Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Check out where I live....
Here's where I live :-). I realized afterward that I didn't use my newly found Northern Ireland accent.....so you will probably get that next time ;-).
Yearning for Christ,
Jason
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Settled In!!
Well its been awhile since I posted anything...my apologies. The last couple of days I didn't have any internet because we had to figure out the wifi stuff, but now its all good.
Everything is fantastic. I moved into the flat with Andrew on Thursday and it is quite lovely. It is very spacious and nice and definitely more then I could ask for...so I continue to thank God for the way in which He provides. The last few days have been full with all sorts of things. I had the opportunity to share a wee bit at the Senior Scripture Union (SU) after school on Thursday, and that went really well. I've also had many opportunities to start connecting and building relationships with several of the youth, so that has been grand!
Friday I had the had the opportunity to go out to Kittys Road for the Good News Bible club with the young ones. That was class. I was able to see a bunch of the younger kids from the summer...many of them were really confused when they saw me. And then they pretty much all followed it with the same comment ..."Why didn't any of the other Americans come back?" So to those to you who were here over the summer, you are still missed and they all say hello! I haven't had a chance to connect with any of the older ones yet, but hopefully this coming week I will have a chance to connect with some of them.
Other than that it has just been connecting and getting things all settled. Its hard to believe that I've already been here for over a week. Time is just flying. This coming week most of kids have off of school for Harvest season (and halloween) so I am looking forward to being able to connect and hang out with many of them.
Continue to pray that I would be able to continue to build and even start relationships with the young adults that I am working with. Also, continue to pray for the ability to learn names. You don't realise how bad you are at names until you have literally a thousand thrown at you...so pray that God would help me to remember names and faces.
Anywho, tomorrow I hope to take some pictures or video and post it, so hopefully within the next couple of days I will have something for you to look at. Until then, I continue to thank you for your support, and as always - Continue to keep your eyes on Christ!
Yearning for Christ,
Jason
Everything is fantastic. I moved into the flat with Andrew on Thursday and it is quite lovely. It is very spacious and nice and definitely more then I could ask for...so I continue to thank God for the way in which He provides. The last few days have been full with all sorts of things. I had the opportunity to share a wee bit at the Senior Scripture Union (SU) after school on Thursday, and that went really well. I've also had many opportunities to start connecting and building relationships with several of the youth, so that has been grand!
Friday I had the had the opportunity to go out to Kittys Road for the Good News Bible club with the young ones. That was class. I was able to see a bunch of the younger kids from the summer...many of them were really confused when they saw me. And then they pretty much all followed it with the same comment ..."Why didn't any of the other Americans come back?" So to those to you who were here over the summer, you are still missed and they all say hello! I haven't had a chance to connect with any of the older ones yet, but hopefully this coming week I will have a chance to connect with some of them.
Other than that it has just been connecting and getting things all settled. Its hard to believe that I've already been here for over a week. Time is just flying. This coming week most of kids have off of school for Harvest season (and halloween) so I am looking forward to being able to connect and hang out with many of them.
Continue to pray that I would be able to continue to build and even start relationships with the young adults that I am working with. Also, continue to pray for the ability to learn names. You don't realise how bad you are at names until you have literally a thousand thrown at you...so pray that God would help me to remember names and faces.
Anywho, tomorrow I hope to take some pictures or video and post it, so hopefully within the next couple of days I will have something for you to look at. Until then, I continue to thank you for your support, and as always - Continue to keep your eyes on Christ!
Yearning for Christ,
Jason
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Starting to get Settled...
The past few days have been quite busy with meeting people and starting to get my feet wet with what I will be doing over the next several months. On Sunday I had the opportunity of being introduced to the congregation at Mourne. Andrew interviewed me, and he had several questions from some of the youth, which made it more lively. The big question is which football team I will be supporting....so I'll have to see who that ends up being. At the moment, I have been saying that I will probably be a Manchester United fan (since I will be living with Andrew and he is a Man United Fan)...however, the Liverpool fans weren't too happy with that decision...so we'll see.
I've had the chance to go to the Youth Fellowship at Mourne and meet more of the young adults that I will be working with. I am really excited and looking forward to all that the Lord has planned during my time here. I also have had the opportunity to start helping out with the Scripture Union at the school. This has been loads of criac because it gives me an opportunity to be around the high school and see and interact with many of the teenagers in the community. I will be around the school nearly everyday to help out with Scripture Union prayer meetings and such as well as lead three mentor groups that have been assigned to me...so its just brilliant!!
Other than that, I have just been working on settling in. Today I am heading down to Newry after school with Samuel to get a mobile, and then I think tomorrow or the next day I will be moving into the flat with Andrew...so that will be lovely to finally get unpacked and fully settled in.
It has been fantastic to hear from some of you! Keep in touch and even leave some comments...its always lovely to hear from yous!! Right now the biggest thing for me is trying to learn and remember names - there are many. Other than that, I continue to thank you for your prayers and support and I hope that all is well!!
Yearning for Christ,
Jason
I've had the chance to go to the Youth Fellowship at Mourne and meet more of the young adults that I will be working with. I am really excited and looking forward to all that the Lord has planned during my time here. I also have had the opportunity to start helping out with the Scripture Union at the school. This has been loads of criac because it gives me an opportunity to be around the high school and see and interact with many of the teenagers in the community. I will be around the school nearly everyday to help out with Scripture Union prayer meetings and such as well as lead three mentor groups that have been assigned to me...so its just brilliant!!
Other than that, I have just been working on settling in. Today I am heading down to Newry after school with Samuel to get a mobile, and then I think tomorrow or the next day I will be moving into the flat with Andrew...so that will be lovely to finally get unpacked and fully settled in.
It has been fantastic to hear from some of you! Keep in touch and even leave some comments...its always lovely to hear from yous!! Right now the biggest thing for me is trying to learn and remember names - there are many. Other than that, I continue to thank you for your prayers and support and I hope that all is well!!
Yearning for Christ,
Jason
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Back Again
Well I am back in Northern Ireland!! :-) It seems as if the last two days have gone by in a blink of an eye. I've had the pleasure of reuniting with many friends and having loads of craic (fun) with them as well.
After being picked up at the airport by Samuel, we went back to his school where I was able to sit in on a couple of his classes, while being able to meet many of his students (and see many faces that I recognized ;-)!). It was loads of fun. Then we went back to Samuel's house to relax a wee bit and have some dinner and eventually out to Annalong to visit friends there as well. All that to say that I arrived in Dublin at 7:15am having gotten only 2 hours of sleep on the plane and then didn't go to bed until 12:30am the next day....great fun!!! (which actually helped me get over the jet lag quite fast).
Today was a wee bit more laid back. We had a lie in til bout half ten (slept in til 10:30ish). Then in the afternoon had the opportunity to go visit some other friends in a special place called Kittys Road!! I haven't seen all of them yet, but I did have a chance to see Teresa and Kellie (and I said hello to them for those of you who know them). That was really good to see them.
After all of that I came over to Pastor Williams house (where I will be staying the next couple of days) to have dinner and then go to a charity concert and sketch night. It was quite fun. So I just got back from that about an hour ago, had a wee bit of supper (snack in the evening) and now I am here talking to you.
I want to thank yous for praying for me. Already God is at work answering prayer. Today I found out that my housing situation has just gotten cheaper....way cheaper...in fact FREE!! Rather then living in an apartment by myself, the Associate Pastor at Mourne Pres. Church (Andrew Mullen) offered for me to live with him....so I am really excited about that opportunity to live with him. (He's a younger fellow that is single who I had the chance to get to know a wee bit over the summer, so it will be really good). So praise the Lord for that provision.
Well.....it is getting late over here, and I need to get some rest. So I will be going. I thank the Lord for His faithfulness and I urge you to continue to keep your eyes on Christ!
Yearning for Christ,
Jason
After being picked up at the airport by Samuel, we went back to his school where I was able to sit in on a couple of his classes, while being able to meet many of his students (and see many faces that I recognized ;-)!). It was loads of fun. Then we went back to Samuel's house to relax a wee bit and have some dinner and eventually out to Annalong to visit friends there as well. All that to say that I arrived in Dublin at 7:15am having gotten only 2 hours of sleep on the plane and then didn't go to bed until 12:30am the next day....great fun!!! (which actually helped me get over the jet lag quite fast).
Today was a wee bit more laid back. We had a lie in til bout half ten (slept in til 10:30ish). Then in the afternoon had the opportunity to go visit some other friends in a special place called Kittys Road!! I haven't seen all of them yet, but I did have a chance to see Teresa and Kellie (and I said hello to them for those of you who know them). That was really good to see them.
After all of that I came over to Pastor Williams house (where I will be staying the next couple of days) to have dinner and then go to a charity concert and sketch night. It was quite fun. So I just got back from that about an hour ago, had a wee bit of supper (snack in the evening) and now I am here talking to you.
I want to thank yous for praying for me. Already God is at work answering prayer. Today I found out that my housing situation has just gotten cheaper....way cheaper...in fact FREE!! Rather then living in an apartment by myself, the Associate Pastor at Mourne Pres. Church (Andrew Mullen) offered for me to live with him....so I am really excited about that opportunity to live with him. (He's a younger fellow that is single who I had the chance to get to know a wee bit over the summer, so it will be really good). So praise the Lord for that provision.
Well.....it is getting late over here, and I need to get some rest. So I will be going. I thank the Lord for His faithfulness and I urge you to continue to keep your eyes on Christ!
Yearning for Christ,
Jason
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Today is the Day!!!
Well...after being home for two months from Kilkeel, I am going back!!! I am tremendously excited :-). The reality of me actually leaving to go back today hasn't quite fully hit me yet. I probably won't realize it until I am on the plane tonight heading there. Regardless, I can't wait to see friends and to jump into what God has laid out for me to do there.
I am so grateful for God's goodness and faithfulness. It was two months ago that I began the journey and process to try to go back and help out with the community in Kilkeel. Throughout those two months, God was gracious to give me patience, understanding, and even the ability to trust and know that He is always in control!! There hasn't been a day in the last two months where I haven't quoted Psalm 24:1....."The earth is the Lord's and EVERYTHING in it...!" I continue to cling to that promise because He is the one that owns everything so that He can prepare the way for the return of the King of Kings :-).
My plane leaves Chicago tonight at 6:50pm central time and I arrive in Dublin tomorrow morning at 8:15am Ireland time, which is six hours ahead. As I get ready to go, I ask that you would be praying for travel safety as I fly over there and then get picked up at the airport by Samuel.
Once again I thank you for all of your support. Now is the time where the rubber meets the road and I am praying that God will use me to serve and help out the community of Kilkeel so that He may be exalted!! Talk to you when I get there!!!
Yearning for Christ,
Jason
I am so grateful for God's goodness and faithfulness. It was two months ago that I began the journey and process to try to go back and help out with the community in Kilkeel. Throughout those two months, God was gracious to give me patience, understanding, and even the ability to trust and know that He is always in control!! There hasn't been a day in the last two months where I haven't quoted Psalm 24:1....."The earth is the Lord's and EVERYTHING in it...!" I continue to cling to that promise because He is the one that owns everything so that He can prepare the way for the return of the King of Kings :-).
My plane leaves Chicago tonight at 6:50pm central time and I arrive in Dublin tomorrow morning at 8:15am Ireland time, which is six hours ahead. As I get ready to go, I ask that you would be praying for travel safety as I fly over there and then get picked up at the airport by Samuel.
Once again I thank you for all of your support. Now is the time where the rubber meets the road and I am praying that God will use me to serve and help out the community of Kilkeel so that He may be exalted!! Talk to you when I get there!!!
Yearning for Christ,
Jason
Monday, October 13, 2008
Bittersweet.
Well...I am approaching my last few days in the States. The last two weeks of my have been super crazy, but at the same time, they have been two really awesome weeks. It's hard to think that just over a week ago I bid all my friends in Minnesota farewell....I can honestly say that I will miss seeing them (actually already do ;) ). Before I left Minnesota, I had the opportunity to go up to the Fall Retreat and say good bye to the youth group. This was a very bittersweet moment for me. I am totally excited about going to Northern Ireland, however, this is the first time in four years that I am leaving the people that I have come to know so well. To my small group...you will be missed, but know that I am praying for you. The same goes for my family away from home....the Kempstons - I love you guys and will miss you greatly. To all my friends up in Minnesota, I encourage you to continue to keep your eyes on Christ.
This past week I have been at home in Chicago visiting friends and family and even getting the opportunity to share my plans with my church that I grew up at....Emmanuel Bible Church. It has been really great being able to spend some time with my family before I head out :) .... and even seeing some old friends!!
I want to thank those of you that have committed to supporting me financially and/or by prayer. It has been a blessing to see so many people willing to support. Currently I am at about 16% of my $15,000 goal that I need for my time in Northern Ireland....my prayer is that God would continue to supply me with everything that I need.
Thanks again for all your prayers and support. I leave this coming Thursday at 6:50pm and arrive in Dublin Friday morning. Continue to keep your eyes on Christ!!
Yearning for Him,
Jason
This past week I have been at home in Chicago visiting friends and family and even getting the opportunity to share my plans with my church that I grew up at....Emmanuel Bible Church. It has been really great being able to spend some time with my family before I head out :) .... and even seeing some old friends!!
I want to thank those of you that have committed to supporting me financially and/or by prayer. It has been a blessing to see so many people willing to support. Currently I am at about 16% of my $15,000 goal that I need for my time in Northern Ireland....my prayer is that God would continue to supply me with everything that I need.
Thanks again for all your prayers and support. I leave this coming Thursday at 6:50pm and arrive in Dublin Friday morning. Continue to keep your eyes on Christ!!
Yearning for Him,
Jason
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