This week is Respect Week in our area. The Community Empowerment Partnership for the New Lodge area is putting on several events, some of them at the 174 Trust. The week will highlight the work of community projects and how they are inclusive and exemplifying the ideals of respecting differences.

http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/nbcau_empowerment_partnerships#cep_greater_new_lodge
(for more information on the CEP)

The children in the afterschool project have been working through some lessons I put together about respecting differences and creating artwork that will be displayed this week along with information about our project. So, in the spirit of Respect Week I painted a picture of the occupants of 31 Thorndale Avenue. The children wrote a bit about the person they respected and I'd like to share with you why I respect my roommates.


(From left to right)

I respect Alison because when I'm baking or cooking she sits in the kitchen with me, DJ's our favorite tunes from the computer, and is the best at stirring things. She leaves me messages on the magnadoodle in the hall and she makes me laugh, especially late at night. She will finish any food that is leftover and usually mixes it all together. When she has a really tough day she can still laugh about it and end by saying how much she loves her job. She understands the beauty of having an ADHD conversation and she is kind and patient in a way I truly admire.

I respect Dan because he can put up with 3 girls everyday. He taught me never to throw something away without asking (Christmas cake that was months old) and he taught me to be more confident in my own opinions and not worry about what other people think. He makes great pancakes, opens the window when he cooks something smelly, and plays beautiful music on the guitar. He does things that need to be done, even if no one will see or give him recognition.

I respect Libby because she taught me how to pluck my own eyebrows, she takes videos of me and Al dancing and laughs with us late at night. She watches Nick Baker's weird creatures with me and appreciates how often I change my mind. She persevered in her placement with great patience and determination, and she continues to love and sincerely care for the youth she works with even though funding is running out. She organizes the silverware in the drying rack. She tells great stories and laughs out loud at the computer when no one is around. She has a heart for the children in Northern Uganda and shares the message with a passion. I respect her even though she is an Appalachain State grad and UNC fan. :)

God blessed me with wonderful roommates who listen to me, surround me with grace and love, and make my days bright just by their presence.

The Power of Choice

The book of Jonah is one of my favorites. Newly discovered at orientation I latched onto Jonah's story as a kindred spirit who has experienced the desire to run the other way from God's suggestions at times. Jonah also has a bit of a temper, especially in how he has the audacity to get angry with God when God is merciful in forgiving the people of Nineveh. Jonah goes and pouts, growing in agitation when his shade withers and dies. I feel like God was sort of smirking when he spoke to Jonah, explaining his depth of concern for every plant and animal. As a person quite concerned about the treatment of animals, my love for my Heavenly Father swells when I think of his concern for every living thing.

Liz used the first two chapters of Jonah as her text for today's sermon. She talked about how some of us might think Jonah weak for his choice to go West to Tarshish instead of East as God had asked. But when she put it in the context of us being asked by God to solve the problems in Iraq, we could all more easily identify with wanting to run in the other direction. She also talked about how we all have a choice, places in our lives where God is illuminating for us the course of action that would please him. We have a choice whether to follow that illumined path or to flee in the opposite direction.

March 7 is election day in Northern Ireland, a significant step in moving toward a power sharing, devolved government future. Our street is covered with posters of candidates, some in our area are even written in Irish.



Liz reiterated for people the importance of making their voice heard in their vote this Wednesday. Many people in Northern Ireland have grown discouraged, as politicians continue to argue back and forth with one another. I can see how it easy it would be to be frustrated with politicans who play games with one another, seeing how long they can hold out to make the best deal for their party, and often times losing sight of what might benefit the greater good. The same is true of politics in the United States, the more I think about it. Yet, I would never sacrifice my gift of having my voice heard through voting. You have a choice to vote, to invest in the future, or to sit idly by and be an observer of a future that happens to you instead of with you. I also pray that Wednesday is a day that passes peacefully, with people turning out to vote, showing their committment to the future of Northern Ireland.

The next two weeks are Fair Trade Fortnight at many businesses. Companies like Marks and Spencer are opening their doors to organizations like Tear Fund so Fair Trade products can be promoted. In the store last week I stood mesmerized in front of the eggs at Tesco. I could choose 6 eggs that were about $1.20 or I could choose free range eggs that cost about twice as much. I had flashbacks of seeing the truck full of chickens in tiny crates bumbling down Poinsett Highway and I chose the free range eggs. I buy fair trade coffee, even though it costs more, and I'm trying to use recyclable bags when I go to the store since I heard that Tesco (our main grocery chain) uses 4 billion plastic bags a year. I'm trying to make conscious choices that do my part to contribute to fair working conditions for the people whose hands grow and prepare the food I purchase. Some people might argue that just one person making that choice isn't going to affect change, but I remember God's compassion in the story of Jonah. I remember God reprimanding Jonah for not knowing that God would care for every living thing and I feel that in my heart, making a choice for fair conditions is making a choice to live a life striving to be worthy of the calling I've received.
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what_we_do/fairtrade/index.htm

So this week as you hear news about global warming and purchase your groceries, when you feel God illuminating areas of your life where he is calling you to respond, big or small, how will we respond? Will we make a choice that we know in our heart honors God and invests in bringing his Kingdom here on earth, or will we, like Jonah, run in the opposite direction. The other question posed to us at orientation was, "If Jonah had not eventually gone to Nineveh would God's purpose not have been accomplished?" So if we don't make the choices we feel God bends our hearts to make, will his will ultimately not be accomplished? I believe it will and I believe God invites us to be a part of things. It's what we do with that invitation that is the answer to the question, speaking through our lives.

Under God's Tent

Women's World Day of Prayer was celebrated yesterday across the globe as women joined in common prayers written by the women of Paraguay. I joined with some of the women from Whitehouse in the service that we shared with other local women from various faith backgrounds. Star of the Sea Catholic Church, also located on the Shore Road in Newtownabbey, opened it's facilities for us to use and I found myself surrounded by women I've come to admire in Whitehouse and filled with the solidarity of spirit that the gathering of women inspired. The prayers, readings, and songs told us a small portion of the culture of Paraguay and the struggles of women there. It also gave us a space to be still and be open to the presence of God as we prayed for women all over the world.

The theme for this year was "Under God's Tent" and the women of Paraguay wrote of how we are united under God's protection and enfolded in his love like a cloak. Molly Dethereage was the speaker, a fellow US citizen, formerly from Oregon and now living in Northern Ireland studying for the ministry. She spoke about her family going on camping trips, the smell of the tent, and the presence of her father that seemed to abide in the familiarity of that setting and the object of the tent. Molly went on to talk about how the Israelites, in the desert, carried about a tent or tabernacle with the presence of God inside. But when Jesus came the Bible says the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, or literally "tented" with us. The spirit of God is now in us, abides with us. God cannot be contained. I was reminded of Liz's sermon about walls, particularly the peace walls in Northern Ireland and the similarities with the walls of the temple. Jesus' resurrection proved that even the temple, with it's intricate rules and restrictions, could not contain the presence of God. Jesus' death and resurrection shattered the boundaries and scattered the spirit to be in the children of God.

I left my family tent a bit over six months ago. I know you must get tired of reading my measures of time, but I find in an experience so vast time is the only certainty. God's work in and through my life cannot be measured, but the time that passes can, so forgive me if I use it again. In the time that has passed my awareness of the global Church or Church universal has expanded. I've seen the parallels between my congregation here and those at home, but I'm increasingly aware of and my heart bent towards the needs of the world community.

Last week, the Youth Alpha group at Whitehouse raised over $400 for Habitat for Humanity. After working on the site in Downpatrick, our youth felt God pressing on their hearts to be involved in the practical ministry of Habitat, supplying homes for people in poverty and in particular they are focusing on Africa, and Malawi where Whitehouse has contacts with the Steele family who are missionaries. So they made pancakes for Shrove Tuesday (on what we called Wacky Wednesday) and offered up music and praise.

They are striving to raise 1,235 British pounds which would fund one house. In conjunction with the action they've taken, the youth are also questioning. They are questioning why other Christians don't respond similarly everyday to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters who live without adequate housing, drinking water, food and sanitation everyday. Which is more important- to share the gospel with someone in our own community who chooses a life blatantly disregarding a relationship with Christ, or bringing higher quality of life and humanitarian aid (with a side of the gospel) to people in the two-thirds of the world that live in poverty?

Their questions inspire me to new depths with my own faith questions and have spurred my own searching. My appetite for God's word, discussion, reflection is too great for the time I have for my own pursuits. I'm thankful for the busyness, because I feel so excited about the projects growing up around me in each of my placements. The Afterschool project has more children now than ever before, with no full-time placements left! Eighteen children never seemed like a lot to me, but when they are all different ages it's amazing how they multiply. Yet even with that growth, our team is growing in our approach to children and the organization of the project as a whole. I'm wandering back to my instincts as a teacher, ones that I never should have left to begin with. I enjoy taking the time to discuss behavior and choices with children in a way that provides them an opportunity to reflect and shape positive behavior, instead of me imposing a system on them. For example, there is a child who uses inappropriate language (you know that F word that I feel like is part of every sentence I hear in Belfast). Well instead of me telling this child not to say that word we've given children the chance to say, "It makes me angry when you use that word in here." Then I can talk with that child about choosing to use language that makes their friends happy instead of angry. It's so much more lasting when that child comes to the conclusion that the language isn't appropriate or productive for the setting. It's positive and empowering for children who live in an area where those terms are foreign. They may not know there was an option to using the f word, but I hope we are providing them a space where they aren't condemned, but offered a new way of thinking about the choices they make.

The "Girls Allowed" project hasn't come to fruition like I had hoped. After several weeks of faithful volunteers and me showing up, no girls were showing up. We even changed the day because some of the girls mentioned Tuesday would be better. I had never been in position where all the pieces were in place, but no participants showed up. So on Tuesday, Nicola (another volunteer at the Trust) and I sat at the table at 4:30pm, slowly realizing the girls were not coming. Nicola and I had a beautiful conversation about youth work and how God's outcomes are sometimes accomplished even when ours aren't. She also explained to me that North Belfast is an area where the youth are not accustomed to opportunity. Youth from other walks of life might think they could start something up, illicit support, and see their idea materialize. Youth from our area of town aren't used to that concept and wouldn't know what to do. A good example of this was one of the first conversations I had with the 3 girls who came about a month ago. When I told them we had some money and could do some things, they couldn't think of ideas. It was like no one had ever told them they could do anything they wanted, all they had to do was pick. There is so much more to be done in this area with youth work, even though there are so many centers in the area that run programs for youth. There needs to be more outreach, more on the streets communication with youth, giving them choices and chances to do something other than the things they know. How could I be ready to serve, have the resources, and not be able to do anything?

Doug told me, during my interview last year, that it might be difficult for me not to see the affects of the work I've done. I didn't know how true until this project didn't work out like I envisioned in my head. But there is so much that God did accomplish through it, like my science project with beans in seventh grade that molded and failed all 3 trials, but I still got second place in the science fair. I was blessed to know Nicola and more about youth work in the area, including some of the challenges facing our community right now. I gained confidence in applying for funding, promoting my project, and walking around my neighborhood begging people to let me put up posters. Bill has even got a new project for me to start this week, providing tea, coffee, and whatever I want to bake up for people who are in the Trust. We're hoping to open up the Cafe at the Trust and promote it as a social hub by having food and fellowship.

I am learning so much about youth work in various and completely different settings. I work with the children of the Afterschool project and the Youth in the Disability project at the 174 Trust, some coming from disadvantaged parts of North Belfast and bringing a range of issues completely different from the issues of poverty in rural South Carolina. I also work with the Youth of Whitehouse Presbyterian who have passionate hearts for people of poverty and for reaching out to friends and neighbors in their own community. One of the guys in our youth group had the idea that we should start a Friday night youth club, where we have a band in the church hall and invite people to come and hang out at the church. These young people know that church is more than discipleship with other believers and even outreach to global needs, but "the church should be the reservoir for social capitol for the surrounding community." (David Campton)

I attended the launch of research on faith based youth work in Northern Ireland on Friday. In my small group I shared how in the United States there is no distinction between youth work and faith based youth work, all youth work is through the churches. Here in Northern Ireland, youth work is something you can be certified to do in your own community in centers independent of the church. Secular youth work is informing best practice and accountability for youth work in the church setting, but in an increasingly secular society how do we reduce suspicion and fear about our agenda as youth workers? How do reassure people that we are professional and serious about our impact in the community? How do we committ to transparency and diversity? There is so much going on in faith based youth work in Northern Ireland that can inform our youth ministry in the United States. And I find myself wondering how God will use what I learn here and where he is leading me by filling my heart up with passion for youth work.

So what about the tent? The smell of campfire and the presence of God tenting with us? Well, someone in the meeting yesterday said that our approach to youth work has to be holistic, not just hanging out and developing youth socially, emotionally, and physically. We also have to develop them spiritually. The same is true with adults, or the semi-grown up types most of us are. How can we develop the idea of God tenting with us, abiding with us?

I bought a ring, with the trinity symbol intertwined over and over. I wanted something unique, that I knew the meaning of and that would grow in significance to me as I wore it this year. I didn't fully understand the concept of the trinity when I bought it and I don't claim to now, but as I encounter God in authentic, rushing wind ways I am stretching my understanding of the spirit and what it means to grow spiritually. Letting God abide with you, so neatly woven into the fabric of your heart that your mind is bent to his will, maybe that's what it's like.