Arrival in Ireland

                                                                                                 October 2013

Well we've all happily survived our first month in Ireland. It's going well now, but was a bit bumpy in the beginning. All the cultural changes were hard to adapt to, but the children have taken it with ease.
Driving was the first and biggest hurdle. I never would have guessed that we'd have to drive on the right side of the car and on the opposite side of the road, with a stick shift. And when you have the car in motion, hope fervently that a car doesn't pass you. If you are on a major road, no problem- they will pass you on the right side, but you get used to that. However, if you happen to be on a little country road- that's where the fun comes in. The roads to the boy's camp are a bit wider than a car, but the roads are all lined with stone border/hedges that are only a couple feet from the edge of the road. So, if a car is driving towards you, you both may need to stop and wiggle around each other for a moment (without hitting the stone wall). Most country roads are this way.
Anyway, driving has had its challenges, but the effort it takes is far surpassed by the beauty you see everywhere. Ireland is absolutely beautiful! Lots of green pastures with sheep and cattle all over. The most interesting thing is seeing those same stone walls bordering properties all over the countryside, giving it the appearance of a patchwork quilt. The ocean and the mountains add to the beauty.
Now to discuss camp:
We didn't know quite what to expect before we came. Since the boys are still not at the camp yet, would staff morale be low? Would everyone be 'bumming around' bored silly? We weren't sure what we were getting ourselves into, but soon found out. Wes Sensenig, the camp's director, met us at the Dublin Airport in the morning and drove us to our home, where the camp cook had a crockpot lasagne and loads of groceries waiting for us. That evening we met the staff at the camp. And what an awesome bunch! These are on-fire-for-the-Lord folks and we instantly felt comfortable among them. We all shared a meal together and sang a bit. After talking and being around them, we didn't sense any 'low morale' or frustration- they were finding work to do in the community and keeping busy in all sorts of ways. We were impressed and relieved.
The next day we got a tour of the campgrounds. It's not too far from a small town, but down a long,windy country road. There's a main building, called the Chehorta, or chow hall. Whenever we have staff meals, we gather here. It's built with a very woodsy-theme, but comfortable too. Then, a short distance away, down a well-manicured trail is the campsite itself. After looking at the buildings, and admiring the hard work evidenced around us, we sat down and talked.
At one time, we discussed the need for this fledging mission to be more self-sufficient. We have a cook here, Susan Burkholder, and others that are ready and willing to bake more and raise money. In the meantime, we are looking for a retired couple or VS worker with good social skills to work in sales, distribution, and development of our "rising" bakery business. Do you know of anyone?
The thing that left the biggest impression in my mind was the quality of the workers themselves- they are a motivated, optimistic bunch, who are eagerly waiting for the boys to return. As far as the boys returning, we have been working through the bureaucratic tangle with good success, and are expecting the boys to return in November.
Please keep praying, though. After all, "Except The Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it..." Ps. 127:1