Info about Northern Ireland

• It's just now 15 min till midnight and I can still see a "wee bit" of light on the horizon over the mountains.
• They really do say "wee bit" quite often
• They drink more tea than any culture I have ever been around. I may float home from all the tea I've been offered to drink!
• Crumpets are actually served with tea
• I still have no idea what a crumpet really is...
• We've only had potatoes served with one meal... well, unless you count the "chips" (aka french fries) we had with lunch today
• I've already been here long enough that I'm typing this and expecting you to read it with an Irish accent
• It's the end of June and we're freezing. It's been cold and rainy... more so than when I was in Belgium! Ahh!
• But, because of the rain, the countryside really is as green and beautiful as the pictures and movies we've all seen!
• My roommate (for the week) and I set off the alarm when we came "home" yesterday. It was quite fun! Luckily the police didn't show up. Our hosts were out for a bit and had set the alarm. After a few phone calls they finally called and gave us the code to turn it off. whew!
• We were stopped on the road for about 15 minutes today while cows crossed the road to another field. Yes, I'll have pictures of that later :)

It's supposed to be yucky weather all week so PLEASE PRAY that God will allow good weather for our outdoor soccer (football) camps!! According to weather.com tomorrow is looking a little better so keep those prayers going!

Beth Moore on Worry...

I learn so much from Beth Moore and I wanted to share what she wrote on her blog yesterday. You can read the full post for yourself here, but most of it is pasted below... I have issues with wanting to be in control (and I'm sure some of you can relate!). So, it's a good reminder from a godly woman that GOD is the one in control... and for good reason!

The lead verse for this morning's entry was Isaiah 28:12. Of God the prophet Isaiah wrote, "He said, 'This is a resting place, let the weary rest'; and, 'This is a place of repose' - but they would not listen." Here's a little of what followed (originally written by Charles Spurgeon):

"Why do you worry? What possible use does your worrying serve? You are aboard such a large ship that you would be unable to steer even if your Captain placed you at the helm. You would not even be able to adjust the sails, yet you worry as if you were the captain or the helmsman of the vessel. Be quiet, dear soul - God is the Master! Do you think all the commotion and the uproar of this life is evidence that God has left His throne? He has not! His mighty steeds rush furiously ahead, and His chariots are the storms themselves. (Pause, Siestas, and hear the sound of those mighty steeds in your spirit. Feel their hoof-beats pound in your chest. He's on His mighty way!) But the horses have bridles, and it is God who holds the reins, guiding the chariots as He wills! Our God Jehovah is still the Master! Believe this and you will have peace. 'Don't be afraid' (Matt. 14:27)."

My favorite line: "You are aboard such a large ship that you would be unable to steer even if your Captain placed you at the helm." So, we might as well stop trying. Anyway, with the best intentions we'd steer that Titanic smack into the next iceberg with all our loved ones on board. You don't let your two-year old steer the car no matter how she might kick and scream from the backseat. God's too wise to let our control issues work out for us. If we keep insisting, He might let us give it a hand for a while but, sooner or later, we'll hit the iceberg. And the iceberg is He.

Regardless of how convinced we are, God has not placed us in control of our environments nor are we responsible for how everyone is behaving or how things will turn out. He is still God and, yes, even over "this," whatever your "this" may be. His, Beloved Siestas, is a LARGE SHIP. Something much bigger than we can picture is going on from a God's-eye view. Our trials are allowed so that Christ may be formed in us and then, through us, serve that greater purpose. Worry always and only forms thicker flesh in us and weights us down until we cannot walk where the Spirit would take us.

I've come to learn from God that worry is a waving red flag to the enemy. It is a dead giveaway that the person owning it does not trust God. The shield of faith is down. So fire when ready. Every time we're tempted to take it all on and worry something to death, let's say aloud from the depths of our souls, "I choose to trust You, Lord. I choose trust. I choose You."

Be quiet, Dear Soul! God is the Master! Don't be afraid.

With dearest love,
beth