Hey friends and family,

The trip is fast approaching and I've been slowly collecting the items I'll need. The following is a list of items on my "To Buy" list, but I'm hoping to borrow as many as possible. Please let me know if you can help me out?

Travel Alarm Clock

TSA approved locks

European Adapter

Converter

Inflatable neck pillow

Fast Drying Travel Towel

Raincoat (S or M)
Travel Sleeping Bag

Also, it turns out I'm not going to be in the southern part of Ireland (Co. Kilkenny), but central Ireland (Co. Roscommon). Elle, from OM, emailed the Impact Ireland Preparation Pack the other day. It's full of great tidbits, some recommendations, and history. In the next six weeks (!!!), I'd like to share what I'm learning about this country.

The following is from the Preparation Pack in regards to "understanding something of the complex history of Ireland in order to present the Gospel in a meaningful way and avoid the pitfalls.

1. Ireland has a long and noble history
The point for us is that Christianity is not of recent origin for the Irish. Ireland was evangelized relatively early and since then has been active in spreading the Christan faith. It is known as "the land of saints and scholars" and produced such wonderful masterpieces as the Book of Kells. For the Irish to have people coming to share the gospel with them can be viewed as an insult, especially when those young people come from the USA, the home of all the new "funny religions." The Irish may feel insecure in many areas, but in religion they believe they have the one true Church and have had it for a long time, in fact a lot longer than most nations have been around.

The big excitement of last week was when American Airlines changed my departure time, without telling me, leaving only an hour between flying into Chicago (from Detroit) and flying out to Dublin. Not enough time. Everything is fixed and the only snafoo of the whole thing might be not getting a window seat on the flight over. We'll see.

Some other exciting news...Last week I received an email from my contact at OM saying there were two other girls going on this trip by themselves (from the US). One of the girls wanted to exchange email addresses and we've been chatting on Facebook. It's an answer to prayer to be able to know someone before I get over there.

Two Day Sponsorships are still available and funds can still be received in my OM account after the due date.

It's the home stretch!

April Update

This month has been amazing! Over $400 in support alone. It's the home stretch and funds are due by May 10. And you want to hear some amazing news?

Just $151 to go!!!

Thanks so much for the support you've shown me. Thank you for allowing God to work through you. Thank you for the opportunity to experience what God's doing around the world.

My missionary philosophy is that why would I travel half way around the world to share Jesus with others, if I am not doing it in my own home town. Going to Ireland is not something I'm doing to say that's I've done missions work. To me that is not congruent. I desire this trip to be an extension of what I'm already living. If I am not already showing the love of Christ to my neighbors here in Grand Rapids, what justification do I have to jump on a plane and minister in Ireland. For this reason I have a hard time referring to this as a missions trip. It is far more then that phrase connotes.

This trip is a chance to experience God in a new way, among new people. To see how the Irish worship and see new creations. To jump past American Christianity and experience another tribe and nation. To meet my brothers from another mother and sisters from another mister. It's a time of renewal and dependence on Christ.

My thoughts, as of recent, are filled with concerns. Below is a list of prayer requests:

1. Please pray that God provides me others in the larger group to connect with. I fear loneliness when I initially get in the country. Though I am going alone, that is probably not the case for the majority, as many churches and families come on this trip.

2. Please pray that my impulse for control is not my undoing on my flight over. Pray that everything goes smoothly and that I may rest on my overnight flight. I'm fearing jet lag.

3. Please pray that I allow the Holy Spirit's courage to work through me and my timidity does not hinder God's work. This is probably a prayer that needs prayed more often.

Thank you again for your support. I cannot express how thankful I am.

Calling All Reviewers!

There are eight days left on my reviewing fundraiser. So far $90 has been raised. I'd like this to be an even $100 or beyond, so I'm asking for anyone who has time to click on the link below, create a profile, and review places and businesses you've been. I have reviewed places in Grand Rapids, V-Burg, Port Huron, Mackinaw City. The sky is really the limit. It's easy and a fast way to raise funds. Thanks!

http://www.insiderpages.com/fundraisers/Impact-Ireland-2008-Waldron

Holy Cannoli!

This week has been an incredible blessing. A whirlwind amount of support was raised and donated this week, and there were times I sat dumbfounded by what God can do. The goal is in site!! Thank you so much, friends and family, your support has meant more then you know.

I want to give a shout out to my two anonymous donor. I can't properly thank you with a card, but I want you to know how encouraging your letters were. I'm taking your artwork to Ireland, so look for picture when I get back.

Review for a Cause

A friend brought this fund raising idea to my attention. Follow the link below and review local businesses, to raise support for Impact Ireland. It's easy and takes no time at all. For every first review a $1 is donated and every review from 2-4 will earn $.25. I've already raised $34! Simply sign up and get started.

http://www.insiderpages.com/fundraisers/Impact-Ireland-2008-Waldron

Thanks every one who came out to Culver's tonight. I deem the night a success.

Here, Katie and I are sporting our Culver's aprons. We got to work the dining room, delivering orders and cleaning tables. The night went by fast and it was great to see everyone. Lakeri and Emma (my roommates) also took turns helping me out.

An early estimate is about $100 raised! What a great night!

I purchased my airline tickets for Edinburgh and booked my hostel. I had never called outside the US and it was wild to think I was sitting in Grand Rapids calling at 1p and it was 6p in Scotland. All th big planning is finally done. There are only odds and ends to wrap up now.

Thank you for the prayers.

Tell Your Friends

The flyers are here!

March Update

Support is at nearly 50%!

With God's help, and yours, each month is bringing that number closer to the goal.

St. Patrick's Day was a nice interlude in March. The holiday touch on my excitement and anticipation for Ireland. It was a nice break in an otherwise low key month. There were no events and very little physical preparation on my part. Support wise, three day sponsorships were filled and 460 miles were sponsored!

March marks the half way point. Three month in. Three months to go! The first three month is marked by nearly 50% support raised and now we are in the home stretch. $585 is needed in my OM account by May 10, and I'm $40 away from that goal. With 1 1/2 months to go, I have no doubt that it can be reached. Beyond that, funds will still be needed to cover a few days and the remainder of my ticket. There are five day sponsorship opportunities still available. This is a commitment of both financial ($40) and spiritual (prayer) support, for one day of the trip. In turn my prayers would be lifted up for you on that day, and you'd receive a fun picture of your name somewhere in Ireland (I already have ideas!). Airline miles can also be sponsored for the low price of $.12/mile, and it is many miles to Dublin.

My prayers in March were a little lagging, but I hope to change that in April. I'm still tackling what it means to be part of a short-term missions trip to Ireland. I desire to know what God is doing there and I hope to gain a broader understanding of the world outside our country.

Custard for Ireland

Mark your calendars! On April 14, the Cascade Culver's (28th St) will donate 10% of the night's sales, from 5:30p-8:30p, to support the Impact Ireland trip. Come out and enjoy some great food for a great cause.

I've had a few friends host a night at Culver's with great success and I'm hoping for the same. What makes this fund raiser extra fun is that myself and some specially chosen friends will be bringing the food out and busing tables. A good time will be had by all!

Help me spread the word. No flyers are needed for this event, but sometime soon I'll have one up. Feel free to print it out and hang it up at work or on your refridgerator at home.

Picture From the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Ireland

This trip brought to you by St. Patrick

Celebrating is one of my favorite things. Give me a holiday and I'm ready to party. Not only is today another reason to go Irish, it's also a holiday close to my heart. Until a couple years ago, today's holiday just meant shamrocks, wearing green, and saying phrased like "Pot o' gold" or "There magically delicious (Lucky Charms Style)." Then freshman year, trying to find a topic for a informative speech, I chose St. Patrick's Day and more importantly St. Patrick. Ready for your history lesson?

Patrick, Missionary to Ireland

As Attila the Hun prepared his first attack on Roman provinces and Augustine secluded himself in his study writing The City of God, Patrick's parents worried about their son. At almost 16 years old, he hadn't professed faith in Christ, even though his father Calpornius was a deacon and his grandfather Potitus was a pastor in the church. Something of a rebel, Patrick had already committed a serious sin that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

One night shortly before his 16th birthday, Patrick stayed at his father's country estate in Britain with the household servants while his parents traveled to a nearby town on business. While everyone slept, a party of Irish slave traders surrounded the estate. All the able-bodied members of the household were kidnapped, bound with chains and loaded into boats to be transported to Ireland. Those who resisted were killed outright.

After a two-day journey in an open boat, chained to the other captives, Patrick was sold to a farmer and given the menial task of watching the sheep. Three days before he had been a nobleman's son commanding slaves, now he was a slave. Patrick wrote about this time in his Confession:

But it was here in Ireland that God first opened my heart, so that—even though it was a late start—I became aware of my failings and began to turn with my whole heart to the Lord my God. For He looked down on my miserable condition and had compassion for me, young and foolish as I was. He cared for me even before I knew who He was, before I could tell the difference between right and wrong. He protected me and loved me even as a father does his own child.¹

Patrick prayed constantly during these years, alone with the sheep, and remembered the Godly teaching of his parents and his pastor. Patrick also learned to speak the language of the Irish people, gradually learning their customs and about the gods they worshipped. In learning to protect and care for the sheep, Patrick was for the first time forced to think of something other than his own selfish desires. Patrick said:

God used the time to shape and mold me into something better. He made me into what I am now—someone very different from what I once was, someone who can care about others and work to help them.

After serving as a slave for six years, Patrick twice had a dream in which he heard a voice say, "Your ship is ready." Taking this as a sign from God, Patrick ran away from his owner and traveled "maybe 200 miles" on foot as a fugitive. Patrick was utterly alone for weeks and yet said he was never afraid until he came to the port city. There, he summoned up his courage and asked a ship's captain if he might sail with them to Britain as a member of the crew. The Captain initially refused his request, but as Patrick breathed a prayer for guidance, the officer changed his mind. Patrick was going home.

Can you imagine the celebration as Patrick walked into the courtyard of his home in Britain? The son they had thought twice lost, both to this world and the next, was twice found. Patrick said, "They took me in—their long-lost son—and begged me earnestly that after all I had been through I would never leave them again."

We know little about the next few years of Patrick's life—how long he stayed at home or what plans his parents had for his future. We do know that as a result of a series of dreams, Patrick was convinced that God wanted him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Patrick's parents would lose him yet again.

After receiving the proper training and the blessing of the church, Patrick obeyed God and returned to the land of his captivity, preaching among the people there for the next 40 years. Thousands of people came to know Christ and the church in Ireland was established. In Confession, a letter Patrick wrote late in his life, he said:

My final prayer is that all of you who believe in God and respect Him—whoever you may be who read this letter that Patrick the unlearned sinner wrote from Ireland—that none of you will ever say that I in my ignorance did anything for God. You must understand—because it is the truth—that it was all the gift of God.

____________

¹ Quotes from Patrick's Confession were taken from the translation of Philip Freeman, St. Patrick of Ireland (Simon and Schuster, 2004), pages 176-193.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick)

St. Patrick's influence is still felt in Ireland. It is this history that I will be stepping into as well. There is no doubt that religion plays a part in Ireland's tumultuous history. Today the majority of Irish are in name or practice Catholic. Our hope on this trip is to expose people to the vibrant message of Jesus, that views and lifestyles might be transformed into living the fullest kind of life; the life Jesus showed us. So, thank you St. Patrick for paving the way, but there is still work to be done.

February Report

40% Support Raised

I am again overwhelmed by the provision God is showing me and the people he is doing this through. There have been multiple time this month, where my mouth is left hanging open in awe. Thank you!

February, was a quite month. Apart from the fundraiser, planning this month was minimal. It was a nice change of pace from January.

Looking forward, March will be a pretty quite month as well. I plan to organize another fundraiser night toward the end of the month and I will need to by my airline tickets soon for Edinburgh. I also need to decide where to stay while in the city. Toward the end of July Edinburgh hostels, hotels, and guest houses fills up fast, due to the Fringe Festival in August. I emailed the YWAM (Youth With a Mission) base in Edinburgh to see if someone on their team might be able to host me while in the city, but they were unsure because it is three month away. Please pray that I might find inexpensive, safe accommodations.

My prayers in February were way layed by some other spiritual issues I've been contemplating. One of these topics, is how to spread the gospel message without sounding like a sales pitch. I've been reading Brian McLaren's More Ready Than You Realize: The Power of Everyday Conversation. Though I am on the fence about the author, he makes some very powerful points in his book about disciple-making as conversation and friendship as opposed to argument and conquest. It is my deepest desire that everyone would know the freedom Jesus brings, but I do not think you can sell freedom, freedom is a choice. Just some thoughts. There is certainly lots more on this topic and I plan on reading up. Any words of advice would be appreciated. Remember, you can leave comments.

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. ~1 Peter 3:15

Thank you!

Thanks to everyone that braved the weather to come out to Moe's tonight! It was much appreciated. It was nice to visit with everyone and great to feel the support. If you couldn't make it out for this one, stay tuned for another fundraising night in the Spring! Thanks again.