YAVA

So apparently I'm not a YAV anymore.

Now that we've successfully survived the altitude at Ghost Ranch, the men and women with whom I've served for the last year are officially YAV-A... Young Adult Volunteer Alumni!

We graduated!
(OK, so maybe the caps are photoshopped...)

Please enjoy a few scenes from our retreat last weekend, where we came together to remember our year of service and work through the issues that come with reverse culture shock!

An update - and a new adventure!

Well, the time of sitting around waiting for the "next steps" is over - tomorrow, I will finally fly to Abiquiu, NM for the YAV transition retreat and reunite with the whole gang I haven't seen since last August (minus a few who will be sorely missed)! I am really, really excited.

After a week in New Mexico, I will head to Denver and Nashville for a few weeks to share my story with local churches and presbyteries. I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to spend time in each of these cities - so if you're in the area, drop me a line! I'll do my best to update here during my time on the road.

In other news:

I was interviewed! Read it here:
Following God's call as a Young Adult Volunteer: Young adults find their voice and their place in the church

What I'm listening to:
I love this song. A friend posted this today on facebook, and even though I hadn't heard it since leaving Belfast, I've probably listened to it at least 10 times today while getting ready for the next stage of my journey. Enjoy!

Lyrics below:

Reflections from Scotland

We returned from our final YAV retreat earlier this week, and after some consideration I don't think I can do it justice with one of my typical rundown posts. In short, I LOVED Scotland... which surprised me for some reason. We spent time as a group in Edinburgh and Iona, then the boys and I spent some extra time in Glasgow. Each city had its own flavor and special moments, so I will just pull a few excerpts from my private journal:

On a train, click-clickity-clacking through the Scottish countryside. I love it here.... I have this intense desire to never leave this place. 

Kathryn and I at the Storytelling Centre

We spent the past two days in Edinburgh. I never really left the touristy areas, but loved the city all the same.  ... The city itself seems to have pride in storytelling. Kathryn, TJ, David and I went on a ghost tour last night, after a day that involved hiking Arthur's Seat, learning about a social enterprise for homeless people in the Grassmarket, lunch at the place where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter, ... and an afternoon exploring Edinburgh Castle.

Even with my camera there's no way I could adequately capture fields of wildflowers against a soft blue sky. Grass so green. Do these colours even exist back home?

(OK, you caught me: this photo isn't from Scotland)

(after a service loosely based on Ecclesiastes 3)
We went to the evening service at the Abbey, and as a part of the prayer the officiant read out the familiar "a time for..." and we were meant to add our wordless prayers. So when she said something, I tried my best to feel it - as a way to see what I associate with that emotion ... A time for gratitude: C.'s smile. 

I sit now on a ferry, watching Mull slip into the distance as we return to the mainland. Iona was like a dream.

We took a trip today through the Scottish Highlands to Glen Coe and Loch Ness. The thought of following in the footsteps of my ancestors on this trip (first Iona, now this place) is so strange, but incredibly powerful.

Photo credit: David Mills

As we entered the bus terminal, we saw a chilling sight: groups of well-dressed men and women with signs and brochures proclaiming the gospel - ignoring the shivering, barefoot man sitting just feet away. How often do I do the same - literally, or figuratively? 

To see the rest of my Scotland photos (warning: there are several!), click here.

On the Mountaintop

This week, we made the journey to the Republic of Ireland for our second of three YAV retreats. We stayed at a lovely house in Donegal on Lough Eske, and filled our days with walks by the lough and hiking the nearby Slieve League (highest sea cliffs in Ireland). Our nights were filled with movies, laughter, music and introducing Doug to the television show Arrested Development.

As I prepared this week's service (proofreading hymns and the like), I found myself singing aloud in the empty sanctuary and reminiscing on the awesome majesty I'd experienced with my friends. I know you're all here for the photos, so I'll intersperse them with hymn 187, verses 1-2:

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
consider all the works Thy hands hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed;

When through the woods and forest glades I wander

and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
when I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze;

Then sings my soul,
my Saviour God, to Thee:
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul,
my Saviour God, to Thee:
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!

Photo credit: Beth Thompson

 

 

 

 

More photos can be found here. 

Peace and quiet (retreat days 3 and 4)

After the first two crazy-long posts about our retreat, I thought I'd give you a break and do a quick roundup of the rest of the retreat...

The 3rd day of the retreat was just a chill day at home. I napped while the others went into the city, but otherwise it was more of the glorious same: sit by fire, play cards, cook food, read and repeat. It was Halloween, though - and I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I bummed around the house in the festive socks and earrings sent to me by my darling nieces. The boys conned us in to watching Cabin in the Woods that night by saying it was not really a scary movie. I beg to differ. Joss Whedon was the only reason I watched it at all, and the concept was interesting... but I maintain that with that much blood and jumpy-outy things, that's a scary movie.

Our last day of retreat began by packing up our little (big!) house and heading back to Murlough National Nature Reserve for the Bathgate group's Bible Study (we visited it for the first time during orientation), so it was nice to have a place feel familiar.

This time, the tide was high, and the sound of the waves beating the rocky shore made for a peaceful time of personal reflection. A nice end to our first retreat. 

And end it did. We arrived home to the realization that by turning off our boiler while we were gone, the gauge went crazy and we were now without hot water. Which heats our showers AND our radiators. So that was a fun re-entry to reality. Thank goodness for a quickly-responsive landlord!

I lift my eyes up to the mountains (retreat day 2)

Oh look at that, brave souls! Checking out day 2 of our retreat after such a long post about day 1!

Our second day in Co. Down began at a monastery. Yes, cathedrals and monks aside: I promise we're still a part of the PC(USA)! Doug is good to remind us that sometimes, while working day-to-day in a congregation, it is helpful to experience other traditions to remind ourselves to take a break and experience the Divine amid our daily struggles.

So yeah, back to the monks. They welcomed us for a question-and-answer session before their daily Eucharist service. This was definitely my first conversation with a monk, and Brother Thierry was very kind and patient with all of my questions. We learned about their daily life, the Call that brought them from France to Northern Ireland, and the long journey from arriving in the country in 1998 to opening their monastery in 2004.

That square of buildings in the middle is the monastery

And then there was the service. Oh my goodness, the chanting. It was phenomenal. I just closed my eyes and soaked it all in.

BONUS! in searching their website for photos (since I didn't take any), I just found a webcam. These are some awesome monks. Check back at one of their times of prayer!

That afternoon was slated for the infamous YAV hike. Apparently some of the others had heard stories of grueling treks and lost volunteers in prior years, so I went into this experience with a full water bottle, lots of layers and my brand-new hiking shoes (I learned after our Cave Hill excursion that I liked hiking, but my existing shoes were not appropriate for the task).

We climbed to the famous Mourne Wall, and the view on the other side was beautiful. It is no surprise that this view inspired C.S. Lewis to write the Chronicles of Narnia!

After all the hype, no one was lost and the trail wasn't that steep... but OH, WAS IT MUDDY. After the initial shock of dirtying my pretty new shoes wore off, I marched into puddles with abandon. Which came back to bite me when I accidentally stepped into a "puddle" that swallowed me up to my hip - oops! It was pretty hilarious, and I thank God for waterproof trousers and Gore-Tex boots!

For the Love of Saint Patrick (retreat day 1)

So, I'm a little behind on posting ... it's been a busy 10-ish days!

When I left you last, I was preparing to spend 4 days on retreat with my fellow YAVs. We had a great time! We began by heading from Belfast to Armagh, which is the seat for both the Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland. Both denominations have Cathedrals, both named St. Patrick's, in the city. Fun fact: this gives Armagh the honor of being the only city in the world with two cathedrals of the same name!

St. Patrick's Cathedral
(Church of Ireland)

Our first stop was St. Patrick's (Church of Ireland). We were welcomed by Rev. Grace Clunie from the Centre for Celtic Spirituality (an ecumenical mission project of the church), who gave us a tour of the Cathedral. We learned about the history of Armagh, as well as the church site - the hill where this church is located has been a holy site for over 1500 years. Originally a site for pre-christian tribal worship, St. Patrick founded his first stone church in Ireland here in 445.

Grace also taught us about Celtic spirituality, which draws its inspiration from the early prayers of the Celtic world. I could paraphrase the brochure, but since this is already looking like a post of epic length (even after breaking the retreat into several posts), I will direct those interested in learning more directly to the site for the Centre for Celtic Spirituality.

Stained glass featuring
Ferdomnach of Armagh
with Sts Brendan, Brigid,
Patrick and Columba 

After the tour, we spent some time in the practice of Celtic prayer, which focused on awareness of the sacred presence in this place. It was a great way to begin a retreat, especially one that would take place in such beautiful surroundings as the Mourne Mountains. We were even able to share the YAV tradition of Psalm 139.

I will include a few excerpts of our worship below:

Affirmation of Faith

I believe, O God, that you are the eternal Creator of life.
I believe, O Christ, that you are the eternal source of love.
I believe, O Holy Spirit, that your presence fills the universe.
I believe, O Holy Trinity, that you created my soul and formed all my days. Amen.

St. Patrick's (Catholic)

Final Prayers

Circle us Lord, keep light and love within, keep danger without. 

Circle us Lord, keep childlike trust within, keep fear without. 

Circle us Lord, keep health and peace within, keep dis-ease without. 

Deep peace of the quiet earth. Deep peace of the flowing air. 

Deep peace of the ocean's depth, deep peace of the God of peace. Amen.

After sharing a meal (and some great discussion) with Grace, we headed to ... St. Patrick's (Catholic).

We didn't get a formal tour here, so it was more of a self-guided affair. We spent our time here just soaking in the intricate mosaic work and gorgeous stained glass. There is something about a Catholic church that hits all your senses, and just walking through in silence was a profound experience.

This building was not as old as the Anglican cathedral, but also claims a link to Saint Patrick. The story of St. Patrick and the fawn ends at this spot, known as Tealach na Licci (Sandy Hill), which is considered a prophetic reference by the Saint to the second cathedral built in his name. I was glad for the opportunity to explore both of these historic cathedrals during our visit.

We left Armagh and headed to our rented house in Mayobridge, Co. Down. We took a moment for excitement over the presence of the elusive BATHTUB, and rooms were quickly assigned. We went for a walk before dinner, where a few of us realized our true potential as sheep-whisperers. I know you were worried that I might not get this on film, but never fear:

I know, you're impressed. 

We spent the rest of the evening in front of the fire, reading and playing card games. It was pretty much how we spent all free moments of the week (that we weren't sleeping), and pretty much exactly what I needed.

Anna and I were in charge of that night's Bible Study, so I leave you with this:

Benediction

Christ has no body now on earth but yours; Yours are the only hands with which he can do his work, Yours are the only feet with which he can go about the world, Yours are the only eyes through which his compassion can shine forth on a troubled world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

-Teresa of Avila

Prayers of the people

Words and music by Ben Johnston-Krase

Photos taken (by me) at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, KY

A little treat from Stony Point

We've been learning some new songs this week, and I thought you might enjoy a taste. This is the Lord's Prayer. Fun fact, my grandpa actually took the photos I've set this to, over 60 years ago.

'night y'all.