Soup Shanty Festivities

Monday 27^th of October was a day full of travelling and meetings for both of us. We headed down to Dublin with Scott, Maria, Gosia and Sharon for a meeting on supervision provided by L’Arche Ireland. We left early Monday morning and arrived back about dinner time. The meeting talked a lot about how to build trust with people we supervise while building a friendship.

On Tuesday we started the day with our team meeting then it was off to the office. Micah was busy preparing for the Soup Shanty. He did everything from locating soup spoons to verifying when the centre would be open for our use. Lucy continued to work on supporting the current volunteers and made a questionnaire as a follow up to the meeting the day before. Tuesday evening we had a leaving party and prayer for Manuela, a one month volunteer from Austria. She really blessed the community with her ability to truly “be” in community. After the party, we headed to our Freedom in Christ course at church. We continued to look at the truths that God has told us about our life.

On Wednesday we did our weekly trip to Ian’s followed by Micah doing a bit of work for the Soup Shanty. Afterwards we went on a trip to Botanic Avenue for a haircut for Lucy and window shopping for the both of us.

Thursday we were back at work, but less office time and more Soup Shanty preparation. From about 10 till 6 we were immersed in soup...making soup, tasting soup, preparing vegetables, washing dishes for the soup and buying last minute items. It was a long day but nice to have a change of pace. (Micah made a delicious carrot and coriander soup!!).

Friday was the day we had been preparing for the last few months. Micah and Maria in particular had spent a lot of hours getting ready for this event! In the morning, Micah and Scott made their weekly trip to the allotment after buying supplies for new porch and guttering. The day continued with many preparations: cleaning the Indian Centre, cutting bread, setting tables, warming up soup, putting tray bakes on trays, and decorating. Micah, Maria, Scott and Matthew began preparing the Indian Centre at 2. Lucy and Jillian headed over to lend a hand at 4. The event finally started at 7 with delicious soups and good fellowship. It continued with a speech from Maria and entertainment from the Open Arts Choir, a choir for people with and without disabilities. We were required to be out of the Indian Centre at 10 so right after the choir was finished we offered tea, coffee and tray bakes to the guests and then whipped around to clean up. What a busy and fantastic day, although the event didn’t raise as much money as hoped for, the soup was a hit! Not a drop was left at the end of the night after selling the leftovers!

Maria giving her speech. Jillian loving being front and center and the choir getting ready to sing!

Emily and Matthew selling our new cookbooks, "Soup and What Else" written by Maria Garvey!

Jillian, Thomas and Pam enjoying the wonderful evening!

Gosia and Larry!

No rest for the weary; Saturday we were in the Ember back at work. No one had much energy on Saturday so everyone had a lie in before taking it pretty easy. Even Jillian who does not enjoy rest as much as the guys was ready for an afternoon listening to music and colouring in her room.

Sunday we were off to church in the morning. We had a pretty slow day on Sunday after a few busy days. We talked to Micah’s family and lounged about. Not much was accomplished except a good bit of rest.

Monday we had our team meeting. Afterwards we went grocery shopping and then talked to Lucy’s family before heading out to meet some potential friends in the city centre. One of Lucy’s past roommates currently is living with someone who knew this couple and it turns out Micah has met her before at MVS orientation. Also, her dad pastored in the church that Lucy’s uncle pastored in. Small world! Kelley was doing VS in Northern Ireland and met her husband who is from this area so now she is a permanent resident! We had a good time chatting with them!!

Tuesday we went on a walk by Sharon’s house. She lives in a great part of Belfast that feels so secluded from the rest of the city. Not as assessable for walking into town, but a really nice setting! In the afternoon we worked in the office. Micah priced items for the kitchen to finish it off as well as looked for possible grants. Lucy wrote a letter for Manuela so she can put her volunteer hours into her CV (kind of like a resume) as well as contacted our future housemates from Sweden about their arrival time, among a few other things. In the evening Thomas came over for dinner before we headed off to Freedom in Christ at church.

Wednesday was Micah’s birthday! He turned the big 2-5. He had his first experience with the L’Arche tradition of breakfast in bed (although he didn’t stay in bed to receive it, he was downstairs already when they brought it over). Then we went and played 2 rounds of “crazy golf” aka putt-putt. Then we tried to get Micah a new pair of jeans, but failed miserably. He hasn’t quite adopted the European style yet! Then it was about time to make a delicious dinner...steak fajitas. Micah requested it because we eat very little meat and pretty much no Mexican food! Thanks to everyone who sent cards or messages!

Thursday we took an extra day off since the previous week we had put in so many extra hours the week before. L’Arche Belfast has done an amazing job at teaching us the importance of rest! We spent the morning babysitting for Aodh, the two year old of Scott. Afterwards we spent awhile cleaning, because it had been put on the backburner to the Soup Shanty and the Ark needed a good cleaning! In the evening we went to Joy and Bobby’s house for dinner. They have recently returned from the states and were good friends of Faythe and James who recently headed to South Bend, IN for graduate school. We enjoyed their company and spending time with their two kids!

On Friday, the two of us went to Ian’s bakery for our weekly trip and then Micah and Scott headed up to the allotment in the afternoon. They were preparing for a group of adults to come and help out on Sunday. Lucy went to the Ember in the afternoon and accompanied Thomas to take a jacket to the drycleaners as well as get his hair cut.

Saturday we were back full force into the Ember. Thomas took Micah out to breakfast at Common Grounds. During their breakfast, Thomas kept talking about working at Common Grounds on Saturdays (he already works there on Wednesdays) and when they were paying, the supervisor said that he would be able to work 9 till 11! Thomas is stoked! Afterwards, Lucy and Thomas headed to do some shopping for clothes for him. That man can shop! While Thomas and Lucy were shopping for clothes, Micah whipped up some corn chowder and then Micah and Larry headed up to Forestside to look for a new DVD and boots. Poor Larry has such small feet that there were none in his size that didn’t look like little kids boots. After all these errands, we settled down for an evening of the X-factor (a lame TV show similar to the American Idol).

On Sunday, Lucy headed to church in the morning and Micah headed up to the allotment in the late morning. After church, Lucy had a pretty uninteresting day of relaxing, but Micah had a busy day leading a group of volunteers in many projects around the allotment including guttering the shed, painting the shed and weeding. They were up their until a barbeque in the evening. It was a lot of help to have them contribute so much to the projects at the allotment. Now, Scott and Micah can focus on the back garden of the Ark (like chickens!) and maintenance around the Ember.

Today, we had our team meeting in the morning and then headed to IKEA for hopefully the last bit needed to finish the Ark post-fire. Afterwards, we took some vegetables and sandwiches to Joy and Bobby. The church across the road to us donated a TON of veg and sandwiches after their harvest festival and there is no way we will ever eat it all! Then it was back to the Ember for dinner. This evening we will work through the Freedom in Christ material.

It has been a whirlwind the past few weeks and we are looking forward to slowing down into routine again as Micah continues to work on preparing for the first day of Root Soup and Lucy prepares to welcome two new volunteers. We are enjoying getting to know more people around Belfast and look forward to a potential holiday in January (to somewhere that flights are cheap and it is warm...possibly Spain?). Ideas are welcome!

Six Months and Going Strong

Thursday September 16 was another day in the office. Micah met with Alison at Open Door. He showed her around the kitchen for Root Soup since she is going to help get the soup aspect off the ground by volunteering her expertise in cooking with people with learning difficulties. Lucy met with a potential local volunteer who has recently graduated from university.

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.

Change in Seasons

Monday, August 30 was a rest day for the two of us. We had our weekly breakfast at Ian’s bakery, which included delicious doughnuts! Then we went on a walk, went grocery shopping and relaxed around the house.

Tuesday, we had a team meeting and then were at work in the office. Lucy worked on putting together final touches for the new volunteers coming such as their welcome packs, phone cards and recruiting other team members to set up the rooms. Micah spent most of the day restoring our computer since it decided to have issues! Luckily, it is back up and working again and it motivated us to back up our pictures we have taken so far here! In the evening, we had Cami’s farewell prayer. Cami arrived a few weeks before us and returned to France to continue her studies in translation. For her prayer we had an assortment of breads, cheese and meat, all things she loves and missed while here!

Wednesday was a rest day again. We went to Common Grounds Cafe with Cami and Rachel for lunch. In the afternoon, Lucy had a doctor’s appointment because her migraines have been REAL bad lately. The doctor was a bit less than helpful, but hopefully soon they will be getting better! In the evening we went to cell group and continued to look at prayer.

Thursday, we worked in the office. We had a meeting with Scott and Maria in the morning to look at our job descriptions before they are put into our files. Then Lucy went out to lunch with Maria while Micah had a meeting with Open Door Housing Association (a collaborator in Root Soup) Then Lucy met with Cami to do her closing check-in. It is a way to make sure people feel ready to transition out of L’Arche and feel positive about their time in L’Arche. Micah had a meeting with his business mentor, Valerie. In the afternoon, a new one month volunteer arrived from Austria, Manuela. Micah went with a few from the community to the pub to celebrate Cami’s time in L’Arche. Lucy stayed home with a migraine.

On Friday, we said goodbye to Cami which was hard to do. She was a central part of the Ember life because she was so welcoming, but the other volunteers that live in the Ember will do a great job at creating the home it needs to be!! Afterwards, Micah headed to the garden to pull weeds, mowed, and picked a bit of veg. Lucy spent the morning relaxing, went for a walk and read. In the afternoon, Lucy was in the Ember.

Saturday we headed out to pick blackberries. Blackberries grow in random places here so we headed to the Annadale Embankment, which had a lot, but was quite noisy from the traffic. We were able to pick enough blackberries to make two blackberry and rhubarb (from allotment) pies! Yummy! Emily, a new 8 month volunteer from Seattle, arrived! Now all the transitions for this month are made! In the evening we went to a couple from our cell group’s house for dinner. They (or more truthfully she) made enchiladas! So nice! We do not get enough Mexican food here! It was a really nice evening since we were outside the community. We love the community, but it is nice to break outside once in awhile.

On Sunday we were in the Ember. The day was pretty low key since the new volunteers were settling in. We worked on puzzle together and had evening prayer. Other than that it was a lot of tea and chats.

On Monday we had a rest day after our team meeting. The day was pretty calm. We rested a lot and played a bit of “greedy”.

On Tuesday, we had a community life meeting in the morning. We looked at what we want to be as a community and the gifts each one of us brings. In the afternoon, Lucy had meetings with Emily and Manuela to make sure they are settled in and finish their file for employment. Micah did something, but he doesn’t remember what...After work we had a birthday prayer for Makiko. It was great to go around and say all the good things Makiko brings to the community!

On Wednesday, we made our weekly trip to Ian’s Bakery for delicious and cheap doughnuts! Then after our walk, we pulled a TON of weeds. Our back “garden” aka rock pit was full of them. This is why we are proposing getting a few chickens. Two benefits are that one we get eggs and two they do the weeding for us when we move the cage around! Sounds perfect to me! In the evening Lucy covered the Ember for Makiko so she accompanied Thomas to Common Grounds. It was great to see Thomas in his element working and serving people food and taking orders. It was really fun to see him at one of his favourite points during the week. After getting done, the two of us used some free tickets to a gig that Neil had but wasn’t using. The singer/band was called Lisse and she grew up in Illinois!! It was good fun and a nice change of pace.

On Thursday, we were back in the office. Lucy responded to LOTS of emails and then had a meeting with Maria and Emily to get the newsletter back up and running. For awhile it looked like it was going to be an additional responsibility for Lucy, but luckily Emily has a gift in writing and was keen to take it on as the editor. You can check it out on the L’Arche Belfast website! She did a great job! Micah had a meeting with Maria in the morning then started a grant application.

Friday was garden day again so Micah headed with Scott and several of the volunteers up to the allotment. They painted a new picnic table and gate, weeded and chatting. Lucy had the morning off and spent time walking, finishing pulling the weeds in the back garden and then was on the in afternoon at the Ember. She made some pizza for dinner. Larry was meant to cook alongside her, but he was quite sick with a cold, so no cooking for him!

On Saturday, we were both present at the Ember. Lucy got Thomas up early and they headed into city centre to run some errands. The two got art supplies, toothpaste and renewed Thomas’ bus pass before stopping for lunch. Micah spent the morning buying groceries and then preparing lunch. The afternoon as spent in the Ark for the first of many L’Arche art days! It was a time for the community to paint, draw, hang out and make cards for past assistants. It was great and we will hopefully be doing it monthly! We rounded out the day with a nice barbeque. A good barbeque always is a good way to end the day!

Sunday we finally attended City Church again! Between holidays and working on Sundays we had not attended since Micah’s family was here!! It was so good to be back and reconnect with the congregation again! Afterwards we went out for some Chinese food (yummy!) before a walk. Once back in the Ark, Micah painted while Lucy made some wheaten bread for the Soup Shanty that is coming up quickly. In the evening Micah went to the E.P. launch and gig for Neil’s band. Lucy stayed in because of the series of recent migraines!

Monday was a rest day for Lucy and a “rest day” for Micah. Lucy spent the morning at the team meeting, had an eye appointment (still have good vision) and went for a walk. Micah spent 8 hours in meetings. He met with Valerie, went to the team meeting, went to the Indian centre where the Soup Shanty will be held, met with Alison a potential cook for Root Soup, and gave the board of directors an update on the progress Root Soup has made over the summer holiday! He was a busy boy!

Tuesday we were back in the office after training on report writing. Lucy answered emails, typed minutes for Micah’s meetings and set up meeting with potential local volunteers. Micah made a lot of phone calls and took some time off since the day before was so hectic! In the evening we went to the Freedom in Christ course our church is offering. Session one was great and we will keep you updated as we progress through!

Today we again had breakfast at Ian’s as usual on Wednesdays. Then we went for a walk. Lucy attempted to go to a review meeting for Thomas at his day centre, but found out it was next week so came straight back home. Micah continued to work on his painting...it is so close to being done! After lunch we headed into town to try yet again to set up our new bank. We think we did it! We just need to be approved by the head office since we are not EU citizens! Then we did some window shopping while we were in city centre. When getting ready to walk back to the house, we ran into May and her friends! May practically lives in the city centre...she loves it there! Tonight we had a great dinner at the Ember with the community full of laughs about all the differences between US and British/Northern Irish English. It was great. Just a few of them for your enjoyment: the pronunciation of aluminium, garage and oregano are completely different, tarmac means driveway, pants means underwear, trousers means pants and a courgette is zucchini. These don’t even include all the slang phrases! Yikes it’s crazy here!

The weather has really changed here the last few days. We are intensely moving to autumn/winter. The wind has been blowing like mad and the temperature has dropped dramatically! It is taking some getting used to, but also makes us realize we have almost been here for 6 months, which is quite hard to believe!

One prayer request would be for Lucy’s headaches. They have been real bad over the past few months and she has a doctor’s appointment in about 1.5 weeks again to hopefully get some more help with them, but obviously God can take of it before! She won’t be mad!

We wish you all well this coming week! We think of you often despite the many miles between us!

Cami during her blindfolded cheese tasting challenge.

Rachel and Octavia

Jillian working hard on her painting! Emily (one of the new volunteers) in the background.

May and Jill painting away! Thomas and Larry didn't work on their projects nearly as long as these two dedicated spirits!

Bringing Back the Fun and Corrymeela!

Wednesday, August 18 was a rest day. It seems a little funny to have a rest day right after being on holiday for over a week, but it is true and was a nice day of adjustment back to life in B-fast. We cleaned the Ark during the day and in the evening headed to cell group.

Thursday, we were back to the office. Lucy worked away at emails since it had been awhile and new volunteers are shortly arriving. Micah had a meeting with Maria. We had dinner at the Ember which included May just back from her holidays in Israel!! The community was starting to come back together after summer holidays!! In the evening we played Kniffel (Yatzee) with others in the Ember.

On Friday, Micah and Scott headed up to the allotment to see how out of control it was after a week of no one taking care of it. They returned with tons of veg and sore backs from mowing the long grass around the fire pit. Lucy was in the Ember in the evening. Larry and Lucy cooked curry vegetables with the help of many others.

On Saturday (which was Lucy’s little bros bday) we were present in the Ember. It was a busy day of cleaning, laundry, errands and a few cups of tea. In the evening we all headed with Maria to Downpatrick for Talent Quest 2010, a fundraiser for L’Arche put on by some youth. We had no idea what to expect and ended up having a few laughs and hearing a lot of AWFUL “talent”. The best part was when Jillian tried to sing along with the performers. It was a good outing that will be remembered for some time.

Sunday was a rest day. Sadly our church was on a retreat so we did not get to go to church. We spent the day going for a walk, cleaning, skyping with our families and friends and spending time outside in the sun.

Monday began as usual with a meeting. We went to IKEA to come closer to finishing purchases for the Ark. Pretty uneventful day...

Tuesday we had manual handling training the majority of the day. We learned all about lifting boxes, our spines, helping people stand up and sit down as well as proper technique for walking with core members. It made us all a bit more conscious of our spines! After we did a bit of office work since our office day was cut out before attending Scott’s birthday prayer. Thomas came over for dinner, which he was quite excited about since it had been a few weeks since we had last had Tuesday dinner together. During dinner, Neil came down to see if we wanted to go to a pub quiz, which was a fundraiser for a friend of his that is going to South Africa to work in a school. It was a fun evening. Team “Larry’s Lads and Lasses” did not fare too well, BUT we did not get last place!

Wednesday was a rest day. We went to our fav bakery in the morning (Ian’s!). Then we headed out for a walk. After lunch in the Ember, Lucy stayed to surprise Makiko with a birthday celebration. Makiko was quite excited to get her ears pierced which was a present from Cami and Teresa, but she was so cute because she kept asking, “Does it hurt to get ear holes?” Micah headed over to a meeting before the party with Maria and other Soup Shanty coordinators. On October 1, the kickoff to Root Soup is taking place at the “Soup Shanty”, an evening of fellowship, music and good soup! They were busy planning the details of the evening at this meeting! Then we went over to cell group in the evening. We had been asked the week before to lead the Bible Study so that was a good way to get more involved in the group!

Thursday was a full day in the office. Lucy met for her exit interview with Teresa, a one-month volunteer who headed back to Austria on Sunday. Other than that it was emails, fixing documents and reading about being non-discriminatory in “hiring” practices. Micah created a Facebook group for Root Soup as well as a blog. If you are on Facebook, join the group “Root Soup” or check out his Root Soup blog. The link for the page is on the side and it is www.rootsoup.blogspot.com. Nothing has been written yet, but it gives a good description and he will be adding to it soon. In the evening we headed to the allotment for a “bring back the fun” party that celebrated Scott’s birthday, Makiko’s birthday, Teresa’s farewell and Rachel’s amazing test scores to get into Cambridge University. It was full of great food, great fellowship and lots of laughs. It was a spectacular day full of sunshine!

Waiting for Food: Jillian, Teresa, Eimear, and Thomas.

Aodh looking cool.

Having fun at the allotment!

Friday, Micah and Scott headed to the allotment for the morning. They tidied up, picked weeds and pulled veggies. In the afternoon Micah had a meeting with Open Door, a collaborator in Root Soup. Lucy spent the afternoon preparing for the weekend holiday. She prepared a picnic, packed the car and went on a walk with Jill. Then Maria phoned to say that it would be better to eat at the Ember, so we unpacked the picnic and ate (quite early) before setting off for a work weekend at Corrymeela, another community which focuses on peace and reconciliation work. The centre is situated on the north coast up on a cliff right by the sea, which provided stunning views! After arrival, we had an evening prayer, hot chocolate and toast before helping the core members off to bed.

Saturday began with breakfast and morning reflection. Then it was off to work interrupted only by intermittent rain. The tasks varied from scraping moss from between stones on the path, to collecting stones at the beach to trimming hedges. It was a day of hard work, lots of food and quite a bit of rain! In the evening we had a reflection on the weekend and then prayer before more hot chocolate and toast. Once the core members were off to bed, the two of us had a chance to talk to a man from the Focolare Movement.

Sunday we were back to work in the morning. The main task of the day was moving stones from a bed that they wanted to plant grass in. Then it was worship, lunch and time to head home. We packed a very tired bunch into Rosie (our community van) and Scott’s car and not too long into the trip the back of Rosie was very quiet. Once back, we enjoyed relaxing.

This next week is full of transition. Teresa has already left and Cami leaves on Friday. Additionally two new volunteers are coming, one from the U.S. and one from Austria. It will be an interesting week in the community with so much happening. Hope you enjoy our new blog set up!

Jill and Makiko hard at work!


Cami in the garden working away!


Makiko coming back for another load!


Hard at work!


Octavia taking a rest from work and play.


Micah and Larry messing about.

Berlin

Sunday August 8 at 5:40 a.m. we headed out in a taxi to Europa Bus Centre to catch the 6:00 bus to Dublin. Only being stopped once by border patrol who walked through the bus and didn’t even glance at the identification we presented long enough to see if it was actually us in the picture, we arrived at the airport for our flight to Berlin, Germany. With boarding passes in hand and no checked luggage we flew through security before sitting down are realizing we probably should have taken the 7 a.m. bus. Ahh well, at least we made the flight and had time to meet up with other BVSers in the airport who were on the same flight. After a smooth flight, we followed VERY detailed instructions from the Berlin airport to our retreat centre using the intricate public transportation system in Berlin. Upon arrival and settling in, we had dinner and a welcoming session.

Monday began with a meditation on being changed as Jesus and his disciples were changed during ministry by Matt, who works in a L’Arche in Dublin. Then we had a update on what is happening in BVS in the last year from Kristin before lunch. After lunch we had free time to enjoy row boats, volleyball, naps and SUN around the retreat centre. After free time we had a project reporting time from the projects in Northern Ireland. Six of the ten BVSers are stationed in Northern Ireland doing projects ranging from working with children to gardening to assessing the integration of communities! Then it was dinner before the rest of the projects reported. The other four BVSers are located in Ireland, Bosnia, Germany, and Hungary.

Tuesday began with a meditation focusing on the song “One Voice” by Katie who is stationed in Northern Ireland. Look up the song it is really good. Then we began watching movies on various topics as sources of discussion. The first set of documentaries was on the situation in Bosnia including Everyday Life of Roma and Two Schools Under One Roof. We learned a lot about what has been happening there in the last number of years and continues to affect the people today. It was really interesting to learn that there are schools using the same building but segregated into Croatian and Bosnian, so the students do not interact. After this we had lunch and free time, before continuing with another film on Chinese immigrants in Bosnia called Patria Mia. It had an interesting upbeat interpretation of immigrants’ situation and although I am sure that some immigrants are as happy as the stories presented, it seemed a bit unrealistic. After dinner we watched yet another film called Pray the Devil Back to Hell. This was a powerful documentary about a women’s peace movement during the Liberian Civil War and consequently the group that helped to bring to power the first female head of state.

On Wednesday, Jill who is placed in a project in Hungary provided us with a combination of Taize and Lectio Divina meditation. Afterwards, we headed to a project where BVSers have been placed in the past. The project is called Action Reconciliation. It originally worked with concentration camp survivors but has broadened its aims to include many marginalized persons and provides many volunteer opportunities. Afterwards, we headed out to lunch on the town at an Indian restaurant before going back to watch another film called Belfast Girls. We had already seen the film in Geneva during our orientation, but it was interesting to see the locations that looked familiar and how much easier the accent was to understand than a few months ago! The film looks at the separate lives of a Protestant and a Catholic girl and the views the hold of the opposite community. After supper, we had our continued dose of films, as we watch Ordinary Radicals, a film about Shane Claiborne’s first book tour. It focused on various organizations along the way that were living in a way that were in line with the radical ways of Jesus.

On Thursday we finally got to go into Berlin!! We decided along with a few other BVSers to spend the day doing a free walking tour. This way we got to see a lot of the city and hear about the intense history that happened in Berlin. After a ferry and U-bahn ride into city centre we began a 3-hour walking tour that included seeing the Pariser Platz, Brandenburg Gate, The Reichstag (the government building), The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the site of Hitler’s former bunker, The 17^th of June Memorial, a part of the Berlin Wall, the former SS Headquarters, Checkpoint Charlie, Gendarmenmarkt, Bebelplatz (sight of book burning), the Book Burning Memorial, The Old Royal Boulevard, Neue Wache (memorial to all victims of war and tyranny), the TV Tower (when the sun shines on it, a cross appears), and Museum Island. After the long walk, we were lazy and slowly walked back along Unter der Linden looking in shops, eating sausages and icecream as well as sitting to rest up! After we got back and had dinner, we looked at pictures that Kristin (the BVS coordinator) had taken in the past year on various project visits and when people had orientation in Geneva.

Brandenburg Gate

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

The Reichstag (German government building)

Berlin Wall

Matt enjoying his German sausage

Friday, the two of us did the meditation on seeing God in the world around us in daily life. Afterwards, we watched the film, The Lives of Others, which looks at the Stasi monitored and threatened the lives of artists (and others) during the 1980s in Germany. After lunch we had free time before our time of evaluation. Lucy spent the evening in bed with a migraine. Micah spent the evening at a BBQ with the other BVSers. He spent the evening grilling, and playing games.

BBQ

Saturday, Pam who is in Northern Ireland led us in a devotion about soaring on wings of eagles. After, we cleaned up and prepared to depart. Some were heading back to their projects, but the two of us were staying on for a few days to see more of Berlin. So after everyone departed, we headed into city centre to see a church with Kendra and Katie, because Kendra loves this church. After, the two of us headed off to check into our hostel since Lucy still wasn’t feeling the greatest and needed a nap! After the nap, we walked around a bit and bought Kniffel (German Yatzee) to keep us entertained in our eventful evenings!

Church that was bombed during WWII

New sanctuary/memorial of bombed church

On Sunday, we met Katie and Kristin for breakfast and then walked with them to see the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall which has been decorated by artists in different styles. After seeing the wall, the two of us headed into the city centre to see The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe again as well as visit the museum below which gives a lot of background and stories from people’s diaries throughout the war. After the memorial we tried to find The Memorial to Murdered Disables People but the map we were given did not lead us to a memorial. So, we had an ice cream to relax a bit, before heading to the Topography of Terror Museum. It is located on the old SS headquarters and allows visitors to see the ruins of the old buildings. After our second museum of the day, we were ready for dinner at a delicious Thai restaurant, where our waitress didn’t realize we didn’t speak German (luckily the waiter did!)

Berlin Wall

Berlin Wall

Monday we woke up early to head to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp about 35 km outside Berlin. It was established in 1936 and housed the headquarters of all concentration camps. It was used primarily for political prisoners and about 100,000 prisoners were murdered at Sachsenhausen during the war. In the camp we were able to see original and reconstructed buildings on the grounds. It was eerie to walk to grounds where such horrific acts had taken place. It seemed so unimaginable that the town of Oranienburg was right next door, and so much hatred and death occurred within the walls while “normal life” continued outside. To think that prisoners walked from the train station to the camp through the town shows how easy it is for humans to turn a blind eye to suffering. Post-WWII, 1945-1950, it was used by the Soviets as a “special camp” to detain political prisoners. During this time at least 12,000 additional people had died in the special camp. After the concentration camp we had a bit of a change of pace. We went to the site of the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics. Although we didn’t go into the stadium it was fun to see the stadium. Afterwards we went back into city centre. We were introduced to a chocolate shop on our walking tour and returned there. They made HUGE creations out of chocolate! It was quite an experience just to be in the shop, even if the man behind the counter was appalled that Lucy didn’t like chocolate. Then it was dinner time. We had some fake Mexican—really fake. Then it was back to relax.

Entrance to the camp

Execution trench with crematory

Part of "Station Z" where people were gassed and remains were disposed of.

Olympic Stadium

The Reichstag out of chocolate

Bombed church and memorial

Tuesday, we used to morning to pack up our super stinky clothes and walk around Berlin a bit before heading to the airport to fly out. The weirdest part of the morning was returning to our room from breakfast and looking out our window to see sheep, horses and goats. We were situated in the middle of Berlin! Not what we expected to see! At the airport in Berlin we had the treat of having lunch at Cindy’s Diner. It must be known that the food served at the diner doesn’t compare to that served back in Hesston. We got back to Belfast at 7:30 after plane and bus trips and enjoyed an evening hanging out in the Ember meeting Cami’s sisters!

Cindy's Diner!

We are so thankful for all the safe travel that we have had in the past month, but are also so thankful to be back and settling into Belfast again. It feels good to be home. Berlin was an awesome city with so much history to experience. It is so different to actually see where history happened than just to read about it!!

The last few days

Since Micah's family has left on Thursday, July 5th it has been back to work. Thursday after a few more hours of sleep post Micah’s family’s departure, we went to work in the office. Lucy responded to tons of emails and Micah found out that he was accepted to a social enterprise program that will help partner him with a more experienced person to mentor him through the next year. That was really exciting news. Thursday evening we spent some time at the Ember and back in the Ark unpacking and doing laundry.

Friday, Micah was in the garden and Lucy spent the morning organizing the Ark and the afternoon in the Ember. In the evening, the two of us along with Cami, a fellow volunteer, headed off to watch the Pittsburgh University basketball team play at the Odyssey arena against an Australian team. Before the Pitt game a Northern Irish team was playing an English team. It was amazing how short they were compared to Pitt and Australia! We found out about the game when we almost literally ran into the Pitt team at Newgrange burial site where they were also visiting. Randall chatted up the Pitt head coach on the path. We all wondered how they would fit into the small passageways! It was a fun activity that is so different than what we normally do! Pitt beat Australia and Micah won a free pizza!

Micah with a piece of his free pizza

Pitt vs. Australia

Today before we came to the Ember, we packed because we are leaving for Germany tomorrow to attend a BVS retreat. The rest of the day we have been in the Ember, doing laundry, hanging out, drinking tea, doing dishes, and eating fish and chips: a pretty typical Saturday in the Ember.

Tomorrow we head out to Germany for BVS retreat. We will meet with the other European volunteers in BVS: some we know and some we don’t. It will be a great trip we are sure, but it is so soon after just getting back that we are not quite ready to leave the community again. Although life doesn’t change here very quickly, it has been nice to be back for a few days and see our dear friends here! We are not quite ready for another holiday, but we are not complaining about going to Germany. You can be sure of that! Pray for us as we are travelling again especially since this time we will be in a country that neither us know the language at all!

Loucks Family Holiday

Friday July 23 began as a normal day. Micah headed to the allotment. Lucy went to the Ember to help with morning routines and then it all changed. About 1:30 the Loucks family arrived in their vintage cab. After a picture with the cabbie, introductions all around, lunch was served before the Louckses were put to work building raised beds, doing dishes and helping to prepare dinner. Once done with dinner and Lucy finished her jobs around the Ember, we passed the evening chatting and unpacking the large suitcase of food and clothes that they brought to us. It was like Christmas in July.

On Saturday we slept in (mainly they slept in) and then we headed to St. Georges Market to look around at the booths and have some delicious lunch. After lunch we went had a Black Taxi Tour, which showed us some of the murals and talked about the history of the Troubles. We viewed murals on both the Protestant and Catholic sides of the peace wall, which show their version of events that happened throughout history. Our cabbie was the Louckses first splash of Belfast culture.

Ana, Cindy and Lucy in the back of the cab

Houses that back the peace wall with enclosed backyards

Ana signing the peace wall

Sunday we headed to church in the morning before a picnic in Botanic Park. The afternoon was spent in the Ulster Museum learning more about the history of Ireland and seeing some artwork. Then we had a real Irish experience...we watched Toy Story III in 3-D!!! I bet no one in any other country can do that! The evening was spent at Cafe Naz, an Indian restaurant, and playing games at the Ark.

Botanic Park

Botanic Park

Randall squatting to get the perfect picture

On Monday we all along with Maria went to Ian’s Bakery for delicious pastries before the team meeting. After the team meeting we set out to see a few more sights around Belfast such as the Big Fish, the Lady of Thanksgiving, and Albert’s Clock. Finally we made our way up to the allotment where Cindy (Micah’s mom) picked berries to her heart’s content. We stopped on the way back for some honeycomb ice cream, a true Irish treat. That night Micah and Randall (Micah’s dad) went to pick up the car for the road trip ahead. Randall got his first experience driving on the “wrong side” of the road with many more to come.

Albert clock tower

The big fish

Lady of Thanksgiving

Cindy picking berries at the allotment

Tuesday was the beginning of our road trip around the Emerald Isle. We left in the morning to head up the coastal route toward the Giant’s Causeway. Little did we know the fun would begin before we even took our first picture. Micah pulled over at on outlook point on the side of the road for some pictures and Lucy heard a strange hissing sound so she called Micah over and Micah a bit upset realized we had a flat tire about 40 miles into our trip. After changing the tire on a slight slope, we continued, slowly, on our way to the next town where we left the tire and dropped the rest of the family off at Carrick-a-rede rope bridge to do some sightseeing while we went back to pick up a new tire (and ice cream). After enjoying the ice cream we headed onto Giant’s Causeway and benefited from better weather than last time, but encountered a LOT more people! From there we made our way onto Londonderry to see the “walled city”. We walked on the wall and then saw the Bloody Sunday memorial. We found a sweet pub to eat dinner in where a steak, drink, chip and salad were £5.49. Not bad!! After all this, we tried to find out way to our hostel just outside of Londonderry, which ended up being yet another adventure. The directions were unclear, such as “head to the end of the road”. We missed signs. We ended up far away from where the hostel was! But after asking directions a few times, calling the hostel a few times, we arrived safe and sound (and tired!).

Fixing the tire.

Carrick-a-rede from afar since the two of us were heading back to town to get the tire fixed.

Randall and Cindy at the Giant's Causeway.

A bit of the "walled city" of Londonderry. A view from on top of the walls.

Wednesday was a day of driving with our final destination Doolin, an hour south of Galway. Our day was unplanned and we stopped as we saw interesting sights. Our first stop was a castle in the distance. It was a private picturesque castle positioned on a cliff along the shore. Next, we stopped at a beach in Galway where Cindy enjoyed hunting for shells and finding a ring (too bad it wasn’t an expensive one). On our way to Doolin, we drove through the Burren, which is an area of Ireland composed of limestone with little plant growth. It is quite different in appearance than the green rolling hills in much of Ireland. Finally we ended up in Doolin, a quaint little village with the Allie River Hostel and lots of pubs with music which delighted Ana (Micah’s sister) a lot!

The castle

Cindy searching for sea shells

The Burren

Thursday we headed to the Aran Islands more specifically to Inis Mór. After an hour and a half ferry ride (where Lucy was a bit nauseas) through gloomy weather, but with beautiful views of the Cliffs of Mohr we arrived on the island as the sun broke through. Randall, Ana, Micah and Lucy rented bikes to explore the island, while Cindy took a van tour of the island. The weather was perfect: no wind, no rain, lots of sun! The four of us on bikes ended up with quite the sun burn! We enjoyed seeing seals, some of the 7,000 miles of stone walls to fence in livestock, beautiful coasts, an old fort, and gorgeous cliffs. After an exhausting day of biking we were all ready for a hearty meal that night!

A few of the 7,000 miles of stone walls

Cliffs on Inis Mór

Cliffs of Mohr from the boat

Cliffs of Mohr

On Friday we attempted to go to the Cliffs of Mohr, but due to rain and fog, Randall was the only one to brave the weather to try to see a puffin (a type of bird) and didn’t see any or any of the cliffs. So we drove to Ennis, a town known for shopping. We walked around a bit and enjoyed their farmers market where we got delicious cheese and bread for lunch before heading onto Dingle. Dingle is a little town situated on the bay so our B&B provided beautiful views over the harbour. We did a bit more shopping in Dingle, ate dinner and enjoyed playing some games in the B&B.

Saturday was our trip around the Dingle Peninsula. It provided stunning views of the coast line, islands, and cliffs, as well as visits to bee hive huts, which date back to 2000 B.C., and the Gallarus Oratory, a Christian church believed to have been built between the 6^th and 9^th century. We stopped in a local potters shop and found beautiful pieces of artwork done locally. It was a really neat shop! After touring around, we headed to our next bed and breakfast in the middle of nowhere near the Ring of Kerry. For dinner we headed to Kate Kearney’s Cottage, at the base of the Gap of Dunloe. Kate was a local legend, famous for her hospitality and distilling her rewound ‘mountain dew’. After dinner and chatting with a local to get directions to the nearest ATM we began to walk the path towards the Gap of Dunloe. The gap is known for its beautiful scenery and serene environment, due to the fact that cars are strongly discouraged from travelling up the road. The main ways to access the gap are by walking, pony-cart and bicycle. So we set out on the path. Quickly the man we had talked to in the restaurant was chasing us down offering a pony-cart ride up the 3 mile path to the top. After Micah’s dad tried his luck at bartering we agreed to take him up on his offer. His cart is only big enough for four people to sit so Ana happily agreed to ride a horse behind the cart. It turned out that Tim O’Conner (our guide) grew up along the path and farmed a good portion of the land. He provided us with a good portion of local colour! The ride up and back was filled with absolutely stunning scenery and great commentary from Tim. It was a great way to finish up the day.

Bee hive hut

Dingle Peninsula

Dingle Peninsula

Gallarus Oratory

Looking towards the gap

Gap of Dunloe

Ana with Tim

On Sunday we headed out to travel around the Ring of Kerry with our final destination Cork. The day was quite gray and rainy so we missed out on much of the Ring of Kerry had to offer, but enjoyed a walk out to cliffs that offered magnificent views as well as a visit to an old fort, which led to questioning of how many building are we building today will last thousands of years? Another highlight of the day was the fact that we used the runner up in the Ireland’s top toilet competition! Can a day get much better than that? We also stopped off of the road and found a walk down to a river which provided great views of the river with mountains in the distance as well as another shell collecting location. After the Ring of Kerry we headed to Cork where we had dinner at a jazzy pizzeria before heading to a pub for bannofi pie (a delightful combination of toffee and banana!). Another night of games was followed by an early night to bed.

The Cliffs.

Old Fort.

View from our walk down to the river.

Monday, we headed off to Waterford Crystal Factory, which recently (about one month ago) reopened in Waterford. We saw how Waterford Crystal is made and has been being made for years. It is amazing how many hours go into each piece and to hear how many years each person has to train to learn their trade. From the people who blow the glass to the people who hold the pieces to cut them by hand, it is an incredible process. It was also crazy to see the replicas of the trophies that Waterford Crystal has made over the years. To think how much money and time has gone into those trophies is simply unbelievable! After Waterford we headed onto Kilkenny to visit the Kilkenny Castle. It has been restored to the Victorian Era. It was a fun change of pace from the other nature-oriented days that we had experienced before to see the “castle” side of Ireland. We finally made our way to our hostel called Farran Farm Hostel and it was truly on the farm. It was a great experience to be out in the country or as Micah put it many times...“in rural Ireland”.

Blowing the hot crystal into shape.

Cutting the Waterford Crystal all free-hand.

Cinderella's Carriage.

Kilkenny Castle.

On Tuesday, we spent the morning at Powerscourt Gardens, south of Dublin. We were able to see a variety of gardens from Japanese to Italian to more wooded areas. After the gardens we went onto Dublin to visit the Guinness Storehouse, but upon arrival decided that it was not what we wanted to do so we used the toilet there and continued onto Newgrange to check-in to the lodge. In the evening we walked on the famous battle sight of Battle of the Boyne fought in 1690, where Protestant King Williams conquered Catholic King James. This is one of the reasons the 12^th of July is celebrated by Protestants. In the evening we had a delicious and unique meal. We went to a restaurant where we had the option to cook our meal on a hot lava stone so the food cook in front of you and stayed really warm the whole meal.

Powerscourt Gardens

Powerscourt Estate in background

Lovely gardens!

Wednesday was the last day of the road trip. We began the day with a tour of the Newgrange burial site. It is a passage tomb built around 3,000 B.C. The materials were gathered from miles away and it took three generations to build. The inside is constructed in the form of a cross on winter solstice the chamber is lit by the sunrise. Amazing how in touch with the Earth’s changes the builders were! After Newgrange we drove toward Belfast and stopped at Monasterboice, the sight of two early Christian churches as well as two amazing stone-carved crosses that tell the story of the Bible. Our tour guide explained that the crosses were used to tell the stories when the majority of the population could not read. We finally made our way back to Belfast and had a traditional meal at a chippie aka fish and chips. Micah and Randall took back the car, perhaps a little worse for wear, and Cindy packed their suitcases up to prepare for the EARLY morning departure.

Newgrange Tomb

Entrance to Newgrange Tomb.

Monasterboice. The tallest stone cross in Ireland.

The clan was left at the bus station at 6 in the morning on Thursday to catch a bus back to Dublin in order to catch their flight home. We heard they arrived safe and sound, one bag missing, but that should have arrived soon after them. We saw so much of Ireland in the past week that it is hard to realize how much we did experience. It will take awhile for it all to soak in. Highlights for us were the trip to the Aran Islands, Dingle Peninsula and Gap of Dunloe. It was such a blessing to have the Loucks family here in Belfast and Ireland with us!