Barbecue Season has begun!

Wednesday 27 May was a day at the Ember. Since the guys were off work for the Easter week, we had a lot more time in the Ember than normal (instead of working in the office). Micah headed to Root Soup in the morning as usual. Lucy hung out with Larry and Thomas after helping the guys get up and around. In the afternoon, Micah went up to Forestside with the boys for sodas, and Lucy stayed in the Ember because an electrician was checking all the electrical stuff in the house. The evening was a mixture of chatting, TV and hanging about.

Thursday was a rest day. We went on our last run before the team marathon. Afterwards, we rode bikes to meet Joy and Bobby along the toe path. In the afternoon we hung out in the Orf's back garden, played ladder golf and enjoyed the sun. For dinner, we all headed to Pizza Express! By the time we got home we were quite knackered (aka tired).

Friday was a day at the Ember again. Instead of watching the Royal Wedding, we celebrated the April birthdays at the allotment!! Micah and Larry headed up to the allotment in the morning with Scott and Paul to actually work. The rest of us prepared food for a barbecue and then headed up to join the others at the allotment. The weather was great for a lovely barbecue! Larry hid in Rosie (our van) for most of the afternoon because he was scared that Micah would make him work more! Micah is so mean! After we got back to the Ember, Jillian and Lucy went down to the Ark to do the weekly cleaning. The rest of the day was spent relaxing!

Saturday was yet another day in the Ember! In the morning, Micah and Thomas headed to Common Grounds to volunteer. Lucy and Jillian walked to Michel's Veg shop and then walked on to Common Grounds so that Micah and Thomas would take good care of us! After their shift, we all went to get some chicken food before heading back for lunch. After lunch, Micah and Larry cleaned Rosie and then a bunch of us walked up to Forestside to do some grocery shopping. In the evening, we had a wee goodbye party for Makiko. We listened to music that reminded us of high school and really enjoyed each others company!

On Sunday we went to church in the morning. In the afternoon we prepared some food because Peter and Jenna (the MMN couple) came over for dinner (veggie burgers) and games (yatzee!!)! It was really fun to connect with them again.

Monday was a rest day kind of. It was yet another bank holiday and MARATHON day!! After an early start, Lucy met Joy at her house to walk down to city centre where the marathon began. Micah headed to his spot a bit later. After Lucy's 6 miles and Micah's 7 miles (5 uphill and 2 down) we were pretty tired. We relaxed a bit before the post-marathon barbecue and ladder golf! The evening was pretty low-key!

Tuesday began with a team meeting followed by a day at the office. We both answered emails before working on a proposal for Root Soup's summer activities programme. That took most of our afternoon! In the evening, we went out to eat with Frans, Julia and Makiko to an Indian restaurant. It was the real goodbye to Makiko this time!

Yesterday, Micah worked in the office all day. He usually goes to Root Soup in the morning, but as he has more and more paperwork to do, he has decided to only go when he is able. Lucy went to women's cell in the morning and then worked a bit in the office before taking a nap. We went to the Ember for dinner! After dinner we went to our cell group and talked about social justice.

Today has been an amazing rest day! We have been to Ian's bakery, gone grocery shopping, booked our flights to Bonn, Germany/Brussels, Belgium, scrapbooked, and relaxed! It has been a nice change of pace!

After a few weeks of being out of routine around Easter, it is nice to be back in the swing of things. It is hard to believe we have already been back for a month and that Lucy's parents and little bro will be here in 3 weeks! God is good!

Happy Easter!

Wednesday 20 April began with Root Soup and women's cell. Micah is continuously amazed at the positive impact that Root Soup is having on the men that live in the homeless hostel. One of the men asked, 'When can we have a barbecue with the Root Soup family'. In the afternoon we both worked in the office. Micah met with a guy from Ardmore advertising who is working on a website for Root Soup. Micah isn't quite ready to give the link so you will just have a wait a bit longer. Lucy found out a volunteer that had agreed to come in May decided not to come. It is a bit stressful to find another volunteer in such a short time period, so pray for good candidates! Wednesday evening we headed to our cell group!

Thursday began the 'Holy Week' community activities. We all headed up to the North Coast to visit Giant's Causeway, have a picnic and do footwashing. It has been an annual tradition from the beginning of the community (minus last year when it was snowing on Holy Thursday). It was BEAUTIFUL day full of sunshine, good food and great people! Once we were back, we had ice cream for dinner with the community! YUMMY!

On Good Friday we attended a ecumenical service that began in Ormeau Park and ended at Jillian's church. Afterwards Root Soup catered a meal for us in the park. It was another wonderful day with lots of sun! Once we were back from the park we sat in the back garden and ate more ice cream before going for a run. Eating ice cream before a run is a bad idea just in case you didn't know!

Saturday was a day at the Ember for us. It was a pretty quiet day amongst the busy community days. The two of us headed up to Forestside with Thomas and Larry to do some errands. Then we made some yummy wraps for lunch. The afternoon was filled with lounging. In the evening we made delicious veggie burgers instead of our usual Saturday dinner of fish and chips! It was a nice healthy change.

Easter Sunday began really early with a sunrise service with City Church. It was held at the park around the Malone House, which is a old, big country house. We had a lovely service followed by some bacon baps! It was a good way to start the Easter day. After we went to Joy and Bobby's for some much needed coffee, before returning to bed for a few hours. Once we were a bit rested, we got ready for our Easter dinner. There were about 20 of us that enjoyed salmon, corn casserole, green beans, lots of different salads and LOADS of desserts! It was a nice way to finish off the Holy Week but we were glad when all the busyness was finished!

Monday was a rest day (which we were very thankful for!). In the morning we went for a 6 mile run! Woot Woot! Afterwards we went to get a coffee before going grocery shopping. In the afternoon we spent a few hours making lasagne for Makiko's leaving prayer (on Tuesday). After we were done, Lucy got a bit sick from a bad headache so it was pretty much straight to bed for her!

Today was another rest day. We tried to go to IKEA with Joy and Bobby, but alas the buses in Belfast are still on a holiday schedule so there were no buses going to IKEA in the morning. It is an interesting difference between Northern Ireland and the USA that businesses take holiday even when the could be making money. So instead we ventured to Starbucks. You can always count on the American chain to be open! This evening we had Makiko's leaving prayer. She has been in L'Arche for almost a year and is returning to Japan on Saturday. She has brought a lot of life to the Ember so it will be sad to see her go! After the prayer, we had a huge dinner and good fellowship!

It has been a busy week, but we have enjoyed the community time celebrating Holy Week. We hope that everyone had a chance to celebrate Easter and all that it means! (We will upload pictures of Easter in a few days...our computer is hopefully being fixed by a friend!)

Back for Year Two

On 15 March we headed to the airport at the awful hour of 4 in the morning. Thomas was convinced he wanted to drop us off but for some reason he couldn’t find anyone to drive us, so we stuck with our original plan of taking a taxi. After a lot of hours of travelling we arrived in Chicago to be greeted by Lucy’s mom and sister, Anna. It felt good and weird to be back in the USA after a full year. We spent the next 3 weeks visiting, Lucy’s family in Bloomington, IL, Micah’s family in Hesston, KS, Micah’s sister in Tucson, AZ and our old stomping ground in Goshen, IN. We are so thankful for the time we were able to spend with family and friends!! On 5 April we began our journey back to Belfast and arrived back to our house at about 11 in the morning on 6 April. We took that first day back to relax and sleep, go visit Bobby and Joy and their boys who had grown so much and have dinner with the community at the Ember.

Lucy getting friendly with a cactus.

At the Mirror Lab, where they make the worlds largest mirrors for telescopes.

The Loucks Fam.

Our niece Ashley on an Easter Egg Hunt.

Our new nephew Syler, who we met for the first time.

On Thursday we were back to work (after we slept about 12 hours overnight!). We worked a bit in the office responding to many emails, getting caught up on how much Root Soup had grown in the three weeks away, returning phone calls and doing other tasks that were left while we were away. In the evening we were pretty quick to go to bed! Getting over jetlag yet again took awhile!

On Friday, Micah headed up to the allotment. It was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine. The allotment crew built raised beds, planted, weeded and enjoyed the sun! Lucy had a rest day so she headed over to Bobby and Joy’s and joined them for a trip to Botanic Park and for lunch. After Micah got back we had a few friends over for a BBQ before Micah headed to Street Pastors’ training.

Saturday was a day in the Ember for both of us. Micah headed up to Forrestside with Larry in order to buy a DVD. Lucy mowed the grass at the Ember and picked up trash around the garden. After lunch, we all headed to Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park for a stroll and some ice cream. For dinner we had another BBQ at the Ark. After the BBQ, Thomas, Sharon, Matthew and Lucy went to a ‘Crosslink’s’ performance that May was involved in. The ‘Crosslink’s’ group is a cross-community group (takes both Protestants, Catholics and other minority groups) to work against stereotypes and bullying. The performance revealed a lot of stereotypes held between groups and involved dancing, singing, artwork and drama. It was a nice evening out!

Sunday we headed to church in the morning. After church, we went to Joy and Bobby’s for lunch and sat in the back garden for hours in the sunshine picking dandelions and chatting away. After we left Joy and Bobby’s we met up with Pam and Kendra (two fellow BVSers). Pam was working at Quaker Cottage in Belfast and finished this past Monday. Kenda is working in Hamburg Germany working at a peace organization. It was great to have dinner and play cards with them!

We were back at the prayer and team meeting on Monday. In the afternoon we met up with Pam and some of her co-workers at the Eg. Then we went to a kebab place. Lucy hated the kebabs and Micah loved them!

Tuesday we had a formation on the future of L’Arche Belfast. We looked at what it meant to be a leader and decided qualities our next community leader needs to have. Then we worked in the office for the afternoon and then cleaned the Ark. After work, we had dinner in the Ember.

Wednesday morning, Micah went to Root Soup and Lucy went to women’s cell. We both enjoyed being back! After Root Soup, Micah had a meeting with NOW Project. The NOW Project is interested in a contract with Root Soup to either receive training or buy soup for their cafes that employ people with learning disabilities! So exciting to see God at work in Root Soup! After dinner at the Ember, we headed to cell group which met at the church because our church was participating in the 24/7 prayer movement. Currently in Ireland and Northern Ireland every day of this year, people are praying 24 hours a day for different cities on the island. The month of April, the focus is on Belfast so different congregations are providing prayer spaces for people to pray in 24 hours a day. City Church hosted the movement for 2 days so we were able to focus on the Holy Lands (the area that is right around our church), Belfast and Northern Ireland.

Thursday was a rest day but we attended a meeting about Project Able. Project Able is a scheme providing work placements to people on the autistic spectrum and they are working in collaboration with Root Soup. They provide trainees for the allotment. In the afternoon we were really lazy (we can still blame it on jetlag!). In the evening we played games with Frans and Julia.

On Friday, Micah worked at the allotment. The garden crew made raised beds, weeded, put up lattice for the peas to grow on. Lucy worked all day in the Ember. In the morning she helped Thomas get up and around. In the afternoon she coloured with Jillian and then cooked dinner before watching a bit of TV with the lads. Larry is away on holiday leading a retreat in Poland with Gosia and Maria so things have been quieter in the Ember (even though Larry is a very quiet man!).

Saturday was a rest day, but instead of resting Micah had a meeting from 9:30-3 with the Community Leadership Programme. The meeting was led by a facilitator who was selected for Root Soup because of his fundraising expertise. The group talked about Root Soup mission, vision, aims and outcomes in the morning and fundraising in the afternoon. It was a very long meeting but also very beneficial as Root Soup continues to grow. During the meeting, Lucy babysat for Scott’s 3 kids (since Scott was at the meeting and his wife was in Scotland). After the meeting, we went on a walk and stopped by Joy and Bobby’s house before spending the evening resting!

Sunday we went to church and then spent the rest of the day at Joy and Bobby’s. Micah and Bobby went to pick gorse (a yellow flower) in order to make gorse wine. Lucy and Joy hung out with the kiddos.

Yesterday began with prayer and a team meeting. Afterwards we went on a run and went shopping for some toiletries. We went to the Ember for dinner and came back to do nothing! Micah spent the evening looking at computer possibilities because ours is on the fritz. Bummer!!

Today we are having a full-on rest day. Other than Noah’s birthday prayer we have no plans! Woot woot!

It has been a period of adjustment since being back (especially for Lucy), but slowly we are settling back into our daily routine and the life of the community. The end of this week is full of community events preparing for and celebrating Easter. It will be a time of lots of laughs and probably a bit of frustration, so keep us in your prayers that are hearts remain full of joy during the celebrations!

End of Year One

Friday March 4 began with Micah heading to the Allotment. The allotment crew did some weeding, built, assembled and painted raised beds and filled the beds with dirt. Lucy worked in the Ember in the afternoon. In the evening, a bunch from the community headed to a ‘table quiz’ held at a supporting church. ‘Table quiz’ is a quiz game for teams of people. It has many different rounds such as ‘In the news’ or ‘Child’s play’ or ‘Advertisements’. The two of us were on a team with a few older ladies and Larry (and we got 3^rd place...no thanks to us!).

Saturday we worked in the Ember. Micah went to Common Grounds with Thomas and Lucy headed to Michel’s (the local green grocer) with Jillian and then went to coffee with Jillian and Joy. After lunch, the boys took the 6 months worth of recycling to the recycling centre and the girls went to a craft show at Jillian’s church. In the evening, we were all pretty tuckered out so we decided to watch a film together!

On Sunday, we attended church in the morning and then made a yummy lunch and relaxed! It was perfect!

Monday began as usual with a prayer and team meeting. Micah had a meeting in the afternoon to discuss how to use a £2,500 grant that must be used to better the community. Afterwards, we went for a run to train for the team marathon!

Tuesday began with a formation on the mission of L’Arche. In the afternoon we worked in the office. The day was spent beginning to tie up loose ends in preparation to leave such as the newsletters, confirming volunteers and having a supervision meeting with Scott (our boss). Since it was international women’s day, the women of L’Arche Belfast went out to eat, and then all the community celebrated Pancake Tuesday. The boys made yummy pancakes for the women upon their return. After a brief celebration of Pancake Tuesday, the two of us headed to babysit for Joy and Bobby’s boys. They were already in bed so it was pretty easy!

Wednesday was a Root Soup and women’s cell day. Then in the afternoon we worked away in the office. Wednesday evening, Lucy went to cell group and Micah watched the Tottenham game...he is such a bad boy!

Thursday was a rest day. In the morning we went running and then went to get groceries. Around lunch time, Micah went to hang out with Bobby and Sam. Lucy started working on packing! In the afternoon, Micah did a bit of work and then we watched the final ‘Human Planet’ on BBC (if you ever get a chance...check these out!)

Friday, Lucy headed to the Ember for a full day and Micah headed up to the Allotment. The allotment crew finished ‘the new world’ aka finished making raised beds and filling them with soil in the new allotment space, did some weeding, built a bench and tried to stay dry. Lucy and Thomas made dinner and then watched a film in the evening.

The Bench Micah built is in the back of the picture!! Way to go Micah!

The garden's oasis from rain!

So much excitement from Matthew to be at the allotment!!

'The New World' aka the new allotment all finished!

On Saturday we had a BVS day in the Ark. Our European coordinator was in Belfast and so all the Northern Irish volunteers (about 10) gathered at our house for the afternoon. We had a lovely dinner at ‘Hooligans’ to finish off the day.

Sunday began with church and then lots of preparations for our trip to the States. In the evening we headed to Joy and Bobby’s for yummy soup and to play cards.

Today has been a whirlwind. We have been attending meetings, doing laundry, packing, cleaning, and running errands. It has been a very busy day! But tomorrow we will be heading to the USA! Our first flight is at 6:30 in the morning so it will be an early start and a long day. But, we are excited that it will end with seeing family and friends for a few weeks! We are pumped to see many of you very soon! Pray for our safety in travel, patience with the long trip and a speedy visa process! We have not had much time to reflect on the end of year one, so hopefully that will come in the next couple weeks! For now...a video compilation of our first year!

Bryson's View of Root Soup

Thursday 24 February was the Root Soup ‘Friends and Forks’ evening in the Ark. About 32 people came from the community and beyond. We had a lovely time chatting and eating delicious food including mushroom lasagne, chilli and rice, and cauliflower mac and cheese. It was great to spread the word about Root Soup to people beyond the community. Many ideas about future events were formed by the guests including women’s evenings and a weight watcher point-based evening. It was a long day with lots of work, but it was a true success!

Friday, Lucy worked all day in the Ember and Micah worked in the Ark garden and then headed to the allotment for the afternoon. It was a beautiful day outside so it was finally a joy to be up at the allotment after many weeks of rain and wind. After the allotment, Micah headed to church for ‘Street Pastors’ training. ‘Street Pastors’ is an initiative in cities around the UK to provide a church-based response to anti-social behaviour. With the backing of the police force and the city council, Street Pastors go out from 10-2 to care, listen, and help people get home safely and keep the city safer. Micah’s first training didn’t last as long as expected because only a couple showed up. When he got back, the two of us hung out in the Ember with Larry.

Saturday was a rest day. We headed to St. George’s market in the morning and then hung out at Bobby and Joy’s house. Micah and the boys brewed beer and Lucy and Joy headed to the park with their kids.

Sunday we headed to church in the morning and then went out to lunch. After lunch settled, we went on a run to start training for our team marathon! Sunday evening we had a chat with our housemates about a few problem areas around the house. The talk went better than we had anticipated.

Monday began with prayer and a team meeting. In the afternoon we went for a walk in Botanic Park and then had a date night! We headed to the cinema. It was our first time without the chaperones of Micah’s parents! We watched ‘Gnomea and Juliet’ which was quite good! Afterwards, we went out to dinner at Nando’s a Portuguese restaurant after being rejected at our first choice since we didn’t have a booking!

Tuesday we worked in the morning in the office. Then we met with Kristin (our BVS coordinator) who is visiting Ireland for lunch at Common Grounds. In the afternoon Micah had a meeting and Lucy went for a run. In the evening we had a community gathering at the Loom (our prayer space in North Belfast). We celebrated Maria’s birthday and enjoyed some yummy pizza.

Wednesday morning, Micah headed to Root Soup. He did an interview with Bryson, a trainee from Open Door Housing Association and then made Broccoli, Potato and Cheddar soup. Lucy went to women’s cell in the morning and then both of us worked in the office in the afternoon. Micah edited the video of Bryson and Lucy worked on sending out the L’Arche Belfast March newsletter. In the evening we went to our cell. It was the first time we met since our cell ‘multiplied’ into two and added a few new members. It is exciting to see how much the church has grown in the short time we have been here.

Adam drying dishes.

Jill cleaning up (with her new glasses).

Bryson.

Alison and Matthew.

Today is a rest day. We went to Ian’s bakery for an Ulster Fry which includes soda bread, potato bread, eggs, sausage, pancakes and bacon. Yummy! The rest of the day we are planning to clean the house and relax. This evening Micah has a training and Lucy is babysitting for Scott and Megan’s children.

12 days until we are back in the USA to visit. Yipee!

Root Soup Really Takes Off!

Friday the 11^th of February was an early morning for Lucy. We have been blessed with a schedule that allows us late morning starts, but since Lucy was present all day in the Ember, she was up and around early. Micah and the garden clan headed up to the allotment for a windy day of painting, hauling soil and beginning to plant! The wind was so strong that they had to be careful not to get blown over! In the Ember in the afternoon, Lucy went with Thomas to purchase some new boots (for Thomas). He is the easiest guy to shop for (unlike Micah) because he is not picky at all! The first pair of boots he tried on he loved and they fit him great! The evening for Lucy was spent hanging around the Ember with the guys enjoying cups of tea and a little television!

We had the entire weekend off which doesn’t happen too often so we used the day to go for a run and then enjoy an early dinner with Joy, Bobby and their two boys. In the evening, Lucy headed with Joy to meet some other women from church for a ladies evening and Micah and Bobby played cards for their ‘boys’ evening’. It was a good day of fun and fellowship.

Sunday started by heading to church. After church we walked down to St. George’s Market in city centre to get a bite to eat and enjoy the nice weather. By the time we walked home it was almost time for some dinner and a good relaxing movie!

Monday morning began with prayer and then the team meeting. After the meeting, we caught a ride to the train station with Jenny so we could head to Bangor for a nice afternoon out and Lucy’s chiropractor appointment. After a lovely cup of coffee and some lunch, Lucy had her last scheduled appointment. It has been a real blessing to see progress through the chiropractic appointments. Although it hasn’t taken away all the migraines, it has allowed Lucy to stop taking medicine daily as well as decreased the intensity of the migraines! So praise God for this healing! By evening we were both pretty tuckered out so we enjoyed doing very little!

On Tuesday we had a formation on the mission of L’Arche Belfast. It was good to revisit the mission statement and see areas of strength and weakness in how we as a community are living out the mission. After the formation, we both worked in the office. Lucy is trying to finalize a volunteer for the beginning of May before we head home to renew our visas. Micah is working hard at nailing out the details of the future plan for Root Soup as well as organise events! In the evening, Micah headed to the pub with Bobby to watch a Champions League football match and Lucy went to Joy and Bobby’s to stay with their sleeping kids since Joy was out at a church event. Tottenham was able to hold onto the win so Micah was a happy man!

Wednesday began with Micah heading to the Root Soup kitchen and Lucy heading to women’s cell. The women’s cell that Lucy is a part of has about 7 children between the young mums so Lucy took her turn watching the kids so the other women could focus on the study. Lucy learned pretty quickly that caring for 7 children under the age of 5 is not her calling! Chaos and Lucy are not good friends! In the afternoon, we were both back in the office. Wednesday evening we went out our cell group. It was the last week that we will all meet together. Because of the growth in the church, our cell group is dividing (or I guess multiplying is the correct term) into two groups to make room for new members. It is an exciting time at City Church, but also a time of a lot of adjustment for the ‘old-timers’ of the church.

Thursday was a rest day for the two of us. After a run, we spent the day cleaning and hanging out. In the evening we went over to Joy and Bobby’s to stay with their kids so they could have a date night. Babysitting is pretty easy when the kids sleep and we get to watch TV!

Friday morning, Micah headed to the allotment for the day. They continued their work of prepping the allotments for planting! The garden crew has had some bad luck with weather recently...it has been cold, windy and rainy for quite a few weeks now. They are all looking forward to the warming up that spring will bring! Lucy was gearing up to go to the Ember when she got a tummy bug. The rest of the day was not so much fun for Lucy!

On Saturday, Micah went to the Ember and Lucy stayed in bed with the tummy bug! Micah went to Common Grounds with Thomas in the morning to volunteer. After lunch, Larry, Micah, Neil and Matthew went to city centre in search of boots for Larry. Larry loves boots. Whenever someone has boots on, he says, “boots nice”, but because his feet are so small since he is a wee man, finding adult male boots that fit him is a task! The four guys went to lots of stores and walked a few miles in search of boots and alas they did find some! Larry has been the proud wearer of his boots ever since! By evening, it was time to relax in the Ember!

By Sunday, Lucy had finally stomped the tummy bug and the two of us were able to head to church in the morning. After church, Pam (a fellow BVSer) came over for a late lunch and to catch up. We live on opposite ends of Belfast, so we haven’t seen each other nearly as often as we would have liked to, so it was a really nice time to hear how things are going for her!

Monday began the same way as always with prayer and a team meeting. The team meeting focused on May’s one year review. She moved in just before we did and it’s hard to believe that it has already been about 1 year!! After the meeting, Micah went with Stephen, a guy from church to show him the manure stash that the garden crew uses for the allotment. (Stephen is building some raised beds in his garden and needs a bit of fertilizer.) After Micah got back, we went for a run and then shopping for some groceries. When we were walking to the grocery store, we saw a Roma man who used to beg on Ormeau (the road we live on). He and Micah would always give each other the thumbs up so he has a special place in Micah’s heart. We hadn’t seen him about for awhile (He is now selling ‘The Big Issue’, a magazine published once a week and sold at intersections), but Micah got to chat with him a bit and of course give and receive the thumbs up. By the time we were back, it was time to prepare some appetizers for a dinner at Joy and Bobby’s. The evening was spent enjoying yummy food and good friends.

Tuesday morning began with the team giving a ‘spring clean’ to the Ember. With so many people going in and out of the Ember, it needs a good clean every now and again. Once we finished cleaning (and eating doughnuts), we were both back in the office. Lucy worked on preparing a brochure for Root Soup and Micah continued to work on organizing the upcoming Root Soup evening as well as got groceries for the cooking on Wednesday at Root Soup. We went to dinner on Tuesday at the Ember. It had been awhile since Lucy had been over since she was sick, so it was nice to be back! Tuesday evening had some nasty weather, so we stayed in the house!

On Wednesday, Lucy headed to women’s cell and Micah headed to the Root Soup kitchen. Micah was in charge of the kitchen, because Alison (the trainer) was off this week. It was the first profitable day in the kitchen, since they sold their first batch of soup!! Good work Root Soup! In the afternoon, we were both in the office again. Lucy worked on printing more brochures for Root Soup and spent way too much time trying to figure out how to print on an envelope! Micah was organizing, organizing and continuing to organize the event!

Today, Micah is prepping for the Root Soup event, ‘Friends and Forks’ with Alison and Bryson that is taking place tonight. The hope is that people directly connected with L’Arche Belfast will bring friends in order to spread the word about Root Soup (and raise a little money!). Lucy is taking a bit of time to relax since it is our rest day! We will let you know soon how the event goes!

Overall, life in Belfast is going really well. We are enjoying the weather warming up a bit, our jobs and our friends in and out of the community. But, we are starting to look forward to seeing out friends and family in the States in a few weeks. It is hard to believe a year has almost passed!

Back to the clouds and rain!

24 January began with a team meeting. Then we caught a ride into town with Jenny so that Lucy could head to a chiropractic appointment and Micah could head to city centre. When Lucy got back to the house, Micah was a bit worried because Micah’s parents had emailed to ask to skype about ‘something important’. We had just talked to them the day before so it was a bit troublesome. No fear though...they were just calling to wish Lucy a happy birthday a day early! Since we missed dinner at the Ember, Bobby and Joy dropped extras over for us. The rest of the evening was just filled with relaxing.

Tuesday began with ‘breakfast in bed’ for Lucy. It is a L’Arche Belfast tradition to get breakfast in bed on your birthday, but since we are early risers compared to much of the community, it was not in bed, but still quite lovely. The rest of the morning was spent in a formation on supervision. In the afternoon Lucy accompanied Maria, Frans, Larry and Jillian to a talk at a college for future teachers. It is always wonderful to see Larry and Jillian using their gifts to inspire others! Micah spent the afternoon working on stuff for Root Soup. For dinner we headed over to Bobby and Joy’s for Lucy’s bday dinner. Micah made delicious meatballs! They were so yummy!

On Wednesday, Micah headed to Root Soup in the morning and Lucy headed to women’s cell. At Root Soup, they made a lip-smacking potato and leek soup! In the afternoon we worked in the office. When we were on holiday, a few assistants helped Larry steal Micah's clothing that he left behind (because Micah picks on Larry a lot). So in order to get his clothes back, he had to wear an outfit of Larry's over to the Ember. Larry is just a bit smaller than Micah so the picture below says it all!

Thursday morning Micah and Bobby came close to completing the chicken coop and run. In the afternoon we moved the stones from the chicken run so that they will be able to scratch around. Before dinner we did some grocery shopping for our house. For dinner we had a celebratory party because L’Arche Belfast was inspected by the local quality control and passed!

On Friday, Micah headed to a training about strategic planning. Micah felt that the training showed that Root Soup is on a good path and showed a few ideas for improvement. Way to go Root Soup! Lucy spent the morning in the office and the afternoon in the Ember.

Saturday we were in the Ember all day. Micah went to Common Grounds Cafe with Thomas in the morning to volunteer. Afterwards, Micah and Matthew worked on the chicken coop. Lucy spent the morning with Jillian getting coffee and doing some shopping at the local green grocer. In the afternoon Lucy and Thomas did some crafts in the Ark. After dinner we all watched a movie. It was Matthew’s pick and not that great.

Sunday began with church. Lucy had her first experience in the crèche (aka the nursery) at church. Since we were there a bit early to set up the crèche, Micah got selected to be a part of the drama during the sermon. The sermon was on Jacob and Esau and Micah (being so smooth skinned) was chose for Jacob. He got to put on part of a bear costume to make him hairy during the deception part! Lucy is pretty disappointed she missed this!! It sounds pretty classic! We made a yummy lunch and then enjoyed an afternoon of scrapbooking, drawing and movies.

First thing Monday morning we had a team meeting. Afterwards we continued to work on the chicken coop. We got it close to complete! In the evening we headed over to the Ember for some dinner!

Tuesday began with a second formation on supervision. In the afternoon, we worked in the office. Micah headed to the store to buy a few odds and ends for the Root Soup kitchen. The early evening was spent almost finishing the chicken coop!

Wednesday started with Micah heading to Root Soup and Lucy going to Women’s cell. After Root Soup, Micah went to IKEA with Matthew before he accompanied Matthew to the dentist. In the evening we headed to the Ember for dinner and then went to our cell group.

Thursday was a great day! We headed to IKEA with Bobby to enjoy the free coffee and tea that we get for being an IKEA family member! After having some lunch, the two of us headed into city centre to get some scrapbooking materials. The evening was spent scrapbooking and drawing.

On Friday, Micah headed to the allotment for the day. It was super windy so they made lots of raised beds and tried not to get blown over! Lucy spent the morning in the office and the afternoon in the Ember. Micah worked until dark finishing the chicken coop while Lucy and Thomas made some dinner in the Ember.

Saturday we were in the Ember all day. Micah went to Common Grounds with Thomas to volunteer. Then Lucy, Micah, Larry, Thomas and Jillian headed up to Forestside to buy toiletries and a DVD. Larry and Micah then headed to Bobby’s to brew some beer. Larry was in heaven! Later on, the rugby match between Ireland and Italy was on. Then Lucy, Jillian, Thomas and Makiko headed to the Ark to do some painting and crafts. The evening was spent relaxing in front of the TV watching Thomas’ favourite show (Casulty)...an awful hospital drama.

On Sunday we walked to church in the rain! It was the first time it rained on us when we were walking to church on a Sunday morning! Pretty incredible since we live in N. Ireland! Bobby, Joy, the kids and Jessica (a visitor of Bobby and Joy’s) came over for lunch. We were planning pizza, but ended up doing hamburgers because the local grocer didn’t have what we needed for pizza. Our ‘lunch’ was finally started at about 4 p.m. but it was really nice! Micah did a great job grilling the burgers! Yum! Then Bobby and Micah went to Sainsbury to buy groceries for the Superbowl. Once back, our chickens came!! Nigel (a guy from church) brought us 3 chickens from his father-in-laws farm. After clipping their wings, they were put in the coop for the night. After the chickens were safely put away, Micah went out with the volunteers to a pub. (Lucy was exhausted by this point and needed a bit of alone time before people arrived for the Superbowl!) Micah arrived back just in time to welcome people from church for the Superbowl which started at 11:30 p.m. here! Most people watched the first half and headed home, but Micah, Bobby and Malc (the pastor of City Church) were hardcore and watched the entire game. Micah got to bed about 3:30 a.m. Crazy boys!

Monday began with Lucy leading prayer and then we had our team meeting. In the afternoon, we did our visa application that we will be trying to renew in about a month! This process took much of the afternoon. In the evening, Joy, Bobby and Sam stopped by to chat and then we had dinner. By this point in the evening, we were both exhausted after the little sleep the night before so we watched a movie and headed to bed!

On Tuesday we learned all about food hygiene! Woohoo! In the afternoon we worked in the office. Lucy is trying to recruit a volunteer for April and has not found anyone yet so please keep that in your prayers! After work, we headed over to the Ember for Megan’s (Scott’s wife) birthday prayer. After the prayer, we hurried back to the Ark to get something to eat before Jenna and Peter (the MMN volunteers) came over to play some games.

Wednesday started with Micah heading to Root Soup and Lucy heading to women’s cell. In the afternoon we both worked in the office. After work, we went grocery shopping then headed to the Ember for dinner before going to cell.

Today Lucy went on a walk in the morning with Joy. We are planning this afternoon to head to Ian’s Bakery for a traditional fry and then walking in the Castlereagh hills. We will just see what the rest of the day brings!

It has been a busy time, but Micah is pumped to have chickens (even though they haven’t laid any eggs yet L ). It is hard to believe that we have almost been here for 11 months, but we are getting excited about the possibility of seeing many of you when we are back in about a month to renew our visas! Pray that we can have patient hearts as we wait to see family and friends again (especially Lucy!).

Our 3 beautiful hens!

Our coop and run.