Reflections

I wanted to say thank you to everyone that has been supporting me thought this year. It really means a lot! I'm just a little over have way finished. Its so hard to believe that at this time last year I didn't know much about Northern Ireland or the YAV program. It just goes to show you how much time changes things even in just a few short months.

I remember thinking this time last year about what I wanted to do with my life after I graduated, I had no idea (and I still have no idea) what would come next for me. I just remember praying about it and giving it to God, letting him handle it and then one day I an opportunity came knocking. After a few weeks later, on March 17th, 2012, I received a letter saying that I had been accepted into the PC(USA) YAV program in Northern Ireland and my life changed.

I thank God that I am able to be here in this place and to be given such an amazing opportunity that wouldn't be possible without all of you. I am truly grateful for all the many blessings God has given me but especially this chance to grow and serve. "A year of service for a lifetime of change." (YAV slogan) I couldn't agree more.

If anyone is thinking about becoming a YAV or about to undergo any other big life changing decisions, I encourage you to not be afraid. If God is calling you to something, don't run away from it like Jonah. We all know how that ended, inside a giant whale. It takes a lot of courage but, as cheesy as it sounds, anything is possible with God. Remember, God wouldn't be calling you if he didn't think you weren't right for the job. He doesn't make mistakes. If I can do it so can you.

A little update on me, I have currently raised over $6,000! I still have a ways to go but I'm getting really close. I'm also thinking about my options for when I go back home. So I appreciate the continuing support.

I thought I would include some pictures of my site to update, inspire and thank you.

Art project I made with my Beaver boys!

Senior group at Friendship House

Crafting with the after-schools club at Friendship House

 

Mountain top experiences

I just got back from my second YAV retreat. We went to Donegal and Derry~Londonderry. I really enjoyed it! I got to hike the highest sea cliffs in all of Europe, Slieve League! It was really tough but totally worth it. I will admit there were times when I thought I wouldn't make it but I did.

When we got to the top it was just so beautiful and amazing! In moments like that I just think of how amazing our God truly is to create this beautiful world. Up there looking out onto the ocean was so breathtaking.

It's so easy to feel God's presence when I am in these kind of places. Looking out into the ocean it looks like the earth meets heaven, which makes me feel closer to God. So shortly after this photo was taken we had a wee devotion on top of the mountain. It was a great time to share with my fellow YAVs . I realized that I am truly blessed to be with a group of friends who share my love of God, and while hiking on a mountain, I could just turn to them and say we should pray, and we did. The whole time I was up there I kept thinking of this bible verse. 

    

^11-12 Then he was told, “Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by.”

A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper. (1 Kings 19:11-12. The Message)

Sometimes we need to stop and listen for God. He may be easier to hear in the quiet but that doesn't mean he isn't always there. We just need to learn to silence the world around us so we can hear Him. 

Amazing Grace

Time sure flies when your having fun! I can't believe that I am halfway through my YAV year already! So far this year I have learned a lot about myself, and the world around me. It’s made for an exciting year. I'm only halfway through my year but I already know that I have changed for the better. I really feel like I fit here and that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. 

Currently, we have some Canadians visiting at Friendship House who are here for a few weeks as part of their mission trip. They are a really nice group and they work well with the kids. It’s been really interesting to get to know them and see Belfast through their eyes. It makes me think of how I might have been when I first came here.

Today when I was at the Friendship House we were getting ready to sing Amazing Grace and I was thinking “finally a song I know”. But it was then that I realized how often I take songs like Amazing Grace that are really powerful and just sing them just like it was any other song on the radio, not worship. I forget about the message behind the beautiful tune.

I was opening the hymnbook to sing Amazing Grace and a piece of paper fell out that said:


The Lord has promised good to me 
His word my hope secured
He will my shied and portion be
As long as life endures

Those words really hit me. It just felt like a reminder that God is ever present in my life and is constantly speaking to me all the time, I just have to listen. Those few lines reminded me that God is looking out for me now and always. It’s nice to have wee reminders like that now and again of how amazing God’s love can be. Sometimes as Christians I think we forget. We are so used to talking about God’s love that sometimes we over look it. It almost becomes just a part of our routine instead of actual worship.

I would encourage you to look at some old hymns from your childhood and just read the words. Really concentrate on the message. You may discover a new connection to these lyrics that you have sang hundreds of times.


We've no less days to sing God's praise 
Then when we've first begun