In Our New Place

Well, we are starting to get settled in at our new place. I have spent the week clean and shopping. Who would have guessed shopping would be so much work? It's hard when you don't know what stores have what and who has the best prices. I was invited over to the house of the girls I met for tea this week. While there I met the other roommates, a Welsh girl, and two French girls. All were very nice and it was neat to see how much we already had in common because of Christ. Today I went to the women's Bible study at my new church. They have tea, coffee, and treats beforehand and then split up into groups to discuss the study and pray. All the women I met were very nice and I was glad to see the study was a time of study where the word was the focus. It's so amazing to worship with other Christians on the other side of the globe.

We'll be posting pics of our new place this weekend so stay tuned!

Matt spotted these little beauties...

God is so good. Yesterday we were at the shopping center near our new place when Matt spotted these pinto beans. Of all places to be they were in a herbal health food store! It is a small package- just 500 grams- but I was so glad to find them. I exercised extreme self-control when I only bought one package. They were $1.44 (euros). Tonight we are having our first meal in our new place- roast beef, mashed potatoes and popovers. Tomorrow we will be having what is left of the roast beef with these little beauties wrapped up in tortillas. I can hardly wait. YIPPEE!

My 28th Birthday

I celebrated my 28th birthday yesterday in Dublin. We awoke and went to Insomnia (coffee chain equivalent to Starbucks) for a chai tea and chocolate muffin. Then we went to church at Grosvenors Road. We met more people this week and I was invited to a women's Bible study at the church by a lady from none other than Minnesota! Her and her husband are missionaries and have been in Ireland for 23 years. After the service the church had a potluck which we stuck around for and met our first friends our age. One was a girl from North Carolina and the other was a girl from Australia. Both were very nice and it was good to make friends! There was an man from Iran who spoke during the potluck about what is going on with the Christians in Iran. It was so encouraging. God is doing tremendous work there. This man is working on a team that is translating the Bible into Farsee. He showed a video of Iranians receiving the Bible in their language. They were so excited and so grateful- some were crying. It was amazing to see these people so hungry for God's word when people in the US can have as many Bibles as they want and could care less about them. After lunch we headed back into the city center to attend the Evensong service at Christ Church Cathedral. This cathedral is soooo beautiful and huge and I have been wanting to see the inside and hear the organ and choir. The inside did not disappoint and the singing was like the singing of angels in heaven. The organ was very cool but my favorite was to hear the choir sing with no music. They sang hymns, psalms, portions of Scripture, and prayers. They also recited the Apostles Creed, had two readings from Scripture, a prayer, and an offering. The evensong service is a meant for reflection and has a very serious mood. It lasted about an hour and a half and happens twice a week. I think all the large cathedrals in Europe have evensong services and I can't to see more. After the service we went out for Mexican food. We ordered chips and salsa and chimichangas and though it looked like Mexican food it did not taste like what we're used to in Tucson. I'm not sure if it was more representative of food you would find in the south of Mexico or if the Irish just make their own kind of Mexican food. Anyway, it was pretty good but no Macayos!

One Mediator

"FOR THERE IS ONE GOD, AND ONE MEDIATOR ALSO BETWEEN GOD AND MEN, THE MAN CHRIST JESUS"

-1 TIMOTHY 2:5

The Search Goes On...

Over the weekend we stopped in to have a Guinness and hear some authentic Irish music at the Temple Bar. The music was awesome and the Guinness is always good. We are so excited to have some visitors come our way. We have been getting a little rain lately but its no big deal. I just make sure to have my umbrella in my bag and something warm to put on. I really enjoy this living in the city without a car. Its so easy to walk down to the store and grab some groceries. They don't give you bags here so you have to bring your own or buy one there. It seemed strange to me but then I thought of Sam's Club at home. We are still looking for an apartment but at least have been able to narrow our search down to two areas of town that are next to eachother. We are looking in the city center where prices are a little higher but you're right in the middle of everything- and then we are looking in what is called Rathmines. Rathmines is known as the college kid area of town. There are three good grocery stores right in the middle of Rathmines and it is not far to the city center so I really like this location also. We'll let you know as soon as we get a place- keep praying!

Church in Dublin

This last Sunday I was able to attend my first church service in Ireland. Out of the two churches recommended to me I decided to check out Grosvenor Road Baptist Church first. It seems all churches start here at 11:00 so we had plenty of time to get there. The church, pictured above, is in one of the two areas we are looking to live. The sanctuary seats approximately 225 people and the service was full with people of all ages. They had a missions team there this week from Canada and the US. The team came to help do some work to the church building and teach English to foreigners. The service was very nice. They played hymns on the large organ (pictured above near the right top of the sanctuary) and some more contemporary songs with a small band. There was much prayer throughout the service. Almost all the prayers and all the worship was lead by a woman and though the prayers were very good it was odd to be led in prayer by a woman during church. The Scripture reading was also done by a woman. They also had a time during the service where a person gave their testimony. I am not sure if that is a regular thing. The Pastor gave a very good sermon out of Judges 13 and brought out a number of things I did not know or had not thought of when I have read it before. The Pastor seems to be a good Bible teacher and really shines with joy in the Lord and love for Him. At the end of the service they had communion. It was a little different than I am used to. They pass around a big hunk of bread and you tare a small piece off and all take the bread together. For the wine they pass around a tray of the little juice cups but when the tray gets to you, you take your cup and drink it, put the empty cup back, and then pass the tray on to the next person. I am not sure why they do it that way instead of taking it together. A little old Irish lady was sitting next to us and asked if we went to a Baptist church back home. We told her we had gone to a Presbyterian church. She leaned over to Matt a little later and told him the Presbyterian Churches there have communion only once every three months.

A few people noticed we were new and came and talked to us and were very friendly. I am not sure how many couples there are our age at this church but hopefully we'll meet some soon. We talked to the Pastor after the service and he was very nice. He told us to come next Sunday as they are having a bring and share lunch after the service and said it would be a good opportunity to meet people. When we left we got our first rain since we've been here. It was a light rain and did not last very long but it did cause us to hurry home!

Tacos and Sunshine

The forecast today called for a 60% chance of rain. We awoke to sunshine streaming in our bedroom window and the sun shone brightly all day long. I think I was even sweating today! They don't have air conditioning here so when you're hot you don't know what to do. We have been looking at apartments nonstop and it is getting so old. Oh, to have a home already! I forgot how bad the rental scene is- places are dumps and 20 people show up to view the property and fight over it. Still no places that take cats that aren't in the ghetto. It's like people don't know what cats are here because they can't comprehend that indoor cats don't go outside and are perfect for apartment living.

I have been able to do a lot more shopping these last 2 days and have found more promising grocery stores and a great homegoods store to stock up our place as soon as we get it. I got the ingredients for tacos with refried beans which we had for dinner. We washed the tacos down with an unknown German beer that was on sale. Not my favorite beer. To end the evening we had chocolate cake! It may sound silly that I am blogging about our meals but when you're far from home comfort foods are such a blessing!

Yesterday I found the Baptist Church that was recommended to me. It's in a beautiful old church building and is in the part of town I am hoping to live in. I got to talk to one of the members who was very friendly. I am looking forward to going tomorrow morning and hoping to God that I will make some friends. We have been taking more pictures for y'all and will post them tomorrow night.

Spaghetti Tonight

The first few days I was here I didn't want to live in the city center cause I thought it was a zoo. Now I've changed my tune and we are looking for a place here. It is so convenient to just walk everywhere and not have to take the bus. Plus the architecture is so cool and I love to see the River Liffey. Yesterday I made my first important purchase for life here in Dublin. I went to some store in the mall by Grafton Street and picked out a crock pot from a catalog. You write down the number and hand it to the clerk and then they go to the back and get it for you. Interesting. I did some grocery shopping last night so I could make dinner today. I have been craving spaghetti so I got the stuff for it. Grocery shopping is a nightmare with the prices and little selection. I finally found tortillas which are about 2.75 euro and refried beans in a can are 2.06 euro- YIKES. In case any of you wanted to send a birthday present over the pond I could use some pinto beans, chai tea powder from Trader Joes and spices like chili powder!

FRIJOLES POR FAVOR!

I went to the recommended grocery store last night to check out the prices (CRINGE). It wasn't as bad as I imagined it was going to be (3/4-CRINGE). The portions here are smaller than in the US which is probably what accounts for the smaller size of the people here- that and all the walking they have to do! They certainly do not have the wide variety and selection the US has. I think I saw 6 or 7 flavors of ice cream altogether, the most outrageous flavor being mint chocolate chip. It's funny to see pints instead of gallons. Bread was cheap and milk was about normal. Eggs are kept on a shelf rather than in the cooler. Beer is very pricey here as well as sliced turkey. Anyway, I was relieved not to be completely discouraged by the prices. My only complaint I have is this: WHERE ARE THE PINTO BEANS AND TORTILLAS???!!!

Our First Weekend

I am having a bit of tea as I wait for Matt to arrive home from his first day of work. I searched the online letting sites all day for an apartment. I have one or two to go view tomorrow if I can find my way alright. Navigating this monster of a city is difficult to say the least. The bus system is good but traveling by bus can be very time consuming, espcially when you don't know where you are or where you are going. There are probably short cuts we will learn.

Over the weekend we took the DART train to a suburb outside of Dublin called Dalkey to see the sea. On the way there we met a very friendly young Irishman who gave us the scoop on many things including where Bono lives. I guess you can get a pretty good view of his house and read the lyrics on his gate. This guy told us he saw Bono on the motorway one day in Dublin, sunglasses and all. Apparently U2 plays concerts yearly in Dublin and they always sell out. It would be pretty sweet to see them in their hometown. It was nice to see the sea and there were a few old castles in Dalkey and a large, pretty Anglican Church. You can buy an all day pass for the DART and travel up and down the sea coast along Dublin for a small price, getting on and off at the different little towns.

I was unable to go to church yesterday due to timing conflicts with an apartment viewing. Plus, the two churches I want to check out are not near my hotel so it will be good to get settled nearer to the city center. I asked Matt's boss if she knew where the Grosvenors Road Baptist Church was because it seems to be near the apartment she owns. I think I threw her off. I am not sure if it was that she was surprised there was a Baptist Church in Dublin or if she was just surprised that I was asking for the Baptist Church. I did try to stop in at Christ Church Cathedral Sunday morning because I was near it but I found out mass was an hour and half and I didn't have enough time. Christ Church is absolutely stunning from the outside- the grandest church I have ever seen- and I wanted to hear the organ and hymns but I will have to go another time. I am hoping this weekend to go to one of the two churches the missionary recommended to me and make some friends!!!

About Dublin

Praise God we were able to set up a bank account today which was quite a feat! Things do not work the same way here as they do in the US. There is a large amount of American influence here with restaurants, tv shows, music, and stores- which makes the transition easier because not all things are foreign. Most people here are nice and I have not yet felt hated for being American. It strikes me as particularly funny that I was told more than once that Americans are known for being loud but I find that it is the Irish that are loud! They also drink and cuss a lot and smoke like chimneys! I mean everyone here smokes. I am so glad you can't smoke inside anymore because it's hard to breath outside at times! I am not at all used to city living so it feels like a zoo here to me. The only thing I can compare it to is walking down the strip in Vegas- filled with people. Riding the bus is a new thing for me and is not a bad way to get around. The sucky part is finding the right bus (or buses) to get you where you need to go which is tricky when you don't know the city. People do not give directions here by streets and street signs are near impossible to find. They may give you directions by landmarks instead. For example, we went to look at a rental last and the owner told us to get off the bus at such and such pub. Speaking of pubs we haven't even had time to go out for a Guinness yet! We have been eating out and trying to share meals as much as we can to keep our costs down. I know you are all dying to know if it is really as expensive as people say. I haven't gone grocery shopping or paid any bills yet but as far as going out to eat and checking on the price of broadband and making other small purchases here is what I think so far: if you are living here earning euros it's not too bad. Exchanging dollars into euros is another story altogether. When you give the bank $500 you will get back around 355 euros- OUCH! Save your pennies to come visit!!!

First 2 Days in Dublin

My first impression of Dublin when I walked out of the airport was that it reminded me of Minnesota, with all the green grass, trees, bushes, overcast sky, and mild fall temperatures. It continued to remind me of Minnesota as we drove through the suburbs where the houses and buildings are similar to what you see in the older parts of St. Paul. We spent most of our first day in the suburbs with a short trip into the city center at night. We were so jet lagged we turned in early. We slept until about 2:30 AM and laid awake until about 7:00 and then slept a few more hours. It was hard to get up but we were in store for a busy day of waiting in lines at the social welfare office to get a tax ID number and then the immigration office to register. There are peoples of all different nations immigrating to Ireland. Often times I cannot even begin to guess where some of the people look to be from. It feels weird to be immigrating to another country when the US is the best country on earth (woops, did I say that outloud?). Anyway, then we met Matt's new boss for tea. She was very nice and helpful. It turns out she owns a two bedroom apartment in a nice area of town that she offered to rent to us at a decent price. We are going to look at it tomorrow. After tea we walked around the city c enter for the rest of the night. The suburbs may feel like Minnesota but the city center is as city as it gets with the beautiful European architecture. It is full of people, noise, shopping, pubs, history and awesome looking buildings (to see some pics go to Matt's blog). We are now back at our hotel for the evening and will look for a place to live tomorrow. So far the weather has been nice and we have seen the sun each day for at least a little while and have not yet had any rain. Some of the people here are very nice. I can't wait to make some friends and get an apartment.

I miss you all very, very much!!!

On the eve of my last night in Tucson I find myself excited for Dublin and at the same time very sad to be leaving my loved ones. You have all been tremendous blessings in our lives. Stay in touch and know you have a place to stay in Dublin!

Last Day at Rincon

The last few days have been spent saying good bye to our friends. I quite prefer to avoid anything sad at all costs, however, I have been unable to avoid this. Thankfully, we were able to spend much time this week with the Jankowskis and the Richards as well as other good friends from church and beyond. What a blessing it has been getting to know all of you and what fun times we have had!

Today was our last day at our church as well. Rincon Mountain was an answer to a prayer that I had been praying for a long, long time. I could not have asked for a better Pastor or body to worship the one true God with. What was neat is that a member of Rincon came up to us at the service today and told us he will be in Dublin this weekend and gave us the info for the church his friend pastors in Dublin. This is one of the two churches the missionary in central Ireland recommended. God is so good.

Tomorrow we will spend time with Matt's family and I will call mine on the phone to wish them goodbye... until we meet on the other side of the pond that is! I checked the weather for our arrival Wednesday. Forecast says high of 68 with a 30% chance of rain. Thanks for the umbrella Yunuen!