21 days in...

Today marks my 3rd week . . .

Where has the time gone? It's been a couple days since I last wrote - been in the process of moving so I haven't had much time to get online.

MONDAY - Had the day off - I started my morning by packing up my room at the Kirk's house and then headed out to Ballymena (walking) to get a couple things I needed in town. I wasn't quite sure if I remembered how to find the center of town but soon found some random landmarks from my trip there with Rose last week and didn't get lost once!

MY DIRECTIONS: Cross the street, go through the neighborhood, take a left at the park, down the creepy path, across the blue bridge, through the cinema parking lot, past the swimming pool arena, past the antique picturesque church, dead-end into the house with the red door, take a right - and voila!

Got the few things I needed and then met up with Rachel and Benjamin to run some "messages" (errands) with them. Finished the evening with Rach having a girls night (Our usual Monday night routine but the last one for a few weeks since I moved)


TUESDAY - Finished my packing and then headed in to work. Found this sitting on my computer in my office . Made my morning that much more beautiful <3

Spent a large part of my day reading up on N. Ireland statistics - finding the highest problem areas and the greatest needs. Opened my eyes to a lot - prayer is desperately needed in all of this!

After work I headed to my new home to unpack. I'm now living with a woman named Sue. (I stayed with her the week I came, back in January) She was born and raised in Portugal, lived in England for quite awhile, moved a 3rd time and has since been living in N. Ireland. Sweetest and most welcoming woman around. She goes on holiday on the 18th and then has family in town for a week or so after she gets back so I'll relocate again then for about a month (probably back with the Kirk's for awhile) and then move back in with Sue mid October. Crazy I know.

Last night I went to the women's fitness class they have at the church. Ohemgee! It was intense! I had no idea it was gonna be as difficult as it was! (I'm feeling it today!) Went back home to Sue's after, looked at pictures of her new grandson, Harry, drank tea and talked.

TODAY (Wednesday) - Been in the office all day. (It's 4pm right now) I'm gonna be heading home in about an hour and then back to the church for worship practice and prayer meeting.

I've been in a lot of prayer today for a creative mindset. I don't want to do things "just because" - I want to have a strategic plan as we start new ministries here at JCC and the Dream Centre. What all can we do to further improve, and serve this community? I went around lunch time to the Spar (kinda like a 7-11) to buy a sandwich and as I was walking and passing businesses and homes, everything in me felt like we needed to do more. . . I needed to do more . . . but what? And I'm still waiting on the answer.

Well I better finish up here in the office to make it home in time for dinner.

I hope you are all well.

-J

ps - My dad asked me to post some pictures of the people I work with and do life with. So I'm in the process of taking some. If there are specific things you wish to read about or wish for me to take pictures of please let me know!

Carrick-a-Rede...

What a lovely day today was...

After church this morning (And lunch of the one and only - cheese & toast!) Alan, Rachel, Benjamin, and I went to Carrick-a-Rede to walk around and take some pics. It was a little windy, pretty cold, and had a couple moments of rain, but it was one of the most breathtaking places I have ever been to.

 

I once read this poem about Ireland and it became truth to me today...

"Ireland, it's the one place on earth
That heaven has kissed
With melody, mirth,
And meadow and mist."

Well its been a good but long day so as short as this entry is I'm gonna go ahead and call it a night. Have the day off tomorrow. I might go for a run and spend a couple hours in town. Should probably pack some too as I am moving (most-likely on Tuesday) closer to the church and Dream Centre.

Love you all! Glad Irene didnt blow the half of you away!

xoxo

-J

America meet Janet Devlin...

This girl is my favorite. There is something awkward, precious, and unique about her voice. I just love it. Not the best vocalist in the competition but there is something captivating about her...
-J

The Roller Coaster of Life...

Welcome back :)

Missed writing yesterday cause I stayed the night at Rose's house and didn't get online, so I knew I couldn't miss writing tonight. It's around 11pm right now...

**Random Irish Fact - All digital clocks are in military time. When someone says the time they would just say "nine" but yet the clock shows "21:00"! And also when writing or typing out the time you use a period instead of a semi colon. So it would be 9.00

Yesterday was hands down the hardest day out here for me. When I wrote on Wednesday I didn't actually title it thinking things were gonna be much harder...I was just trying to quote MLK...little did I know how things would turn out just a couple days later.

It was a rough day in the office and it got me to my breaking point. I remember shutting my office door and saying; "Ok God...why the heck am I here? You better show me like ASAP." - Haha I know real Christian of me...but hey, we're all human!

I put on some worship music and prayed. Spent about a good hour having the ugly cry (You know the kind with the snot...but you are so broken you don't really care how you look) - I really began to let a lot of emotions sink in that I had been suppressing since moving out here. Hannah, who works with me, came in and gave me the biggest hug and some tissue and listened to me talk about how hard things were, and how homesick I was, etc...I am so glad she was there for me. (Later on that day my mom told me the Lord woke her up in the middle of the night and prayed for me....it was right around the time all of this was happening - Ah the power of prayer!)

Later that evening I went out on the Street Reach Outreach. It went well and I was able to talk to some teens and get to know them a little bit. Afterwards I went to Rose's house and hung out with her family until around 1am. I love that family so much! They are all very close and remind me of my own.


Today was one of the BEST days ever! Ah the roller coaster of life...

This morning we had our first Adopt-a-Block here in Belfast. Praise God the sun was out and the weather forecaster's were wrong about "morning showers". 12 volunteers showed up to help (10 of them being teens from the youth group!). We went to a local housing community about 1.5 miles from the church. We were able to knock 60+ doors, trimmed a man's garden, and pick up litter around the area! Everyone was very open and receptive to us. And the youth were amazing at reaching out and serving! I am so excited to see where the Lord takes this! Please keep it in your prayers!

Later on I met up with Alan and Rachel in Belfast. Rach and I (and Benjamin) walked around the shops for a couple hours while Alan worked and then we all met up at a little cafe to get dinner. Ahhhh! The stores out here are amazing!! And Belfast has some of the cutest baby/kids clothes and accessories I have ever seen! (Good thing I don't have a child or I'd go broke!)

Tonight we watched the X-Factor again. There are SO MANY good contestants! I mean I still have my favorite from last week but there is going to be some tough competition...


Well church in the morning so I better call it a night!

Love yall!
-J

A New Addiction...

Well it's late but I had a lovely day today and God showed up big time tonight so I wanted to be sure and write a little before heading to bed.

I had the morning off so I slept in until about 9am and then did a couple loads of laundry - I was out of socks! I relaxed at the house til around 1pm and then headed out for an adventure in town with myself :)

Rachel dropped me off (so weird being 23 and having to be dropped off...) at one of their malls. Ballymena is a small town but the streets are slightly confusing so I was determined to learn my way around the city while buying what few things I needed.

MY TO DO LIST:
1. Buy items for Saturday's Adopt-a-Block
2. Withdraw money from bank
3. Buy a Curling Iron
4. Get a Mocha at Nobles

It started raining pretty hard (so glad Rach let me borrow her umbrella)

SIDE NOTE - Last night it rained AND HAILED! What?!? And then about 10 min after that it was clear again....crazy Irish weather!

 I am happy to say that I found everything I needed and still had time for that mocha - which is my newest addiction! Only £2.10 (no tax, no tip...though I still leave a tip) As I thoroughly enjoyed my "me" date, I wrote this while I was sitting there sipping my coffee;
"As I am sitting at Nobles drinking my mocha, looking outside, and watching the rain fall, I think to myself; I am living in N. Ireland. Me - by myself. At 23 years old! Starting a Dream Centre. What the heck?? But I cant help but smile...God is just cool like that." - Yes I think it all is finally hitting me....

I LOVE Nobles Cafe! I don't know if it's the regal yet homey atmosphere, the friendly staff, the purple chairs, or the hearts hanging from the ceiling. Definitely one of my favorite spots in N. Ireland.

Tonight we had youth!!! My favorite night of the week! Had about 28 teens or so. Played a couple games, had a dance-off, and then I spoke some about the Dream Center and Adopt-a-Block (since we are starting it Saturday). Told a couple of stories about teens who were impacted by the AAB program / Bus Ministry and who also impacted my life...Chela's and Lenard's (Hard to believe he was killed one year from today...)
Alan then came and spoke a wee moment to bring everything to a close. I got to pray with several people and one of our youth girls gave her life to the Lord!!!!!!!!!! It's absolutely amazing what He is doing in this youth ministry! So ready for next week!

Well I guess I wrote a little longer than I had planned to. Oh well...I guess I usually do. Leaving you with some random Irish facts...

1. They eat marshmallows as candy. It's literally bagged and found in the candy aisle.

2.  It is the strangest thing going into a mall and not seeing a Victoria Secret, Forever 21, Sears, or Dillard's. Surprisingly enough it seems one of their favorite stores to shop at is Hollister. They call sweat pants "trackies" and you'll see them in those as well as hoodies everywhere!

3. Clothes, accessories, toiletries, shoes, films, groceries, etc... It's all pretty cheap but because of the currency difference I need to multiply everything by 2 making things not so cheap...I have become an EXCELLENT window shopper :)

4. Their pound bills are pretty enough to frame.

Well that's all I have for tonight. Got a busy weekend ahead of me! Please continue to keep Dream Centre Belfast and the Youth and the Church (JCC) in your prayers!

Sweet Dreams!
-J

Some Difficult Days Ahead...

Well it's been awhile. Unfortunately the internets been down at the house and I've been too busy in the office to write on the blog.

Hmmmmm backtracking...

Well you read about all my fun adventures on Saturday with Rose. Sunday we all went to church. I was asked to give announcements (It was like being Lindsey Weaver for a day!) Not much happened later on.
Ooooo we did have Cheese and Toast for lunch (w/ fresh tomato's) DELICIOUS!

That night Rose and I babysat for Alan and Rachel so they could go out and we took Benjamin for a walk, watched a movie, and put him to bed. Afterwards Rose and I attempted to watch Toy Story 2 - it was slightly scratched so it kept skipping haha and then I fell asleep half way through ...so it was a failed attempt.

Monday I got lil Benjamin ready for the day. Made us hard boiled eggs. Which really aren't hard cause they leave the yolks runny to dip "soldiers" (strips of toast) in. It's like playing with your food - making it all the more fun to eat.

Rose and I spent the afternoon in Ballymena meeting up with an old friend of hers. Had the best Mocha at Nobles Cafe - with a side of garlic fries...

SIDE NOTE: The Irish "fry". I am still struggling with conquering this term. An American french fry is called chips in the UK. Even at McDonald's. American chips are called crisps. However in the UK garlic fries are still called garlic fries. An Ulster fry or just a fry is actually a big breakfast. I remember all of this but in the moment of ordering I forget whats a crisp, whats a chip, and whats a fry.

That night Rachel and I watched "One Tree Hill" which is her favorite show. It was all about thanksgiving...made me miss my family...but still it was a nice girls night on the couch :)

Tuesday, yesterday, was probably the hardest day for me out here to date. I try to keep this blog upbeat and positive. But I cant avoid the fact that I was very homesick and extremely discouraged most of the day. Got really hit hard with thoughts from the enemy. I know it'll get easier with time...but I also realize that I got some difficult days ahead...

I worked in the office all day. Lamb for dinner...

SIDE NOTE: I had the song "Mary had a little lamb" stuck in my mind the whole time I was eating dinner...talk about depressing LOL!

I had a good wee chat with Rach last night and it really helped to get some things off my chest. Then Alan surprised the both of us with Raspberry Flake McFlurries (Finally got that craving satisfied!) I watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and finished the night by doing some push-ups and crunches (I've decided with all this eating I better start working out again)

Today I have been in the office working on stuff for DCB. Decided last night before going to bed that I was going to have a wonderful day today regardless of what may happen or what situations I might be faced with. So far so good.

Well I love you all!!
xoxo
-J

The McFlurry...

What a lovely Saturday today has been!
I woke up this morning and thought; "Hmmm, I feel like a big breakfast." So, I went downstairs and made myself a big breakfast :) Aye, started me day off right!

After this delicious and very fulfilling meal Rose and I decided to head to town in hopes of an adventure...

We ended up just walking around and Rose bought a of couple things. I'm still trying to get used to this new European style. While we were walking I passed this place and had to take a picture of it! Even seeing the word made me feel a little closer to home :)

After walking around for several hours I got the craving for a raspberry flake McFlurry, so Rose and I walked to the nearest McDonald's only to find out that their ice cream machine wasn't working!! Agh! So disappointing! I did get to have some yummy chicken strips with the not found in America sour cream and chives dipping sauce! I'm gonna have to figure out a way to bring some home during my Christmas holiday!

We decided to come home after our late lunch. It was gorgeous out today! So glad we had decided to walk to town! 18 degrees! (65 Fahrenheit) Just chilled at the house for the rest of the evening. The X-Factor started tonight - LOVED IT! Way better than American Idol actually. I don't care who else auditions - I already have my favorite. Cant remember her name but she gave me chills. And her demeanor was enchanting.

Last thing to leave you with was the unfortunate adventure Alan, Rose, and I had after the show finished...

We drove to McDonald's to check on the ice cream machine (I was REALLY craving that McFlurry) When we arrived they said the machine was fixed!! Woohoo! It was gonna take a minute for it to get frozen so we paid, pulled over, and waited. 15 minutes later they came out and said it broke again but could offer us milkshakes. Uhhhh...isn't that ice cream too? I was very confused but it was gonna have to do. So I ended up with a strawberry milkshake instead. Oh well.

I swear I've probably gained over 5 pounds already!

Well I hope you all enjoy the rest of your Saturday!

Hugs to everyone!

-J

A Couple More Days...

Hello again my friends!

Yes I know I missed writing yesterday - I had every intention of doing it but when I came home from youth Alan, Rachel, and I got to talking and before I knew it, it was after midnight and well since the day had already passed I decided to just wait and write tonight. So there - that's the story :)

Ah but yesterday was great! I had the morning and afternoon off so after sleeping in a little bit Rachel took me out to see the city of Ballymena. We went to lunch at a lovely little cafe and then off to the bank to switch my dollars to pounds.

Side note: Awk! Because of how low the dollar is these days I only got about 50pence on the dollar. Not fun.

Afterwards we went window shopping in one of the malls and you would not believe what they have there! It's called Feetastic - feet fish spa. At this spa you sit in a chair and stick your feet in a small aquarium and these little fish eat the calluses off your feet!...I have no words to describe my thoughts on this place!

Youth last night was amazing! So good seeing the teens again! On the way home we stopped by McDonald's again and I had my delicious McFlurry.



Heaven in a cup <3

  

My beautiful Rebecca

Today I went to work in the office. Looks like we'll be starting next weekend with Adopt-a-Block Belfast! Your prayers are needed! Went out to the streets of Belfast tonight to pass out hot chocolate and visit the people there. Not a lot of people but I had a couple good conversations.

Rose is spending the next couple of nights with me - so fun! No clue what plans we have for the weekend but I'm sure we'll come up with some grand adventures :)

One last random fact to leave you with. Out here because of all the words used, and the "tea times", and the scenery, etc... I feel like I am living in the middle of a mix between Pride & Prejudice and 101 Dalmatians.

Well hope everything is well in the USA. Wish I could send some of this rain to my hometown.

Until tomorrow...

xoxo

-J

Crazy or a Saint...

Well another beautiful but rainy day on the Emerald Isle. . .

Spent the majority of my day working in the office (day two). Getting things sorted out and ready for the launch of Dream Centre Belfast's Adopt-A-Block. Also had a meeting with Vinny, the man who has been heading up the "Street Reach" ministry at Belfast City Hall, working on the structure a wee bit more. Got a bit overwhelmed at one point today but then this randomly popped up on the screen; "Worrying does not empty tomorrow of it's troubles...it empties today of it's strengths." And it impacted me in such a way that my worry disappeared in the knowing that He has it all under control and that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"

I have the day off tomorrow. Might be going into town with Rachel and Benjamin - hopefully I can take some more pics of random Irish things :) I have "The Loft" (Youth) tomorrow night which is exciting! Love those kids!

Four Irish words for you today:

1. "Gutted" = "Disappointed"

2. "Tick" = "Check mark"

3. "Awk" = Like "Agh" but more gag-ish

4. "Cheeky" = "Naughty"

Two random side notes:

1. In N. Ireland after a day out the minute you come home you change into comfy clothes and make either a cup of tea or coffee. (At least in the Kirk home you do.) My favorite thing to do now at night is have a cup of tea (which I can make now remember) and toast with a slice of cheese. Alan got me hooked on this. The first time I had it I thought it was lovely but now it has turned into an addiction. The cheese here in Ireland is DELICIOUS!

2. Rachel doesnt kill spiders - she puts them back outdoors. I dont believe this is an Irish thing but more a Rachel Kirk thing. Still it's one of those things that makes me love her all the more. Tonight there was a rather large spider about the size of a wedding ring on the floor. She covered it with a glass, slipped a paper underneath, and carried it to the window where she put him back outside unharmed. Some of you might call her crazy. . . I just see her appreciating the life of God's creation - thus, in my book, making her a Saint.

Well that's all I have for today. I'm sorry if my blogs are random - honestly I just type the first thing that comes to mind!

Love yall!
Sweet Dreams ♥

- J

One week in...

Good evening for me. . . afternoon for you :)

Hope all is well with you in the States!
Been a good but hard day today. First day in the office. Mostly went through papers and such - organizing and prioritizing what all needs to be done in order to get Dream Centre Belfast up and running. Your prayers for wisdom in this area are greatly needed. Hope to begin Adopt-A-Block soon. Praying about what direction to take it that will be most affective in this area.


Three random side notes:
1. I have started to pick up on words and its only been a week! "Aye" "Wee" "No bother" (the list goes on) It's strange hearing them come from my mouth - especially "Aye". However, as hard as I try to keep the American accent it's near impossible.

2. I can now make a lovely cup of tea. Made some for Rachel and I tonight at the house and had some yummy chocolate biscuits to go with it. I felt all grown up and proper :)

3. The Irish way of saying goodbye over the phone is the most awkward to me. It usually consists of three quick "byes" and a hang up. According to my friend Rose sometimes there isnt even a "bye". Once you are done with what you have to say you just hang up! I guess it makes since. Why bother with the long drawn out goodbye? ("Alright, I'll talk to you later. Have a good day. Love you. Bye.") Nonetheless I am in the process of teaching Alan how to hang up nicely.

Well I guess that's all I have. Will post some more pics later this week.
Love you all.
bye. bye. bye.

(Haha makes me think of Nsync when I type it)

- J

Julie Octoberbeck...

Hello again!!
I know it's only been 3 days but it seems like SO much more! A lot has happened this past weekend! I wish I could give you full details of the youth retreat but it would take too long - so I'll just fill you in on some of the highlights!
First of all the teens thought my name was Julie Octoberbeck - hahaha! So that is what I went by the whole weekend! Some dropped the "Julie" and others the "beck" but the name definitely stuck :)


    Newcastle, Northern Ireland - Up in the mountains


I really fell in love with all of the youth in those 3 days - even though I woke up the first night covered in toothpaste!! My hair, face, pillow, sheets. . . . I was covered in the minty stuff! Usually I am a light sleeper but since I still was under some jetlag I didnt wake up until about 15min after the prank had been pulled! I see it though as my initiation into the youth group and so I wasnt too upset.

We did a lot of crazy team building activities - haha the craziest for me was what they call "bouldering". A Julie definition would be; "Climbing on rocks and boulders through sub zero waters." We had on wet suits, helmets and life jackets. . . but the first jump sure took my breath away. And what I wouldnt have given for some water shoes - my converse just werent doing the trick. I fell several times! But I completed the task with about 7 of our "older" teens and really felt like we all got just a wee bit closer.

Such a great week! - A lot of picture taking and water balloon fighting, building fires with wet sticks (challenging but I conquered), raft building competition - my team worked well together and came up with the correct way to "build" the raft but when it came to tying knots we all failed and thus my teams raft sunk - haha but we created lifelong memories. . .

    Me and some of my girls :)


On the way home we stopped by the town of Newcastle and went to an arcade place and something like a mini carnival. Took a walk with some girls to find a bathroom and saw this random box of lucky charms just chilling on the "candy" table! The 2 girls I was with couldnt believe in America that we eat it for breakfast!

Today I helped Rachel clean up around the house and I washed a ton of dirty clothes from the weekend. I went for a "strut" (walk) around 4pm to clear my mind and get some fresh Irish air and ended up at Tesco - (like a small walmart) So strange not seeing any brands I knew! Two random things I notice while there:
1. Their new release "films" (movies) are extremely cheap!  £3-£5 each.
2. They have one whole aisle just for their coffee and tea!

Well that's all I have for today. I'm sorry, it's quite long. Hopefully in the future I wont miss days and it wont be as much. Miss everyone at home! (Home being America so if you live there then I miss YOU!)

xoxo
- J

Day Two...

Today was a good day - did some grocery shopping with Rachel (Alan's wife) and cooked food for our youth camp this weekend. Youth tonight was amazing! Had around 30 teens - loved getting to meet them all! Stopped by McDonalds on the way home and had the most delicious raspberry flake mcflurry! Dont think they serve that at American McDonalds but it was devine.

This here is my new friend Benjamin - My goal is to teach him how to properly throw this - haha and to stop kicking it. Sweetest boy ever though!

Well I miss yall a lot and am grateful for all your continual love and support. I'll probably not be able to get online until Monday - have a great weekend!!

- J

And so it begins...

Hello my dear family & friends!
I miss you all so much already!!! Still under some heavy jetlag but I'm going to try my hardest to blog daily. Bear with me as I am not much of a picture taker or blogger! The purpose of my writing is for you to get a small glimps of what God is doing over here in Northern Ireland. A way for you and I to stay connected over the next few weeks, months, years - however long the Lord wills.

Today was long since it really started yesterday around noon. I had a safe flight into Newark and then into Dublin where Alan, Rosie, and I then drove the next 2 hours to Belfast. Everything went smoothly with me getting into the country on a passport alone! Thanks to everyone who prayed!!
I learned two things today;
    1. Northern Ireland has EXCELLENT chocolate - and they are very proud of this.
    2. Gasoline (or petrolium) is ridiculously expensive. I will never complain about the cost of gas in TX again. It cost Alan €92 to fill up his 13 gallon tank!! That's around $150 - insane!

More pictures to come soon! And I will be updating the page quite a bit I promise!
xoxo
- J

Saying goodbye to the twins