Imitate Christ Regional Convntion - Days Seventeen Through Nineteen

Friday, July 10 - Sunday, July 12, 2015

This year's convention supported the theme: Imitate Christ!

Since not everyone has been to their convention yet, we will spare the details. All we'll say is that it is faith strengthening and eye opening. You'll love it like always!

Dublin city was bustling with news of the convention. Invites had been distributed, banners were hung near the City West Conference Center (location of the event), and local reporters were waiting to come take a peek. It's exciting to go anywhere in the world and see your sharp-dressed brothers and sisters heading peacefully to the convention site. You can spot Jehovah's people a mile away.

This weekend was emotional for us girls. Not only was it the convention in a foreign country, but because it was the last time we would see our dear friends again for many years. We said our hello's and fumbled through our goodbyes. 

The friendships we have made are real. And timeless. And blind to distance. Here's a few photos from the weekend and some of our dear friends. 

City West Conference Center and Hotel.

The inside, filled to the brim with smiley people.

David and Lisa Peel. They've been our pioneer buddies, tour 

guides, and friends.

The Farmer Family. He is the congregation's Secretary.

Kayla, Sister Farmer, and Ariane (Peter's Sister-In-Law)

Violet. But we all call her "Wee Vi" because she's so cute and small. And spunky. Other call her "Trouble."

 

Hilda. This sweet lil lady used to be a dancer and actress. Now she devotes all her health and energy to Jehovah and the ministry.

We will miss our spiritual family here, but we know we will see them again someday. The Ireland trip ended on a happy note! Next, on to London.

Trinity Library or Bust - Day Sixteen

Thursday, July 10th, 2015

We set out early to tour the town. First was Trinity College. They have one of the largest libraries and the Book of Kells exhibit. Even for those who aren't major history buffs (like myself) this was an extremely worthwhile stop.

Sadly, the Book of Kells exhibit does not allow any photography. But just to give a basic synopsis, the Book of Kells contains the four Gospels. Vivid Celtic artwork and lettering is inside. It was crafted by monks. Over hundreds of years, it somehow managed to survive several thefts as well as fires. Now, just two full pages are available to be seen on display. Although Celtic art has very a pagan origin, and the book is more about being pretty than accurate, the Gospels themselves were lovely. It was a reminder that God's Word stands the test of time. And that, throughout history, there have been men that respect the Bible enough to preserve it.

The next item on our list was the library. You can hear of this library's grander, but until you're in the doorway, all you've really heard before is a whisper. Some of us were moved to tears. The library has two levels, ladders, books floor to ceiling, a spiral staircase, marble busts of famous men of old, and special historical books on display. The aroma, of course, was amazing.

This is said to be the am that Jane Austen modeled her Mr. Darcy from.

The girls and I, in our elements.

On our way to dinner, we crossed a white bridge decorated with ribbon. The sign on the bridge read, "This bridge holds the names of 556 children killed in... 2014." A sad reminder of the violence in Israel.

On a happier note, literally, we found a famous pub. 

We all got weird and wonderful kinds of food. But possibly the more awful of them all was the oysters. Don't believe the sign on the table. Don't eat oysters.

The pub was playing live music. The band was amazing! They did a mesh of old Irish style and 1990-2015 music. Afterwords we got their autographs!

Tourist-wise, today was definitely a favorite.

(The next three days will be done in a lump on Sunday after our final day of convention. Stay tuned!)

Oh My Goodness. Oh My Guinness - Day Fifteen

Wedesday, July 8th, 2015

We journeyed from Portadown to Dublin, leaving part of ourselves behind us, but new things ahead of us. Once we got into the city, we set off to explore again. 
(Below is a photo of what we would use on a typical day for transport. Trams, trains, taxis and bikes are all the norm.)

First on our list was the Guinness Factory. No, it's not "just beer." The history of Guinness, their start, and their present were all very informative! 

The artwork was also creative. This is a wood carving with animals used in Guinness advertising in the past. It goes from a deep brown to lighter near the top. The foam is done in what appeared to be an ornate linen lantern.

This picture needs a little explanation. Recall the Stanscheck family? Besides rabbits and chickens, they also have one turtle. Completely adorable and completely fast. The problem is that when we visited them last, the speedy turtle ran from outside into the house, without my noticing. I went inside, and blindly nudged the turtle across the floor with my foot. He was completely ok, and so was the family ;) But the girls haven't let me live it down. So we took this photo to lightheartedly commemorate the event.

The girls, standing beside a HUGE barrel.

But the highlight, besides the super industrial vibe, was definitely the tasting. To finish the tour with a bang, they teach you how to properly pour Guinness. In fact, we all passed as Perfect Pint of Guinness Crafters. (Everyone else passed too, but just to sound fancy, we got a certificate.)

The top of the building features a panoramic outlook of the city. It took our breath away. Here's a glimpse of what that looked like.

The day was winding down, and so were we. So off we went to our lodging. Thursday would be another day of exploration.

The Ministry, Strawberries, Irish Coffees - Days Thirteen and Fourteen

Monday, July 7 & Tuesday, July 8, 2015

The end of this portion of our trip was creeping in. We could all feel the reality of it. But that didn't stop our past two days from being jolly. Our time in Portadown, Northern Ireland and our times with the friends will always be treasured memories.

The convention campaign here is nearly over, so we have been spending a lot of time inviting everyone possible! Some days were spent with the congregation in their territory, others we worked as a team and did our country territory. Since this was our last day, we did a mixture of both. 

The friends were such a joy to work with in the territory. Tea break was "spot on" as usual. And then did a few return visits with this dear sister, Louise, who has so many returns that it's hard to make it back to all of them. Today she started two studies!

A lad named Viggo went in service with us as well. We all had a blast together! He is part of a lovely Polish family, the Stanschecks (spelling?). They let Nicole hold their chickens, and me hold their bunnies. It made us miss our lil' animals. Much love to that family also for their kindness.

PS. Viggo, we don't like animal meat that much. 

We ended our service day by taking a few photos in our personal territory. The countryside was gorgeous today. The rain started in on us, and it made it smell just like home. Like an Ohio/Pennsylvania summertime rain.

As a thank-you, we made dinner for our super sweet host family. Thank heaven they liked it! Afterwords, we picked some strawberries for tomorrow's big breakfast. Julia will be making strawberry pancakes, and we'll make some eggs. Yum!

By the way, it was determined that there is only one proper footwear for berry picking: heels. Thanks, Kayla, for setting the precedent. ;)

Heard of Irish Coffee? I never had. The girls did, though. So it quickly became another thing we just had to try! Julia gave us the step-by-step. This is the heavenly result.

And Julia, modeling her creation.

We will miss this family so much! They've been a real blessing to us. And been true friends. We'll miss this little monkey too. She's been our adopted little sister for two whole weeks. We hope that someday when she's grown she can come visit us!

Until next time, Portadown. We will be back.

Giant's Causeway - Day Twelve

Sunday, July 5th, 2015

Today was our last meeting with the Portadown Congregation. With heavy hearts, we said our goodbyes. Thank goodness we'll be seeing some of them at convention this weekend. That kept our tears back, for now. Here's the precious brothers and sisters we've spent the last two weeks with.

With regards to sight seeing, this was definitely the day we'd been waiting for. We were able to tour the Bush Mills Distillery, and try a free whiskey! They did not allow photos, but trust me, it was heavenly. The entire process had managed to keep its' older charm, despite having been around since 1608.

The highlight of our day was Giants Causeway. The walk to the causeway was lovely. Billowing clouds began to creep in. Soon, it would be "lashing."

THIS is Giants Causeway. If only our cameras could actually capture the massive splendor of this place. It was breath-taking.

It's likely these formations occurred fifty to sixty million years ago. The rock is hexagon shaped because of cracks from lava contracting as it cooled.

The rain did "lash." But we kept jolly.

The day ended with award-winning fish n chips. We can't keep out of the stuff.

"The Cows Made Us Late" - Day Eleven

Saturday, July 4th, 2015

You run into the funniest things in the country. Back home, the typical road jam is car traffic during rush hour OR the occasional tractor. Here, it's a bit more like this:

The cows did make us late, but it was actually a highlight for us. Probably because the cows were so hilarious. As slow moving as they were, they were super curious. They couldn't pass someone's hedge without peeking over, a car without looking inside at the driver, or another cow without going over to say hello. Then, when they made it to their new field, one of them literally frolicked around the field. I hope you all see Ireland, but I also hope you get to see a cow frolic.

Once the cows passed, and we made it to the group, we had a great time. For the first time in a long while we got drizzled on. But still managed to all stay smiley. Hilda, an older German sister commended Kayla on her driving skills. They had a moment.

That evening we were able to get to know Peter's parents. Lovingly referred to as Nana and Capo. She made us a traditional English dish called Yorkshire Pudding. Essentially, it's just a delicious bread with a divot in the center, some meat on the side, and then a gravy that goes all into the divot and over the bread. 

The meal was perfection, and so was the company.