Summer in Ireland

Summer is here. In Ireland that means a sunny day here and there, and it will be less cold and less rainy. Our schedule, however, changes a good bit for the summer.

Katy will be finishing up the Alpha Course with St. Mark's South this next week. They've had great success and are excited for the next term. We have finished up most of our work on campus for this term. Here's what's going on as we enter into summer...

• We will be working on preparation and travel for our annual CONNECT Conference in Germany at the end of July. We are praying our visas get sorted by then (yes, we are still waiting...a year later).
• We will be working on a rebranding campaign for SFC Europe.
• We will be preparing for a student leadership training conference we will help run in August here in Dublin. It is called Influence.
• We will be spending much-needed quality time with the kids and various family and friends visiting throughout the summer.

Thank you so much for you prayers and support. Please be in prayer with us specifically regarding our visas. We have not heard anything from the Irish Government after over a year. God will provide!

Best Moms Ever

Today we want to recognize our amazing moms! In Ireland, Mother's Day was a few weeks ago. But today, our American mothers will be celebrating Mother's Day.

Katy and I are one of the few married couples who both have amazing in-laws. We are so blessed to have moms who are supreme examples in selflessness, sacrifice, generosity, wisdom, gentleness, kindness, patience, love, and so much more.

Today we honor you both. Thank you for all you have done for our families and for those around you. Thank you for teaching us to follow God. You are the best mother's and grandmother's ever. We are truly blessed and hope you have the best day ever!

P.S. We're also thankful that Roxanne flew in this morning just in time to celebrate this wonderful day with us in person. We miss you mom (Suzanne)!

And since I (Blake) am writing this post, I'll take this moment to say again how amazing Katy is as a mom. She works so hard to make sure we are all taken care of and prepared for life. Eden, Eli, and I are blessed far beyond what we deserve.

We Need SLEEEEP!

As I type, there is a cute, slumbering 10-month-old upstairs who will be awake in a few hours tonight. Eli is proving very difficult to sleep train. He is very cuddly and needs human contact for comfort. 

While we love cuddling with him, we'd appreciate said cuddling to occur during the 16 hours of the day not devoted to sleep. All we need is 8 and we'll be well-rested, sane human beings. 

So, we are calling all people who pray: you're on deck. Here are our requests...

1. Please pray that Eli would have peace in his mind, heart, and body to enable him to sleep soundly (when he wakes in the night, he sounds distressed). 8 hours, please Jesus. 
2. Strength for me (Katy) as I get up with him during the night. Part of the training involves not taking him out of bed - great in the long run but makes for long, miserable nights. 
3. Strength for Blake, who takes the early morning shift when the boys wake so that Katy can grab a nap. 

While we've gotten some amazing advice on sleep, we would appreciate just prayer and encouragement for now. 

Thank you guys so much for being the best team members we could ask for. We feel the love and encouragement from all over the world.