I am extremely excited and deeply saddened to send you this
letter to complete this stage of my journey in the adventure of life God has us
all on. I am now back deep in the heart of Texas, which is also known as
Dallas. I returned to America on August 1 and landed in Boston, MA. I took a
few days to spend time with family before returning to Dallas Texas to continue
my studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. I am thrilled to be here in Dallas
and not longer traveling but I deeply miss my Irish family and friends. It was
such a time of growth in my relationship with God and loved meeting so many
great people in Ireland.
I want to take a moment and thank all of you who partnered
with me in the work God is doing in Ireland. To my family and friends at
Northwest Bible Church, I want to say thank you. You all were part in my
adventure and growth leading up to my adventure in Ireland and it was grand to
be able to Skype with the Kids a few weeks ago. I missed those kids and was
honored to have the opportunity to talk with them again. Also to all of my
Dallas Theological Seminary friends I cannot say thank you enough for
everything. From your prayers, your partnership, your friendship and your
willingness to do life with me at DTS, I could not have made it those 2 months
without you. Also to all of my friends in New England, in Florida, in Texas and
around the world thank you for all of the prayers. Being in a new culture, in a
new environment and completely new area I went through a lot with God and it
was through those prayers that made it possible for me to make it through. I am
so grateful and honored to have people like you on the journey God has us on to
call friends and family. This part of the journey may be over but this journey
to Ireland is not over.
During
my time in Ireland, I witness a lot on how He is working there and at the same
time was working through me. God has given me a strong desire to return to
Ireland after my time at DTS and help out the Church there in anyway I can. I
even discovered a possible way to gain access into Ireland without a need for a
visa but that depends if I can discover proof of my family line. While in
Ireland I had a opportunity to see first hand how God is working in Dublin,
Swords, Trim and in Northern Ireland. The country at whole is still healing
from the immense weight and pressure that the Catholic Church placed on their
shoulders. The evangelicals in Ireland are doing great work in serving the communities
God has placed them in or at least the few I saw (I’m not sure through the country).
While in Ireland, I discovered Ireland is not a ‘post-Christian’ country; these
are people who may consider themselves Christian but have a limited to no
knowledge of the Bible. Just a few days ago I went through my debriefing with
TEAM and they asked me if I felt home in Ireland and I did. I even had a bit of
homesickness from missing Ireland. I never thought Ireland would have left such
a dramatic effect on my life and I hope to return next summer during July so I
can help the kids club.
From my time in Ireland, I have realized a lot I need to do
in preparation with Hopes to move to Ireland long term. I will be in these next
few years at Dallas Theological Seminary taking steps to prepare myself to
return to Ireland with the Theological training I have received and will
receive from this wonderful school. This next semester I’m taking my first
counseling course. I’ve been thinking of getting a dual degree and getting a
Masters in biblical counseling as well. I learned in Ireland people want to talk
with someone they can trust and would love to be able to return to return to
Ireland with a skill like counseling. I also will be taking my first Christian
education course, a bible course on the history book in the Old Testament, also
another semester of Hebrew and a course on the bible background and customs. I’m
excited to see what God has in store this semester and where He will lead me.
With
all of the options and possible directions God has placed before me since going
to Ireland and returning, I began reading a CS Lewis book that Dr. Jay Smith of
DTS recommended in a chapel my 1st semester called “Fern Seeds and
Elephants.” It is out of print but a great book and I was reading the chapter
or article called learning in war-time and read 2 lines that really made an
impact on me and a bit the way I operate. CS Lewis wrote “Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans
somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment 'as to the Lord'. It is only
our daily bread that we are encouraged to ask for”. I do think and pray
over the direction God is taking my life, like should I continue at DTS or
pursue a different masters degree. I will continue to pray everyday for His
daily bread and see what journey God has for me in the days to come.
So it would be an honor to have you a partner in the
adventure God is taking me through Dallas Seminary as I prepare for my hopeful
return to Ireland.
Also in the words of a friend who served in Italy this
summer “*** I CANT SAY THIS ENOUGH; BUT
IT REALLY MEANS THE WORLD TO ME THAT YOU GUYS WOULD HONESTLY CARE ABOUT ME,
TAKING TIME OUT OF YOUR SCHEDULES TO READ THIS AND I HOPE THAT YOU ALL WILL
CONTINUE TO LET ME HEAR FROM YOU AND LET ME KNOW HOW YOUR LIVES ARE GOING! IT BRINGS ME SUCH JOY AND ENCOURAGEMENT
TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL! I LOVE YOU ALL AND MISS YOU DEEPLY!!! SO PLEASE EMAIL,
SKYPE, FACEBOOK, OR FACETIME ME. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!!!
Please stop me, call me, message me or even write to me if you want to hear more about Ireland. Also, I continue to pray for you always and love to hear how God is working in your life.
Grateful to be home, excited to see the adventure God has
for us,
Missing Ireland but Excited for God’s plan,
Thanks a million,
