Monday, November 26, 2012

Last 2012 post: Cartoon Edition

It's been so long since I've updated my blog and it was almost overwhelming thinking about everything that's happened since the last post! So, I drew some silly pictures to help me stay on track with everything I need to tell you, my beloved reader, about.
 
First, in mid-October, I took a canoe trip with the Youth Fellowship at our church to a bothy (cabin) in the middle of a lake in Enniskillen.
 It was really cold, really rustic, and a really great way to bond with the leaders and kids!





Then, a few weeks later, the Belfast YAVs took their first group retreat to the MOURNE MOUNTAINS!
The misty silhouette of these mountains in the distance is rumored to be C.S. Lewis' inspiration for the fantastical world of Narnia. No Big Deal. We did a little hiking, a few side trips, and a lot of laughing and bonding.






One of my favorite parts of the retreat was our trip to a local monastery. We were able to have a wonderful conversation with Brother Terry, who had some wise and insightful things to say about living in community -- which was especially relevant for our group. And something about being in that beautiful setting, with these men who left everything behind in order to give their lives to Christ, to commit themselves to the ministry of prayer, and to BE unity... totally wrecked me... in a good way.  It made me rethink my casual and lazy prayer-life and inspired me to see everyone as Christ -- even (and especially) when it's difficult because they are dirty, rude, foreign, deformed, or disagreeable.  As Brother Terry said: "Christ rarely comes to us in ways that we expect or would like."
"Every monk, every Christian, every human being must be about prayer, work, and community life. These are the yearnings that were placed in us at creation."
We were then able to attend a worship service at the monastery, and the singing, chanting, and prayers were so beautiful! I felt so blessed and the service felt so ancient and deep and spiritual that I was moved to tears.



And then I voted in my first Presidential election via Absentee Ballot! Very exciting! It was interesting having conversations with locals about the election and predicting what the outcome would be. It was cool getting a global perspective instead of being bombarded with American ads leading up to November 6th. I also discovered that voting brings out the Patriot in me! :)

And most importantly, I recently had the enormous privilege to piece together a video of interviews from the boys at The Link drop-in center, talking about a trip to Dublin that they took earlier in the year. I've only been here about 3 months, but I was absolutely "chuffed" hearing such tolerant attitudes and poignantly simple wisdom as they reflected back on everything they learned from their experience. We could all learn a thing or two from these boys. I highly recommend watching the video below!



The Link showed this video at an Awards Night for clients and members, celebrating all that they had accomplished this year. We were so proud of everyone there, and have great hope for what they are capable of accomplishing in the future!

Thanksgiving has passed (with Belfast friends instead of family) and preparations for Christmas are in full swing! I probably won't post again until after the holidays are over, because I've got some big plans that will keep me busy into January! I'll be turning 22 in a foreign country, my Dad is coming to visit the week after Christmas, and then another volunteer and I are off to Barcelona for New Years!
See you in 2013! That is, if the Mayan's got it wrong and the world doesn't end before then... I like to think that we'll probably be okay :)