A series of Unfortunate Events

A Scottish man sat next to me at 35c. I was in 35b. Brian, my husband, in 35a. The smell of alcohol was next to me and my anxiety and nerves began to crave a bit of wine. For my nerves, I thought to myself. Even though I don't drink, I just hear it works when you're afraid of flying. Where are you goin? he asked me. Ireland, I whispered. Arrrrlaand? He asked again. I did not feel like replying. I was actually wanting to cry. And I did a bit. Brian was holding my hand trying to calm me down. Scottish man noticed and said, don't worry. Flying is not a big deal; I do it all the time. Yes it's true I was nervous and scared and full of anxiety, but the main reason for all of my worries was due to one of our teammates: Sam. Leeann was in the row behind me, probably crying and asking how in the world did we get into such a mess. I really don't know what she was feeling at the moment but I can tell you she was a brave wife. Sam, one of the guys that was suppose to be going to Ireland with us to work on a kids camp got arrested at the airport for a stupid mistake. He had left his knife in his shorts and when they packed their luggage they did not realize it was in there. LeeAnn packed his shorts in her backpack but instead of her getting arrested, Sam got arrested. We are in Ireland, he is in the states trying to fix the ordeal.

Our team has lots of questions as to why. I wanted to tell Scottish man many things. I wanted to tell him we had been preparing for a year to go to Ireland, to spread the love of God. That we had been meeting week after week during the past two months just to make sure we had everything under our belts. That Sam had bought PVC pipes to build a boat and to use it for our made up skit for Irish children. That I had painted a huge canvas and we had all lost sleep because we wanted to be the best we could be. And that now Sam, one of our teammates, was arrested and his wife was sitting in the row behind him, and was crying out of shock. That she had to make the decision of staying with her husband or leaving with us. How could I explain that? Instead my neighbor asked, Do you know why we got delayed? No, I said. Not sure, I said. (I'm sure we were the delay)

We are now here in Ireland. LeeAnn, Nate, Brian and I are recovering from the emotional distress. But thanks to our friends that we've made here it's been easier than we had thought. Sam is still in the states, trying to make sure that his record remains clear. I ask all the saints to pray for this man. He is a great part of our team and we are forced to change things that only he could do. We love and miss you Sam!  We are going back this Sunday, and I will try to blog almost every night, but I cannot make promises. I will try to post pictures as well.

In the meantime I can tell you that God is doing a Good work in Ireland. The people of Crumlin are so hungry to know their creator and they just need people that can be true friends. The Scottish man on the airplane (I keep calling him that because I do not want to say his name or invent one) told me that he did not like church people because as soon as they know you don't go to church they turn away. How sad is that? This man lives in Houston. I promised him a bible and after he told me I would be wasting my money he said, you know, I think that would be the very first bible I've ever owned. Many Irish come from the same story. They call themselves good people "Christians" but have never read or owned a bible. It is mostly tradition and no real relationship. Many don't really want that either. Especially the younger generation. The majority of real devout Catholics range from the age of 60 and up. Pastor Brian and his wife Anne are trying to reach out to the Crumlin area (where there are many cases of addictions and broken homes) to spread Love and Truth, alongside their daughter Emma and her husband, Paul. We are here with them. We are praying with them. We are catching on to their vision. We are waiting in expectation for this vacation bible school to impact their community.