Huge Prayer Request

Last week, we received a letter in the mail from the Department of Justice - they had rejected our request to apply for another year-long visa. It seems that we gave them insufficient evidence that we are actually needed here in the work with student ministry. Here is the good news:

1. We received this letter with ample time to make an appeal. Our current visa does not expire until the end of May. 
2. The missing information may be fairly simple to obtain. With the assistance of a couple of AGI leaders writing letters stating why we should be here, there should be enough evidence in our favour. 
3. God called us to Ireland and will keep us here until the work he has for us to do is done...and it isn't done yet, as far as we can see. 

Here is our stress: 

1. We feel in limbo with this pending thing hanging over our heads. Please be in prayer that we can focus and not allow anxiety to rule our thoughts. 
2. The people who evaluate immigration cases can reject them based on their mood that day. Please pray that we have favour with the Department of Justice as we appeal. 
3. This is all occurring during the last trimester of Katy's pregnancy - we are under enough stress with the upcoming arrival of our next child! Please pray that Katy and baby stay healthy and that I (Blake) can keep my head above water with all the stress. 

We are so grateful for the incredibly supportive friends and co-workers here in Ireland who have our backs during this time. Thank you to everyone reading this for being our prayer team as we go forward. 

Good News

Blake and I go together like peas and carrots. Or like Pringles and brownies, because that combo sounds so good to me right now. Anyway, we really do complement each other nicely...except for our blood types. Let me explain: I am a negative blood type and Blake is positive.

Women with negative blood types can develop antibodies against babies they carry who are positive. That happens if the mother's and baby's blood mixes, like with a miscarriage or at birth. To prevent this, moms like me are given a shot with antibodies. Our bodies think their job is done in fighting off the unfamiliar blood type. If I would develop antibodies, however, my current baby could be at risk for anemia and I would be at risk for miscarriages later on down the road with future babies. 

Enough with the medical babble...

As most of you know, we had a miscarriage last August. I was given that shot of antibodies just in case our little Zoe had Blake's blood type. With this pregnancy they tested me again and, to my dismay, they found antibodies in my blood. We prayed that God would do a miracle and remove them (it had been so long since my last antibody shot that it was unlikely that there were traces of it still in my system). However, we got a call on Friday that my most recent blood test came back negative for antibodies!

We are so thankful that God heard our prayers and that He does care about our anxieties. Even if the test had come back positive again, we know that He is a healing and protecting God. He holds our hands and walks with us through any challenge we come across. 

Hookup Culture

We recently co-hosted an event in a campus pub at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) called God on Tap. Partnering with the Methodist Chaplain at TCD, our goal is to build relationships with university students from diverse backgrounds. This past evening, one topic stuck out more than anything this...the "hookup culture".

The boundaries of sexuality are becoming more and more ambiguous, and it is no different on the college campuses of Dublin. Not only is it common for students to have casual sexual encounters with friends/acquaintances, it is encouraged. What's more, there is an atmosphere of peer pressure towards these activities. 

We’ve come to realise that most students don't actually want casual sex. They want longterm, meaningful relationships with someone they love and trust (not necessarily confined to marriage). While they’re fine with others participating in the hookup culture, many don't want it for themselves. However, there is ever-growing pressure for them not only to approve, but to participate.

During our conversation I shared what I understand to be the Biblical boundaries of sex and relationships. I also shared that Katy and I waited until marriage. Surprisingly, most of the students around the table were positively curious toward our experience and expressed a desire to take some of our principles into their own relationships.

Please pray for the students of Dublin (and all across the world). They are under immense pressure. Social norms that develop culturally will come and go. What has not changed is the Word of God and a call to make Jesus first. That means boundaries and holiness, but it also brings the joy and peace of the Lord.

Thank you for all your prayers and support. Together we are impacting the universities of Dublin and Ireland. I will close with a brilliant quote.