A difficult goodbye

I've mentioned before that part of my responsibilities at Fortwilliam and Macrory include the monthly FortMac newsletter. Last month, my final issue, it was my turn to write the opinion piece. I used that opportunity to write a letter of thanks to the congregation, which I share with you now below (edited slightly to remove last names).

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I don’t know how many times I've sat down to write this piece. A dozen? But each time I find that I can’t quite find the words to say. What wisdom can I impart that I haven’t first learned from each of you? 

It’s a little strange, saying goodbye a month before I actually go—but I suppose I’ll welcome this opportunity, so that you can have the next few weeks to tell me I’m full of it for what I’m about to say. I've learned so much here. I came to Belfast to be challenged, to experience something different from my life in Louisville, and then was surprised when it happened—there were times that I was definitely challenged!

I suppose the first thing I learned was to relax. As many of you may have discovered over this year, I have a tendency to obsess over details… but guess what? I’m not perfect! This year your kindness has given me the room to try new things, and the grace to brush myself off when I inevitably fall on my face.

Silly boys at BB

Another thing I learned was to listen. I've come to Belfast to learn about Northern Ireland, about the lives that you lead and the things that affect your reality. In many ways, the struggles are the same here as at home, but being in a different environment has allowed me to see things with a different perspective.

Will I ever understand everything that it means to be from Belfast? Of course not. But I've had a great opportunity this year to listen to your experiences, and I thank all those who have invited me in to their lives: particularly to Ann and Roy for introducing me to the North Coast; Sylvia and Roy, Pat / Michele / Siobhan's clan, Daphne and Billy for sharing meals with me; the Young Adult Group for some good craic each month; Stewart, Norma and Pamela for looking out for me at the Boys’ Brigade (and for numerous lifts to Macrory Halls!); the staff team and volunteers that welcomed me as one of their own; and my faithful Bible study group that has been particularly special during my year here: Ann, Heather, Helene, Muriel and Veronica.

Part of the family for Christmas

I have learned something from each and every one of you… and even if your name was not mentioned, please know that I have truly appreciated being a part of your congregational life this year.

I leave Belfast in a few short weeks (has it really gone so quickly?!?) and with me I take a fondness for Tunnocks Tea Cakes, a vastly expanded vocabulary, and numerous photographs and reminders of my time here. More importantly, however, I take a personal strength I never knew before.

Our last week of Bible study

Coming here, away from family and friends, has been difficult, but it has also given me the self-confidence to stand up for myself and to know that I’m capable of mastering whatever life throws my way. I still don’t know where the next stage will take me, but I go forward from this place, secure in the fact that I will have this community keeping me in their hearts and prayers from the other side of the ocean.

I leave you for now with the words of a prayer that is shared with each YAV as they prepare for their year of service. I find that it is still as applicable for me today as it was over a year ago, when I learned I would be spending this time with you. You might consider cutting it out with the picture and bio of Sarah to keep her in your prayers as she prepares for her time in Northern Ireland!

With all my love,

Tricia

MY LORD GOD, 

I have no idea where I am going. 

I do not see the road ahead of me. 

I cannot know for certain where it will end. 

Nor do I really know myself,

and the fact that I think I am following your will

does not mean that I am actually doing so. 

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.

And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. 

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, 

though I may know nothing about it. 

Therefore I will trust you always

though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for you are ever with me,

and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. 

Thomas Merton, “Thoughts in Solitude” 

© Abbey of Gethsemani 

One Week

Next Sunday is my last in Belfast.

(so strange to type that!)

This week and the next have been / will be full of packing, spending time with friends and trying to visit all the places I've put off til the end. Oh, yeah - and the 12th of July is in there somewhere. That's a whole other post...

FMPCI team at dinner

Even though my room is slowly emptying, it still hasn't sunk in that my time here is coming to an end. I'm not sure when it will feel real - my final service at Fortwilliam and Macrory? Saying goodbye to my fellow YAVs before I head on holiday? Getting on the plane to America? Three months from now in the middle of the night?

Making progress...

So I guess in addition to general "what's happening-ness", part of this post is a sort of apology... if I've had to say goodbye to you already and it didn't quite have the weight of "I might never see you again" attached - it's because it isn't quite real to me yet. I will definitely miss everyone here!

Vine - volunteer appreciation lunch

Welcome to Thirty.

It's official. I've been "in my thirties" for a week now, and I'd like to take the opportunity to thank all of you who made it so special!

Although my birthday was on Thursday, I felt very lucky to be celebrated all week by the people I've held nearest and dearest in my time here. Kicking off the week on Monday with a red velvet cake Veronica baked for our Bible Study was certainly a great start! Everyone was so kind and generous.

I got to spend the actual day at the Vine - lunch club with the pensioners and homework club with the wee ones - an hilarious balance of those who consider 30 to be very young with those who consider 30 to be very old!

After work, my friend David and I rushed to the bus station for our 5.5-hour trip to Cork. We spent the next two days exploring the city and incredible grounds at Blarney Castle - yes, I kissed the stone!

We made it back to Belfast for work on Sunday, but my special birthday treats were not yet over! Last year, when my friend Bill learned I would be spending the year in the British Isles, he told me about Scottish singer Julie Fowlis - who some might recognize from the soundtrack for the Disney movie Brave. So when I heard that she would be performing in Belfast, I was sold! What a great show - it was held in a tent with little twinkle lights dancing in the breeze, and the whole thing was just a bit magical. Here's the end of their set: 

and the song from the movie (the only song that wasn't sung in Scottish Gaelic):

While my life has now more or less returned to business as usual after 2 weeks mentally dedicated to Derby and birthday, in the end even though hitting 30 was a scary milestone... it's not so bad on the other side! 

Thank You Fund - Results!

Remember that Coca-Cola contest I asked you to vote for back in September?

We won €10,000 for our bike projects!

Thanks to Coke for believing in our vision, thanks to the staff members for making it happen, and thanks to all of you who voted for Fortwilliam and Macrory!

Vote for us!

Vote for the Macrory Bike Club!

I know you're checking in hoping for more photos, updates on site placements, or just general awesome banter from yours truly - but today, I will instead share a fantastic opportunity that has just been presented to one of my work sites, Fortwilliam and Macrory Presbyterian Church.

Part of what I will be doing with my time at FMPCI is spending time with the Cycling Club and Bike Maintenance Workshop each week. This is a new project that will promote cycling as an accessible means of transportation, encourage inter-community partnership and provide useful job training for youth in the local community.

We have been short-listed in a funding competition hosted by Coca-Cola. This is where we need your help! Please visit http://www.coca-cola.ie/community/thank-you-fund/thank-you-fund-voting-form.html and log in via facebook. Scroll down to where you see 'Fortwilliam and Macrory Presbyterian Church' and vote for us!

We need to get as many votes as possible so please, please spread the word about this fantastic project!

You rock!

I received my fundraising update this afternoon to the happy news that I have now exceeded my fundraising goal for my year of service as a Young Adult Volunteer! I feel like a broken record when I keep saying this, but I am truly grateful for your support and love as I prepare for this journey. I wish I could bake you all cookies in thanks, because that's how it makes me feel when I see your name on my spreadsheet: warm and gooey.

If you still haven't gotten around to making a donation, but wanted to support my service, never fear - all donations made here will still be credited to my account. In other news, I will be arriving in Belfast in approximately 53 days and 13 hours with these people: 

A screen shot from our message board - the 8 NI YAVs for 2012-13.
Courtney, Kathryn, Beth, T.J., David, Anna, Grace, me :)

Get ready, Belfast.

Two months!

Two months from today, I will be boarding a plane for Stony Point. Yesterday, I turned in the last of my preparatory paperwork, so now I am free to focus on purging my storage unit, packing, and finishing up the rest of my fundraising requirements.

I am blown away by your support of my upcoming journey. Thanks to your support, I have raised over $7500 so far! (If you have sent a donation but don't see your name on the ticker - never fear! Sometimes it takes awhile for the donation to be filed, and for me to receive notification.)

As I've mentioned in the past, my $8000 goal is only a fraction of what it costs the denomination to cover my programmatic expenses... as well as travel, visas, stipends, health insurance, housing and food allowance for the coming year. Anything collected above the minimum is still credited toward my trip - I would love to exceed this goal!

I appreciate the kind words and notes that have been arriving at my door (/ inbox) in a steady stream since March. Your encouragement means so much to me. If you feel moved to support my year, I've included a few options below:

1. Pray for me!
2. Spread the word
• Tell people about the Young Adult Volunteer program, my work at Fortwilliam and Macrory Presbyterian Church and the Vine Community and Advice Centre.
3. Keep in touch
• I already have my address and phone numbers for while I'm away, but rather than post them on the internet, please email tricia.mcreynolds [at] gmail.com to request it!
• Add my blog to your RSS feed or via one of the links in the side bar.
4. Pledge financial support
• Give a tax-deductible contribution as a one-time gift or in installments over the course of my year of service.
• Give online at http://gamc.pcusa.org/give/E210105/ or
• Send a check made payable to the PC(USA) at P.O. Box 643700; Pittsburgh, PA  15264-3700. Include on the memo line of the check my name and the number E210105.

Paperwork is the name of the game

Hello everyone, just thought I'd pop in and let you know how it's all going. Obviously the blog will be more exciting once I actually get to Belfast, but I don't want to leave all 5 of my loyal followers hanging! ;-)

This week is the deadline for most of our YAV paperwork - so I've been putting the finishing touches on insurance forms and visa applications, spending a lot of time at the doctor's office (blood work - eek!), and writing thank you cards. Lots of thank you cards - because I'm now within $500 of my goal!

Every time I think I can't be more excited to begin this adventure, I immediately prove myself wrong. Is it time to start packing, yet?

Hopefully I'll have more to report next time. Until then, all my love.

Slán go fóill

We're raising our glasses to Tricia,
She's leaving and that is our issue,
Have fun in Belfast,
But hurry back fast,

'Cause while you are gone we will miss ya!

- Jake C.

Tonight, my mom and stepdad hosted a fantastic party, full of people I've known throughout my life: old friends and new, cousins, coworkers and significant others... all gathered in my honor for my last visit to Orlando before I leave for Belfast. It was wonderful and humbling to be surrounded in love by these people who have known me my entire life. Of course, as usual, my mother cooked far too much food and a good time was had by all!

The title of this post is slán go fóill - which means in English, "Good bye for now". While it will be difficult to leave my family and friends (3 months to the day from today), I will carry with me the hopes, love and prayers of those who have shaped me over the years and left an indelible mark on my heart in the process. It is truly awesome to have the support of so many as I prepare for this journey. But for now I head to bed, happy and with a new sense of purpose.  I feel that I can't say it enough, but I'll say it again:

THANK YOU!

Overwhelmed

I am speechless.

I just got home from a weekend in South Carolina (congrats, Mark and Emily!) to find that the Mission Committee of my church voted to sponsor me as part of this year's mission budget. That means that with 145 days left until I even leave for orientation, I have already completed half of my fundraising goal.

The people I have met over my last 6 years as a member of Second are truly my family, and I will miss each and every one of them while I'm gone. I can't even wrap my head around what a generous gift I have received on behalf of the PC(USA), but just had to share my gratitude at receiving such exciting news!

Although the cost for a year’s appointment as an International Young Adult Volunteer varies by site location, each volunteer is required to raise $8,000 toward his or her own support. Supplemental funding is provided through the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), including a percentage of the annual Pentecost Offering. Any funds exceeding the $8,000 requirement will be used to supplement my year abroad.

I would truly appreciate your support while I'm away. I know not everyone can afford to do so monetarily, but I would still love your encouragement as I continue my journey. I've included a few ideas below:

• Your prayers - Pray for me and for the people with whom I will live and serve this year.
• Your interest in my year of service - Follow my experience by reading my blog, and ask me to speak at your church when I return. Tell a friend about the YAV program!
• Your financial gifts - Give a tax-deductible contribution as a one-time gift or in installments over the course of my year of service. You may give online at http://gamc.pcusa.org/give/E210105/or send a check to the address below. Include on the memo line of the check my name and the number E210105. Please make checks payable to the PC(USA).

PC(USA)
P.O. Box 643700
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700

Thank you!

Thank you!

Oh, wow.

I knew that there would be people out there who would be excited for me to embark on this new adventure, but the outpouring of love I've received is just overwhelming.

Thank you SO much for your support. Check back often for details as I prepare for this exciting adventure! I must say, I'm really glad I have the next few months to get everything completed....

Today's adventure #1: renewing the passport. Pretty exciting! The forms were easy, but the hard part will be decommissioning my beloved first passport. I've been reassured that they will send it back to me, so I guess it's time to work on getting some new memories stamps!

Adventure #2 of the day is a little less exciting: beginning the process of fundraising for my trip. Each Young Adult Volunteer at an International site is responsible for raising $8,000 toward the costs associated with their YAV year. Step one is meeting with my pastor (which I will do this afternoon) to work out a few details before I post a more detailed summary of the process.

On a much less paperwork-focused note, I have had some incredibly amusing suggestions for the title of this blog, and so now I will put it to a very unofficial vote. I can't promise that I'll actually use the winner's title, but I have some remarkably creative friends who deserve some recognition (and friendly competition). Enjoy!

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