark, Jill, Matthew
Bethany, Glenda, me,
Karina, and Allison at the BEACH!!)
(the view at the beach)
(the beach!)
Fiona Cooper
(she and I went for a walk on the beach and talked for a while! it was wonderful!)
(so beautiful)
(Fiona, Deborah, Anna, and I- taken by Rachel)
Thursday, July 18th, started with David Baird, the pastor of Richill Baptist, coming and speaking to us. We prayed together and headed back out. The amount of kids was smaller again at the last two, but the first group was about 6-8 kids. One of the girls brought her cousins to the club. It was wonderful how attentive and excited she was.
That night, we went to Gareth McBeth's house for a BBQ. It was good craic! ;) (if I have not said before, that means "it was good fun!") Fiona and I went for a walk and talked and I went on a tractor ride!!!! Great craic!
(David, Jennifer, Pauline, Fiona, and Heather at the McBeths)
(me, Rebekah, and Alison at the BBQ)
(the buzz at the BBQ)
Friday, July 19th, was the last day at the neighborhoods and together as a team! Pastor David came back to speak to us again. We went out after prayer and lunch. This time, I did the story. I felt a lot of weight about it, because it was about the Last Supper and the gospel story and the importance of it. I was very convicted about how usually we dumb down the gospel to kids and leave out important things. I felt as though the Holy Spirit really emboldened me to speak the full gospel with clarity and in a way that they could understand. But, even though we had the most kids we had ever had at the first group, we did not have any kids come to the last two. We were not discouraged, however, instead we talked together and prayed together. Gareth treated Deborah, Christine, and I to Starbucks after that to celebrate a great week as a team.
We all came back to the church to clean and eat Chinese (I ate fish and chips). After dinner, we all said our goodbyes and then Stephen Wilson, the pastor of Letterkenny Baptist, came to pick me up and drop me off at his mother's house for the night. It was nice to have a full night's sleep after such a crazy and amazing week.
(the CYIA team!)
Saturday, July 20th, was the big day for me to go to my family's get-together for the 90th birthday of my great-grand Aunt MaryAnn McBrearty. Some of my second cousins picked me up from Letterkenny Baptist to go with them to the mass at the Catholic church in Bruckless, Co. Donegal. Mass was at 5 pm. One of the cousins asked me at the end of the mass if I would get up and sing in honor of MaryAnn. I was nervous, but I got up and sang two verses of "How Great Thou Art" and it was incredible: I felt the Holy Spirit empowering me to sing on and sing out and proclaim the gospel that the song portrayed. I felt and saw all the family members who I had never met or just met stop and listen and I felt the Holy Spirit moving as I sang. It was something so beyond me. Even though it was nerve-wracking, I am so glad I sang for MaryAnn and the family. We went to Blue Haven for dinner. It was pretty posh and nice. Then, we hung around and danced and talked until late into the night. It was a wonderful time!
(the birthday lady, MaryAnn, and I after the mass)
(MaryAnn and her siblings)
(the excitement!!)
(MaryAnn and her kids)
(the grandkids and MaryAnn!)
(Blue Haven music group and one of the granddaughter's singing a song)
The CYIA team was wonderful work with, and I made friends that I will never forget. The Holy Spirit worked in incredible ways in the people on the team and in the hearts of the children that we worked with. Thank you all so much for your prayers!
Please continue to pray for the members of the team as they go out into the world in their everyday lives- that they will continue to live and speak the gospel of Jesus Christ!
My time with my family was wonderful, but please pray for them. They are all Catholic. I learned a lot about Catholicism during my time in Ireland: the essence of Catholicism is good-works based theology. Basically, if you are good enough and try to be a good person- through prayer, doing good things, and going to mass- you will go to heaven.
The only way we can be saved is by realizing that we can never be good enough- we were created in God's image but we are under the curse of sin, which has a consequence: death and separation from God which is the eternal death and damnation of our souls. It is only because Jesus Christ lived a perfect life as both the Son of God and a human on earth, died in our place taking the wrath of God upon Himself, that we are freed from this punishment. But, Jesus is so awesome (in the TRUE sense of the word) that He had power over sin and death and they could not keep Him in the grave: He rose from the dead- which gives us hope! He is our Lord and Savior and worthy of being praise because He is the Son of God and ascended to be at God's right hand in heaven. But, He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us transforming us to be more like Himself and revealing to us the Truth that is in Scripture which we could never understand without divine revelation. But, Jesus is coming back to judge the world someday- that is why we have to realize or reject that Jesus is who He says He is and saved us from ourselves.
Friends, please pray for my family in Ireland with me.
Pray for Ireland.
Thank you so much!
Week 4: (July 7th-13th) Letterkenny
Hello, friends! Long awaited update on Week 4!!!
So Sunday, July 7th, I worshiped with the fellowship at The Bridge for the last time during my stay. Claire, Kerry, and I did worship together and several members of The Bridge spoke a few words on their reflection of the past year. Stephen spoke on how he saw the gospel, Alison Smyth on prayer's impact, Clive on unity, Nan on faithfulness, Sheila on God's provision, Darlene on God's control and comfort, and Joe on the presence of God. It was wonderful and bittersweet because it was the Cornell's last Sunday at The Bridge and in Ireland before they moved back to the states.
Later, there was a BBQ at the Aiken's to say goodbye to the Cornells.
It was wonderful and sweet. I was surprised and touched that the fellowship and friends also pointed out it was my last time with them as well. I miss my friends that I made at The Bridge and I do hope that I will be able to see them again sometime. I do hope that the goodbye was only a goodbye until later. But, if not, I can have full assurance of worshiping together one day with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Brian and Heather Chambers came to pick me up early from the BBQ so that I could make it to prayer time at Letterkenny Baptist Church. Goodbyes were short and sweet. Prayer time with the members of LK Baptist was encouraging and Spirit-filled. Afterward, I went home with Allister and Trudy Johnston who were members of the church.
On Monday, July 8th, Trudy, Sylvia (Trudy's friend) and I went to Dublin. First, we went to Newgrange, a pre-historic monument in County Meath, Ireland. It was built about 3200 BC in the Neolithic period, possibly older than the Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge. It is not sure what the purpose of it was, but it is most likely that it was religious purposes, possibly a temple for the people who worshiped the Dagda, the sun-god. According to legend, the Dagda built the monument for himself, his wife, Boann, and his three sons.
It was truly a miracle that we got into Newgrange! Usually groups book tours about 2 years in advance and those who are wanting to get in need to come in hours before tours to try and get tickets.
We came in around 10:50 am wanting the 11:15 am tour, and the lady told us that the only next available tour was at 2:15 pm which we would not be able to stay for. Only a few minutes later as we were about to walk away, she came back with three tickets for 11:15 am and we got them half price because it was so close to the time and someone did not want them!
We were so excited and shocked and we ran to the bus stop for the tour!
Tuesday and Wednesday were both days that were more relaxing and full of preparing for the BYE team (Baptist Youth Evangelism team) coming to Letterkenny Baptist coming to help with the Holiday Bible club and the youth club on July 20-28th.
Later, Alison dropped me off in time to go with Trudy to Allister's family's caravan park in Marble Hill on the north coast. It was wonderful. We had tea (dinner) with Allister's parents.
(Quiet and wonderful early breakfast before going to Dublin on Monday, July 8th- the view from Trudy's)
I spent a week at Allister and Trudy's in Letterkenny. Allister and Trudy were a huge blessing to open their home to me for the week! I had a wonderful time from them. They are a lovely couple. Letterkenny in north of Strabane, but is not in Northern Ireland (the part of Ireland that is in the UK). It is in the Republic of Ireland in the County of Donegal.
(Meet Allister and Trudy Johnston who hosted me my 4th week at Phyllis and Kassim's wedding)
Later, there was a BBQ at the Aiken's to say goodbye to the Cornells.
(Clive, my Irish dad)
(my little pals!)
(The Barrs and I)
(Lauren and I)
(Aimee and I)
(Damien!!)
(Noeleen and I)
It was wonderful and sweet. I was surprised and touched that the fellowship and friends also pointed out it was my last time with them as well. I miss my friends that I made at The Bridge and I do hope that I will be able to see them again sometime. I do hope that the goodbye was only a goodbye until later. But, if not, I can have full assurance of worshiping together one day with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Brian and Heather Chambers came to pick me up early from the BBQ so that I could make it to prayer time at Letterkenny Baptist Church. Goodbyes were short and sweet. Prayer time with the members of LK Baptist was encouraging and Spirit-filled. Afterward, I went home with Allister and Trudy Johnston who were members of the church.
On Monday, July 8th, Trudy, Sylvia (Trudy's friend) and I went to Dublin. First, we went to Newgrange, a pre-historic monument in County Meath, Ireland. It was built about 3200 BC in the Neolithic period, possibly older than the Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge. It is not sure what the purpose of it was, but it is most likely that it was religious purposes, possibly a temple for the people who worshiped the Dagda, the sun-god. According to legend, the Dagda built the monument for himself, his wife, Boann, and his three sons.
(Newgrange, County Meath)
It was truly a miracle that we got into Newgrange! Usually groups book tours about 2 years in advance and those who are wanting to get in need to come in hours before tours to try and get tickets.
We came in around 10:50 am wanting the 11:15 am tour, and the lady told us that the only next available tour was at 2:15 pm which we would not be able to stay for. Only a few minutes later as we were about to walk away, she came back with three tickets for 11:15 am and we got them half price because it was so close to the time and someone did not want them!
We were so excited and shocked and we ran to the bus stop for the tour!
(entrance stone with megalithic art)
We ate lunch and barely made the train into Dublin on time. We went to Trinity College and Trudy showed us around because she had studied Pharmacy there for 4 years only a few years ago.
We saw the Books of Kells in the Trinity College Library.
(dreamy bookcase in the Trinity Library)
(Trinity College Library, home of the Book of Kells)
We sat on the great lawn of Trinity and watched people and talked. Trudy and I got orange juice from the bar which was pretty humorous because the bartender seemed pretty surprised by our request.
(Trinity College in Dublin)
(Dublin)
(Dublin)
(Temple Bar in Dublin at night)
We walked around and went through a beautiful park. We ate dinner in Dublin's Temple Bar which was buzzing with people of all kinds. Around 10:45 we ran and barely made it to the train in time. It was a wonderful day! Tuesday and Wednesday were both days that were more relaxing and full of preparing for the BYE team (Baptist Youth Evangelism team) coming to Letterkenny Baptist coming to help with the Holiday Bible club and the youth club on July 20-28th.
(Holiday Bible Club flyer- designed by myself with help from Trudy)
(Youth Club flyer designed by myself with help from Trudy)
On Thursday, I had lunch with Heather Chambers and then we worked at the bookshop that Letterkenny Baptist Church has. In the evening was the wedding of Phyllis and Kassim. Phyllis and Kassim are both from Ghana. (There is a large population of immigrants from Ghana in Ireland, and many people who go to Letterkenny Baptist are from Ghana.) Last minute, it was decided that I would play my own rendition (me improvising with the chords) of Amazing Grace (it was not as impressive as this sounds) for the bride, Phyllis to walk in Letterkenny Baptist to. It was informal, exciting, and a combination of two wonderful cultures! Not bad for my second experience of a wedding. I had a blast!
(the Letterkenny Baptist worship team played some worship songs)
(me playing "Amazing Grace" for the bride's entrance)
(Pastor Stephen Wilson marrying Phyllis and Kassim)
(3 ladies sang songs in blessing to the bride and groom! one in their language!!)
(Sweet Mona Lisa, a member of LK Baptist)
(Pastor Stephen Wilson and Alister Johnston)
(Heather and Brian Chambers)
(after the ceremony!)
(One of the sweet girls who befriended me because they thought I had a good sense of fashion!)
(dancing!)
(Phyllis and Kassim, the newlyweds!)
On Friday, July 12th, I went with Alison and Aimee Smyth to Ballymena, N. Ireland for the Protestants march. Every 12th of July, the Protestants gather pipe bands and parade and celebrate together- obviously a big day for Protestants. (Just to make sure that everyone knows- I DID NOT go for a political statement- only for the purpose of the experience and to see what it was like.)
(It was pretty fun!)
(Alison, Aimee and I)
(One of the MANY bands!)
Later, Alison dropped me off in time to go with Trudy to Allister's family's caravan park in Marble Hill on the north coast. It was wonderful. We had tea (dinner) with Allister's parents.
(Allister and Trudy and Allister's parents)
(Allister's parents, the Johnstons)
Saturday, July 13th, I prepared to go to Richill Baptist Church to work with the CYIA team in Derry (Londonderry) and made cookies for Trudy to bring to her nieces and nephews when she went back to the caravan site. David Baird, the pastor at Richill Baptist, picked from Allister and Trudy's to bring me to the church. I met the team that night and even though they had all worked together before, I connected and fit in pretty well immediately.
My next update will be about my week with the CYIA team working children's holiday Bible clubs in the neighborhoods in Derry.
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