Home is Where the Heart Is

It has been two weeks since my last post and two weeks since I have returned to the US. I am once again at a loss for what to say. There's no need to recap all that I have learned because I essentially wrote that as it came, but I need to have a proper conclusion to this chapter of my story. And with that I would like to talk about this thing called 'home.' I will not be the first to speak on or write about this, but more for my own sake, I need to flush out my own conclusions about it.

My thoughts on home changed quite drastically as the year progressed. In the early months of my stay in Ireland, I thought of home as the physical place of my family’s house in San Diego, California. Along with this thought came people and objects of familiarity seemingly only present at ‘home.’

As time went on, I felt I had found a home in Ireland and so my idea of what home was shifted. It was no longer a single place or even a collection of familiar things. Home was somewhere I belonged and could be myself. I was reminded of my director in theatre once saying to the cast “welcome home,” and we all felt it was true. Similarly in Ireland, I had a home away from home… But why did it have to be “away from home.” Wasn’t it possible to have more than one home? After all, home is not a single place. It is not fixed. It can change.

This idea that my home had changed was a bit unsettling because I did not want to deny my first home nor have to think about leaving home for, well, home. Then I realized that neither place is home. In a way they are both a home, and since parts of my heart are in both places, they become important to me, but home is not here. Home is in heaven with Christ Jesus. That is where I ultimately belong and where I will be eternally safe. My heart is with Jesus and He sits at the right hand of God in heaven. Until the day comes when I join him, I am a foreigner in this land (John 17:13-17, 1 Peter 2:11, Philippians 3:20). I may live and dwell here, but this is not home and in many ways, I am glad it isn’t. In my father’s house, I will get to see all of my brothers and sisters, of whom I have met a few in Ireland. In my father’s house, there will be no fear of loss or pain. It will be all home is meant to be without flaw or inadequacy. Home is where the heart is and my heart is with Christ in heaven.

Taste of Ireland: Unlike the US, Ireland is small. It is has vast expanses of beauty and yet has a small-town feel in much of the country. 

P.S. If you would like to find out what's next for me, you can click here. 

Commit You Ways to the Lord

Photo Credit: OM Ireland

Impact Ireland ended on Monday and I apologize for not writing sooner. I think I avoided it because I didn’t know where to start. The two weeks cannot be captured in a few words, but thankfully, they don’t have to be. Each of the 40 plus participants along with each OM staff and church member has a story, if not many stories of how they witnessed God working and moving. After being separated into four teams, it was incredible to come back together and share all of the experiences. What I would like to share with you today follows our theme verse for Impact this year Psalm 37:5. “Commit your ways to the Lord; trust in him and he will act.”

Monday July 8. It was day three on the road for the Big Red Bus Team and we were with the Shannon Team. Although early on in the week, we were already feeling tired as we had used a lot of energy training many of the sessions the week prior. It didn’t help that being in the sun made everyone want to sleep and without an air conditioner (yet) the upstairs on the bus was easily 85 deg. There were definitely some spiritual attacks that day and with less kids at the kids club than anticipated, some were feeling discouraged. That evening however, we all met together before the youth rally and since we were waiting on a few people, we decided to pray. For 45 minutes we lifted our petitions to the Lord, read from scripture, and even sang together. There were moments of silence, but never emptiness. The room was filled with the Lord’s presence and He gave us a newfound excitement for the night ahead.

We went out into the square and ran through our program, singing songs of worship, presenting dramas, and sharing testimonies. All the while groups of young people listened and watched or pretended not to, but stayed anyway. Conversations began and soon they were at every turn. Joanna and I spoke with two girls who we thought would only listen for a few minutes, but ended up discussing God, the gospel, and salvation with us for an hour and a half. And we weren’t the only ones who had a story to share when the evening was over. When the team returned at 12, 12:30, everyone was buzzing like a hive of excited bees. There were stories of people opening up for the first time ever after years of rejecting talk of God. People laughed and cried together. The name of Jesus was proclaimed and glorified.

On our own we would be nothing, but when we put our trust in the Lord, He exceeds our expectations. This is only a brief example of how God did amazing things in Ireland this last week and how He is working here. This was just one night in one place from the perspective of one girl. I love what Joanna wrote about on her blog. It's quite well written so it'll be worth your time and it probably captures the experience much more eloquently than I do. 

I would also like to briefly add that I was incredibly honored and privileged to have had all the opportunities I did during these two weeks alone. I loved worshipping with the "Lacken House Band" and I couldn't have asked for a better team on the bus. The Lord brought us together at just the right time and I will always remember this time fondly. 

Photo Credit: OM Ireland

Photo Credit: OM Ireland

Other stories:
Katie : Boom!

OM Ireland Facebook: Video stories!

Taste of Ireland: Sunscreen is known as sun cream and a 99 cone is an ice cream that was, you guessed it! 99 cents!... only now they are usually 1.20... lame.

When A Thought Became A Vision and A Vision Became Reality

Ten months ago I was introduced to puppetry and subsequently shadow puppetry. Over the course of time, I found myself greatly enjoying puppetry and the whimsical aspects of its nature. When done well it can captivate an audience of any age and communicate thoughts and ideas in such a way that people sometimes cannot. Five months ago I was asked to explore shadow puppetry. I was not unwillingly, but I was taken aback. I was interested in it, but I didn’t think it was something I could accomplish while here in Ireland. I spent a month or so researching and collecting ideas about shadow puppetry then began to experiment creating my own. The process was a bit rushed as I was trying to have the show prepared by Easter. After Easter though is when I really began to develop the final production. I recreated or added on to nearly all 50 plus cardboard puppets. I should have timed myself to see how many hours were spent on this project, but I would guess well over 70 hours.

After all the puppets, screen, and frame were complete, a team of a few other people and myself recorded the story and added sound effects. What is great is that even if the shadows turned out to be dull, the story sounds like a reader’s theatre! Once the recording was ready, we practiced behind the screen until the story was fluid. I am incredibly proud of all that we accomplished just in creating this and so thankful to everyone who encouraged and supported me along the way. What is even more amazing is how God is using it to reach into the little hearts and minds of all the children who have seen it this month and who will see it in the coming weeks. What a beautiful thing to be a part of!

Taste of Ireland: The bodhrán (pronounced bow-rawn) is a traditional Irish frame drum made of goatskin and played by holding it in one hand and hitting it with a double-ended beater in the other.

Feeling Like A Smoothie

Not long before we began our bus tour, I wrote in my journal “I either want to spend everyday until I leave Ireland on the road, or sleep everyday until I leave.” Among other reasons, I thought being busy on tour would keep me from feeling like this emotional smoothie. I want to stay. I want go home. I have a home here. I want to find another home in Jackson. I love what I am doing now, but I am excited about the future. With only a month left before I head west again, it’s almost impossible to avoid thinking about leaving and that means goodbyes will come sooner than wanted.

If anything, the tour has just added to my emotional smoothie because now I have more people whom I love but will depart from. I have also seen how short a year really is. It takes time to settle into a role, establish relationships and trust with team members, develop skills, and invest in people. Many kids from this past week would have seen me in the Christmas tour, but I will now never see them again. And when Junior brings a team back again, he will likely be the only familiar face.

I want to invest more than a few months. I want to commit my life to the work of the Lord. I don’t want the next four years to be a break from that or a period of rest.

Taste of Ireland: "What's the story?" is a common phrase used to ask "what's up?" or "what's going on?"

On The Road Again!

Last week we began our June school tour with the Big Red Bus, which means we are on the road again! We have quite a busy schedule going around to schools, housing estates, and churches to share the gospel through puppets, crafts, songs, and interaction. Our theme is that "God has a plan for you." We use a hand puppet, a magic board, and shadow puppets to talk about Jeremiah 29:11 as well as the message of salvation through Jesus. Please pray for the team as we head out to Co. Cavan this week and have about two schools a day, which could mean anywhere from 2 - 8 rotations of our program each day. You can find our schedule here. Also pray for all of the kids, parents, and teachers we will come into contact with. 

Behind the scenes!

Outside the bus

Taste of Ireland: The Irish word for Welcome is Fáilte and Slán is goodbye.

A Double Decker Through The Countryside

The general first thought that comes to mind when you hear “double decker bus” is a London bus or possibly a large city tour bus. Outside of London, Dublin, or another large city, double decker buses do not typically just pull up in the lane next to you. Imagine seeing what looks like a London bus driving right through the center of your town or even better, in front of your farm in the countryside. The sight would undoubtedly be unexpected if not shocking and definitely out of the ordinary.

This hypothetical scene is all but hypothetical. It is exactly what happens when we go out with the Big Red Bus, but instead of just giving people something to turn their heads to look at, we give them something to think about. The natural question is “why is there a double decker bus?” If we stop in their town, we might have the chance to answer that question and tell them about Jesus. If we don’t, they are at least left with a few other questions provoked by the verse on the sides and back of the bus: Jesus answered “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me” (John 14:6). It is not enough for us to drive around the country and hope that people come to Christ just because we have a verse on the bus, but the verse just might plant a seed that was not there before. It has already opened up doors for conversations with people and reminded us on the team that we are ambassadors for Christ.

Unfortunately, it can be incredibly easy to forget why we are here, even when we are submerged in ministry. Fatigue can set in. The preparations can feel like a chore. The puppet routine can become nothing more than a performance. And a group of rowdy children can feel like just another group to get through. This is spiritual warfare. Each day we go into battle and combat these feelings and thoughts with prayer. We must rely on God and remind each other that we serve the Lord and He is with us. It is so refreshing and encouraging to work with the local church whose members are always excited to have the bus come. They tell us stories after the day of ministry is done about people who came to the bus and interacted with them when they never would have before. They see the kids’ faces as they watch us doing the shadow puppet show (something we cannot do while behind the screen) and tell us how they absorb the story like sponges. They pray with us and for us as we pray for them and once again, I am amazed by the body of Christ.

I don’t often think about how crazy this life is, but I am so glad it is. I get to work with an international team of incredible individuals driving around Ireland in a bright red, double decker bus sharing the gospel through puppetry. Crazy.

Taste of Ireland: If something is cool or really awesome, you might hear local youth say “class” or “savage!”