Whoa…times flies when you are, well, busy. I can’t believe I haven’t started this thing until well into my third week in Ireland. The first issue was that I forgot my laptop cord, so I had no computer for a fortnight (that’s what we call two weeks in Ireland). The second issue was my Internet access…I live a wee (another Irish term which means ‘not a lot’ or ‘smallish’) bit out in the countryside, which is gorgeous but not ideal for accessing the interwebs. And the last bit is that I have just been super busy…excitedly, I got thrown into the deep end early in the game. So…to start out let’s just go ahead and lay out the investigative reporting that needs to be done:
Who: Me=seminary student, who is attempting to discern her call toward ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church. You=reader of blog that I am trying not to bore you with.
What: Ah…a summer in Ireland, shadowing a local Methodist Pastor named Laurence. I do everything from wash dishes to sing in the praise band to preach sermons to serving tea (and also drink lots of it). It really is a fun job.
Where: Killarney, Ireland. Located in the southwest of the country of Ireland in County Kerry; we experience mild to heavy rainfall most days with a bit of sunshine thrown in. We are famous for our lovely scenery and our national park where you can enjoy the natural beauty of Ireland with our native deer and lovely mountains. In this little Methodist Church in the tourist town of Killarney there is only one employee—the pastor, so the lay involvement is incredibly inspiring.
When: ALL SUMMER! I arrived May 25 and leave August 23.
Why: Because three years ago my family was on holiday (that’s Irish for vacation) in Ireland, and we happened to spend New Year’s Eve in the Killarney Avenue Hotel located directly beside Killarney Methodist Church. That evening the church put out a small sign that said watch night service, so, being Methodist in a predominantly Catholic country, we thought this was a bit of a happy coincidence, so we decided to attend. It turned out to be the highlight of our trip, and when we returned home—I just couldn’t stop thinking about this amazing little church. Every time I would stop thinking about it my mom would comment “Kori, you really ought to see if you might be able to spend the summer working in that church in Ireland—how cool would that be?” So I thought about it for almost a year and then decided to google the church. I did, got the pastor’s number, and gave him a call (at his home). Of course, it must have been strange to receive a call from a 22 year old, American female who was in seminary. But the work of the Holy Spirit prevailed, and we started communicating through email. Eventually we both felt like God was calling us to actualize this summer, and we began making plans for me to come. That was a year and half ago. And as I sit and write this entry, it is incredible for me to think back over the last 2 and half years and think to how it all led up to this. Many times I attempted to make back up plans in case things didn’t work out—and every time those plans fell through. So, here I sit in a little room inside of a little church in a little town called Killarney. God is strange sometimes, but God is always good. I am incredibly blessed to have received this opportunity and am excited for what the next 2 and half months will bring. Please continue to pray for the church (and every family within it), for its ministry, and for me.
And please continue to read about my journey this summer and leave any questions/comments you may have.
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