Laramie UPC Day 3 - The North Coast

Monday of this week was the Laramie group's third day in Belfast. We started the morning at the 174 Trust where the group heard a bit more to the background of the Troubles as well as the history of the 174 Trust. Bill and Geoff (the director and deputy director of the Trust) shared the history bits. Paul, a recent hire for the 174, shared about the project he is working on at Carlisle Circus. His project is a cross community initiative for Carlisle Circus, which is a large area where three different communties come together and where a fourth lies just up the road a little further. It's a great initiative that will use sports and the arts to bring youth together and a variety of other activites to bring together other ages in the communities. The Carlisle Circus project is a great example of the wonderful things that 174 can and is doing.

a view from Ballintoy Harbor

After hearing about the 174 Trust, a group from Whitehouse Presbyterian picked us up and took us all to the North Coast. We split the Laramie group up into twos and each pair was in a car with two locals or a local and either myself or Kendra. And each car, thanks to Kendra, was equipped with snacks from Northern Ireland.  My car had a few different varities of crisps, Haribo, and chocolate. Of the crisps, it was decided that Beef & Onion was pretty good but Roast Chicken and Smoky Bacon weren't all they were cracked up to be.
The different cars took different routes up the coast and had different snacks, so there are a variety of stories to hear, but the car I was in stopped a couple of times to take some photos, including stops in Ballycastle and at Ballintoy Harbor. Ballintoy was an incredible stop as the waves were really crashing into the rocks around the harbor and giving us some terrific photos. But with such high waves we did have to be careful not to get wet!

Sarah and Patty

After Ballintoy Harbor, we made our way up to Giant's Causeway. We had a nice lunch at the hotel near the parking lot and then made our way down the hill to the coast to see the stones. Giant's Causeway is a collection of basalt columns that were the result of volcanic activity. The same lava flow that formed the stones in Northern Ireland formed stones that can be found on the coast of Scotland, too. 

part of the group at the Causeway

It was a cool, windy day but our spirits couldn't have been higher as we saw the majesty of God's creation. I'm used to the mountains and awe-inspiring views that are all around Wyoming and Colorado, but each time I see the sea and the power that it has I can't help but marvel at it all in the same way I do when I'm standing on top of Medicine Bow Peak.

We finished up at Giant's Causeway and got back to Belfast in time to have another great meal. This time we ate at Made In Belfast. Made In Belfast would probably be classified in Denver as a "hipster" restaurant. But the atmosphere and food are both great. On top of that, the food is really pretty reasonably priced given the quality. I had a huge bowl of mussels that was simply amazing. All in all, it was another fun day with the Laramie group!

Laramie UPC Day 2

Laramie UPC's second day with us here in Belfast was this past Sunday. I haven't gotten around to blogging about it until now. So here it goes.

The day started out at Whitehouse Presbyterian (Kendra's placement) where the faithful group from Wyoming led the congregation in worship. The Sunday was dedicated to Christian Aid, an organization that fights poverty around the world. Keeping with theme, Jason preached from John 15 where Jesus tells us that he is the vine and we are the branches. Jason used the passage and some great storytelling to explain how we are all connected in Christ, no matter where we are or our economic situation, and that because of this if we can help then we should help. It was a great message and a great service.


it was windy!

After worship we heard the story of Whitehouse Presbyterian from Rev. Liz Hughes. Whitehouse has had more than its fair share of ups and downs. In the past ten years alone it has been burned down and flooded. But the congregation has proved hard to keep down and is certainly thriving after many renovations and fixes.

We then had Doug Baker give the group a talk on the history of Northern Ireland before getting on the mini-bus and taking them around the city to see murals, peace walls, and many other sites of interest. We ended the tour at the scenic Scrabo Tower where the wind made us feel like we were back in Wyoming!


Jason and Richard in Scrabo Tower


After the tour we went to Woodvale Methodist for a tremendous roast dinner. Thanks again to Patricia and all the others in the kitchen who made the delicious meal possible! As we ate, the group from Laramie was able to share in fellowship with many from the congregation at Woodvale. We then proceeded to head over to Malvern Assembly with some of those from Woodvale for an ecumenical Sunday evening service. Malvern Assembly is a Pentacostal church in the Shankill and there were members from multiple churches in the area worshipping together at the service. The service was a little different for the members from Laramie UPC. It was certainly more along the lines of a Pentacostal service than a Presbyterian (or at least a PC(USA) service) but this allowed for some good discussion later in the evening. Sunday was another great day with Laramie UPC! Again, Kendra and I are so blessed to have the support of such a wonderful church family back home.




a view from the top of Scrabo



Malvern Assembly

lucky

Today wasn't a typical day. It's not that most days are bad. Most days are great. But today was an exceptional day.

I woke up and realized I didn't have any clean underwear (pants) save one pair that should probably go in the bin because they're full of holes and the elastic is shot. Fortunately, my loving wife started a load of laundry since we were up before 7 AM anyways because of the early sun beaming in through the window. We were hoping to be into town fairly early so that we could hit St. George's Market so when my pants (underwear) were done washing, I blow-dried them. Naturally, right? Because really, who hasn't blow-dried their underwear at some point? Maybe in a hotel room on a trip? Maybe just because you were in a hurry in the morning? Maybe because you live in Belfast and just have a washer and hang your clothes to dry? Any of the above would be reason enough.

We got to St. George's and found a stall serving breakfast burritos. Not only breakfast burritos, but breakfast burritos made by a woman from Arizona! She made her own salsa and chorizo because she said she couldn't find any she was happy with in Belfast. It was a real treat to have some real authentic Southwestern food! People often ask me what I miss most about the States. No offense to the rest of my family but after Elsie and Elle (my nieces) I miss Mexican food. (You know I'm kidding. Well, except Curt. You know I miss Mexican food more than you.)

After St. George's, the real fun began. We headed over to the Europa bus station to await the grand arrival of a group from our home church, Laramie United Presbyterian. After about thirty anxious minutes, their bus pulled in. We were scouting out the people coming off to see if they had indeed caught that bus and just as Kendra said, "Do you see anyone yet?" I recognized Jason's C4 mission trip shirt and said "Yup!" We quickly ran out and exchanged hugs with the whole group.

The evening then featured a wonderful collaboration of Laramie UPC folks and Woodvale folks. The four Wyomingites who are staying with Woodvale people, myself, and Leanne all went out to Jim and Winafred's house in the country for a great dinner. While the chicken curry was probably the best I've had, the fellowship was even better. We shared stories and experienced the great gift that is our family in Christ, even if that family lives on another continent.

It's exciting to have the Laramie group here, to be able to share with them all that we're doing. It's even more amazing to have a church that not only supported us financially but is invested in us enough to come over and see what we're doing and help with it! So to all of Laramie UPC, THANK YOU! We've been truly blessed to be a part of the church and to be able to call you our home congregation.

But all of this got me thinking. As I watched my church family from Laramie interact with my church family from Belfast, I realized I'm incredibly lucky to be involved in both of these churches. I was fortunate not only to be placed in Woodvale Methodist but to have made the friends there that I have. The end of July is certainly going to be an emotional time. We'll be excited to come home and see and share our experiences with the rest of Laramie UPC but we'll be incredibly sad to leave the family that we have found in Belfast. So to both Laramie UPC and Woodvale Methodist, thanks for making today an incredible day and helping me realize how very lucky I am.

P.S. To whom it may concern, thanks for the exciting lift home.