Dublin

We arrived safe in Dublin yesterday afternoon and had a pretty uneventful day. We walked around Grafton Street and were going to go to Riverdance, but Elise had been having trouble getting the tickets online, so we just went to get them there. Unfortunately, it was sold out for Saturday, but we got some for Sunday.

 

We did some basic food shopping, and then back to the hotel... Unfortunately, I get very bad internet reception in my hotel room, which is why this post wasn't put up yesterday. But bear with me.

 

This morning Brianna, Libby, and Mrs. Susan went to do more touristy things while Elise, Katie, and myself chill in the hotel. We'll meet up with them later in an archaeology museum, and then go to Riverdance from there.

 

Tomorrow we fly home!

 

--Dexter

 

What you can pray for: that no one gets run over by a bus in Dublin, and for safe travel home. Please continue to pray for Ballygawley and Kilmore and Bradley and the dance ministry.

The Finale

After prep work and prayer at the hall, we went shopping and then to Carrickfergus castle. It's one of Elise's favorites, and the rest of us had never been there before.

 

But... it wasn't open. Kenny had mentioned that it might be closed due to filming of Game Of Thrones (which they are filming at Titanic Studios), but then it turned out it was closed due to filming of some scifie movie, Our Robot Overlords. Never heard of it before. But there were lots of interesting people running in and out of that castle, so that was cool.

 

Then we headed out for our final Holiday Bible Club...

 

My group was kind of rowdy tonight, and there weren't very many kids there at all because everyone was leaving for their summer holidays. But we enjoyed our time with the kids we had. After the regular program, the parents came and the kids did their theme songs and recited the memory verse and the Bible Points of the week. We gave Margaret a gift from the whole team, and then we danced a few pieces. Elise later told us that the children were entranced by the dancing, which is always an encouragement.

 

Speaking of encouragements... Bradley was back! The little boy who accepted Christ last night came back! We gave him a Children's Bible, and he was really happy all night long. It was such an encouragement to see him walk in.

 

Not very many teens showed up either, but we had fun with them too. We played some hockey and taught Alex how to linedance, and we sat around and talked a bit too. I wish we had more time with them... One week is such a short amount of time, not nearly long enough. But I suppose I'm also ready to be home.

 

We helped clean up the church hall, and then regrouped back at the cottage to pack... Tomorrow we leave for Dublin, where we'll stay until Monday... when we fly back home.

 

--Dexter

 

What you can pray for: Please pray for the church of Kilmore, that it will spark back into life. Pray that this won't be the end for those kids and those teens, that seeds will have been planted and that those seeds will grow. I wish I could list each and every one of them by name. Please pray for safe travel for us tomorrow as we drive the hour and a half to Dublin.

 



St. Patrick and Table Tennis!

Today we prepped the hall (which involved playing with the fancy settings on a keyboard) then went to Downpatrick, the little town of St. Patrick. We visited the Down Cathedral, which is a very beautiful church that also has the grave of St. Patrick.

 

If you're like me, you kind of associate St. Patrick with shamrocks even though you know that can't be the real story, and it's not. We visited St. Patrick's grave before going to the St. Patrick Center, a kind of museum devoted entirely to St. Patrick. After all that, we learned quite a bit about the man.

 

Admittedly, I don't remember a lot of it. My headache of the week was really bad today and my stomach was uspet due to nerves, so I didn't really absorb information. But basically, St. Patrick was kidnapped as a child and made a slave. He escaped six years later and returned to his native land, Britain. But after lots of prayer, he determined that God wanted him to go back to Ireland to spread the gospel.

 

From what I heard in the exhibit, the problem with St. Patrick is that no one really knows the real story. Lots of legends and stories have been assigned to him without any real proof. Nevertheless, it was all very interesting.

 

The club that night went well. We were sharing the Gospel in the story, and at the end one little boy talked to Brianna and accepted Christ! But we think his mom may not be too pleased about it, so we're all praying that we see him again tomorrow.

 

With the teens we had a table-tennis tournament! I quickly was released after losing to Kenny 12-10. We were both pretty evenly matched in our not-so-greatness. We weren't able to finish the tournament due to time, but the three people left in the running were Mark, Heather, and Rachel (I think).

 

While we had a snack, I shared my testimony. I had been worried about this all week, and I appreciate prayers for my words. I did get through it, and I hope God used my words and my story.

 

The teens do seem to finally be opening up a little. I choreographed a quick dance on Katie and Matthew (his real name's Nat) that he's excited to perform for our little talent show we're having tomorrow (we might be having tomorrow). I had to leave early because Elise is worried about my health, but the other girls walked home with a few of the other teens and now we're all getting connected through Facebook (yay for modern technology!).

 

Tomorrow we're going to try to visit Carrickfergus castle, but Kenny mentioned that it might be closed due to filming of Game Of Thrones...? Margaret said she'll pull the American card if it's true, so we might be able to visit it... while they're filming. And then tomorrow night is the last Holiday Club, complete with hot dogs and ballet dancing and parent-inviting. And then we might be having that talent show with the teens...

 

--Dexter

 

What you can pray for: Elise is almost all the way back to health, but Libby and I are still sick. Please pray for that little boy who asked Jesus into his heart, and for all the teens here. Please continue praying for Ballygawley and Kilmore in general. Pray for the kids and the parents who will be here tomorrow. Thank you for all your support so far!

Lazy Day

We did more prep work this morning, and then Mrs. Susan, Brianna, and Libby went to Belfast for the Titanic Museum. Elise, Katie, and I stayed home for some much-needed rest. We spent the day in separate corners, reading, chilling, and catching up in our own quiet interests. It was lovely.

 

The Titanic Experience is a huge interactive museum dedicated to the Titanic. It's only been open for the past few years, and it really is pretty cool. It's easy to spend hours in there. If I hadn't been so tired, I probably would've gone again.

 

We're getting more and more organized as the week goes on. Tonight, we had a much better roll sheet and a more rigorous registration so we're getting better at knowing who is and isn't there. I was also promoted to music accompaniment on the piano, and though my skills are hardly impressive, it does help the theme song go a little smoother. We also have microphones, so now we can get the kids' attention way easier! By the end of the week, we might have perfected the whole thing.

 

After the club we hung out with the teens more. Yesterday Chris had volunteered to bring a Wii, but he was late so we started a game of Hot Potato, and then Volleyball. When he did show up he and I spent a long time trying to hook it up to the ancient TV in the Church Hall. Well, mostly he did. I offered a bit of input on where things were and who to ask for certain things. Eventually we hooked it up to Margaret's projector... but then there was no sound. And even though a few people stayed behind to play Mario Kart, the Wii was kind of a fail. Tomorrow we'll have speakers and it ought to go better.

 

Brianna shared her testimony, and we played Questions and the Walrus Game. It was still pretty fun, despite the Wii malfunctions.

 

Tomorrow we go to Downpatrick to walk around and enjoy the sights, then another Club Night and Teen Night.

 

--Dexter

 

What you can pray for: Elise did pass her stone! Praise the Lord! Libby is still recovering from her cold and I still have a constant headache, so prayers for health are appreciated. Please continue praying for the Club and for peace and strength and love for all of us. Please pray for Kilmore and Ballygawley both, and the potential dance ministry. And if I could ask for a personal prayer, I will be sharing my testimony tomorrow with the youth, and I'm not so good at that kind of thing. I would greatly appreciate a word of prayer for that.

Kilmore Round Two

We did a lot of prep-work in the hall this morning before heading to a small primary school for their assembly. We danced and Katie shared her testimony, and then we invited all of them to come to Holiday Bible Club. A lot of them we recognized, and it made me strangely cheerful when one of the boys shouted excitedly across a parking lot, "Dexter!! DEXTER!! HELLO!!!" After we'd shared, they practiced one of their own songs, which was adorable.

 

We went to Newcastle for the afternoon, a tourist town by a beach. It was nice, but I was feeling very sick and so I didn't enjoy it at all, and probably exuded a gloomy atmosphere to the rest of the team. But we got ice cream and a few people bought a few souvenirs. We then headed back for dinner and then the club.

 

We were better prepared this time. We're still not perfect, but we're getting a little better. Our roll/registration sheet is getting revamped, we reorganized our groups, added another workspace, and got a few extra helpers.

 

Tonight we had 35 kids, so less than last night... but we anticipated this, partly because several boys said they had football practice tonight. Hopefully they'll be back tomorrow. But we also got new children tonight, so hopefully they'll be back tomorrow too.

 

We had time with the teens afterward. We played a few fun, silly games like Down By The Banks and Questions and attempted Bunny Bunny, but that failed. Then Katie and Libby introduced the Walrus game. I didn't actually participate, but I happily videoed a showdown between Katie and Libby. This game was a big hit. Louise was crying the whole time because she was laughing so hard.

 

We're starting to get names down. Except for Matthew... Matthew isn't his real name. Katie mistakenly thought it was, so now everyone just calls him Matthew (his real name is Nate).

 

But we had a lot of good craic with the teens tonight, and everyone's a little less awkward. Katie shared her testimony, and the Walrus game really tears down awkward walls strangers build up.

 

Tomorrow half of the team goes back to Belfast for the Titanic Museum, but Elise, Katie, and I will stay home and get some rest. The three of us have been before anyway, and we need a quiet afternoon. Then it'll be Holiday Club and Youth Time again that night!

 

--Dexter

 

What you can pray for: Health for everyone. Elise is on the mend, but it's still rough sometimes. Libby's recovering from her cold. I've got a constant headache. Also pray for the kids and teens, that they would come back. Pray that God fills us with his love and strength until we overflow. Pray that he will give us strength to go on when we're worn out and unable to do so alone. Please pray for the church of Kilmore as a whole, and continue praying for the people in Ballygawley and the dance ministry.

Kilmore Club Day One!

Elise got up bright and early this morning for her doctor's appointment, but the rest of us slept in until nine when we headed over to the church hall to set up.

 

We decorated and planned and tried to figure out as much as possible. And we finally met Scott Woodburn, the neighboring minister! By the time he showed up, we had most of the work done. But he gave us sheet music and brought a button machine and eased a lot of our worries.

 

We then headed to Belfast and took a bus tour, which was very interesting. Unfortunately, car rides seem to put us all to sleep, so I wasn't the only one who nodded off for a few minutes in the middle of the hour and forty minute tour. But Belfast is a beautiful city with lots of history, from Queen Victoria's dislike of the town to the Catholic and Protestant conflicts.

 

We headed back for dinner, where we met up again with Elise, who is doing much better today. She still hasn't actually passed the stone, but now she knows the does and don'ts and seems much better. We headed over to start day one of Kilmore's Holiday Bible Club.

 

We ended up with 40 kids. That's right. 40. We anticipated 25 at most, and we got almost double that amount! We were worried we'd be overwhelmed since we have so few hands, but we weren't! The kids were wonderful and everything passed smoothly despite the surprises.

 

We now have everything reorganized for tomorrow to accomadate the unexpected number of children, and we're all pretty excited and encouraged.

 

After the club, we hung out a little with some of the teens. There was this giant beach ball Scott brought us, that was massive. We had a lot of fun shoving that around and trying to get it as high as possible. It kind of gave my hand a bad cramp though that still hasn't worn off...

 

We went inside and played a round of Telephone Pictionary, and then Libby told her testimony. Things are still a little awkward between us and the Kilmore teens, but hopefully they'll return tomorrow night and we can build some relationships.

 

Tomorrow we'll visit a primary school, go to Newcastle, and then do another night of Holiday Club.

 

--Dexter

 

What you can pray for: Please continue praying for Elise and the health of the whole team. Also, the children who attended and who will attend the club this week. Pray that those who came will return. Pray for strength for the team, that we'll remain calm even if we get overrun by children. Pray for the community of Kilmore, that we can get them more involved in the Club. And please continue praying for the people in Ballygawley as well. And don't forget the potential dance school in Ireland.

 

Marble Arch Caves

We started off this Wednesday with a visit to Aughnacloy College (the equivalent of an American High School). We talked in a few of the classes and let them ask questions. The first class I was in with Elise and Brianna was great. They all asked lots of questions and we had some good conversations. The second class was a bit more reserved...

 

We did do a few dances in the college, and afterwards a girl came up to us and told us that she was a dancer too, and a Christian, so she really enjoyed the performance. It basically made our day.

 

In the afternoon we went to the Marble Arch Caves, a system of underground caves in Northern Ireland. Beforehand, I was kind of just like, "Meh, caves, whatever," but...

 

It was amazing. And so so beautiful. It kind of made me want to be a geologist, which is saying something.

 

I didn't even bother trying to take pictures underground. My camera/phone isn't exactly state of the art and doesn't do dark photos. Plus, it was wet and usually bumpy and curvy and I wasn't about to chance falling into the river just for a photo. But the others were more fortunate (and talented) and got some pictures.

 

There was one part where the path was kind of dug into the river (they called it Moses' Path) so you could see the water really well. But it was so still that at first it was hard to tell if it really was water at all. And then once I'd determined that it was water, I thought it was perfectly clear and there were more rocks and stalagmites beneath the surface... but it was all just a beautiful reflection.

 

There were many many little features our guide pointed out to us where rocks had formed interesting figures that strangely resembled angels, frogs, and Gandalf's beard. He also explained to us the history of the caves and how it had formed. Despite his repeated statements about millions of thousands of years, it was all very interesting.

 

We had some card trouble in the gift shop, naturally. It's kind of an annual thing I do: have trouble with my debit card in Ireland. I'd already gotten that over and done with last week in Monaghan, but now Libby and Brianna both were having trouble. Katie tried hers too just to see, and it also failed. It wasn't until after most of us had given up and wandered outside that they rebooted their system and the cards started working again. Yay! Happy ending!

 

We headed back for tea at The Manse (which was delicious) and then had Day 2 of Holiday Club! There were fewer kids this time, but that's because there's a lot going on around Ballygawley and some people just couldn't make it in. We were also a few hands shorter, but we managed pretty okay.

 

We played a few rounds of Telephone Pictionary before heading home for an "early" night. And tomorrow morning we have a slightly later morning than usual, so maybe we'll all get some much-needed rest tonight.

 

--Dexter

 

What you can pray for: Health. Some of us are starting to really feel our allergies and we're not getting quite enough rest either. Pray that we will be get plenty of rest. You can also pray for the kids in Holiday Bible Club. Sometimes it's hard to really develop a relationship with them because we're on the go. Pray also for everyone involved in the club, give us strength and love and wisdom for the kids.

Pre-Holiday Club

This morning we visited a Catholic Primary school. Apparently the only reason we were welcome there is because we're ballerinas, so it proves to be a good talent of ours.

 

We performed three of our dances: Gratitude, Good For Me, and Loves Come For Free. All of them have Christian themes, and we introduced each dance beforehand and talked about the meanings. Aside from some brief technical difficulties, all three dances went very well. There were some audible gasps during Good For Me and Love Comes For Free. The principal of the school mentioned how much he liked our music. We then proceeded to teach some ballet to the students... boys and girls alike.

 

The boys were actually more excited than the girls, who took a more serious and shy approach to it. But everyone joined in and before long we had them stretching and doing plies and tendues and chenes. We talked about the steps they liked the most in our dances as well (the jumps). It was all so much fun.

 

Afterwards we had a cup of tea with some of the staff and a nice chat. It was a very good morning and it was very encouraging to see how much they all enjoyed it, including the principal. It's not every day we get the chance to share with Catholic students.

 

For the afternoon we went to Londonderry, the European City of Culture. It used to be a walled city, but it has grown quite large over the centuries so now it expands beyond the wall. Still, like all Irish cities, it has a ton of history. We walked almost all the way around the wall, stopped for some coffee, and then crossed the Peace Bridge.

 

Peace Bridge, as Trevor explained it, is kind of like a sign of peace between the Protestants and the Catholics. They've had a lot of history in Ireland and still today they don't get along too well in some places. But Peace Bridge is very cool and very beautiful, and quite a nice walk.

 

After all that we headed back to the Ballygawley church for some fish and chips and then started getting the hall ready for Holiday Bible Club. Kids started registering and we started painting (oh my gosh just wait until you see the absolutely fabulous clown painted by Elise, Brianna, and myself).

 

I don't have an exact number for the kids who signed up, but I know it's not a whole lot but not a terribly small group either. But we will take whoever we get, knowing that they're the ones that need to be with us.

 

Tomorrow we go to Richmond Primary School, then help out with some toddlers, then finish setting up the church, then dinner, then day one of Bible Club!

 

--Dexter

 

What you can pray for: Lots of team members are still struggling with sleep, so pray that we can get enough rest to keep us going. Always, for health as well. Pray for Richmond tomorrow as we dance and talk and teach, and for day one of Holiday Bible Club! That includes drama, music, games, crafts, worksheets, and general fellowship with the kids we'll be working with.

 

Tayto Land!

The team is all safe and sound and complete again in Ballygawley! That's right, Elise, Mrs. Susan, Libby, and Brianna all arrived in Dublin today, early this morning. When we met them this morning I couldn't have pitied them more. I would have been absolutely miserable if I had just gotten off a plane, lost six hours of my life, and then went to a theme park.

 

Ireland is known for potatoes, so it's natural that there would be a potato-themed adventure park, right? Right!

 

Tayto Land has everything you could want: various rides including but not limited to mechanical bull riding, zipline, and a giant slide; a restaurant; a zoo; a petting zoo; and a tour of the factory itself.

 

I'm not much of an adventurer myself, but I watched the others do zipline. Unfortunately, a few of our Ballygawley friends, Jonny and David, exceeded the weight limit, but Brianna and Libby and Katie and Kerry went (later Libby and her mom went again).

 

I did go on one ride: a kind of sky-rope thing where you get harnessed in and you walk on these rope things in the sky and all this stuff and stuff. I'm honestly more of a sit-down-and-read person (which I actually ended up doing for the last three or four hours of the day).

 

By the end of the day we were all rather haggard and exhausted, but we did survive, and we did manage to talk at least a little bit with some of the Irish people. I spent a good twenty or thirty minutes talking to a nice man named Trevor, and I know the other Americans had fun catching up with their old friends as well.

 

The six of us have been divided into pairs for the week: Elise and Mrs. Susan are staying with the Campbells (I'm unfortunately not very familiar with them). Libby and Brianna are staying with the Cootes, who hosted Libby last year. They have a son named Daryl who Libby and Katy grew very close to last year, so I'm sure they've had lots of fun today. And then Katie and I are with the Hardys, who happen to own a huge home. There are three kids: Katie, Amy, and James. They're all adorable and hilarious.

 

Tomorrow we will be split again as the rest of the team go to the church in Ballygawley and Katie and I go to the church in Ballyreagh (pardon my spelling?). Chill time in the afternoon, then church again at Ballygawley and some hangout time afterwards. I will try to keep you posted!

 

--Dexter

 

What you can pray for: Pray for some rest for the other four of us who just arrived, that they would adjust quickly to the new timezone and get over jet lag. And pray for all of us that we would stay healthy throughout the next two weeks. Also for the kids we'll be ministering to, not only in the Holiday Clubs but also the schools we'll be visiting. And also the teens we'll be hanging out with as well.