21-31st

so i'm pretty much a proffessional iceskater now, seeing as how the last 2 nites, and then 1 more to go tonite, we have taken out 3 separate groups of kids to this outdoor iceskating rink in the middle of dublin. the first nite was crazy, it was about 17, 12-14 year olds, who would buzz around the rink tripping everyone and pushing people.. haha, and then when it was time to go, all the iceskating attendants were trying to get ppl off the ice, and all the normal ppl complied, till we saw about 4 our our young lads buzzin' around the ice, so the attendants had to chase after them, rally them in their arms and physically usher them off the ice, and as all the attendants were busy getting the 4 off, rite as they got kicked off, 2 more of ours would sneak it and start buzzing around them.. oh man, the cheek of these kids! it was quite funny.. cuz the whole place was watchin' these wee ones buzz around the pro's, get physically put off, only for more to go back on.. we finally had to identify ourselves as being with them and go out and get them ourselves.. but, in all fairness, it actually was one of the funniest things i have seen in a while! then, last nite it was 10, 7-10 year old girls.. oh, they were so cute, bundled up in their huge coats and scarves and gloves, and none of them had ever been.. and luckily i had gotten practise the nite before, and was able to have 2 of them holding my hands, as i balanced and held them up, and kept them from falling, and would do spins with them, all nite.. and it actually was so fun, they were adorable!! tonite is the choose life kids.. will be great! im beginning to love iceskating!! especially outside, gorgeous!and in the morning i am taking off.. so, ill be in northern ireland from tmrw until thursday, and am coming back on thursday, only long enough to do laundry, pack again and then will be taking off to scotland until the 31st.. so im not sure if ill get back on here till then. but just wanted to wish everyone a merry Christmas, and a great new year.. and im sure ill have much to write about with pictures to go along with, when im back.. i love you all. miss you all.. thank you for all your prayers.. very, very much appreciated. God bless. ill be on in a week!

Jehovah Jireh

God provider.

isaiah 58:10, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

every year, dcm, does these things called food hampers. hundreds of ppl and churches throughout northern ireland and ireland, donate food, clothes, toiletries, toys, etc.. and the mission packs them into huge boxes and gives them to the neediest families we work with, and make up packages for all the ppl who come to the lighthouse (our homeless shelter), as well. i stood amazed, as our huge hall continued to fill up with so much food, so many clothes and bag after bag of stuff from the generosity of ppl's hearts. we were able to give away 140 mens packages to the homeless men last nite, all wrapped up in Christmas paper, and then 40 womans sets.. they were amazing!! great gifts.. and it was so cool to see their faces and their eyes lite up as they received something.. then, today, we were able to put together 60 huge boxes of so much food and household items for families that are so desperate for them. i just called one woman, who i have become quite close to, her name is antoinette, i met her and her lovely daugther, kerri, who is 14, my first week here.. and they have continued to be a part of what i do here, and part of my heart. they are living on lower than poverty standards, and have nothing. antoinette was telling me today that her spinabiffida is getting worse and her actual spine is slipping out her back!! and shes been in and out of hospital and on and off drugs for the pain, and literally has nothing for her daugther this Christmas, and said she was asking for God to help her, and then i rang and told her we had stuff to bring her, she almost cried. pray for God to continue to work in her and kerri's life thru me and that God would touch her back and both of their hearts. but ya, it has been an amazing week of seeing how God provides and cares so much for people and seeing the joy of someone receiving something who has nothing, has moved me so much more than i could ever write. God is all sufficient, so good, and loves people. all praise and glory be to Him who provides and cares.. its just been an amazing week of God blessing people and getting to be a part of that.

suh-weet!

my roomate and i were talking tonite about our mini trip to scotland at the end of the month, and how, for 3 days, we are able to hop a little plane, travel for about 1 hour and be in a totally rad and different country that weve never been.. for really really cheap, and just how freakin' amazing that is. then we got talking about what other countries we are by and how they are literally a hop, skip and jump away from us.. and really really cheap. and then we got talking about going to them.. on weekends.. like i was looking online.. and to go to italy for a weekend, it would be like 40 euro! what? amazing.. so we are all like phsyched, cuz we really enjoy each others company, and have some amazing possiblities lying before us. im pretty sure were both adventurous enough to make the most of some weekends coming up in the new year. like seriously, who in their lives can do this?! were both young and single and have a once in a lifetime oppurtunity, ya know? were soo close.. and im stoked.. not only cuz God is doing amazing things here, and i could go on and on about that, but just realising how blessed i am, and how the whole world, literally, is at our feet. so cool!! well see what actually happens, huh? im just excited.. cuz.. the worlds a pretty rockin' place.. and its just amazing. love it. ill write more tmrw, with pics about what weve been doin this week, its incredible.. so ill save that for tmrw. nite.

i am such an idiot!

youd think that after 25 years of life, that eventually i would be not so stupid!! it just amazes me how after i do something, or after God teaches me something, the really, really hard way, i so soon forget and end up back in that same place again, but worse, and then, am like, oh ya. and then have to fix so much more..

sorry to have to burst some of your bubbles, but, i am such a wreckless person that does such stupid stuff sometimes, that has issues coming out of my ears, and i am just so highly imperfect that i feel just like paul, when he says, i am the chief of sinners. my goodness! i hate living in this world most times, and just have to cry out, oh God, who will save me from this body of death?! and very faintly hear in those moments... i thank God- thru Jesus Christ our Lord.

ah yes.

i have to praise God who lets us come as we are. in our misery. our anger. our disappointment. our guilt. our misunderstandings. our humanness. who lets us pour out our hearts.. and draws us back to Himself.. what a gracious, amazing, holy, merciful, forgiving, loving Saviour. cuz its so not me who does gets myself back on track. like just how in hosea how its all about God wooing us back to Himself, pursuing us vehemently even we are running away being adulterous. and how He gently whispers to our soul until we are broken at His feet in awe of such an amazing lover.

i found a couple verses today that i have really never seen before, at least they stuck out to me, they are totally unrelated to each other, or to this really, but i had to share

"for the Lord loves justice, and does not forget His saints; they are preserved forever. but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off." psalm 37:28

how amazing.. cuz, we are His saints. i could go into all these other verses, but basically, by the blood of Christ, weve been adopted.. sealed by His Spirit.. weve been given robes of righteousness, garments of salvation and an inheritance that wont spoil or fade. Christ became our sin (!!!) so that we may have His righteousness. (what?!) the weight of sin is suffocating, and crushing, and life stealing.. and He experienced the weight of the whole worlds. (what?!) oh man, its just so much, like, becuz i know how it feels to totally fall flat on my face, and the shame and guilt of sin, and for Christ to have to feel what we feel when were at our worst.. and then realising that He gave us His identity.. and that we are perfected forever, becuz of Christ.. (what?!) i say that becuz its incredulous. but so good. i am free. you are free. and its so undeserved. and un-paybackable. and yet, its the only way.. the only way for that weight to be lifted. for our bodies to be free.

its just good. cuz i know myself. i know im a wreck. but i know im saved. and have a Saviour. a great King. who loves me. gosh.. i am so stupid though sometimes.. praise God He loves me enough to not give up, huh?

"open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." acts 26:18

truley amazing.

burnin down the house

haha.. im so amused.. tonite, samaria, leisel and myself, decided to have a girly nite/pre-Christmas nite.. got into our p.j.'s.. had food and an ambient wee setting for ourselves.. we each have fireplaces in our rooms, so decided to lite it, and bought a nice little smokeless peet to burn.. we start preparin' food in the kitchen, only to realise the entire place was fillin' up with smoke.. these pics will take you thru our evening.. its hilarious.. basically, we go from happy, with a pretty white fireplace, to.. uh.. open the window quick.. to.. close the window its freezing.. to chillin in a smoke filled house.. geniuses..

so there ya go.. our very little happy pre- Christmas nite. never a dull moment.

merry christmas everyone..

good things

God is good. never changes. i could write so many good things on here.. so many difficult and hard things, and so many seemingly bad things.

and yet.. in the midst.. peace reigns. Christ is Lord, and King.. and is good. and is that peace.

"behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. this is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation" isa. 25:9

im realising that no matter what. Christ reigns. His presence, and peace.. reign in my heart and life, and that we are called to rejoice in the Lord always, and again.. to stand, and rejoice..

the weekend away was amazing.. God is doing stuff that is huge.. continued prayers for my kids' hearts.. for relationships to be built stronger.. thankfulness for God providing all my needs here.. and just continued prayer for me, and just.. everything.. God is good.. all the time.. no matter what.. i could write loads. but instead, will ask for your continued prayers.. (they are working).. and just give a shout out that God is amazing..