No Rain, And New Friends

Well, we made it all day (so far), without any rain! WOOHOO! That may not seem like such a big deal to most, but here in Ireland that's HUGE. Oh well, Ireland has never claimed to have the best weather in the world.

I was able to meet another one of my neighbors Sunday afternoon. Tiff and I were walking into town and met our neighbor, Olive. She lives three houses down from ours. I have now met Nora, Noreen, Olive and LaLon (not sure of spelling). All four are very pleasant widow ladies, who love company. I am so excited to begin these new friendships.

I decided to bake some Banana Bread today and take some to each of my new friends. I spent the majority of the morning baking and then Tiff and I delivered a portion of bread to each lady. They all seemed very thrilled with the bread and the visit. Hopefully they will remain thrilled after they taste the bread, hahahahaha.

Please join me in prayer for each of these wonderful ladies. Pray that God will allow me, though friendship, to show each of them the love of God.

The Practical Stuff

We have now lived in Ireland for three weeks, and I have to say, I love it here! I understand that three weeks might not seem like a long time. However, when you're living in another country, away from your family, friends, and every other person you know, three weeks can seem like an eternity.

We are adjusting very nicely so far. Bob is getting very good at learning his way around Ireland, and also learning to drive on the left, (wrong) side of the road. I haven't started driving yet, so I'll have to get back to you on how that goes, should be very interesting don't ya think?

The house is done, for all practical purposes. It has already started to feel like home for us, which is always a nice feeling. I am learning how to use the cooker (oven). All the temperature settings here in Ireland are in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit, so that has proven to be quite a task. I have figured out that 180 Celsius is 350 Fahrenheit (just in case you ever need to know). I have also almost got the washer and dryer figured out. . .at least I think I do. Again, it's not as simple as picking which fabric and wash time you want. The washer settings go by water temperature instead. The dryer goes by settings like "Ready To Wear", "Cupboard Ready", or "Iron Ready", etc. I have yet to find a setting that offers an anti-wrinkle option. Apparently, the ladies here like to Iron! I really can't complain though, I haven't shrunk anything to "Barbie Doll" size, or turned Bob's underwear pink yet, so things are good, yes!

I can also now cook an entire meal without having to stand in the middle of the kitchen and think "Where in the world did I put. . ." (whatever I happen to be looking for). See, I told you it was feeling like home.

As some of you know, Bob is allergic to dairy and eggs, so everything I cook or bake has to be done with Soy. I've been able to find Soy milk and butter in our local supermarket, but cannot find an egg substitute yet. Our local health food market is supposed to be ordering me a powered egg substitute to try, but it hasn't come in yet. If this works that would be great! Right now I'm limited to cooking things that don't require eggs. I have also found that no one sells "Minute Rice" here. I have found a good "cook" rice that actually tastes very good and works well in recipes. See, God is supplying us with everything we need, even down to egg substitute.

It's The Little Things In Life

I was brought to tears today by the simplest thing. When I woke up this morning I found that I had gotten a card in the "post" (mail). It was from my mom and dad in the states. I was so excited as I opened it up. Not only was it my first piece of "post" here in Ireland, it's from two of my favorite people in the world. . .my mommy and daddy. I was very careful not to rip the envelope as I opened it. Since it's my first piece of mail received here I wanted to keep the envelope nice also. You know how store owners frame the first dollar bill that they make? Well, I told Bob I should frame the envelope being it's my first one in my new home. He just laughed at me. . .wonder why?

Anyway, I carefully opened the envelope and pulled out a beautiful card that my mom had underlined parts of. She also added a paragraph below the card contents. . .that's when my eyes started to leak! I could see her sitting at the kitchen table writing her thoughts on this card knowing that it would make me smile, laugh, and cry all at the same time. I can almost guarantee you that she cried as she wrote it. My heart aches as I miss her and my dad right now, but I know that I'm exactly where God wants me to be, and so I have to trust Him to take care of them and this hole I feel in my heart.

I've decided to walk into town today and buy some postcards to mail back home. I'm sure they will be as excited to receive mail from me as I was getting mail from them.

Please continue to pray for all of us! This is a huge transition, and although God has been wonderful to us, sometimes our hearts almost break in two missing those we left behind.

Ireland At Last

I am writing this blog today while sitting in my living room here in Ireland. As I write I can see it raining outside, as it has been all day, and I can hear and smell the logs in the fireplace as they slowly burn and give the house a nice warm, cozy, country feel. Those of you in the states are probably wondering why I would have a fire burning in the middle of July. . .well, come visit me in Ireland next July and you'll have the answer to that question. There is always a damp, cool feel to the air here, and with the all day down pour the house was especially damp and cold feeling.

It almost feels surreal to be here. Although we've been planning for this move for so long, it always felt so far away, but now, I'm here -- finally! The deputation, the packing, the heart tearing goodbyes, along with the millions of other details, are all done and we're ready to see what great things God has planned for us and for the good people of Mallow, Co. Cork Ireland.

We already have almost all of our boxes unpacked and the house has come together quite nicely. God has truly blessed us with a great house. It is perfect for Bob and I, and also for the ministry. We have plenty of room for Bible study groups, Church meetings, and of course guests. God always thinks of everything. He leaves nothing undone nor does He leave anything to chance.

We have already met a number of wonderful people that I believe will prove to be very good friends. I would ask that you begin praying for Catherine, the lady that we are renting our house from, along with one of our neighbors, Nora. Pray that God will allow me a friendship with these two ladies that will eventually enable me to show them the love of God.

As God begins to bring the pieces together for our ministry here in Mallow, I ask that you also pray that Bob and I have the wisdom and the discernment to do things God's way and in God's time, not our own. This is God's ministry not ours, pray that we never forget that!