Botanic Gardens & Cave Hill

(Mattias, Myself, and Robyn on the top of Cave Hill)

This morning Mattias (Germany), Robyn (Memphis), and I headed out to Belfast Castle and Cave Hill for a morning climb/walk. What a gorgeous place to both hike and see the city from. It was pretty overcast/foggy this morning, so as you'll see from the picture below, it looks more like what we stereotype Scotland as and not Ireland. They say, on a clear day, you can see the mountains of Scotland from the top of the hill.

Then, yesterday, I spent 3 or 4 hours in the Botanic Gardens next to the university walking around and reading (just finished John Grisham's non-fiction work An Innocent Man) and it is an incredible place - it will more than likely be my retreat this year when I need to get outside. It is also home to a iron and glass greenhouse built in the 1830s and 1840s that's really pretty and makes me think of what buildings in "The White City" (the World's Fair in Chicago) might have looked like. So, the picture of the rose garden below is a taste of the Botanic Gardens.

(Top two pictures are from the rose garden in the Botanic Gardens.
The bottom two pictures are from Cave Hill this morning.)

We Won!

So, as promised, here is finally a picture with people in it:

From right to left: Melissa (US), John (US), Christine (Germany), Me,
Megan (US), Dale (Canada), and Jude (US)

Tada! It's been a longtime coming, I know. Now, here's the story behind it:

In this first week, we've kind of established ourselves at a local pub that is quickly becoming our place. We joke that it'll be like cheers one day - where every knows us (although, they probably already so, as the loud Americans :-). So, last Wed. we were there and they had a quiz night. It's a pretty common thing here during the week at pubs for entertainment. Basically, there's ten rounds of ten questions a piece that range from world news/geography to identifying music or pictures. So, last week, with the help of a really nice Irish couple, we came in second to last. Yeah, when you start asking a bunch of Americans about British cartoons, we're just not very good. :-)

We decided to head back this week to give it another shot. The group that went is the group in the picture. Before Jude showed up, we were trying to come up with a team name and one suggestion was "5 Americans and a German," but the Canadian didn't like that idea very much. :-) Poor Dale got teased a good bit last night - but he's a good sport. So anyways, we start going through the quiz and do pretty well the first couple of rounds, but then we get into the picture round and hit a music round that is mostly music from the 60s-70s - needless to say we began totally tanking on our point scores.

We go into the final round somewhere around 2nd or 3rd to last. The last round is always double points and in this case (because several questions had two answers), there was a potential for 24 or so points. Well, the questions are all movies/t.v. shows/actors and we ACE it!! The score is enough to pull us into 7th place (there were either 12 or 14 teams) - woohoo! Well, there's always a team in the middle that gets a prize - and we were it!

No, we didn't technically "win" as in first place, but hey, we did win that middle place prize. :-)

Some of the best things about the quiz nights:
*for some reason we must have a sign on our back that says, "We're Americans, we don't know these things. Help." because without a doubt, every week, someone jumps in to be our advisor on questions. :-)
*The guy who does the quiz is hilarious in his ability to make you think you got the answer wrong. Question: In what year was barbed wire invented? his answer is usually something like "1875.......is wrong. It was 1874." but all you hear is that first number and think you've totally missed it.

Well there you go. I can definitely suggest a quiz night at a local pub - it's a great way to get to know a group of people, gives you something in common, and is just a lot of fun!

"The Dark Knight" with 8 Germans

(image from ReelMovies.com)

In heading out to see "The Dark Knight" for £3 Tuesday's at the local theater last night, I mentioned to Steffanie (from Germany and a fellow believer) that the movie deals a lot with right and wrong choices. In reflecting on it though, I think a broader description would be that it deals with choices in general. The Joker makes up a new story each time he tells someone about the scars on his face, so we never know what really happened, but he chooses to make that a part of his story and, perhaps, justification for his actions. Harvey Dent chooses to go out for revenge, when he had the choice to not crumble into a bitterness lust for vengence. Batman struggles with several choices throughout - turning himself in, continuing to fight, etc.

Probably the most interesting choice of all is the choices between the two ferries. In a movie where human life is no big deal to the Joker and even Batman has his very dark moments, these two ferries choose to not kill one another, even under threat of their own death.

Side note: In walking back, I was talking with Mattias from Germany who said he didn't like the idea of one man being the the strong and powerful to fight for everyone else. I understand what he's saying and why he says it, but it does strike me as interesting, since the idea of the ubermenschen (the "overman") came from German philosophical thought.

Pictures of The Troubles in N. Ireland

Here's a link to a set of pictures that the Belfast Telegraph has put together online about the troubles in N. Ireland, from when they were at their worst in the 1970s right through to today.

Boston Telegraph Photo Exhibit

Ways You Can Pray

I know several of you have a heart for prayer, so I thought I'd share a few things with you for which I would love your prayers.

Wisdom for Church - I really enjoyed Fisherwick this week and they have plenty of ways for me to get plugged in and help out. So, if God doesn't desire for me to be somewhere else, I'd love to jump in and make the most of the year. But, I also don't want to miss out on God's desire for me if there is somewhere else He would have me be.

Protection through Wisdom - one of the great joys for me so far is getting to build friendships with people who don't believe the same way as me. I have learned so much through Megan, Melissa, Jude, Camille, Joy...etc. and I covet these relationships - they're so sweet to me. At the same time, I need to be wise because we don't always share the same convictions. So, pray that I would practice self-control and self-discipline in wisdom throughout all my relationships - both with those like me and unlike me.

Finances - my loans from the US government will hopefully be in within the next week. So, that's a praise. However, at the same time, things here add up really quick because of the exchange rate - so pray that I would honor what the Lord has given me and be wise in how I spend that money. Not too cautious, that I miss out on opportunities, but not careless either.

Thanks for your prayers! Probably once a week or so (unless something special comes up), I'll put up a post just asking for specific prayer requests. Thanks!

Prayer @ a Presbyterian Church

I went to both the 11am and the 7pm service yesterday at Fisherwick Presbyterian (there's a picture below of the church), and I have never seen such strong commitment to the ministry of prayer and an openness to the direction of the Spirit in a Presbyterian church. John Lenschow and I both commented that it was something one would only see in a charismatic church in the US.

However, it was really responsibly handled and, for me at least, exciting to see that this church with such great a history is desirous of and open to the Spirit being alive and moving in their body today. The first service had a prayer team beforehand praying. After his sermon, the pastor mentioned four people (not by name, but rather by a characteristic - depression or a certain image) that the Spirit had laid on the prayer team's heart and a word of encouragement for them. Then, in the night service with young adults, it ended in prayer with the pastor and the prayer team going around the room, laying hands on, and praying for each of the individuals.

I was really impressed and encouraged by it. Evidently, prayer is a passion of Pastor Derek's. It was definitely a great first Sunday in N. Ireland.

Places in My First Week

I apologize that none of these pictures will include people - it usually makes pictures (and stories) more interesting if people are in them. It's something I fully intend to work on, since the people I meet this year are a lot more important then the places I'll be. With that said, here are pictures of where I am this year that will hopefully give you a backdrop for the stories that come out about during the year:

This is the Lanyon building (named after the architect). It is the pride and joy of the university - rightfully so - and the centerpiece of it. It's design was inspired by a building at Oxford. On the far side of this picture, the row of townhouses, is where the majority of the humanities school's are located - including mine. In the right hand corner of Lanyon is the Great Hall - it's very Harry Potter dining hall-esque and where we had the International Reception last night.

Cutting across the grass to the row of townhouses, you'll find "The School of History and Anthropology" at #15 (the blue door on the left in this picture).

Across the street from the Lanyon building is this, the Student Union. Newly built within the last couple of years, it houses a coffee shop, used book store, Oxfam store, restaurants, a pub, a dance club, and a small grocery store. Clements, the coffee shop here, is quickly becoming one of my favorites - and they're spread out throughout the city. Their tagline is "We're Religious About Coffee" and you get a free drink for every ten you have.

Behind the front of the Lanyon. This is the quad area (notice the pristine grass that is roped off - you don't walk or lounge on the grass here - it's mostly ornamental. :-P) Queen's International is located on the right hand side of this picture.


This is the main library, located on the far-side of the Lanyon building in the picture up top, but before the row of townhouses. Interestingly enough, the front building in this picture is where you enter the library. Looks like a church right? Well, it was built as a library, but intentionally built to look like a church - weird, huh? It gets weirder. See the 12 story building behind it? That's where all the books are stored (the two buildings are linked by a glass, sky bridge). Couldn't be more of a stark architectural contrast, huh? Want to know what's even worse? History books are all stored on the top three floors of the building in the back - and wireless access stops three floors below that. Yikes!! Maybe it'll keep me from getting distracted?

This is Fisherwick Presbyterian where I'll go to church on Sunday. They have an 11am regular service (I'm assuming more liturgical) and then a 7pm college service, so I'll check out both. They hosted a free dinner during international week and several of their members helped welcome students. The churches in town have a HUGE ministry to incoming international students and they do a great job with it! (Oh, for those of you who know Seth Wright, this is where he and his wife Julie go)

This is where I live on Mount Charles. These row of townhouses are owned by the school and house anywhere from 6-9 students in individual rooms, with two kitchens, two bathrooms, and two showers. I'll be posting a video of the house in the next couple of days, so if you're curious what it's like, you'll get to see it. It's an interesting mashup of all kinds of students. Alli is an American from D.C. working on her PhD in linguistics here while writing for National Geographic Travel (sweet, huh?). Then Sebastien, Arthur, Miriam, and Tobias are all undergraduates from Germany studying here for a semester under an EU program called Erasmus that pays for their studies - another sweet deal. There are 2 or 3 others that will be living here too, but I haven't met them yet.

So, there you go, that's a little bit of a scenic frame work for life here. It's been a REALLY great first week with a great balance of getting to make new friends and spend time walking around the city with them or talking over a pint at a pub. At the same time, it's been a great week of connecting with some believers in town, getting to encourage them, and find out about ways to get plugged in.

All in all, it's been a great start to a new year in a foreign country. :-)

This Week in "Irish English"

Peter Fee, a medical doctor and a believer who's involved with the International Friendship Association (IFA), laughed when a student from Japan referred to the way Northern Irish people speak as "Irish English". So, in honor of that, here is this week's installment of "How to Speak Irish English". Enjoy.

call over - go by, stop by/in (usually in reference to someone inviting you to stop by their office or home)

call in - same as above

digs - where you live (i.e. "I've got to stop by my digs" or "Did you get settled into your digs?"

youse/yousens - you or you all (i.e. "Yousens going to the city center?")

marks - grades (i.e. "Did you get good marks on the exam?")

query - question (i.e. "Don't forget to stop by the student guidance center if you have any query at all.")

off prints - print offs (i.e. "Don't forget your off prints when you leave the SCC (Student Computer Center)

and, my favorite so far...

craic (pronounced "crack") - laugh, joke, or what's going on (i.e. "How's the craic?" or "Good craic, eh?")

So, there you go, now you can begin speaking "Irish English" :-).

First Day in Belfast & My Room

A quick video of my room here at Queen's.

I arrived this morning at 8:30am - that's 2:30am Arkansas time. It's been an incredible first day! Here's some highlights:

*Immigration - for those of you praying, got through immigration without a glitch - it was such a relief!

*Met five people coming to Queen's right off the bat. It's been great to get to know them and spend the day bumming around Belfast with a couple of them.

*Have already gotten plugged into some believers through the International Friendship Association. One of the girls was a missionary kid from Malawi, so that's been a cool similarity. Also, one of the guys I've met was going to be a Catholic priest before heading into his field - a really solid guy. On top of that, met Seth Wright and his wife Julie tonight and they've been a huge blessing and will be a great way to get connected to a church here in town.

*Spent dinner tonight with Seth and his wife, Julie. They're incredible and have been so sweet to offer their house and whatever they can do to help me out here.

*Getting a backside room on the house - it's a wee bit smaller, but there won't be as much noise carrying from the street.

*Housing - my house is 3 minutes from both the library and where my classes will be. 5 minutes from the student union. 15 minutes from City Center (the city hall, etc.). 5 minutes from the Botanical Gardens. 10 minutes from Fischwick Presbyterian Church - where I'll likely join Seth & Julie for church - they have a great college ministry.

As you can see in the video about, my room's not much to look at, but I'm really excited for it and I think it'll be great. Small enough to be cozy, but also small enough to motivate me to go study at coffee shops, the library, and outside in parks.

Well, I should sign off and head to bed. Thanks for your prayers!

Last Day in Little Rock (and I'm Off!)

(This is all my stuff for the year. Crazy!)

First of all, I just sent out a mass email with prayer requests and how to contact me this year. If you didn't get it, but would like it, let me know and I'll send it to you. I promise it wasn't an intentional miss - but rather what I get for doing it quickly. Sorry! I really would love for you to get the email!

Second, here are pictures from my last day in Little Rock to share with you as I head to bed. Thank you mom (my photographer :-) for these pictures!

This is me and my wonderful 89 year-old grandma. She's great!

This is one of my best friends from college, Jonathan Hornok, and his wife Mariah. They came over for Ethiopian food. It's been so great to get to spend time with them these last 6 weeks!

This is Josh & Chelsea Collum, they came over for Ethiopian as well. Great friends from college who just moved to Little Rock. It's been awesome getting to hang out with them and help them remodel a house here in town.

Lastly, this is my twin brother David. I got to spend the entire day with him from church to lunch to ultimate frisbee and dinner. It was so great to see him before leaving. I love him so much and am so proud of him - I'm gonna miss him a lot this year!

Christmas in September!

I came home yesterday (Friday) afternoon to an incredible surprise - Christmas decorations, gifts wrapped in Christmas packaging, Christmas music on the stereo, and mom making my favorite Christmas dessert - float! By mom's response, I must have had this huge smile on my face. What a great surprise!

One of the things mom and I had talked about over the last month is the fact that I won't be here for Christmas and that the things she has for me for Christmas I can't take with me. I had given her the idea of taking pictures of the items and emailing them to me on Christmas morning - so in a sense, opening my email would be opening up the presents. Well, she talked to my sister in the Middle East on Friday and shared that she was thinking about having me open the gifts before I left, to which Sara replied - "Just do it!" To which I am hugely grateful - thanks Sara!

It was a wonderful night! We had lasagna for dinner (one of my favorite foods), float for dessert, played two games of Settlers of Catan (both of which I lost - oh well! :-), and got some of the coolest gifts I've ever recieved. One gift is the picture above - a set of wood carved bookends from Kenya. Mom picked them up last year on their trip - I love them and they'll look great in an office! Also, mom found a telephone from the 1940/1950s at a garage sale and it's really cool looking - plus it was made in England, which is ironic and fun. Other than that, I got a Christmas ornament from Rwanda, a framed picture from an artist in Kenya, and a "rungu" (a Kenya club) :-). It was a great Christmas!

Plus, it was Christmas nearly four months early - how cool is that! It's a fun way to head off, having been able to celebrate a "holiday" with mom and dad before I leave.

A Week to Go

(From JBU Mission Trip last summer, my first trip to N. Ireland)

A week to go! So, the butterflies of anticipation, excitement, and (a little) nervousness are beginning to build. A week from today I fly to another country to live there for a year. No driving home on the weekends and no bailing if it gets difficult. I step on that plane and I'm in for the year. I am excited though - in spite of all the challenges I'm sure this year will bring. I'm looking forward to being able to spend more time as an introvert and excited about developing better skills in focusing and discipline. I also get the feeling that the UK may not be so "marriage happy" for people my age, and if that's true, I'm looking forward to a year without the "why aren't you married?" or "I have a great gal in mind for your wife" or "hey, so have you found your wife yet?" comments. I know I'll still get these from this side of the pond - but ce la vie!

For those who are curious, here's what next week looks like for me:

Monday
5:00a - leave Little Rock for Memphis
7:30a - Arrive at Memphis International Airport/grab breakfast with mom and dad
9:25a - My flight leaves for Newark, NJ (via Charlotte, NC)
4:00p - Arrive in Newark & check-in to my international flight
9:00p - Leave Newark for Belfast (Goodbye USA!)

Tuesday
9:00a - Arrive in Belfast and hopefully get through immigration without too much of a hassle
10:00a - Take the free bus to Queen's University and check-in to housing for Orientation week
6:00p - Grab dinner with a friend (Seth Wright) and his wife at their home in Belfast

Wednesday
Enjoy a down day to checkout the campus, botanical gardens, etc.

Thursday & Friday
International Orientation for two days. Meet up with John Lenschow who will also be at Queens.

Bring it on! :-)

2 Weeks

(Courtesy of UKCoastguide.co.uk)

Two weeks from this morning I fly out of Memphis for Belfast. Yikes!! It's incredible how quickly these last 4 weeks have flown - and, at the same time, there's definitely been this building sense of anticipation the whole time. In one way, I'm ready for the adventure to begin, in another, it's been so good to be back home that it's not easy to think of leaving again. I'll miss hanging out with the Millers, playing ultimate frisbee with the guys on Sunday, going to Fellowship and getting pumped about it every Saturday night as I go to bed, learning from Josh as we work on his and Chelsea's house, hanging out with Jonathan & Mariah, and most of all, getting the chance to be around my mom, dad, brother, and Grandma so much. It's going to be a great year, but these six weeks have really been a fabulous way to spend the interim. Even though finances are really tight, I'm so glad I've been able to do this.