One more thing...

We have all arrived home after a loooooong day- one that we can officially say was the longest day of our lives- literally.  After being delayed in the scorching hot Newark Airport for 2 extra hours, we eagerly ran through the Buffalo Airport to meet up with our families.  It really felt good to be home despite the many amazing things we have to share of our experience in Northern Ireland.  And I think that may be one of the best things about arriving home to so many people we care about-  getting to share about what has happened, what God has done, and how we have been changed.

Thanks so much again for following along, and keeping us in your prayers, we most definitely needed it and could see the effects of it.  God has done great things, and will continue to do so.  Thank you God for being faithful and good.

Beth

PS--- for all you longing to know what happened to the bee... well...

As it turned out, Harry actually saw the bee and swept it outside on the morn of Doug's traumatizing experience.  After hearing Doug's rendition of the event, Harry stealthily went outside, and retrieved the bee, and let Jenny in on its whereabouts.  They managed to keep this a secret and continued to pester Doug until our very last night.  When Jenny and Harry came to say their goodbyes, they admitted that they had a gift for only Doug on this evening... a tiny bag for a tiny gift... which elicited a grand response.  As Doug opened the gift he uttered "So help me Jenny Robinson if this contains that bee...!"  which his raised eyebrows, widened eyes and huffing made clear the verdict as he removed a small plastic clear box containing the bee's body.  We all had a great laugh and truly enjoyed to the fullest the company, hospitality, friendship and shenanigans experienced through Harry and Jenny on this trip.  Thanks again Harry and Jenny you were the most amazing hosts and we already miss you:)

Onward

Today was our last official day of "work" here in Downpatrick, a kind of bittersweet realization by the team.  It is comforting knowing we will be spending the next 3 days in Dundrum, processing, unpacking and assessing exactly what all happened this past month, with some time for relaxation thrown in there too.  It is strange to think so much time has gone by, and the days in Sandy Row seem so long ago and yet memories of the kids as we recall them seem like yesterday.

We attended two services this morning, both of which are regularly under Harry Robinson's instruction.  We went to Ardglass for the first service which we were a large part of, sharing a bit about ourselves, and taking most components of the service.  John preached a sermon about the treasure we hold within, placed there by Christ and revealed in our times of weakness.  Travis prayed over the congregation, Isaak read through the bible passage, Jenessa was interviewed by Doug, and Ashley and myself sang what we now can only call a "wee song".  Everything flowed smoothly and it was hard to believe this would be the last official thing we would lead as a team here in Northen Ireland.  The second service was led primarily by the American team, whom we handed out flyers for earlier in the week. We socialized and gave our greatest thanks to those at Downpatrick Presbyterian Church and spent time chatting with people we feel that we have known for so long now.

The next part of the day was a trip into Newry for the GAA game, a Gaelic sport like a full contact game of keepaway, but with a soccer goal with extended posts above the crossbar, and different rules regarding travelling with the ball in hand, how you need to pick it up with the option of kicking it as well.  Very interesting to say the least.  The team enjoyed experiencing/viewing a sport that we will never see played at home.

The afternoon passed quickly and after a pizza dinner with those who went to the game AND surprise... Jenny and Harry's one week old granddaughter made and appearance as well.  Such a beautiful little girl, Jenny can scarsely be peeled away from the little thing, she is so fragile and beautiful.

Last of the evening was the usual Sunday Night Session at Downpatrick Presbyterian.  This was not led by us, but it gave us an opportunity to see the kids and leaders we have gotten to know over the last three weeks.  The girls arrived a little late, as they got a special trip to Jenny's daughter's horse barn.  After the event we kept to the Sunday Night McDonalds tradition and said our good-byes to the Downpatrick folk.  Isaak needed to be literally pulled away:)

We are excited for somewhere new tomorrow, but are a little slow in letting go of the familiarilty of our host families in Downpatrick.  It has felt so much like a home here and we have made a lot of great friends.  Overall, I think God has reshaped us SO much through the people, experiences and love we have been shown - and shown to those around us. 

I will sign off the blog (as I am doubting there will be any internet access for the remainder of the trip) with saying a huge thank you for your prayers.  There are surely moments on this trip where we have felt God's protection and providence through your faithfulness in prayer and His true goodness.  Keep praying as we debrief these next few days that the work that has been started, continued or even accomplished on this trip in our lives and the lives of others will not go unnoticed.  Also that we would take the time to give God glory for what he has done, and perhaps uncover things we have not yet acknowledged.  We have been richly blessed. 

Lord, thank You for Your faithfulness, keep us safe on our journey home, and seal the work You have accomplished in us through Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus name,
Amen.

Dublin

Today we were out the door by 6:15. As our resident early riser this was not a problem for me! The rest of the team however resembled drowned rats who had been hit by a train. None the less, spirits rose once we got on our train which was headed south. The scenery from the train was typically beautiful as we had lots of sun to see the Irish sea and rolling hills.

Upon arriving in Dublin we were quickly guided by John to go and see the U2 recording studio. This was achieved with a pleasant walk along the river in which we struggled to read our maps due to the wind! After a quick look at the studio we all headed into the city centre for a full Irish breakfast. This is similar to an Ulster fry but with more pudding and less grease. I bet Isaak £1 that he could not finish the whole thing. Needless to say I am out £1, however the joke was on Isaak as they use Euros in the 'Republic'. At this point the girls went off shopping. Another total afront to cultural norms in favour of shopping did not surprise me, yet I was happy to not be dragged along as shopping with women (or should I say patiently waiting on a bench) is not my strong point! The men proceded to go into all sorts of sports stores. It is interesting to see the Tricolour flag displayed so prevalently, as in Belfast it is assosciated with the republican movement, and can be extremely provocative if displayed. Aside from this we took in all of the sights and sounds and I was able to buy a real Gaelic Football. This football will be put to good use once we learn the rules of the game at a GAA match tomorrow.

Anyway after our wander around we met up with two of the Youth Alpha leaders and went out for a lovely early dinner. The banter was class as per usual of course Isaak stole the show with one of his colourful anecdotes with a clever punchline which left everyone in stitches. We made our way back to the station and headed back north. It was nice to return to the comforts of Northern Ireland and our adopted home in Downpatrick. We settled in for a quiet evening in which most of the team relaxed while Travis and I designed a t-shirt and Jenessa raided the sweet jar. Everyone has gone to bed early as we are leading a service in Ardglass tomorrow and are quite worn out from our adventure to the 'Republic'.

All is well on this end,
Greetings from both the North and South!

just spoiled, absolutely.

It is no exaggeration to say we have been just spoiled, absolutely during our stay in Downpatrick.  Our separate host families as well as Harry and Jenny have been so intentional about our stay here being nothing short of fantastic.  Our meals, supplied by members of Harry's congregation, the constant tea-making by Jenny, and the constant conversation and banter with the both of them and our team has been hilarious, and inspiring.  Many "wee chats" have been had with a wide range from roaring laughter to theological or ethical discussion.  Our time has gone by in a flash this week with all this hospitality.

This morning Harry took us to see Down Cathedral- the Gravesite of St. Patrick, as well as the Down Museum which is located in the old "Gaol" and the St. Patrick Centre where we viewed an informational video filling us in on the history of St. Patrick. 

This afternoon we distributed flyers again around the community, advertising for the American team that is coming this weekend and will be running some childrens programs at Harry's church.  Walking around, going door to door has been an uncomfortable yet great way to just break down conversational barriers and just be social in the community.  I found that rarely do people keep their conversations short or cut you off as you are truly a stranger, they seem to thrive on social opportunities.  It is a serious prayer that God would continue to break down religious and political barriers within Downpatrick, and we hope that times of conversation like this are used in God's plan for reconciliation here.  Isaak and I ran into a group of kids playing in the side streets which resulted in them crowding around us and asking us about Canada.  Their parents were not far off and when we started handing our flyers they said "they would only need a couple, they'll be telling all their friends anyway".  Again there is still a real sense of physical community and family in Downpatrick.  People still know their neighbours and more than that, they just chat in the streets when the weather is nice and watch their kids play.

This evening the girls went with Jenny to be a part of Women's World Day of Prayer, and the boys headed out to the streets with some of the Sunday Youth Leaders to do some "detached youth work" a.k.a. chat up those who were out partying on the street on a Friday night.  The girls enjoyed the more liturgical style service with a genuine focus on seeking justice and a geographical focus on Malasia.  It is again a great social event afterwards to sit, talk and have tea with the ladies. The spitirual setting of the night was one of tenderness and compassion toward the injustice brought to our attention around the world, and yet an encouraging night as well as we could take time to pray and ask God to use us to bring his justice on earth. 

The boys had a somewhat quiet night, taking time to pray as they walked the streets.  Near the end they came across a party situation and started some chats with the guys there.  Some of them probably didn't engage or desire their presence there but many others joined in conversation and asked them about Canada, Ireland, the differences and whatever else came to mind.  God was definitely present in keeping them safe and even opening up as many opportunities as they had.

To round off the day, Harry, our resident McDonalds addict (along with Travis and Jenessa) drove us to the local Golden Arches for a late night snack, which quickly disbanded upon realizing it was late and we are meeting at 6:15am tomorrow to head to Dublin.  Did I mention we are spoiled!  It was a great day, and the week has truly flown by.  We are looking forward to our trip tomorrow but can't believe that will only leave us with the Sunday here in Downpatrick before heading to our debreif location.

The day after yesterday.....

Today we had a lie in. We then pondered what life in Ireland could be like without the responsibility of planning events. This was due to the fact that we no longer need to plan anything and are free to enjoy the hospitality of those taking care of us. I should note that this is a bit more traumatic for me as I am presently on trial for what I feel to be the justified murder of a dangerous bee in our host house. Any way back to the day.  We spent the latter part of the morning meeting with a former member of parliament. He told us about his experiences within the Catholic civil rights movement. Being a political science major made this an incredibly engaging moment for me. Others may not have understood quite as much but still enjoyed hearing about his long and storied political career. After this we moved on to see The 'Saul Church' which is apparently built upon the spot where St. Patrick started his ministry. This is at least the history that I took in and may not be totally accurate.  I confess I was too impressed by the immense beauty of both the inside and outside of the little church to fully appreciate the lecture that we were given on its history.

After a quick lunch we participated in a skype call to the Eden spiritual life department. This seemed to go well and will be shown in chapel next week. Everyone spoke clearly and concisely and we enjoyed seeing familiar Canadian faces. The late afternoon led to a trip to a Downpatrick afterschool program. This is much the same as Sandy Row except the children are slightly better behaved. We participated in a program in which Canadian themed picture frames were made. This was lots of fun as we did not need to plan it and yet could still relate to the kids. Upon returning home we had a large dinner. During which Isaak amazed us by noting that you could kill a shark by shoving a surf board down its throat. I have no idea how it related to dinner but it does seem in a way plausible, and was immensely amusing. The rest of the evening has been low key. This had lead to quiet time for most of the team and intense research on my part.

I 'discovered' this article online and have used it as my defense against Jenny's pro insect agenda. Also, I suppose I should say that we are all well and appreciate your prayers immensely. There, now the ones of you who do not want to read the bee article can rest assured in that there will be nothing else at the end.

Bees The Downfall of Civilization

British honey bee, known colloquially as "The Widowmaker", is a subspecies of the bee. This subspecies is a hybrid variety generated by a man-made breeding of an African honeybee subspecie, A. m. scutellata, with some others subspecies of honeybee (Apis mellifera), mostly various European honey bees such as the Italian bee A. m. ligustica and Iberian peninsula honeybee A. m. iberiensis. The British honey bee varieties are far more aggressive than the European subspecies due to a reversion of behaviour similar to non-domesticated species. Small swarms of Africanized bees are capable of taking over Presbyterian homes by invading the home and establishing their own queen after killing the local deaconess.^[1]

Defensiveness

British honey bees are characterized by greater defensiveness in established hives than European honey bees. They are more likely to attack a perceived threat (especially deaconesses) and, when they do so, attack relentlessly in larger numbers. Also, they have been known to pursue their threat for over a mile. This aggressively protective behavior has been termed by scientists as hyper-defensive behavior. This defensiveness has earned them the nickname "killer bees," the aptness of which is debated. Over the decades, several deaths in Ireland have been attributed to British honey bees. The venom of a Widowmaker bee is no more potent than that of a European honey bee, but since the former tends to sting in greater numbers, the number of deaths from them are greater than from the European honey bee.^{[citation needed]} However, allergic reaction to bee venom from any bee can kill a person, and it is difficult to estimate how many more people have died due to the presence of Widowmakers.
Most human incidents with Widowmaker bees occur within two or three years of the bees' arrival and then subside. Beekeepers can greatly reduce this problem by culling the queens of aggressive strains and breeding gentler stock. Beekeepers keep A. m. scutellata in South Africa using common beekeeping practices without excessive problems.
Rumors about the Widowmaker being a ‘keystone’ to civilization are greatly exaggerated. The rumors are thought to have originated in Co, Down and cannot be substantiated. What is known is that the bee will stop at nothing to maim deaconesses beyond recognition. Anyone who spots a deaconess and bee in the same region should kill the bee immediately. In the past medals of honor have been distributed for this act!

We can't beelieve we will bee home in a week,
Salutations from Downpatrick!

GPS, Bumblebees and Comfort Zones

Another day escapes by in a flash.  It's hard to believe how quickly February has flown past. We met as a team this morning as Doug illustrated his morning events with all the gusto his eyebrows and physical dramatization he could muster.  He had heard buzzing upon waking and realized there was a bumblebee in his room.  He managed to trap it in a towel and kill it- barely escaping death, but by the time he came to telling us about it, the bee's corpse had vanished, thus giving us license to discredit all that he had described.  Doug absolutely could not take this and has devoted much of his sprare time to searching for set corpse.

This morning howver, was also another early assembly which I can personally vouch for being stunned afterwards as if it had all gone by like a dream, with little recollection about how.  We were at Downpatrick Primary School and the children were so lovely and orderly.  Before heading in the auditorium Doug (on his bee quest)  asked in the staff room of the school if it were at all plausible for bumblebees to be about this time of year.  One teacher's response was that one of the children had been stung the day previous.  Doug could not hold in a fist pump of celebartion in affirmation of the possible validity of his tale.  The teacher looked quizically at us, wondering why he had cheered at a child being stung, but laughed heartily with us as we filled her in on the fabled morning events. 

Sitting in their rows, bright eyed and attentive these yourng children were just brilliant as we shared about ourselves, sang some action songs (which were entertaining to say the least) and painted an illustration about Canada; how large it is, how much larger God's love is, and how much farther He goes to show us that love.

After the assembly Harry gave us directions to make it into the heart of Downpatrick by foot, and recommended a gem of a little cafe for lunch.  The wandering haulted completely when we found "Sports Direct.com" shop where Doug could finally gaze upon the long awaited Manchester City Jersey he had been coveting.  We dragged him out of there soon enough and headed off to lunch and then back to "The Manse" (Harry and Jenny's) to chill for the afternoon.  By the time we had returned Jenny had posted a wanted poster on the door for the killer of the house bumblebee- suspected murder as it were, £10,000 for capture of the accused.  This is by no means an exaggeration or at all unrepresentative of our hosts spirits. (as it was indeed Jenny's fault the leaders were up far too late both nights previous- there's ALWAYS time for a "cuppa"- or the now famous saying: I was ready to go to bed, and then Jenny came in).

We spent some time before dinner (tea) distributing flyers in the community for the group of Americans that will be leading some children's events as we leave.  It was quite a different experience going door to door, having a "wee chat" with those who desired, and even those who seemed disinterested would perk up at our accent or when they learned we were from Canada.

Tonight was our last real night of officially leading a kids event.  John drove us to Poleglass - an adventure in itself driving maual on the opposite side of the road and car, with a GPS tuned in to a slightly alternative destination, but thats another story- and we delivered a night of team challenges for a group of 50 (or so) teens.  It was such a fantastic night.  We had a blast with all the teens and the leaders as well.  Isaak afterward declared jovially "I don't think I've ever been so social, I loved talking to these kids- Northern Ireland is really expanding my comfort zone!"  I think I can speak for all of us in saying that God is working on all of us in such a way, and has honestly blessed and been so good to us on this trip.

We returned to Downpatrick quite late and all of us were eagerly awaiting our beds.  Doug still attempted to pull out of Jenny exactly what she was up to with whatever twist she has up her sleeve about this bumblebee business, but only time will tell- stay posted:)  I can promise you- pranksters Harry and Jenny Robinson are not to be messed with.