Laramie UPC Day 4 - C'mon In Cafe, Clonard, Disabilities Club

Tuesday (4 weeks ago today!) was Laramie UPC's fourth day in Belfast and it started early (by the standards I've become used to)! We met at Woodvale Methodist at 9:30 for a presentation from Margaret (the minister at Woodvale) on working on a peace line. She also talked about the Shankill community and the problems that plague it. It is a difficult place to minister but there is certainly hope in the area. That was Margaret's main message. Hope. The Shankill is a community that sees about a 50% unemployment rate. It is also steeped in history from the Troubles and that history is something the people live with each and every day. There are few, if any, people in the community that were not affected by the Troubles in some way.

After our visit with Margaret, we worked at the C'mon In Cafe, Woodvale's community cafe that is on each Tuesday. It was a great thing that the Laramie group was there because a number of our normal volunteers were either sick or on holiday and the extra hands on deck sure were helpful. The group helped out in the kitchen washing dishes and preparing plates as well as on the floor taking orders. When not helping, the group was sitting and eating with those who come into the C'mon In Cafe each week. It was a great opportunity for both the folks of Laramie and folks from Belfast to share about each other's lives and homes.

Marcia and Ray

Carole chatting with a local (Brian)

After helping with the Cafe, we headed through the gates of the peace wall to Clonard Monastery. I've mentioned Clonard before, as that was where the Good Friday Peace Walk started from that I blogged about earlier this year. At Clonard we met with Ed who was incredibly helpful and insightful! He gave us a great tour of the facilities and then engaged in a terrific theological discussion with the group. Multiple people said that this was one of their favorite parts of the mission trip.

Tuesday evening found the group back at the 174 Trust to help with the Disabilites Club that is on. I write this blog almost a month after this happened but doing so has allowed me to better understand the impact that the group had that night on many of the kids. The week after Laramie left, one of the kids asked me if Nikki (she did mention her by name) and the rest of my friends from the week before would be coming. It broke my heart to say no. But later, when we were playing with water balloons, the girl again remarked "I'm going to get Nikki so good with a water balloon next time I see her!" Elizabeth on the other hand made a different type of impact. She spent a lot of the night with one of our girls who isn't very verbal or active. Elizabeth was able to give this girl attention and work with her in ways that the typical volunteers we have (high school students) wouldn't be able to because they don't have the training or feel comfortable in that role. All in all, it was amazing to see the Laramie group at work that night kicking footballs around, getting their faces painted (can't tell you how awesome that was Sarah!), and overall helping the kids have a memorable night. Day 4 of the mission trip was truly a fantastic day in Belfast!

Colleen painting Sarah's face!

and Richard is down for the count!

Jason joining in on a game of Chasies

Patty with Caitlin and Gemma

Carole enjoying a game of Connect 4

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.

gardening and wondering what'll come next



early stages of planting

One emphasis of the YAV year is simple living. There are many aspects of simple living. The one I've seem to have latched onto is growing some of our own food in order to take a small step to lower our carbon footprint. Because of this, since the beginning of March, our windowsills have been covered with plants. Herbs and vegetables like coriander, oregano, basil, a variety of peppers, chives, mint, lettuce and tomatoes are what take up most of the space, but the occasional flower - nasturiums, pansies, petunias, sweet peas, and marigolds - makes its appearance as well.

early March

I've planted a lot of stuff in the past two months and grown everything from seed. The list above starts to show how much I've planted. I guess that seems to be the nature of me getting excited about something. I find some great project and go all gung-ho for it. With that said, I should give a thank you to my amazing wife (insert your gag here but this thanks IS appropriate) for putting up with the plants everywhere and the compost that we've started on our balcony.

late April

One thing I'm finding out with growing vegetables here is that the growing season is tricky. I guess it's like Wyoming in that you might have a nice sunny day and then wake up to clouds and the wind howling the next morning. That would've been Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Because of this, the flowers which have all been transplanted to a large window box that sits outside, are sometimes brought in from the wind that hits them being up on a second floor (third floor for those of you in the States) balcony.

using some cress at breakfast

All in all, I've really enjoyed getting into gardening this year. I'm excited to carry over what I've learned to wherever Kendra and I end up next (more on that in a second).  I hope to still expand the garden a little bit by planting some root crops like radishes and beets because they'll mature quick enough that we'll be able to use them before heading home. We've already used water cress, coriander (cilantro) and rocket (arugula) that I've grown. Chives and basil should be ready before too long. We may even have lettuce to use within a month. It's been a fun and tasty experiment.
 

jalepenos!

I mentioned earlier that what I've learned gardening so far this year will be fun to carry over to wherever Kendra and I are next year. For those of you who do not know, we will be doing a second YAV year. We are looking at serving in either New Orleans or Tucson, but while we thought we may have had our decision narrowed down, we're finding out that we're just not yet sure where we're being called to at this point. We're excited about possibilities at both sites but would ask that you keep us in your prayers as we discern our next call.






tomatoes in a homemade cage...we'll see how that works

a new post...finally! adventures with the parents and a prayer/peace walk

I've been busy. Not that busy, though. I should've posted weeks ago. Sorry, but I'm doing it now instead. Better late than never, right?

a picture from the Belfast Botanic Gardens

My parents are currently here visiting. It's been great. We've been going, going, going to say the least. We've visited Downpatrick, gone to church a ridiculous amount of times (5 out of the 7 days they're here we'll have gone to church), gone to the 174 for Disabilities Club, and seen Belfast Castle, murals, peace walls, the Botanic Gardens, the Ulster Museum, Victoria Square and City Hall. The Botanic Gardens is in full bloom with the exception of the Rose Garden and is simply beautiful. Tomorrow we're going up to the North Coast and Giant's Causeway. But today we had an especially great experience that I'd like to share.

We gathered at Clonard Monastery a bit before 5:00 this afternoon for a cross community prayer/peace walk. Clonard is located very near the peace wall that separates the Shankill (a Protestant neighborhood) from the Falls (a Catholic neighborhood). Clonard is located in the Falls and is an incredibly beautiful worship space. I hadn't been in it yet this year and after seeing it I don't know why I didn't go sooner! I also don't know why I didn't take any pictures of the inside to post for you. Check out the link to see their website and the astonishing space.


the group heading down the Falls Road

We started the walk at Clonard and headed from there to the Falls Road. The Falls Road is the major road through the Falls and, as it is a Catholic/Nationalist area, it's not uncommon to see signage with both English and Irish. I think this is pretty cool.

We marched down the Falls Road carrying crosses, slowing down traffic, and doing our best to spread a message of peace as some of the crosses that were carried read "Peace Be With You".

 


the Falls Road murals

The walk eventually turned off the Falls Road and onto Northumberland Street where we walked past some of the Falls Road murals. Even though the murals we passed weren't antagonistic, as some in the city are, given the background and original purposes for the murals, I thought it was incredible to be marching right past them with Catholics and Protestants side-by-side.

We crossed through the gate in the peace wall on Northumberland Street and moved from the Falls into the Shankill. After a few blocks on Northumberland Street we met the Shankill Road, the main street traveling through the Shankill. There were people watching curiously from each side of the street on the Shankill Road and from the crowd I heard someone call my name. I looked over and saw two of the boys that come to the cross community football club at the 174 Trust. I shouted "Hey!" to them and began hoping that the next time I see them we can have some conversation about the walk. If nothing else, I was happy that the boys were able to see me taking part in the walk as the peace effort in Belfast and Northern Ireland is certainly something I've become passionate about.

As we moved through the Shankill, one of the organizers came up to me, Patrick and Ellison and asked if we'd like to carry the cross that was at the front of the walk. Seizing this unique opportunity, we moved the front of the line. Soon enough we each had a turn at leading the crowd, taking up the cross (literally) and following our police escort (one of the everything-proof Landrovers that PSNI uses). As I carried the cross I saw some students from Glenwood Primary School where I do monthly assemblies for the P4 to P7 classes. Like the boys from the 174, these students waved and called out to me and Ellison (who I am so grateful to have help me with these monthly assemblies). I always like to be spotted by kids from the school in the area because I think it helps the kids to understand that not only am I trying to be part of their community but that even though I am very much an outsider by nationality, I am a part of the community. And I am thankful to be part of the community and walk alongside its members. 

As the walk left the Shankill we walked through a gate in the peace wall on the Springfield Road that was opened especially for the event. In the picture on the right here you can see the gates open and the crowd coming through. Normally these gates are closed and there is a small pedestrian gate in the wall open that one person at a time could go through. Margaret, the minister at Woodvale, made the comment to me that she'd never seen those gates open before. To see them open for the peace walk gave me hope that, though it will take time, the peace efforts in Belfast can one day not only open gates in the peace walls but bring the peace walls down.

The walk continued up the Springfield Road and then back to Clonard. The walk was an outstanding event that I am happy my parents were here to be a part of. It was also an event I will be sure to remember from my YAV year.

After the walk we had a terrific dinner with Jaime and Simon. Another thanks goes out to them and Leanne for taking care of us this evening! We then attended the Good Friday service at Shankill Methodist (our fourth service of the week). All in all, an wonderful day.

Mom and a local walking along the peace wall and chatting

a lenten prayer

I was given this prayer by another attendee to our midweek service last night. The poem is by William Arthur Ward, an American author/pastor/teacher. I'm not sure this is the poem in its entirety, but I thought it was worth sharing. I would note that I think it speaks of things that we, as Christians, should be "fasting" from not just during Lent but during the whole year and things that we should be "feasting" on at all times also.  As a fellow YAV, Patrick, put it, the church is sometimes too focused on Jesus' "greatest hits." We're incredibly excited to all come back together when school starts on some "Kickoff Sunday" and then we get excited about Advent and then Lent and then we're done after Easter until that "Kickoff Sunday" rolls around again in early September. What happened to the five months between Easter and "Kickoff Sunday"? May we "fast" and "feast" during those times, too. Maybe it's even more important that we do.

A Lenten Prayer (or maybe just a prayer in general)

Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ dwelling within them.
Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of all life.
Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from worry; feast on trust.
Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.
Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from hostility; feast on nonviolence.
Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.
Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift.
Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from suspicion; feast on truth.
Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.