Impact Ireland

Well Impact Ireland 2009 will be over tomorrow. I Cannot believe that! It just seems like yesterday Ludie was leaving for Cork to get on the OM Ship Logos Hope. I know the team is tired as well as the families from the non-stop schedule. It has been so worth it though!

The Ship:
The month started out with the ship coming in to Cork. Ludie and the Ireland team went on the ship to help out on deck 4 where the bookstore is. (You can see more about the ship in earlier posts). They talked with people, gave them info about what was going on in Ireland through OM Ireland and shared the Gospel via tracts, conversations or both. Several people made decisions to follow Christ. One in particular is a cool story about a man Ludie met that was our age. He was homeless and an alcoholic. When Ludie first saw him sitting in the cafe area of the ship, he looked like he did not want anyone to come talk to him. So Ludie went to talk to him. :) Ludie asked him how he liked the ship, etc. Then the man just looked straight at Ludie and said, "I have not had anything to do with the Lord in so long!" and just began to weep. Ludie talked with him and found out he was an alchoholic and was homeless. He had a 2 year old daughter that he was going to see that week. Ludie shared the hope that comes only through Christ with the man. Then asked if the man had a Bible. So Ludie invited to take him to the bookstore to buy him one. He also bought some gift books for the man to take to his daughter. While in the bookstore, Ludie noticed that the man was interested in the Narnia books. He had seen the movie twice. Ludie asked him if he knew what the movie was about. Then Ludie explained the correlation between Aslan and Christ, sin and the Turkish delights, the substitutionary sacrifice of Aslan for Edmond, and how the land changed from winter to springtime when Aslan came back to life and how our lives change when Christ comes into our lives. Then the Gospel that Ludie previously shared started making sense to him. They then sat there and prayed together and the man accepted Christ as His personal Lord and Savior. That is just one of many stories. Over 11,000 tract were given out on the ship!

Evangelism Training:
Ludie did evangelism training on the ship and taught the teams that came in for Impact Ireland, as well as other people how to share the Gospel (based on Way of the Master series).

Impact Ireland:
People from all over the world come to share the Gospel throughout Ireland. The teams came to Cork and received training on the ship and then the teams were went out to work with local churches doing kids clubs, working with the Big Red Bus, community clean up and projects as well as a cross team carrying the cross from Cork to Rahara, Co. Roscommon. There are too many stories to be told but a couple just have to be told.

Cross Team:
The team was stopped by many people on the way to Rahara from Cork. People wanted to know what they were doing and why. They gave out hundreds of tracts, talked with people, prayed with people, stopped in and had tea with people and shared the Gospel with people. One person in particular was Shane in Limerick. While stopping for a meal at Supermac's (like McDonald's), Shane approached Mike Mullins on the team and asked him for money to buy food. Shane was young and homeless. Mike asked him how old he was. He had just turned 20 two days prior. Mike asked him how he celebrated his birthday. Shane responded that honestly he stood on the bridge in Limerick thinking about committing suicide. Shand had had a hard life. His father died when he was seven. He was abused my his mother's boyfriend and at 15 became a heroine addict and had been on his own for quite a while. He felt that no one loved him and no one would even miss him if he was gone. Right then, Mike said to him, you know we have carried this cross all the way from Cork just to tell you that God loves you. Mike shared the Gospel with Shane. Shane prayed to receive Christ in his heart. Mike bought him a meal and then some to celebrate. Then Shane counted his money. What was he doing? He was making sure he had enough money to call his mom and tell her he loved her. A team member saw him the next day and recognized him and said hello. The change in him was evident.

Ludie walked the last 40 miles with the cross team. The cross team covered over 150 miles! (Beautiful are the feet that share the Gospel). Ludie has some cool stories to tell just of the last part of the journey.

Kids Club and the Big Red Bus:
One team in particular did Kids Clubs in one of the housing estates (neighborhoods). The Big Red Bus (double decker red bus used as a mobile VBS) came and parked in front of one of the houses. In God, there are no coincidences. The house the bus parked in front of (unbeknown to the team) was a house where a little boy had been sexually molested by someone in the neighborhood. He stopped talking, and would not come out of his house. When the bus pulled up he told his mom and ran out of the house before she knew it. She was a Muslim, single mom with several children. The team was able to share the Gospel and the love of Christ with this woman and the son. They even went to visit her when they were not doing kids club.

Blessed by being a blessing:
It is amazing how when you serve the Lord, you end up being the one feeling as though you were served. One of the team members that came to help had had a hard life. Not knowing the stress that this person had been under and then to be away in a foreign land proved enough to put this person way past their comfort zone. What was great to see, was how a person that came to serve, and then God took care of them and grew them so much on the trip. As I said before, nothing happens by coincidence when you are working with Sovereign God. This person was on a team where the pastor and wife were from their native country so they could talk plainly in their own language. They had had experience in dealing with the things this person was facing and were able to provide a safe place for this person to learn more about and rest in God's love. What a great and loving God we serve.

To finish the week, Ludie has taken on the position as Ministry Coordinator as well as retaining his current responsibilities as Immersion team leader. This just means he is the point person for the ministry activities for OM Ireland on the Core Leadership Team. It is a natural fit based on the experiences God has given him over the years in management in the secular world, and I am so excited to see God working in and through him.

He would be embarrassed about how I have talked so much about him but God's hand is on us and is really working through him. Someone emailed me today and told me how proud they were of our accomplishments while here in Ireland. Let me be quick to say, that if it were up to us, we would have royally messed things up by now, but it is God that is working! I praise him for it.

There is a hunger here for hope. An openness that I hear is unprecedented. We are blessed to be here at such a time as this.

Thank you to those that have prayed for us while Ludie has been away. This has truly been a blessed time and I know it is because of the prayers that were lifted up for us.

2 most common questions answered

1. No, we don't know whether it is a boy or a girl. Ludie thinks the baby is a boy, Griffin wants a boy (today, tomorrow that might change), and I have a gut feeling it is going to be a girl. When we got the ultrasound they said that they knew and asked if I wanted to. I had planned on finding out and not telling Ludie, but my heart sank when they asked and I knew then and there that I would have to leave that up for one of the surprises God has in store for us. Like Ludie says, that is like unwrapping your Christmas present early. PS The due date is October 26th. My parents are coming around that time and I cannot tell you how excited I am to see them. I think about it everyday.

Some people ask (added bonus question) do we plan on having more). We don't know. We wanted a big family, thought we would not have children without adopting at one point and now God has blessed us with 3. So my answer is, let's get through this one and see what God has in store for us. He's the one with the plan all along. He may have my body answer the question for me, whew!...14 weeks and 4 days left until the due date.

2. How are we doing? I think Ludie is more fulfilled in what He is doing than I have ever seen him (and I have not seen him unhappy in work since I met him. Maybe going nuts but not unhappy). I know without a shadow of a doubt that this is where God called us for this time in our lives (otherwise I would have packed up and headed home a long time ago). The only way to describe our lives is the Scripture :"This world is not our home." There are things we miss about Woodstock, and there are things we love about here. If we were to leave Ireland right now and go back to Woodstock we would not feel at home because that is not where God has called us for this time in our lives. I am a foreigner here, but there is a peace and enjoyment in where we are right now. I do not wake up everday praying to survive the day like I did at one point. We have a peace about where we are and God has blessed us with some great neighbors and friends here (and home).

Blessings

I think about my recent blog updates and all have them in my mind at least have been about adjusting. Well now that we are over the hump of culture shock (WE BETTER BE!) I want to tell you about what I love about Ireland.

I love that you don't sweat much.
I love the chocolate. Especially the Cadbury's.
I love the quiteness and safe haven of our home.
I love the wildlife hopping or running by (wild hares and pheasants, even coo coo birds).
I love the long summer days (sunset 11pm, sunrise-too early 4ish am).
I love that if you don't like the weather, don't worry it will change in 10 minutes.
I love the freedom Griffin has to ride his bike and run around.
I love the friends God has given him.
I love the playground and pond in town with a real castle to boot.
I love that I can drive now without thinking, am I on the correct side of the road.
I love that I now know where to find Miracle whip, which store has cheaper cheese, etc.
I love waking up to pastures of cows and sheep behind us but being close enough to town and neighbors to keep into things too.
I love looking around and seeing how God has provided for us, and what a blessing the people who have worked to make this possible are.
I love seeing how even though we were not expecting a child, God provided in advance (i.e. we had budgeted for dishes and some other things, but then when we got here, someone had extra and passed them along allowing us to use the extra money to prepare for the baby to come).
I love being able to homeschool my kids here and am thankful for the curriculum that was donated to our family.
I love the team of people we work with, as crazy as they may be.
I love the church we go to and serve in and am thankful that we have one to go to.
I love the ladies Bible Study that I go to weekly and the godly women in that group.
I love how I have learned more about the glory of God, the sweetness of God, the desire of Him not to only want to save us eternally but in our everyday situations.
I love that He is teaching me that He is all that matters and that I can rely fully on Him. I am thankful for the family and friends that He has given me as support but the freedom to them and myself in realizing that it is really Him that sustains me and that I need every minute.
I have not liked all these lessons and they have not all been comfortable and some actually painful, but I am thankful for them.

Rebecca, someday I will figure out the Tuesday blessings link.

Sailing!

I cannot believe that it has been almost 2 months since I blogged last! I don't even know where to start. So much has happened! I guess I will start with one of the biggest things: We sailed on the OM ship, The Logos Hope. It is a a ship that is part of the organization we volunteer with called Operation Mobilization. The ship was in Belfast and sailed to Dublin where it stayed for 10 days and then off to the next port. The goal of the ship is to bring the Good News of saving grace of Jesus Christ by bringing knowledge, help and hope to the people of the world. They do this through many ways.

The Logos Hope has the worlds largest floating bookstore which attracts people on board. Imagine living in a country where clean water is scarce and then coming on board a ship that offers almost any type of book you could imagine from gardening, cooking, music, art to Bibles and other Christian related resources. While on board the people can take a tour of the ship, browse through the bookstore, stop at a kids activity center, an art display, cafe with live music at times, and an information booth and people available to speak to you in the cafe to share what OM is doing in their country and also to share the hope that is offered the Christ alone.

The entire crew is made up of volunteers just like us that have to raise their own support, from the captain, to the cooks, to the school teachers for the kids living on the ship, to the people working on deck or hospitality, or mechanics. That alone will get people thinking, "Why would you do this?" which is an open door for sharing why we do what we do.

In addition to the bookstore and tour, there are teams that go into the port before the ship gets there to find out what the needs are of the community where the ship will be porting. Then the teams on board can then prepare whether the needs are medical based, and a medical team can be sent out, social based providing kids clubs as a way to share the Gospel and provide a drug-free, alchohol free place for kids to hang out or many other avenues.

We got to stay a couple of days. Griffin had a blast and knew every part of the ship after the first day). The kids did great sailing. It was okay through most of the night until about 5 am, the ship was rolling very badly front to back and side to side. I thank God Ruthie was in a play pen and both kids were sleeping well. I thought we would all fall out of bed. We were on deck 8 out of 9 so it swayed a lot where we were! Needless to say my stomach did not handle being out at sea. The ship is 145 yards long. The day that we were to come into port in Dublin we had to wait. We were supposed to dock at 10 am and did not do so until ~9pm. Ugh! There was part of a bridge that needed to be pulled into port to add onto what was being built, and the Logos Hope was too big for the bridge to get by so we had to wait for that to go first. At 1 pm we finally put down anchor off the coast and that helped some. When they mentioned they were pulling up anchor I just teared for a short moment. I wanted to kiss the ground when we got there.

A lot of the crew does get sea sick so I had a new appreciation for what they sacrifice in order to fulfill the call God has placed on their lives. People say to us a lot, "How do you do it? How do you pick up and leave all you are familiar with to come to a foreign land?". Now I understand the question more because I am asking, "How do you suffer sea sickness every 2 weeks in order to do what you do?" The only answer is for any of us, obedience to what God has called us to share and do. In all this being said, the Logos Hope is setting sail to the Carribean (a 2 week journey) on July 14th. The crew is very apprehensive about this because it is such a long journey. The ship is a former car carrier that has been transformed into a passenger ship. Therefore it sets higher in the water and rocks more than a normal cruise ship might. The crew is also understaffed and therefore needs prayer for rejuvenation. They need approximately 100 more people. Those are 3 major prayer requests.

I was grateful to catch up with friends I had met through our OM orientation and training. We actually had grits, bacon and eggs and toast with molasses (could not find or make biscuits in time) with a fellow American on the ship. Giving us all a little taste of the south.

While on board in Belfast, the need was voiced for a way to put the Gospel in the hand of everyone that visited the ship. Within 24 hours God used Ludie to put together a tract to hand out. If you only knew how God has changed this man from thinking going to visit people that visited the church was rude to writing a tract in order to share our only Hope, you would be amazed. I know several of you reading this have seen the transformation God has made in his life.

Ludie got to speak to several people on the ship from a man that claimed he was atheist and later in conversation opened up that he was mad at God, and could not imagine how God would let such awful things happen to him. Ludie also shared with a couple that felt they needed to start going to church or get back to God somehow. They were visiting in Dublin and saw the ship. They thought it was a ship museum and came on board. Ludie also got to share with a drug addict and his wife. There is so much more to these stories and even more stories to tell you.

As you can see, lots of exciting things have happened, and more to tell you. I have been long winded so I will stop at that for the night.

I can't wait to grow old with you (Ludie)....

I was catching up on a friend's blog (Rebekah's at www.sixgreggs.blogspot.com. While doing so I came across this:

Well it is not Tuesday but my unwrapped gift is overdue. As you can see in my previous post I was wondering if I had gotten over culture shock. Well, life is good and we go with the flow. However Friday, Griffin came down with a stomach bug. This triggered some things in me that God showed me (control issues and trusting God with my well-being as well as that of my children's) I need to deal with. Really He needs to, and I just need to be willing because I don't know how to fix me. Needless to say, you can imagine if I don't know how to fix me, how my husband may feel at times living with me. All I can say is, pray for him!

My husband was saved (repented of his sins and turned away from them and to God, and believed in Jesus Christ as His personal Savior) seven years ago. I went from seeing my husband change from a good man to a godly man. Let me tell you, there is a big difference. The way God has worked in His life to develop him into the spiritual leader of our household is amazing. The wisdom, knowledge, patience and love have been poured into him from above. When I used to look to a Sunday School teacher or pastor for advice, I now come to him first (the way it should be)... As in the instance of needing wisdom regarding my perspective on God in the situation I mentioned above. So Ludie, my gift for this Tuesday, belated, is you. I am looking forward to growing old with you and love you very much.

Click on this to see me and Ludie in 40 years.

Have I gotten through culture shock?

To answer that question...I don't know. I don't know what I am doing. I literally take life day by day. Yes I am a planner by nature but God has taught me that His plans are better. A dear mentor of mine gave me 2 Bible verses that I keep by my stove (cooker as they call it here). The one I have forged in my memory is 2 Samuel 22:33 "God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect." Wow, that takes the pressure off! I don't have to strive! (Yet I still find myself doing it).

Back to the culture shock thing: I hit it pretty hard in February. My seasoned friend that has been her over 10 years but not native to Ireland reassures me that she thinks I am doing just fine. When we went to our interviews and seminars at OM USA in Feb of 2008 we learned that we would go through culture shock. When we went to our orientation in Germany in January 2009 we learned, we are going to go through it. The different forms it takes on, but that it does end (just not too much info on how to get through it). And as I talked to a friend that has been here for ~5 years (?) his response was said laughingly but serious, "oh yeah, you're definitely going to go through it." So the question is, have I gone through it? Well some of you can attest to my episode at the end of February where I asked for prayer from my closest friends, and all I have to say is, if that was not it, Lord help me!...and those around me! :)

There are parts of Ireland that I love but when we were taught about entering a culture different than that you grew up in and were accustomed to, you usually enter with an amazement and awe! They almost describe it as a euphoria, or as our team leader calls it, "having your rose colored glasses on." I don't think I have had rose colored glasses. I am a preparer. As a lifeguard (in my teenage years), we always had to train for worst case scenario so when it came we would react in the proper manner and procedure. That is how I have managed most of my life. However, that is not the healthiest way. There is something to be said for being prepared but it can also lead to paranoia, and driving your spouse crazy. So needless to say, that is how I entered living in a foreign country. I was looking at what I knew we would have to face and preparing myself for the worst to make sure that I could handle it. (Was not prepared for 3rd child).

I realized the other week that one thing I was missing in my heart was making our house a home. The past six years, we lived in Woodstock, GA. Woodstock was a place that was more home to us than anywhere we had lived. We worked hard on getting out of debt with old student loans and irresponsible spending. In doing that we did not spend a lot of money on household items to decorate, none the less, our house had become a cozy home. I realized the other day, that here, our house was functional, but not cozy. We have everything we need, and want. We lack nothing, but I think that what is missing is the creativity that God places in a woman's heart to make her house her home. I thought, why am I so reluctant to do so? I desired to, but also was reluctant to do so. I also appreciated all the neat experiences God has given us since we have been her as you can see on my blog, but deep in my heart did not fully allow myself to fully enjoy and let my guard down enough to fully, and truly be HERE. I hope this makes sense to you-either that or you just think I am crazy-maybe both. That's okay. I do too. :)

So, I had to ask myself, and God to reveal to me why I am so guarded? Why this wall? I do not want to continue to live the next two years (or however long God has us here) like this. I want to fully jump into what He has for us. So the answer is that I have found or has been revealed to me so far is: I don't want to grow attached to things here only to go through the heartbreak of saying goodbye to this and go to what God has in store for us next, if this is not it when the time comes. But I think to truly enjoy this, I have to let go of some of home. More than I was willing to let go of. I know with my pregnancy cravings I talk a lot about food that I miss, but I realized that is also me hanging on to every little familiar thing I can.

Now I wake up mornings and I do not feel like I am living in someone else's world. I look out and the sight of the sheep fields is becoming familiar, not so foreign. The walks that we take are not so much exploring and finding out new things, making myself and the kids get out of the house, despite the wind, but going out to do the familiar. Going through the grocery store is not merely survival of getting what we know we will need and what the kids will eat, but looking at new things, and the new things aren't so new. Pulling out into intersections does not take a lot of thought of which side of the road I should be on and how and when to shift gears, but I am just simply driving now. I am not as concerned of being the foreigner walking down the street and standing out as I am getting used to the correct terminology of things, and accept that I AM a foreigner. I don't have to fit in and really shouldn't. This world is not my home and I am to be in this world but not of it (per Bible). There is nothing that has taught me that more than truly being a foreigner.

The song playing, "Never Let Go" has taken on more meaning. "Amazing Grace" has captured my heart. I cannot even fully sing the words to the song as it hits so close to my heart, not because of the ties with Ireland but being a wretch saved by grace is just overwhelming. Taking communion every Sunday has made me through accountability to my Savior (thanks to the preaching of Vance Pitman from Hope Baptist Church in Las Vegas on a sermon on Communion while on a missions trip in LV) kneel in repentance towards Him before I dare take for granted His sacrifice for me. And driving down the road by myself from a doctor's appointment that took 3 hours to wait for, and almost one hour to drive to and then home from has opened up conversation to my Savior that is there for me when I am all by myself and don't have my spouse to talk to, my household routine to hide behind, my friends to chat with on FB or Skype and it is just me and Him. I was told that loneliness is a blessing. I could comprehend it, but I can appreciate it now, and do appreciate it. I am not depressed, but I do have a spot that is more recognizable where I need the Lord, when all else is silenced. Where there is nothing but Him. And I am thankful for that.

Is there a sheep in my room?

Well this morning I woke up to the sound of a sheep bleating ("Baahhing" as we say). It sounded as if the sheep were right outside my window. I immediately thought that the sheep from the pasture behind our house got out somehow. However, all I could yell is "sheep!" I ran to the window but when I got there I got light headed from jumping out of bed so fast! So I just leaned against the wall while Ludie wondered what in the world I was doing and why I yelled "Sheep!".

After a second I explained that the sheep got out. I ran and got Ruthie out of her bed. Yelled for Griffin to get up. We all got our wellies on (golloshes) and headed outside. Ludie moved the car to block the sheep from going down our road to the main road. Griffin filled in the hole in front of the car to make a wall. I got to be the sheepdog (no comments) and go get the sheep and herd them back while Ludie opened the gates. Ruthie barked at the sheep.

We realized that the gate to the cemetery had been left open. There is a stone wall around the cemetery that has an intentional hole in it big enough for a sheep or child to fit through (I don't know why, but that is how it was built). So the sheep must have come through the hole in the wall into the cemetery and out of the gate into our yard. We successfully herded the sheep back into the cemetery where they made it single file through the hole in the wall back to the pasture.

I was excited of how our family worked together to get the sheep back in. However, I can only imagine what a sight we were. I pray no neighbors happened to see us as we all had unbrushed hair, pajamas and wellies on. But it was a fun way to start the morning and made for a good story to tell when we got to church.