Christmas ponderings...

CHRISTmas is really all about Christ!

So, here I sit on the DART making my way into Dublin Connolly train station to get the next train up to Belfast to spend the holidays with the Porter Family. Snow is on the ground, which seems highly unlike Ireland but alas it still is the Green Isle! No one is in the car I am traveling in, which seems a little odd but it made me think, where is everyone? All week long I have been praying that God would show me the meaning of way I felt called to stay in Ireland this year for Christmas.

Nothing was coming to mind because I miss my family. Sure there are things I miss about the states but nothing as important as my family. My family means a lot to me and I love spending holidays with them; as I was praying God has given me a peace about staying and being away from my family. Don’t get me wrong; I am mere seconds away from crying my eyes out at times but at peace nonetheless. God is good and shall show me in His timing what His WILL is for me this season.

Watching out the DART window, I see loads of empty stations pass by in the blink of an eye, people all home with families, people out shopping for last minute gifts, people wondering expectantly what will be under the tree in the morning, children asking parents when Santa is coming, delicious food sitting ready on the dinner table, snow falling softly on the ground outside, the Christmas spirit is all a buzz and I wonder if anyone is thinking what I am thinking, “I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.”

Now Josh Groban sings a great rendition of this song and it has nearly made me cry on several occasions. “I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.” My dreams are of all the things mentioned above but also on something more as well, my thoughts dwell on my Savior who came as a small baby into a lonely world to be the light in the dark. Many years ago Christ came into the world as a humble child born in a manger because the world was too busy to make room. Of course we have heard preacher after preacher discuss the baby in a manger before but this Christmas I stopped to think about what Christmas truly means to me.

I wasn’t making room for Christ in Christmas. Now listen to me before you start judging or thinking I have gone off the deep end and given up on the Christian walk. That is the furthest thing from the truth, I believe that God is trying to bring me closer to himself through this holiday by making me realize what I had/have been filling life with. My focus need more focus! (Name that movie reference. J)

Is there room for Christ in Christmas? Just after Thanksgiving people’s lives seem to increase in busyness at a rapid speed and then all of a sudden it is the New Year with a whole new host of things to busy us with. During the holiday season there are presents to buy, people to visit, parties to attend, meals to prepare, travel to and from family’s home, and then your average daily living. I know at times I run around so busy trying to find the right gift, the very perfect present that will be given to those closest to me that I forget to even focus on the reason for Christmas. Christ gets crowed out by wrapping paper, trees, decorations, food, money, cards, parties and whatever else I find to fill the time with.

No wonder I have been feeling lonely and lost for the last couple of weeks, I was giving Christmas to consumerism and not Christ. Even being in Ireland has busied my life that I allowed my focus to go astray. I do not find fault with any of these things as long as there is balance, which can be reached. Some of my favorite memories are the times I have spent in church on Christmas Eve with a candle light service or the year that my family took communion together at midnight or the time where we got together as a church for a time of prayer. I can recall several church services that have made an impact on my life but only a handful of gifts that made a lasting impression. (Thank you to all of those who have given me gifts over the years, I honestly am thankful for you and your gifts to me! May you all be richly blessed this season.)

By reflecting on the meaning of Christmas, I begin to better understand what my purpose is not only in Ireland or at NTS or in the states or traveling the world but also by merely living to be a follower of Christ. God has simply asked me to place HIM at the forefront of my mind, now and eternally. Through daily living for him and trying to focus my eyes on His will for my life, then I am fulfilling my explicit purpose. “God into all the world…” (Luke 16:15), “follow me…” (The Bible), “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead” (Matthew 8:22), “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:37-38), and more verses on the following of Jesus Christ upon our lives.

Honestly these are just ramblings I have had while traveling up to Northern Ireland for the holidays. So, far I have experienced the love and join of being with God’s greater family. A family I am close to in Greystones, Ireland invited me over to their home for a night and a breakfast meal, not only did they feed me and allow me to bunk in their home but they also showed me love. The Williams and the Stephens are a wonderful family who make me feel welcomed every Sunday but have also showed me Christ this holiday through their love. Jeff, Wanda, Mark, and Luke open their home on multiple occasions for me to dine with them and simply hang out. You are all shining examples of Christ this year to me and during the holidays (Yes, even you Luke! J) The Greystones Youth Group and the meal we shared on Sunday, December 19^th, were special and a time to laugh/love/eat and be merry together. You all have showed me Christ a little more this holiday. Peacehaven thank you for inviting me to holiday dinner, you are so wonderful and hold a special place in my heart. Each time I am with you I further glimpse the joy and love in which God sent His son as a baby in a manger. Greystones Church of the Nazarene, thank you for your willingness to take in a couple of Americans for the year. The love that you as a congregation show me is incredible and I count myself blessed this year to be with you all.

To anyone else that I may have missed, I pray that you all have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS, may you be safe, happy, warm, loved, full, and content with the holiday to mark the coming of our Savior! Remember to place Christ in Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of those people who hold a special place in my heart! Mommy, Daddy, and Racho, I love you all very much! I’ll be missing you this Christmas but know you have a special place in my heart and shall be with me, no matter where I go! Tell Papa, Grandma, Aunt Mary Lynn, Uncle John, Kelsie, Tyler, Shirley and Virgil, Debbie and Rich, Ron and Marci, Wade and Becky, Kenny and Barb, Uncle Jim (give him a huge hug for me), Berta and Richard, Tara, Grant, and the rest of the family that I am wishing them all a very Merry Christmas from a cold and snowy Ireland! Remember my family, “I’ll be home for Christmas…if only in my heart.” You are ALL a part of my heart!

Northern Ireland

Pray for Ballycastle, Northern Ireland (IT IS SUPER NORTH...SO look at Belfast and go straight up NORTH!)! I am going there tomorrow for a Youth Retreat and hope to shower these young peoples with the LOVE of GOD! So, please join me in praying for them and their personal journeys!

God's invitation...

My heart is heavy as I write this. People told me that cross roads would come during my time in Ireland and I fully expected them. To tell you the truth, I welcome them because these are moments when not only my character is better defined but my strength in God. Although, each time an opportunity arises to face these challenging moments, I want to shrink back and hide in a corner. I want to run instead of facing these challenging times. Why do I run into a corner, when I KNOW I have the biggest contender on my side?

As I sit and write these thoughts…it is more for personal reflection and also for who knows what…basically I am trying to be honest with people back home, when they ask, how is Ireland? What is going on there? And how is ministry stuff going? All of which I can and would answer, Fine. But this word drives me insane sometimes and is not necessarily exactly how I am feeling…rather it is apathy! It is not taking ownership of what is truly going on in my mind! I could be seething at someone and I would simply say, “Oh, I am fine!” Why? Why would I not try to express my feelings and get over them? (To clarify…I am not upset with anyone currently, just enjoyed the word seething.)

I must say at times I have become frustrated with myself and the system of church in Ireland. Please do not get me wrong, I love my friends and the church here but I have allowed some humanly influences rather than God’s to enter my mind at times. People can be interested in numbers and what needs to be accomplished but God is not interested in those things and so I should not be as well. God is interested in relationships, relationships with His chosen creation. RELATIONSHIPS are huge in God’s eyes and how often I look to fulfill the system and not God’s true calling.

In the very beginning of the Bible, God created man to dwell with him and to enjoy His creation! God gave us an invitation to join in relationship with Him! He is wonderful and we got to come along for the ride! J It makes me so happy to think about how special we are in the eyes of God! I love seeing all of His beauty around me!

I am just pondering some thoughts out in the open! Or just the wonderings of my mind…which can be a truly scary place, even for me sometimes!

ALL I KNOW IS THAT I DESIRE TO FOLLOW GOD AND NOT MAN, NO MATTER HOW DIFFICULT THE ROAD SHALL GET FOR ME, EVEN WITH HUMANITY! I hope to glorify God with my life and my every action, His name be praised!

Pray for Gorey

Girls Night and some lovely CHOCOLATE!

with Niamh, Eilidh and Chloe! :)

Each and every day God provides many learning opportunities, which may or may not be easy to tackle but must be encountered nonetheless. The past two weeks have shown me the faithfulness of God and the many opportunities He gives me to fully rely on Him.

About two weeks ago, I went with Dustin (my teammate) and Erich (Pastor of Greystones' church) to Gorey, where we were to meet a contact for a hopeful church plant. As though taking a step into the great unknown the three of us went to see what the Lord might have for the CON (Church of the Nazarene) in Gorey.

To make a long story short, we met a lady named Antonia, who is a manager of a little Italian café in the area. Erich was able to discuss a possibility of holding a meeting in her café in the future weeks to come, she agreed and thought this would be a good idea. The three of us left feeling reassured about the possibilities waiting in Gorey but not knowing when the next step would come. So, we headed back to Greystones with hope in our hearts that GOD had/has plans in Gorey.

At the weekend, Dustin and I were invited to go to Cork with a gentleman from the church for three days. This did not set well with me because I felt like I needed to go back down to Gorey, which was utterly ridiculous. So, I politely turned down the invitation to go to Cork with the intent of going to Gorey.

Monday commenced a week of prayer for the Greystones church, which is my home church! Bright and extremely early on Monday morning, at half six or 6:30 am, I participated in an hour-long prayer session. It was amazing but I had a reluctant spirit about going to Gorey the next day. I did not want to go, even though I felt it was the right thing to do and the reason I turned down the offer to go to Cork. In my heart I battled with my reluctant spirit to go and do God’s will and as I was battling with myself, Pastor Erich prayed specifically for me and my journey to Gorey. It was as though God knew I needed prompting in actually going to Gorey.

One might think that after being prayed for specifically I would be more willing to go but I still wanted to drag my feet. God still was drawing me toward Gorey. Later on Monday, I attended a women’s bible study and we had a time of prayer, which brought up the battle of to go to Gorey or not. So, I began praying my silent prayer of guidance to discern what God intended me to do or for His clear direction. As soon as I got done praying this prayer a lady prayed for my trip to Gorey and prayed that God would keep me safe. I knew in my heart that no matter my fears or trepidations that I was intended to go to Gorey on Tuesday, and that is exactly what I was going to do.

Tuesday arrived and I got up with a reluctant heart to go to Gorey. The journey really began after I arrived back at the café and found Antonia. We began talking again about my reasons for coming to Gorey and my hopes for the café. She was really receptive and wanted to talk more because she was busy. I thought, wow this is cool, maybe this is what I was supposed to do. Then a lady walked in and sat down behind me, which caused a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, I felt called to talk to her. Once again all of the fears and doubts popped into my head and I said, “God, really? I have no idea what I would say to her or what way to even start a conversation.” No sooner than I had sent up my silent plea to God but the lady mentioned going to Greystones later in the afternoon.

So, taking this as my opportunity, I turned around and began a conversation, which lasted about an hour. It was wonderful AND it made me realize the faithfulness of God! He is wonderful with the things He allows us to experience. The lady asked me for my contact information, which I gave to her. (I did not ask her for her contact information because I felt that if this were a divine appointment then she would contact me.)

Ann Marie contacted me just about 90 minutes later. She and I set up a time to meet on Friday when I returned to Gorey. So, I count myself as blessed to have met her. I am so glad I went and enjoy the tale being written in Gorey!

A promise...

Glendalough (Glen-da-lock)

God's landscape

things i am learning along the way...

How often do we stop to see the world around us? Stop to encounter the world as God intended...

It is not very often that I look at the world and slow down long enough to actually enjoy it. This morning, I woke at half five to go to our church's prayer meeting at half six. Throughout the rest of this week, prayer meetings will be held every day with an all church (including the churches of the North) prayer day on Saturday. Exciting things are happening here in Ireland and the perfect place to start is with prayer!

Today I was reminded to stop and look at the world around me, to enjoy the beauty I was originally missing in my rush to do "great" things for Christ; like He needs my help anyways! Being in Ireland is almost selfishly doing ministry because the people are lovely and the place is gorgeous!

This weekend, I had the opportunity to go to Glendalough (pronounced Glen-da-lock) and it took my breath away! It was simply a masterpiece of the Divine Artist! I could only stand and marvel at the beauty, which was all around me! God has created all of this for His people to enjoy and I am usually too busy to see any of it. While walking about I happened to strike up a conversation with an Irish lady who had been coming to this spot for nearly 60 years. She was such a great joy to talk with because she told me so many stories about all of the adventures she went on as a wee child.

Her father used to own the B&B right at the base of one of the mountains, so she had a lot of history in the area. She told me about her many hikes and beauty she encountered! She kept repeating over and over again about how often people miss all of this beauty! I tried capturing the sheer beauty of the landscape on camera but I know I did not give it any justice whatsoever! Before I left her to continue my walk, she reminded me to stop and take in the beauty of the creation all around me!

God is trying to speak to His people and I think we are missing the subtle answers along the way due to the business of our lives.

Although, while doing ministry it seems people want quick results! The most popular question is: So how many people have been saved?

I am beginning to HATE this question! Anything that is worth having is worth spending time on, so I have been investing in the best capital: PEOPLE! People are where the moneys at and that is where I want to spend my time/resources! It does not matter how long it takes, if only one life is saved, then my time spent in Ireland or any where else God has called me to go will be WORTH IT!

It is not about the numbers, it is about the quality of relationships! I plan on investing my life into the people of God and making sure they know how special each one of them are to the Creator!

Each person is as beautiful as the landscapes God has painted for us to enjoy! He created each one of them as well and all too often we pass too quickly to see their true beauty!

My prayer is that God will continue to show me himself more and more through all of the beauty He has created!

Things I am learning...

Since coming to Ireland, I have been able to experience a lot of God's grace and am learning day by day to trust Him even more. It is slightly frustrating at times to know what this year may hold or to know what type of ministry I should engage in. The country as a whole has been subjected to several years of religious ups and downs, which leave some skeptical, while others do not have the desire to associate with church.

So, where does true ministry begin? When following Christ, how do you help His mission grow? These are two questions, I shall continue to ask myself during my time in Ireland and for several years following, I am sure.

Right now, I am learning and growing each day as God continues to reveal more and more of himself to me through his beautiful creations. Please continue to pray for the work being done here...

God's Grace

My teammate and I were finally granted our permission to stay in Ireland! I am thankful to God for his provision in this step because it looked extremely dark for a while. The gentleman we were working with seemed difficult to get a hold of and was very stern when it came to doing his job. He was a no non-sense type of guy, which made me laugh cause I was so nervous.

Last night we returned to his office with the necessary documentation and he was at ease with us. He joked with us and I actually enjoyed his company this night. God walked before us in this situation and took care of everything!

Thank you, Mr. Immigrations Man for being willing to work with a couple of Americans from the Nazarene Church!

Another week and a Storm..

Week 2: Rounding on the Jet lag

- Went to Dublin as a tour guide for a student here from Canada...the student has now become the teacher, yes, I am that good! :)

- Geoff and Wanda on an adventure to find a shower head for my bathroom to help make it a little more functional...it is a work in progress, let's just say showers don't happen every day ;)

- TEEN CHALLENGE OUTREACH

--> Teen Challenge is a program set up for men struggling with all sorts of addictive behaviors. The staff help minister to the men in the program and help re-introduce them to society and walk with them each step of the way. TC is for people who just need a hand up and fall into the loving arms of the staff at TC. The program is a 16 month program, I am honored to know the men of TC.

- Inner city outreach in Dublin town

- Walking around at night to give tea/coffee and sandwiches for the homeless

- A group of men who are involved with Teen Challenge help walk around and minister to the homeless of Dublin

- Hung out with some local youth in Greystones

- Planning different church activities for County Wicklow

Sugar Loaf

View from Sugar Loaf

Greystones

View of Greystones from the top of Sugar Loaf

Carraig Eden (Home Sweet Home)

A stormy sea...

Oh, where to begin...Ireland has proved to be a fantastic place and there have been many adventures in just a few short weeks as well. I can't believe I have already been here for 3 weeks! CRAZY! God is so funny in how He begins working out all the plans and things He desires to happen, even before we realize something is going on...well that is what has been happening to me here!

Week 1:

- Jet lag (pretty sure I didn't even know what day it was for like 10 days)

- Kids Club at the Naz--> amazing turn out of children from the local community

- Tour of Dublin town with our mentors from the North

- Dick and Karen Porter, Robert Birnie, and Dr. Graham Greenlee

- Wonderful host parents: Suzie and Jer Evans, daughter: beautiful Daisy :)

- Dundrum shopping experience (largest mall in Ireland)

- Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, Tea, TEA...no joke, the Irish love their tea

- Movie nights with our host parents

- Immigration encounter: this was possibly terrifying but I laughed most of the time :) The gentleman kept asking an insane amount of questions and we had no way of answering them cause we had hardly any information from the mentors/churches here of what we are supposed to do...

- Geoff and Wanda Murray: amazing couple who has taken us under their wing as children or just simply friends

- Powers Court: place where the palace in Count

of Monte Cristo was filmed...it was GORGEOUS! :)

-Moved into Carraig Eden...home sweet home for the next 12 months

The journey begins...

So, tomorrow I shall be leaving for the Republic of Ireland for a year! God has amazing things planned for this upcoming year, I can only trust that He has everything under control! Be looking for updates in the next couple of weeks! :)

A letter...

Family and Friends,

Each journey begins with a single step, each step followed by more steps. Your path continues directly until you reach a divergent point where you must step out on faith again to travel down another path. My life journey continues with my most recent divergent point coming in the form of a letter saying, “Congratulations, you have been accepted to Northern Ireland.” All I could think was that I didn’t even apply for a stint in Northern Ireland.

Although secretly in my heart, I hoped the letter was not a mistake, I wanted to make sure the letter was genuinely meant for me. If the letter was true, then it meant that I would be spending a year in Northern Ireland. Yes, a full 365 days in another country. That brought my heart extreme joy. For those who know me well know I love being in other cultures and countries. From the first time reading my letter, I began to pray for the will of God to be done in and through my journey. If God wanted me to go to Northern Ireland, He would make the way clear-and He has.

As soon as I could, I spoke with my professor about the program and my acceptance letter for something I had not sought. I never actually applied for the program, yet I had received an acceptance letter. So I inquired if there had been some mistake. He informed me that he had placed me in the program because he thought I was a perfect fit for the team being sent to Northern Ireland. Wow, was I stunned. I asked him why he had placed me in the program. His response was simply, “Your desire and passion to serve people through leadership development would be a vital asset to the team going to Northern Ireland. When I was determining people for the team, your name came to mind.”

As you can imagine, I was dumbfounded. I needed time to pray about my decision. Honestly, I was in a state of shock that one of my professors would place me in a program without even knowing of my interest in the first place. After three weeks of fervent prayer, I felt lead and confident to say yes. I am now committed to a path leading to Northern Ireland for a year.

Starting in August 2010, I will be spending a year in Northern Ireland doing the following

- Church planting

- Ministry in Dundalk, Bray, and Gorey

- Living in Dundalk, which is in Northern Ireland

- Working in 13 church locations throughout all of the North of Ireland

- Preaching and friendship building in local areas (specifically around Dundalk)

- By the end of our time in Ireland, there is a hope to have weekly prayer meetings functioning in Dundalk, Bray, and Gorey with the potential to become churches

So my path sounds like a full year filled with plenty of experiences and numerous opportunities. No matter how prepared I feel now, I know nothing can fully prepare me for each step ahead so I have faith. Going down a path to Northern Ireland is extremely exciting to me because this path allows God to work in and through me to better mold me into his purposed creation. I can only commit that I am willing and able to let His change happen through each succeeding step of mine.

I ask as I begin this new journey to Northern Ireland that you would help by partnering with me in prayer. Prayer is a vital part of ministry and something I feel very strongly about. My prayer is the people of Ireland will be open and willing to hear the gospel through our friendship, testimonies, and shared experiences. So please be praying for God’s work already being done in Ireland and our work that lies ahead. Please pray for my teammates and I as we prepare for our journeys that will help shape the rest of our lives. During our time overseas, I will be updating a blog that you can follow at: lifeistooshortnottolive.blogspot.com. There will be pictures and weekly updates about the ministry being done in Northern Ireland. Thank you so much!

Not only would I seek your prayers but your financial support if you feel lead. This is a huge financial endeavor. Since I will be living a full year overseas and will not be able to work while I am there, I need to raise money for my year long ministry. May I ask you to pray about financially investing in my year overseas? Cost of this journey is over $10,000 for the entire year. Many of you have already contributed to my spiritual and personal development through supporting previous mission trips, and I am forever grateful. My previous life steps confirm God takes care of me-always. I find myself extremely grateful to, and blessed by, those whom God has prompted to support me financially. Thank you in advance for your prayer and financial support. Your contributions to my endeavor in Northern Ireland will be thankfully accepted and wisely employed.

If you feel lead to financially support my journey to Northern Ireland, please see the following contribution details:

Please send all contributions to the following address:

Global Ministry Center

Attn: Molly Cole

17001 Prairie Star Parkway

Lenexa, Kansas 66220

(Please be sure that contributions indicate the following on the memo line: “Hannah Beers 365M Northern Ireland”)

My goal is to keep in contact with as many people as possible who want to know my life steps since I believe God is pointing me towards fully time ministry overseas. My 365M steps are a big part of that journey. If you would like to be placed on an email list to get updates from my adventure, please email me at hbmiss@gmail.com. If you are fans of snail mail, I will gladly write letters as well! Please just let me know how you would like to keep up with my life steps in the journey God has me on for him.

Grace and Peace,

Hannah

Oh to the Green Isle I go...

So in roughly five months I will be living in Northern Ireland for a year! This is gonna be an awesome adventure and I can't wait to see all of the things GOD has in store for the people of N.I. and also my team from NTS!

Keep checking back here for updates on what is going on...before we leave and after we arrive!