I hadn't seen my brother Dennis since 1999 -- 5 years. We had stayed in touch, but hadn't been able to get together for one reason or another. One major reason was that in May of 2001 he became marketing director of UPC, a Europe-based communications company and was living in Budapest, Hungary.
When he found out that we were going to be in Dublin, he told us that he could fly there very cheaply and would love to see us. We reciprocated the sentiment and he made plans to see us there. He found a room at a small hotel in Rathmines not far from where we were staying.
So I called Dennis and we planned to begin walking towards one another, meet up and then go back to our place. As we walked down the Victorian street toward the heart of Rathmines, a figure rounded the corner with a gate that is such a part of my conscience that there was no doubt that it was him. My heart jumped, my throat lumped up, my eyes misted over. It was such a great feeling as we embraced. Do you ever have those moments when everything is right? You know that this is the way it's supposed to be? That was this moment. Five years is too long. This was my brother.
Dennis was only able to be with us Saturday and Sunday and had to be back in Buda on Monday. The weekend was a whirlwind of activities. Saturday we went to Phil and Cheryl Kingsley's to meet them and then to rehearse for Sunday morning worship at City Gates, a church that meets in Cabinteely, a suburb of Dublin.
That evening we spent with Dennis exploring the city centre. We ate at a nice Italian restaurant and then found a trad session (live traditional music) in a pub. Sunday we were at City Gates in the morning and then exploring more of Dublin in the afternoon. That evening, Dennis and I ended up in the city centre looking for another trad session without success, so we ended up in a bistro sipping coffee until we could hardly keep our eyes open.
I got up early the next morning to drive Dennis to the airport. Two days weren't enough, but I wouldn't have traded the time for anything.
So now we needed to focus on our reason for coming to Ireland in the first place. How was the Lord leading us? We had a week to get to know these people we had come to visit and determine God's direction. No small task.
Calvary Chapel (Crosspoint) or GEM? What would it be?
To be continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment