One Year

It's hard to believe we've been here for one whole year! Yesterday, St. Patrick's Day, was our one year anniversary of living in Ireland. I still remember those first moments leaving the airport like it was yesterday.

Here are a few highlights of our first year in Ireland.

• Des & Eimear picking us up at the airport. 
• Two great months in Limerick with the Enget family, Pastor Kevin, & the Abundant Lifefamily. 
• Moving to Dublin and joining our St. Mark's Church family. 
• Meeting great new friends at St. Mark's Church. 
• Finally got used to driving on the left side of the road. 
• Going to Germany for SFC Europe's Connect Conference with Sarah & James. 
• Found our favourite chipper in Dublin. 
• Getting to know students & friends at Chapel Group, the CU at Trinity College, & Agapeministry. 
• A great friendship built with Julian Hamilton. 
• Our first Thanksgiving in Dublin with family & friends. 
• Our first event on campus as Students for Christ Dublin. Link
• Our first Christmas in Dublin with family able to fly in.
• Getting the news of our first child. 

It's been both one of the greatest and toughest years of our lives. We count ourselves incredibly blessed by the opportunity & journey that lies before us. We wouldn't be here without your prayers and support. Thank you.

Here's to many more years!

Gender Reveal!

We are so happy to announce that we will be having a bouncing baby BOY!

We'll be waiting to name our son until we see him face to face in July, although we have a few names in mind. Our little man is perfectly healthy and growing as he should be. Thank you so much for praying for our family.

Why We're Here

We've recently posted two blogs regarding university ministry and the local church. (5 Myths of the Local Church and University Ministry and 5 Reasons the Local Church Should Invest in University Ministry)

Katy and I have wondered "why are we here" many times through the past 11 months of being in Ireland. God has shown us several answers to this question. Our purpose and task is definitely multi-layered and if we're really honest…none of us will ever know our complete purpose until we get to Heaven.

However we know without a doubt that the core purpose for planting Students for Christ Dublin is to support and be a blessing to the local church. The organization we are a part of here is calledAssemblies of God Ireland (AGI). Their vision is simple and powerful…strengthen the local church, raise up leaders, and plant churches. It's all about the local church.

I had the opportunity last Friday night to share the importance of university ministry to pastors from across Dublin. The event was called Arise Dublin and it was such a privilege to share the potential of university students to influence our society, culture, and local churches.

Our goal in the previous posts and in this culminating post regarding university ministry and the local church is to help us all remember what a dynamic role our young people play in the church. We must always remember that investing in our youth is not about building our church…it's about building HIS church.

When you support Katy and I, you're supporting Students for Christ. You're investing in the life of a student preparing to enter the workforce of Ireland. But most importantly, you're investing in the local church