Friday, Micah headed to the allotment with Scott and Emily for the morning. They cleaned out the shed and weeded (of course). In the afternoon, Scott, Micah and Matthew built a new raised bed for the front and back of the Ark and one for the allotment. Micah also convinced Scott that we should have chickens in the back of the Ark so hopefully in the next couple months this will happen! Lucy spent the morning relaxing and the afternoon at the Ember.
Saturday, we were present in the Ember. We went out to lunch at a cafe with the whole crew. Micah and Neil were coming up with tag lines for Root Soup (both serious and completely ridiculous). In the afternoon Lucy helped Larry and Jillian clean their rooms. Micah headed up to Forestside, a shopping centre with Larry. Larry makes a weekly trip to buy a DVD on Saturdays. It was quite rainy and Micah felt like the whole town was trying to park at this store! Micah and Neil made dinner...delicious Fajitas!! Then we all watched some episodes of Father Ted, an old Irish sitcom till it was time for evening routines.
Sunday we went to church and then a “Garden Party” in the botanic gardens. We didn’t really know what to expect, but it ended up being a TON of booths with a TON of free samples. We had a delicious lunch off the samples!!
Monday we had our team meeting followed by a ton of resting.
Tuesday we were in the office after morning meetings. Lucy went to team formation and Micah had training on Social Media. He learned all about how to use Facebook and Twitter to further Root Soup. If you aren’t a fan of Root Soup on Facebook yet (and have Facebook), become a fan! Micah continued to get ready for the Soup Shanty (the kick off of Root Soup, which is October 1!!). Lucy spent the day preparing for Thomas’ Person Centred Plan (PCP) meeting and trying to get a note from Jillian’s doctor saying she needs a carer with her at aqua aerobics. The heath system here is not as user friendly as the States, but it is free! It took quite a few phone calls with no answer (during business hours) and a trip down to the office before finally getting through on the phone to the doctor who was less than helpful! Thomas came over for dinner as usual on Tuesday. He was pumped up after going to college and because a meeting was all about him later that night and because we went to the chippie for fish and chips. He was so excited. The early evening was spent at Thomas’ PCP meeting. Each of the core members has this plan about them that tells their hopes and dreams, how to keep them safe, and their routines (among many other things). The plan has to be updated each year and it was time for Thomas’ update. After the meeting, we headed to Freedom in Christ, a little late but still worthwhile.
Wednesday was a rest day. We didn’t make our weekly trip to Ian’s because it was rainy, but supplemented it was French toast. Lucy went to a meeting for Thomas at his day centre to talk about what he has been doing and what he wants to do in the future. The meeting showed that when he says he does nothing at day centre he is fibbing. He is busy there!
Thursday, it was back to work in the office for Lucy. Lucy spent the morning updating Thomas’ PCP so the hard copy is all up to date. Then, she got back to work on volunteer coordinating in the afternoon by responding to emails and scheduling meetings with potential and current volunteers. Micah spent the morning in the office and the rainy and cold afternoon at the allotment. They painted and weeded.
Friday, Micah worked in the office (since he went up to the allotment on Thursday). Maria and Micah met to continue hashing out the details of the Soup Shanty. There are a lot of pieces to get in place for this event!! Lucy went to the doctor’s office in the morning to continue pursuing an answer to the migraines and headaches. The doctor again was less than helpful and really didn’t listen to well. One needs to be forceful here to get through it seems and that is not Lucy’s way! In the afternoon Micah met with Sharon, an evaluator before a business gets a grant that Micah applied for. It was both a good and bad meeting. She was really impressed with the idea of Root Soup, but started off by saying that there were many applicants and little money for this type of business since a lot of their funding is designated for athletic events. Maria and Micah then went to Starbucks to ask for free stirrers for the Soup Shanty. They were told to come back when the manager is in, but Micah was happy because he got coffee out of the deal, even if it was from an American chain. Lucy spent the afternoon in the Ember. She went to Jill’s doctor’s office with Jill to pick up the note from the doctor, which had a few typos, hopefully it works! Then she and Jill headed up to Forestside to get ingredients for tray bakes and bread that are needed for the Soup Shanty. In the evening we went out with our cell group from church to Pizza Express. It was an evening filled with too much food, a lot of chatting and all around good craic.
On Saturday we were present in the Ember. It was an odd day because Jillian was away with a friend/past assistant so it was just the guys and May. It is amazing how much energy on Saturdays goes into keeping Jillian occupied and happy (or at least trying). It was a pretty busy day even with her absence. Micah went to a bag pack (bagging people’s groceries) with Thomas which benefited Special Olympics. Lucy spent the morning cleaning the Ember and mowing the grass. O boy it was long! Then it was time for lunch and to prepare to head up to the allotment for a wee bit of work and a barbeque. At the allotment, we dug up potatoes, planted daffodils, and hopefully decreased the amount of weeding poor Micah and Scott have to do, by putting plastic and mulch on the paths. Larry as usual did little to no work, while Thomas just wanted to get his jeans and hands dirty. Octavia even caught Larry dancing with Lucy on camera! Classic! We topped the evening off with a barbeque. The roaring fire felt great since it was a bit chilly by dinner time.
Today was a day of rest. We headed to church this morning then spent the afternoon baking and drawing (Lucy baking and Micah drawing). Before dinner we had a farewell prayer for Manuela who leaves on Tuesday after her month here. She is headed back to Austria to continue her studies at med school...only 4 more years to go!! The prayer was followed by her meal of choice...pizza and ice cream! Yummy! This evening we are finally heading out to a volunteer night out.
A brief update on what is happening in the world of Root Soup. It has been amazing to see God working in the beginnings of Root Soup. Ask and it shall be granted has been the case with these last few months for Micah. First, at a meeting, Scott was told of the industrial kitchen that Open Door Housing was looking to find use for. Then, Micah and Maria needed guidance and expertise and Valerie their mentor came and has helped them with nitty gritty of starting Root Soup. Next, placements for the garden and kitchen were made easier by contacts in the Orchardville Society. Their work is to find placements for people with learning difficulties. Then, Micah got accepted into the Social Entrepreneur Programme, which allowed Valerie to continue her mentoring and provided more training for Micah. After that, Alison contacted Maria to express interest in helping in the kitchen. She has years of experience and knowledge in working with people with learning difficulties in the kitchen. Not only is she planning to do this but also offered to buy all the ingredients for and make potato and leek soup for the Soup Shanty. She also has friend who has offered to make half the carrot and coriander soup. Another big step was Eileen coming onto the L’Arche board brining her experience from catering at Queen’s University. Finally, as we are working on PR and branding, we have been offered assistance from an advertising and marketing firm. It has been amazing to see everything unfold right in front of us and be able to see God’s hand in it all. Please pray that the Soup Shanty goes well on Friday. It is a big event for the beginning of Root Soup!
Life is getting busier in Belfast for us as we get involved in more activities both inside and outside the community. Our six month mark has come and gone and time just keeps flying by. In the past six months, Lucy has become the volunteer coordinator, Micah has set the base for Root Soup, we have travelled to Amsterdam, Berlin, Cork and around the island with the Loucks’ family, we have found a church community, lived through a house fire, had more cups of tea then in the previous 24 years, become most experienced volunteers in L’Arche therefore seeing 4 (almost 5) volunteers leave, Lucy has become Thomas’ reference person, and endless memories and stories from living in community. We are so thankful to be where we are and feel that God is working in and through us.
Thomas at allotment (check out the new picnic table that was "donated")
Larry tending the fire.
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