4 days to go

We are wrapping up our tenure here in Ireland. We now have only 4 short days to go.

I think that we are pretty much done with all of the major packing and moving out. Now we have only to organize and reorganize our luggage to try and get as much home as we can. It is amazing what you can live without when it comes right down to it. It is also amazing at how much junk you can collect in 9 months time. Yikes! The good thing is that the church is going to have a "boot sale" (aka garage sale) to raise money for a new Sunday school room. Hopefully, they'll make a good bit off of our collection. 'One man's junk is another man's treasure.'

Yesterday, we enjoyed the company of Lynn and Kyle who had us over for lunch. It was so wonderful to visit with them. They are an awesome family. We are really going to miss them!

We had a surprise potluck dinner as our midweek service. We really enjoyed the food and fellowship. I'm glad that it wasn't too much of a production as it would have been hard to refrain from tears. My heart is heavy for the church here in Ireland.

Today, the guys moved everything out of the house except for mattresses. Thanks for you help!

Shawna Mansfield is headed back to Ireland in May. Shawna, we will miss being here with you!

Tomorrow is mine and David's 10 year anniversary. We shall hopefully do something fun. But no definite plans yet.

All the Best!

Belfast

We arrived back in Belfast today. The flights were pretty much smooth. The only problem that we had is that Elayna cried/fussed for probably nearly 4 hours crossing the ocean. The only thing that I can imagine is that her ears must have been hurting her. Poor baby! She has never done that before. We need to start praying now that the trip back will be better.

It is great to see this beautiful country again. There was snow on the ground when we arrived. I asked one of the locals if it was unusual to have snow. She replied, "Oh yeah, we almost never get snow for Christmas. It only snows in Feb., March, and April." Whew! What a big reminder of our communication differences. I don't understand how you can speak the same language as someone else but still not be able to communicate! I mean, if you study that conversation, where did I go wrong? I just don't get it. Oh well. It is laughable though.

We are also very happy to see the McFarland's again. They are doing well. Sister Mac is feeling much better. She hasn't had any signs of a blood clot. We are believing that it is finally completely gone. Thank you Jesus!

We had kind of forgotten just how "at home" we feel here. We certainly will find ourselves "homesick" when we return to the states.

I should really be sleeping right about now. This blog might not even make sense! So, I'll post more later.

Going back to Ireland

We are getting ready to set sail for Ireland again tomorrow. My surrogate brother, Bradley, and his wife, Jaime, are coming with us. They already had this trip planned before we made the decision to come back to America a few weeks early. It is going to be great having them there with us.

On that note, we are really going to have a hard time leaving Ireland when it come right down to boarding that plane for our final departure for this season of our lives. We absolutely love Ireland and are going to miss so much about working for God's kingdom there.

Meanwhile, we have been trying to setup house again here in Louisiana. This is not an easy thing to do with no job. David has been searching diligently for a job. Things almost fell into place for him to get a job with his previous employer, but for some reason it didn't work out. Yikes! We are praying for God to send that perfect job for him. In the mean time, he is getting certified to be a financial consultant. He loves that. It is flexible hours. But let's be honest, it is also flexible income. We can't be making a living off of flexible income with a family of five.

God has blessed us with our dream house. We are slowly but surely furnishing it. It just so happened that a couple from our church had this house up for sale by owner. They have offered to let us lease purchase the house until we are able to finance it. Thank you Jesus! He always provides for His children!

We are looking forward to continuing our work for God on this side of the ocean. Who knows what wonderful things He has in store for us?? I know that God will not fail us now. He is More than enough. He will supply ALL our needs. He always looks out for us. He is a rewarder of those that deligently seek Him!

Season of Life

I'm having to post this blog all too soon....

Long story short: David and I were feeling that God was leading us back to Louisiana after our tenure in Ireland was up. However, Elayna got sick when we came home for Christmas and through much prayer we made the decision to end our appointment 6 weeks early. We are scheduled to return to Ireland for 10 days in February to wrap everything up.

Long story:

Am I really bummed? Yes! It is definitely bitter sweet. We LOVED working with the McFarland's. And we LOVE Ireland. There is no doubt that we were supposed to go to Ireland. I believe that God had us there for the summer for a reason.

I never dreamed that we would be back so soon. David and I both went into this assuming it to be a long term decision.

When God says to go, we must go. When He says to stay, we must stay. We have to be sensitive to His voice. I know that God has a reason for this. I'm sure that I don't know all of them, but I can already see some things that God has done since we have returned.

We are praying for Ireland! And who knows, maybe one day we'll have the opportunity to return. We now understand the importance of prayer for other countries more than ever.

Thanks to EVERYONE who has contributed to the Ireland work through us! We could never have heeded to God's voice without your prayers and financial support. I'm sure that if you would like to continue with any financial offerings you can donate to the March family or to the McFarland family.

To the McFarland's, the March's, and our church family in Ireland, we miss you lots already! You will always be in our thoughts and prayers. Thanks for allowing us to spend this season of life with you, and may we all meet again in eternity (if not sooner). We love you all bunches!

God Bless!

We'll continue to post blogs throughout our transition so that you can keep up with us and pray for us.

Elayna's Bday

Elayna's 1st birthday was last Sunday, Dec. 28th. Here is a picture of her enjoying her cake.

God's work in Ireland

David was privileged to preach tonight at our home church in Denham Springs about God's great work in Ireland. We had a wonderful service as David shared with God's people the marvelous things that are taking place on the Emerald Isle.

I wish that someone who is there would blog more often (ahem) or even blog at all (ahem ahem). I feel like we are missing so much. (I guess that is how you all feel when we don't blog regularly. Sorry!)

It snowed here in Baton Rouge the week before Christmas. The most snow that we have had in 50 years. I thought that our Ireland crew would appreciate a picture of it. This is my in-law's neighbor's house. It was a winter wonder land. Too bad that it wasn't like this on Christmas day. We have crazy weather here.

Favorite New Year Story

My favorite wacky new years story is one told by Gordon Mallory who was a former missionary to the Philippines.

He said that once he was in a watch night service, ushering in the new year by worshipping and praying with fellow believers. Right about midnight, tongues went forth so everyone immediately began seeking God for the interpretation.

After a moment, someone spoke up and said the following:

"Thus saith the Lord, HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

So that's my word to everyone today. The Good Lord wants you to have a happy new year!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to our friends and family!

We are so excited about what this year holds for us. I've made up a great quote, "Everything will be Fine in 2009!" David's quote is, "Bring on the 'New Wine' in 2009." We are so original. No, Please hold the applause. :)

Elayna goes to the specialist on Wed. Hopefully, we'll know what caused her relapse and be able to go from there.

We are really missing our church family in Ireland. We are scheduled to fly back Jan. 9th. I know that there are exciting things happening in that beautiful country.

Home for the Holidays Update

Happy Holidays to all of you!

We are really enjoying being home with friends and family. Thanks to everyone who was sure to speak to us at church. We love you all and hope that you have a wonderful Christmas!

We have been really busy visiting with as many people as we can since we have arrived.

Today we had to bring Elayna to the doctor. She has been running fever for 3 days. She has another Urinary Tract Infection due to reflux to the kidney. The doctor said that it is measured in small, medium, and large. Using that scale, Elayna's infection is a large. Poor baby. She had to have an antibiotic shot. Depending on how tonight goes, she may have to have another shot tomorrow.

Dawson, too, has been sick, but Lord willing he will sleep through the night tonight with no complications. He seemed to be feeling better today.

Kristen has been offered a chance to go back to school. (Long story short, she didn't get into school in Ireland and has really missed it.) She will be staying with my surrogate parents, Bobby & Shirley McDonald (Paw Paw and Mimi), for the 8 weeks that we return to Ireland. Kristen is sooo excited! Although, she has admitted that she will miss those that she has befriended in Ireland.

It sounds like we are missing exciting things in Ireland! For one, the container FINALLY came in! That is so exciting. We can't wait to see what we put on it..because we certainly don't remember...lol. And for two, we missed a service in Dublin where a new work has been started. We can't wait to hear all about it!

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!

Christmas Poetry!

Charlie Lowell of the band Jars of Clay has launched a blog in which he shares a Christmas poem each day leading up to Christmas. So far they have all been thought provoking and from authors I am not familiar with (I always enjoy the discovery of writers and poets). You can read his blog by clicking here.

Thoughts on the Weekend Service

The ministerial staff were glad to be back in service at Greater Life yesterday! We had a great service with a good crowd. As Pastor McFarland preached, I surveyed the crowd and was so excited to see all of the different nationalities represented. There was a family from Poland, a young lady from France, and our regular saints from the Philippines, Ghana, England, and Kenya. God is pouring out his spirit among the nations!

A Great Thanksgiving Week In Scotland

We had a great time in Scotland last week. We had district minister's meetings at New Life Church in Glasgow (Bro and Sis Robert Kelley, pastor), and we stayed over a few days in order to celebrate Thanksgiving with other Americans in the area. We also had the opportunity to visit some of Scotland's finest castles, including Edinburgh Castle.

The Kelley's were wonderful hosts and even though we were not home for Thanksgiving Day, being with them and all of the great people at the Bible College made it seem like we were with a big family. We had great food and fun.

Here are some pictures from the week:



Thanksgiving Day Fellowship


Edinburgh Castle


Stirling Castle


Ministers' Banquet at District Meeting

Starbucks, Church, Thoughts?

I came across this video today called "What if Starbucks marketed like the church?" It's good fodder for thought and discussion. It comes from a blog called Beyond Relevance.

Good Things Happening; Exciting Week Coming Up

God continues to work in Ireland! For the last three services Pastor McFarland has been away taking care of some important things, so it was my turn again to bring the Word! I'm always amazed at how God always lights us up with the Word for the moment and then orchestrates the service to accomplish His work. Yea God!

On Sunday a family from Poland visited our church. They have little Christian background and spoke very limited English. It was a neat experience to get to know them a little and to start planting seed in their heart. We could tell they were touched by the service and the love from the church family.

And speaking of family, God directed me to speak to our families last night. In this critical moment in time, there has never been a more pressing need to build our families around Jesus Christ. The Scripture says that it was the wise man who built his house upon the rock. While everything in this world is being shaken, the homes that are built on the Rock are going to stand strong.

I shared with the church my memories of having "family devotion" as a child with my family every Monday night. And sometimes my mom would get particularly spiritual and take me and my brother through the house on a victory march! I can remember thinking, "if the kids at school could see me now...". But you know what? Here I am 20 years later and those moments have never left me. Now the challenge is mine to pass on to my children.

One final note, tomorrow we leave for a week in Scotland. We will be attending the district minister's meetings, visiting the Glasgow church and Bible School (Bro and Sis Robert Kelley pastor/missionary) and then spending Thanksgiving day with the Kelley's and other Americans in the district. It's going to be a great time. People keep using the words "visit" and "Edinburgh" and "castle" in the same context, whatever that's all about. : )

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The Christmas season is officially here in Northern Ireland. Of course, they don't celebrate Thanksgiving here. Therefore, Christmas decorations go up after Halloween. We have been listening to Christmas music and trying to pick up a few gifts to take back home with us. There will be no Christmas tree for us this year as we are leaving the first week in December to head back to Louisiana. We are fully relying on the Christmas trees and decorations of our friends and family at home.

Actually, someone at church said that they don't put their decorations up until after Thanksgiving (even though they don't celebrate it). I don't know. But decorations are up in stores and Christmas music is playing. We are in the mood for the most wonderful time of the year!!

More Miracles!

On Saturday evening Pastor McFarland received word that his father, who lives in Oregon, had a massive heart attack and was on life support. Simultaneously, Sis McFarland's father was undergoing major surgery in Florida.

On Sunday, the church prayed. On Monday the reports came back that Bro Mac's father was completely off of the life support, was walking around talking, and will probably be released from the hospital next week. Then we found out that when the doctor's opened up Sis Mac's father, they found nothing of the condition for which he was undergoing surgery!

Is God good or what? I'm telling you, He is still working miracles.

November Is Here

Has another month already come and gone? It's amazing how fast time passes. It seems like October just arrived, that I had my 32nd birthday, that we were enjoying the beautiful fall colors....and now it's November and things seem more winter-like every day.

We rolled our clocks back an hour (as a matter of trivia, we performed this ritual one week earlier than the US) and that has meant that it is getting darker earlier.

It also means that it is time to give you a summary of what God did in Ireland during October!

Holy Spirit Outpouring
Gillaine was filled with the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the month. It was so amazing to watch her being born into the Kingdom knowing that six months prior she had no knowledge of what this New Birth was all about. God is still pouring out His Spirit on all flesh!

James and Eve are a precious Apostolic couple from Dublin who have been driving up here to the North to attend services. They rent a room of their house out to a girl from France named Florence. She visited with James and Eve and showed interest in the things of God. Pray for Florence.

Staff Meetings
We began a formal series of staff meetings, aligning our goals, priorities, job descriptions, roles, etc. We had a great time brainstorming and organizing the various ministries from the ground up.

College Ministry Launched
Speaking of "ground", we launched our college ministry, called "Grounded", in October. We meet weekly at Starbucks for a time of Bible Study and fellowship geared to the college level. Why meet at Starbucks? Well, it appears that God is opening a door for us there. Shawna works at Starbucks and as she began to share with her staff and managers about Greater Life, they became very interested and wanted to offer Starbucks as a place for us to meet and have Bible Study. The manager told us that she would be willing to close the Starbucks one evening and then re-open it after ours just for us! The only thing is we'd need a crowd large enough to justify the re-opening. So this opens up all kinds of possibilities for outreach/youth services/meetings, etc! Who wouldn't want to go to a "youthy" type meeting at Starbucks?

Communion Service
We had a phenomenal Communion Service this month. In Ireland, like many of the churches in the States, they would tend to have communion each week. We choose to partake of communion less often, in order to underscore the importance of the service. We spent time in prayer and fasting to prepare ourselves for the service and God showed up in a big way. Many prayers were answered and lives were touched.

Now we have high expectations for November! Keep praying for Ireland!

Let It Snow!

We are having very cold weather (temperatures in the 30s and 40s) with a so called Arctic Blast that hit the UK. And yesterday we had snow! That's right, it snowed for about an hour and a little bit even stuck on the fences, cars, etc.

You can imagine the excitement we had when we saw the snow! We were running around looking for Christmas music, and Dawson kept asking where the Christmas presents were!

I believe Farrah took some good pictures of the snow event, so hopefully we'll have those posted soon.

Work, Work, Work

Last week we stayed busy constructing a drainage system in the back of the parsonage/church. There was a lot of water damage to the building due to a leak as well as rain water seeping in under the foundation. So our nice fresh drainage system should cast out the water like Apostolics casting out devils!

On Thursday we worked late into the night because rain was coming and we needed to finish in order to avoid an absolute mud hole!

It was hard work, but we had fun - especially with the heavy equipment!

Miracles!

God is on the move! We have several miracles to report and we are all rejoicing over the victories God is giving to us.

Timo
By now I imagine most of you have heard but I did want to take a moment and celebrate with the Simoneauxs over Timo's healing at General Conference. (You can click here to read their blog). As you remember, Timo contracted bacterial meningitis last summer, and we brought his need to you through this blog. God did a great work in Timo's life, but his hearing was still affected from the sickness. Last week at General Conference God touched Timo's hearing - much too his doctor's amazement. Thank you, Jesus!

Eamon
Our own Bro Eamon testified Sunday that his wife Pauline (who is a recovered cancer patient) had signs that the cancer might have returned. Between the time she received this news and the time she was to go for more tests, they prayed in the Name of Jesus. She went for those tests and the doctors found nothing! She remains cancer free. Praise God!

Paul

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Bro Paul also testified Sunday that he had been praying that God would work it out with his job that he would be able to attend church regularly. In the past couple of weeks, God has given him a brand new position that allows him to be at every service. He told me that this is a better position and that his managers are very pleased with his performance. God is awesome!