UlsterPeace's Xanga

Help.

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 11:56:21 GMT

Can anyone tell me how to fix my text flying off the screen, and not wrapping around? I know this is really annoying to read. My apologies!

Life without...complication?

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 11:53:50 GMT

There aren’t many excuses for not blogging when one should be, but one good excuse, if there were any, would be a lack of computer. And that is mine.

Upon driving today in Belfast, I realized that I liked life without a computer. It was much simpler. It made writing letters seem like the obvious choice. Now I’m not too sure. (But I’ll keep writing letters, until I find a font that matches my handwriting.)

We played a “game” in college called “Life without TV.” We did it for fun, I remember, one semester in the Pea Pod. We played so many games during Life Without TV. Was it during that time we discovered how fun it was to run from one living room to the other, flying hands-then-head first through a hula hoop? Landing in a big pile of couch cushions? Big spaghetti dinners? “Study” days before Christmas break?

The last blog I wrote was about FWD—Faith With Deeds, an initiative that we were involved with in different parts of the Shankill.

Instead of working backwards, trying to fill in all the details of the past few months, I’m just going to start from right now.

We’ve started working in the Breakfast Club in the local primary school every day. Lidia and I agree…it’s always a bit of a shock when the alarm goes earlier on those mornings, but once we’re in the cafeteria, buttering toast, playing games with the kids—we think, I wish I was on the rota to do this every day! We’ve been having 15-20 kids each day.

Tomorrow I set off for Spain, for a few days with a group called the New Teams Network. I like that it’s not a committee or a club, just an “anyone’s welcome” group of people who will share tales and ideas and struggles we’ve had about starting new teams in Western Europe with YWAM.

Why new teams? In YWAM around the globe, there is a current push to move new pioneering ministries from big bases in rural places (great retreat centres, though) to simple, small (maybe) communities of YWAMers who move into cities to serve local church, bring new vision, and to send out missionaries. Some call this church planting…this could get tricky, because then we ask—Is YWAM a church? What is church? And…then this blog would either be way too long, or very, very short: “I don’t know.”

Either way, this is the push. This is the new thing.

The next time I’ll write, I’ll share more about YWAM Ireland’s idea of doing new teams in Ireland. It has something to do with nomads.

(It’s nice to be back.)

Faith With Deeds

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:46:50 GMT

I have never had such care put into my fingernails. Two nights over they were delicately painted by Cameron, a nine-year old boy who I’ve known for a few years by doing breakfast club at the local primary school. The first night he chose a brilliant orange, and the second night, it was a variety of gummy pinks.

I just don’t have the heart to take it off.

For the last few days we’ve been working in the Lower Shankill with an initiative called “FWD”—Faith With Deeds. It’s a Wells Church thing, and we YWAMers helped, too. I have really never seen people on the road so open and thankful…it was radical for me to see. We played with kids during the day, knocked on doors offering lightbulbs/smoke alarm batteries/prayer, and put on free community barbeques in the evenings.

At one of the barbeques is where I got my nails done. And I look at them lovingly even as I type up this blog.

I so wish I could put more pictures of the kids from this past week, but unfortunately we’re asked not to do that, as to protect the kids. But—you can imagine it, can’t you?

There’s something happening on the Shankill; I can’t put my finger on it, exactly, but it feels big and small at the same time. It has the feeling of something about Love, it’s giving me anticipation of Love coming.

So watch this space.

Currently I’m in Closkelt, the other YWAM base in Northern Ireland, helping cook some meals for them during the DTS debriefing week. It’s special to be here because this is the DTS that spoke on in February, and I feel connected to these students. They’ve just returned from their outreaches—one team was in Ireland and the other was in India.

I’m looking forward to a week in North Carolina with my family for my holidays this year. Roll on, beach with the Seibels!

Please check out YWAM Ireland’s new website: www.ywamireland.org

You’ll find more info about how FWD went on that site, as well as more info about our upcoming trips and training schools.

Shankill and the Falls

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:31:55 GMT

I took a walk        
With my guardian angel
Through the streets 
Where I was born
The painted wall
Rose up around me
From the Shankill
To the Falls

In all the time
You entertain me
I broke my heart
I can recall
Till I threw the dice
And I kept my distance
From the Shankill
And the Falls

I know you're aching
To trust somebody
A spark of love
In everyone
From the Tigras Bay
To the silent barrio
From the Shankill
To the Falls

--a great song by Bap Kennedy

This week there's a group of us working on the upper and lower Shankill through a little initiative tagged, "FWD"--Forward, or Faith With Deeds. 

Pray for us!  We've loved the last two days, meeting people on the streets, at their homes, playing with kids, hosting BBQs.  We've had a real blast, and are simply and beautifully meeting God through the people we meet.  We pray they are meeting Him too, in love and friendship. 

With my friend Turk this morning, we spoke about the goings-on on the Shankill Radio!  They always said I have a face for radio...

Song and Dance

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:56:28 GMT

The other day Lidia and I went to a local primary school’s final service before the summer. It was put on by the P7’s (the oldest class in primary school); we knew most of the faces from doing Breakfast Clubs there for the last three years.

I was over the top with pride and excitement for the great show they put on. The room was filled with parents and friends; dads who left every so often for a smoke, people answering phone calls, slight distractions—even when the students were telling us about wind turbines and beating on their African drums (amazing performance!).

But---there was a holy moment.

Four girls gathered on “stage.” The teacher clicked “play” on the CD player. And the four girls began their Irish dancing routine right there on the gym floor. The once-preoccupied crowd fixed their eyes on the girls. Someone started clapping in beat, and soon all were joined in.

It was like everyone thought at once, “Now this is something I can be interested in. I wasn’t too into wind turbines and hearing about netball tournaments…but song and dance is apart of who we are.”

I had goosebumps up and down my arms. I felt I saw a glimpse into the heartbeat of this road I live on. I’ve been seeking to find their culture, but have not come up with anything really concrete. Irish dancing—who knew?

The revival in Belfast in the 1800’s started with the people group, “children.”

We can’t over-estimate how much children know and can teach us about the Kingdom of Love.

Another note about Belfast: I was driving home from church yesterday, and the streets of the city are peppered with broken umbrellas. This is one gusty summer!

Who Will Believe Me?

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:58:02 GMT

While I was traveling to visit the teams in Africa and India, I didn’t always have access to a computer or internet. I can say that it was a freeing experience in more ways than one. How dependent I have become on broadband-speed communication, whether it’s emailing or texting. So instead of emailing or skype-ing all my thoughts away into cyberspace, I oft grabbed a black-inked pen and my journal, and scribbled cursive prayers and thoughts.

Here are some of the things I recorded in that journal. This is my way of wrapping up the time of traveling, in a blog.

“Please call them to the impossible tasks that need your grace. Call them to nothing that they could do on their own. Let them all go on to inspire/equip/send young people to the nations, rebuilding communities.” Before outreach, praying for the teams

“After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’” Jesus to John, in Revelation 4:1-2

“Even though God spoke to me through an incredible prayer time today, one moment I will hold in my heart is when I rocked a baby to sleep in my arms during a meeting. There is nothing like that, Lord.” During the WELC in the Netherlands

“We are flying over Iran, and I remember an email I got from a friend saying to ask God about the countries while you are flying over them. Just now we are over Karaj and Tehran, Iran. I feel like a spirit of DESPAIR hangs over this place. I am crying…and I will continue to pray against despair which hangs over these people. Use me, Lord! I am high in the air, but how much more grand is your view point?” On the plane to India

“And now we fly over Karachi, Pakistan. I see the city’s lights. I sense rejection clinging to them. ‘O, afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted…’ Isaiah 54.” On the plane to India; I couldn’t believe how close I was to Pakistan

“Let me have a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, and…something about glory.” Praying for outreach teams

“This morning, God of my life, I am very tired, even after sleeping soundly. My body, soul, and spirit—none of them will wake up! I know you have much for me today, because it is a day and you are in it. You are to be found today, in great portions.” Early morning, Dehli

“I own nothing; I borrow everything.”

“It’s like the stories of old are our stories, too.”

“God is never, ever tired.”

“Today I woke up and asked God, ‘Ok—what’s today going to be like? What do I need to know?’ And He responded, ‘Be patient and observe.’ So I am. And it’s really hard.”

“Your love is rushing from the throne on which you reign. It is giving me life, all the time.”

Insights about “wisdom” from the book of James: “Wisdom is submissive, longs to be under authority, loves to have permission, cannot function outside of partnership, takes every chance to be ‘less than.’”

“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power. What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?” Paul writing to the church in Corinth

“Things I have known in India: a corner always reeking of human urine, a cow dozing in a rush hour intersection, a young girl scooting and hopping and begging—left with no left leg after a train accident, a father carrying his naked son who has a wound seeping with yellow infection, smells of curry, the ring of bicycle rickshaws, the wrapping of fabric.”

“With all of my heart, I hunger for you. All I want and all I seek is true intimacy. Here I am, waiting, Lord; touch me now, like never before. Let me change; be transformed. True intimacy is what I’m longing for.” Eoghan Heaslip, worship leader

“I loved all their dry hands; I loved holding them. I loved their eyes. I loved how they played. It suites them better than begging. They should be children. They shouldn’t have to wait to eat until 2 a.m. when the restaurants throw their scraps in the dumpsters.” After playing with some beautiful children in Dehli

“Before I slept last night I was praying for this boy I fell in love with yesterday. He’s about three or four years old, begs on the street, has a constant runny nose and his (even belted!) trousers sag below his bare bum. I asked God in prayer, ‘God, could you share with me your desire for this boy?’ There was a hesitancy, but a grin. And I heard, ‘The Taj Mahal itself is not great enough for him.’”

“Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope.” Zechariah 9:12

“Our plane to Nairobi experienced a bit of technical problems (like trying to land on not-the-runway during a thunderstorm) and we landed in this place. It’s my first ever taste of muggy Kenya. The Kenyans have wasted no time in endearing themselves to me. The angry and grace-less white people, however, are making my skin crawl with the similarities we share in skin color. Would it be rude to say, “I’m not with them”? ” Excuse my tone here; but you would have been shocked to see how some people acted in a situation that was completely out of their control, as we sat in the empty Mombasa airport for a few hours.

“Today when we were at Lake Tanganica, we could see the magnificent hills and mountains of the Congo, misting skirts around their ankles, on the foot of the not-so-distant beaches. The mystic moment was disturbed when someone quoted the UN’s report: 1,000 die in that part of the Congo daily, due to the violence. My reaction at the time was fairly practical and I said aloud something trite, like Bless the Congo. But a few bottles of passion fruit juice later, as the sun was setting over those same mountains and the mist increased and hid them, I suddenly found my heart gagging in my throat. I spun my heel in the sand and faced again the mountains…” In the first few hours of arriving in Bujumbura, Burundi

“Word of the day: Reassure.”

“’N’amahoro’ is the Kirundi word meaning ‘We have peace.’ It is good to work within peace. My soul is at peace with God. My soul knows its way through peace.”

“On the way here to this rural church in Burundi to speak to the parishioners here, I saw children in dirt-stained clothing, squatting by the side of the road. I saw a young, emaciated boy who had a Notre Dame sweatshirt on—a man’s XL. The shirt sloped off his shoulder and dragged at his feet. It was for me, as the book says, ‘The Tipping Point.’ I felt sickened to my core. I imagined a potato-chip eating sports fan, his eyes glued to the TV, as his wife takes a load of his clothes to Goodwill. I want to bring that man to Burundi and thank him for his kind contribution against poverty. Thank you, my Fighting Irish fan—keep up the generosity…Oh man. I have a lot of anger, actually. A lot of anger.” Has anyone else ever been here before? I’ve been all the characters above. I’ve judged them all. I’ve had less grace for some. Lord, have mercy.

“Why hadn’t I thought about it before? Surely, poverty is more than meets the eyes—more than the yellowed eyes, the green mucus, the bloated bellies of starvation.” God revealing to me in prayer about poverty.

“Forgiveness is letting go of condemning the other person.” A response to “What is forgiveness to you?” in Buye, Burundi

“What do you do in a place where the kids aren’t sucking on sweets, but sweetie wrappers? (And it probably fell from my bag.)” After being in a church in Buye.

“Who will believe me?” Wondering about the things I’m learning/observing

not ready to come home.

Mon, 12 May 2008 13:04:18 GMT

I'm convinced there is more traveling to be had! With only a few days left on this wild adventure, I confessed to Amalia the root of my monsterously bad mood--I'm mourning the end. This has been a once-in-a-lifetime journey--no! I hope it wasn't just for once in my life. I think this is merely the beginning. An appetiser.

Today is Monday--right?, and I fly to Nairobi to spend the night there before heading back to the UK on Thursday. So Amalia has promised that we will live up the last few nights; now we are in Kigali. I hope meet some classically known YWAM Rwandans, and see the genocide museum, as well as continue to help wrap up the African-side of this outreach.

Seriously though, this transient lifestyle is just too fun. I love being able to pack up all my things in a matter of five clean minutes, to wear a pair of trousers and have the other pair in my bag, to wash my hair once a week (yessssss!), and to be free to love and get to know all I come in contact with. It is a joy bigger than being able to have a permanent home. The cultures and landscapes of these places have left me speechless. I am lovesick for this world, this world that needs reconciliation with God, just like myself.

Haven't gotten sick once. (No, there was one time, when I took my malaria pill on an empty stomach. Easily remedied.) I think the only thing that may be permanent is the bug to see the rest of this world...to follow God to the rest of it, as He sees fit. Just read a book, "Peace like a River," and the little boy says at the end, "Fair is whatever God wants to do." I think he's right.

Until I reach those Emerald Shores, but not without a deep sigh. I'll miss you Africa and India. Until then.

Update #4 Posted by Beth Werkheiser for Erin Seibel

Wed, 07 May 2008 14:09:23 GMT

On Sunday afternoon Erin and Heather arrived in London airport for a brief layover before heading to Africa. They heard news that the YWAM team in Burundi was being asked to be evacuated. At that time, Erin didn’t know where they were going to go. Since then the only communication we have heard from her has been a brief message to her father. He has summarized Erin’s thoughts with the following:

Erin and Heather arrived safely in Burundi, having successfully navigated through ‘rebel’ territory. They will be out of communication for several weeks as they travel into the country, and hopefully away from some of the unrest there. They are excited to be there, and to join the YWAM team that has been there for several weeks. Erin says it’s a beautiful place, but also ‘intense’. She asks for everyone’s prayers, but assures all who love her that she will be fine. Erin knows that God is with them.

Update #3

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:43:06 GMT

Dear friends around the globe,

The background noises to writing this update is someone on a computer behind me at this internet cafe playing a shoot-'em-up game at full volume, with an American character in the game saying, "Two enemies left" and "Reload". It's terrible! But it rivals the Indian pop music that is playing the majority of the time!

Dehli is delightful, and delightfully hot as the temperatures creep higher. Every day when we walk outside, without a doubt, one of the team says, "It's definitely hotter today!" And it's actually true. When we arrived two weeks ago, the nights cooled down considerably, but now when the sun sets, you know that there will be little relief from the heat. We discovered that drenching our hair in cold water before bed helps a ton!

Heather and I have come for two purposes mostly: 1. to be a support to Ali (staff) and the students on the outreaches, and 2. to connect with people and ministries here that we could partner with in the future. I have to say, that with one week to go, our goals are being met very well, because of God's grace with us.

For the last week here, Heather and I will meet with a few more ministry leaders and families who serve in Dehli, as well as take each student out to pray with them and encourage them.

A few of us went to an art exhibit on Friday night that was portraying art from a week-long workshop. The art was expressing the issue of the girlchild in India. Similar to what happens in China, in parts of India, if it is found out that the child in the womb is a girl, sometimes the pregnancy will be terminated. This art gallery had art from beginners, from people who had lived lives on the streets, to a painting from an artist who has sold his paintings for upwards $90,000. The next exhibit they will do will be to open the issue of Depravity, the ever-increasing gap between the rich and the poor in India.

(The "shooting" behind me just got a lot more intense.)

I think that every outreach I have been on, I have ended up writing, meditating, speaking about the ministry of touch that I experienced. This outreach, then, is no different. We have linked with an incredible guy named Richard here who is, I think, the world's greatest networker! He invited us to come with him to play with some street kids he ministers to each Saturday afternoon.

Kyle, Annemieke and I had a fantastic time for a few hours playing with these incredible young ones. For the past two weeks, we had known them as beggars in the community centre where we would get our dinner and use the internet. But on Saturday, it was a heavenly experience to be able to play, cuddle, hug, spin, and read to them. There was one child in particular, a boy of about three years who had a snotty nose and a little bum that hung out of his trousers. He was such a drama queen, and theatrically flung his head back in tears when little things would upset him. There is no huge or holy conclusion to this story, except that when we walked away on Saturday, my eyes filled up with tears. I can only explain it by saying that I must have really met with God.

And now when I walk through the community centre, instead of begging, the children run up and hold my hands and call me "Didi"--sister.

What outreach is complete without a slightly awkward performance in front of a non-English speaking church? Heather and I very much enjoyed watching the team play a few worship songs at a charismatic church on Sunday, only after being told that actually they weren't to do the teaching they had planned. Actually, the team was excellent, and rocked out some, as Kyle said, "cool American worship songs." We ended the 3 hour service by dancing to a rousing rendition of "I'm trading my sorrows," of which Luke videotaped. Watch this space for the video.

I have only been in India for a little over 2 weeks, but have somehow managed to have experienced 3 weddings! Last night was one of those experiences. We got a wedding invitation from one of the students we met at Jamia University and showed up to an open tent that was about a football-field long and wide. Buffets around the entire outside. Women throwing flowers on you as you enter. Sparkly fabric everywhere. Transvestites dancing around the groom, who was being pulled by two white horses. A marching band. Big screens. A brand new white SUV with a ribbon around it--dowry. A camera man on a crane videotaping the whole shabang. A mountain dew fountain (i'm not kidding). Etc, etc, etc. It was 10 pm and the bride hadn't even showed up yet. 2,000 people expected! Does any other culture know how to party like Indians?

On Friday Heather and I fly to Mumbai, to fly early the next morning out of Mumbai to London. We have a 12-hour layover in London before flying to Nairobi. In Nairobi we spend the night with friends of friends before hopping a short plane to Bujumbura.

That is a lot of travelling!! Heather and I would appreciate your prayers as we journey--thank you to those who are praying for us and the teams we are visiting, and thank you for your encouraging emails.

You may have heard that there has been some rebel fighting in Bujumbura, and even some deaths. The team that is there now is OK and safe, though they could hear mortars and guns going off through the nights. They have left the city, as previously planned, and are now upcountry putting on a Pastors' Conference at a place with no running water or electricity!

Below is an email from the team in Africa. (Thanks for writing it, Meg. I'll give you the royalties...)

Burundi may be on the no travel list for a few of our countries but it has treated us kindly in the last week, let me tell you.

Through the friendships of one Alison Gill and the kindness of her friends, welcome, red meat, and flushing toilets have been lavished upon us. At the Rainbow Center in Bujumbura where weve been staying, weve exchanged buckets for cold showers and rice and beans for pizza and cokes. Delight. Cherry on top: being an orphanage for abandoned babies there are small baby humans to hold and cuddle at all times. Sigh.

Its been a rapid Tour d Burundi thus far. Simon Guillebaud, a legend and long time missionary in the Buj, gently acquainted us with the city, wildlife, and ways God is moving here. So inspiring. We took the 8 hour drive up to Karuzi for a weekend trip with Madam Georgette, Patron Saint of Scraggly YWAMers, where I can assure you weve never been any place further away from anywhere in our lives. She showed us the gorgeous secondary school she built and we strolled slash skipped through an Internally Displaced Persons camp which was glorious and heartbreaking at the same time. Short term missions is a tricky bundle, we want to bless the people we meet but know it's so limited by our ignorance and brevity. Anyways we spoke at an Anglican church that gave us the most extravagant welcome and we quietly lamented the arrival of synthesizers in Burundian churches.

The last two days we've been sharing the Forgiveness Program with a group of very insightful university students. It's terribly interesting trimming and adjusting our thinking for this culture and history. We oft feel like a gaggle of boneheads facing a history of violence and trauma. But God is good and gracious and we've had great exchanges. Did you notice I found the ' key since we first started this chat. Exciting.

Pray for us friends, that the upcoming week in Buhiga would be exceptional, that the Forgiveness Conference would really unearth issues and bless people. Pray for safety and health as we leave Buj and the magnanimous cook Nathan behind in exchange for the great unknown. And pray my blood pressure would settle after an tense row with this keyboard. Jokes. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers and support, you go with us every mile.

Love
Meg
& Team R&B

Update #2

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:30:49 GMT

Update Two:

With about 12 hours in Mumbai under our belt, Heather and I and the team caught a train up to Dehli in northern India, for the second leg in the team's outreach. This of course, was not without experiencing a bit of Mumbai's mugginess (which is easily compared to St. Louis' July afternoons), a few right-hand fistfuls of curry, and several rush-hour train rides! (Heather got thrown off a moving train...caught by several dozen surprised Indian men...had to put that in here!)

We spent the next 24 hours on a train heading north east. I slept great! It was actually had AC, so it was seriously luxurious. We all had a ball, too. Can you picture the eight of us snuggled up under a blanket and reading books? It was bonding time, for sure. Really painless, actually, for a 24 hour train ride! Making friends on the train is also fun. We were very entertained by a little boy next to us, and not so entertained by the creepy man in our sleeper "room"...thanks to Luke and Kyle who traded spots with us.

We are staying in a Catholic retreat center (lots of space, peaceful...not sold on the food yet) very close to a university called Jammia Millia Islamia. There is a great mix of religions practiced here, and we have met mostly Muslims, Sheikhs, and Hindus, though there are some other religions that I've seen temples for.

Fitting into the team has been easy and fun. Heather and I have loved the dynamics of this team--they are HARD WORKERS (like you wouldn't believe) and have a wonderful bond between themselves. They are relaxed and themselves around each other. They have quickly welcomed us into their gang.

On the ministry side of things, we have ended up working with a few amazing families and singles, who are doing significant relationship, evangelism, and "tentmaking." I'm hesitant to name names or group names, because some of the work being done is done carefully. Last night I got to sit down and talk to a family who are asylm seekers from a nearby country, being persecuted because of their Christian faith. Still, they are waiting till God speaks to them to return to their home country to minister grace and the gospel there. I am meeting people that will be in the Hall of Fame in Heaven--if there is one.

We are working with a bakery called Red Moon Bakery, and in fact, today we spent the entire day with them, cleaning around the new shop. We spent about 3 hours outside in direct sunlight and are coming back nice and toasty. The team..seriously...I cannot express to you how great they are. They dig in to hard work, it's like they're drawn to it.

Because of the work in the university with the tourist department, we have the opportunity to make friends with the students. I have a few Urdu lessons lined up with a wonderful young woman from the uni classes. Heather and I spent the day with her and her family on Friday--the entire day! They are a lovely Muslim family; completely generous and hospitable. They served us goat for lunch, henna'ed our hands, and took us to their neighbor's wedding later that night. It was a day I'll never forget!

Heather and I are also here to network and connect with people who YWAMNI may be able to bless and connect with in the future. We have some meetings lined up for the next two weeks in Dehli with some incredible workers here. Please pray that the relationships built here will be the beginning of some very beautiful and helpful, kingdom-building partnerships.

Health is alright. You who know me also know that all these wild rides to different countries usually throw me for a few loops! Let's just put it this way: i brought prunes on this trip, and have not even thought about using them yet. Too much info!? :)

Heather and I are bagging the train ride back to Dehli, you know, for safety reasons, etc, etc! and taking a flight to Mumbai on the 25th. (Thanks for arranging that, Jess!)

Please check out Heather's blog; she's a fantastic writer, and she even has her witty moments, too!

hebsclark.blogspot.com