For Such A Time As This

On the evening of Christ’s birth, in the year two thousand and nine, I am humbled by the idea of the sacrifice that was brought and born into this world. His main purpose for becoming human was to die. To die for me. To die for my sin. To die for my ignorance.

My main reason for being born into this world? To live. To live for Him and with Him. To live near Him. To live for His glory.

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”.

My thoughts this season have been different than they would’ve been in past years, for a variety of reasons, but my heart is the same. Christ’s birth is a time a celebration, of joy, of beauty. However, many of my thoughts were more directed at smaller ideas. First, God told the shepherds -the lowest of society’s low- that their King and Deliverer was born. They were told before anyone else, so that they may have the opportunity to worship the Prince of Peace the same as people of higher class. I can only imagine them there, in their rags, with their blistered feet and sores around their fingers that had gripped a rod and staff for many years. I can see the dirt in their hair and the affect time and the elements had taken on their faces. They were probably hungry and thirsty, cold and tired. Yet, when they received news that God’s son had been born, they gathered up whatever strength they had left, and made the trek to the stable. Maybe God provided the stable for Mary and Joseph as a means of making the shepherds feel more welcomed, more at home. I wonder, no matter the amount of faith they had in the angel, if the shepherds would have traveled to a palace to welcome a king? Maybe the stable was a means of making the wise men, wisest of all, feel more humbled? That was train-of-thought number one…

Number two? The wise men gave the gift of myrrh, oil associated with the burial process. They may not have known the significance of that gift, the representation of the suffering that would take place, and the pain that would proceed death. Yet somehow, they knew it was the perfect gift for this humble being. They may not have known what would come in the days to follow, but they knew it would change the course of history. They simply followed a feeling on what to present to the King of Kings, and it was their humility in presenting them to Him that made them men of honor.

As I look to the future, I also look to the past. All that has happened, and all that is left to come. I think of fears and failures, of dreams and hopes. I sometimes shy away from the bigger issues because they intimidate me, but then I am reminded, by that still, small voice…

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline”
2 Timothy 1:7

Be courageous like the shepherds and be humble like the wise men. Be blessed the way God wants to bless you.

-Rin

Blessed Ones

"Don't Save It All For Christmas Day"

Don't get so busy that you miss
Giving just a little kiss
To the ones you love
Don't even wait a little while
To give them a little smile
A little is enough

How many people are crying
People are dying...
How many people are asking for love

Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
To give a little love everyday
Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find your way
Cause holidays have come and gone
But love lives on
If you give on
Love...

How could you wait another minute
A hug is warmer when you're in it
And Baby that's a fact
And saying "I love you's" always better
Seasons, reasons, they don't matter
So don't hold back
How many people in this world
So needful in this world
How many people are praying for love

Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
To give a little love everyday
Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find your way
Cause holidays have come and gone
But love lives on
If you give on
Love...

Let all the children know
Everywhere that they go
Their whole life long
Let them know love

Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
To give a little love everyday
Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find your way
Cause holidays have come and gone
But love lives on
If you give on
Love...
Love..

This is one of my all time favorite Christmas songs. However, it has meant more to me this holiday season then ever before. I am slowly learning that there is pain and sorrow in this world. That there are people just waiting for someone to hug them, reach out a helping hand, or offer a smile. How easy it would be to do that every day, yet how seldom I actually do. Why is that? Am I too busy to say a “hello”? Am I better then them, therefore being excluded from sending a smile their way? While in Ireland, I resolved to “be a better person”-I could start on that one today, without needing to waste another moment.

This seems to be the theme of the week for me, as when I was swinging by my old stomping grounds last night, the topic of discussion was the spirit of Christmas, the season and reason of giving, and the prayer for a right mindset. My friend and I were talking about how easy it is for us to forget about the simple fact that everyone is fighting their own battle. We can be as friendly and kind to someone who has a cast on their arm or who just lost a relative, yet we forget so often about the people who don’t show any outward signs of pain and suffering. While engaging in conversation, it is a hundred times easier to think about what we’re going to say next or what we’re feeling than it is for us to listen to them. That’s something else I need to work on.

Another resolution in Ireland was that of contentment. While trying to shove 3 ½ months worth of life into two suitcases at one in the morning, I was frustrated. And I think, for the first time, I wasn’t frustrated at the size of my suitcase. I was mad at myself. I didn’t need all this! I was especially disappointed at myself in the shoe department- I only have two feet. Therefore, someone please tell me WHY I have 9 pairs. And those were only the ones I took to Ireland. It was a humbling lesson, and one I believe I will be working on for a long time. Fortunately, my incredible roommate doesn’t struggle with this, and therefore, is keeping me accountable.

Yet, all was not in vain for the lesson Christ was attempting to teach me. In one of the least dramatic moments ever, I thought about how blessed I am, and what gifts have been given to me. There was no “Hallelujah” chorus in the air, no bright light going off over my head-Just the way someone said something to me. I thought about other people, all over the world, in every country, in Ireland, in my own country, and I wondered why I haven’t done more to bless them. My charge to myself was to be a blessing to people, whether through a smile, a hug, or a gift. I want to bless others as I have been blessed.



“And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth…”
Matthew 5

Be blessed!
-Rinny

And So It Had To End

You can’t top the time of your life.
I just had mine.

So, this is what it feels like to leave. I miss it. I certainly do. But something I realized on the plane home was that I had my time there, and now it’s time somewhere else.
To sum up the general idea of what has happened, I’ll give you a note I wrote on the way home:

Life changing. Inspiring. Difficult. Amazing. Breathtaking. Challenging. Different. Testing. Moving. Interesting. Incredible.

…but that’s the way it always is, isn’t it?


I just got home from Ireland, where I spent my first semester of my freshman year at Taylor University. It was all of the above and more. And so much more… I learned. I grew. I was challenged, pushed, asked to change, asked to be open. I was shaken, torn apart, shattered broken. I was healed, renewed, fixed, transformed. They were the best of times, every moment. And I’ve come to realize, it’s not the location that matters the most; it is the people you are with. It is the laughter you share, the tears you catch, the hug you give, the smile you show. It is not what you say, but how you say it. Life isn’t measured in the number of breaths you take, but the number of moments that take your breath away. If that saying is true, my life has been measured vastly.

I cannot sum up all that has happened in the last 3 months, nor will I pretend to be the same person who left. You can ask about Ireland, and I will tell you…it was wonderful, beautiful, stunning. You can ask about what I did…hikes, DART rides, museums, castles, abbeys, etc. You can ask what I loved the most, and I won’t have an answer.

But the one question you can ask that has been most pertinent to my experience there would be “what have you learned”? I was actually studying there, so I can rattle off Gothic and Romanesque architecture terms and features. I could tell you about early Irish settlers, or about Irish painters in the nineteenth centaury. I can tell you something significant about every county in Ireland, or the history of the 1916 Easter Rising. I could tell you about heroes, villains, leaders, and tragic love stories. I could tell you about the Belfast Agreement and the events that shook Ireland during the 80’s and 90’s. I could name every major historical event. I could tell you about the last High King of Ireland or the current president.

I could, but I won’t.

Instead, I would tell you that I saw God in every rainbow He painted for me. I heard Him in every crashing wave. I touched Him on every hike. I listened to Him in every cool night breeze. I felt Him when I conquered every fear. I found Him on every corner, in every city. I saw Him in every person I met, and a few times, I hugged Him. I heard Him laugh and saw Him cry. I watched Him create a new day, every day. I stood back, amazed.

I’ve gone everywhere. I’ve seen everything. However, it seems to me that the more I learn, the less I know.

I could list off the hundreds of places I went and the countless people I met, but I’ll leave that one to the photos. Anyway, a picture is worth a thousand words.

All the same, my prayer would be that I would never stop searching, cease looking, or quit seeking Him. I pray for the strength to fight the battle, the forte to forgive, and the courage to love. I ask for the patience of the sun, the steadiness of the oak tree, and the passion of the ocean. I pray I would find Him in every corner, in every city. I pray I would change, always. Change is inevitable, but growth is optional.

“Preach the gospel; if necessary, use words”-St. Francis of Assisi

Since man is made in the image of God, I’ve learned to seek Him in every person I meet. I have learned about His redeeming grace. I have learned that every time I describe God, I put Him into a box. I have learned that He asks me to have a spirit of courage, and not of fear. I have learned that every person has a story, and that it is just waiting to be told-maybe to me. I have learned how to listen, because most people won’t. I’ve learned to love people the world finds unlovable. I have learned to change.

“You are the face that changed the whole world
No one too lost for you to love
No one too low for you to serve
So give us the grace to change the world
No one too lost for me to love
No one too low for me to serve”

It was a semester I’ll never forget, nor one that I’ll live again. But it was one that helped shape me into who I am now and who I am going to be. It was one that God used to teach me and lead me. The people He brought into my life, the lectures I heard, the chapel times, praise and worship on the beach, and rainbows witnessed were all set in motion by His hands, and for that, I am truly grateful.

Weekend Adventures

What a way to wind down my time in this beautiful place=)

On Thursday night, we turned in our last final...and are now down with all schoolwork for 6 weeks! Upon completion, and for celebration, we competed in Erieband. I was able to halfway fulfill a dream of mine-singing "Needful Hands" by Jars of Clay-the other half would be to be able to play that same song on the guitar and sing...at the same time. That might take some coordination. Then Ana and I sang "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" as a duet, and it rocked! The rest of the acts were absolutely wonderful, and I can't wait to see what the "real" Airband looks like next fall at Taylor!

Later that night, we got our housing conformation for J-Term and the spring...I was blessed to be able to room with Megan (my amazing other half), and blessed to be on the first floor (no stair climbing when moving in), and in Olson (near almost everything). I was also blessed to know that my other favorite roomie, Leah, will be on the same floor as us. Even though we wanted the three room (mainly for our own bathroom!), we will settle for same floor rooming/community bathrooms. Apparently, all sorts of great things happen in there...like sing-a-longs, homework problems, poetry readings, etc. This could be fun=)

After finding out where everyone else was staying, my roommies and I went down to the Beach House Pub for one last Rock Shandy for Dr. Maloney. We laughed. We cried. We made it awkward. It was all good.

On Friday, the roommies had another great date, with one last hurrah in Dublin. Bewley's Coffee, Grafton Street Christmas lights, and crazy Irish people. Everyone is getting in the Christmas spirit, from the smells, to the sounds, to the sights. It is beautiful at night. After an afternoon in Dublin, we hooped the DART north to Howth. None of us had ever been there, and all of us wanted to go. It's a port town at the very end of the line, and we were told it was beautiful. Thus, we went. It was dark by the time we got there, so we walked the tow of the piers, soaking it in. The boats on the water, the lights from the city, and the outline of the moon made it a perfect night. We ate fish 'n' chips, ice-cream, and Digestives. After walking and taking lots of evening pictures, we headed back to Greystones.

This morning, Kyle set up a few stations for us to "reflect" on our time here in Ireland. It was absolutely wonderful. There were places for us to pray, write, listen, and talk. It was a really neat way to thank God for all He has done for us here and to pray for the future, our plans, and our friends and families.

This afternoon, I decided to be brave and ride the DART to Malahide, all by myself. The thought of riding an hour and a half to a city I'd never been to was a bit intimidating, so I wanted to conquer that fear. I went to Dublin where I had to make a connection, but I didn't realize that the next train to Malahide wasn't for another hour. I decided that I didn't want to waste one of my last hours in Dublin by sitting in a train station, so I headed out to Grafton Street, got a coffee, and killed an hour. The street players are starting to preform Christmas carols, which were beautiful. I love Christmastime. I made my way to Pearse Station, caught my train, and went to Malahide. Unfortunately, by the time I made it there, it was dark, so I stayed on the train and went back to Dublin, then Greystones.

I officially learned everything I need to know about navigating cities, public transportation, and mass crowds in a foreign country. Think about it...I didn't learn it at home, and I won't learn it at Taylor=)

Well, tomorrow after church will be a Thanksgiving dinner, a white elephant gift exchange, and finishing packing. Boy-if I could ever drag my feet on any activity, it would be packing. Most definitely. I hate it.

Can't wait to see you all! Can't wait to eat American food! Can't wait for cheap prices! Can't wait for Christmas! Can't wait to see the animals! Can't wait to experience Taylor for the real "first" time!

Much Love From Dublin,
-Rinny

T'was The Best Of Times

As I'm sitting here finishing my final paper for my last class, I am finding myself allowing my mind to wander over the memories of this semester. The friends made, lessons learned, sights of God's handiwork, and memories cherished will last me for a long, long time.

These past few weeks, we've had "debriefing" sessions with Kyle and Laura-It's really just an easy, open time to process all we've seen and learned, and to figure out how we will live life differently from now on. While the idea of our time here coming to an end is certainly not welcome, I appreciate that we are not just being left with an anticlimax. We have been encouraged to engage in those conversations, take those people on walks, and enjoy a chat over a "cuppa" (coffee). We have especially needed those walks and talks after some recent class times. In our Cross Cultural class, we watched a movie about laundries that were being run by the Catholic Church in Ireland during the 60's. The events that happened there were hard to believe, and even harder to process. After watching the movie, Jen Lewis asked us to write a paper about what the gospel was and how we would present it to the people who had been deeply wounded, like the people in the movie. It was a really hard, but neat time to be raw with each-other in how we handle grief, anger, pain, suffering, and brokenness. I know that I have enjoyed the chats with various people over coffee, and being able to pick their minds on all sorts of subjects. The people in this group are smart, witty, deep thinkers, and completely in love with Jesus. What a blessing to be surrounded by the body of Christ.

I can't even begin to list all the lessons I've learned, so I've been going through my journal to try to figure out which ones have meant the most to me, or been the hardest to learn. I am so thankful that I was able to keep that journal during this time, as it has been my best friend and most trusted confidant. It has in no way eaten its way into my relationships here, but it is the one place I can go to work out thoughts on paper that I can't say in words. Thanks, Dr. Maloney, for making us do that=)

In the meantime, I will be saying my goodbyes, living up my last few days in Ireland, and ceaselessly praising God for His wonders anew every day...

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appears
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee O Israel

O come, thou rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of of hell thy people save
And give them vict'ry o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee O Israel

O come, O Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by thine advent here
And drive away the shaves of night
And pierce the clouds and bring us light
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee O Israel

O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heavenly home
Make safe the way that leads on high
And close the path to misery
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee O Israel

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might
Who to thy tribes, on Sinai's height
In ancient times did'st give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee O Israel

-Much Love,

Rinny

Fall Break In Spain!

Hello Everyone!

Well, I'm back from Barcelona, safe and sound. It was SO much fun-Everyone needs to go there at least once in their life. What a great city!

We left at 5:00 on Friday morning, but little did we know what a morning it would be! So, the bus system in Ireland is...not great. Even the Irish don't like their bus system. Ashley, Ariel, Laura, Leah, Megan, and I waited in the dark at the bus stop for 30 minutes (did I mention that it is a BIT cold in Ireland now?), at which point we saw a figure running towards us. Seeing as we had just been over all of our self-defense moves, we felt confidant in our abilities to fight off any unwanted escorts. However, as the figure drew closer, we recognized it as one of our own FISPers! It turned out to be Ellie, who was en route to Germany to visit a friend. Apparently, her alarm didn't go off when it was supposed to, so she missed her original bus and wasn't sure if she could make her flight at this point in time. Laura decided to go with her to make sure that she got to the airport and to try to help her if she really did miss her flight. She told us she would meet up with us at the airport when we arrived. Off Laura ran to help Ellie, and the 5 of us were left to fend for ourselves. After waiting for the bus for another 10 minutes, our group trekked further up the road to wait for another bus that we would have to pay for. Finally, our original bus came to the wrong stop, 47 minutes late.

We were all slightly apprehensive on our bus ride (ask the family about the crazy Irish bus drivers), first because of the breakneck speed at which we were traveling, and second, because of how late we were. We arrived in Dublin, where it was (surprise, surprise!) POURING buckets of rain. We sprinted across Dublin to catch another bus, with our backpacks bouncing and our passport holders tucked safe inside our coats. We missed the bus we were aiming for by 2 minutes, then had to wait another 15 minutes for the next one to come. Wait in the rain, more precisely.

We got onto that bus and were headed for the airport. When we FINALLY arrived there, we decided to go straight through security. RyanAir must be chill about their security, because I felt COMPLETELY illegal going through the metal detector with my shoes, belt, and coat still ON me.

We arrived at our gate, and had about 12 minutes before the queue for the flight would start, so we fed a college student addiction: coffee. We met up with Laura, and then got onto our plane with no more troubles and were off to Barcelona. It was the first time in Spain for all of us!

(That was just Friday morning!)

We landed at 11:15, Barcelona time, to 60 degree weather and gorgeous sunshine. After getting on a bus to the city, we practiced our Spanish for an hour. We decided to be easy-going the first day, and see where the weekend lead from there. We walked under the "Triumphant Arch", which is uncannily similar to the arch of the same name in Paris. We then got bread, cheese, guava juice, and chips to eat in a park nearby. The park was the PERFECT picture of a lazy day in Spain-groups playing frisbee, people playing guitar, couples walking, families out with the kids, etc. The thing that struck me the most was how relaxed the Spanish are about life and work. They never rushed, there were no car horns blaring, no one had to dash to an appointment; they were just enjoying the life they have. It was super refreshing to be around them. We had a photo shoot in the park after our late lunch, and then went off to locate our hostel.

We found SeaPoint Hostel easily enough. It was a stones throw from the edge of the ocean, and the water was WARM! After swimming the Irish Sea quite a bit, and getting used to simply being numb during the swim, the warmth of this water was heavenly. I unashamedly ran into the sea with my shoes and socks on, quite aware that I was being secretly laughed at by the locals. I didn't care-Life was good.

Our hostel was AWESOME. There were six to a room, so our group took up our own. However, the walls weren't all the way to the ceiling, so we heard MANY conversations outside of our room. At one point in time we were trying to figure out what time we needed to be at the bus station for the return flight. Ariel was asking us what time 18:30 would be in not-military time, and a voice called over from another room "that'd be 6:30!". There's not much you can hide in an area that...open=)

Saturday was GREAT. We had breakfast and decided to try to find the "Saturday Market" that everyone talked about. Oh boy, did we! This market went on and on, for at least 2 and a half miles. Almost everyone picked up Christmas presents there, since Spain is SO MUCH cheaper than Ireland. We then stumbled upon a food market which was in a sort of three-sided shed, the size of the indoor arena. There was food galore and we splurged on fresh coconut, pineapple and guava smoothies, and chocolate of all kinds. That night, we walked up and down our beach for a good 2 miles. There was a huge ropes course/piece of modern art type thing that was on the beach-We couldn't decide what to do with it, so we climbed on it! For a long time. A very long time. It was incredibly entertaining.

Sunday morning involved mass...in Spanish (duh!)! I chose to sit by myself to truly "experience" the culture. And I was doing great until we were asked to, I'm assuming, greet our neighbor (I really only caught every other word, so I was guessing a lot). The woman in front of me turned to shake my hand and say (again, an assumption) "Christ be with you", at which point I shook her hand and said "Hola!" in my best Spanish accent. I repeated my greeting three times. These people CLEARLY knew I was a tourist-But I didn't know that I was one until after the service when I saw where all the tourists were SUPPOSED to sit. In the waaaaaaaaaay back. Oops. The rest of Sunday was spent getting lost on little back streets, having photo shoots on park benches, and looking at crazy architecture.

Our flight home would've been uneventful...minus the angry RyanAir costumer who crawled through the luggage conveyor belt, the EPIC turbulence (I just love turbulence-No, really), and my seat mates. I didn't bring a book or my i-pod, for both space and safety reasons. But I also wanted to learn how to be ok with being bored. WHAT a lesson I signed up for! On the 2ish hour flight home, I memorized the safety card, picked out all the inconsistencies on it, and mentally made up the life story for everyone sitting within four rows of me. I even picked out my soulmate, who was sitting two rows ahead of me in row 29, seat F.

All in all, it was a perfectly refreshing weekend and it was just what I needed to prepare for finals. I can now attack Art As An Experience with zest, Contemporary Ireland with passion, and Irish History with renewed curiosity. Perfection in a weekend.

Hope all is well with ya'll-I'll be seeing you soon=)

-Rinny (My new nickname, as dubbed by my roommies, Meggles and Rum)

The North

There’s a cool breeze blowing through the quiet city on an overcast October day. I’m walking along a wall that borders the city and takes me past churches, memorials, and monuments. The autumn leaves have fallen, and I’m laying on the ground to try and get that perfect angle for a great picture. I’m not nervous or worried about who’s around, or what people will think when they see me on the ground, holding my camera at an unusual slant. In fact, I haven’t been concerned at all during my stay in this city. The people were quiet, gentle creatures, very welcoming and friendly to me and my group. On our coffee trips, we’ve always been greeted with smiles and “Oh! Where are you from?”-style questions.

But this city has a far from peaceful past. The tension is still very real, the wounds are still very raw, and the people are still very hurt. Belfast, Northern Ireland was, and still is, a city that has been torn and divided for quite some time. As an outside visitor there, I would have never known about the troubles that have afflicted this city for years, but having an “inside” guide and taking an “inside” tour, opened my eyes to the problem of pain. But maybe I should start at the beginning to give you a broader point of view…

We started our trip to Northern Ireland with a “mural tour” in (London)Derry, Co Antrim. We stopped at the BogSide Artists shop and looked at the photos taken from the 60’s and onward. We were then guided on a tour of the murals, which ranged from paintings of children playing on war-torn streets to victims of the hunger strikes. Perhaps the most moving moment to me was at the end of the tour, when we were taken around

the backside of an old, worn down pub. While everyone else was looking at the last mural, my attention was grabbed by what appeared to be bullet holes in the walls of the pub. Near the side of the pub, was a shattered Guinness sign. Coincidence or not, the broken glass had an eerie affect when mixed with the dark sky and cool win

d that had welcomed that morning. When I stood up from taking pictures of the glass, I noticed a plaque in a discreet location on the side of the wall. Reading it made me sick to my stomach, or want to cry, or both.

It read…

In Proud and Loving Memory of Manus Deery

Murdered On This Spot By The British Army

19^th May 1972, Aged 15 Years

He Shone On Earth Now He Shines In Heaven

I just imagined the scene. I didn’t want to, because it was painfully real, but I allowed it to keep playing out in my mind. Thinking about it even now makes me sick. Just standing on the same spot that a young man was shot and killed made everything else in life slowly fade away from the forefront of my mind. The whole day, I thought about the boy’s face, and wondered about his story, his family, and who he would be today if he hadn’t been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Yet, every story has two sides. The next day, we met with an ex-prisoner named Jake, who took us around the inside of Belfast. We stopped at mural after mural to read memorials set up for people who had died in the conflict. We felt out of place with all of the “Union Jack” flags flying, but we never felt unsafe. On the murals, we read about the progress made and the heroes of the day, of the fallen members and the victories won. Again, the weather seemed to know that we needed an overcast day to allow us to soak in the somber history of the city and its surrounding areas.

Another very moving aspect of Belfast was the walk of the “Peace Wall”. It’s funny, because the name holds no truth to the real reason for it, and peace is the furthest thing that it keeps. It is more of a “dividing” wall and its presence in the city only helps the feel of “taking sides” that most feel when they enter Belfast. Even Jake said that he believed the peace wall wouldn’t, or shouldn’t, come down for another twenty years. That is a long time to wait for “peace”.

As somber as this trip was, it was one of the best trips of my life. To expand on that, let me tell you why. We stayed at a hostel called Downhill in Armagh. It was downhill indeed. Nestled between two cliff-faces, the hostel was a lovely white home, facing a beautiful beach. There is virtually nothing else around it, so it got very dark at night. I walked the beach every night, and every night, it was a different beach. In one direction, you could see the lights of a city in the distance, across the water. In the other direction, you could see another city, separated even further by water. There was also a large, hollowed-out tower on top of one of the cliffs, and it was a breathtaking sight to see it at sunset and watch the rays of light strike through the window holes. It was overload for the senses, because, besides the sights, you had the smell of saltwater and the sound of crashing waves at high-tide to overwhelm your mind.

On Thursday night, my roommate, Megan, and I were walking on the beach, talking about life, God, and where we were at with our feelings. It was an awesome time, because we were just being raw and open with God and each other. As we were walking, I looked over to her and said “You know? The only thing that would make this night better would be a shooting star”. And guess what? God delivers-Within five minutes, we watched a star race across the night sky. Later that night, we joined our group on the dark beach to sing praise songs and pray for this land.

That beach truly felt like the “eye of the storm”, because just mere miles away was a war-torn, hurting place, but I felt closer to God than I ever have before. Isn’t it crazy how God works like that? Before I went to bed that night, I prayed a prayer of peace for Northern Ireland. A prayer of peace just like the calm and stillness that had just washed over me.

Northern Ireland was incredible, and I’d live there in an instant. It’s far from perfect, but it is on its way to healing and reconciliation.

Peace in Northern Ireland, the peace of God, will reign tonight.

Amen.

-EEF

Shattered. Unsettled. Broken. Beautiful.

How great is our God…sing with me.

Lesson #252…Life is messy. Very few things are actually black and white. There is a plethora of gray areas, mixed lines, blurred edges, contradicting ideas. While this may or may not be news, the thing that I have been learning is that it is alright to NOT have answer to everything. It is ok to say “I don’t know”. I think so often we as humans feel the need to have a solution to everything, to “fix” everything, to think logically, to always have a plan and be prepared. Yet, God works wonders in our lives when we have the grace to give up and allow Him to work at His own pace through His own will. Why isn’t it a relaxing thought in the knowledge that we don’t have all the answers? Why isn’t it incredibly refreshing to say “I don’t know”? Why do we feel the pressure to know everything, then feel guilty when the answer isn’t right, when all along, the question wasn’t ours to answer? It’s a hard place to be, because it is raw, venerable, honest, and open. It forces us to be meek and have humility. Admitting that you don’t know everything means admitting you’re a bit lost too. That’s where the “life is messy” part comes in-there’s no billboard on this earth (that I know of) that explains God, His will, and His being, in an ABC or 123 format. He doesn’t come with an instruction manual, nor do we. He doesn’t give us all the knowledge there is in the world, because we don’t need it. Why don’t we rest in peace at the knowledge of that fact? Our loving God is protecting us from things we don’t even know take place, and through our willingness to follow, He’s guiding us to His kingdom

I still have questions. I still see areas of life as gray. I still see many, many blurred edges and crossing lines…but I’m learning that sometimes, that is ok. Sometimes I need to be satisfied with what I see, and not what I want to see.

Life is messy. And I’ll embrace that.

-E

Beautifully Broken

I want to be broken.

That’s my prayer for the year; learning to be beautifully broken. I ran across this concept tonight when someone brought it up in a group discussion. More so, it was a prayer on an index card. Something about it stuck in my mind the entire night. While the idea of being “broken” doesn’t sound particularly enjoyable, the thought of being healed by my Maker sounds incredible. My other thought for the night was…You can’t fix something that isn’t broken. God, being the perfect gentleman that He is, won’t break us until we’re ready for it. But in order to make us more like Him, in order to “fix” us, He needs to break us. The breaking isn’t easy; it’s painful, it’s messy, it’s raw. But it’s the healing process, it’s the beauty formed from ashes, the rise of something new and whole, that is life changing. Often times we build up layers around us to protect ourselves from hurt, shame, or rejection. Yet, if we allow God to tear down those layers and expose our true, raw forms, we see the beauty of His creation. Tearing down those layers may be one of the hardest things you’ll ever have to experience, but it is a moment of praise and adoration of God when the walls finally do come down. When you don’t have anything to hide from Christ is when you meet Him face to face, it’s when you feel His arms around you.

So, my prayer this year is to be raw, honest, and open with God. I want to be broken. I want to be healed. I want to be more like Christ.

Let my heart be broken with the things that break God’s heart.

How He Loves

I am struggling. To say the least.

Christ has blessed me beyond compare, over and over and over again. How do I thank Him enough for all of the blessings He has poured out on me? And why has He chosen to bless me here, now? Why do I get gift after gift of mercy and grace when I see all of the suffering that surrounds me? Why am I loved so much when I know there are people that the world finds unlovable? Why am I shown protection and peace when there are broken hearts and minds trying to find some gentleness in the world?

These are just a few of the questions that I've been contemplating recently, and I'm learning again and again how to simply...trust...God with everything. I feel pretty safe in His arms now, so why don't I just have faith and allow Him to work His complete and perfect plan in my life? Which leads us back to the whole concept of "letting go"...that isn't exactly my strong point.

Anyway, we learned this song in worship a few days ago and it has been on repeat on my computer ever since. If you get the chance, youtube it and simply listen. Allow the words to penetrate your heart, because they will. I think this really exemplifies the amazing love of Christ.

How He Loves

John Mark McMillan

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane
I am a tree
Bending beneath
The weight of his wind and mercy
When all of a sudden
I am unaware of these
Afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize how beautiful you are
And how great your afflictions for me

Oh how he loves us so
Oh how he loves us
How he loves us so

Yea He loves us
Oh how

We are his portion
And he is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in his eyes
If grace is an ocean we're all sinking
So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss
And my heart burns violently inside of my chest
I don't have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way
He loves us

Oh how he loves us so
Oh how he loves us
How he loves us so

Yea He loves us
Oh how

I thought about you
The day Stephen died
And you met me between my breaking
I know that I still love you God
Despite the agony
See people they want to tell me your cruel
But if Stephen could sing
He'd say its not true
Cause you're good

Oh how he LOVES us...oh how he loves.

Weekend Retreat=)

At the moment, I am sitting in a room in a gorgeous old manor house that used to serve as an orphanage. It is huge, lovely, old, amazing. I am here (about an hour south of Coolnagreina, my home) with my roommate's church, Greystones Presbyterian Church, for the weekend. We are watching kids and listening to sessions with a guest speaker from Wales! It will be a fun two days (including the mandatory table tennis tournament). There are 5 girls and 4 guys from Taylor. The girls are all staying in the same room with an Irish lass named Sarah. She's great fun-She and I hit it off immediately, which we found out tonight when we were sitting next to each-other. We were trying to harmonize together without even knowing it! After a quick laugh about that, we figured out we both loved dancing and photography.

Speaking of dancing, we had our first Irish dance class today. SO much fun! It was quite the workout. I can teach you all steps when I get back=) Just know, it's not Riverdance and it's harder than it looks. Sarah said she'd teach us some more steps tomorrow!

This week has been incredibly busy with homework, which is why I haven't written about our trip to Galway. I'll try to sum it up as quickly as possible. Dr. Maloney and Dr. Jones where with us, teaching Contemporary Ireland and Irish History, respectively.

If I could live anywhere in Ireland, it'd be Galway. Without a doubt. All the way on the other side of the country (which was kind of like driving to VA Tech), is the most beautiful landscape and most relaxed city. Galway city itself has the infamous "Claddaugh River" running through it, which inspired the ring. It's obviously near the ocean, so it is very "sea port" friendly and all of the shops and restaurants had a "sailor and ship" feel to them. The "downtown" King's Street had the most simplistic, refreshing aura about it. We had one day to just explore the shops and museums around town and it was great fun! One night we went to a "Culture and Arts Experience" on King's and then had dinner at Roberta's, Dr. Maloney's favorite Italian restaurant. Some of us went to a rugby game and others just walked the pier and "kicked the wall", a Galway must.

Connemara National Park was beautiful, in the most raw, rugged of ways. It's easy to see why the horses are so hardy-it was rocky, mountainous, and dangerous, because of hidden bogs. We also visited Kylemore Abbey, Clonmacnoise Abbey, and some random castles on side roads. Beautiful countryside.

Well, I need to begin working on my biography now; a 7-ish page paper for our history class. We were allowed to pick anyone who had influence on Ireland, so I chose Bono.

No-I'm just kidding. I am really doing it on Harry Boland, originally Michael Collins' right-hand man, then Eamon de Valera's most trusted advisor. If you don't know those names, look them up.

Have a good one!

Thoughts For Day 19!

My thoughts for the day (but, take rest in the knowledge of the fact that these are all random and disoriented and that this is not how I think normally…)

Thought #1. I am addicted, obsessed, fanatical about Carmex. No other lip balm works the way it does. I always have one in my purse, my pocket, my hand. I cannot, will not go to sleep unless I am 100% certain of the fact that it is on my nightstand, should I wake up in the middle of the night with dry lips. If I reach the conclusion that it is not where it should be before I sleep, I will get up out of bed and search every coat pocket and every cushion in every couch to find it. I am addicted.

I haven’t totally lost my mind-Stay with me here. Tonight during small group, I had a revelation about God and the relationship I have with Him. Why isn’t God my “Carmex”? Why am I not totally infatuated with Christ? Is He in my head and heart at all times? Can I sleep at night if I know He isn’t where He should be? Will I get up and look for Him everywhere if I reach the conclusion He isn’t beside me? Will I search the corners of the earth for Him if I know I don’t have Him near? Am I addicted to Christ?

I am ashamed to say, I am not addicted. I would like to be. That is my prayer for this year, but especially this semester. I want to be “obsessed” with God. There is a book called “Crazy Love” that I am hoping to get my hands on. We’re going to try to go through it as a small group this semester and I am excited beyond words to see where God leads.

(My small group is also going to take Salsa lessons on Tuesday nights…how cool is that?! 7 girls salsa-ing together…)

Thought #2. God has every person in this group here for a reason. We came to the conclusion that, had we not come to Ireland, none of us would’ve met-or at least become good friends. We all come from different backgrounds. We all have different aspirations (except for the uncanny fact that all 5 of the pre-med majors want to do something with the brain…). We all offer different perspectives. It’s wonderful.

And the lifestyle here? Incredible. For the few who are up at midnight finishing an art paper, there is Nutella and Digestives to snack on=) We’ll have 11:00 p.m. “praise and worship” sessions in our classroom where we simply sing and pray and whoever wants to come, can. Chapel is amazing and doesn’t happen near enough (the eleven o’clock hour on Tuesday and Thursday doesn’t come as quickly as it should). The locals that have lived around the “Y” will come in every Saturday night at 10:30 to play poker and make rock shandys (lime and lemon carbonated juice…it’s good.). Hopping the DART to Dublin to go to museums, parks, and cafes is so easy. The “Cliff Walk” to Bray and back is something everyone needs to do-It’s a 3 mile hike to the neighboring city. I’ve also put my lack of light-footedness to work when I ran it=) And running? Take your pick of where to run…right next to the ocean, on the cement blocks next to the railroad tracks, through town, the trail run to Bray, or along the harbor. And those places are just the “running” highlights. Try choosing one place to have your devotions…impossible. I am left in adoration and praise of God after every walk, run, or hike.

Thought #3. We heard an incredible speaker today, Jim Parson. He spoke on the Irish youth culture, the problem of drinking, the shaping of this generation from past generations, the accepted concept of “causal sex”, and the problems that have risen from that mindset. I’m still processing everything he said, so there will be more on that later, but for now, know it was an awesome class.

Thought #4. I am having the time of my life developing the gifts God has blessed me with. Photography has become a real hobby, but editing pictures has become a “stress reliever”. I don’t know why, but there’s something relaxing to me about changing the hues a bit to emphasize the mountains or clouds, or using highlights to color in oceans and fields. Another random pastime- Singing. I have had five different people on five different occasions tell me I can sing. I’ve had two people ask me if I was ever in choir. That has been such a great blessing to me. I love how encouraging these people are.

And the best is yet to come. I get to spend the next 4 years of my life becoming even better friends with these people, and that is an awesome thought. It’s not like we’re going our separate ways after 3 months. Instead, it’ll be 30 best friends storming the Taylor campus, singing Disney princess songs, eating Nutella, and stressing out about art papers.

Life is good. So very good indeed. Praise God!

The Most Amazing Day. Ever.

Ummmm-The most amazing day just occurred. Ever.

To start it off, we drove to a beach about an hour away and a) went swimming in the Atlantic Ocean (The waves in the Wave Pool at Splashdown are NO comparison), b) played soccer on the beach (My first time playing it-I think I'm the next Mia Hamm), c) learned and played rugby, d) had a cook-out on the beach, and then e) drove around the Dingle Peninsula. On our drive, I took at little over 200 pictures, putting my overall picture-taking at about 800 pictures in all.

Swimming was AWESOME! Originally, I wasn't going to swim, so I just rolled up my trouser legs, kept on my hoodie, and waded into the water in search of seashells. Then Ashley looked at me and said "It's now or never" (I also knew that Will would be very disappointed if I missed that opportunity). So, we charged the waves and swallowed SO much salt water. SO very much.

Salt water brings up another point-19 out of 29 people on this trip got very sick over the week-end and two girls had to stay in Greystones at the start of this trip to visit doctors and get better (Haha-They're all talking about "Swine Flu" concerns and I laugh. I've been exposed twice this summer-If I was going to die from it, I would already be dead!). I am one of the lucky 10 who haven't gotten sick yet...(and I've survived two sick roommates, both at home and here in the hotel, since we switch up roomies on our travels). However, all that water today washed away any traces of stuffiness.

Going back to the older post about Glendalough and death-There were about 17 of us who went on the 6 mile hike up and around the Wicklow mountains. It was a beautiful day, with blue skies and awesome sunshine. For the first 2.5 miles, we were literally hiking up rocks, grabbing where we could reach on the rocks, and making our own footholds. Then, when we reached the top where we had to go over the gap, we crossed at tiny bridge and began another climb up, but this time on a path that was two railroad-ties width. Whoever had the genius to put thousands of staples in them to create friction was brilliant-Those were life-saving. After we crossed the gap, it started raining and the wind was unbelievable. There were times when we had to literally stop, crouch down, and wrap ourselves around the railroad ties to hang on (the wind was that strong) to avoid being blown down the side of the cliff. However, it got really f-u-n when the person behind you grabbed YOUR backpack to keep THIER balance. Then, there was one "look-out" point where it was a wind tunnel, and all there was to keep you from falling off was a single rail. We had so much fun! Most of the second half of the hike was cliff on our left, and mountain-side on our right. It was dangerous, wet, cold, windy, and amazingly fun (I say dangerous because Taylor U did have a fatal accident on that same hike about 6 years ago).

I am having the time of my life here, and it still kind of seems like I'm in a dream. The whole group gets along (We have a cd called the "Brian Bus Jam Cabam!" which contains all the great Disney Princess songs-We ALL sing those on our bus rides home...). Our leaders are great, Brian (our bus driver) is great, Jen (our chaplain) is awesome, life is good.

Can't wait for my family to see home! It's incredible!

(For my siblings-The names Liam, Connor, and Kathryn are my kid's names-Don't steal them!)

I'm heading to bed now-We have to leave early tomorrow to drive the Ring of Kerry!

Love!

Erin Flathers (O'Flathery would be our Irish surname...We're from CO Galway, which is where the "Black Irish" are from. They're called "black" because of all the Spanish influence!)

In The West...!

Hey guys! This week is your lucky week-Must be the luck of the Irish. We do have some internet access if we stand on our heads and balance our computers on our toes in the hallway at 2:00 a.m.! Yeah!

To bring you up to speed, we’re staying in a hotel in Kilarney and we just, just, just got back from a 7 mile hike after a 1.5 hour boat ride (not including the manual labor part) through the “Gap of Dun Lough”. It was SO much fun! The hike wasn’t a true hike-it WAS on a paved road that cars went down…but there were still crazy dangerous situations that made memories! The boat ride, a historical one according to our bus driver (Brian King, our driver said he had never seen the water in the lake so high), was amazing. The waves were definitely coming into our boat and there were a few times we thought we were going to flip over. We safely made it across one of the lakes to a river (there were three boats containing all the FISPers), then had to go under a bridge against the rapids. At this point, we had to get out of our boats, roll up our pantlegs, take off our socks and shoes, wade across the water, and pull our boats under the bridge. It took about an hour after all was said and done. After that, we hiked some serious “Sound of Music” switchbacks up to a little church, where we had lunch. I am working on pictures right now, so give me a few days to give you proof of our adventure and survival!

I’m off for fish ‘n’ chips, some live music at the pub, then a movie at the cinema!

To Tide You Over Until...

...my return from the west coast.


As soon as we're home for longer than two minutes, I'll up-date the blog and send out some pictures. We have been GO, GO, GO (and it has been amazing!). I don't know where I left off, but I'll briefly go over our week-end. On Friday, our group traveled to Glendalough ("Land of two lakes") in the CO Wicklow mountains. After a tour of the monastery, about 19 of us went on a 6 mile hike up and around the mountains (more on that later-but as far as being killed by natural forces, I've never been so close to death!). It was fantastic. Then on Saturday, we spent the day in Dublin on a scavenger hunt. That was also...exciting. To say the very least.

Monday was Dublin for the Book of Kells.
Tuesday was Newgrange, Hill of Slain, and Mellifont Abbey.

Pictures are coming!

Healed Minds Through Broken Hearts

I found the 24-7 ice-cream bin at Taylor. Also the to-go coffee cups. This is good. However, all the athletes are here now, so if you want food, you have to be waiting in line 7.4 minutes before the dc (dining commons) opens up.

God works in mysterious ways indeed.

Well, today we shared our testimonies in our "Foundations of Christian Thought" class. Our group was so diverse in our backgrounds, yet everyone had a common point with someone else in the room. Most people grew up in Christian homes, attended church all their life, and are learning to make their faith their own. However, there were many people who have gone through unbelievable hurt. The fact that they felt safe enough to be this honest, open up this much to people they don't really know yet, was truly a "God" thing. There's Amy, who's mother committed suicide when Amy was in 8th grade. Sitting beside her was Carley, who's father announced he was leaving this spring. Then there was Olivia, who just found out her mother had been having an affair with her principle. Tyler has met his father once in his life. The list goes on. These people have been to hell and back, yet they persevered through God's grace and forgiveness. They found strength in His loving arms, and healing in His peace.

This is the God we serve. This is the God we love. It's through Christ we are able to overcome.

In Him alone,

-E

How Much Are These Suitcases Supposed To Weigh?!

Wow. I feel like I could fit a few small people into my two suitcases, and yet, I seem to be running out of room and over the 40 pound weight limit. Between American food, my shoe collection, and some wool sweaters, I feel like I'm getting ready to trek across the globe! Hmmm. I'll have to work on that.

Well, today is my last day at home, and it's bittersweet. I was blessed to be able to say good-bye to a lot of the people I didn't think I would see again (til Christmas!), yet still have many good-byes I would've liked to say. If I didn't say good-bye to you at home, I'm sorry and good-bye! It's the craziest thought that I'm leaving not only all the comforts of home behind, but also all the familiarities too. It still feels like I'm packing for a vacation, and not an extended stay. I wonder when that feeling of "home" in Ireland will sink in. And I'm assuming that as soon as I start to feel at "home" in Ireland, it will be time to make yet another new "home" in Indiana! However, if that is the way life goes, then that is the way I will go.

Wish me luck with making a new home...

...and wish me luck with this whole "packing" thing. Just not my cup of tea.

Cheers!

-EEF

Humble Beginnings

Hello All!

As I get ready to start my college adventures in Ireland, Indiana, and beyond, I wanted to have a way to communicate with all of my friends at home. I wanted to share the lessons I learn, experiences I have, people I encounter, and God I discover with you. Thank you for being there for me for all this time. I hope God will move in huge ways this year, and all I ask of you is that you be willing to go along for the ride (or more so pray for my ride!).

Thank you for being the best of the best!

-E