Special blog post, Momma-style!

As promised, I've asked my mom to give a bit of reflection on her whirlwind tour of Belfast (and most of the UK). So without further ado:


It’s rather unnerving to do a guest blog; Tricia does what I consider a fabulous job with her entries. She did warn me about this request but it just gave me more time to fret about it. Well, here goes:

Thursday: Being busy doesn't even touch on what Tricia had in store for my visit. After the bus ride home from the airport we got our first sign of how friendly Belfast can be. With only 2 blocks to go, Robert insisted on giving us a lift. As Tricia said, people are so friendly here you learn to just graciously accept these kind offers. We crock-potted dinner and were on our way for one of my few opportunities to see Tricia active in one of her normal weekly-duties—Lunch with the Pensioners. Julia prepared a traditional Belfast feast and everyone that works at the Vine had nothing but good to say not only about Tricia but also her work there. We went on the see so much of the city that Tricia has been calling home this year, (or she was keeping me on my feet so I wouldn't fall asleep). The Maundy Thursday service was beautiful and gave me the opportunity to meet some of the people who have helped Tricia feel welcome in this foreign country. Going out after the service with friends and fellow YAVs was very comforting and gave me peace. The plan for new YAVs on their first night in Belfast is to stay awake until at least 9:00 P.M. But no, normal bedtime back home for me is 9:00 PM, add those 4 hours for Belfast time, equals 1:00 AM in Belfast. We only made midnight, but still a very long 38 hours. Glad I squeezed in that 1 ¼ hours of sleep on the flight over.

Meeting David and Anna on Thursday

Friday: After a traditional Ulster breakfast we trekked to Belfast Castle. The castle wasn't the main attraction but the several-hour hike up to Napoleon’s nose in the snow, ice and cold was the naz. Fellow YAV David included us in his weekly hike, and was a wonderful guide—patient and tolerant of Tricia and my less than perfect skills and a Florida mom who had never frolicked in snow. We got home in time to change for the Good Friday service and my opportunity to get to know Lesley, the pastor at Tricia’s church, and to meet others who have helped Tricia feel welcome in Belfast. It was nice to see Tricia involved with the service. The evening outing gave me a chance to meet TJ, the final North Belfast YAV. Things closed early for Good Friday so we got to bed before midnight.

Our view from "Napoleon's Nose"

Saturday: Tricia has made the trip to Giant’s Causeway with friends from the congregation before but we got the full-day tour with many sights of this lovely country both along the way and on the return to Belfast. Upon our return we headed back to Belfast Castle, now the main attraction. It was odd hiking up the hill in the cold and dark to get to the castle, but was so worth it to see all the Northern Belfast YAVs as a group. The friendship they share is priceless. The support and camaraderie they have towards one another is invaluable.

Photo op with the Giant's Causeway in the background

Sunday: Easter Sunday was a peaceful morning, not having to get out of the house until 10:00. Maybe not as calm for Tricia with every alarm in the house set to make sure she didn't miss the time change. (What devices automatically change time, which don’t?) The service was lovely and I got to see Tricia in another phase of her work: keeping the service and all of its digital aspects in sync; a nice presentation of Tricia’s work with The Youth Club was included. After the service there was a chance to meet others in the congregation. Stewart who complimented Tricia’s help with The Boys' Brigade, and several young couples who love Tricia and value her relationship with their “tots”. After church we went to the City Centre. More was closed than expected on Easter Sunday so we missed St. George’s Market and our falafel, but this just allowed us to eat at Nando's, one of Tricia’s favorites. Easter and the time change combined had us miss our tour of Belfast but Tricia came through once again. We got a very special, first-hand tour of the murals in Belfast and the Peace Wall, the biggest attractions of the Belfast tour, from TJ, who does much of his YAV work in this area.

Monday: Well this brings us to the 7:00 arrival at the International Airport for our flight to Newcastle for our “whistle-stop tour” that Tricia mentioned in her blog. She makes it seem like a simple tour but seeing how my first 4 days went, I’m sure you can imagine the “tour” of Great Britain at times seemed more of an “assault”. We made the most of the vacation time and finished it with a wonderful meal at a winery B&B that Tricia tricked me into having her pay for.

Of all the wonderful things Tricia mentions in her blog, what does Tricia’s mom do? Hears anything that she could worry about--life is scary; no, it isn't easy; trials and tribulations; etc—often not even hearing the context is which something is said. But I guess we all can be proven so wrong. With my short time in Belfast I saw so much. Not only have I seen my daughter’s successes and accomplishments, I've seen and witnessed some of her trials and tribulations.Tricia has met some wonderful people, has had irreplaceable experiences and has learned volumes about herself. She now sees that she can do anything and that every cloud has a silver lining. A mother could be nothing but proud. Tricia has soldiered through her YAV year with dignity and grace—for that I am extremely proud of her and admire her. And for who she is I love her.

Aww, thanks mom - love you too! For more of our photos from the trip, click here.

What's Up?

My apologies to those who read this in google reader... I hit publish on the wrong post just now. Obviously that one isn't supposed to go up for a few months, and now you know my secret of writing posts long before they're published! Just pretend you didn't see it... it'll be our secret.


It has been so kindly pointed out to me that most of my recent posts haven't really had anything to do with what I'm doing here in Belfast - just photos and videos that entertain me. Of course, since I'm the one living the daily life, nothing really exciting seems to be happening... but I know that's not the case for you, the faithful readers of my blog.

The weeks here pass so quickly, it's like I've completely lost track of time. In fact, I just realized my last "week in the life" post was almost 6 months ago - whoops! So here's an updated glimpse at a week in the life of this Belfast YAV:

Monday
Most Mondays begin with YAV Meetings. We still meet as a group roughly 2-3 times per month for devotional time, to discuss local issues and share a meal together. On our "off" weeks, we have one-on-one meetings to check in on a more personal level with Doug. Of course, this month will be a little different - Doug is currently in the States to interview the next batch of YAVs (I can't believe it's that time already!), so we're meeting without our fearless leader for a few weeks.

Since our meetings are in the City Centre, I take advantage of the bus fare and do most of my errands in the afternoon while I'm downtown, before heading up to the church to prepare our weekly Bible Study. Our group is small, but I've loved the opportunity to get acquainted with these ladies. We just completed a study on prayer, and are currently doing a short Lenten series.

Tuesday
I meet with Lesley (the minister at Fortwilliam and Macrory) in the morning to check-in and discuss what's on my plate for the coming week. I usually spend the rest of the day in the office working on my larger-scale projects like the monthly magazine or upcoming Artisan Market (the one in December went so well we're planning another for June).

(You're not incorrect if you remember that Tuesday was my day off. But after a few months of my former schedule, I found that it was difficult and a bit lonely to have a different day off than everyone else... so I asked if it would be alright to rework my schedule a bit.)

Wednesday
I start off Wednesdays at the Vine for Mums and Tots. I love playing with the kids and sharing a cuppa and some toast with the carers (sometimes mum, sometimes granny). We just put out the toys and let the kids have their fun, so it is a fairly relaxed atmosphere compared to some of the other mother/toddler groups I've heard about.

My little buddy - we're usually attached at the hip!

I have a few hours between Mums and Tots and JAFFA, the Bible club, which I usually spend writing lesson plans or doing office work. During JAFFA I rotate with David and Elizabeth on teaching the lesson, serving snacks, playing games or assisting with crafts. The kids can be a bit "mustard" - which in this context is an affectionate term to say they're sort of stubborn or rebellious - but overall they're really great.

...apparently I sit on the floor in this room a lot...

After JAFFA, I head home. By the time I get back, it's usually time for our community dinner with the North Belfast YAVs. Each week we rotate between the girls' and boys' flat and someone cooks dinner for the 4 of us. Tomorrow is my turn. We just started this tradition at the new year, but I really enjoy it. We hung out a lot at the beginning of our time here, but now that we've got other friends and activities outside the program we decided to be more intentional about spending time together. We often follow it up with a trip to the local open mic night that Anna and T.J. have promised to attempt later this year.

Thursday
I head back to the Vine on Thursdays for the pensioners' lunch club, which I enjoy. I like hearing about their younger lives, since it offers another perspective on growing up in Belfast and raising families during the Troubles. It is difficult to hear some of the things these ladies (and a few gentlemen) have experienced - losing children or facing paramilitaries in their communities - but I think it is important to get a wider picture of the community.

After lunch we have some sort of activity with the group, which ranges from trivia to bocce or trips to local museums and bowling alleys. I then head upstairs for homework club, hopping from child to child practicing spellings or working out maths problems as needed.

I head home for a bit after the Vine, to eat and change into uniform before I'm lifted (picked up) for Boys' Brigade. We're currently practicing for our display night in April, so much of what we're doing involves learning the words to our songs or taking turns doing physical drills like forward rolls, trampoline jumps or climbing the horse. Keeping the wiggly Anchor Boys still as they wait for their turn is always a challenge!

(case in point: notice how few of the boys are facing forward?)

Friday
Fridays begin with our FMPCI staff meetings, a time to discuss our programs and community issues that have arisen in the past week. In the afternoon we have RESTORE, a small prayer meeting (which will move to Tuesdays after Easter). In the afternoons, I prepare the worship slides and announcement sheets for Sunday morning.

I'm not on football club in the evenings any more, but I do tag along occasionally to lend a hand or spend time with the boys - since I don't really have the opportunity on Saturday nights. They've begun playing matches with other local clubs, and while I haven't made it to a game yet, I am quite proud of their undefeated record!

Saturday
Now that I have the mornings free, I generally spend time with other YAVs or wander aimlessly for hours around St. George's market. It's essentially a covered farmers / craft market, and my idea of heaven on a Saturday morning. Falafel for lunch! Yum!

In the evenings, we still do Youth Club. Currently, it's like a drop-in centre in the Macrory Halls each week. We typically have a game (like football or dodgeball) going on in the main hall, billiards and table tennis in the back hall, and a craft or kitchen activity that the kids can wander between as the night progresses. Others sit up on the stage to chat, listen to music and watch the boys playing football. This will soon be changing a bit.

Making "Fifteens"

Due to other community issues, our numbers have gone down significantly in the past few months. Some of this may have to do with ongoing flag protests and preparations for the beginning of marching season (a few weeks ago, we had no one in the club but heard the bands practicing in nearby Tiger's Bay). As the departure of our Youth and Community Development Worker has left us a bit short staffed, we will move the club to fortnightly (every other week) after Easter; partnering with another local club to fill in the gap until we can get a new staff member. We will also focus more on "detached" youth work, where we walk around Tiger's Bay at non-club times and talk to the community kids as we see them hanging about. I'll fill you in on all that once we see how it goes...

Sunday
I go to church in the morning, then usually have the afternoons to myself. We've just begun watching the Nooma videos in Bible class, which I think the kids will really enjoy. I think it's easier to grasp the concepts in story form, and it has already facilitated better discussion so I don't completely feel like I'm talking to myself! Once a month, the young adults go to lunch after the service. I always appreciate the opportunity to spend time with this group!

So there you go, a week in the life, part 2. I promise I'll try to be more mindful about updating you all on projects and exciting events in the future! Much love.

A glimpse of heaven...

This week in JAFFA*, we asked the kids to draw us what they thought Heaven looked like. The results were predictably adorable, so I brought them home and compiled them all into one picture. My favorite might be the dog in the top right corner... because as we all know, All Dogs Go To Heaven!

*JAFFA = Jesus A Friend For All, a weekly club for children at the Vine Centre

I promise I'm still alive!

Hello everyone, just a heads up that it might be awhile til my next update. Christmas season has begun with a vengeance and I’ll be running around like mad for the next few weeks. Church life!

Some highlights:

• Saturday was the church sale. I got a mug that says “We Love Grandma”. And yes, there is a picture of someone else’s family on it. Awesome. 
• Last night was Fortwilliam and Macrory’s Carols for All service. It was a lovely service with a 30-piece band, choirs and readers from all over the community. 
• This week at the Vine is our community Christmas dinner. This weekend is the staff Christmas party. Next week is our carol service... After programs end for the year, I’ll be working on putting together Christmas hampers for local families who need some help this holiday season. 
• I am planning the first-annual Artisan Christmas Market on 15 December, which still requires loads of publicity and logistics. 

Add in other Christmas festivities and services, and I’m a busy lady for the rest of the month. There is also a very special Christmas present in the works for my Second Pres youth. Get ready!

A week in the life

We had gorgeous weather for our first week or so in Belfast, but now the weather has returned to what we can expect from a traditional autumn. The rain has started back intermittently, and it's fairly chilly in our little house. We're trying to add layers to delay the inevitable day when we'll have to work out our notoriously difficult heating system... so the hot water bottles I brought from home are definitely in rotation!

We started work last Wednesday, but this has been my first full week at work, plus the first time I participated in a few of our programs. Since school just started back last week, there was a bit of easing in to my work since they didn't all start at the same time. So without further ado, here's a snapshot of a week in my life:

Mondays are mostly reserved for YAV meetings with Doug. I also had the ability to attend a Kirk Session meeting this week to introduce the new session members to what is going on at FMPCI. Fun fact to my friends on session at Second Pres - when you are elected to session here, you're elected for life. No more complaining about 3 year terms! Also, since I'm a ruling elder in the States, I've been invited to their meetings throughout the year.

Tuesdays are my day off. I still haven't completely settled in, which would have been a perfect task for this week, but I was still coming off last week's cold and decided to spend the day laying low with a hot water bottle on my poor freezing toes! Anna and I also hit up the Ikea in an attempt to introduce a little more organization into our inherited apartment. Don't worry, I'll share photos when it's a little better put together.

Walking to work in the rain!

Wednesday is my full day at the Vine Community and Advice Centre. Mums and Tots group in the morning is an opportunity for infant/toddlers and their carers to come have some social interaction. That afternoon we have JAFFA - which stands for Jesus A Friend For All. Kids aged 3-10 or so come in for a Bible story, some games and of course Jaffa cakes!

Thursdays are my busiest days. I have office time at Fortwilliam and Macrory in the morning, followed by a seniors lunch and then homework club at the Vine. I'll occasionally head from there to Bike Club at Macrory, but the addition of a new YouthLink worker this week has lightened my load a bit. I'm back to Macrory in the evening for Boys' Brigade. I help out with the Anchors, who are the youngest brigaders at 3-10 years old. BB and it's counterpart GB are extremely popular in Northern Ireland (I think most of the YAVs are involved at a BB or GB group in each of their churches). My best description is that it's a bit like scouts, but with a more prominent church connection and a bit of a military flair.

Fridays are mostly office days at FMPCI, working on some programming and preparing for Sunday's service. I go to Football Club in the evenings, where I cheer from the sidelines, keep score and pour juice. Luckily Mark is a semi-pro footballer and can take care of the parts that require actual athleticism!

Saturdays, I come to garden at church in the mornings. I will occasionally join the walking group in the afternoons as well. In the evenings, I have Youth Club (everything is a "club" here!), which should be quite exciting. It is mostly an outlet for local kids to come hang out, and I'm excited to try my hand at leading my first kitchen project next week.

Sundays I'll lead a Bible class during church. I may have the occasional responsibilities in the afternoon, but for the most part I get a bit of a break!

So that is a look into my crazy week! As we know, the first job of a YAV is to be flexible, so I know this will change as the year progresses! This is already a ridiculously long post, so I'll save some reflection for next time...

A Ministry of Reconciliation

Today's lunchtime treat: a video produced by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on the work of my site coordinator, Doug Baker, and the Young Adult Volunteer program in Northern Ireland. Enjoy!

(sneak a peek at my placement location, the Vine, at 2:47)

Excitement!

Things have been moving forward at a steady, if uneventful pace since the last time I wrote: preparing to transition my work responsibilities, sorting through my storage unit to determine what gets kept / sold and donations rolling in (now at over $5,600 - you guys ROCK)!

In the midst of this, I got some exciting news this morning that I wanted to share with you guys... our site coordinator Doug has matched us with our placements for next year! This not only means that I now know where I'll be working, but it also means I know where I'll be living / who I'll be living with, and I can begin the process to apply for my visa!

Sooo... drumroll please!


My new job(s):


Fortwilliam and Mcrory Presbyterian Church

Fortwilliam and Macrory Presbyterian Church, in a mixed part of North Belfast, is actively engaging with all sections of the community – regardless of political or religious affiliation.  This post involves support for young people in the congregation through Sunday morning Bible Class and Sunday evening youth fellowship.  There is also work with a youth club primarily attended by those outside the congregation. 

The Vine Centre

The Vine Community and Advice Centre is in a low-income inter-face area in North Belfast.   This involves work with after-schools tutoring/study support, a senior citizen’s lunch, a children’s outreach programme called JAFFA (Jesus A Friend For ALL) and a parent/ toddler group.

My new home:



Anna is super psyched to be my roomie, and is also quite proud of my computer / superimposing skills. She may or may not think this is the best photo of her EVER. And yes, I now have my address and phone number for next year... but we've gotta leave a little mystery for another post!