The Smith family had a whirlwind trip to America during the month of June. As we landed back in Ireland yesterday morning it felt as if we had been away for ages and yet the trip went by so fast! I guess we packed in lots of memories in a short amount of time.
One of the best things about getting back was the privilege we had of worshiping with the our North Dublin Christian Community a few hours ago. Over 20 of us gathered for enchiladas (betcha didn't know you get those in Ireland), singing, prayer, study of God's word, and a meal with Jesus. It was delightful.
And to make an encouraging homecoming even better, we received a phone call at midnight and learned that our dear friend Nada was to be baptized, so about 9 or 10 of us gathered on North Bull Island in Dublin Bay and witnessed Nada's new birth into Christ. The clouds reflecting the glow of the city made for a beautiful backdrop and the lapping waves created a rhythmic background for our songs of praise. So we're still up and it's nearly 2:30 AM, but it's sure good to be back home. - Shay
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
Bound to Forget
As annoying as some of the events of Wednesday were, Thursday was far better. I had a great chat with John Stephens at Dublin Central Mission before teaching my weekly ESL class. I was then able to pop back home and get our car back to functionality. Our two-doors-down neighbor caught me as I was leaving to go find a body repair shop and he gave me the card of a friend of his. We can now shut our back door and it looks like the final repairs will be manageable and we can take care of them when we're back in Dublin. Last night we had another one of our coffee shop Bible studies and it went really, really well. The four of us devoured Luke chapter 7 and we're all hungry for more. I'll miss meeting with this group over the next four weeks, but it gives me one of many things to look forward to when I get back. Now, onto cleaning, packing, and forgetting whatever it is I'm bound to forget to do today. - Shay
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Just One of those Days
Some days are better than others. If cars had minds and feelings, I'd feel mighty sorry for our blue Vauxhall Zafira yesterday. Juli had popped over to one of the local shopping centers to take care of some last minute details before we head back home to the States for a month. On her way back to our place, she paused at the entrance to a round-about and was nailed from behind by a car who decided to make a run after making a hit. I guess the offending party was in such a hurry that they couldn't be bothered to stop and do the right thing. Thankfully, Juli was fine, but we can't shut the back door of our minivan. And since we didn't have much of anything else to do before heading home, we can now spend the next couple of days sorting out insurance, accident reports, and getting the back end of our vehicle functional.
Well, I kind of already got it functional. Since we needed to transport some friends to Juli's and Jo's softball game last night, I came up with an ingenious idea - a shoestring! Our backdoor is literally being held down by one of my old shoestrings. And to think that I've always felt kind of useless in the mechanics and home improvement department!
We were able to get our friends out to the softball game, but our fun was just beginning. Around the second or third inning, a lady walked over to the field to let everyone know that some cars had been broken into in the carpark. I made my way over to see if our van had been victimized and at first I was relieved to see that though many of the cars in this small park had their windows shattered, our van seemed to be just fine. And then I looked a little closer and discovered all sorts of goodies flung around the inside. Thankfully the thieves were able to jimmy our van lock and spared us the added bonus of a shattered window. Unfortunately though, Jo had left her laptop in the back of our van and as you might imagine, it was nowhere to be found. Our friends had all taken their belongings with them to the field and so in addition to the laptop, the only other items stolen was our GPS and about 40 euros in cash. The good news is that the Dublin Bay Packers won their game! Just one of those days. America, here we come! - Shay
Well, I kind of already got it functional. Since we needed to transport some friends to Juli's and Jo's softball game last night, I came up with an ingenious idea - a shoestring! Our backdoor is literally being held down by one of my old shoestrings. And to think that I've always felt kind of useless in the mechanics and home improvement department!
We were able to get our friends out to the softball game, but our fun was just beginning. Around the second or third inning, a lady walked over to the field to let everyone know that some cars had been broken into in the carpark. I made my way over to see if our van had been victimized and at first I was relieved to see that though many of the cars in this small park had their windows shattered, our van seemed to be just fine. And then I looked a little closer and discovered all sorts of goodies flung around the inside. Thankfully the thieves were able to jimmy our van lock and spared us the added bonus of a shattered window. Unfortunately though, Jo had left her laptop in the back of our van and as you might imagine, it was nowhere to be found. Our friends had all taken their belongings with them to the field and so in addition to the laptop, the only other items stolen was our GPS and about 40 euros in cash. The good news is that the Dublin Bay Packers won their game! Just one of those days. America, here we come! - Shay
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Transitions of Time
I find the concept of time quite interesting. You can always look at it from a variety of different angles. For instance, these past two years have gone by really, really fast for me (and yet we all know that these two years have been neither longer nor shorter than any other two years in history). And yet, from another angle so many things have happened over these past twenty-four months, two years ago seems like a really, really long time ago.
I've told a lot of people recently that I think our work here in Dublin is transitioning from one phase into another. Most life transitions are slow processes not unlike the sky changing from orange, to pink, to purple, to black as the sun sets. And then of course that leads to the dark of the night gradually giving way to the rising sun of a new day dawning. I guess I'm not sure where we are in this phase. We might be transitioning to the night or we might be ready to awaken to a brand new day. Either way, I believe some very good things are coming to and end and some very new, but also very good things are ready to begin. - Shay
I've told a lot of people recently that I think our work here in Dublin is transitioning from one phase into another. Most life transitions are slow processes not unlike the sky changing from orange, to pink, to purple, to black as the sun sets. And then of course that leads to the dark of the night gradually giving way to the rising sun of a new day dawning. I guess I'm not sure where we are in this phase. We might be transitioning to the night or we might be ready to awaken to a brand new day. Either way, I believe some very good things are coming to and end and some very new, but also very good things are ready to begin. - Shay
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Not Even an Immigrant
It's been way too long since I've updated the blog. A lot has happened in the meantime, but sometimes it's better to live life than write about it (although it's ideal if you can do both provided you don't simply supply would be readers or followers with the banal minutia of life - twitter?).
Anyway, Juli, Ashlyn, and I will be back in the United States from June 2 - June 30. We are looking forward to seeing family, friends and to taking a break from this amazing life in Ireland. If absence makes the heart grow fonder, then this trip should be good for us in both the coming and the going.
As it's been two years since I was last on the west side of the Atlantic, I recently jotted down a little poetry to reflect on our time thus far.
Not Even An Immigrant
I'm still a tourist in this dirty old town.
I look up in amazement and amusement as I stumble around.
The buildings and abodes, not quite ancient, but old.
Their walls hold secrets of stories told and untold.
The musty smells of damp antiquity on the inside; the smell of cigarettes on the out
Resurrect nostalgic feelings, though I can't quite decipher what they're about.
This city's as young as it is old; witnessed in the architecture and people's faces -
The noble Celt or Norman, or the darker and lighter shades from far-a-way places.
And I'm not even an immigrant - barely a blow-in - hardly a trickle, much less a stream.
But I joyfully slumber on, not yet awakened from the midst of this Dublin, Ireland dream.
- Shay
Anyway, Juli, Ashlyn, and I will be back in the United States from June 2 - June 30. We are looking forward to seeing family, friends and to taking a break from this amazing life in Ireland. If absence makes the heart grow fonder, then this trip should be good for us in both the coming and the going.
As it's been two years since I was last on the west side of the Atlantic, I recently jotted down a little poetry to reflect on our time thus far.
Not Even An Immigrant
I'm still a tourist in this dirty old town.
I look up in amazement and amusement as I stumble around.
The buildings and abodes, not quite ancient, but old.
Their walls hold secrets of stories told and untold.
The musty smells of damp antiquity on the inside; the smell of cigarettes on the out
Resurrect nostalgic feelings, though I can't quite decipher what they're about.
This city's as young as it is old; witnessed in the architecture and people's faces -
The noble Celt or Norman, or the darker and lighter shades from far-a-way places.
And I'm not even an immigrant - barely a blow-in - hardly a trickle, much less a stream.
But I joyfully slumber on, not yet awakened from the midst of this Dublin, Ireland dream.
- Shay
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Patrick's Day in the North
Juli, Ashlyn, and I spent St. Patrick's Day in the north of Ireland in counties Tyrone (Northern Ireland) and Donegal (part of the Republic of Ireland, but as far north as any counties in Northern Ireland). We dropped my mom (who had spent her week of spring break with us) off at the Belfast airport before heading west to Omagh and then eventually Letterkenny.
While in Omagh we visited the Ulster American Folk Park - a fantastic re-creation of the life emigrants (and immigrants) lived 200 and 300 years ago both in Ireland and in America. After that we caught the Paddie's Day Parade in Letterkenny. We stayed in Balleybofey, a village only a few miles from Raphoe where several of my ancestors lived before heading to the American colonies.
While at the hotel in Balleybofey, I read a ridiculous article in one of the British newspapers claiming that St. Patrick had not in fact been a slave in Ireland before returning to preach the gospel, but had instead been a slave trader. There's not a shred of historical evidence that even remotely points to this absurdity, but that doesn't seem to stop the revisionist historians from delving into their fantasies. Don't believe everything you read! - Shay
While in Omagh we visited the Ulster American Folk Park - a fantastic re-creation of the life emigrants (and immigrants) lived 200 and 300 years ago both in Ireland and in America. After that we caught the Paddie's Day Parade in Letterkenny. We stayed in Balleybofey, a village only a few miles from Raphoe where several of my ancestors lived before heading to the American colonies.
While at the hotel in Balleybofey, I read a ridiculous article in one of the British newspapers claiming that St. Patrick had not in fact been a slave in Ireland before returning to preach the gospel, but had instead been a slave trader. There's not a shred of historical evidence that even remotely points to this absurdity, but that doesn't seem to stop the revisionist historians from delving into their fantasies. Don't believe everything you read! - Shay
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Strength in Weakness
I think a lot of us who follow Christ worry about messing things up. We realize that we are called to be salt and light to a dark and dangerous world and so when we fall short - when we're not as strong as we ought to be - we think that not only have we disappointed our Lord, but we might have also caused the gospel to be seen in a poor light. This is certainly something we need to be aware of. But if we think about what the gospel really is - good news for a lost people, grace for sinners - then shouldn't these moments when we mess things up also point people to a power that's greater than ourselves, greater than themselves? The reality is, we will mess things up, we do mess things up. Rather than pretending that we have it all together (hypocrisy), isn't it better to admit it when we don't?
People tend to pride themselves in their strengths while doing the best they can to cover up their weaknesses. We do it at the macro level throughout society and we do it at the micro level in our individual lives. No one wants to admit that they are weak. And yet, we all know that every single one of us struggles. We endure trials, we mess things up, we fail, and we wrestle with these vulnerabilities. But, we tend to wrestle with them alone and society tells us that we have to overcome them through our own effort and strength.
Here recently, I've been reminded that the areas of my life where I'm in progress, still imperfect, still very messy, are the very areas of my life that can speak powerfully to people who are also on the road to redemption and yet realize that it's a long road indeed. In 2 Corinthians the apostle Paul boldly declares that instead of covering up our weaknesses, we are better served to be open and honest about them so that Christ's power might clearly be demonstrated in our lives. He states that when he is weak, then he is strong. Like so much of the gospel, the idea of strength emerging out of our weakness is counterintuitive. We would rather go from strength to strength. But the gospel itself is an illustration of power and strength emerging out of weakness. As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 1:23-24, "...we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God." I pray that we might all learn to allow God's strength and power to overcome our weaknesses. - Shay
People tend to pride themselves in their strengths while doing the best they can to cover up their weaknesses. We do it at the macro level throughout society and we do it at the micro level in our individual lives. No one wants to admit that they are weak. And yet, we all know that every single one of us struggles. We endure trials, we mess things up, we fail, and we wrestle with these vulnerabilities. But, we tend to wrestle with them alone and society tells us that we have to overcome them through our own effort and strength.
Here recently, I've been reminded that the areas of my life where I'm in progress, still imperfect, still very messy, are the very areas of my life that can speak powerfully to people who are also on the road to redemption and yet realize that it's a long road indeed. In 2 Corinthians the apostle Paul boldly declares that instead of covering up our weaknesses, we are better served to be open and honest about them so that Christ's power might clearly be demonstrated in our lives. He states that when he is weak, then he is strong. Like so much of the gospel, the idea of strength emerging out of our weakness is counterintuitive. We would rather go from strength to strength. But the gospel itself is an illustration of power and strength emerging out of weakness. As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 1:23-24, "...we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God." I pray that we might all learn to allow God's strength and power to overcome our weaknesses. - Shay
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