Hello Friends!

I have been in Ireland for two weeks now, although it seems like an eternity! We have endured a whole week of orientation and the school begins classes tomorrow. I have had the opportunity to travel to Dublin and stay there a night as well as explore all over the city of Belfast. The people here in Northern Ireland are so welcoming and friendly! I have met some great people. The people that live on the campus are mainly international students, which I think is awesome! I have made friends from Ghana, Slovenia, Canada, Romania, South Africa, Sweden, Ireland, Rwanda, England, Germany, Taiwan, and Tanzania! Its truly an international setting!

Hello from Northern Ireland!

I have arrived safely in Ireland and absolutely love it! We all arrived on Monday into Dublin about 5:30 am and we then took a bus to Belfast. We got settled into our rooms and took a tour around campus. The landscaping is beautiful and the campus is small and quaint. I don't have much time to write, but I wanted to drop a note. I'm not really sure if anyone reads this... but Ill get it out there just in case.... For some reason my computer won't download pictures onto the internet right now, but Ill try and get them working sometime...

<>< Monica

Finally

Im FINALLY leaving! I have been in Chicago visiting some Moody friends before I leave. Im so thankful to have been able to spend time with these people before I go to Ireland! I leave in a couple of hours to fly to Dublin (overnight) and then take a bus to Belfast. Please pray for safe travels and that my luggage will meet the weight requirements! I will update soon with pictures!

<><

Bon Voyage!

I will soon be embarking on the journey of a lifetime. I hope to see things I have never seen before, taste things I have never tasted, and experience things I have never experienced. My hope is that God molds me more than ever before, more into the woman He wants me to be. I desire to be more like him and in the coming months, regardless of the fact that I will be in a different country, I want to yearn more for Him.

I learned many things this past summer that I thought i would never have learned. I learned what it truly meant to need Christ. Every day was a struggle. A struggle to get up, a struggle to get to work, a struggle to meet people where they were at. I learned more of what it means to have a servants heart and to have a positive attitude both inside and out. God stretched me so much this summer and although it was the hardest summer I have yet experienced, I know it was for the best.

I am excited to start this new chapter of my life, spending 4 months in a foreign country with my best friend; meeting new people and seeing new things, God has truly blessed me with this opportunity. I pray that this journey will open my eyes to the world and give me a wider perspective on life.

Bon Voyage,

MTP

PS: I will updating this blog as I travel and study in Ireland. Ill try hard to get pictures up as well!

A Passion for the Lost

God has been opening doors left and right for my internship coming soon. As you probably know, and if you don't know then I will tell you, I have a passion for Africa that transcends anything that I have ever believed in beyond God. I desire to dedicate my life to the need in Africa. A family friend has been working with a non-profit organization in Malawi, Africa, planning on setting up air bases and MASH units in Lilongwe. These bases will teach nationals how to fly rotocraft aircraft around the country to help supply the villages with fresh drinking water, food, and needed medical supplies. The base will also teach the locals how to plant crops and do other useful things. In the long run, they want to start a Bible school and church.

This is exactly what I want to do. I have always felt that in order to reach others with the gospel, they must first have their biological needs met. If someone is starving to death, they will only dwell on their hunger and fail to see the relevancy of the gospel. If we teach them how to sustain themselves, and with that, save their lives, they will in turn be open to what we have to say. So many times these people have been preached at but not loved. There have been missionaries who have come, planted a "church" and left. We want to leave a lasting legacy that will impact generations to come. Caring for the widows and orphans in their distress was one of Jesus' top priorities.

So you may be thinking where I come in to the the picture. Well, this whole program is still in the planning stages. There have been a couple airstrips built and the ground breaking will happen in early fall, but we are still a year or so out from actually working with the nationals. And what will happen in a year or so? My need for an internship! My heart's desire is to work with these people, teaching them how to plant crops and sustain their families. I want to work with the women, teaching them proper nutrition and care for their young ones. I want to teach them handicrafts or knitting so they can make things for their family. And most importantly, I want to share the love of Christ with them in very practical ways. They are a lost people in need of a Savior. My dream is for God to enable me to reach these people with the hope I have in Jesus.

I am at camp right now, enduring the hardest work I have ever experienced. I am tired and worn out but only through leaning on His strength will I be able to endure it.

Lately...

So camp is just around the corner and I am going to be thrust into a life of organized chaos. My shift starts at 5:30 AM. Need I say more? My summer up to this point has been a conglomeration of getting up late, working with my sister on her research paper, getting coffee, cleaning, making dinner, and the occasional hang out with friends. I need a change. I need to do something productive and exciting with my day!! And SpringHill is just the answer. Between working in the kitchen, playing tennis as much as I can, horseback riding, swimming, hanging out with the kids, and loving every minute of it, I am going to have an active summer! and then it's off to Ireland.

How God has blessed me! He is truly amazing. I have great plans ahead of me. Working at camp and then shipping off to Ireland. Going to school for a semester in Ireland is probably the most adventurous thing I have ever done. And I havent even done it yet! Man am I stoked. You see that picture of the castle up above? The first weekend I'm in Ireland, we are staying THERE. Yeah, be jealous. :)

This was a pretty much meaningless post, and Im not sure anyone reads it, but it's nice to relay my thoughs.

God Bless. <><