It's been ages since I've written and I feel like it's time for an update. The last time I had written, I had just seen the musical Wicked. Wanna know something funny? I just saw Wicked last night! Ha!! Crazy how things happen!!
Anyway, I guess a quick summary of my last month in Ireland. Everything went really well. Lots of challenges came my way but God was faithful. I loved getting to know the kids better and working in the cafe. I got to attend a production put on by the kids from the Jez, which was so fun! I got close to a bunch of girls before I left and they were so cute! They'd come in during the lunch hour and look for me and just were so sweet! I was happy to have them come in! They were a bright spot in my day! Oooh, and I can't forget Felipe!! Felipe was this boy who started coming in who made all of us smile! He hadn't heard about the cafe until about a month or so before I left the country. Well, once he found out about he, he absolutely loved it and was in there everyday. Before I left, I got into a conversation with him about God and he said that he believed in God more since he had been coming to the cafe!! Praise God! What an encouragement! That was so fun and he is one of the kids I miss a lot!
It's so hard investing so much in a place then having to say goodbye. I realized the time I spent there wasn't enough to really invest like I wanted to. But I just have to pray that God will take what little bit I did invest and really speak to the kids and change their hearts! I pray each one of them comes to an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ!!
Before I left, I got the chance to take a week holiday in Italy! My friend Taylor lives in Arezzo, which is in Tuscany, and teaches English. It was so fun getting to stay with him for my visit! My old roommate Kira met up with me too! We traveled to places like Cortona (where they filmed the movie Under the Tuscan Sun), Siena, Modena (where Balsamic Vinegar originated), and Rome! I loved it! A week is definitely not enough time to spend in that place! Too many amazing places to see!! I loved the food and the wine was pretty amazing too! Seriously, having great food and wine were probably some of the best memories I had on that trip!! And Taylor taught me to cook a meal called Polenta!! Yes folks, I am actually cooking now!! Who would have thought!! So yeah, Italy was great and words honestly can't describe how incredible it was!
Well, as you can probably figure it out, I am back in the states (back at Taylor in fact). I came back in mid-December and was home for about two weeks before coming back to good 'ole Indiana. It was good to be home and see family and friends again. It was definitely hard though because I have had a lot to process since being home. Once I got home, I was dealing with some culture shock and really missing my friends, not to mention thoughts of certain people who were in my life came back to me as well. I guess the realization of life back home hit me again. I was kind of able to run from it while in Ireland, but now I had to deal with it.
I left to move in to my apartment on Wednesday the 2nd of January. God is so good, I must say. A friend of mine that I did not treat very well last year called me up on my way to Indiana. It was really cold that night and I was going to be in late. (By the way, this girl and I had made a mends and were friends again but I had no idea she was going to call me). Anyway, she told me that whenever I got there that I should call her because she wanted to help me move in. I was shocked that she even offered this to me. I got there, called her, she arrived, we hugged, and it was as if nothing had happened to us in our friendship. We got all my stuff in then I took her to get some coffee. I started talking and began to apologize again for all the things I had done and she told me not to even bring it up, that it wasn't necessary. She said she had already forgiven me and forgotten it. WOW! What an amazing example of Jesus right there....and unconditional love and forgiveness. God has been so good...He has been restoring that friendship and I am so thankful. I am so thankful God has put people like her in my life. If you want to know what true friendship is, this is it. Thank you God for blessing me with a friend like Erin!!!! =)
Like I said before, God is so good and so faithful. He is a God that brings restoration and healing to peoples lives. He also gives us a second chance (and a third, and fourth, and so on..)! I praise God for that. I know I didn't invest in my friends lives last year. I invested in other places and now am reaping the benefits of that. I basically have to start all over but praise God that I still have that opportunity. It's hard though. I am trying to pick up the pieces of the life that I had here and put it back together, without James in it. Being back here has been incredibley hard but I know it's where God wants me. I need to face my problems and struggles head on. I have a lot to work through and still need lots of healing in my life. But praise God, He is patient and faithul and leading me one step at a time. And being back here has made me realize how much I really don't have myself together. I have realized I have a lot of insecurities in my life. Fears of failure and rejection, my own weight issues, caring what other people think about me, etc. I keep asking myself why I am this way. It's bondage and I want freedom. How do I get out of it though? The only way I know is to embrace this junk head on and turn to Jesus. Honestly, I just got this picture in my head of having all these things in my arms (basically junk) just weighing me down. And then I turn to God and he takes them from me. But how does he take them from me? He takes them by me being intentional and spending time with him. By spending time with Him, I get to know His heart and the person that he created (me) and how He delights in me. To be honest, I have realized that my identity is not in Christ. I want it to be but I know it's not. That's what I'm striving for, is knowing and believing that my identity is found in Christ and no one else. The only way I know to do that is to immerse myself in Christ and in His Word. From there, God will completely cover me with who He is and the person I am will be found in Christ. I'm not at that point yet but am striving to be there. Philippians 1:6 says, "being confident of this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Praise God! I know God has started this work in me and it will be finished one day. Whether it takes a few months or the rest of my life, God has promised to complete the work He started in me!! I am so thankful that I have that hope. That means I need to continue to persevere and press into Jesus. By pressing into Jesus, that freedom will come!
Something else that has been encouraging to me is the whole idea of the hard times in life. I have realized that we all need them and they are a season in our lives. BUT, if we persevere in them, God will carry us through and help us. We will grow from our circumstances and know that God has allowed whatever has happened to teach and grow me in my relationship with Him. So the encouraging thing is that God allows these things to make me more like Christ! Woohoo!! How exciting!! It's that whole idea of hope again that even though this circumstance really stinks, I know God is faithful and is making me more like Christ through it. And those hard times just make us cling to God even more! So I just praise God because even though life is hard and is not always great, I can still praise Him because I know He is good and faithful! I just can't stop saying it! God is so good and so faithful!! =)
Well, I think that is all for now. I will try to keep this updated a little bit more often. As the weeks go on, the school will probably get a lot harder for me. But I am excited to say that August of this year, I will be graduating from college!!! Yay!! I decided to go ahead and finish a whole year early! I am very excited and looking forward to what's to come after college!! Okay, well God bless and have a great day!!
Love,
Michelle
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Friday, November 2, 2007
Wicked!!
Okay, I have not dropped off the face of the earth, I promise! I am just in London for the week on holidays and haven't gotten around to writing a blog in a while! So sorry! Just know that I am well and having a great time here!! I saw the musical Wicked last night which was incredible!! I loved it! I've seen Big Ben and lots of other great sights here in London...and been riding the Underground like crazy! Anyway, I was in Dublin earlier in the week and had a great time there too! Got to go back to Greystones, my home from two years ago! It was nice going back but I realized it's not my favorite anymore. I absolutely LOVE Galway now! I think I love it because I have made connections and friendships with people there. I've really made it home. I love it!! But I still love Greystones (especially the fish and chips from the harbor which I had twice the three days I was there!) Oh yeah, random...I got this ginormous bruise on my backside on Monday. I totally slide down the steps of the double decker bus! It hurt real bad and is the biggest bruise I've ever had in my entire life! Kira drew a face on him and we named him Fred! Good times! But yeah, uhm can't think of anything else to write. I should probably get going cause other people probably want to use the internet! But I will try to write another update once I get back to Galway on Monday! Hope all are well! I'll be putting up some pictures once I get back! That's all for now though! Ciao! =)
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Your Blood Washes Over Me!
So I'm sitting here working in the bookstore and it's pretty quiet. A few people came in today, but not many. It's usually very quiet in here. Sometimes it's no fun because everyone is over in the cafe working and together and you are stuck here in the bookstore away from everyone and all the kids. I'm trying to have a good attitude about it and actually, it has been really nice just taking some time out for myself. Today I was able to just have my quiet time in here. And I'm listening to Hillsong as well while I'm having my quiet time so I guess it can't get much better than that!! I keep listening to this one song though and it's really just hitting me and I am just so thankful for what Jesus has done in my life. The chorus goes something like this: "And you saw me, when you took the crown of thorns. And your blood washed over me. And you love me, through the nails that you bore. Your blood washes over me!" Wow! Awesome! I love it! I am so thankful for the grace and mercy God has given me. I've screwed up a lot in my life but the blood that Jesus sacrificed on the cross covered all my sin and all of my faults and mess ups! And the cool thing is that he did see me when he was on the cross. He saw all of us! And he died because he loved us unconditionally and wanted us to experience life to the fullest. No person on earth can ever love me as much as God loves me!! Wow, I know all of this but it's just good to always be reminded of what Jesus has done for us!!
"Thank you Lord for loving me even through my mess ups! And even though I continue to stumble and fall, you pick me back up and keep me going. You have redeemed my life and lead me in the way of fullness of life! I thank you that you give me purpose and meaning to life! I love you Lord!"
Well, things are going really well here. I am making great friends, lasting friendships actually. I am going to be so sad when I have to leave. I am learning so much from everyone here, just growing together. It's incredible what the Lord is teaching me and showing me through everyone here. And as for the kids, it is so awesome just to see them come in and hang out with all of us. You have to wonder what God is doing in their lives, how He is working. Some of them seriously come in all the time just to hang out and chat. Do the words that we say to them ever really get through? Do they see Jesus in our lives? Do they see something different? Are we even being a good example of Jesus to them? Some of them have been asking questions lately about Jesus, but I think they are just more interested in other things. I wish we could save them from hurt and pain. "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Just give Him a shot, you know? I mean, does it hurt anyone to at least give Him a shot? He brings purpose and meaning to life. He loves unconditionally. The road might not always be easy but He promises to never leave us or forsake us. He will be our strength and carry us through. How do you tell that to people? How do you show them Jesus? I know that the most important thing for me to do is to spend time with Jesus. Intimacy with Him. To know God better and draw near to Him. I guess after that God will just do the rest. I need to just be close to Him and hopefully by having that closeness to God, others will see and want to experience that as well. I have such a hard time though, spending time with Jesus. And you think it'd be easy because of all the things He's done for me, but let's face it, I get distracted so easy. It makes me sick sometimes too. I could be spending quality time with God and I am wasting my life away on facebook tagging pictures and checking out what other people wrote on my friend's walls. I can easily spend 4 or 5 hours on the internet and after I am done, feel like I haven't accomplished anything. After I get done with work, I am always so tired and sometimes the last place I want to go to is the Bible. I think that I can relax and just get on the internet for a little while. Then I end up spending an eternity on there and by the time I'm done, I am too tired to read and spend good time with Jesus. It's aweful but unfortunately, it's a pattern I've gotten myself in to. I don't manage my time well, even when it comes to homework. I am such a procrastinator and I need to work on that really bad. I need more discipline in my life. I don't know how I'm going to do it but I think it is something I have been convicted of lately. How am I spending my time and how am I doing good for the Kingdom of God? Well, I think I need to spend less time on the computer, that's just it. I think I'm going to have to limit myself to a certain amount of time on there. Seriously, it's like an addiction. And I need to get to bed earlier and make sure to set aside time either in the morning or at night to spend time with the Lord. I guess if anyone thinks about it, please pray for me. I know it's going to be hard (already is) and Satan is going to try to distract me every way possible. Pray for strength to keep my eyes on the Lord and to use my time wisely.
Well, I think that's about it for now. It's almost 1pm now and hopefully within the next hour or so I will get to eat lunch! (I am hungry!) Ooh, a customer just came in!! Well, I better go in case she needs any help! Thanks for your prayers and I pray a blessing over each person that reads this and that God will give you a refreshing of His love today!! Until next time, cheers!!
-Meeshie Moo =) (one of my many nicknames here, haha!)
"Thank you Lord for loving me even through my mess ups! And even though I continue to stumble and fall, you pick me back up and keep me going. You have redeemed my life and lead me in the way of fullness of life! I thank you that you give me purpose and meaning to life! I love you Lord!"
Well, things are going really well here. I am making great friends, lasting friendships actually. I am going to be so sad when I have to leave. I am learning so much from everyone here, just growing together. It's incredible what the Lord is teaching me and showing me through everyone here. And as for the kids, it is so awesome just to see them come in and hang out with all of us. You have to wonder what God is doing in their lives, how He is working. Some of them seriously come in all the time just to hang out and chat. Do the words that we say to them ever really get through? Do they see Jesus in our lives? Do they see something different? Are we even being a good example of Jesus to them? Some of them have been asking questions lately about Jesus, but I think they are just more interested in other things. I wish we could save them from hurt and pain. "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Just give Him a shot, you know? I mean, does it hurt anyone to at least give Him a shot? He brings purpose and meaning to life. He loves unconditionally. The road might not always be easy but He promises to never leave us or forsake us. He will be our strength and carry us through. How do you tell that to people? How do you show them Jesus? I know that the most important thing for me to do is to spend time with Jesus. Intimacy with Him. To know God better and draw near to Him. I guess after that God will just do the rest. I need to just be close to Him and hopefully by having that closeness to God, others will see and want to experience that as well. I have such a hard time though, spending time with Jesus. And you think it'd be easy because of all the things He's done for me, but let's face it, I get distracted so easy. It makes me sick sometimes too. I could be spending quality time with God and I am wasting my life away on facebook tagging pictures and checking out what other people wrote on my friend's walls. I can easily spend 4 or 5 hours on the internet and after I am done, feel like I haven't accomplished anything. After I get done with work, I am always so tired and sometimes the last place I want to go to is the Bible. I think that I can relax and just get on the internet for a little while. Then I end up spending an eternity on there and by the time I'm done, I am too tired to read and spend good time with Jesus. It's aweful but unfortunately, it's a pattern I've gotten myself in to. I don't manage my time well, even when it comes to homework. I am such a procrastinator and I need to work on that really bad. I need more discipline in my life. I don't know how I'm going to do it but I think it is something I have been convicted of lately. How am I spending my time and how am I doing good for the Kingdom of God? Well, I think I need to spend less time on the computer, that's just it. I think I'm going to have to limit myself to a certain amount of time on there. Seriously, it's like an addiction. And I need to get to bed earlier and make sure to set aside time either in the morning or at night to spend time with the Lord. I guess if anyone thinks about it, please pray for me. I know it's going to be hard (already is) and Satan is going to try to distract me every way possible. Pray for strength to keep my eyes on the Lord and to use my time wisely.
Well, I think that's about it for now. It's almost 1pm now and hopefully within the next hour or so I will get to eat lunch! (I am hungry!) Ooh, a customer just came in!! Well, I better go in case she needs any help! Thanks for your prayers and I pray a blessing over each person that reads this and that God will give you a refreshing of His love today!! Until next time, cheers!!
-Meeshie Moo =) (one of my many nicknames here, haha!)
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Encouraged
I know I just wrote a blog only a few short days ago but I really felt like writing another one!! And hopefully this one will be significantly shorter than all the other ones I've written!! Haha!!
Well, I just am excited about this week. It's just been a good week. I mean yeah, crap has happened, but over all, I have felt really encouraged this week. Do you ever feel like when you first start working somewhere new that you just don't seem to be getting everything or are still really far behind? Or you question if you've really picked up anything at all since you've first arrived there? Well, that's sorta how I've felt for a while. I am definitely one of those people who likes to be perfect at something the first time I do it. Well, I think God is trying to teach me that I won't always get it right the first time and that's okay. You've got to learn and make mistakes. It doesn't mean I'm incapable, I just have to learn, practice, and be patient. I just have noticed that I get real self-conscious, always worrying what other people are going to think or if they'll laugh at me or think differently of me if I don't do it right or screw up something. Well, I'm trying to work through that. I don't want to be like that. I want to have confidence in what I do, no matter what it is and confidence that even if I do mess up, it's okay and I don't have to worry what everyone else thinks. I'm just trying to remember that my confidence comes from Christ and that I find my worth completely in Him.
Well anyway, kind of to go along with all of that, I was put on dishes on Thursday. Dishes are probably the worst and most depressing job ever and Tommy put me on dishes all by myself. Now, you must understand, most of the time at work Sarah, CJ, and myself are always put with someone else. We always help other people their jobs and never really do a station on our own. Well anyway, I got put on dishes with no help. It was okay though because I really got the full experience of what it would be like to actually be an intern and work here like the interns and staff do every day. Well, the dishes actually went well and I had a little bit of help toward the end of the day from Maren but for the most part, I did the dishes all by myself and cleaned my area and everything. And when I was finished, I felt so accomplished and so good about myself. I worked hard that day. I worked my butt off. And I finished the task!!! It was such an incredible feeling!!! I know it doesn't sound like much to you but to me, it was kind of the encouragment I needed. It felt like I was actually capable of doing something by myself, like I had made progress here!!!
And then today happened. Saturday is usually a lighter day and Mike's daughters Christina and Luccia came and helped. They are so eager to learn and help and get in on the action (they are 13 and 14 years old). So anyway, Luccia followed me around for the morning and I worked behind the counter a little bit. She started asking me questions: "How do you use the till? What numbers do you press? How do you do this? How do you do that?" It was brilliant because I actually knew what to tell her, how to show her what to do!! It's one of those things that you don't realize how much you know or how far you've come until someone new comes. Then you see how far you really have come!! I was able to explain a bunch of things to Luccia and even make her lunch for her (which, she said tasted very good!!) But anyway, it just made me so happy and so encouraged. I don't feel like I have to answer as much questions anymore. It's starting to make sense now!! Praise God!! I think it's the encouragment I needed!!!
On a completely different note, last night we had a small group celebration thingy. The whole church ended up being there because it was actually a welcome home party for a couple that had just gotten married. But it was so fun to be with the church and the college age people. We are all starting to connect really well! It's so neat forming friendships with people from Malaysia, Ireland, Brazil, Spain, and wherever else we're all from!! Such a diverse group but one thing we all have in common and that is a love for Jesus Christ!! I think that's one of the things that I appreciate most about being here and working at An Tobar Nua. All the people here really do love Jesus and we're all trying to grow together and encourage one another along in our walks with the Lord. I am so thankful for them and the fact that we all get to journey along together!!
I do have a prayer request if you all could be praying. I am really praying about some big things right now that I can't share about just yet. It would be a big change in my life but if it's what the Lord wants then I want to follow His will. But please just pray that the Lord would open wide the doors and really make it known to me what He wants me to do. Pray that the Lord would also give my parents wisdom in the situation and that He would speak to them about the situation. Pray that God would just make His way known to me for this next phase in my life. I am sure within the next month or so I will be able to share more in detail what is going on but for the time being, please just pray for clarity from God. I'd really appreciate it so much!!
Well, it's super late here and I have church in the morning! Then I'm off to do some grocery shopping and chatting and drinking chai lattes with a friend! God bless!!!
-Meeshie =)
Well, I just am excited about this week. It's just been a good week. I mean yeah, crap has happened, but over all, I have felt really encouraged this week. Do you ever feel like when you first start working somewhere new that you just don't seem to be getting everything or are still really far behind? Or you question if you've really picked up anything at all since you've first arrived there? Well, that's sorta how I've felt for a while. I am definitely one of those people who likes to be perfect at something the first time I do it. Well, I think God is trying to teach me that I won't always get it right the first time and that's okay. You've got to learn and make mistakes. It doesn't mean I'm incapable, I just have to learn, practice, and be patient. I just have noticed that I get real self-conscious, always worrying what other people are going to think or if they'll laugh at me or think differently of me if I don't do it right or screw up something. Well, I'm trying to work through that. I don't want to be like that. I want to have confidence in what I do, no matter what it is and confidence that even if I do mess up, it's okay and I don't have to worry what everyone else thinks. I'm just trying to remember that my confidence comes from Christ and that I find my worth completely in Him.
Well anyway, kind of to go along with all of that, I was put on dishes on Thursday. Dishes are probably the worst and most depressing job ever and Tommy put me on dishes all by myself. Now, you must understand, most of the time at work Sarah, CJ, and myself are always put with someone else. We always help other people their jobs and never really do a station on our own. Well anyway, I got put on dishes with no help. It was okay though because I really got the full experience of what it would be like to actually be an intern and work here like the interns and staff do every day. Well, the dishes actually went well and I had a little bit of help toward the end of the day from Maren but for the most part, I did the dishes all by myself and cleaned my area and everything. And when I was finished, I felt so accomplished and so good about myself. I worked hard that day. I worked my butt off. And I finished the task!!! It was such an incredible feeling!!! I know it doesn't sound like much to you but to me, it was kind of the encouragment I needed. It felt like I was actually capable of doing something by myself, like I had made progress here!!!
And then today happened. Saturday is usually a lighter day and Mike's daughters Christina and Luccia came and helped. They are so eager to learn and help and get in on the action (they are 13 and 14 years old). So anyway, Luccia followed me around for the morning and I worked behind the counter a little bit. She started asking me questions: "How do you use the till? What numbers do you press? How do you do this? How do you do that?" It was brilliant because I actually knew what to tell her, how to show her what to do!! It's one of those things that you don't realize how much you know or how far you've come until someone new comes. Then you see how far you really have come!! I was able to explain a bunch of things to Luccia and even make her lunch for her (which, she said tasted very good!!) But anyway, it just made me so happy and so encouraged. I don't feel like I have to answer as much questions anymore. It's starting to make sense now!! Praise God!! I think it's the encouragment I needed!!!
On a completely different note, last night we had a small group celebration thingy. The whole church ended up being there because it was actually a welcome home party for a couple that had just gotten married. But it was so fun to be with the church and the college age people. We are all starting to connect really well! It's so neat forming friendships with people from Malaysia, Ireland, Brazil, Spain, and wherever else we're all from!! Such a diverse group but one thing we all have in common and that is a love for Jesus Christ!! I think that's one of the things that I appreciate most about being here and working at An Tobar Nua. All the people here really do love Jesus and we're all trying to grow together and encourage one another along in our walks with the Lord. I am so thankful for them and the fact that we all get to journey along together!!
I do have a prayer request if you all could be praying. I am really praying about some big things right now that I can't share about just yet. It would be a big change in my life but if it's what the Lord wants then I want to follow His will. But please just pray that the Lord would open wide the doors and really make it known to me what He wants me to do. Pray that the Lord would also give my parents wisdom in the situation and that He would speak to them about the situation. Pray that God would just make His way known to me for this next phase in my life. I am sure within the next month or so I will be able to share more in detail what is going on but for the time being, please just pray for clarity from God. I'd really appreciate it so much!!
Well, it's super late here and I have church in the morning! Then I'm off to do some grocery shopping and chatting and drinking chai lattes with a friend! God bless!!!
-Meeshie =)
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Cork, Turning 21, Clifden, and Divine Appointments =)
Oh my word I am so behind in my blogs! And I am sure you all are interested as to what's going on! Ah, so much has happened in the past couple of weeks and I will try to give you the condensed version (but beware, it will probably still be really long!!)
Okay so let's see, last time I wrote, I was basically having a super hard time and really just feeling attacked. But God really helped me make it through. He knew what I needed and that was a day off! So praise God, last Saturday (the 29th) I had a day off from work and decided to go to Cork with my friend Paul from work. It was such a refreshing day! We basically left all our worries and all the crap from Galway and from work in Galway and just enjoyed the day worry free! Paul is a great friend too. We basically just talked straight for the whole day and walked around the city of Cork. It was about a four hour bus ride there and back (so 8 hours total on the bus!) and then just hanging out in the city for the day. We had a lot of funny moments and it was good just having deep conversation with him about God and life and whatever else! So yeah, thank the Lord for a day to just relax and get away!!
Oh yeah, I forgot to say, the night before we had a small group with people from church. It was a lot of fun. Such a mix of people too...we have people from America, Ireland, Malaysia, Spain, and I think probably some other places! It's so great getting us together! We even played a couple of game of Mafia together, which was awesome. It was fun just getting to know people.
Well, Tuesday finally hit and I turned 21!!! Woohoo!! I'm 21 now! I can't believe it! It was a good day, not really eventful or anything. I worked and then had class and yeah just nothing real big. Tonight, though, Tommy and Megan decided that they wanted to throw me a little party and bake me a cake. So we're gonna celebrate my birthday next Wednesday!! Woohoo! Fun stuff! It's so weird though, thinking about my birtday...I really am growing up. Time has flown by and before I know it, another 21 years will go by. Who knows where I'll be or what I'll be doing, if I'll be married and have kids or what. Craziness!!! =)
Okay so then the next day, a cool thing happened. I was in the bookstore during Aine's lunch break and this man came in. I asked him if he needed any help and basically he just started opening up and talked about how he was interested in Christianity and was just seeking. What an awesome opportunity God had laid before me!! He started asking questions and I tried to help him out the best I could, trying to share from my own life and belief in Jesus Christ. Then Mike popped in to my head. Mike works with the ministry and is really gifted in talking to people, especially like this. So I asked the man if I could phone Mike and the man was like, "Well, I normally would say no to something like this but today I'm going to say yes." I was so excited! So Mike came downstairs and talked to this man in the coffee shop for a while. Then, I was in the book store later and he came in and thanked me. I told him I'd be praying for him and see him at church (he actually went to the church where I go but we hadn't met yet). It was so neat just to be a part of it! I think he's just really seeking and wants to know that God really is for real. So yeah, God is good!!!
Okay so then that night I got to see my roommate Kira!! She is in Ireland for the semester as well helping with the Irish freshman who are in Greystones. It was so refreshing just to be with one of my closest friends and talk about what God was doing in our lives! It was fun meeting the freshman too and thinking back to when I was in their position! Good times! Then the next day the big group came to the cafe! That was probably one of the craziest days of my entire life! It was so busy! It was non-stop for the entire morning and probably up until 2pm that day (which is not so normal for us). It was neat though getting to see the big group. We got a chance to share with them about our experience here. I think some of them were actually interested in it. It was cool though cause that day that they came, I really began feeling like I am getting connected with the kids and can interact with them. I don't feel as much like the new person anymore (which is so exciting!) =) Oh yeah, then that night we went to Da Roberta's which was incredible!! It's the best Italian restaurant ever! I stuffed my face! Haha! It was worth it though! I'll have to eat there one more time before I leave here.
Okay so anyway, we unexpectedly got to go on staff retreat this past weekend!! It was so much fun! We drove to Clifden, which was about an hour or so away. We got this big house with a bunch of rooms in it. It was tons of fun. I stayed up till 4:30 the first night talking with Leanna and Paul, actually about deep stuff! Haha! And Paul and I decided to make Skittle Juice to have a sugar high. It consisted of skittles, coke, and red bull. Good times!! I roomed with Megan which was tons of fun!! She is an amazing woman! It was such a good weekend cause I really feel like I got to know people better, especially my Irish friends like Megan, Tommy, and Paul. They are incredible people and it's so hard to think about leaving them in December (and even leaving Galway and the ministry). I really do love it a lot here. I have definitely been blessed this semester by different people in my life. Oh yeah, something else during the weekend. Well, on Saturday Leanna and I decided to hike Sky Road. We found this castle and just took some time out by ourselves. Well, this girl saw me from a distance and we started talking. I found out she had come from Australia to Ireland and was looking for work and might be in the Galway area. Well anyway, we just started talking and I told her all about the ministry and the cafe at An Tobar Nua and just tried to share with her some of my heart and it was just an awesome opportunity. She seemed so intersted and I have her the info as to where we were located and told her to come on by whenever she came back to Galway. She said she'd definitely stop in the shop and I even told her about small group. It was just another awesome opportunity God gave me and I have been praying for her as well and hope that a seed was just planted in her life and that others will come along the way and just help her grow even more!!
So yeah, life is pretty good. I am definitely tired though. Work is exhausting. By the time I get done, I pretty much don't want to do anything. I did take a walk on the Prom last night which was good. The weather is still nice enough that I can walk outside and not get too cold. The weather here is so crazy. Just the other morning, it was all rainy and nasty. Then, the next thing you know, by the end of the day, it was all sunny and beautiful and you wouldn't have even thought that it was so bad earlier in the day. Like they say, the weather in Ireland is predictably unpredictable!!
If you all could, please keep me in your prayers. I have a lot of things going on at the moment that I am praying about. I am just trying to seek direction for my life and where God wants me. I will share more in detail later but just pray that God would give me a clear answer for what He wants me to do with my life. Please continue to pray for roommate situations. I've been having difficulties since the start of the trip but I know God is faithful and will help me through. Just pray for continued strength and a Christ-like attitude.
Well, I think that might be it for now. Thanks for your prayers and anyone ever has any specific questions about anything here, please ask!! Or if you want to know how something is done or whatever, please ask! I'd love to hear how everyone back home (or wherever you're at) is doing!!! God bless you all!!
-Michelle
Just an encouraging verse we read during our staff prayer time today..."But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a poeple, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." - 1 Peter 2:9-10
"Father, I praise you for saving my life and showing me mercy. I thank you that I am your child and I belong to you. Father, I pray for all the people that I love and are dear and special to me to experience the fullness of you and your love for them. I pray that all would taste and see that you are good! Thank you for rescuing me out of darkness and bringing me into your light! You are amazing God!! I will declare your praises forever Lord! You are my rock and my shield and my place of refuge! I love you Jesus!!"
Okay so let's see, last time I wrote, I was basically having a super hard time and really just feeling attacked. But God really helped me make it through. He knew what I needed and that was a day off! So praise God, last Saturday (the 29th) I had a day off from work and decided to go to Cork with my friend Paul from work. It was such a refreshing day! We basically left all our worries and all the crap from Galway and from work in Galway and just enjoyed the day worry free! Paul is a great friend too. We basically just talked straight for the whole day and walked around the city of Cork. It was about a four hour bus ride there and back (so 8 hours total on the bus!) and then just hanging out in the city for the day. We had a lot of funny moments and it was good just having deep conversation with him about God and life and whatever else! So yeah, thank the Lord for a day to just relax and get away!!
Oh yeah, I forgot to say, the night before we had a small group with people from church. It was a lot of fun. Such a mix of people too...we have people from America, Ireland, Malaysia, Spain, and I think probably some other places! It's so great getting us together! We even played a couple of game of Mafia together, which was awesome. It was fun just getting to know people.
Well, Tuesday finally hit and I turned 21!!! Woohoo!! I'm 21 now! I can't believe it! It was a good day, not really eventful or anything. I worked and then had class and yeah just nothing real big. Tonight, though, Tommy and Megan decided that they wanted to throw me a little party and bake me a cake. So we're gonna celebrate my birthday next Wednesday!! Woohoo! Fun stuff! It's so weird though, thinking about my birtday...I really am growing up. Time has flown by and before I know it, another 21 years will go by. Who knows where I'll be or what I'll be doing, if I'll be married and have kids or what. Craziness!!! =)
Okay so then the next day, a cool thing happened. I was in the bookstore during Aine's lunch break and this man came in. I asked him if he needed any help and basically he just started opening up and talked about how he was interested in Christianity and was just seeking. What an awesome opportunity God had laid before me!! He started asking questions and I tried to help him out the best I could, trying to share from my own life and belief in Jesus Christ. Then Mike popped in to my head. Mike works with the ministry and is really gifted in talking to people, especially like this. So I asked the man if I could phone Mike and the man was like, "Well, I normally would say no to something like this but today I'm going to say yes." I was so excited! So Mike came downstairs and talked to this man in the coffee shop for a while. Then, I was in the book store later and he came in and thanked me. I told him I'd be praying for him and see him at church (he actually went to the church where I go but we hadn't met yet). It was so neat just to be a part of it! I think he's just really seeking and wants to know that God really is for real. So yeah, God is good!!!
Okay so then that night I got to see my roommate Kira!! She is in Ireland for the semester as well helping with the Irish freshman who are in Greystones. It was so refreshing just to be with one of my closest friends and talk about what God was doing in our lives! It was fun meeting the freshman too and thinking back to when I was in their position! Good times! Then the next day the big group came to the cafe! That was probably one of the craziest days of my entire life! It was so busy! It was non-stop for the entire morning and probably up until 2pm that day (which is not so normal for us). It was neat though getting to see the big group. We got a chance to share with them about our experience here. I think some of them were actually interested in it. It was cool though cause that day that they came, I really began feeling like I am getting connected with the kids and can interact with them. I don't feel as much like the new person anymore (which is so exciting!) =) Oh yeah, then that night we went to Da Roberta's which was incredible!! It's the best Italian restaurant ever! I stuffed my face! Haha! It was worth it though! I'll have to eat there one more time before I leave here.
Okay so anyway, we unexpectedly got to go on staff retreat this past weekend!! It was so much fun! We drove to Clifden, which was about an hour or so away. We got this big house with a bunch of rooms in it. It was tons of fun. I stayed up till 4:30 the first night talking with Leanna and Paul, actually about deep stuff! Haha! And Paul and I decided to make Skittle Juice to have a sugar high. It consisted of skittles, coke, and red bull. Good times!! I roomed with Megan which was tons of fun!! She is an amazing woman! It was such a good weekend cause I really feel like I got to know people better, especially my Irish friends like Megan, Tommy, and Paul. They are incredible people and it's so hard to think about leaving them in December (and even leaving Galway and the ministry). I really do love it a lot here. I have definitely been blessed this semester by different people in my life. Oh yeah, something else during the weekend. Well, on Saturday Leanna and I decided to hike Sky Road. We found this castle and just took some time out by ourselves. Well, this girl saw me from a distance and we started talking. I found out she had come from Australia to Ireland and was looking for work and might be in the Galway area. Well anyway, we just started talking and I told her all about the ministry and the cafe at An Tobar Nua and just tried to share with her some of my heart and it was just an awesome opportunity. She seemed so intersted and I have her the info as to where we were located and told her to come on by whenever she came back to Galway. She said she'd definitely stop in the shop and I even told her about small group. It was just another awesome opportunity God gave me and I have been praying for her as well and hope that a seed was just planted in her life and that others will come along the way and just help her grow even more!!
So yeah, life is pretty good. I am definitely tired though. Work is exhausting. By the time I get done, I pretty much don't want to do anything. I did take a walk on the Prom last night which was good. The weather is still nice enough that I can walk outside and not get too cold. The weather here is so crazy. Just the other morning, it was all rainy and nasty. Then, the next thing you know, by the end of the day, it was all sunny and beautiful and you wouldn't have even thought that it was so bad earlier in the day. Like they say, the weather in Ireland is predictably unpredictable!!
If you all could, please keep me in your prayers. I have a lot of things going on at the moment that I am praying about. I am just trying to seek direction for my life and where God wants me. I will share more in detail later but just pray that God would give me a clear answer for what He wants me to do with my life. Please continue to pray for roommate situations. I've been having difficulties since the start of the trip but I know God is faithful and will help me through. Just pray for continued strength and a Christ-like attitude.
Well, I think that might be it for now. Thanks for your prayers and anyone ever has any specific questions about anything here, please ask!! Or if you want to know how something is done or whatever, please ask! I'd love to hear how everyone back home (or wherever you're at) is doing!!! God bless you all!!
-Michelle
Just an encouraging verse we read during our staff prayer time today..."But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a poeple, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." - 1 Peter 2:9-10
"Father, I praise you for saving my life and showing me mercy. I thank you that I am your child and I belong to you. Father, I pray for all the people that I love and are dear and special to me to experience the fullness of you and your love for them. I pray that all would taste and see that you are good! Thank you for rescuing me out of darkness and bringing me into your light! You are amazing God!! I will declare your praises forever Lord! You are my rock and my shield and my place of refuge! I love you Jesus!!"
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Lord, Be My Strength...
Some quotes a dear friend of mine sent to me that have been super encouraging to me:
"All things are sent and governed by God, and however troublesome they are, they will, if accepted gladly, lead us surely and quickly toward holiness."
-Jean-Pierre de Caussade
"It is not the splendor or the greatness of our deeds that matters. The smallest, most trivial task we accomplish is supremely important if it is done in obedience to God's will and for love of Him." -St. Therese
Wow, so many things going through my head right now. So much has happened since I last wrote. It's been a difficult week. I am really beginning to understand how hard and draining ministry and being a missionary really is. I am seeing how important it is to be in communion with Jesus everyday. I am seeing how much I need him in my life everyday. I go and work everyday and sometimes wonder if it's doing any good. I work in the kitchen, I clean bathrooms, I serve food to people and wonder if what I am doing is really ministry. It is even though it doesn't always feel like it. It can be draining though. And when I am drained and have poured so much out into other people, I realize that I need Jesus so much. And also, during my ministry, I realize how much I need him and need him to guide me and give me the words to say to people. It's just so tough and for any of you that are reading this and have been missionaries, I really am understanding you. Missions trips are great to go on and I highly encourage people to go on one, but you really don't get the full effect of missions and ministry until you live it out day to day for a longer period of time (more than 2 weeks). It is hard. It is discouraging. But like my dear friend Leanna said, I have hope. There is a bigger picture that I can't see but God can see. And I have hope in knowing that He is in control an'd He knows what He's doing and is using these experiences right now to not only shape me but who knows, maybe even plant seeds in other peoples lives that I might not ever see. I just have to keep my focus on Jesus and know that He sees the big picture and is in control.
Not only am I feeling that but the Lord really spoke to me about compassion today. We were having staff prayer time and we read a verse from the Bible and pray together. Well, this was our verse:
"Jesus stopped and called them. 'What do you want me to do for you?' he asked. 'Lord,' they answered, 'we want our sight.' Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him." -Matthew 20:32-34
The part that really stuck out to me was that Jesus had compassion. I thought to myself during prayer time that "Hey! I really am a compassionate person! I am compassionate about my friends and family and people I love. I am compassionate about people who are less fortunate, like the children of Africa." But then it's like God hit me in the head and was like "Are you really compassionate? What about the people you don't like? What about your enemies? Would you do anything for them? Would you serve them and love them like I've called you to do?" Then I kinda got humbled real fast and realized that I really wasn't as compassionate as I thought. It's so easy for me to have compassion for those I love, for my friends. But when it comes to people I don't like, I could care less. It's like why should I love them, show them compassion? I can't get along with them, don't really care for them, so why so compassion and love for them? But calls us to something different than that. He calls us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you. I was asking myself why I can't have compassion for those I don't like and I realized that it's because of pride in my life. Whoa gosh, I just need to be humbled. It's just interesting how God has been showing revealing things to me in my life.
And not only that but I just feel like Satan has been attacking on all sides. I'm exhausted from work and lack of sleep, there have been roommate issues, and just all sorts of things. Tonight I had a breakdown. I just cried. I just feel like giving up, but I know I must press on. I have to continue to remember that hope I have in Jesus. And I have to remember that He is always there and never lets go. Leanna sent me the lyrics to this song which are really encouraging.
Matt Redman - You Never Let GoFrom the album Passion 06: Everything Glorious
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won't turn back
I know You are near
And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?
Chorus:
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me
And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We'll live to know
You here on the earth
Chorus:
Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You
"Lord Jesus, I praise you because you truly do not let us go. You are always there. You hold me by my right hand. And even though I am going through storms right now, I still praise you. I praise you because you are God, you are in control, and you are so faithful. I praise you because you are refining me through this and shaping me into what you want me to be. I praise you simply because you are GREAT. Lord, I love you. Give me your strength. I can not do it on my own and I won't do it without you. 'My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.' -Psalm 73:28 Lord, though my heart fails and my own strength fails, you are my strength. I lean on you. Thank you for being there, always and forever. I trust in you Lord. I love you Jesus. Be the center of my life. Help me to keep my eyes on you."
-Michelle
"All things are sent and governed by God, and however troublesome they are, they will, if accepted gladly, lead us surely and quickly toward holiness."
-Jean-Pierre de Caussade
"It is not the splendor or the greatness of our deeds that matters. The smallest, most trivial task we accomplish is supremely important if it is done in obedience to God's will and for love of Him." -St. Therese
Wow, so many things going through my head right now. So much has happened since I last wrote. It's been a difficult week. I am really beginning to understand how hard and draining ministry and being a missionary really is. I am seeing how important it is to be in communion with Jesus everyday. I am seeing how much I need him in my life everyday. I go and work everyday and sometimes wonder if it's doing any good. I work in the kitchen, I clean bathrooms, I serve food to people and wonder if what I am doing is really ministry. It is even though it doesn't always feel like it. It can be draining though. And when I am drained and have poured so much out into other people, I realize that I need Jesus so much. And also, during my ministry, I realize how much I need him and need him to guide me and give me the words to say to people. It's just so tough and for any of you that are reading this and have been missionaries, I really am understanding you. Missions trips are great to go on and I highly encourage people to go on one, but you really don't get the full effect of missions and ministry until you live it out day to day for a longer period of time (more than 2 weeks). It is hard. It is discouraging. But like my dear friend Leanna said, I have hope. There is a bigger picture that I can't see but God can see. And I have hope in knowing that He is in control an'd He knows what He's doing and is using these experiences right now to not only shape me but who knows, maybe even plant seeds in other peoples lives that I might not ever see. I just have to keep my focus on Jesus and know that He sees the big picture and is in control.
Not only am I feeling that but the Lord really spoke to me about compassion today. We were having staff prayer time and we read a verse from the Bible and pray together. Well, this was our verse:
"Jesus stopped and called them. 'What do you want me to do for you?' he asked. 'Lord,' they answered, 'we want our sight.' Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him." -Matthew 20:32-34
The part that really stuck out to me was that Jesus had compassion. I thought to myself during prayer time that "Hey! I really am a compassionate person! I am compassionate about my friends and family and people I love. I am compassionate about people who are less fortunate, like the children of Africa." But then it's like God hit me in the head and was like "Are you really compassionate? What about the people you don't like? What about your enemies? Would you do anything for them? Would you serve them and love them like I've called you to do?" Then I kinda got humbled real fast and realized that I really wasn't as compassionate as I thought. It's so easy for me to have compassion for those I love, for my friends. But when it comes to people I don't like, I could care less. It's like why should I love them, show them compassion? I can't get along with them, don't really care for them, so why so compassion and love for them? But calls us to something different than that. He calls us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you. I was asking myself why I can't have compassion for those I don't like and I realized that it's because of pride in my life. Whoa gosh, I just need to be humbled. It's just interesting how God has been showing revealing things to me in my life.
And not only that but I just feel like Satan has been attacking on all sides. I'm exhausted from work and lack of sleep, there have been roommate issues, and just all sorts of things. Tonight I had a breakdown. I just cried. I just feel like giving up, but I know I must press on. I have to continue to remember that hope I have in Jesus. And I have to remember that He is always there and never lets go. Leanna sent me the lyrics to this song which are really encouraging.
Matt Redman - You Never Let GoFrom the album Passion 06: Everything Glorious
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won't turn back
I know You are near
And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?
Chorus:
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me
And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We'll live to know
You here on the earth
Chorus:
Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You
"Lord Jesus, I praise you because you truly do not let us go. You are always there. You hold me by my right hand. And even though I am going through storms right now, I still praise you. I praise you because you are God, you are in control, and you are so faithful. I praise you because you are refining me through this and shaping me into what you want me to be. I praise you simply because you are GREAT. Lord, I love you. Give me your strength. I can not do it on my own and I won't do it without you. 'My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.' -Psalm 73:28 Lord, though my heart fails and my own strength fails, you are my strength. I lean on you. Thank you for being there, always and forever. I trust in you Lord. I love you Jesus. Be the center of my life. Help me to keep my eyes on you."
-Michelle
Monday, September 17, 2007
A Day Off...=)
Mondays are my days off. It's great! I get to sleep in as late as I want and do whatever my little heart desires. However, I am finding that it is really the only day to ever get anything, like doing laundry and getting groceries. So I have come to realize that Mondays for me really aren't a day off at all. And maybe this is just me becoming more of an adult and taking on more responsibilities. It's like I'm looking for time to do things and it's not there like it used to be. Finding time to rest is a lot harder these days. Oh well, please don't think I'm complaining, I guess I am just realizing that I'm growing up! Ha! =)
Well, lets see here, what has gone on since I last talked to you. Not too much. Saturday was super slow for most of the afternoon. Not many people came in. Then around 3:30 or 4:00, a bunch of the kids that come in during the week came in to hang out. Oh my word, there were messes everywhere. It was super frustrating but through it I think I learned and gained a little more respect for the people in other places that do just the same thing that I have been doing for only two weeks. So thanks to all the waiters and waitresses, to all the people who have to wait on other people with food and many different things. It can be a hectic job but thanks for your hard work!
Anyway, we were packed around 4:00 and 4:30 on Saturday. It was a madhouse but we mad it! I worked on the floor and took orders from people and delivered food. Things are getting easier for me as the days go on, but I am still learning. We work really hard here too. Got to make sure everything is super clean for the next day. No joke, all this past week, I have seriously been on dishes so much! It's okay to do, not my favorite, but it's just been funny that I've gotten stuck with dishes multiple times this past week.
So Saturday, enough of the work part, maybe on to some more interesting stuff, I was talking to some kids. They came in and had been hanging in the shop most of the day and one of the kids comes up to me and asks me why I go to church. Now, I must explain that when I am put on the spot like that, I have a super hard time responding, but I tried my best and asked the Lord for help. I told him I go to church because it is a good time to fellowship and be with other people who have the same beliefs that I do. I told him that it is encouraging to me and my life to go there. And I told him that it gave me the opportunity to learn more about God. Of course, he didn't seem to think those were any valid reasons to go to church, especially when sex and alcohol seems to be more of a fun thing to do (not that those things are bad in the right conext like in marriage and then moderation of alcohol, but when out of context they can be a problem). Then something came up about going to a Catholic church and I said that I had never gone before but I am planning on it and want to. Then the boy basically told me that I lost all credibility because I don't go to a Catholic church and that he would never step foot into a "proddy" (Protestant) church. Wow, I was taken back a bit by this conversation. I didn't mean for him to think that I wanted him to go to a Protestant church. You have to understand that religion plays a huge part in Irish culture, especially between Catholics and Protestants. There are many hard feelings against the Protestant church and many people nowadays will have nothing to do with them. The thing that I love about working at An Tobar Nua is that we are not trying to force anyone to become Catholic or Protestant. We simply just desire for people to know Jesus Christ as Lord and for Him to become a part of their lives. I wish I could have conveyed that to this boy that I spoke to (and who knows maybe I did or maybe I didn't). I want him and all the others to know Christ like I am beginning to know Him. "Taste and see that the Lord is good." -Psalms 34:8a He is so good and I want so badly to bridge the gap and for him to see the Lord's goodness. It is not about him going to one church or another. It is about a life full of so much more, full of meaning and purpose. Full of unconditional love! I know deep down he and all the other kids want that, but they just don't know it yet. It can be discouraging and hard but I know God is in control and any little bit that is shared is a seed. I just need to pray for God's to become even more real to him in his life.
So after my long day on Saturday, it was finally the weekend! Yesterday I went to church at Discovery where the pastor talked about marriage. I sat next to my friend Leanna who also went to Taylor and we both had a Christian Marriage class this past semester. We kept looking at each other and smiling, thinking that we were there all over again. Haha! Then, after church, a bunch of us went for Indian food. It was really good but we were there for like 3 hours! Oh my word it was crazy! We had a fun time and it was good getting to know new people. CJ and I were the only Americans that went and it was fun just hanging out with the Irish! They are so funny!
After lunch I came back and just laid around all day. I put my Colts jersey on around 6pm because the game was starting. Yes people, it is Colts season and I am not in the states to watch it. It is so sad and discouraging. However, I do have nfl.com which allows me to watch lines on the screen and gives me a description of the plays just after they 've happened. It can be discouraging though to sit in front of your computer for 4 hours just watching these lines but at least I know what's going on! I do miss watching Manning and Harrison and the rest of the gang! Oh well, they won last night and are 2-0!! Woohoo!! Leanna and I celebrated with a little photo shoot in our jerseys. It was good craic. Every week, after every game, we are planning on taking pictures in our jerseys. So stayed tuned for what's to come next! GO COLTS!
Well, I think that's about it for now. I have probably bored you all long enough again...=) Please continue to pray for strength and energy. Please pray for roommate situations and for unity. Please pray for the ministry that more youth would come in and for sales to increase in the shop. Please pray for God's presence to be felt when people walk into this place and that they would feel it as a safe place. And praise God for His goodness and faithfulness in the good and bad times. He is incredible and is our strength through everything. He never leaves us! So praise Him because He is good!! I love you all and will catch ya later!
Cheers!
-Michelle
Well, lets see here, what has gone on since I last talked to you. Not too much. Saturday was super slow for most of the afternoon. Not many people came in. Then around 3:30 or 4:00, a bunch of the kids that come in during the week came in to hang out. Oh my word, there were messes everywhere. It was super frustrating but through it I think I learned and gained a little more respect for the people in other places that do just the same thing that I have been doing for only two weeks. So thanks to all the waiters and waitresses, to all the people who have to wait on other people with food and many different things. It can be a hectic job but thanks for your hard work!
Anyway, we were packed around 4:00 and 4:30 on Saturday. It was a madhouse but we mad it! I worked on the floor and took orders from people and delivered food. Things are getting easier for me as the days go on, but I am still learning. We work really hard here too. Got to make sure everything is super clean for the next day. No joke, all this past week, I have seriously been on dishes so much! It's okay to do, not my favorite, but it's just been funny that I've gotten stuck with dishes multiple times this past week.
So Saturday, enough of the work part, maybe on to some more interesting stuff, I was talking to some kids. They came in and had been hanging in the shop most of the day and one of the kids comes up to me and asks me why I go to church. Now, I must explain that when I am put on the spot like that, I have a super hard time responding, but I tried my best and asked the Lord for help. I told him I go to church because it is a good time to fellowship and be with other people who have the same beliefs that I do. I told him that it is encouraging to me and my life to go there. And I told him that it gave me the opportunity to learn more about God. Of course, he didn't seem to think those were any valid reasons to go to church, especially when sex and alcohol seems to be more of a fun thing to do (not that those things are bad in the right conext like in marriage and then moderation of alcohol, but when out of context they can be a problem). Then something came up about going to a Catholic church and I said that I had never gone before but I am planning on it and want to. Then the boy basically told me that I lost all credibility because I don't go to a Catholic church and that he would never step foot into a "proddy" (Protestant) church. Wow, I was taken back a bit by this conversation. I didn't mean for him to think that I wanted him to go to a Protestant church. You have to understand that religion plays a huge part in Irish culture, especially between Catholics and Protestants. There are many hard feelings against the Protestant church and many people nowadays will have nothing to do with them. The thing that I love about working at An Tobar Nua is that we are not trying to force anyone to become Catholic or Protestant. We simply just desire for people to know Jesus Christ as Lord and for Him to become a part of their lives. I wish I could have conveyed that to this boy that I spoke to (and who knows maybe I did or maybe I didn't). I want him and all the others to know Christ like I am beginning to know Him. "Taste and see that the Lord is good." -Psalms 34:8a He is so good and I want so badly to bridge the gap and for him to see the Lord's goodness. It is not about him going to one church or another. It is about a life full of so much more, full of meaning and purpose. Full of unconditional love! I know deep down he and all the other kids want that, but they just don't know it yet. It can be discouraging and hard but I know God is in control and any little bit that is shared is a seed. I just need to pray for God's to become even more real to him in his life.
So after my long day on Saturday, it was finally the weekend! Yesterday I went to church at Discovery where the pastor talked about marriage. I sat next to my friend Leanna who also went to Taylor and we both had a Christian Marriage class this past semester. We kept looking at each other and smiling, thinking that we were there all over again. Haha! Then, after church, a bunch of us went for Indian food. It was really good but we were there for like 3 hours! Oh my word it was crazy! We had a fun time and it was good getting to know new people. CJ and I were the only Americans that went and it was fun just hanging out with the Irish! They are so funny!
After lunch I came back and just laid around all day. I put my Colts jersey on around 6pm because the game was starting. Yes people, it is Colts season and I am not in the states to watch it. It is so sad and discouraging. However, I do have nfl.com which allows me to watch lines on the screen and gives me a description of the plays just after they 've happened. It can be discouraging though to sit in front of your computer for 4 hours just watching these lines but at least I know what's going on! I do miss watching Manning and Harrison and the rest of the gang! Oh well, they won last night and are 2-0!! Woohoo!! Leanna and I celebrated with a little photo shoot in our jerseys. It was good craic. Every week, after every game, we are planning on taking pictures in our jerseys. So stayed tuned for what's to come next! GO COLTS!
Well, I think that's about it for now. I have probably bored you all long enough again...=) Please continue to pray for strength and energy. Please pray for roommate situations and for unity. Please pray for the ministry that more youth would come in and for sales to increase in the shop. Please pray for God's presence to be felt when people walk into this place and that they would feel it as a safe place. And praise God for His goodness and faithfulness in the good and bad times. He is incredible and is our strength through everything. He never leaves us! So praise Him because He is good!! I love you all and will catch ya later!
Cheers!
-Michelle
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