It's hard to believe that I am already 1/3 into my mission year here in Belfast! December has flown by and 2009 comes sailing in tonight with the same speed.
December, in a nutshell has consisted of a variety of Christmas celebrations. Not only were there plenty of parties held among church family and friends, but PAKT held its own Christmas Activity Afternoon for the children of Ballybeen. Nearly forty children participated in the event, taking home not only decorated Christmas cookies and angel crafts, but also the essence of the Christmas story provided in our program.
If there is anything that is unique about Northern Ireland, it is the concept of Christmas dinners. When I first heard the phrase I immediately associated with one meal, that would be consumed, as expected by the phrase, on Christmas day. However, as I quickly discovered, Christmas dinner is an opportunity for any social group to get together to celebrate the holiday. As you can imagine, there is a plethora of social groups/church groups operating in and out of Dundonald Methodist. Needless to say, I had four Christmas dinners this year, and only one of them was actually on Christmas day.
Another aspect that I discovered quickly about Christmas dinner is that there is a standard menu, that every Northern Irelander knows about. First, there is turkey, lots of turkey with stuffing and ham and gravy. Then, there are usually two types of potatoes, brussel sprouts, carrots, and turnips in some shape or fashion. Together the foods merge into a moundMind you, this is preceded by a starter, usually bread and casserole or a soup. Dessert follows all of this, usually in the form of pavlova, Christmas pudding, or pie. And yes, if you were wondering, my trousers are feeling the effects. I'm hoping that will ease with the running I intend to get back into in the new year.
I spent all of Christmas day with the Camptons, and had an absolutely fabulous time eating way too much, playing several rounds of Nintendo Wi with Sally and David's sons, Owain and Ciaran, and then, of course, curling up with Mittens, their cat, on the couch for a power nap. I will confess that I was moved to tears by how much the Camptons' felt like home this Christmas. I am blessed with a wonderful Irish family here.
Post-Christmas vacation time was spent gallivanting around Dublin with my direction-savy and thoroughly entertaining housemate, Elizabeth. We found ourselves a nice bed and breakfast in the heart of the city that put us in walking distance to almost all of the sites. Some of our favorite sites were the churches of Dublin. Christ Church Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral offer a plethora of history and we were astounded by their beauty. One of my favorite stops was Dublin's infamous Writer's museum, home to the works of James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and Seamus Heaney just to name a few. I really could have spent several days in that museum alone, but Belfast called me home for the New Year.
Tonight I will ring in 2009 by helping David Campton, Dundonald's minister, lead a communion service. The remainder of my evening will be spent in the fellowship with friends I have come to know and love here in Belfast, eating fondue and counting down the music hits of the year on the BBC. It would be an understatement to say I'm looking forward to it. :)
Hope you all have a Happy New Year and Many Blessings in 2009!
-Hannah
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