Adios. Sayonara. Au Revoir. Shalom. Ciao.

Just over a year ago I arrived into this great country of Northern Ireland and have since fallen in love with the city of Belfast, the people, even the weather! Looking back on the past year it's amazing how many adventures I have been on, how many challenges I've faced, and victories I've achieved. I'm not the same person I was before coming out here - I've found strength I never knew I had. Ready for the next year to begin! I wonder what all it holds. Love this journey He is taking me on!

As much as I have enjoyed blogging I think I need to retire writing for this season as my days are getting busier and free time is hard to come by. Maybe I will one day begin back up again but until that time enjoy the adventures of life the Lord is bringing you on!

Love to you all!

-J

Peek-A-Boo...

Wonderful couple of days! Spent the day collecting Mel from Dublin yesterday! Got caught up in a good conversation with Ems on the way, missed our turn off and ended up taking an extra hour to get there! Oops! Spent the afternoon resting and had youth that night. . . I ate a worm! Sigh, the things I do for them teens!

Today has been awesome but tiring! The last kidzone followed by a "thank you for helping" lunch from Cecil. Street reach in the evening (Not alot of kids out but still amazing!) Cecil came for a bit and led someone to the Lord! Love it!

Just got back from celebrating Abigail's birthday at Nandos! Ha we had such a fun time! Rique thoroughly enjoyed his extra spicy meal as he has been really missing the hot and fiery Mexican food he is accustomed to. At the end of the night Mel, Rose, and Emma, tried to hide and scare Rique but unfortunately they only managed to scare strangers passing by as Rique went a different way back to the car!

Hope everyone is well at home! I'll be back soon now! Less than a month away!
Love yall!
-J

PS Happy Birthday Mom! xo

Melody and Emma

Rique w/ his Extra Extra Hot Sauce!

Birthday Girl!

Hiding in hopes to scare Rique!

You're Only A Day Away...

This is by far the shortest post yet! Heading to bed early cause Ems and I have an early start in the morning! Picking up my sister from the Dubline airport! Can't wait! TOMORROW! TOMORROW! I LOVE YA, TOMORROW! YOU'RE ONLY A DAY AWAY!!

-J

A Whirlwind Of A Week...

Wow where has this week gone? Where is August disappearing to? Seems like only yesterday the summer began and now Autumn is near upon us!

I have decided to catch you up on this past week cause some of the days have been AMAZING! But here on after I plan to change things up a wee bit. Getting too busy to write as often. It's either I change things or stop altogether.

Now lets see. . . Last Tuesday was the start of Kidzone (actually Monday was but we had that day off). It's basically like a VBS. Worked in the office all day and then headed over to Sue's cause Tanya is back in town :) Rique came as well and we were treated to a delicious home cooked lasagna! Afterwards we all watched the Olympics while playing chicken foot. I just love that game! Sad to say Sue beat me again. . . not sure how she always does that - but one day things will change. . .

Wednesday after kidzone we all headed into town. Rique was meeting up with Jack and I was meeting up with Courtney (one of the girls from the Loft Youth) Courts and I had the best visit at S'bux. Love her so much! Such a sweet heart she is! Prayer and bible study tonight was beyond AMAZING! The best and most anointed we've ever had! Everyone was crying and praying for each other. Emma gave a spot on message and the Spirit just filled us all to over flowing. Truly was a special night.

We had kidzone on Thursday even though it was our day off. It was alright - but it sure wears me out! Them kids have 100 times more energy than I do! Afterwards Rique, Abigail, and I went over to Tanya's to watch Matilda. Her favorite. In my opinion little girl in it is by far the cutest child star of all time. ADORABLE!

SIDE NOTE: There is actually a girl named Naomi who comes to kidzone and looks so much like Matilda! In fact I often catch myself calling her that instead of her real name!

That night we had The Loft's Got Talent. So much fun! Singing, dancing, comedy acts. . . I loved every minute of it! I felt bad for our judges having to decide a winner! Definitely not an easy job!

Friday we had kidzone again. . . starting to really love these kids and almost wish I was starting Junior Youth back up again in September. . . almost. (After much prayer I felt the Lord tell me to step down from leading the Junior Youth and to focus everything into the Belfast Drop-in Centre.)

Street Reach that night was amazing! So many of the teens came out! Awk I just love them so much!

Saturday after AAB I had a chill day :) Definitely needed one of those after such a crazy week!!

Yesterday was a lovely day! Baby Joshua got dedicated during the morning service. Both Rachel and Alan's families came out! Afterwards they all went out for lunch and invited me to join them. I felt so blessed. The Kirk's have been my NI family since the beginning and I felt extremely loved when the asked me to go with them.

Last night was AMAZING!! Rique was extremely anointed and the presence of God fell during worship. Then Alan came up and basically felt to give an alter call from the beginning! 3 people got saved for the first time and several others rededicated their lives! From the teens to the leaders everyone walked away impacted that night!
Today we had another wee family day. We went to Frankie and Benny's for lunch and then spent the day shopping in Belfast. Window shopping mostly - but Emma got her highly anticipated denim jacket :) Just finished watching Wayne's World (Emma's fav). Now its time for me to get some sleep!

-J

Family Day...

We just had the best wee family day ever! I am loving every minute of life with Emma and Rique! We decided that today, Monday, we were going to have a family day. The past weekend was good but busy; Work, outreaches, CFC worship night, church and more church. . . yes today was a much needed day off for us. The weather seemed to be pretty good so we opted for a picnic and a zoo trip!

SIDE NOTE: Because the Belfast zoo doesn't have hippos, I decided bringing Hippo Jr was a must. Ems then decided she'd have to bring Jique (a penguin who's full name is Jique-Rulie. . . named after her two favorite people). And the "family day" would not have been complete if Rique didn't bring Shaggy along as well. (One day I will need to write about the adventures of Shaggy)

Once we were all buckled up we headed off!

It wasn't as sunny as we would've liked but we still were able to enjoy our picnic just fine! Haha we had SO MUCH FUN! All the animals were out and talking! I can't remember a past zoo day (and there have been loads) where I have heard so many of them talking. Lions, monkeys, seals, pigs, goats, eagle, otter. . . to name a few.

Towards the end of our trip we walked through a rainforest bird house which also had bats and a sloth. The goal is finding Jasmine the sloth as you walk through. We tried twice and still no luck. Rique wasn't too happy about it. . . .  hahahaha!

That night we decided to watch Star Wars. Finally found a place that had the fifth one and after taking forever to figure out how to get it to play in our gameroom we were near exhausted! But it was soooooo worth the effort! I have recently realized how nerdy Emma and I are! After half an hour or so Rique called it quits as he was tired so Ems and I finished the movie without him.

Still as our first wee family day I deem it a huge success! Love them guys!

-J

An Audrey Hepburn Day...

What a lovely day I have just had! While Vinny, Emma and Rique had a meeting I spent my day being Audrey. I honestly don't know where the idea came from (maybe my lack of dressing up these days, or my newly dyed hair) but I had the strongest urge to dress up and walk around town. Sitting outside a cafe was also a must happen.

I chose a classic simple green dress with black heels, did my hair and headed off on my adventure! (I did have a continual fear of tripping in the heels on the cobblestone streets and falling flat on my face - but thankfully that didn't happen!) Did quite alot of window shopping before ending up outside Starbucks. (A little French cafe would've been better but S'bux worked just grand)

It couldn't have been more perfect weather. Warm (for Belfast) and the sun was out! I got my coffee just as a table became available outside. I sat there and people watched for a good half hour before some of the teens from Street Reach arrived to crash my "me date" - though I didn't mind. Love them guys loads like!

Around 2pm I met up with Amy (another teen) and we headed to a vintage shop near where the DCB meeting was at.

SIDE NOTE: I am in love with this vintage shop! It is full of the most exquisite and rare pieces - however, unlike in American vintage shops, the stuff is actually at thrift store prices! It's like they found all of the most incredible vintage pieces for me and put it all in one shop while leaving the old price tag on! Didn't really have money to spend. . . but when I do, I'll know right where to go :)

We finally met back up with the team - their meeting ran a bit longer than usual. After lunch, Emma got her lip pierced (something she's been contemplating to do for a couple weeks now - haha no more drawn on dot!)

Youth tonight was AMAZING! We hung out beforehand and then went into a worship evening. Lasted several hours and the spirit of God was so thick! He continues to show up in amazing ways! Each week there's something more extreme than the last!

Well I have a busy weekend ahead of me. Gonna head to bed now! (After watching some Olympics that is! Girls all-around is tonight!)

Sweet dreams!
-J

Great Olympic Moments...

Life is all about moments of impact and how they change our lives forever. . .

The Olympics (aside from ministry) has been consuming my life the past couple of days. I just can't get enough of it! It makes me feel alot closer to home and my family tho we are currently separated by an ocean. I have been so proud of the Americans! Keeping right up there with China on the medal count!

Today was an epic one for us! First the US women's gymnastics team took gold! Just above the Russians who crumbled on their last apparatus. (Though we would've still won had they've been solid) Romania took home the bronze. Every one of our girls were spot on tonight! I on the other hand was a nervous wreck! I literally held my breath during all our beam routines and several other times on the other apparatuses I would gasp and cover my eyes in fear of them falling or missing a step. But no, they were next to perfect.

As the great Vince Lombardi once said; “It is and has always been an American zeal to be first in everything we do, and to win." This was also shown true tonight by our men's relay team in swimming. With Lochte in the first leg of the race he went ahead of the others by quite alot. Our next two swimmers were able to continue the pace set by their teammate allowing Michael Phelps, the anchor, to have a near body-length head start. He finished strong as well sealing a gold medal for the US. And his first of the 2012 Olympics. With that medal Michael Phelps became the GREATEST Olympian of all time. At 19 medals, 15 of them gold, he stood on top of the podium grinning from ear to ear. Coming out of retirement he accomplished something no person has before; to win 19 medals in the Olympic games. Making history for himself, his family, and his country. I was very proud. . .

"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious" - Vince Lombardi

As I close this entry I am reminded of the most epic Olympic moment in my lifetime. I could give the full blow by blow (Rique and Emma got it over dinner) but fortunately for you I found a clip of it on YouTube so you can just watch it :) I was 8 years old but I remember every detail like it was yesterday. My fondest childhood Olympic memory and to be honest this was why I fell in love with the Olympics. This great Olympic moment. . .

The Amigos...

Yesterday was really good. I was on creche duty so after worship I immediately headed to the kids room. There were actually quite a few children but for once I was fully prepared with a lesson! Focused on the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Ben really loved it cause we emphasized them being thrown into fire. He sat through the whole lesson listening intently. Afterwards I let them watch the veggietales on it while I got lil Joshua to sleep. The rest of the morning went beautifully. I really enjoyed myself with the kids.

I spent the afternoon watching the Olympics. Women's gymnastics qualifications and a bunch of swimming. Took a short break to dye my hair. The auburn from before had slowly faded into a ginger like color. . . and that was just not working out for me! So hello brown :)

Church that night was good with the youth. Alan's away in Scotland until tonight - he was missed. . . but we still had a good time. I lost a couple more games of pool - dang I really should practice! Might not have anyone in this talent show if I don't improve LOL!

Today is Monday and the amigos (as I've pretty much labeled Ems, Rique, and I) day off. Gotta love Mondays! Slept in til after 11! Got up only cause Vinny agreed to take me to Tescos to get some groceries as we were completely out. I love having a fully stocked kitchen! 

Spent majority of the day watching Olympics. I am proud to say that I've gotten Rique much more into them this year (at least I'd like to think it was me) Tonight however was a MASSIVE disappointment. Men's gymnastics team final and we crumbled under the pressure. Favored to win gold with anything less than a medal being a huge upset. . . only to achieve 5th place! So upsetting for our US team! However I was thrilled that team GB did so well! They ended up with bronze! Haven't medaled since 1912! Good for them!!

Still I was so upset with the loss. Poor Rique got to hear the vent of my disappointment. I tried to warn my sister via skype. . . but she did not want to know anything - keeping a straight face so as not to give away the dreadful result wasn't easy.  She is going to regret her decision in a few hours.

To get my mind off things we decided to have a movie night. So we all gathered up some blankets and munchies and hippo and headed to our "living room". Haha it's really a couch and tea table in Cecil's office. We set up the laptop with some speakers and thus creating our "living room". The movie of choice - Diary of a Mad Black Woman. No complaint from me there! One of mine and Rique's favorites. Emma, who has been wanting to watch Wayne's World, consenting when her movie of choice wasn't available. Shemar Moore and tons of Madea one-liners was a great way to end my somewhat let down of an evening. No matter what we do the amigos always have a good craic. The 3 of us mesh so well together and we are literally like a little family! LOVE THEM!

In much need of some sleep. Busy day tomorrow and Olympics planned for later in the evening. I have much higher hopes for the girls gymnastics tomorrow! Hope they don't take on the weight of the boys epic fail to add to the nerves that are already there. Well we shall see!

-J

Botanic

Went out to AAB this morning. I'm not gonna lie. . . I pushed the snooze nearly a hundred times this morning! I was so not ready to wake up! Probably due to the fact that I stayed up until 1:30am watching the opening ceremonies AND THEN decided to watch the rest of Despicable Me (about an hour). What was I thinking?? Well to be honest I was so very pleased with the ceremonies I was just in too good of a mood to sleep! It was AMAZING! Good job London! So creative and dripping in the arts. From the beginning, to the Queen in a short clip with "James Bond", to the music, to Mr Bean's appearance, to the dancing, and finally closing it out with a spectacular finish! I loved the concept of having the legends pass the torch on to "the future" up and coming athletes. And the cauldron lighting was one of the best I've ever seen!

So yes, AAB. . . that's where I was at right? LOL! Anyways - it was good. Got to see alot of our families :) After, Rique and I went into Belfast. We had a meeting with Cecil at Botanic at 4:30 but got into town early so we passed the time by watching some of the Olympics in Starbucks (on my laptop). We watched a bit of Judo and Boxing for him and then Swimming and Gymnastics for me. Before heading to Botanic we stopped by City Hall to meet up with some of the teens there.

We made it within 5 mins from Botanic when the rain hit. And boy did it hit! I was a little worried that Cecil wouldn't get to see the same effect that we had the past two weeks. Not sure if the rain would send the teens elsewhere. It didn't

When we met up with Cecil we took him over to the area which usually hosts the most teenagers. As usual they were just chilling, drinking, smoking, etc... It was really eye-opening for Cecil and it gave Rique and I the much needed opportunity to really share with him our heart for the teens. And our desire and urgency to get a drop-in centre. It also was amazing cause some of the kids came and talked with him - telling him how they are desperate for something to do.

Leaving the rest up to God now. But I am more determined than ever to get this centre up and running! And I believe Cecil is now too.

-J

Bring on the Olympics...

Had a wonderful Dream Centre staff meeting this morning with Cecil and the Dream Centre team. We discussed where we all feel called to work and also where we see the Dream Centre heading. I can honestly say that that was the best meeting I have had so far since moving out here.

After the meeting we hung out with the Loft Youth kids who, since it's summer, come up to the church to hang out for a few hours in the afternoon. Haha I spent the time playing numerous pool games. We are having a talent show in two weeks and I am trying my hardest to get some of the kids to perform! The deal is; if I win they sign up, if I lose they dont. Unfortunately I've lost 5 of my last 6 games. . .

After dinner Rique, Ems, and I headed into town for Street Reach. The town was electric! Today is opening cermonies for the 2012 Summer Olympics and finally the City Hall jumbotron is being put to good use!

I have been waiting for the Olympics for soooo long! (Well I guess everyone has really) But I must say there are different levels to "Olympic love" and I qualify for the highest scale. . .

Level 1: You like the Olympics

Level 2: You love the Olympics

Level 3: You are obssesed with the Olympics

Level 4: You are an Ochterbeck

Even the excitement of the nearing opening ceremonies I was able to have some really good conversations with the teens who were out. I also passed out loads of American candy and packets of Koolaid. . . thanks mom and dad - yall are legends over here :)

After Street Reach Rique and I were debating about staying and watching the opening ceremonies outside City Hall. It was mild out but I knew the chill would set in and I didnt bring a jacket. . . then I noticed how loud the crowd was and how many weren't really focussed on the TV and the thought of them drowning out the sounds of the ceremony started to seal the deal. The clencher though was the thought of mint chip ice cream I had waiting in the freezer back home. So with that we handed out a few American flags for others to support and then we headed back to the church.

Well just wanted to write really fast before everything begins! I have my bowl of ice cream and hippo is here next to me. I'm in comfy clothes, have BBC on, on my laptop and my American flag is sitting beside me ready to be waved! This night couldn't get any better!
-J

Moving Forward...

Another busy busy week! I think after my one year mark (which is nearing rather quickly) I'm gonna have to find a way to make blogging simpler for me.

Last Thursday was grand. Stayed in bed for quite awhile trying to catch up on sleep from the previous two nights. We had youth that Thursday, so many kids came! An excellent night as Rique led the kids in worship and Alan brought a dynamic word to finish the evening.

Friday we had an all day Dream Centre meeting with Vinny, Rique, Emma, and I. We started in the morning and finished it up well after lunchtime. It was a vital meeting though in moving forward. Expressing our hearts and passion for the different people in NI in order to unify us as one team. Street Reach that night was really good from what I can remember. Afterwards Emma went off to Bangor and Rique watched LOTR: Return of the King while I had some much needed Julie + Jesus time. I randomly ended up listening to Keith Green on YouTube. Since then I have been listening nonstop to his music. I've always been inspired by his music but this past week the lyrics and his message behind the lyrics really hit home with me. I have had a rough week and because of it I've been on this soul searching journey of "why I'm here", "here" as in N. Ireland.

Saturday we went out to Adopt-A-Block. I really love the people that we visit and although I am feeling a release to become more involved with the youth work in Belfast and less involved with AAB, I will always continue to visit the families who are at the site. Later that afternoon Rique and I went out to Botanic Gardens again. This is the second time in a row we've gone out. Same as the week before, my heart was broken for the kids. Really seeking God as to what we can do to bring life and hope to the teens. We did get a nice chat at one point with one of our favorites, Amy, at Starbucks. Love her to bits like! That night the "amigos" went to Alan and Rachel's for a home cooked meal and some fellowship. They are so encouraging to be around and the 5 of us had a wonderful evening. :)

Sunday to be honest is a blur. We had church in the morning which was grand, and then I think I took a nap after lunch which if I recall correctly was a bad idea. Ha I was way more tired after the nap than I was before lying down! Youth that night was really good as far as I can remember. Hmmm why I'm having trouble remembering that day is beyond me.

On Monday we went into Bangor - Emma's hometown. We hung out with some of her friends and had just a lovely day walking around the town. (Would've been a bit nicer if it wasn't so yucky out - but we made do) That night we met up with a couple from our church back home. They didn't even realize the encouragement they brought me! It was such an enjoyable coffee date - and although we were all a bit tired (us from the long day and them from jetlag) there was a freeing presence that they carried with them that I felt was imparted to us (especially me) and the timing was impeccable.

Tuesday I worked in the office on random things. Nothing major. . . just loads of little things. Rique and Emma both had places to be that night so it was another time for me to really get some answers from Jesus. The past month had been so rough - I was desperate to find my way out of the waves that were seemingly overtaking me. It was on this night that I looked back on old journals and the Lord began to take me on an incredible journey of when he first called me to NI and how he got me here to where He is taking me. He also began to deal with my pride - something I always seem to be working on.  

Yesterday was the day I got real breakthrough. As I sit here and take a second to think back on the day I can't actually pin it down to once specific moment. I think it was several things strung together. The Lord really put me in my place - that's for sure. In continuation from the night before, since I was ready to listen, He began to reveal where I was in the wrong and where I tried to take matters into my own hands. I can be so impatient when it comes to helping people and achieving the dreams He has for me. I was reminded of something I wrote a year ago;

"The moment I begin to talk about my dreams, my passion for life strengthens...my perspective refocuses...I let go of the worry and begin to trust cause I know these dreams were placed in my heart by Him so I will see them one day become reality."  ♥

I know that no matter how long I need to wait - His timing is perfect. Later on I had a skype date with two of my good friends from back in my MCLA days, Danfi and Bryan. It was so good to connect with friends back home! Bryan gets married on Saturday - so happy for him! Really miss the good ol days of MCLA sometimes. I really grew up alot during that year. Last night I spoke for the Bible study. I felt led to share my story - Of my heart for teens and my lifetime dream of having a place for them to find hope and purpose. Of how the Lord called me to Ireland 9 years ago. And also how 9 years later I am living in NI and working towards building a drop-in centre for teens! Wow. . . even thinking of it now and it still blows me away! God is just that good.

Today was incredible! Coming off of such a great day I decided to go into Belfast with Rique. Major sales are going on at the minute so I treated myself to a new dress - haven't bought anything in months. . . hopefully one dress wont send me over the deep end! Better tighten those reins again! Youth tonight was OUT OF THIS WORLD! We had 60 teens come out - about 75 people there total with leaders. God really showed up! Like it was unreal how heavy the Spirit was! Alan spoke on the difference between being saved and being committed. The altar call was massive. The unity was incredible! Really excited with all that God is doing in the Loft Youth Group!

Heading to bed as I have a busy day tomorrow. Olympics begin in less than 24 hours! Ahhh! So excited! Cant wait to represent the red white and blue of the USA!

Miss yall back home and hope you guys are doing well!

xo

-J

Youth Camp 2012...

What an amazing three days! Youth Weekend (tho it was actually Mon-Wed) was incredible!

I liked it alot better than last years. Of course I had only been in NI for a couple days then so that's part of it and also I kinda knew what to expect this year thanks to the last one.

I packed literally the night before, throwing last minute things together Monday morning. We finally got all of the cars we needed and packed them full with youth and luggage.

Sun was out nearly the whole trip! God is good! We arrived at the site around 11am and everyone dispersed into their rooms. I was in a room with Rebecca - and our door had a lock - PRAISE GOD! Although this year I did come prepared with pranks of my own, I wasn't looking forward to getting toothpasted again!

That afternoon the kids who payed for activities headed off to the high ropes course. . . HILARIOUS! But I was proud of the kids for doing it, especially the ones who were scared of heights! Later on Alan got a game of basketball going.

SIDE NOTE: I have always had a strong dislike for Basketball. Not quite sure why except as a kid I grew up loving baseball and football. My best friend growing up always loved the sport, but try as I might I couldn't get into it and think I watched possibly two games on tv my whole childhood. However, basketball was the sport I played the most, not on a team but with friends, mostly at youth group. I actually have alot of fond memories attached to those numerous games. I have within the past couple of years had more of a love for the sport.

With that being said, I have actually been wanting to play for the past year. . . so when Alan announced that he was organizing a basketball game, I was the first to enter the gym. Ha well the first game wasn't fully "basketball" as we played with a football/soccer ball, but it was still a ton of fun! My team (Alan, and a few of the teens) were losing to Rique's team when we broke for a "halftime" but we came back and won! Such a wonderful feeling. Hahaha I'm afraid the competitive Julie I've been hiding from the N Irish for the past year possibly emerged over this youth camp!

Later on in the evening we had a time of worship and a small word on hope. We split guys and girls and Emma and I had a wonderful time talking with the girls.

I must've been tired cause I slept like a log that night. Poor Alan was up majority of the night with the kids and here I was fast asleep! Tuesday was great. After breakfast we opened up the game room which had snooker, pool, ping-pong, foosball, and an organ. Alan started another basketball game which of course I joined - this time with an actual basketball. My team was winning by the first half but we never had time to finish the game (which was a blessing in disguise for me as I possibly broke my finger running into the wall going for the rebound).

It was such a fun day all around from pranks, to a football game and mini-golf tourney, watching the kids do archery and zipline, shooting, four-wheeling, and a mechanical bull.

SIDE NOTE: So I was beyond sore from the games of basketball the past two days. Plus my nose, and finger, and ankle (still bad from the cops and robbers game in May) were all badly injured. Seems like physically I was getting hurt in fluke ways wherever I went! To ride the bull seemed like an obvious bad idea. After watching about 8 of the kids ride it I figured, what the heck. . . they just slid off so how bad could I get hurt? Terrible idea! I was on it for about 20 seconds before front flipping over the head of the bull, hitting the side of my face and smashing my good hand on the way down! Now literally every area of my body is in pain! Should've gone with my gut but hey. . . you only live once :)

Tuesday later in the afternoon I was in the game room with some of the kids and I started playing the American National Anthem. Next thing I know two of the boys started to belt out "God Save the Queen" Great Brittan's National Anthem. I then started to sing another song and then they did and this continued for about 10 minutes, each time we would raise our voices a tad bit louder to out sing the other one. (About 5 mins into it I realized how out numbered I was when the 2 boys turned into about 5 kids so I quickly ran and got Rique.) We then started to sing  "Deep in the Heart of Texas" and to my surprise the kids joined in saying they loved that song! Haha who would've guessed :)

On Wednesday the kids went canoeing/swimming and then we loaded up and headed back to the church. All in all the youth week was amazing! Alot of the kids got a real touch from God - anxious to see how it develops!

Rique is away with a new friend he met named Carl and Ems is here reading in the room. Really loving how close the 3 of us are! Although we don't have a house still and I don't know when we are actually gonna get one. . . we are trusting Jesus together.

Well I'm exhausted from the past few days adventures and even though we are off until youth tomorrow I need to get some sleep so I'm gonna wrap this up here.

Missing yall  back home! Hope you are doing well!
-J

A Lesson Learned...

The past 4 days have been INSANE! Ha I figured for some reason that once Rique moved out here and he and Emma joined the team life would get so much easier for me. How wrong I was! I am thinking it's just cause God is REALLY doing some things behind the scenes and the enemy is firing everything at once in a last attempt to stop it.

Getting Rique on Wednesday was not anywhere near as easy as I thought it'd be. Ems and I drove to the airport in Dublin and arrived a couple mins early - good thing too cause the terminal car park was full and we ended up having to park in a different terminal! We arrived at the actual terminal right at 8:15am unfortunately he arrived over an hour early! We found a couple who had been on his flight sitting in the lobby and then we really started to question where he was. (How could they be through and he was no where to be seen unless something had happened to him.) We began to search the airport thinking he might've gotten confused as to where we were meeting him. Maybe he had gone to the restroom. Maybe gotten something to eat. Half an hour goes by and still no Rique. At this point my phone is flashing red and I know the battery is about to die. I texted Alan to let him know we couldn't find Rique and texted my sister back home to be praying. 45 mins have now passed since we arrived at the airport, nearly 2 hours from when he landed. I am now convinced Rique's being held in customs. Praying, we waited (we didn't know much else to do) Finally I got a text from my sis saying she got through to him and he was stuck in baggage claim! Praise God it was the luggage and not customs! Shortly after her text my phone died. Not long after that Rique appeared. . . without his bags! Poor guy, first time to fly and the airline has lost his bags. He leaves once more to talk to an attendant and fill out forms only to reappear 15 minutes later with his guitar and suitcase in hand! Come to find out he had been waiting at the wrong luggage shoot! I was so relieved to have him safe and with all his bags, however both Ems and I (and Rique) were completely exhausted as we headed to Belfast.

BRIGHT SIDE: The dream team is now complete!

After introducing him to Cecil, Alan, Hannah, and a couple others we headed to McDonald's for some lunch. Gave us a chance to get to know each other. Bought a few groceries after and got the rooms set up at the church for the three of us to live.

Emma went to visit a friend that night so I took Rique down to Lough Shore. Unfortunately it was in between the tides so there wasn't much beach but he got an idea of what it's like. We got caught in a heavy rain storm on the way back and I must say, I rather enjoyed it. Been awhile since I played in the rain. Haha welcome to Northern Ireland Rique!

Thursday was the 12th, a protestant holiday. Instead of heading into town to see the bands Ems and I lounged around the church drinking tea and coffee while Rique slept in until about 2pm. Ha got hit hard with the jetlag! Youth that night was amazing! I wasn't expecting too many kids out because of the holiday but there were near 50. Most were hungover, but there all the same :)

That night we stayed at Emma's parents house in Bangor. About 20 mins from Belfast (Across Lough Shore from Jordanstown). We had Friday off thanks to the holiday, but Emma had work at the card shop (Saturday was her last day). Rique and I spent the day walking around Bangor - GORGEOUS outside. He had his first chippie. . . not the best but he really enjoyed it. :)

Street Reach that night was really good. The sun was out once again and we were able to visit with loads of people! Vinny led an elderly woman to Christ - Praise God! Rique also got to meet alot of the teens and had a couple good conversations.

Afterwards, Rique, Ems, and I all went to a house party. Nicole (the prego girl who climbed Cave Hill with Jacs and I) invited us to her boyfriends birthday party. Ems and I really wanted to see her so we went for "a couple minutes". We ended up staying for a couple hours! Even though the majority of those there were drunk when we arrived we still had some solid conversations with quite a few. God gave us undeniable favor! BIG THINGS are happening!

Today was a bit crazier of a day. We stayed the night in Bangor cause Emma had her last day of work starting at 9am. She dropped Rique and I off at the train station to catch the train into Belfast and then the bus from Belfast into Jordanstown. We had near two hours to get to Adopt-A-Block. We arrived into Belfast about half nine pretty easily. To save a few pounds we opted to take the bus the rest of the way to the church instead of the train.

Bad mistake! You know when you try to cut corners and you end up hitting the corner instead. . . ya that's what happened. Because of the 12th holiday the bus times were still a bit off and our main bus wasn't running. We spent the next hour running around town trying to find a different bus to take only to see the one we needed at too far a distance ahead to catch. Talk about frustrating. We then decided to head to a different bus stop to take the bus to Vinny's house in Monkstown. At this point we were walking quickly towards it. I was looking back to make sure another bus wasn't coming when I heard Rique shout; "Julie look out!". I turn just a tad too late. I  smash face first into a lamp post!

On the ground I couldn't help but laugh. . . stressing as I was just was not worth a broken nose. If God wanted us at Adopt-A-Block, God would get us to Adopt-A-Block!

. . . and he did. Unfortunately it took 2 and a half hours and a swollen nose for me to learn my lesson!

Later that afternoon we went back into Belfast. Rique needed to grab a couple things and I wanted to show him a bit more of the city. Waiting for Emma to get off work I took him down to the Botanic Gardens. On a Saturday it is the location for about 300 teens to get drunk. The impact of the scene hit him like it had me (and still does every time I go). We saw several of the Friday night regulars completely drunk (one sober) and got to talking with them. Breaks your heart and fuels the urgency that something needs to be done.

I've been home for a little bit now and I can't shake the images in my mind. What can we do to help? What can I do? I know now more than ever that this is why I am here. I felt the initial calling when I was at Dee Coor's funeral but now it's hit me even harder. i needed that too as it's been such a challenging week for me. The passion that was fading over the past week just got drenched in petrol!

I am exhausted tho and we have youth camp coming up next week. Please keep us in your prayers over here as God is doing some BIG THINGS and there are even bigger things on the way.

-J

ps Happy Birthday to my brother! You are getting SO OLD! Love you x

Playing Catch Up...

Two weeks later. . .

I'm not gonna lie, I have had no desire to update this blog over the past 14 days. However, I know that I will truly regret it if I discontinue my writing altogether so here is a last ditch effort to start this back up! Nothing like a 2 week holiday from the blog!

The past couple of weeks have been challenging and definitely busy but I think the closest I've been to the Lord since moving out here.

I don't see how it is possible to give a detailed update so I will do my best to fill you in on all of the major events and things that have happened.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! My first fourth away from home was pretty much like any other day. I put up my flag (given to me by one of the teens) and listened to my USA playlist on repeat. . . but that was pretty much it. No BBQ, no apple pie, no fireworks. :(

Happy 4th of July!!!

The past two youth services were amazing! Pastor Cecil spoke on the 28th and Alan spoke last week! Things are beginning to shift in the atmosphere - I can feel it! Street Reach has been going really well! The last two we had nice (as in not rainy) weather! Always brings more people into town and also eliminates excuses the kids give for not coming in.

Gemma and I

Jenn and Aaron

Woody w/ his hot chocolate

Last Friday we went to CFC's worship night. They have one every first Friday of the month (This is mine and Emma's second one to go to) We got there for the last two hours. The place was anointed! God was speaking to both of us loads! Good thing I had a notebook with me! He gave me a specific word that I have been reading daily ever since to encourage me that He has everything under control.

"I am the creator of all the universe. I am intricate. Beyond the galaxies man sees, I am greater. I am vast. I am majestic, marvelous, magnificent. Awe inspiring. Nothing is impossible for Me. Nothing is impossible for Me. I have it all in my hands. Trust in me. Abide in me. You will bear much fruit. Ask of me and receive it. The time is now."

Adopt-A-Block has been good with the most exciting news coming last week! Mr McCrae is back home!!!! We hadn't heard from him in over 3 months and last heard he had been rushed to the hospital after having a stroke. We had pretty much assumed his passing when Vinny texted me last Saturday saying he was home! We went over to visit immediately and found him lying contently on an easy chair. He looked cozy lying there with a blanket all the way up to his chin, a smile contentedly on his face. His daughter was with him and explained that she had found him in a coma 3 months prior and rushed him to the hospital where he slowly recovered before being placed into a care home. Unfortunately he fell while there and broke his hip needing a hip replacement. After all of that he wished to go home, so his daughter had the house redecorated to create a fresher and more peaceful and relaxing atmosphere and a couple days ago he moved home. She now lives with him and is pleased to have us continue our Saturday visits. God is just so good!

Went to Alan and Rachel's Sunday after church and stayed through until this morning. I love them so much and am so blessed to have them in my life!

Something else exciting that happened on Sunday was my younger brother got baptized! One of my friends told me and I was so shocked to hear it I immediately phoned home and heard straight hand from my dad and then later from my brother. I was in tears. When you trust God with your family He always comes through! My brother, Jeremy, and I are extremely close and this is something I've been praying and believing God for for some time now! I'm so overjoyed with the news!

On a lighter and slightly creepier note. . . meet Elvira. Yes this is what I had to live with the past few months! I was finally brave enough to take a pic of the life size doll!

Meet Elvira

Though the past couple of days have been amazing, today was one of the roughest. I found myself piled under mounds of work and realized around noon that not one bit of it related to the Dream Centre. I find this often to be the case and today it frustrated me more than normal. Then in the middle of recording with Alan, Hannah brought the news that the house we found last week, viewed, and fell in love with was gonna fall thru. I was and still am devastated! Both Ems and I feel like it is THE HOUSE. The one the Lord has for us! Pastor Cecil had gone to sign the papers this morning only to learn of a clause that wasn't gonna allowed the three of us (Rique, Emma, and I) to live together. That broke me and I knew that I needed to meet with Cecil. Not really about the house situation cause I trust God knows what He is doing but more so with the work load. When working in ministry you MUST be fulfilling your passion, your calling, or you will burn out quicker than a match covered in hairspray! The meeting went fairly well. . . alot of changes need to be made but what better timing than now. Nearly the one year mark for me, and right when DCB is doubling in staff.

Emma is over tonight. We had a really good chat and are just trusting Jesus with this house and with everything far and in between. I've been reading in Judges lately (LOVE that book! Who knew it was full of the craziest of stories) and we read through a chapter tonight and it led us to another passage, 2 Corinthians 4 which has become our newest anthem.

Rique comes out tomorrow! Ready for a turnaround! Cant wait until we have the whole team together! I better head to bed though as we have an early start into Dublin! Praying things come together on this house! God knows!

Hope you are having a wonderful evening wherever you are!

xo xo
-J

ps Happy 18th Birthday to my little sis, Emily! Hard to believe you are so old! Cant wait to see you!

Daylight All Night...

What a wonderful day! I started out by working in the office; got quite alot done. We are taking the youth to camp mid-July so I had to get activities organized for that and Rique comes out 2 weeks from tomorrow so making sure everything is all set for his arrival.

At 4pm I went to collect Izzy's (from AAB) granddaughter. We really didn't have any plans other than heading into Belfast. Haha we had such a fun time! Walked around the City Centre, then went up to the lookout dome to take some pictures. McDonalds was a definite and then we headed over to the Abbeycentre as it stays open until 9pm and Belfast was pretty much closed down after we finished our dinner. Walked around eating slushies and chocolate until our feet became too sore to walk! We got to our bus stop 30 minutes early so Paddy came up with a game for us to play to pass the time. It reminded me so much of what my twin sisters would come up with! Made me miss them something awful and yet it also made me feel as if they weren't too far away. Each of us chose a color (silver, black, red, blue, etc. . .) and then counted how many cars passed in our color - whoever reached a certain number first won and then we picked new colors. Haha so simple but it really passed the time beautifully :)

I dropped her back off close to 9pm. I stepped inside to say hello to Izzy and got caught up in the show she was watching, Gordon Ramsey - Behind Bars. Basically a chef show in prison. Quite fascinating. These Britts really know how to step up the reality tv!

One thing I'll never get used to is being so high up on the globe. . . this whole not getting dark till 11pm is strange. Very strange! Walking back with Paddy I took these two pictures with my phone. . . No edit done on them. It was 9:15pm. . .

After leaving Izzy's I took these  two. Once again, no editing done on them. It's now 10:00pm . . .

Finally made it back to the church - 10:30pm . . .

 

And it's not even like its light at night, dark in the morning. Ha no we're talking sun rises before 5am (nice and bright) and then sets around 10pm and doesn't get dark til close to 11pm. Crazy!

Well I believe it is time for me to head to bed! Busy day tomorrow!

Night!

-J

Red, White, & Blue...

Another couple of days have just flown by. Hard to believe that June is coming to an end and July is peeking around the corner!

Backtracking. . . Saturday was a really rough day for me. It started out fine, Stevie and I went out as the dynamic duo to tackle the litter along Shore Road. The rain even held off the whole time we were visiting with families. It wasnt until the afternoon time that the rain started to fall - and with it, extreme homesickness. So I spent the evening having Jesus + Julie time and even tho I still really miss my family and close friends back home - I know I am here for a reason. . . one I'm not willing to give up on.

Yesterday was alot better. Church in the morning was really good and I went out for lunch with the Kirks to Ross Park. The food was amazing! Last night we had a surprise birthday celebration for both Cecil and Evelyn who each turned 70 in the past week! We spent the service having different people share on how they've been inspired by the Stewarts. Afterwards we had a potluck dinner and cake! Some of their family and close friends made it out as well and the whole night was such a special time for two incredible people.

 

Today has been lovely! Ha so from bad to good this blog is going! I stayed the night at the Kirks and spent the morning relaxing and doing pretty much nothing - so nice. Went out to town (Ballymena) to buy a birthday card for a friend and met up with Rebecca for some hot chocolate (her) and a latte (me). I just love that girl so much! Seriously such a sweetheart! Tonight Alan took Ben to his first football training camp! He is a year young - but daddy has some connections! Ha and Alan sure was excited. . . got Ben a whole Liverpool outfit, including a top with "Kirk" on the back and Alan's old football number "9".

While they were away, Rach and I spent the evening watching tv and polishing our nails. I decided for a sparkle red in honor of the upcoming holiday. First 4th of July I'll have missed. . . gonna be strange not having BBQ, potato salad, corn on the cob, or apple pie, not being able to watch a baseball game, and especially strange not to see or shoot off fireworks. Haha as I'm typing this I realize how much Americans (or maybe it's just me) relate food and sports to holidays. . . especially American holidays (Fourth of July, Thanksgiving)! Well regardless, my American flag will be flying high in my office a week from Wednesday, I'll be wearing my red white and blue, and my USA playlist will be on repeat from morning til night. Might even grab an apple pie from Tescos - who knows!

Well I think my nails are just about dry. Gonna call it a night!

Love yall!

-J

Hello Summer...

I have a feeling that this is going to be an interesting summer. . .
The rain and cold over the past three days have been ridiculous!

I've been busy the past few days getting the youth area ready for last nights grand opening. It was a huge success - all the kids loved it! We had 50 teens show up! Jamie-Lee from street reach came as well. I brought a short epilogue at the end - totally off my notes. . . but God pulled through and had his way last night! It was incredible!

Just got back from Street Reach. We were only there until 7:12pm but it seemed so much longer! As soon as we arrived 8 teens immediately came for their hotdogs. 6 more appeared soon after. The warm hotdogs were a huge hit tonight as was the hot chocolate. Ha I was in a heavy jacket and gloves . . . IN JUNE! What kind of summer weather is this?! Several more teens arrived and then Stevie and Gemma came walking towards us underneath this and I was laughing so hard tears were coming down my cheeks (or maybe it was just the rain. . . hard to tell)

We did have a tent up but thanks to the wind it didn't fare too well and unfortunately had to be taken down close to 7pm. It was then that 95% of the teens headed over to Burger King to stay dry until they got kicked out for not purchasing anything.

Trying to stay dry & warm!

I love these guys!

I just finished getting warm myself. Now I'm cozy under blankets with my cup of tea in hand. One thing I forgot to mention earlier is that Cecil and I had a wonderful meeting with Andrew, the City Centre manager. He is a Christian and is excited to be working with DCB. Once a month he has a lunch meeting for several evangelical ministries who focus on the City Centre and he invited us to attend. Those connections will no doubtingly prove vital. He also is working on getting us a building for the teens drop-in centre. Woohoo!!! BIG THINGS are happening!

Missing home quite alot tonight. Would love a snuggle with one of my sisters, or to be at a baseball game with my older bro, or at CiCi's with my younger one. And I long to just sit with my mom and dad and visit. Soon, but not now. Right now I know Jesus has me here for a reason. For such a time as this.

♥

-J

Bernard The Seal...

Great day! Worked for a bit in the office. Then I went off house hunting part 3! This time Alan and Luke took me. I looked at two 5-bedroom houses. I liked them both in different ways. Agh! I wish though that I could just combine some of these houses that I've seen into one perfect house. Emma is going to take a look at them next week and possibly Dr Stewart which will help with the decision. We need a place by the time Rique arrives on the 11th. That gives us 3 weeks!


Met up with Tanya for a walk along Lough Shore and GUESS WHAT I SAW. . . seal! Named him Bernard. It was the first name that popped into my head. I tried to get a photo of him but he slipped back into the water before I got the shot - LOL all that's in the pic is the rock he was on! Haha oh well.

We talked for awhile until we saw the storm coming! Decided to head back up to Sue's so as not to get caught in the obvious upcoming downpour.

Overall today was good. Really tired though so I think I'm gonna head to bed here shortly. Got a busy day in the office tomorrow.

Night!

-J

Lush...

Couple of good days. I always love writing on my days off - so easy to be positive :)
Yesterday was Sunday and I was helping Opus in the creche (nursery). I mostly watched Joshua but put a Veggie Tales on for wee Ben and Esther later on cause service was running a bit late. Went to Sue's for lunch. Delicious meal of roast beef and potatoes! I must say that the gravy made out here is divine! At least Rachel and Sue's always are. . . there must be some kind of secret ingredient they both use. Hmmmm I'm gonna need to look into this.

Alan spoke for the night service on vision. It was an encouraging word that I feel really boosted the atmosphere with excitement and energy. He said a Japanese proverb that really spoke to me; "Vision without action is a day dream. Action without vision is a nightmare." SO TRUE!

I ended the evening with watching a movie and eating my most favorite snack out here - Veda and cheese. However I've stepped it up a notch by adding slices of tomato and pepper. AMAZING!

Spent today chilling with myself :) Cleaned my room (a weekly Monday task) and did pretty much nothing until later afternoon when Sue rang me to go over to Ikea with them.

RANDOM SIDE NOTE: Tanya used the word "lush" on multiple occasions. I LOVE the word! It means like good, swell, awesome, . . . "you are so lush." Haha reminds me of my friend Tony in Cali when he tried using the word "fetch" in every sentence. I miss that guy :(

Ikea is by far my most favorite store to go in! I would go alot in Texas (had many "youth meetings" there with Lindsey over a cinnamon roll or two.) And I would go almost monthly back when I lived in LA. First time I've been out here - Can't believe it's taken me so long! I shall go back as soon as I get a house to buy at least one item. Even if it's just a vase :)

Afterwards we went back to the house and played a game of chicken foot dominoes. Love that game - even if I lost.

-J

Rainy Days...

Rain, rain, go away! Come again another day!

Couple of yuk days outside - but still moving forward! Our website is now complete! Check it out HERE

Last night at Street Reach it was pouring. Vinny was sick with the flu (BE PRAYING!) so Big Al made the hotdogs and Robert drove. Still quite a few out despite the weather. Hotdogs went quicker than normal. . . so many teens know we have them now that I'm thinking we're gonna have to start bringing more in the near future - God provide!

Me and my Kaya ♥

Catherine & Gemma

Headed to Sue's afterwards for a few games of Skip-O with her, Tans, and Alison. I never won a game. . . not ok. Still had fun though :) We also watched Euro 2012 London vs Sweden. I actually am really enjoying following the matches. Same as the 2010 World Cup - I'm pulling for Germany.

Today was good - AAB this morning. Cause Vinny is sick, just Stevie and I went out today. Rained again and we brought no umbrella - eh but a little rain never hurt anybody! Spent majority of our time with Junior and Vera. Lost the football at one point under a work van, we couldn't reach it so we decided to wait until the end of AAB before laying in the mud puddles to get it. Would've worked too had the van not driven off half way through! Haha needless to say the ball is now a bit flat!

Spent the rest of my evening having Julie time! Watched Ocean's 13 - one of my favs! And skyped with near all my family. . . Emily, Melody, Dad, Jonathan, and the twins!

Have church in the morning so I think it's time to put an end to Julie time and head to bed :)

-J

ps I was looking as some more houses and found a 5 bedroom 2 bath for the same price as the 3 bedroom 1 bath I looked at on Thursday! Either it's sketch or God's been saving it for us! It would mean more room to expand the Dream Team (say in January) and it means we'd have the space for teams to come out on mission trips! I'm hoping to check this place out Monday or Tuesday! We shall see!

Thank God For Starbucks...

Oh my word! House hunting PART TWO! Way crazier than yesterday!!
I woke up this morning and headed out with Sue and her granddaughter Tanya to Lisburn's Linen Museum. The museum showcases one of N. Ireland's best known industries. The bottom floor was a special exhibit on the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Quite fascinating it was! Upstairs was more so the actual museum. Very interactive and detailed as it taught me all about the linen industry in N. Ireland and how flax became fabric. Linen and fabric making was the biggest industry in Belfast in the late 1800s early 1900s. I got to learn how to spin flax into yarn on one of the old spinning wheels!  Tanya went first and took to the wheel perfectly. You set up your twine of flax on the side of your spinning wheel and then start up the wheel and maintain it by keeping a steady beat going with your foot. You’d take little bits of flax from the bundle, wet your fingers, and then spin it between your fingers an feed it into the wheel. I was like - oh I got this. . .Hahaha I finally got the hang of it but even then the yarn didn't seem to turn out right! Back in the day, girls would sing songs to help keep a steady rhythm going. They’d tell stories to pass the time. As a spinster, you didn’t meet a lot of guys so what the girls would do is wrap their flax in a ribbon to signal that they were single. If it was white, pink, or red they were single. If they were married they’d wrap the flax in blue or green. This way the boys who worked in the fields knew whether or not to come over and talk to them. It mattered how fast and detailed you were in your spinning - the boys wanted to make sure you'd be able to help them with providing. So glad I was born in this century as I would've died an old maid! My yarn was that bad!

After lunch we headed into Belfast for a bit. I saw this in a local sports store. . . made me smile.

I said goodbye to Sue and Tanya around 2:30 and headed off to my first house viewing (about a mile and a half away) I really liked it! Not perfect - but definitely an option and alot better than the one we saw yesterday! My second house was another 1.5 mi away and I only had 45 mins to get there.

I had to walk down Botanic Ave to get there - LOVE THIS STREET! Wasn't sure if I was going in the right direction at one point and I had to pee so bad I couldn't even think straight. . . Was contemplating what to do when I saw a Starbucks off in the distance! PRAISE HIM!

Used the bathroom, got a mocha, AND double checked my directions. . . I love Starbucks :)

The second house wasn't as good as the other so I scratched him off the list.

Grabbed some groceries and then met up with Ems who took us to the church for youth. Service tonight was AMAZING! Heavy attack but God's will prevailed - His anointing heavy. I just think He's incredible. Never ceases to amaze me! I reached a level of breakthrough tonight - no doubt. Feel even tho I'm facing some challenges, I'm on top of the world. It's now physically evident that BIG THINGS are headed our way!

-J