Titanic Museum

We visited the Titanic Experience, a museum in Cobh Ireland.  This was the last port of call for the Titanic.  And personally, we believe this is the port where my Grandma's parents left Ireland to begin life in America.

walking around the town of Cobh (pronounced:  Cove)

My awesome men!

Ezra outside the Cobh museum, looking at the ocean.  Wish I could do a panoramic picture here!  See that huge church in the background, we even went in there and the next picture shows the inside:

Quite breathtaking!

Nehemiah making friends.

Beth's 16th birthday!

On March 11, we celebrated Beth's 16th birthday at the....Waterford Crystal Factory.  On the way there, we went by these colorful buildings.  Aren't they beautiful?  If you could see down the road a bit, you'd see the ocean.  Sorry I didn't take 'that' picture!

Beth is admiring the crystal table setting in the museum.

Of course, Sebi goes right to the animal department.  Hello, bear!

Wolf showing Maggie the lines where the glass will be cut. 

We had a good tour of the glass-making process, then we left.    It was a good way to spend a special birthday.

Another Family Pic...

Sweet Nieces and Nephews

Random Scenic Pictures

Sebi

Maggie

Ezra

Anna

Wolf and I

Capturing a beautiful moment.

Beth

An Chistin

..the Kitchen.

Us

It is so hard to get a family picture, so when the last work group was at our house, we asked them if they'd be willing to get our photo.  And here is the result!  Not too bad for a spontaneous shot.

I love my family!

Yesterday was a wonderful, glorious day!  I spent the whole day…talking, laughing, and simply enjoying my family.  We were together the whole day- no outside obligations, just us.  It was splendid! Do you know what I'm talking about?

This might seem like a boring post, so you're forewarned, but that's ok, here goes anyway…

The 6 workgroup men currently living with us had to get an early start to their 'touring Ireland' day.  So,  at 6 am (on a Saturday) Wolf and I awoke to prepare them breakfast.  Getting up at 6am on a Saturday wasn't exactly the 'glorious' part, but it had its place in setting the day in motion.

Once the guys were on their way, I had a luxurious quiet morning ahead of me and decided to quickly write a blog.  Lately I've been creating picture posts with captions, but nothing more extensive.  Once the children are up, I can barely concentrate on writing.  So, this was my chance.  My blog "Mission Accomplished!" was the result. :)

Before I finished, the children woke up and eventually came in the living room where I was.  Next thing I know, Anna is wondering if she can make me a coffee.  That sounded wonderful!  And it tasted even better!!  At that point, I was starting to feel very happy and very loved.  I was finishing a satisfying blog, surrounded by my children (who were each reading quietly), sipping a perfectly made cup of coffee, in a warm room, with rain gently falling outside.   It was lovely!

Once I was done writing, my children and I had an enjoyable talk.  I shared many childhood memories with them, and my schooling experiences in particular.  They always like those!  I also discussed our future (return to KS) plans with them.  One of our goals is to fix up our KS property, and get it in better shape.  Then Wolf has dreams of writing and publishing books.  We'd also like to work on our Nova Scotia property this fall.  It's basically forestland with a nice lake in the middle.  Clearing trails would be the first step.

We talked for a long time on these matters and it felt good!  It felt good partly because my children were all around me and I 'loved' that, and also because it felt good to have a dream for the future.  After we lost Seth, dreaming became very hard.  The future even seemed pointless.  We knew we had to survive for the sake of our other children, but to survive and thrive seemed too exhausting.  So, discussing future ideas with the children felt almost good.  Almost healing.  Almost.

Next thing I know, Wolf (who was sleeping due to extreme jet lag) walks in the room and joins us.  Then we talk a whole bunch more about….everything and nothing at the same time.  I loved it.  We were altogether.  Ezra was there, too.  It was lightly raining outside all morning, but it didn't matter, we were warm and cozy inside, thoroughly enjoying eachother's company.  I remember wondering at one point if heaven will be a 'touch' like this.

We scraped together a few leftovers and had lunch.  Simple.

Then, Wolf mentioned it might be good if I give Ma (his mom) a call.  I said I would really like to, and that it had been on my mind to do that very thing earlier in the day.  It was just that 'sense' that I needed to see how she was doing.  As soon as I asked her how she was doing, she immediately said, "Not good."  I was very concerned since that is not like her to complain.  For privacy I won't go into details, but I felt the Lord put her on our hearts and minds that very day and I soon learned why.  The issue was something that we could help out with, and she felt better, and so did we.  I loved how the Lord had clearly put her on our hearts. Thank you Lord!!  Thank you for your guiding Spirit and for wisdom.

Then supper.  Forgot what we had, but remember we had more great conversations.  I'm just so glad we enjoy eachother.

What a happy day!

Mission Accomplished! Praise the Lord!

An update on life in Ireland:

We have now been in Ireland for 4 1/2 months.  So much has happened in that short time!  I was talking with Dolores Wagler, my good friend in the States, and told her that I've gotten used to driving on the opposite side of the road and in the opposite side of the car.  Now....I might be more dangerous driving in the States!  We both laughed!

Honestly, the 'mountain' of driving quickly became a 'molehill.'  I rather enjoy the challenge.  The fear of the unknown was the hardest thing to conquer, as it usually is.

Truly, the hardest part of being here was trying (with the Lord's help) to get the authorities to let us open Comeragh Wilderness Camp, a camp to help troubled boys.  Wolf put tremendous time and effort into it.   Other men helped, too, to be sure.  And of course, the Lord!  

I must say, though, that I love, love, love my husband!  The more the years go by, the more I realize what an awesome man he is!  Let me begin by saying, my dad was also an incredibly wonderful man.  Really great and loving and hardworking....and I knew that if I got married, I wanted to marry a man just like him.  Well, then Wolf came on the scene, and I knew I found the right one.  Anna has a blog post with a Jim Elliot quote, "Wherever you are, be all there."  I kind of chuckle when I read that because if anyone knows my husband, then they may think that quote is describing him.  He gives each thing he does 100+ !!  I wasn't actually planning on making this a Wolf post, but looks like it's heading that way. 

I think it's worthwhile to take a moment to honor him for the sacrifices he's made these last several months and for his life of integrity, in general.

First off, when Wolf is at work, he puts his heart into it.  He likes and appreciates his staff, and from what I can see, they feel the same.  And if another doctor needs 'time off,' he is often willing to pitch in.  He doesn't view his work just as a job, but a calling.  I've really admired that!  That may be why he has several job offers in the mail every week wanting him to come work for them.

The same goes for family....when he's home, he's really home!  He completely loves his children and they love and respect him.  Now life isn't always perfect, and some days aren't quite stellar, but overall, it is like this.  He spends hours talking with us in the evenings about anything that is on our minds, or even things that aren't.  Situational ethics and honoring God is often the focal point.  He also plays games with them- especially Scrabble and Catan.  And boy, I'm glad he does, because when the evening comes, I'm too tired to do much of anything!

And lastly (or the last thing I want to say about him), we came to Ireland because he felt responsible to help the camp stay on its feet.  He is on the board, and they needed someone, so we thought it would be a sacrifice in various ways, but one he/we were willing to make.  The sacrifice was much bigger than I expected.  Half days turned into full days and he was under tremendous pressure to be everything to everyone and to do it perfectly.  Plus, he needed to deal with jet lag, though he did do great with that!  But, as usual, he gave this work 100%, and we are proud of him!

(As an aside:  Honestly, if anyone is EVER thinking of doing a missions trip- you need to be absolutely sure of the Lord's calling in that direction, or 'your boat won't float.'  Thankfully, we definitely did feel the Lord's leading and that gave us the needed strength).

But, at last, our mission is accomplished!!  Approval for the boy's return has been granted.  Although we are hosting 6 men (work group) from the States for 1 1/2 weeks, we are trying to wind down our activities, and focus more on family time now.  We feel this is pleasing to the Lord at this time.  

There will be a board meeting in Ireland at the end of February.  They will discuss all those details needed to keep the camp on its feet. 

But, we are leaving the rest in the Lord's hands...and saying, For now, For always.....to God be the Glory!  

The Team

Here's the latest photo of my children.  Left to right:  Beth, Sebi, Anna, Ezra, Hadassah, Nehemiah, and Maggie.

They just got these sweaters for Christmas!

Personal life update

My last post was about Comeragh Wilderness Camp's status, but today it's time to talk about family happenings here in Ireland.

Overall, the children seem to be doing wonderfully well!   

Sebi works long hours helping the maintenance man, Duane Yoder.  Duane is awesome and such a great mentor for Sebi.  Much of their time is spent in construction, and although that's not Sebi's favorite activity, he realizes he can't make a living on hunting and trapping!

Beth has learned knitting while in Ireland.  Karen Sensenig (Wes' wife) spent several hours teaching her.  And we will be forever thankful for that!  Especially since Beth then taught Hadassah, and has 'tried' to teach Anna and me...but well, let's just say knitting is much harder than the 2 girls make it look.  Beth is knitting a scarf right now and it looks professional.

Anna is trying to teach herself string- art these days.  She enjoys any and all social events, of which there are many here.  This week alone there was an event almost every day:

Sun.- church service in a.m., then Christmas caroling service in p.m.

Mon. and Tues. - nothing formal

Wed.- curtain (valence) making for the Chehorta main camp building- done with the other ladies

Thurs.- Staff meeting at the Chehorta (that's always a fun, encouraging time)

Fri.- Babysitting and candy making with Karen Zeiset

Sat.- Comeragh Wilderness Camp's Christmas Open House

Hadassah has really flourished.  She seems to do well in whatever her hands find to do.  Some of those things are knitting, blog creation and design (she helped me with mine), and algebra.  There's other things, but those have been her newest strengths.

Nehemiah has become a Rubik's cube fanatic.  He always has that thing in his hands! He can solve it, but is trying to figure out how to solve it faster! He is extremely mathematically-minded, and loves any mind-bending activity!   He also helps with construction at the camp and puts his whole heart into whatever he does.

Magdalena loves cats and has befriended a stray cat that frequently visits our house.  She was so excited when that fellow appeared!  And I was too, as I knew how hard it was for her to leave her other cats behind in the States.  Maggie likes drawing and painting, and when nobody is looking (or listening- she thinks), you will hear her singing the most beautiful soprano Christmas songs.  She can sing on tune and just as beautiful as an opera singer.   Just like Charlotte Church! I didn't know a child could sing such high notes, so loud and clear.

 Ezra will hopefully be coming to visit us over the Christmas break.  That will be a highlight for me!   

I enjoy serving God here in Ireland.  I feel like He has taught me a lot while here.  I suppose that's for another post, though.

Wolf seems to be handling the jet-lag fairly well.  It's a 6 hour difference between Kansas and Ireland.        

He returns to Ireland on Dec. 24th (Lord willing), with Ezra.

Yoder Days

 A huge amount of time was spent reading to Joy (1) and Josiah (3) Yoder. 

 Maggie and Joy are good friends here.

 We are going for a walk.  In the background, there are fields with cows grazing.  A very common sight in Ireland.

 Anna doing Joy's hair.  I'm sure this was Anna's favorite part of the day!

Even Nehemiah enjoyed reading to the children.