Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. - 1 Corinthians 9:24
For the past several months, several women from Dundonald Methodist Church and from DFCI's cross-community women's group, Ladies Who Lunch have been gearing up for a trip to Romania. The 10 women will travel the third week in June as a part of Habitat for Humanity, Northern Ireland's summer building program in Romania. A part of the preparation has included fundraising - lots of it. Nearly 11,000 pounds has been raised over the past 4-5 months through a variety of venues - bagpacking at supermarkets, coffee mornings, and even an absail. Among the many things that May has brought, I think that one of the highlights this month was getting the chance to run in the Belfast marathon in support of the Romania team. I was joined by four members from Dundonald Methodist Church to run the relay event. Katharyn Martin, Gareth Campbell, Wilma Martin, Maureen Kirk and I met up on a very cold, and quite wet Monday, May 4th to run with thousands of people in and around Belfast city centre. There were so many people, in fact, that Kathryn, who was running the first leg, didn't actually get moving until 20 minutes after the race had actually started! It was a great event though - I spent my wait to run doing muscle exercises with Rebecca Campbell (who was also running the second leg) to keep my legs from locking up in the cold. It was also amazing to have so much support from the Dundonald congregation. People were so generous - I ended up raising 160 pounds! And, the best part was seeing familiar faces in the crowd cheering me on. Anne and Clem McKee, one of my many second-families here, stood at the beginning of the leg to cheer me forward (and to take pictures - Clem is never without the camera :) ), and Doug and Elaine (the site coordinator for N. Ireland and his wife) came out to meet me and congratulate me at the finish.
Other exciting times in Belfast this month have included a bowling trip with PaKT+, the older youth group that I work with on a Monday evening. The kids had a great time, and, as I've discovered really enjoy any type of opportunity to get out and experience things. John and I hope to plan a cinema outing for next month, some indoor dance classes (something the girls love), and hopefully a barbeque to finish out the year.
The kids at afterschools and the other programs that I work with still continue to baffle me by the things they say and do, and there is never a dull moment. I recognize that I have learned, quite thoroughly, how to think on my feet, so to speak- but pretty much all of the time when I'm in the church. Whether it's cooking butterscotch brownies with them in the kitchen, or leading a craft, I have discovered that I'm pretty good at holding kids' attention, and at finding games or alternate ways to keep them occupied when there is down time. There is a tie between Simon says and Heads Down, Thumbs Up at the moment for which is the best game. :) We are seeing a significant increase in kids coming through the church doors on the weekday afternoons. There are nearly 69 children on the registers, and between 35-40 of them attend each afternoon. With this increase, we've discovered that we need some alternate activities to keep the adult-child ratio manageable. As a result, I have discovered that kids love instruments - especially instruments that make big sounds. I pulled out some drums and cymbals a couple of weeks ago and taught the kids some of the African songs that I know. Before I knew it, they had formed a conga line, and were parading around the room, beating their drums and shaking their tambourines and making quite a "joyful" noise. I think my favorite part, though, was when one of the little girls, Ellie, stopped to pick up her tambourine, and the entire conga line experienced a bit of a pile up.
I've been thinking a lot about my time finishing here in Belfast. Programs, particularly scouts and guides are winding down (there will be several bbq's next week - woo hoo!), and most of the youth that I work with are in the middle of their exams for school. Gradually, I see things coming to a close, and I have to admit that I'm having a lot of mixed feelings about it already. A part of me is extremely excited about reuniting with those that I love at home, and beginning my next journey at Princeton Theological Seminary in the fall. But there is a part of me that knows that leaving will be hard - extremely hard. However, I run the last bit of my experience here with Paul's encouragement. And so I will, with arms open and heart ready.
Thank you for all of your support, prayers, and for cheering me on!
Much Love,
Hannah
