Tonight I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with the mission before us. As we approach moving in a week or two the reality is that we are standing at the edge of embarking upon something we have never done before, in a community we've never lived in, among a people we have yet to meet. The mission is now. Yes, I know God is with us, God will empower us, God is before us, God is going to do this. I know this. I believe this. It is exciting, and many times I find it hard to believe that God has seen fit for me to live the very passion of my heart. Yet, tonight I feel overwhelmed with it all. This is how I feel. 

As I write this Luke and Aislinn have just finished coloring Thanksgiving pictures, Grant is practicing his guitar, and little Kate is fast asleep. We decided to keep the boys home from school today as we want to keep this part of American heritage prevalent in their minds and lives, especially when the day is a day devoted to giving thanks.

Today is our first experience of Thanksgiving in Ireland as last year we were in Spain for a regional conference with the organisation we are a part of. Around 1 p.m. today we'll be heading south 30 minutes to Ballycullen to celebrate our thanks to God with our friends and teammates. There is much to be thankful for, and we look forward to celebrating with friends who are so dear.

Yes, we would be lieing if we said we weren't missing being able to be with our family in the States, yet God has truly given us another family here for which we are thankful. We trust all reading have a wonderful day of thanks wherever you live. Love to all and thanks for all!

Giving Thanks,

Mark, Andrea, Grant, Luke, Aislinn, & Kate

At 1:20 in the afternoon today I was given a 'Certificate of Competence' by the Road Safety Authority after having passed my Irish driver's test (on my second attempt)! Wow! What a relief when the instructor told me I had passed. Honestly, after the test I felt I made more mistakes on this try then my first attempt with the test two months ago. During the drive at one point my hand accidentally hit the lever of the wipers and they were on full blast, and it happened to be one of the sunniest days we've seen this winter. O mercy! After that I thought I was finished. But God was merciful and gracious and saw fit to allow me to pass this time for which I am very grateful, and relieved!!

The boys arrived home from school shortly after I had taken the test and were just as excited as I was that I had passed. It was great to see their excitement as well, and I was appreciative of the encouragement they were sending their dad's way. It was a family celebration for sure as much time and preparation has gone into trying to pass that test. It's a big relief to have that done, and just one more step in settling in to the Irish culture and way of life. Thank you, God!

While I was out experiencing the 'test' one of the school moms with whom we carpool was over for tea with Andrea, and just a few moments ago our friend Aisling left after dropping by for a couple hours. She is writing a paper for her college course dealing with Original Sin so we were able to point her to some passages in the Bible dealing with how sin is the cause for the brokenness in our world and societies. We're excited that she wants to use the Bible in her paper. Once again, God is using hospitality as a key way to build and continue friendships.

Wow, I can't believe it...I am competent...I have been declared competent! That may be a first! Some may argue that fact, but not the Road Safety Authority in Ireland, at least not for now.

Today was a Balbriggan Sunday. We headed off this morning to our monthly time with the Balbriggan church family. It's been nearly a year now where we have been going up one Sunday a month to preach as they have been without a pastor now for over a year. They are a dear church family and have fast become close friends. It was a joy to be with them again today. They are such an encouragement and we trust we are the same for them.

Saturday was spent preparing for Luke's birthday party that took place in the afternoon. Pals from his class from school were invited. Birthday parties for children are very popular here we have found out, and much time and money is put into making them very nice. Our boys have been to parties with  bouncy castles, hired entertainment, and various things of the incredible sort to make the party a moment to remember for sure. We decided (after seeing another family do the same) to take the boys to a local indoor pool (same place where Grant was baptised) for a swim. We figured this would be fun and unique, while not breaking the bank at the same time. After the swim, we then brought them back to the house for pizza, a few games, and other fun things. It was great fun for Luke and another great opportunity for us to continue to build friendships with fellow school parents.

A couple hours after the party that same evening a couple from the Balbriggan church came over for tea and a chat. It was such a wonderful time hearing their stories of how Jesus came into their lives and how he has changed them and to see them now being used to share His hope with others. Again, they were truly an encouragement. Their lives of how Jesus has changed them was truly inspiring as we long for the same today. They mentioned how back in the early 80's there seemed to be a movement of God working in many as many were changed by Jesus during that time. O how we long for a similar movement today, and may we be used to play a part. This is our prayer.

Today was a monumental day in so many ways, it's hard to know where to begin really. This afternoon our eldest son, Grant, was baptised which is a spiritual monument in his journey with Jesus as well as the life of our family, and in the ministry God has given us here in Ireland. It was also monumental in the fact that Grant's "Pop-Pops" (grandpa, Mark's dad) was the one able to baptise him, and his "Mee-Maw" (Mark's mom) was there to see it as well,  as my parents are here visiting. 

(Below is a brief interview with my parents, who have been with us here in Ireland for the past week, and who my kids affectionately refer to as "Mee-Maw" & "Pop-Pops")

"Hope. Change." These two words were covered on the front page of one of the major Irish papers website Wednesday morning following Tuesday's election. Obama is the main topic of conversation among most here, and the number one question we're now approached with once people hear our American accents is, "What do you think of Obama?" Even today while standing in the queue (line) at the bank waiting to exchange money, on the television was Sky News reporting on Obama's press conference taking place later tonight. As this announcement was broadcast most heads immediately turned to position to view the television hearing and catching any glimpse of this one whom many are placing their future hope and their desire for future change. Some of us have brainstormed ways how to use this Obama popularity for an opportunity to talk about the hope Jesus brought and brings. Recently in a conversation with an elder Christian whom I greatly respect I was challenged to respond when asked, "What do I think of Obama?" with, "You know, I think there's a more critical question I need to be thinking about and that's, 'What do I think of Jesus?".

This busy week has come to a close this evening. It started last Saturday evening as we welcomed Andrea's brother's family who just moved to the Ukraine a couple months ago. Their kids were on fall break so it was perfect for the two families to connect, and so needed as well. It was a house full, 11 to be exact, with 7 of the 11 being 9 years of age and under! We had a blast. The kids played and played and we took visits to Malahide, Howth, Donnycarney Park, City Centre, and other fun places. It was a busy week for sure, but one that we will always cherish, and we had an absolute wonderful time with our family being here. The crew left early this morning as we said goodbye at the airport around 5:30 a.m. It was sad to see them leave. 

Fridays have become our designated "Family Day". This means that when we can we try to devote the entire day to just spending time together as a family. Today we decided to head for the first time to the Dublin Zoo. We had a couple ticket vouchers and packed a lunch to save a few pennies, which always helps. The traffic getting there was incredible. The zoo is only 5 miles from our house and it took us over 30 minutes to get there this morning. It was worse coming home (nearly 90 minutes). 

Below is an entry from yesterday's time with God. I share this because it was a great joy of discovery for me and I hope is the same for you...