Northern Ireland: The Adventures Begin!

My trip began by flying out of Kansas City into Newark on Wednesday, July 30th and then flew from Newark that night, arriving at London, Heathrow the next morning. I tried to sleep on the flight over since I was told that was the best way to combat jet lag! Despite my great attempts, I didn't sleep all that well...shocking since those seats are so comfortable! :-) Anne Marie and I met up in London and thought we would have ample time to kill in London before catching our flight into Belfast. But, that was not the case. By the time we walked across the airport to the correct terminal and got checked in, it was nearly time to board. We were met at the airport by a familiar face when we got to Belfast...Andrew K. from Wichita! He and Claire took us to our little flat that we would call home for the next 3 weeks. The girls who live there were out of town so we were able to use their place as home base during the duration of our stay!

We had an amazing meal at Claire's that first evening and enjoyed some great conversation, catching up on all of Anne Marie's adventures at Chitokoloki, Zambia! Then we were off to get some rest!

Our first full day was full of great intentions! Andrew said he was going to pick us up, take us to a park, and just go check out Belfast! Well, he picked us up, we went to Subway and then did this...


...while we waited for Andrew to finish his paper for school! We ended up going back to our place, walking to Tesco's (the local grocery store), making dinner and then doing this....


...and this...


...before finally resigning ourselves to going to bed! :-)

So, that's how my trip began! My next post...coming soon to a blog near you...will tell you more about what Anne Marie and I were doing in Belfast!

A "little" project!

On Saturday my parents and I worked on a little house project. I wanted good access to the water spigot and hated walking through the bushes because of my allergies. So, several weeks ago, we pulled out one of the bushes.

The area that needed TLC

And this weekend my parents and I went to work to spruce up the spot to make it a bit more aesthetic on the eyes.

De-weeded but still a long ways to go

Throwing a little dirt around!

WIP: Work in Progress

The finished product!!

Now all I need to add are some flower pots and a hose-winder-upper! I am so thankful for my parents, who are so willing to help me and teach me how to complete these sort of home improvement projects!

Enjoying my...

...new camera!

Small gift from Debby for my 30th!

"Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because 'All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the LORD endures forever.'"

I Peter 1:22-25

Guess what?!

I'm going to Ireland!


A few months ago, I was sitting with Anne Marie at lunch asking her about her travels to Africa last year and she asked if I wanted to go to Ireland with her. I paused and then said, "Yes!" Several weeks later, I asked her about it and she said, "You really want to go?" Sadly, in this day, many of us say we will do something and really mean that we WANT to do it but can't necessarily commit. But, when I agreed to go, I really meant it. You see, I had been praying that the Lord would give me an opportunity to travel, but to travel with a purpose. And, this opportunity was what I had been waiting for. I leave at the end of the month. I'll be meeting Anne Marie in London (on her way back from Zambia) and we'll be flying into Belfast together to spend a few weeks. While there, we will be helping some local assemblies in outreach. We'll be involved in VBS, door to door, and whatever else they have planned for us. We will do some sight seeing, including Giants Causeway (pictured below) and we'll be spending a few days in London on our way home.



http://www.discoverireland.com/us/about-ireland/

Thoughts by Kate Aspen

1. At the chapel picnic a couple of weeks ago, I was helping Kate untangle the strings to the kite she wanted to fly. As I was working on it and she was dancing around, I was talking to her, telling her that it's really hard to fly a kite and even when we get it untangled and even with Aunt Kelly helping, its really hard to fly a kite. Kate then responds by saying,

That's ok, it's good for me to try anyways.

2. The other day, Tanya was on her way with the kids to meet my mom and I at the pool. As they were pulling into the parking lot Kate says,

Kelly loves me sooo much. She loves my WHOLE heart!

That little girl is so right! I love her sooo much...and Zachy too!!

A "Helper"

A thought that has primarily been on my mind for many months is this idea that God created the woman to be a "helper". We find this true when we read Genesis 2:18 when God says "...I will make him a helper comparable to him." Typically, when we think of our role as a "helper" we think of it in the marriage relationship, a woman coming alongside a man in marriage and becoming his partner, his helper in life. I've watched the marriages around me and seen the women coming alongside their husbands, helping them. What an incredibly important and awesome role! But can this role only be experienced in marriage? Am I only able to just wait and hope to some day be able to experience this "helper" role because I am a single woman?

I have a hard time believing that God would wire us to be helpers and yet only allow it to be developed and utilized within the confines of marriage alone. At the same time, I often find it difficult to be creative and think outside the "marriage" box when it comes to being a helper. The other day, I was reflecting on the importance of encouraging and exhorting one another in the Lord and it struck me that this is a way that ALL woman can be helpers.

It may seem odd to think of encouragement/exhortation as a mode of being a helper. But, as I look at a more familiar picture of a "helper" in the marriages around me, I've noticed my friends being helpers to their husbands by encouraging them. Encouraging them to be faithful to their families, to their assemblies, to their God. Encouraging them in their role as fathers, brothers and sons. These "helpers" have recognized wonderful characteristics in their husbands and have encouraged them to continue on in these behaviors as well as recognizing their potential and encouraging them to strive to reach that potential.

Personally, I can think of times in my life where someone saw potential in me that I didn't recognize in myself. They came alongside me and encouraged me to pursue that potential. That is how I want to be to those around me...I want to be in tune, recognizing the potential of those around me and encourage them to pursue it! I want to be the sort of "helper" that can come alongside another with a pure desire, not with manipulative or selfish motives, but to really see others become a more devoted and faithful servant of the Lord. If we all were to seek and encourage unrealized potential in those around us, I wonder how the body of Christ would be changed? Would we see more of our young men becoming Godly leaders and more of our young women becoming Godly helpers?

Whatever the case may be, the Lord has been challenging my heart to seek opportunities to encourage one another in our faith that our "labor may not be in vain." Praying this very thing for each of you today!

"...we sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. ...lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and lest our labor might be in vain."

I Thessalonians 3:2-5

**I'd love to hear your thoughts and observations on what it means to be a "helper"!

Ice cream and...hedgehogs?!

Courtesy of Hedgehogcentral.com