Athens

Last month Matt and I flew to Athens, Greece where he had a job interview. It was crazy how it came about. In the middle of this past summer we came to a point where we had enough of Dublin. This was because summer is the WORST season in Ireland. Never have I seen such erratic, unpredictable, and miserable weather as an Irish summer. Wind, rain, and then more wind and rain. You cannot plan for anything because the weather is constantly changing all day long. Anyway, in the midst of this we started talking about where else we thought we might like to live. Oddly enough we both felt drawn to Greece- Matt for the weather and beach and me for the biblical history. So Matt contacted a heart hospital by email just to see if they would even hire an English speaker. Low and behold they emailed him back and said they would hire an English speaker and that they were looking to hire a perfusionist right now. They wanted to meet him the following week. That wasn't going to work so for us so instead he sent them his CV and they scheduled to fly him out to Athens for an interview. I did not go with on his interview to Ireland but I thought I had better go with to Greece. We were really excited but did not know if we could handle a non-English speaking country. This seemed to be the biggest obstacle.

We did as much research on Athens as we could before we went. We heard many things about the city- mostly bad things like how crowded, noisy, and polluted it is. We arrived at night so we didn't find out too much the first night but we did go out and have some good Greek food. The next two days Matt was at the hospital for his interview. We went and explored the city at night. My first impression was that it was really big, dense, and loud. It was also dirty and run down looking. And the Acropolis was hard to see because of the height of the buildings in the city center. To begin with I wasn't too thrilled. The one thing I did like was the landscape which reminded me a lot of Turkey and even Tucson. I was leaning towards Dublin until I walked down towards the harbour at sunset and then rode the light rail along the coast out into the suburbs. Then I began to like it.

On our last full day in Athens we went to the archaeological museum where I saw many things from ancient Greece- things that were in the market place Paul walked through when he came to Athens- idols and altars. After this we went to the Areopagus where Paul preached his famous sermon in Acts 17. I sat on the Areopagus and read this sermon aloud. It was awesome!! We then ascended the Acropolis. I expected this to be an impressive site but once I was actually up on top I couldn't believe how utterly spectacular it was!! Looking out over Athens was just amazing. There are a few ancient structures left on the Acropolis but the most impressive by far is the towering and mighty Parthenon. I could have sat there all day taking turns looking at it and then out over the city to the sea. After exploring the Acropolis we headed over to the ancient agora where Paul had walked upon his arrival in Athens. It is just ruins now but an exciting place to see nonetheless.

Matt was offered the job in Athens but no decision has been made yet as we are waiting to hear back from the hospital regarding some questions we had. Whatever ends up happening will be okay with me. I think it would be an adventure to go live in Athens for a while but if that is not what God has for us then I will be content in Dublin as I have finally made a home here.

Enjoy the slide show. The pictures with me on a large white rock formation are of the Areopagus where Paul preached- SO COOL!

I Love the USA!

This post comes to you from the best country on earth- the USA! I have been here one week visiting my family in Minnesota for the holidays. I have not celebrated Christmas with them for 10 years so it was great to come home and celebrate together as we did over the weekend (and with snow!). Matt was even here for a week and just headed back to Ireland today. I have been meaning to post but I have been super busy enjoying this great country. I have been going out to eat at all my favorite restaurants, shopping at all my favorite stores, driving cars on th freeway while rocking out to my ipod, and hanging out with my family. One night we went to a hilarious comedy club and another day we went skiing (ok, I sat in the chalet while Matt and my nephew were skiing). Tomorrow I am going to see Johnny Piper. I have missed this wonderful place and forgtten how great it actually is- viva la USA!! People here are so friendly its incredible. I love coming back to Minnesota and tromping through my old stomping grounds and reminding myself of where I have come from. Yes, Minnesota is freakishly cold in the winter but it is a great state and I am proud to be from here. I even think the accent is cute :)

Paella at Home

After visiting Spain and partaking in the most delicious paella I thought I should try making it at home. Now I don't have the special paella dish that you're supposed to cook it in so I cooked it in my biggest frying pan and it turned out great. Here is the recipe I used:






4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 ounces chorize sausage, cut into pieces
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
1 (12 ounce) package uncooked Arborio rice
5 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 pinch saffron
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/4 cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
8 slices lemon, for garnish

Heat olive oil in paella pan over medium heat. Add in onion, garlic and pepper; cook and stir for a few minutes. Add chorizo sausage, diced chicken, and rice; cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 3 1/2 cups stock, wine, thyme leaves, paprika, and saffron. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 15 minutes; stir occasionally. Taste the rice, and check to see if it is cooked. If the rice is uncooked, stir in 1/2 cup more stock. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally. Stir in additional stock if necessary, up to 2 cups additional stock, 5 cups total. Cook until rice is done. Stir in tomatoes and peas. Cook for 2 minutes. Cover with foil, and leave for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the foil, and scatter parsley over the food. Serve in paella pan, garnished with lemon wedges for squeezing.

Barcelona

Last month Matt and I took a trip to Barcelona, Spain. It was my first time to Spain and I was very excited to be going. After spending four days there I have to say I did not feel like I was in Spain but rather felt like I was in just some big European city. It was somewhat disappointing. The weather was nice and we had some good food (yay for Spanish paella and tapas!). We also got to see a Spanish guitar duo play a concert in a cathedral one night which was just amazing. Other than that I found Barcelona to be a rather mediocre city for my taste. There is endless shopping and a number of sites to see (the Gaudi cathedral being the best) but it can be frustrating as it is a very expensive city. Every attraction you go to you must pay to get in whereas every other city in Europe I have been to each have a handful of things that are free.

While in Barcelona we visited the Gaudi cathedral, the Picasso museum, Mountjuic Castle by cable car, the harbour, La Ramblas, the block of discord, and two places connected with Christopher Columbus. The first was the Royal Palace where Columbus came to greet the king and queen of Spain upon his return from the New World and the other was the Barcelona cathedral which holds the chapel and baptistery where Columbus brought the Native Americans to be baptized who had returned to Spain with him. These places were very cool to see as an American. The churches and cathedrals of Spain were architecturally beautiful but more cold and dead feeling than any others that I have been in so far.

One of my favorite things to experience in Spain was the famous Spanish rice dish, paella. Since neither Matt nor I like seafood we opted for the chicken and vegetable paella and were able to have it twice at 2 different places and it was outstanding! So even though I wasn't as crazy about Barcelona as many of the other places I have been it was worth going to just to eat the paella and tapas and to hear live Spanish guitar!

Recent International Wine & Cheese Party

Two Fridays ago I went over to my Welsh friend Catrin's house for a wine and cheese party. The internationality of my circles over here never ceases to amaze me! There were 8 countries represented in this small party- Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, England, Finland, Germany, Australia, and America! Hanging out with internationals is definitely my favorite thing about living in Europe. Here are a few pics from the party which was great fun...

To explain a bit- the picture to the left is my friend Catrin and I cracking up while playing the game Empire (fun game!). The picture with the fur is my English friend Clare (she sounds just like Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice when she talks) holding a mink. The mink was left to Catrin by an Australian friend who acquired it while in Norway but didn't think she could get it through customs in Australia so she had to leave it in Dublin when she left for home. The gross mink makes frequent appearances at parties. Oh, how Indi and Sharptooth would love to get ahold of him!

Free Music at Noise Trade

I can't believe I didn't blog about this sooner! There is a website called Noise Trade that has tons of album downloads from a bunch of different artists. They are all free and legal as it is artists who are trying to get their music out there and heard. Over the past few months I have gotten several really great albums from this site. I have even discovered an artist who has become a favorite over night for me. Her name is Sandra McCracken. Have you heard her? What a JEWEL of an artist!!! There are about 150 albums on there for download right now. You can preview the album before you download. To download it all you have to do is give 5 email addresses of friends that Noise Trade will send one email to (they don't spam you or your friends!) telling them about the particular album you are downloading. Here are some of the artists on Noise Trade right now that I recommend to you:

Sandra McCracken

Derek Webb

Justin McRoberts

Waterdeep

Kate York

Kate Herzig

Matthew Perryman Jones

Matthew Mayfield

Blake Aaron Guthrie

Sojourn

LOAD UP YOUR PODS PEOPLE! Click here

The Vault is Open!

If you haven't heard the wonderful news already brace yourself. The best Bible teacher in the world has put all his sermons online for free download. Thats right, Johnny Mac has opened the vault! You can search by title, series, Scripture, date, or sermon code. http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons

Here are a few recommends to get you started.


The Battle for the Beginning
Discernment: Spiritual Survial for a Church in Crisis
The Master's Men
Chosen For Eternity
The Birth of The King
The Doctrines of Grace
The Gospel According to Jesus
God, Satan, and Angels
God's High Calling for Women
Hard to Believe
Putting God in His Place: The Case for Sovereign Choice
Salvation Survey: Saved or Self-Deceived?
Stephen: Profile in Courage
The Tale of Two Sons
Where Did Sin Begin?

LOAD UP YOUR PODS PEOPLE!

Making New International Friends

My church over here in Dublin runs a ministry called "English Corner." Every Friday afternoon the church opens up its doors to serve a free lunch and speak conversational English with foreigners who are here trying to learn or improve their English. I am one of the many native English speakers helping out. I have been so blessed by this ministry in the few short weeks I have been involved. I love meeting people from all over the world and although speaking English with foreigners can at times be frustrating, awkward, tiring, and even scary (for a shy person like me), it is really fun! Last week I made my first friends from South Korea, a girl and two guys. The girl's English name is Jenna (most Asians will adopt an English name so westerners can pronounce it) and she is the sweetest and most joyful girl. She has been here just a few months and is a Christian. We have started meeting together on a weekly basis to read the Bible. She shared with me that she struggles with understanding Romans so we are going to tackle it together. The two guys I met, Kim and Soo, came over today to watch the Manchester United soccer game with Matt while I made lunch. I wanted to make them something they had probably never had before so I made them big old taco salads. They didn't know what they were but they seemed to like them a lot (I had to keep from laughing when I saw them eating their tortilla chips with sour cream). I also made chocolate chip and M&M cookies and sent them home with a bag. It was really fun having them over and learning about South Korea. They told me they don't eat cats there but dogs are considered healthy, a delicacy, and good to eat when you are sick! It was also fun hearing their impressions of Ireland. They think it is very strange that we don't take our shoes off when we go into someone's house and they think carpeting is also very strange.

I also met some guys from Iran this week who go to my church. They were very interesting and a bit intimidating to talk to. Halfway through the conversation I was shocked to hear them say that they love George Bush and that they wanted McCain to win the election. I really thought they were joking with me at first but they were dead serious. They told me the Iranian people all love George Bush because of the way he looks at the Iranian people. My church has a handful of Iranian members and hosts an Iranian service in Farsi every month. I hope to go next time and get to know more of the Iranians who are fascinatingly different than any other nationality I have interacted with. Praise be to God for calling his church out of every tribe, tongue, and nation!!

Putting the Election into Perspective

I stayed up watching the election the other night til about one in the morning. My prayer was for God to be merciful to the U.S. even though we don't deserve it. I prayed for his will to be done concerning which candidate would be elected and then prayed that I would be able to accept his decision no matter who he chose to put in power. I am not especially crazy about John McCain but he was my choice due to the fact that he is pro-life and I think he will do a good job with matters of national security.

I awoke around 3:30 and went out to the TV. By this time Obama was at 207 while McCain was at 141. I watched for the next 30 minutes. As soon as the polls on the west coast closed (4:00 AM my time) Obama was announced the to be the next president of the United States. Though this didn't come as much of a shock I must admit that I was sick to my stomach upon the declaration.

About two months ago Obama was asked when life begins during a forum. I watched as he replied that the answer to that question was "above his pay grade," - an ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS answer!! If he really feels this way you would think he would err on the side of caution but he has the most radical voting record in the senate on matters of abortion. He can say whatever he thinks sounds clever but it is crystal clear how he feels on the matter and God will hold him accountable.

This being said I know the best thing to do is to pray for him as our leader, to trust in our sovereign God who always does what is right, and to remember that this world is not our home.

Here are some great remarks made by John Piper to put the election into proper perspective.

Creative Way to Share the Gospel

My Welsh friend Catrin is working here in Dublin with IFES. IFES is a Christian ministry that works with college and university students and is similar to the U.S. student ministry of Intervarsity but is worldwide. She recently loaned me a book all about the IFES movement called "Shining Like Stars" with a subtitle of "The Power of the Gospel in the World's Universities." The book holds many, many encouraging stories on student movements around the world. In the third chapter "Holding Out the Word of Life," a short story of a student group's creativity to share the gospel on their campus is related:

Students can be very creative in their evangelism. I recall hearing about a small group of Christians in the Polish university town of Rzeszow. They were only a small group so how could they make an impression on a large university? They settled on an unusual idea to publicize an evangelistic event.

Three of them dressed up and went visiting in the student dorms, knocking on doors. As people opened the doors, first came the student dressed up as "Death," scythe in hand, announcing, "It is appointed to men once to die, and then the judgment." Then he ran off.

The poor students were shocked! Five minutes later, another knock came. As student after student opened their doors, they met a student dressed up as an angel. The angel asked, "Has Death come here recently?" "Yes," the student would say. "Well, I want to tell you that Jesus Christ has died and risen from the dead to conquer Death. Tomorrow night the Christian student group will explain how Christ's resurrection gives hope in the face of death." Then the angel would run away.

Students went back into their rooms, and five minutes later a third knock came. This time the students found someone dressed like the devil. The devil-look alike said, "Psst! Has an angel been here telling you about a meeting tomorrow night?" "Yes," would reply the student. "Don't go. It's nonsense."

Of course the one thing you never say to a student is "Don't" because then they do! Hundreds went along, the meeting was overflowing and fifteen professed faith in Christ that night.

WHAT A BRILLIANT IDEA!

On Living in Ireland

I find myself analyzing life in Europe and in Dublin more and more. There has been a turning point over the past several weeks in my feelings towards Dublin. I think this is the result of two things in particular. One is that we have finally made some friends here in Dublin and two is that, ironically enough, now that we have finally made some friends we may be moving in the next couple of months. Having said this I would now like to tell you what I like about living here.

• I love meeting and getting to know international peoples.
• I love being able to travel so easily and inexpensively.
• I love being a housewife- taking care of our little apartment and having all the time in the world to cook.
• I love the fact that Europeans value time off so that Matt's work schedule allows for us to be together and travel much more than we could if he was working in the U.S.
• I like the mild temperatures in Ireland.
• I like how it is almost always perfect weather for soup.
• I like walking to the store for groceries almost everyday and finding the best deals between the four stores in my neighborhood.
• I like having the time, energy, and resources to have people stay here with us (sometimes even complete strangers).
• I like being more physically active because we don't have a car.
• Life seems simpler here.

There are also a number of things I don't like:

• I HATE the frequent & ferocious winds of Dublin.
• I hate how expensive things are in Dublin-especially going out to eat.
• I don't like how there are no good Christian bookstores here.
• I don't like 4 seasons in one day and the general instability of the weather.
• I don't like not having a car when I want to go to a friend's house who lives far away.

So, these are just some minor thoughts on the matter. I like living in Europe on the whole. Ireland has slowly grown on me because of the great people I have met and the familiarity of it now as I face the unknown in a possible new city. I surely wouldn't stay in Ireland forever but I think I will miss it when I leave.

Manchester

Matt and I spent the weekend in Manchester, England as Matt was to receive his certificate from the Society of Perfusionists of Ireland and Great Brittain for passing his recent exams- WAY TO GO, HONEY! We stayed at a really nice hotel (our hotel room tv screen said "Welcome, Mr. McReynolds" on it!) in the city center. During the day time Matt attended conference lectures while I milled about the city. On both of the nights we attended dinners, the second one being formal, and I got to wear a long beautiful dress! I really like England and even though the pound is stronger than the euro and we lose out on the exchange the prices in England are so much better than Ireland. Everything feels like a great deal. Whilst I was nosing around Manchester on Saturday afternoon I came across a great Christian book store called Wesley Owen. I must have spent 2 hours in it just browsing the books and music. It was so refreshing! I know I don't need any more books but I can't help it- I love them! So I treated myself to 2 new books I can't wait to read: "Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels" by Kenneth Bailey and "The Uniqueness of Israel" by Lance Lambert. I also got to eat Millie's cookies, Baskin Robin's ice cream, and go to Sainsbury Market. Oh, how I do love England...

Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains

Recently we had a friend of a friend of a friend staying with us. Her name is Beth and she is from PA but is living in Vienna currently. She came to see Dublin and be refreshed with some English speakers. It is good to have a fellow American around and while she was here we were able to take her on a little road trip up to Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains which are right outside of Dublin. This trip was made possible by our American friends Betsy and David who are living here in Dublin. We met them at Grosvenor Church a few months ago and I am so glad because they are such a fun couple. We hung out with them once before this trip and had a really good time. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a long and blessed friendship!

Glendalough literally means "glen of the two lakes." It is a beautiful area of Irish countryside nestled in the Wicklow Mountains just outside of Dublin. It was a monastic settlement established by St. Kevin the 6th century. There are many ruins including a cathedral which is one of the oldest Christian churches in Ireland. The Round Tower is also very impressive. Along with the ruins are a mass of beautiful Celtic tombstones. There are many hiking trails around this area. We took a short walk and then headed further into the beautiful Wicklow Mountains where we saw a magnificent waterfall, many fluffy sheep, and rich landscape. Thanks to Betsy and David for taking us!

Re-post: Celebrating 1 Year Overseas!

Ok, here is a re-post of a video celebrating 1 year of living overseas. This upload should be available for all to see this time. This slideshow is of favorite places we have seen and things we have done since living in Europe over the last year. Before moving to Ireland I had been to a handful of states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, Texas, Florida, California, Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Georgia, Lousianna) and just three countries outside of the U.S. (Canada, Mexico, & Thailand). This was over 27 years of life. Over the last year alone I traveled to 7 countries and multiple cities- Praise God! Here is where we were able to go over the last year...

• 
  
  Dublin Ireland
• 
  
  Ring of Kerry, County Kerry, Ireland
• 
  
  Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland
• 
  
  West Coast, County Mayo, Ireland
• 
  
  Belfast, Northern Ireland
• 
  
  Edinburgh, Scotland
• 
  
  The Highlands & Loch Lomond, Scotland
• 
  
  London, England
• 
  
  Cambridge, England
• 
  
  Paris, France
• 
  
  Rhine River Valley, Germany
• 
  
  Mainz, Germany
• 
  
  Rome, Italy
• 
  
  Kusadasi, Turkey
• 
  
  Miletus, Turkey
• 
  
  Ephesus, Turkey
• 
  
  Samos, Greece

There are still so many places we want to go to and, God willing, we'll make it. We love to have visitors over to travel with so feel free to come to Ireland or meet us somewhere else in Europe!

Also of note in this slideshow are the few pictures we have of our Spades World Tour with the Jankowski's. From the first time we played Spades with them we were hooked and enjoy non-stop games of Spades everytime we are together. Since they are our traveling buddies we have played Spades in a few different countries and hope to travel and play with them all over the world! So far we have played in...

San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico

Tucson, Arizona

Strawberry, Arizona

Dublin, Ireland

Belfast, Northern Ireland

Edinburgh, Scotland

Kusadasi, Turkey

...hence the title "Spades World Tour." I am hoping for Spades World Tour Cairo, Athens, Petra, and Jerusalem while we are over on this side of the world (hint, hint Jankowski's)

Fun With MercyMe

In my unquenchable thirst for music I recently stumbled across these brilliant covers by MeryMe. Below are just 3 of quite a few videos which can be found on you tube so if you like what you see search you tube for "MercyMe cover tune grab bag." ENJOY!

Going Back to My Roots

After 12 years of being a "bottle blond" I am going back to my roots. This is mostly because the cost of upkeep is rediculous and I am tired of having roots! This past May I started putting my natural color back in- along with a few other colors. I just had my hair re-highlighted yesterday and with 5 months of growth this is how it turned out. Most of what you see now is my natural color with a little blond highlighting to jazz it up a bit. What do you think?

Chili's!

Last week we found out one of our favorite restaurants has recently come to Belfast- Chili's! Our associate pastor who is Canadian but lived in New Mexico for a while is as big a fan of Chili's as we are so the three of us made the trip up to Belfast- 110 miles- today just to have lunch. Two other guys from church also came and we met up with more friends of my pastor who live up in Belfast. Bottomless Cokes (unheard of in Europe), bottomless chips and salsa (REAL tortilla chips and YUMMY salsa- also unheard of in Europe), chicken crispers, and molten chocolate cake- I thought I was at home! This was the real Chili's with the same menu, ingredients, and atmosphere of a Chili's at home. The Irish LOVED it and could not get over the free refills on pop and chips and the molten chocolate cake with it's "rivers of chocolate that keep coming!" They had been to Chili's in the states while they were on a missions trip to Mexico last year and were just as pleased as we were that the Chili's that has come to Belfast is the real deal. Thanks for the treat Lord!

Horton and "Christless Christianity"

God has given many gifted men to this generation. One of those such men is Michael Horton of The White Horse Inn (radio show discussing theology and current trends in the church) and Modern Reformation (in my opinion the BEST Christian magazine out there by far!). If you are not familiar with his writing or preaching you are missing out. He is one the clearest communicators of the gospel I have ever heard. For those of you who have been taught to believe the gospel is just simple and once you believe it you can get on to the meat and what's really important you would do well to read Michael Horton! Reading his many articles on the gospel in Modern Reformation is the richest feeding my soul does outside of the word itself! He is also very gifted at diagnosing what is going on in the church and culture and why. A new book is about to be released by Horton called "Christless Christianity" which looks great. More information can be found at http://christlesschristianity.org/index.php

64 Days and Counting!

This morning I received an email from my nephew Jace. In it he told me he and his brother made a chain- one of those chains you used to make in school to count down the days to Christmas where you tare a ring off each day- only this one is to count down the days til Matt and I come to Minnesota in December. My heart melted upon reading it! Then I saw a picture of my nephew Levi holding it on my sister's blog today.

I can't wait to see you guys!!!

New USA Booty

McMom is here visiting again and she brought a suticase full of goodies (catfood, peanutbutter, flavored coffees, spices, pudding mixes, chocoloate chips, M&Ms, books, etc.). USA booty is so nice to get but what is even better is a VISITOR!!!

Summer Wine

Having enjoyed the architecture, food, and sites of Paris but not the people we wanted to give France one more try. So we headed off to Bordeaux a few weeks ago to see wine country. Bordeaux is described as "little Paris" and does have a number of beautiful limestone buildings but beyond that there was little there to remind me of Paris. The people in Bordeaux were much friendlier but it did not have the sites or the food of Paris. However, it is worth a trip for to be in wine country is quite romantic and fun.

After flying into La Rochelle we hopped a train to Bordeaux. On the way we passed many sunflower fields and a few vineyards. Once in Bordeaux we found the city center and were surrounded by shopping and restaurants. There are a number of huge beautiful arches around the city and one right by our hotel had a small fruit and veg market just below it. The second day we were there we took a one day wine tour which started out at an old chateau in the chateau district of Bordeaux. Here we learned about wine making and had a tasting. Then we walked through more of the old chateau district before heading off to a hole in the wall French restaurant for lunch. This was the kind of place a tourist would hope to find but never be able to on their own. The restaurant owner greeted us and was quite welcoming. We were given wine, bread, and a dish of hot goats cheese to start. The main course was duck with potatoes and salad. This was followed by a different wine and an opportunity to go downstairs to the cheese room where we could try as many of the 150 cheeses there were. I have never seen a cheese room and did not even know they existed. It was a cold wet room down in the cellar. I couldn't believe people were eating the cheeses that were hairy and moldy! After eating the best brie cheese I have ever had we were served apple pie (totally different than American apple pie) and cafe. The food was authentic and terrific as was the atmosphere.

After lunch we took a bus out to a working vineyard where we took a tour to learn how the wine is made. This area was so beautiful as there were vineyards in every direction as far as the eye could see. After the tour we had more wine tasting and then visited the medieval town St. Emillion which is in the middle of all the vineyards. Surprisingly enough this day long tour was only 52 euro per person- the best value of anything we have done so far! If you enjoy wine a visit to Bordeaux is definitely worth it!

Slideshow Celebrating One Year Over Seas

Here is a quick slideshow commemorating some of my favorite places and things we have done over the past year. Thanks be to God for a great year!

One Year in Dublin

One year ago today we stepped off the plane into an overcast Dublin. Looking back on it I can hardly believe I moved over here, just like that. I mean I hadn't even been here before! It was a big move and I can clearly remember God's grace to me every step of the way. He is so faithful.

So, what can I say afer a year of life outside the United Sates, of life in Europe, of life in Dublin? Again God's faithfulness comes to mind. We have been many places and seen many wonderful things. Some of these travels have even been shared with loved ones. God has given us health and kept us safe and has kept our loved ones at home safe and healthy. I am very thankful for all of this. I am also very thankful for God's provision for Matt and I in our relationship as we experience all of this together. It has been a joy to share this adventure with my loving husband!

Dublin is not home but it is an ok place to live for a while and I do not regret moving here though I miss Tucson. I thank God neither one of us is miserable and that we are of the same mind in regards to being here. The weather is starting to ware on us but we have many adventures left to share over on this side of the world so we will stick it out for a while longer.

God has been gracious to bring people into our lives to brighten it up when it gets gloomy. I think of my Welsh friend Catrin who is so much fun to be with and other international friends that I have met while here (Anna from Australia, Sandra from France, Anna from Italy, Marianne from Germany, Camila from Brazil, Jane from the Phillipines, Jael from Israel, and Tania from Australia to name a few). There have also been a number of Irish who have been a blessing to us (Matt's boss Annette, Adam and Deb, Kathleen and Mickey, Dorothy, David and Honour, and Pastor John) I am thankful for God bringing us to Immanuel Church Dublin where we are making friends and hearing the word faithfully proclaimed in this city.

So one year later I am glad we moved here and even glad we are not done yet with being here. This has been an adventure and an eye opening experience. I love seeing God's world, the different cultures and peoples. I love traveling, seeing historic sites, eating authentic foods, talking to natives, and looking at everything through a biblical worldview. This past year has been a year of blessing and I am glad to be sharing it with Matt.

My Testimony

I was reading the Bible today and I found my very own testimony in it...

At one time I too was foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. I lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating others. But when the kindness and love of God my Savior appeared, he saved me, not because of righteous things I had done, but because of his mercy. He saved me through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, who he poured out on me generously through Jesus Christ my Savior, so that having been justified by his grace, I might become an heir having the hope of eternal life.

This is a trustworthy saying.

-Titus 3:3-8

Dublin Horse Show

My husband, good man that he is, took me to the Dublin Horse Show last weekend. I grew up riding horses and continue to love them. I started taking lessons when I was 4 and competed in horse shows until I moved up north around age 12. I competed in English and western pleasure, jumping, western games and I even started learning a little bit of dressage on my mom's old dressage horse just before I stopped riding. I use to go to horse shows with my mom at the Washington County Fair Grounds and the in the Colosseum at the Minnesota State Fair. I particularly remember watching the dressage shows at the Washington County Fair Grounds as a little girl with the most beautiful horses. I still love watching dressage and went to the Dublin Horse Show to see some dressage. The show was mostly show jumping, judging of different horses, and a very small bit of dressage. It was not even in a dressage ring but was rather a short demonstration to show how dressage is related to show jumping. The announcer described dressage as "the bit between the fences" and showed how show jumping riders use dressage- the collected canter and counting of strides- between jumps. It was interesting enough but I wanted to see some flying lead changes for crying out loud! (I did at least get to see some extended trots where the horses look like they are dancing on clouds). The Highlight of the Dublin Horse Show has to be the Puissance Wall which is a jump that gets built higher and higher as the competition goes on. Ten horses were involved when the competition begun. The wall went from 5 and half feet in the first round to 6 foot 3in the second round to 6 foot 11 in the third round and to 7 foot 2 in the fourth round. By the end of the fourth round there were only 2 horses left, one from Belgium and one from Ireland. The fifth round the wall was raised to 7 foot 4 and was bested by the Irish horse and rider. It was quite exciting and nerve racking to watch! An American horse and rider took third in the wall so we were proud. Here are some pictures from the regular jumping, the dressage demonstration and the Puissance Wall.

To see some real dressage check out this youtube video. It is absolutley amazing what horse and rider are able to do- I MEAN GLORY TO GOD, PEOPLE!

Quote on Justification

An excellent quote I came across recently in my studies on the epistle of Paul to the Romans.

"If God announces the gift of righteousness apart from works, why do you keep mourning over your bad works, your failures? Do you not see that it is because you still have hopes in these works of yours, that you are depressed and discouraged by their failure? If you truly saw and believed that God is reckoning righteous the ungodly who believe on him, you would fairly hate your struggles to be 'better'; for you would see that your dreams of good works have not at all commended you to God, and that your bad works do not at all hinder you from believing on him, but that justifieth the ungodly!
Therefore, on seeing your failures you should say, I am nothing but a failure; but God is dealing with me on another principle altogether than my words, good or bad, a principle not involving my works, but based only on the work of Christ for me... God, in justifying me, acted wholly and only on Christ's blood shed on my behalf.
First, I know that Christ is in heaven before God for me, and that I stand in the value before God of his finished work; that God sees me nowherelse but in his dead, buried, and risen Christ, and that his favor is toward me in Christ, and is limitless and eternal.
The work of the Holy Spirit in me, my attitude is a desire to be guided into truth, to be obedient thereto, and to be chastened by God my father if disobedient; to learn to pray in the Spirit, to walk by the Spirit, and to be filled with a love for the Scriptures and for the saints and for all men.
None of these things justify me! I had justification from God as a sinner, not as a saint! My saintliness does not increase it, nor praise God, do my failures decrease it!"

-William R. Newell on Romans 1938

Beautiful Germany!

After reading the biography of the Martin Luther and after visiting Germany I have to take pride in my German ancestry. I really enjoyed our trip there last month and would go again in a heartbeat. The people are friendly, the food is good (although some of it can be... an adventure) and the scenery is absolutely beautiful. I have to confess I did not expect Germany to be so. I don't know about the whole of Germany but the Rhine River Valley is breathtaking. It is a land of fairytale castles and enchanted forests- a land where you think you may actually see a unicorn! Riding along the river on the train as we did many times is neat but to see this area of Germany rightly you must float down the river on one of the big river cruisers and watch the castles and vinyards appear before you in all their splendor. If any of you are intersted in going let me know- you won't have to twist my arm!

Fun in Deuschland!

Here is the first of two slideshows from our recent trip to Germany where we spent four days in the Rhine River Valley. This is wine country and we stayed in the little wine town of Bacharach. Our hotel, the Kranenturm, was part of the medieval city wall of Bacharach and we actaully stayed on the top floor of the tower that they used to load wine onto ships from. The tower we stayed in was over a thousand years old. Each day we climbed over 100 stairs to reach our room! We also climbed many other stairs and trails through the enchanted forests of the Rhine River valley to tour a number of the amazing castles which you will see in my next slide show... But for this slide show feast your eyes on some of the great German food, wine, and beer we had while there. My favorite had to be the Martin Luther beer we found at the Mainz beer festival. The Luther beer stand was a large barrel which had nuns inside serving the Luther and Katerina beer- as Luther and his wife brewed their own beer at home. The beer stand is extra fun to see if you know the story of Luther and his wife. In his lifetime Luther had helped some nuns eascape from a convent by smuggling them out in beer barrels. He found husbands and married off all of them except one whose husband-to-be died. Her name was Katerina Von Bora and she was the lucky woman who married the great Reformer. To my delight the Luther beer was dark!

P & P Video

While looking up this song tonight I found this great video someone put together and uploaded into youtube. This is one of my favorite movies and it goes great with the lyrics of this song. Whoever did this, well done! ENJOY!

West Coast Road Trip

Last month I headed off on an overnight road trip with some girlfriends to see the west coast of Ireland. We rented a car and drove across to Galway and then up to Clifden where we stayed the night in a hostel. It was my first time staying in a hostel. The four of us girls were lucky to get a private room for four with bunk beds but we still had to share the bathroom with everyone else. It wasn't too bad but I doubt I would ever stay at a hostel again on purpose! Clifden was a cute little town and we went out for a drink to hear some local music. The next morning we headed out and drove Sky Road. This road is up on hills overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and was absolutely beautiful. Then we headed to Kylemore Abbey which is a big beautiful castle in the side of a mountain, on the end of a long lake, where nuns still live today. The place was amazing! I decided to wait to tour the inside and grounds until I can go back with Matt. We then drove up the west coast further to the Achille Islands where we drove on switchback mountains roads on the sides of cliffs through the fog! YIKES!!! This road trip was the first I have been on with good weather since I have been here in Ireland. It was warm and sunny almost the entire time. And because it was spring there were baby cows, horses, and lambs everywhere. This trip I finally felt like I saw the real Ireland as it was everything you picture Ireland to be. In the photos you will see my American friend from North Carolina, Jessie(girl with blond hair), my friend from Brazil, Camila (girl with long brown hair), and my friend from Germany, Marianne (girl with curly brown hair). We had a great time taking to the narrow roads and rocking out in the car. Thanks for a great time ladies!

Turktastical Turkey

We recently returned from a holiday with our friends the Policans, who flew into Dublin to join us for a week in Kusadasi, Turkey. I was a little nervous but excited to go and had no idea what to expect. Turkey was chosen primarily because of it's close proximity to the ancient city of Ephesus. I absolutely love visiting places with Biblical history! We had a GREAT time and I hope to do some more in depth blogs about some of our adventures in Turkey in the near future. For now you can see some of my favorite photos above in the slideshow.

Visiting the Synagogue

I finished up my Old Testament Survey class a few months ago and am currently well into my New Testament Survey class. I cannot tell you how much taking these classes has given me new eyes to read the Bible with and how much more I understand the Scriptures as well as God's masterful plan of redemption. I am also convinced learning of this kind is the answer for those Christians who struggle with Bible reading.

I have loved learning about the history of Israel in the Old Testament, through the intertestamental period, and up into the New Testament. Judaism is fascinating and we as Christians owe much to it as Christianity was born out of Judaism and Judaism really aided in the spread of Christianity. Recently I was reading about how synagogues formed during the period of the exile. They were formed by the Jews to teach the Torah as they were no longer able to go to the Temple for worship at that time. As the Jews were scattered, because of exile in the Old Testament and because of persecution during the intertestamental period, the synagogues multiplied. By the time of the birth of the Christian church there were synagogues over much of the Roman Empire and so evangelists, like Paul, were able to spread the good news by going to teach it in the synagogue of each town they went to.

Learning about all of this made me curious to go and observe a synagogue service. I found a synagogue not far from where we live about a month ago and tried to go to a sabbath service on a Saturday morning. When I arrived I found out (to my big surprise) that I was not allowed in because of security issues. I would have to get permission through the chief Rabbi's office. I called the office and after giving them my information they approved me to come observe a service a few weeks later. I attended this morning's service. The service was about two and a half hours long and only about 10 minutes of it was in English. Even though I don't speak Hebrew I found the service to be very interesting. The synagogue was a bit different looking from a church inside but not as different as I thought it might be. The women sit upstairs in the gallery while all the men sit downstairs. Most of the women wore head coverings while all of the men wore yamikas. Many of the men also wore prayer shawls which they would situate differently on themselves at different times. Sometimes they would cover their faces and heads completely. It seemed to me this signified that they were going into their prayer closets to pray without distraction. Most of the time the congregation sits but at certain times the people all stand.There were many prayers said, blessings, and some singing led by a cantor. Much of what is said is actually sung instead of flatly spoken. There was an extensive reading from the Torah. The Scroll, or Torah, is taken out of an ark (wooden box) and is carried up to the cantor. As it is being carried up the men kiss the fringes of their prayers shawls and then touch the fringes to the Scroll case. I even saw one man kiss the Scroll case. The Scroll is unrolled only when it is read from and then rolled closed and covered when it is not being read from. The Scroll itself is made of parchment paper and the writing has been hand copied to perfection by a scribe. The cantor does most of the reading but 2 other men also read some passages which I was told was a great honor to be asked to do. In fact a man who has been asked to read from the Scroll must practice at home to be able to read the passage in the service perfectly as the Hebrew words in the Scroll do not have any vowels but only consonants. When the reading is done the Scroll was held up and unrolled and lifted high for all the people to see before it is put away. After this the chief Rabbi gave about a ten minute sermon in English on one of the passages. After the sermon more prayers and blessings are said. The people, Ireland, Israel, and world peace are all prayed for. The prayers include requests for the Redeemer to come to Zion. My favorite part of the service was to hear the Shema recited which the cantor bellowed out beautifully in Hebrew: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One..." It is longer than that (see Deut. 6:4-9) but that is famous first line.

I was able to sit next to a very nice Jewish woman who helped me to understand the service somewhat. She did not speak Hebrew herself but was able to read it in the prayer book and Torah. She has been a Jew her whole life and was quite open to talking with me about Judaism. I asked her many questions and she answered what she could but seemed to feel bad that she could not answer a lot of my questions about Jewish theology. She did tell me the Jews were waiting for a Redeemer to save the world and that they expected him to be a high up Rabbi. She said recently there was a very intelligent and great Rabbi in New York that they thought could be the Messiah but he died. I asked her the Jewish doctrine of salvation which got me a blank stare so I then rephrased by asking how does a Jewish person go to heaven. She told me by doing good deeds, praying for forgiveness, trying to observe the law as much as they can, and charity. I also tried talking to her about how atonement is made for sins since there are no sacrifices being made because there is no temple. She told me about Yom Kippur and how it is the holiest day of the year and on that day how you take all the sins on yourself and and pray for forgiveness and something about how your name is written in the book and your destiny is decided for that year. She did not know if when the Redeemer comes whether or not there will be a new temple with sacrifices being made again. She was very kind and a good sport, asking me about myself and my own faith. I was able to share just a little with her as all of our talking was during the service. She told me straight out that she was not a religious person but that she really enjoyed the traditions of Judaism and would not think of going to another religion. After the service there was fellowship over coffee and treats and she introduced me to many people, telling them I was there visiting because I was studying the Bible. All of the people I met were very nice. Tonight I received an email from her. Maybe I will see her again- wouldn't it be great if I could share Christ with her?!

I enjoyed visiting the synagogue and was told by security I could come back anytime now. I doubt I will go again but it was good to experience. While sitting through the service I couldn't help but imagine what it would have been like to have been a Jew just after Pentecost, to be sitting in my synagogue, to have a visitor sit down to give the teaching that day, and for that visitor to be the Apostle Paul who had come to preach the good news about Jesus Christ!

Rainbow Nights

The other night I saw this beautiful rainbow over the mountain from my patio. There is something funny about seeing a rainbow in Ireland. I actually think it may lead to a pot of gold and a leprechaun. Anyway, I took these pictures at 9:30. It is light out here now until almost 11:00 P.M. It is really hard to get used to and even though I tell myself its late and time to go to bed I don't believe it! Tomorrow morning the Policans arrive from Tucson and we are so excited to see them. The four of us leave for Turkey tomorrow night. Turkish delight, here I come!

2 Bedrooms YIPPEE!

Here are the long awaited pics of our new place.
Our guest bedroom is waiting for you!

Hopped a Train to Cambridge

At the beginning of this week Matt headed off to London to take his last perfusion test for certification in Ireland and Great Britain. I joined him in London for a night and then we hopped a train to Cambridge to see one of Matt's friends from perfusion school, Mike, who happened to be in England at the same time as us. A little less than one hour on the train through the rolling green hills and we were in the small town of Cambridge which boasts of 32 colleges! The most famous and beautiful is King's College but the whole town is full of old colleges and churches to feast your eyes upon. I was reminded a lot of Edinburgh and felt as though I had stepped back in time 500 years. The first colleges started springing up in Cambridge in the thirteenth century! By the names of many of the colleges, streets, and parks it seems that Cambridge was once a very Christian town. There is Jesus College, Christ College, Emmanuel College, Corpus Christi College, Jesus Lane, Trinity Street, St. John's Street, All Saint's Passage, and two parks named Jesus Green and Christ's Piece to name just a few. We happened to be in Cambridge on the night of the Champion's League final football game with Chelsea and Matt's favorite team, Manchester United. We grabbed a seat at a packed English pub to watch the game and enjoy the atmosphere of being in England during the English championship game. The next day we trekked around the town more touring King's College Chapel and shopping at the Cambridge Universtiy Press Bookstore -which is were my sweet single column black calf skin Bible comes from. We also had great English food including a pasty and a roast beef wrap where the wrap was YORKSHIRE PUDDING! I really enjoy England and would not mind living here. The people are friendly, the food is good, and the prices are much better than in Dublin- even with the exchange rate.

King's College Chapel

This is one of the most stunning buildings I have seen so far in Europe. It is the King's College Chapel in Cambridge, England. Not only is it larger than life when you walk up on it but it is also very beautiful inside. The first stone was laid by King Henry VI in 1441. I was very fortunate to take a tour of it but unfortunately I could not be there to hear a choral evensong service which I am sure would have been magnificent in such a place! Maybe next time...

Movin' On Up

Matt and I learned recently that our landlord had sold our building and that we had 28 days to get out. I scoured the lettings and within 2 days I had viewed 12 apartments in the area we hoped to stay in. The second to the last apartment was the winner- a two bedroom "penthouse" in the Rathmines area. This apartment is about ten minutes walk from our first place here and is in a nice neighborhood. The apartment was filthy but the sheer size of it (big for Dublin) excited us. It is older and has very ugly worn green carpet and not a piece of furniture in the place matches but with 2 bedrooms, a fireplace, and a patio looking to the Dublin mountains how could we resist? We took it and moved in over the weekend. We didn't realize how extremely dirty it was until we started cleaning it. We have been working hard on it since we moved in (cleaning, rearranging, furnishing, throwing many things away) and it is starting to really come together. I wish we would have taken before and after pictures!

Our new place is a bit closer to the grocery stores but now further from the gym so yesterday we bought a couple of used bikes. The guy I bought my bike from lived on the north side of Dublin so he agreed to meet me in the city center to show me the bike. Getting the bike home was quite an adventure. The city center is only about three miles away but those three miles are filled with oodles and oodles of cars, bikes, scooters, pedestrians and the most dangerous- double decker buses. Since bikes generally ride in the bus lane I had my work cut out for me- make it home without getting squished by the buses. Transport by bike is normal for many people in Europe but for me bikes have only ever been for working out. I have never ridden a bike in such chaos as the city center. I am glad I made it home but I think I will limit my bike riding to the gym and perhaps the grocery store (my bike has a cute little basket that I could stick a couple liters of milk in). Sometimes I can't believe I used to own a new 4 bedroom house and 2 vehicles when these days I am excited and so thankful to have moved up to a 2 bedroom apartment and a bike!

The Blessings of God

"The blessings of God are not, typically, prosperity, health and honor. They are instead things like love, joy, peace, patience. Indeed these fruits find their most fertile soil in the context of hardship. The man who meditates on the law of God day and night may not grow a thriving business. He may not be much beloved in his community. But he will mourn his own sins. He will be poor in spirit. He will not enjoy great power, but will be mindful of God’s power, resting in his own meekness. He will hunger and thirst for righteousness. Meditating on the law of God, he will know his sin, his need for mercy, and so will show mercy, making peace even as he suffers under the sins of his enemies." -R.C. Sproul Jr.

I liked this quote by Sproul Jr. as it reminded me to examine the desires of my heart. How easy it is to desire blessings from God that are all about a comfortable life. How I have to train myself, through feeding on Scripture, to desire what I will call the spiritual blessings of God. It is not bad in itself to desire health or financial security but let us examine our hearts by examining our prayer lives. How often do we spend time praying for earthly, temporal, material blessings as opposed to spiritual blessings -such as for the gospel to be formed in us, to understand and truly know Christ (including in his sufferings) and to be conformed to the image of Christ. How often people will ask for prayer for a particular thing going on in their life- for example: help in finding a job, help in getting along with a co-worker or for someone who is having surgery. These are not bad prayer requests but think about how often you hear this type of prayer request or how often you pray for these sorts of things in your own life. Now think about how often you hear prayer requests for things like asking God to show me his holiness and my sinfulness, for me to hate sin and mortify it, for the gospel to be formed in me, for Christ to be magnified and glorified in my life no matter what the cost. Material blessings provided by God are good but how much better are spiritual blessings where Christ is formed in us and which will lead to rewards in heaven. Oh, that God would make me a person who desires Christ above all and spiritual growth above earthly comforts.

Plugged In and Losing Touch

Upward Call author Kim was talking about how she likes to go for walks to think and I thought about how I walk all the time but rarely do I go walking, or anywhere for that matter, without my ipod. I often times am listening to sermons or lectures and sometimes music but it would be rare and unintentional for me to go anywhere without my ipod. I think this is a weakness I have. Yeah, I listen to many good things and improve my mind but how much more I would benefit if I spent time reflecting on God, his word, and what he is teaching me. How much more I would benefit if I spent time wrestling in my mind over things I am learning and in prayer.

As I was thinking about this I also thought about how society seems to be plugged in more and more and interacting less and less. Maybe this is just my experience in Dublin (but somehow I doubt it). Living in Europe we have chosen not to have a car so I have learned the art of public transport. I find myself on the bus a few times a week and I always make sure to have my ipod. I always find myself looking around at everyone and am struck by how almost everyone is plugged in to something- usually an ipod or cell phone. Dublin is a city where people are continually on their cell phones, either texting or listening to music. Places other than the bus I notice how people are plugged in to not only cell phones or ipods but also laptops and gameboys. We seem to have turned into a society of people who don't want to interact or communicate. Is this true? Or is it that we just need to be entertained all the time? I would guess it's both.

On the bus I often think of talking to people. I think of how I should be sharing the gospel. I think of how I should be interacting with people just to know what people are like here. So why don't I? Mostly because I don't know what to say, I am somewhat shy, and people look like they do not want to be disturbed. I wonder if it is like this back home or is it just Dublin? Or is this just city life? People here keep to themselves but I assume it was not always this way. Before cell phones, ipods, laptops, game boys, portable DVD players, and texting people probably talked to eachother a lot more. We are losing touch with eachother.