Knickerbocker Glory

We arrived in Greystones, via Dart train, around 6pm last night. The weather was horrible and luckily we were able to get in touch with Gwen Montgomery (Gwen's husband, Monty (David) is the pastor at Greystones Presbyterian Church) who was able to pick us up instead of us walking as we had originally planned. We are now staying at The Slievemore Bed and Breakfast with Pippens and Stan, the owners. We had our first experience in a real Irish pub. It was pretty much what I had imagined: people sitting around drinking pints and socializing. The time with Gwen and Monty was really good as we learned much about their ministry in the community of Greystones. What I gather from them, as well as from Paige whom we met up with Friday night, is that the Irish are pretty non-committal when it comes to fellowship. They will come to church on Sundays for the Sunday service but don't want take part in anything outside of that. The lack of community can lead to frustration and burn-out very quickly. I was reminded, once again, just how blessed I am to have the fellowship and community that I have.

I'm presently sitting in a restaurant with Whitney, using the wi-fi. There is no place to plug in the computer so I'm going to have to cut it short today. I hopefully will write more later. I want to tell you about the worship service we went to today.

Here is a photo of me from St. Stephen's on the Green, a park/garden area in Dublin. Well, nevermind; the wi-fi signal is too low.

An Eight Hour Flight and A Four Hour Nap

Here are the highlights of our trip to Ireland so far:

• The flight from Birmingham to Atlanta was short and uneventful except for the heavy breather that sat next to me.
  
• We got to Atlanta with a little time and empty stomachs. For some reason we thought On The Border (Mexican) would be a good idea for dinner before getting on a 7 hour flight. Oh, by the way, it wasn't.
• Photo 1: Whitney and I on the flight to Ireland; we had already taken our sleeping meds and were ready to snooze. Photo 2: Connie asleep on the plane. We weren't fortunate enough to be bumped up to first class like Bob was so we didn't get much sleep. Photo 3: The food they served on the plane; didn't eat it.
  

• We found a bus that would take us to the general vicinity of our hotel and then walked a short way on the streets of Dublin with our luggage. Our hotel is adjoined to a fire station. For those who know the story, that is really funny!
• We got to the hotel and slept for almost 4 hours and now we are ready to see some of the city.

Keep checking back for more updates.

IRELAND!!!!!

I leave for Ireland this Thursday, for 13 days, with 5 other women! In her latest blog post, Whitney sums up exactly what I'm thinking and feeling about this trip. Here is a copy of the email I sent to my supporters with some prayer requests attached:

Thank you so much for partnering with me as I travel with 5 other women to Dublin and Greystones, Ireland. We are all so excited about this trip and can not wait to see what the Lord has in store for us. This is trip is a little different from other mission trips I have been on in the past in that we do not have a set schedule. We have been told by one of the missionaries in Ireland that the Irish are much more concerned with the relationship than the time constraints we tend to put on meetings and agendas. As I mentioned in my support letter, Sally Breedlove, author and speaker, will be traveling with us and speaking at a couple of women's retreats sponsored by local churches. The goal is to use these retreats as a way to minister to the churched and unchurched women in the local communities. We will also spend a good bit of time with three missionaries (one married lady and two single ladies), encouraging and ministering to them.

I hope to update my blog daily with photos and stories of what we are seeing the Lord do. My blog can be found at www.learningtowaltz.blogspot.com.

Below you will find a few prayer requests for our team and our time in Ireland. Your prayers during our time away are so important and coveted. Thank you, again!

Julie

Prayer for 2009 Ireland Missions Team

July 9 – 21, 2009

Julie Ammons, Sally Breedlove, Michele Bullock, Connie Norton, Whitney Shores, Allison Sinclair

Prayer Needs:

· Pray for Michele Bullock to overcome her fear of flying, and that she and Allison will have no anxiety or fear during their flights! They are flying out 3 days after Connie, Whitney, and I.

· For God to open up doors for us to share the Gospel with the women of Ireland & that He will use our team to create a thirst for more of Jesus in the hearts of these women. (Colossians 4:2-6)

· For God to use us to encourage Michelle Tarter and Gwen Montgomery during our time with them.

· For God to prepare our hearts as we seek to love these women with the love of Christ. (Phil. 1:9-11)

· Team Unity, Physical Health and Safety. (Philippians 2:1-4 & Psalm 91:11)

· For God to help us plan for another missions trip for 2010.

· That God would do “exceeding abundantly beyond ALL that we could ask or think, according to the power that works within us – to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever!” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

· Names of People we will be connecting with: Chuck and Michelle Tarter, Monty and Gwen Montgomery, Paige Larson and Sarah Julien.

The Challenge

My Monday night small group started this challenge today. Check it out; you might want to do it yourself.

Sometimes...

...when you are struggling, God gives you little things that remind you that He IS at work and He IS in control. I am really thankful for that.

"The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you."
Ps. 9:9-10

Where Do I Begin

There is so much I want to blog about but I honestly can't seem to put my thoughts into words lately. Here is a quick list of some of my thoughts.

1. There IS Hope, even though I sometimes don't see it, feel it, or believe it.
2. Praise the Lord that His promises remain true even when I don't believe them.
3. I have some of the most incredible friends; they are truly a gift.
4. Being sad is really hard but I wouldn't trade it for anything because of how I see the Lord working.
5. I love my job (except for the part where we do State testing).
6. Those idols I was dealing with over a year ago, well, here they are again.
7. God does know what He is doing. God does know what He is doing. God does know what He is doing. God does know what He is doing. God does know what He is doing.
8. I am going to the beach in two weeks (I know, shocker!) and Shea will be there.
9. God's Word really is relevant (relative? ;) to my life.
10. We need each other, desperately!