Goodbye Limerick, Hello Dublin

We say goodbye to Limerick. 

After two months of resting, watching, laughing, playing, working, and learning we are better people. No amount of thanks would be enough for the people that took us in and helped us enter the beginning stages of adjustment. True cultural adjustment takes years (perhaps decades) to achieve, but the beginning is crucial to the process.

Thanks to a few amazing people:

• Brent and Lori Enget
• Kevin Fitzgibbon
• Ellie Murnane
• Billy Stone
• Joe & Cassia Daniels
• All the students of Students for Christ, Limerick
• All the people of Abundant Life Christian Church

You will always have a special place in our hearts. You were our first glimpse of life in Ireland. Thank you so much.

We say hello to Dublin. 

There is such an energy in this city. We are looking forward to many years of building relationships and ministry here.

A wonderful couple from St. Marks Church happened to be in the city centre on Friday. They had an hour to kill so they decided to give blood. As they read the sign informing them the blood bank had already closed, a young American couple pulled up with a car full of stuff to move into their new apartment…above the blood bank. Mick and Trish remembered us from church, asked if we needed a hand, and helped us move everything! What a great first day in Dublin. We were blessed with the favour of God and a great couple randomly passing by.

Dublin, you are our new home. St. Marks…our new home church. The students of Dublin…our heart.

P.S. I wrote this blog looking out of the window above. Our home until September. Be jealous.

Just In Time

As many of you know, I was diagnosed with MS in 2009 and have been on a daily medication for about a year. This medication is designed to prevent relapses and has caused me no side effects...praise Jesus!

A couple of weeks ago, I visited a GP (general practitioner) for a referral to visit a neurologist (this medication is one that can only be prescribed by a specialist). The soonest appointment he could get me was in July. This means I would be one month without the medication. I found myself at the crossroads of faith and reason.

Blake and I prayed about what to do and decided to go with the flow and trust the Lord to take care of this situation. We called the GP to see if he might prescribe a refill himself...which I was sure wouldn’t happen. He said yes!

The day after I got my “impossible” prescription, I had the medication in my hand. As I was putting my fresh supply into the refrigerator and taking my last remaining dose from home out, I thought about how God gives us exactly what we need, when we need it.

At some point all of us feel the desire to provide the things we need on our own. However, God is the one guiding the outcomes, and when we are forced to relinquish control of things that are precious to us and leave them with Jesus this truth become a reality. Just as the saying goes: God is never late, rarely early, but always on time.

I know without a doubt that God has his hand on my life and is my healer...medicine or no medicine. I am excited to see how He will provide protection and continued healing. Thank you guys for praying with us as we continue to trust the Lord!

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” - Psalm 20:7

Our Family

Missionaries aren’t the only ones who make sacrifices.

Everyone applauds the missionary for leaving but when the dust settles and the “parade” leaves town...the family members are the ones who have to pick up the pieces and get on with their lives. In some ways, it’s harder for them because they don’t have new vistas to explore but have to get up in the morning and make their cereal the same way they’ve been doing for 30 years.

As missionaries, we have culture shock and fun experiences to distract us somewhat from the ones we miss so much. Our parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, etc. do not have such distractions.

Even though they are not physically with us, they are part of what we’re doing by supporting us through love, prayer, and many other ways. They are as much a part of what  God is doing in Ireland as we are.

We want to give a shout-out to our family members and say a special thank-you to them. They are the ones who send us odds and ends that we miss, take care of miscellaneous things for us stateside, and encourage us as we encounter challenges on a daily basis. We love you!