Moving

Greenhill YMCA closed for the year last week, so all the volunteers scattered back to their homes all over the world. Well all except the RAD team. We were in Ireland to do missions, so that is what we were going to do during the three week vacation.

Kevin, Caitlyn and I moved to Belfast to work at the East Belfast Mission (EBM). We are now volunteering in a charity furniture shop that EBM uses to raise money for other important work, one being a counseling center for ?????????. EBM houses us in a nice place that is just the right size for three people to live comfortably. It is right across the street from a "peace wall." A peace wall is a 50 foot high fence put up to keep Catholics and Protestants from destroying each others homes. Luckily the violence has diminished in the past 5 years. The homes that are right by the wall, which were destroyed during the troubles, are now being rebuilt. It has calmed down enough for people to feel comfortable in homes so close to the "border." Its exciting to see a sort of renaissance for this part of Belfast. Also in Belfast we are closer to Tim (he's in charge of us while we are here) which is good, because Tim is a really good guy to just have a conversation with or help the group through a problem.

One downside about working here is that, like any time one moves, we don't know many people. What makes it worse is that we only have three weeks here, which isn't enough time to start a meaning relationship with the community. So lately I've had a lot of time to myself (with no TV or internet). This gives me a chance to really reflect on my time in Ireland so far:

I have been struggling to make Ireland my home in a sense. I keep thinking back to how things were back home. Other times I look ahead to what life will be like when I return, or what college will be like. I have struggled to live in the present. By not living in the here and now there are so many moments that can be missed, and I don't want to miss any important moments during this year. I have realized the opportunity that is here for me to grow in my faith, and to live out my faith. For the first time I am living in a secular community in Greenhill. I have realized that while most of the other volunteers don't really have a faith they still want to talk about spiritual matters. I'm always glad to facilitate that. I have had many good conversation with them, and have built up a good relationship with all the other volunteers. Being away from all the guys in Greenhill has made me realize how close I have gotten to them. I hope that I can continue to strengthen the relationships I have with them when I return there in January.

I miss you all. Thanks for all the Prayers.

Check this out

Well things are winding down at Greenhill for the year. I leave for East Belfast Mission on Thursday, but other than that I don't have much news. I saw this video at an FCA meeting before I left, and I thought it was awesome, I just came across it again and thought you might want to check it out. Enjoy :)

What I've been doing

Those of you who get my email would have already read this, but I realized that I hadn't writen about the actual work I've been doing, so I thought that it would be appropiate.

I've been in Northern Ireland for over a month now, and things are going well. I am working at a YMCA called Green Hill. It is a youth camp. They have all sorts of outdoor activities. I've spent this month figuring out what my role here will be. It's been frustrating at times not exactly knowing what work I would be doing. Most of the other volunteers (13 of us live in one big house on the beach) here are outdoor instructors primarily. About half of them would call themselves christian. One of the reasons we were sent to this YMCA is so that hopefully we can start a trend of Christian volunteers here. also to get the "Christian Ethos" back in the Greenhill Y (over the years it has lost many church connections). But the work I'm doing while trying to help accomplish these goals is what I have struggled with. I like to do a little of everything so thats what I have been doing. First one of my tasks was to start up a shop (sell tee-shirts and chocolates and such) to help raise a little money for the center. That was a very slow and boring process, but I think that once its running well it will be useful. I have also been working on a DVD for a charity in Uganda. This is more of a favor. A man at Rod's (volunteer coordinator) church had worked in Uganda, and saw how orphans were treated, so he decided to start his own children's home type thing. The land had been donated, but he needed some help raising money, thats where the DVD comes in. I had some experience editing movies, and I had a good program for making it, so Rod asked me. He also hoped I could make one for Greenhill afterward, which is fine with me. I have also been working with the rest of the RAD team on a prayer walk, which should help give Greenhill a more christian feel. These jobs still weren't nearly enough work though. I was used to a busy schedule of school, practice, homework, and having fun. Plus being at an outdoor camp I really wanted to do some outdoor work. So now I am also training to lead outdoor activities. This morning I was helping lead a group through a river (yes it was cold), but I loved it. I think my year at Greenhill will be great. :)

Now as I'm finally getting settled in at Greenhill Christmas vacation is coming. While its closed Caitlyn Kevin and I (the RAD team) will be going to Belfast to work at the East Belfast Mission. It will be a big change, but it sounds like exciting work. Marry Christmas. I'll write you next year.

God Bless,
Jon

Address

Some people have been asking for my mailing address. So here is the one I have now and will have for most of my stay.

greenhill ymca
donard park
newcastle
county down
bt33 0gr

From Dec. 10- Jan. 9 I will be working at the East Belfast Mission. I don't know what my address there will be but I'll get it to you right away.

"Master of Table Tennis"

In my last blog I wrote about a table tennis tournament we had against another volunteer group. It was so much fun that we had another this week. I thought that it would be a good way to tell you a little about the people I'm working and living with. The tournament was so much fun. Clause ((pronounced Clous) German, he's very funny and plays a mean harmonica, and tries at guitar) and Ben (American from the other organization) decided to be the commentators. They went around and interviewed all the other contestant it was hilarious. We had 16 people come to play in the tournament, and the games got pretty intense. The first round I played Aden (Irish, doesn't live with us, but helps out with outdoor stuff). I beat him and we talked for most of the rest of the night. The next round I played Carolyn (Slovakian who also plays badminton very well and made the trophy for the winner) I won that match, but we had some great rallies, she had improved a ton from last week. This put me in the semi finals with Clause, Stefan (Slovakian last weeks winner), and Christoph (German, who had just gotten back from a mountain hike, and was the first person who I met because he was being picked up from 3 days in the mountains when we arrived) I played Clause and it was a good match, but I beat him, which meant that I would at least get second (better than last week). Stefan won rather easily. Clause and Christoph played for 3rd place, Christoph won. So I was playing Stephan (He's been at Greenhill for almost a year now. He helped get me involved in the local church, and is a very nice guy). Everyone was having a good time eating biscuits (which they have basically made into a sport of itself), drinking tea and watching the finals. It was a very close first game, which I barely won. Everyone was surprised that Stephan had actually lost a game. In game two he regained some dignity by beating me 11-1. Ouch! I regained my composer in game three and beat him! Afterward everyone went crazy (in a joking way) and we had the award ceremony. The crown that Carolyn and Pavlina (German, she hasn't been here long and she is still working on her english) was beautifully adorned with candles on top. When Seb (Sebastian: French or Peruvian depending on the day. He's the most experienced mountain climber in the group, and might also be the craziest) saw that there were candles he decided that they had to be lit. So thats how I ended up with a cardboard crown that said "Master of Table Tennis" lit on top of my head. It was such a fun time.
These aren't all the people, but I think it gives a good cross section of what this group is like. (sorry if it was hard to follow). We are all having a lot of fun together. If the rest of the time is as fun as the start I'll have a great year. Next week might be a football (soccer) game. :)

First Week

What a great week to start off my time in Northern Ireland. I should probably start out with where I'm living, and working. I live in an old house with about 12 other volunteers. Its a very large house (we all have our own rooms, and a nice lounge area) that is right on the beach. I have a beautiful view. (the picture is from my window) On the other side of the house are mountains (another nice view) about a mile up the tallest mountain is the place I'm working, the Greenhill YMCA. The Y's here are a lot different from in the states. This is a lot more like a summer camp (there are ropes courses, canoeing, rock climbing, ect.). I will be working more with getting to know the kids who come through, and more indoor tasks.
Back to my first week. I was pretty jet lagged, the first day, so they gave us the second to re coup. That night (Monday) the volunteers had a ping pong tournament (what luck)! I got 3rd out of 12, but the tournament gave me a way to beak the ice a little. Tuesday we learned a little more about the camp an met a lot of the administrators. Wednesday was halloween, and the volunteers had a halloween dinner. It was basically like thanksgiving. The food was great and afterward there was a fireworks show. Thursday we went to Belfast and walked around the city. The weekend was a lot of fun as well nothing to write home about. Next week we will be getting started doing some work and learning how do do specific tasks.
As the locals say "The week was brilliant."

What a trip

Wow I had a great week at home. Thanks to everyone who visited with me while I was home it was so awesome to see everyone. After that great time home I was hoping for a nice trip to Ireland... it didn't quite go as planed.
Everything went fine getting Checked in at the Cleveland airport, but our plane was delayed. We got to Newark (our connecting flight to Belfast) right when our other plane was supposed to be leaving. It was still on the ground but they were done boarding. We couldn’t go that night. They gave us a hotel room and some food vouchers, and the next plane was going out the next night, and we might get on it. So Saturday I spent with Amo Daoud’s family (after we could find them with the messed up NJ train system). Tata (Grandma) found out that I was going to be there so she made Aunti Phoebe take her. Tamara and Yasmin also come down to see me. It was really a good time, and again showed me all the people who cared for me, and would be praying for me. So we went to the airport hoping to get on the plane. It was overbooked, and we only had standby tickets. The terminal was packed with people. While we waited for the workers to load everyone else on the plane and tell us if we had seats, I used all my food vouchers to buy snacks for the flight. Finally we were called! There was just enough room for us. The plane was packed, but we were on it. I slept for some of the flight, but about 6 hours later we landed in Belfast. We had finally made it after two full days of traveling, but when we went to get our bags they weren’t there. We waited around for a while, then waited in line for a longer while, waiting to tell the workers what had happened. My guess was that our bags had somehow gotten on the plane the night before, which we had missed. The clerk said that it had probably been misrouted, and we would have it hopefully by tomorrow. I had already spent 2 days and nights in those clothes, and didn’t want to spend another, but we left and waiting for us in the pickup area was Tim (the guy in charge while we are in Ireland). He welcomed us and told us what had happened to our bags. The plane that we missed was stuck on the runway for half an hour, and then the people were sent back inside for another 2 hours (all of this after we had “missed it”). So our bags had gotten on that plane, and were waiting for us at the airport. We got them and stuffed them and ourselves into Tim’s small car. He took us to his office where the three of us could eat change and relax after our long trip. We were finally in Ireland.

Now We Know...Kinda

I have been waiting to blog until Darrell got back from his trip in Ireland where he was basically figuring out what to do with us. He was supposed to come here on Tuesday, but surprised us and was here today. So now I know a lot more about the work I'll be doing, but I still don't know that much. But first I will tell you about my week. (If you want to go to the good stuff then skip the next paragraph).
Monday we talked about discipleship with 3 members of the Brethren/ Mennonite Churches. It was really cool because we got to hear 3 different viewpoints (plus our own) instead of one. On Tuesday we talked about Anabaptist history with Megan Ramer (the Mennonite pastor). We continued the conversation over lunch with Megan and Orlando(the Brethren pastor). On Wednesday I went to work...without Kevin :( I did the same on Thursday, but felt sick, and went home early. I felt bad on Friday also so I stayed home. I spent most of my time sleeping or praying for Kevin who had his surgery Friday(mistake on my last blog about it being Sunday). That afternoon we found out that the surgery went well and Kevin should be coming back this tuesday, instead of in a month! Praise God! The weekend wasn't that special. On Saturday I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art, where I found out I don't like contemporary art. On Sunday I went to Trinity United Church of Christ. It was an afro-centric church, but although Caitlyn and I were like the only white people there I never felt out of place. It's now sort of famous because Barack Obama goes there (he wasn't there he's campaigning). The service was really cool though. Sunday night Dell Hershberger came to talk about the cross cultural experience. He talked through Monday morning.
Monday Darrell showed up during breakfast and we were all excited to see him. After Dell talked we had lunch and a talk with Darrell. He was really excited about the two places we were going to work. First we will be going to Green Hill, a camp on the coast, and I mean right on the coast with a great view. The camp is a place for the Protestant and Catholic kids can come and have fun together. After a month there we will go to the East Belfast Mission. This is more "in the middle of the action." He was a little more vague about that, but it sounds like it will be an exciting month. After that we will return to Green Hill for the rest of the time.
So thats what I know so far, and I will try to keep everyone updated.
Thanks for reading

Mom Comes, Kevin Leaves

This week started out relatively normally. Krista talked to us about conflict on Monday. Then that night she talked to us about scripture. Wednesday Kevin and I went to work, and thats when things got weird. Kevin was acting odd during work and taking some long breaks. That night after dinner he told me that he was having some health issues. He had a fatty tumor on his leg that was causing him pain, and needed to be removed. He would be leaving on Sunday and would hopefully be able to rejoin us in time for our commencement at the end of the month. That was really a shock. I would appreciate it if you could all pray for him (Kevin Gray). He will be having his surgery on Sunday. Well that was the bad news for the week. The good news for me was that my mom come to visit and speak to us more about conflict (which we talked about Monday) on Friday. It was a good presentation and everyone enjoyed visiting with her, especially me. The next day the group helped Krista move to an apartment that is exactly 30 seconds away from our house. I helped move but left early to go have breakfast with my mom and cousin. I really enjoyed it and said goodbye to my mom. On Sunday Caitlyn and I took Kevin to the airport in the morning (the whole Ireland team). He ended up missing his flight, then not having room on the next one, so he finally got the third plane and arrived home safe. After that I went and played ultimate frisbee with the mennonite church. It was so much fun. It helped get my mind off of Kevin leaving, and it was the first "sport" I had played since I had been in Chicago (I know thats crazy for me). So that was my week. Again please pray for Kevin and the whole group who will be missing him.
Thanks for reading!

Crazy weekend, talkin' & workin'

Last weekend was crazy. It started out with Maria and her mom coming to visit on Saturday. That was awsome. We went to Millennium Park, the Celtic Music Festival, Navy Pier (boring), the conservatory, and walked around a lot. Sunday a group of us went to the Harvest church, which was right down the street. I didn't realize when we went there that I would be in for such a new experience. The music was very loud, and people were jumping around and falling down. Then when it looked like the paster was about to give his sermon he suddenly got all this energy and started "anointing" people, at least thats what I think it is. He put his hand on their foreheads and they fell down. I had seen things like that on TV before, but I had never seen it in person.
So that was my weekend. This week started with a lot of discussions. We talked about Sundays worship with everyone who would listen. We also had a discussion with Darrell about spirituality types. We took a "test" to see which type we were. There were 12 questions and 4 types. I had a four way tie! Later we had a discussion on prayer with Krista, we learned different ways to pray. That was a good discussion. Wednesday- Friday I went to my service project doing the same basic thing as last week. This weekend I was hoping to see the Cubs game, but because they are actually good this year I won't be able to get tickets. I'm going to the art institute, and I'm sure I'll find other stuff to do this weekend. I'll let you know about it next week

Speaker, Soccer, Service Projects

Since my last blog I have learned a little more about Northern Ireland. Although nothing is for sure yet I will probably be working with the East Belfast Mission. I will most likely do work with their youth program. I don't want to talk about that too much because it seems every time I do something gets changed and I end up having to correct myself. Just kidding
Anyway here in Chicago I have started my service project. I am working with Catholic Charities, doing office work. I work with Kevin Gray (the only other guy in RAD). We work at desks typing information from cards into the computer. It's not the funnest job in the world, but it is very helpful to the agency.
Also last week we had another guest speaker, James Kraybill. He talked to us about evangelism and peace. It was really a powerful lesson the eight of us continued to talk about what he had said for a long time, and It's an issue we will probably continue to discus. I am really greatful for the speakers Darrell has lined up for us.
I have also been enjoying my free time. I have figured out the CTA (Chicago’s mass transit) and I am utilizing it. Last weekend after going to church I went to the USA Brazil soccer game with Melina and Caitlyn. I met up with Jameel and Joseph there. It was a great game and it was good to see my brothers again. Next weekend looks to be just as much fun Maria is coming up to visit, the cheesecake festival is going on and the Celtic music fest will also be happening so it looks like this weekend will be full of fun.

Big News

Yesterday Darrel, the guy in charge, said he had some news for the Sweden team. He then went on to tell us that there was a problem with the visas and we were not going to be able to go to Sweden, but he wasn't sure where we would go and he had to narrow down the options. Needless to say that kind of took us all by surprise. We spent the rest of the night speculating, and wishing where we would end up. Today I got an email from Darrel which said that he had made a decision. We were going to......... Northern Ireland!!! We were all very excited (and I think some of the people in the Columbia team were jealous). This isn't the first time this has happened to me (I was supposed to be with the Columbia group but when they started the second team I was switched), so I feel a bit of deja vu. I am really looking forward to this year.
God bless

Mailing List

I forgot to tell you that I am starting a mailing list, so if your not on it and want to be than just send me an e-mail saying so, my address is jon_B_15@hotmail.com.

I will also take this opportunity to update you on whats going on in Chicago. Yesterday we helped clean up at the Chicago Mennonite Learning Center. After that we met up with Mike Zehr, who taught us about worship. He brought up some good points, and was a very interesting speaker. Today Krista (the DOOR director, who's helping us out while we're in Chicago) dropped us off in groups of two throughout the city and we had to find our way home. My group found our way home pretty easily. Tonight Krista is cooking dinner for our group, which is nice because last night Caitlyn and I had to cook (it turned out pretty good though). I'll talk to everyone later

My First Blog

Well I got to Chicago five days ago. I have been learning how to find my way around the city and use the CTA (Chicago's mass transit system), and getting to know the other seven people who I will be staying with for the next two months. We have really made the RAD house our home (as you can see in the picture). I am now getting my blog set up and this was my first entry.