I've come to realize how we take so much for granted. I take so much for granted. I'm really learning that out here in Ireland! I've had only two pairs of clothes (I usually just wear pretty much all the clothes at once though, cuz it's cold! I should have left my bikini and shorts at home, lol!); we have had to rely on other people to house us; I never thought I would be SO happy to see a washing machine! And fingernail clippers!--I clipped my nails for THE FIRST time yet today! Isn't that so gross? Haha, a couple weeks ago I bit off my fingernails because they were getting so long, but clearly I wasn't about to do that to my TOEnails. In spite of my flexibility and that I potentially could bite them off, who would do that?? Anyway, Koni had a pair of clippers I used! Bliss :).
I miss my hair dryer and straightener, lol... how shallow is that? My hair is probably thanking me for the month off of heat styling! :)
Things have been going SO well, and we can't even explain how freeing it is to enjoy such a simple life! We've been praying that the Lord would infuse our lives with adventure and simplicity, so that we don't fall into the same habits when we get home. Our hearts are really seeking to "learn the secret of being content" as the Apostle Paul puts it, no matter where we are. The verse is Philippians 4:12: "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every circumstance, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."
Wow. That is what we strive for! Imagine being forever content in your relationships, your job, your passions... imagine what peace would accompany that! We know that contentedness doesn't equal complacency.. in fact, all the while that the Lord has been teaching us to be content, He has also awakened passions and inner rhythms of worship within us both. David has reapproached a top-secret project he had began and left incomplete years ago (I'd tell you what it is, but then I'd have to kill you. Actually, maybe I CAN tell you, but I don't know if he wants to keep it under wraps at this stage, and I'm not sure where he is right now. For the first time in 29 days, I cannot find my husband, nor do I know whereabouts he might be. He said he would meet me here almost an hour ago, and he is very punctual--much more than I! However. Coleraine is small, and I have the watch on me. So... it's all good :). ANYWAY), and I have started my 2nd children's book! It's been an inspiring trip, to say the least!
We've definitely learned that you can be restless abroad in the midst of a random adventure, just as we can be restless at home. We're very excited about the things the Lord has been stirring in us for when we return home, but we have no idea what that will look like We no longer know what "normal" is :)... and that's kind of cool! It frees us up to drop all expectations and assumptions of "average" or "regular" life, and lets God do His thing.
Speaking of such, we feel as though the path before us has widen substantially as to where we are to go next. Up until now, the road has been VERY clear... even in the midst of our confused state in Skibbereen, we had the sense that our path was supposed to continue north. Now, after being in Coleraine (et al) for almost two weeks, and praying about our next step for nearly two weeks as well, we're feeling that the Lord has freed us to ... well, do as we wish! We thought perhaps we would carry on to Scotland; we laid out a fleece, and it came back with a closed door. We will not be going there, unless God suddenly makes it very clear that we should.
So... we'll let you know! We might be spending some time with my friends Anna and Emma (I knew them from Camp Qwanoes) in Belfast this next week, but we're waiting to hear back from them still.
I realize it has been a while since we wrote--I appologize! Also, David just walked into the library: he's alive! All is right in the world :).