it's been a fabulous & unbelievably blessed year. the Lord has shown & taught me so much. when He called me to this green land, He said He'd 'grow & feed me' & that what's He's done. He has been faithful even when i've been unfaithful. He's been loving when i want to hate. He's been merciful when i turn to blame. He's been gracious when i've been stubborn. He is my guide on this adventure called life.
so 1 year ago i sat at gate A21 at the indianapolis airport. i've journaled everyday since...this is the first time i've tried journaling daily & i have to say, it's going really well. here's what i wrote at that gate:
"well...here i sit at with my pack & a huge personal item. here i sit with the people i love most within 30 miles! here i sit with many fears, anxiety, frustrations, & confusion. here i sit with prayers flooding in & a God more powerful than i can imagine. here i sit in obedience to a call i received nearly 2 years ago. here i sit with literally hundreds of people behind me. how blessed i am! thank You, lord, for all Your provision, all Your care, all Your fulfilled promises, & all Your faithfulness. lord, be with those who stay. be with [insert list of my family & friends]. lord, i give them to You. i release them into Your care! i trust You with them.
lord, i pray for the friends & family i'll have in ireland. i pray for my housemates. i pray for the people i'll work with. i pray for the youth i'll come into contact with. i pray for all those i'll come into contact with over the next 2 years.
it's the in between times that suck. the here but not there, the almost, the not quite, that space between."
so here i am on the other side of that 'in between'. and here's what God has taught me this year:
- the gospel is more simple than we chalk it up to be
- God wants to redeem & reconcile the little things as well as the big things
- prayer is far more important & powerful than we think
- the church is grander, sweeter & more intricate than i could ever imagine
- God is more faithful than i could ever dream
- living outside our comfort zone is a necessity
- true confidence comes from deeply knowing who you are & whose you are
- our calling is what keeps us going when all else seems lost
milestones He's seen me through:
- packed up my life & moved to a country where i knew no one
- convinced immigration i could/should stay in said country
- lived outside my comfort zone a majority of those 365 days
- visited northern ireland, spain, croatia (via italy & slovenia), & austria
- donated 9 inches of my hair to give a woman with cancer a wig
- witnessed my mom bravely & graciously fight off breast cancer
- showed dublin off to 8 sets of visitors
- mentored 2 lovely dublin girls
- helped facilitate 4 RISE leadership programmes
- lived with 5 beautiful, gracious, & hilarious ladies
- watched all 7 seasons of gilmore girls with said ladies
- joined an amazing small group
- watched ireland win the six nations
- ran my first 5k in a santa suit on a cold irish beach
- saw pride & prejudice on stage...twice
- experienced my first snowless winter (i know, i know, americans, you got more than anyone ever should!)
- was murdered at my first murder mystery party
- tackled the DART, trains, the luas, buses, taxis, & cycling... aka basically all forms of dublin transport except driving
- been in more castles & cathedrals than i had the first 24 years of my life combined
- met loads of awesome irish people
- acquired a craving for tea (lyons, please) & biscuits
- ate squid & pudding (black & white) for the first time...not together, i should add
- appeared on irish tv...twice
- celebrated st. paddy's day in ireland
- used an immersion
- skyped into a wedding ceremony
- spent my first christmas, thanksgiving, 4th of july & birthday outside of the States
- thanks a mil
- it's grand
- what's the story/what's the craic?
- it was good craic
- that's gas
- no bother
- tuck in
- wee
- ahhh, you would
- cuppa
- hot drop
- kitchen roll
- rubbish bin
- messer
- can i get a lift? (americans, never ask an irish person for a ride)
- rubbers [not erasers] (irish people, never talk about rubbers with americans)
- trousers [not pants]
- a stone = 14 pounds
- lads
- buns [not cupcakes]
soundtrack of this year:
- eyes wide open by the vespers
- love song for a savior by jars of clay
- any could happen by ellie goulding
- vivid by greg brown
- come away with me by norah jones
- that's how you forgive by shane & shane
- let her go by passenger
- fall afresh by bethel
- lament by audrey assad
- you are so good to me by third day
- i love you , lord by krintina hamilton
- psalm 62 by shane & shane
- the fear by ben howard
- depth over distance by ben howard
- faithful to me by jennifer knapp
- joy by rend collective
- lead me to the cross by hillsong
- hold me now by jennifer knapp
- all about you by birdy
- garden by needtobreathe
- song for the suburbs by ben rector
- home for now by bennett
- oceans by hillsong
- ledges by noah gundersen
- world unknown by noah thrall
- pieces by andrew belle
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