Sorry for the lack of keeping up. It's been a really busy week and unfortunately I don't have a lot of time right now to fill in all the details or post any images.
We are now in Blarney, which is near Cork. We've a had a few meetings here so far and went to church at Grace Fellowship this morning. We'll be at Grace again tomorrow night conducting our second workshop for their worship team, the first being in January.
We have another meeting Tuesday with a new contact in Cork before we head out west to County Kerry where we'll be meeting with a couple of other new contacts. Yea! We have been hoping that tings would open up for us in that part of the country and now it seems they have.
Yesterday was really our first true day off since we've been in Ireland so we took advantage of it and did a little sight-seeing.
More details and pics to come soon!
Sep 30, 2007
Sep 22, 2007
Seem like old friends
Two-and-a-half years ago we made a trip to Dublin. It was our first ministry trip.
While in Ireland, we met a fellow GEM missionary (and former GEM Ireland team member), Durand Robinson, who had come over from Germany. We really hit it off with him and found many common experiences and interests.
This past March, Durand and his wife Ruth were in the US and stayed with us overnight. Once again, we really hit it off with Ruth as we had with Durand two years previous.
In the mean time, they have moved back to Ireland.
So now, in the past week we have been to Durand and Ruth's house twice and it just feels like we've known them forever.
Just another way that God is knitting our hearts to Ireland.
While in Ireland, we met a fellow GEM missionary (and former GEM Ireland team member), Durand Robinson, who had come over from Germany. We really hit it off with him and found many common experiences and interests.
This past March, Durand and his wife Ruth were in the US and stayed with us overnight. Once again, we really hit it off with Ruth as we had with Durand two years previous.
In the mean time, they have moved back to Ireland.
So now, in the past week we have been to Durand and Ruth's house twice and it just feels like we've known them forever.
Just another way that God is knitting our hearts to Ireland.
One down, a bunch to go
Today was our first workshop of the trip at Swords Baptist. This is our third workshop that we've done for Rory McDonald and his worship team members. We focused on the role of the Holy Spirit in worship leading, both in the planning and "in the moment".
It's interesting that there was slim turnout, but it seemed that the Lord hand-picked who should be there. I think that given the subject matter, having the key people in the worship ministry (which is who showed up) was perfect, as we dealt mainly with the subject from the perspective of the one "in charge".
Rory and his wife Mindy have been such gracious hosts (did I already say this?) and we have been so blessed by their hospitality to put us up all this week and on through this coming Friday.
Yesterday we had a GEM Ireland meeting. It was good to see everyone again and get caught up with what's been going on and where things are heading. The surprise was that Tim Garrett was there. Who is Tim Garrett? He and his family lived in Greensburg, KS, (which is located 30 miles from my hometown, Pratt) when it was flattened by a Cat. 5 Tornado in May. We have been in contact with him and tried to work out meeting them when we were there in July. But instead we meet in Ireland. Weird.
We then had to drive to Laragh, out in the Wicklow mountains a ways south of the city, to set up our sound system for a symposium sponsored by the Evangelical Alliance Ireland. It was a nice drive. There we happened to meet a guy from out west that we had been in contact with and had been trying to get together with since January. We'll be having lunch with him and his wife in a fortnight (two weeks) in Adare, Co. Limerick.
Last night we watched our first Rugby match (on TV). Unfortunately France trounced Ireland in the run for the World Cup. Neither of us are big sports people, but I rather enjoyed it and realize also that to survive in Ireland, I've got to keep up with not only rugby, but football (soccer) and Gaelic Football as well. So last night was a good start.
Tomorrow we're off to Clondalkin on the west side of Dublin to New Life Christian Community Church. It should be a good day as we attend church in the morning, have lunch with the Carrolls (Michael and his wife Trish oversee the worship ministry) and then spend the afternoon with their daughter Rebecca who is leading worship for the second time tomorrow.
This week we have a whole slew of meetings slated, so it should prove to keep us busy.
On the philosophical side of things...
So far this trip has been about encouragement, both for us and through us. While we have had our share of unexpected... uh... surprises, shall we say... we have also been greatly encouraged by so many that we've met with. God is doing something and it's exciting to be a part of it. At the same time, we've been given many opportunities to be the encouragers.
Quite fun and challenging.
It's interesting that there was slim turnout, but it seemed that the Lord hand-picked who should be there. I think that given the subject matter, having the key people in the worship ministry (which is who showed up) was perfect, as we dealt mainly with the subject from the perspective of the one "in charge".
Rory and his wife Mindy have been such gracious hosts (did I already say this?) and we have been so blessed by their hospitality to put us up all this week and on through this coming Friday.
Yesterday we had a GEM Ireland meeting. It was good to see everyone again and get caught up with what's been going on and where things are heading. The surprise was that Tim Garrett was there. Who is Tim Garrett? He and his family lived in Greensburg, KS, (which is located 30 miles from my hometown, Pratt) when it was flattened by a Cat. 5 Tornado in May. We have been in contact with him and tried to work out meeting them when we were there in July. But instead we meet in Ireland. Weird.
We then had to drive to Laragh, out in the Wicklow mountains a ways south of the city, to set up our sound system for a symposium sponsored by the Evangelical Alliance Ireland. It was a nice drive. There we happened to meet a guy from out west that we had been in contact with and had been trying to get together with since January. We'll be having lunch with him and his wife in a fortnight (two weeks) in Adare, Co. Limerick.
Last night we watched our first Rugby match (on TV). Unfortunately France trounced Ireland in the run for the World Cup. Neither of us are big sports people, but I rather enjoyed it and realize also that to survive in Ireland, I've got to keep up with not only rugby, but football (soccer) and Gaelic Football as well. So last night was a good start.
Tomorrow we're off to Clondalkin on the west side of Dublin to New Life Christian Community Church. It should be a good day as we attend church in the morning, have lunch with the Carrolls (Michael and his wife Trish oversee the worship ministry) and then spend the afternoon with their daughter Rebecca who is leading worship for the second time tomorrow.
This week we have a whole slew of meetings slated, so it should prove to keep us busy.
On the philosophical side of things...
So far this trip has been about encouragement, both for us and through us. While we have had our share of unexpected... uh... surprises, shall we say... we have also been greatly encouraged by so many that we've met with. God is doing something and it's exciting to be a part of it. At the same time, we've been given many opportunities to be the encouragers.
Quite fun and challenging.
Sep 20, 2007
Good day, bad cold
Our meetings today went really well. It was All-American day. We left out this morning to take the train into the city and met with Rebecca Pfortmiller who is an American who was hired 7 months ago to as worship leader at St. Marks, a very Irish church in Dublin.
Then later we met with Jim and Laura Pettit, a couple from Chattanooga who are over exploring the possibility of becoming missionaries in Ireland. They are considering a couple of different organizations to hok up with. He is a musician and she an artist, looking to work in the arts should it work out for them to come. Through them there are possible connections for our work as well.
Both meetings were encouraging and we look forward to possibility of working with either or both. In fact, we may be helping Rebecca with St. Marks' sound system while we're here.
Then we had a new experience -- the Dublin bus. Fortunately we were able to take one bus from the City Centre to within two short blocks of where we're staying in Swords. We sat in the front (well, second row) on the top level of the double-decker. Rather thrilling at times -- especially when the bus appeared to swallow a bike rider, then a small car!
The only bummer today is that I have a cold coming on strong. Been consuming the vitamins and trying to stay hydrated.
Okay, one other bummer. We're trying to open a bank account here and expected to have it accomplished today after beginning the process in April, but we never heard back from the bank and we may not be able to get it done tomorrow as we probably won't have a chance to get into the City Centre.
Maybe Monday.
Then later we met with Jim and Laura Pettit, a couple from Chattanooga who are over exploring the possibility of becoming missionaries in Ireland. They are considering a couple of different organizations to hok up with. He is a musician and she an artist, looking to work in the arts should it work out for them to come. Through them there are possible connections for our work as well.
Both meetings were encouraging and we look forward to possibility of working with either or both. In fact, we may be helping Rebecca with St. Marks' sound system while we're here.
Then we had a new experience -- the Dublin bus. Fortunately we were able to take one bus from the City Centre to within two short blocks of where we're staying in Swords. We sat in the front (well, second row) on the top level of the double-decker. Rather thrilling at times -- especially when the bus appeared to swallow a bike rider, then a small car!
The only bummer today is that I have a cold coming on strong. Been consuming the vitamins and trying to stay hydrated.
Okay, one other bummer. We're trying to open a bank account here and expected to have it accomplished today after beginning the process in April, but we never heard back from the bank and we may not be able to get it done tomorrow as we probably won't have a chance to get into the City Centre.
Maybe Monday.
Sep 17, 2007
Back South
Tonight we're back in Swords with our friends Rory and Mindy McDonald. Yeah, we were supposed to have stayed with the Gasons, but here's the funny thing...
Once we planned to stay with the Gasons, I called the landlord of a house that we were going to rent for the week to cancel our arrangements with him. He had mentioned to me that the house was available for the time we needed and then they were going to do some minor renovation work on the property. So I looked on my computer (I use Skype to call overseas) looking back through my call history for his phone number, calculating what time and how long I would have talked to him and dialed the number.
When he answered, (I was calling from our computer in the airport) he was on a busy street and we had a hard time hearing each other, but I was sure that he had understood that we wouldn't be staying with them after all. He seemed okay that we had pulled out. In fact he said that he could then have family who were going to help do the renovating come early and start. No worries.
So today I called the Gasons and left a voice mail to tell them when they should expect us. Alex called a short time later and said, "Now, I'm really confused. I got a call a few days ago from a guy who said he was Gary Hodges and that he and his wife wouldn't be staying with us as planned. I thought it was kind of strange how you acted like you didn't know me, but then..."
So, come to find out, I hadn't called the landlord, but instead had been talking to Alex. So they now have their house torn up doing renovations. Yes -- both the landlord and the Gasons were planning to have renovations done after our stay with them. What are the chances?
So we're back staying in Rory and Mindy's "prophet room". They have been more than gracious and have given us a key and the freedom to stay with them whenever we like or need while we're in Dublin. Gotta love these guys.
We took a scenic route back here to Dublin and had a nice day together recovering from a busy weekend. We did, though, have a wonderful Sunday afternoon with the Porters in Belfast, taking a walk around a nearby lake and exploring an old fort and church.
Our time in the North seems to have opened up a few potential churches to work with. We may, in fact, before we leave next month, take another jaunt up to Belfast to meet with our new contacts there. We also didn't meet with William Olphert in Ballymena this morning. He just returned from Hong Kong yesterday and we wouldn't have had a lot of time at our disposal, so we decided to try and meet up later in our trip.
The next few days will find us connecting with a lot of people, setting up meetings, going to meetings and finishing plans for our workshops.
Check back shortly for pictures...
Once we planned to stay with the Gasons, I called the landlord of a house that we were going to rent for the week to cancel our arrangements with him. He had mentioned to me that the house was available for the time we needed and then they were going to do some minor renovation work on the property. So I looked on my computer (I use Skype to call overseas) looking back through my call history for his phone number, calculating what time and how long I would have talked to him and dialed the number.
When he answered, (I was calling from our computer in the airport) he was on a busy street and we had a hard time hearing each other, but I was sure that he had understood that we wouldn't be staying with them after all. He seemed okay that we had pulled out. In fact he said that he could then have family who were going to help do the renovating come early and start. No worries.
So today I called the Gasons and left a voice mail to tell them when they should expect us. Alex called a short time later and said, "Now, I'm really confused. I got a call a few days ago from a guy who said he was Gary Hodges and that he and his wife wouldn't be staying with us as planned. I thought it was kind of strange how you acted like you didn't know me, but then..."
So, come to find out, I hadn't called the landlord, but instead had been talking to Alex. So they now have their house torn up doing renovations. Yes -- both the landlord and the Gasons were planning to have renovations done after our stay with them. What are the chances?
So we're back staying in Rory and Mindy's "prophet room". They have been more than gracious and have given us a key and the freedom to stay with them whenever we like or need while we're in Dublin. Gotta love these guys.
We took a scenic route back here to Dublin and had a nice day together recovering from a busy weekend. We did, though, have a wonderful Sunday afternoon with the Porters in Belfast, taking a walk around a nearby lake and exploring an old fort and church.
Our time in the North seems to have opened up a few potential churches to work with. We may, in fact, before we leave next month, take another jaunt up to Belfast to meet with our new contacts there. We also didn't meet with William Olphert in Ballymena this morning. He just returned from Hong Kong yesterday and we wouldn't have had a lot of time at our disposal, so we decided to try and meet up later in our trip.
The next few days will find us connecting with a lot of people, setting up meetings, going to meetings and finishing plans for our workshops.
Check back shortly for pictures...
Sep 16, 2007
Nice Weekend
Well, we made it through all our rehearsals and the concert last night with New Irish Arts. We really never felt jet-lagged as we got a good night's rest Friday night.
It was quite an experience for us on several different levels. First, Beth and I hadn't sung with a formal choir for some time. Second, it had been at least as long since I had to sight read vocal music, so I was a bit rusty. Third, just singing with a group of 130 or so people and being the only non-Irish in the group was exciting. Fourth, I had much empathy for the director, as the whole event reminded me of the many times I was in charge of a large group of performers, coordinating them for dress rehearsal, with all of the challenges that holds.
The best part of the evening wasn't when we were singing fully with the orchestra and band, but instead it came at the end when the director told the "audience" (following a standing ovation) that we weren't there to "put on a good show", but to lift up the Name of the Lord. He then had all stand and we sang "Holy, Holy, Holy" a capella (without instruments). The place erupted in such wonderful 28-part harmony that it would have given me chills had it not been so stifling on the choir risers. I did have to stop singing a couple of times as my emotions welled up within.
We're having a wonderful time with our friends David and Pearl Porter and their kids Joshua, Jeremy and Carys. We met David in the Czech Republic in April at the Europe Worship Link Conference and it was he who invited us to come up to Belfast and join in the NIA choir for the day. We're very glad he did.
Tomorrow, we are hoping to meet up with William and Rebecca Olphert, who we met in January on our way through Balymena, just a bit north of Belfast. They are Calvary Chapel people with a church plant that they started.
Then it's back to Dublin to stay with our good friends Alex and Linda Gason for a few days and get some planning, meetings and phone calls done.
Sep 14, 2007
Arriving...
We're now in Dublin, ready to sleep. It was kind of rough getting here, as usual. It is so difficult to get good sleep in coach. We looked into redeeming Skymiles to upgrade to business/elite class, but it wasn't worth it. We can hang onto those miles to help fly Molly over for a visit once we actually move.
Tomorrow -- Belfast. Should be a very interesting day. We will be participating in the choir of New Irish Arts' "Ireland in Praise" tomorrow evening after rehearsing throughout the day. Looking forward to seeing what God has up His big sleeve for us.
One thing I love about the Atlanta airport: On Concourse E (international flights) they have a grand piano in the food court area, often manned by a pianist providing a nice atmosphere for weary and frazzled travellers.
I'll quit rambling and let you... no wait... let me get to bed.
Good night.
Tomorrow -- Belfast. Should be a very interesting day. We will be participating in the choir of New Irish Arts' "Ireland in Praise" tomorrow evening after rehearsing throughout the day. Looking forward to seeing what God has up His big sleeve for us.
One thing I love about the Atlanta airport: On Concourse E (international flights) they have a grand piano in the food court area, often manned by a pianist providing a nice atmosphere for weary and frazzled travellers.
I'll quit rambling and let you... no wait... let me get to bed.
Good night.
Sep 4, 2007
Three... Two... One...
Just a bit more than a week now before we set out on our next journey to Ireland. A year ago when we were preparing for our departure, we had what we refer to as "The Big Scary List". On that were things like: Pay for Molly's School, Buy Molly a Car, Buy new luggage, etc.
This time it's: Buy Shampoo, Download some TV shows and movies, etc.
Not nearly as daunting a list. But we're still going to be gone for almost 5 weeks!
So what's going to happen in that 5 weeks? Not much, really aside from:
Sept. 13-14 travel to Dublin, rent car
Sept. 14 drive to Belfast, stay with friends
Sept. 15 Go to all day rehearsal with New Irish Arts and sing in choir for that evening's "Ireland in Praise" worship concert
Sept. 16 go to church with friends
Sept. 17 meet with pastor and wife in Ballymena, north of Belfast, drive back to Dublin
Sept. 18-20 various meetings with friends and colleagues
Sept. 21 drive to Laragh (south of Dublin) to set up sound system for conference
Sept. 22 drive to Swords (north of Dublin) to conduct Worship Workshop at Swords Baptist Church
Sept. 23 go to church at New Life Community Church in west Dublin, have lunch and do workshop with band that afternoon
Sept. 24 breathe
Sept 25-27 various meetings with friends and colleagues, scope out potential areas of residence (for when we move)
Sept. 26 take train to Bray (south of Dublin) to meet with 2 new contacts
Sept. 28 drive to Cork
Sept. 29-30 various meetings with friends, colleagues and new contacts in and around Cork
Sept. 30 attend church somewhere
Oct. 1 do Worship Workshop at Grace Fellowship, Cork
Oct. 2 breathe
Oct. 3-4 Travel through Co. Kerry, meeting with several new contacts, ending up in Shannon
Oct. 4 do evening Worship Workshop with Jamzone youth band, Shannon
Oct. 5 do Worship Workshop at Abundant Life Church, Limerick
Oct. 6 do all-day, area-wide Worship Conference hosted by Abundant Life
Oct. 7 die... then breathe... then go to church in Ennis (maybe)
Oct. 8 drive back to Dublin
Oct. 9-12 various meetings with friends and colleagues
Oct. 13 do Worship Workshop at Trinity Church, Dublin
Oct. 14 go to church, prepare for journey back to US
Oct. 15 Fly back to FL
Boring, I know, but there you have it...
This time it's: Buy Shampoo, Download some TV shows and movies, etc.
Not nearly as daunting a list. But we're still going to be gone for almost 5 weeks!
So what's going to happen in that 5 weeks? Not much, really aside from:
Sept. 13-14 travel to Dublin, rent car
Sept. 14 drive to Belfast, stay with friends
Sept. 15 Go to all day rehearsal with New Irish Arts and sing in choir for that evening's "Ireland in Praise" worship concert
Sept. 16 go to church with friends
Sept. 17 meet with pastor and wife in Ballymena, north of Belfast, drive back to Dublin
Sept. 18-20 various meetings with friends and colleagues
Sept. 21 drive to Laragh (south of Dublin) to set up sound system for conference
Sept. 22 drive to Swords (north of Dublin) to conduct Worship Workshop at Swords Baptist Church
Sept. 23 go to church at New Life Community Church in west Dublin, have lunch and do workshop with band that afternoon
Sept. 24 breathe
Sept 25-27 various meetings with friends and colleagues, scope out potential areas of residence (for when we move)
Sept. 26 take train to Bray (south of Dublin) to meet with 2 new contacts
Sept. 28 drive to Cork
Sept. 29-30 various meetings with friends, colleagues and new contacts in and around Cork
Sept. 30 attend church somewhere
Oct. 1 do Worship Workshop at Grace Fellowship, Cork
Oct. 2 breathe
Oct. 3-4 Travel through Co. Kerry, meeting with several new contacts, ending up in Shannon
Oct. 4 do evening Worship Workshop with Jamzone youth band, Shannon
Oct. 5 do Worship Workshop at Abundant Life Church, Limerick
Oct. 6 do all-day, area-wide Worship Conference hosted by Abundant Life
Oct. 7 die... then breathe... then go to church in Ennis (maybe)
Oct. 8 drive back to Dublin
Oct. 9-12 various meetings with friends and colleagues
Oct. 13 do Worship Workshop at Trinity Church, Dublin
Oct. 14 go to church, prepare for journey back to US
Oct. 15 Fly back to FL
Boring, I know, but there you have it...
Weird
Okay, so in the last 24 hours I've heard the iconic disco intrumental "A Fifth of Beethoven" twice.
What's up with that?
What's up with that?
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