Crafts, Cake, Cut (hair) and Car trip

After lunch our One2Four people began arriving for the Bible study. Bebe led them through the first chapter of Philippians. After that, I had the craft class. I apologized for the lack of supplies and explained that it has been difficult to gather everything up. I told them about our Hobby Lobby or Michael’s stores and Mita told me that we are spoiled. Not only are craft supplies difficult to locate, the choices in the grocery are somewhat limited. A part of that may be that everything is imported to the Emerald Isle! Well, most everything. However, the women were spunky and took the offering of supplies that I had, forgave me and set about decorating lovely Christmas ornaments.

We had good conversation while we were crafting. The women had come from Downpatrick, Seaforde, Newcastle and Annalong. And!! The woman from Annalong said she can get the wool/yarn we are using for scarves much cheaper in Kilkeel and has offered to get it for us. We crafters look out for one another!

In the afternoon I baked a cake for Michelle on the team. It was a chocolate mayonnaise with a brown sugar frosting. Family and folks at Sycamore are familiar with this cake. The oven here at MH is a convection one so the cake was a bit overdone on the edges…so I just cut those off! It was a nice ending to the team’s long day.

Bebe and I joined them for devotions and a bit of debrief for the day. They had several stories of how they have been impacted by this trip. They have connected with several people on a very personal and intense level. It was heart- warming  to hear their stories.  Richie shared that they were able to build some bridges that he will continue to develop.
Thursday morning I was up and in the kitchen by 8 to set out the cereal and juice and make toast for the team.  I had my laundry in the washer even before that! The team left mid morning for Dublin and will fly out on Friday. It has been a good time with these folks from Merritt Island, Florida. We will miss their energy but hopefully will be able to recoup our own in the next few days!

As they left, Richard and Denise Morrison came in. Richard is the director at Kairos and they had come to meet with Bebe about development. I joined them after a bit. We spent most of the balance of the morning sharing about ministry. Denise is Afrikaans and Richard is German (both white). Denise is also a hairdresser so after the meeting, Richard went on to other tasks and Denise stayed to “work”. She took care of Bebe’s hair while I prepared (really just warmed up leftovers) lunch for the eight of us….staff and Denise. After lunch and dishes, it was my turn for Denise to work wonders on my hair. And she did!

Later Bebe and I planned our Friday-Saturday adventure. We are going to Armagh, Omagh, and Donegal. We have poured over the maps and guidebooks and have an agenda worked out. Several have said that we cannot do this in two days so we are going to be flexible about adding Sunday. We do have reservations for one night in a B&B. Our list of things to see and do include seeing the St. Patrick “trail” which is significant in Armagh, a linen mill (however, they may be closed for the season), Ulster Folk Park, Donegal town, and Belleek pottery. The tour of Belleek is not available on Saturday but the museum is open. Richie has loaned us their GPS so we should be all set! I know there will be some unexpected adventures in this trip!

I did get my article for The Advocate written and emailed. I took care of several bits of correspondence concerning USFWI and worked some on the Murlough House prayer letter.  Jenn is setting up her baked goods at another sale this weekend so she was using the MH kitchen to bake peach cobblers and bumble berry pies this evening. Tomorrow she’ll do the breads and cookies. That bumble berry looks so good….blueberries, strawberries, currents and red raspberries with a lattice crust top.

Another day in N. Ireland

Mon-Tues

The last two days kind of ran together. Helping Deirdre with the meals consumes a big part of the day…prepping, serving and then being in the kitchen as the team does the wash-up. In between meals I have worked on the Prayer Letter for MH for Nov-Dec….yes, it’s not out yet but Alan is ok with that as we are changing the format. And the person who has access to the mailing list, etc., is out until Monday. That gives me a bit of time!  I also copied the Intern Manual so that we could look at updates and possible revisions. The official change from Project Evangelism to Murlough House (Ministries) necessitates some of that.  All that to say, I did spend considerable time on paperwork. 

Leonard

Serving a wee cuppa

 In the midst of the morning, Leonard appeared at the door. I invited him in and went to prepare a tray of tea with a scone and some shortbread. His first comment when I served was that he would need more biscuits (cookies).  We took pictures and he seemed quite happy for us to do that.  Then Bebe went off to collect the biscuits. When she returned with them, he told her to hurry because he had to catch a bus. So he wolfed down the biscuits and scurried out the door. Later Jenn said she saw him hitchhiking toward Newcastle.

The team went to Belfast on Monday evening to a praise and worship event. I had planned to join them but found that I had misunderstood the event. I thought it was to a church comprised of Africans. Then they said there would be a visiting African choir. I opted out and stayed home for a quiet evening with Bebe and Deirdre. When the team returned, they were talking about a 4 hour service that was “sensory overload” for some.

County Down's #1 Around a Pound!

I realized that the craft I had considered for Wednesday would not work so Jenn suggested another. I made a list of things I would need and asked Richard to drive me to Newcastle. “Little Black Suzy” is out with the Sawyers for a few days and the red car is notorious for failure to start. I didn’t want to take it alone and it’s nice to be chauffeured occasionally! I asked if the bridge over the bay was the only way to Keel Point so Richard took me along the “cut”. It’s a narrow gravel road that goes round the bay and comes out at the Twelve Arches Bridge (the bridge has ten arches). In Newcastle I went to three Pound shops…Around a Pound, Poundwise and £ Shop. (These are similar to Dollar Stores but of course, most things cost a pound which is $1.40) I was not able to get everything but I think it will work. We picked up milk for Deirdre and were back in less than an hour.

In the afternoon I talked with David, the IT consultant at MH. I asked about a scanner (which MH does not have) and he wanted to know why I needed it. That led to a conversation about the manual which led to more conversation. He recommends that I not spend a lot of time on it until we meet with Kieron. That will be next week. The good thing is that I have read and marked up my copy of this manual so will be prepared for that meeting. Later David asked if I had any other questions. I asked him if he knew how to install Skype. I just wanted him to direct me but he just took my laptop and did it for me!

Later I was able to Skype with Darian and Berkeley. It was fun to see Berkeley. She's very active but so sweet and tiny. Darian did say that she is "underweight" so is now eating baby food veggies. She like the squash and carrots but not the green stuff! She's 4 1/2 months old and too sweet!! She may be underweight for the charts but looks well rounded out. She's just a little girl!  I could see and hear them but they could only see me. I used the text feature so it was a nice visit…then the call was dropped.

Supper on Tuesday was great!! The team, Shillidays, Bebe, Deirdre and I piled into the mini-bus for a ride to Annalong. We went to The Galley for fish and chips. Richie phoned in the order on the way and we arrived with only a 5 minute wait for our fifteen orders of cod and haddock (for 13 people) with chips (fries) and onion rings and mushrooms! The pieces of fish are generous!! Bebe and I shared ours so we each had both kinds of fish. I would say that cod is better than haddock but the haddock is great! Imagine the cod!!

We returned to MH for a couple of hours of visiting, knitting and more tea. Michelle (team) finished her first one and has stared a second scarf! Bebe finished one this afternoon. I've started another and Jennifer (team) is nearly finished with her first. These are fun and quick!

Wednesday morning is slow so far. The team was up for a quick breakfast of cereal and they packed their own lunches for their day out. They are going to Belfast for shopping, then to the swing bridge, then to Giant’s Causeway. Bebe and I did the wash-up, and then put away some vegetables that David had brought in from the Harvest Sunday at his church. (yet another David!) Deirdre went with the team and then she is going home for the weekend. We are left here with a pot of soup on the stove.  Deirdre made ginger/pear scones to take with the team and date/banana scones to leave here for us. I had told her I like dates so she made these especially for me! Sweet Deirdre!!

Bebe is leading a Bible study at 2 and I have a craft class at 3. So far my first and second ideas/projects have not been successful so I hope to come up with something that will work by 3 pm! Supplies are very limited. I’m told that there is a good craft store in Belfast but that’s not an option for today! I think Jenn is planning a trip there next week for a “girls’ day out”.

Just this moment it’s very peaceful here at Murlough. Bebe and I are resting in the blue chairs at the end of the great hall. The window is open for some fresh air. The wind is brisk. We can hear the sea just beyond the trees rolling in and breaking at the shore. It’s a good spot for meditation and reflection and journaling and writing articles (mine is due for The Advocate this week!) and just “being”.

Another Weekend

Up and in the kitchen by 8:30 to help get things ready for the Ulster Fry for the Men’s Breakfast. Women are not invited but Deirdre cooked up the soda bread and bacon and eggs and the rest of it. It was all carried from the kitchen to the Training Block to be served and enjoyed by the men. We heard it was a good turnout but not sure how many attended. Following the breakfast, Corky taught.

The women, (Deirdre, Sarah, Jenn {all from MH}, Jennifer and Michelle {from the CSI team} and Bebe and I, went out for our own Girls’ Breakfast at a tea room in Dundrum. We had pancakes and coffee before our trip into Newcastle to the Wool Shop! I bought more yarn, Bebe bought more and Jennifer and Michelle bought knitting needles and yarn. They liked the scarves Bebe and I are making and wanted to learn!

Then we joined the men at Castlewellan at the Peace Maze. It is the largest hedge maze in the world, I think. The team did the maze and Jenn brought Deirdre, Bebe and me back to MH. Bebe and I had done it last year and it was very windy today. We were hoping that the wind would die so that the fireworks would go as planned later tonight. Back at MH, we rested a bit, and then began preparations for lunch and some things for tomorrow’s lunch.

A late lunch was served at 3 pm; then at 5 we went back to Newcastle for the Halloween Parade.  Some of the kids from Cross Point joined us. As we walked from the minibus to the main street, I commented, “I wonder if we’ll see Leonard?” One of the teens turned around and said, “You mean the hobo??” She seemed surprised that I knew about him.  The parade was even better than last year with a band of bagpipes, a band of accordions and drummers, several primary schools, floats and the “Druids” on stilts. There was a Harry Potter float. There were bird costumes. The “birds” had a wingspan of 12-15 feet and were flapping them…very interesting costuming. Again, like last year, the event was mostly families and there were lots of strollers on the promenade. The prizes were given for the various costume categories, a couple of quizzes were done and finally at 7:30 the fireworks began. It was a 25 minute program of great fireworks! The DJ said the crowd was even bigger than last year. Afterward there was a 20 minute walk back to the minibuses. Foot traffic brought the vehicle traffic to a standstill on the main street and several side streets as the promenade emptied. As we drove out of town, we stopped at Kairos to pick up 8 teens. More are waiting for a second vehicle. They’ll be joining us at the BBQ and bonfire.

Alas, there was no “Leonard sighting”.

On the drive home Deirdre mentioned that a whole generation of folks from North Ireland grew up never seeing such a show. During the Troubles, fireworks were banned so from 1974 until about 2000, there were displays. Now adults are as enthralled as the children.  When you read about things in the news such as the Troubles in Ireland…..it just cannot give the whole picture. News accounts cannot possibly show how every aspect of life is affected. That was a sobering moment for me. Those twenty five or so years have changed this culture for many decades to come.

Richie’s BBQ included the kids from Cross Point and the youth from Kairos. A few community people were also invited. The turnout was very good….about 50 youth plus another 20 adults plus team and staff. They grilled burgers and sausages and served them in baps (buns are sweet rolls). People stood around the grills and ate outside at 10pm. Then we gathered inside for music and a short sermon. Luis played the guitar and sang. Jennifer sang. Aidan (a teen from Cross Point) played the bodhran (Irish drum). http://youtu.be/oyPBtExE4W0  The link is to the song, not the drum. Then Corky preached about the man at the Beautiful Gate. It was beautiful how the music and message came together. Jennifer told us later that they had not coordinated it….but that’s just how God works.

Over the course of the evening I had some significant conversations with a leader from the Jesus Army, a young man whose family felt led to NI by the Holy Spirit, and was able to encourage a young woman concerned about the youth in her church.

It has been a long day that began and ended with big meals. But then didn’t Jesus often minister at the table? Tomorrow will include worship at three churches but it will start one hour later as N. Ireland “falls back” tonight. Yep, we get an extra hour of sleep after this long day. Woo hoo!!

Sunday

Our two morning services were planned at Church of Ireland, Maghera, and Newcastle Baptist Church. However, flexibility is the key. We arrived at the Maghera church for the 10 am service. It was communion Sunday. The pastor asked for two from the team to give a short testimony and for someone to share music during the communion time. Jennifer did the music and it was incredible. Her voice is rich, the words were edifying and the acoustics in the 18^th century stone church with 40 foot ceilings was outstanding! It was such a blessing that the pastor asked if we could go to the 11:30 service at Kilmegan Church of Ireland. He also has a circuit of churches. Richie modified our plan, notified Newcastle Baptist and we were on our way.

The church at Maghera has the ruins of a tower built in the 12^th century. The church itself was built in the 18^th century. On a wall is a granite plaque with ten or twelve names of men who were killed in WWI. There were several with the same surname. These churches are about 3-4 miles apart and a similar plaque was at Kilmegan although it had nearly thirty names. What a great sacrifice this area made for the sake of freedom. 

A stained glass window at the front of the Kilmegan church was installed in 1887 for the Jubilee Year of Queen Victoria. I would guess that the church is even older than that.

Todd, on the team, was greeted by a woman who said she is 67. He thanked her for the hospitality and she shared that she only learned two years ago that her father had been a Yank. Apparently he was stationed here in 1943-44 and had a girlfriend. It’s interesting that her mother kept that from her. This woman said she has learned that she has half brothers and sisters in the US. Since she found that she has an American heritage, she makes an effort to be kind to American teams and tourists who come.  I wonder how much of that is also our heritage throughout the world….

The church building at Kilmegan is a bit larger than Maghera and the congregation also a bit bigger. The Maghera folk numbered ten or twelve and the Kilmegan group was about thirty. A gentleman at Maghera had shared that the church is getting smaller as people die. I could see no evidence of a concern for evangelism. I asked if they had considered uniting with another congregation. True to form of folks in dying churches in all countries and cultures, his answer was “we can’t close the church!” The sad thing is that it already is, he just doesn’t know it.

The services at the two churches were identical, same hymns, same liturgy which was from the 1662 Common Book of Prayer (!), same sermon, same pastor. The Dundrum/Newcastle/rural area churches combine for Sunday evening services when there is a fifth Sunday in the month. This pastor also serves the Church of Ireland, Dundrum. He will not close that service to join in the community. And he did not announce Fifth Sunday in either of the morning services. Isolation will not help any of his parishes to grow or attract new people.

We came back to Murlough to have a sumptuous 2 pm Sunday dinner. Roast, potatoes, peas, carrots, and an assortment of desserts. That was followed by cleanup…the whole team pitches in with each meal.  Jenn took a few to see the Shilladay home, some napped, and I helped Michelle learn to knit! It was a relaxing afternoon.

By 6:15 we were back on the minibuses to go to Newcastle for Fifth Sunday. The Newcastle Centre filled up with about 200 people. There was a great cross section of ages. Luis and Jennifer joined the worship team and led in some powerful music. Corky preached about “Be the Church”.”We need to be known for our love, not our address”, “the church has left the building and is out in the streets sharing Christ”, and “what would the church look like if everyone were as committed as you are in these four areas: attendance, service, prayer and tithing?”  It was great to be in a multi-church meeting although it was mostly the Baptists and Presbyterians. Most of the Methodists are very old and the Church of Ireland is not participating at this time…..prayer needed here!

 Tea, coffee, biscuits and trays of desserts were served. Then we walked down to a pizza place. They had seating for 12 and there were 16 or 18 of us so Richie ordered “take away”. When the boxes started coming, Corky prayed over the food and we just stayed and ate. A few more of “our party” came in so we had quite the time for an hour or so. Everyone else who came in HAD to take away their pizza!  The first load was back to Murlough House by ten pm.  Another run was made and everyone was home before 10:30. Whew….what a day!!

Little Suzie---the Suzuki I drive

Richie asked if "anyone" has driven into the curb. I told him 'not on the driver side'. I had to 'fess up and told him it was only the first day I was driving. It took me a while to get used to how close I was. It seems that the curb side rear tire has a big "bubble" on it. He said it is a wonder it hasn't blown out. But God is good and we have been safe and I no longer am hitting the curbs!

This morning Bebe said she wanted a picture of herself in front of Murlough House and at the sea. We checked the time of high tide and then went for a walk armed with cameras! The sun was shining brightly...no rain in sight. I took pictures of her on her camera and she took pictures of me on my camera. We learned last year that we had more photos of one another than of ourselves so we're being intentional about getting ourselves in our own photos this year! Murlough House is at the end of a one mile tree lined drive.
The address is Keel Point and the house is at the end of a peninsula on the Dundrum Bay.

The sea was beautiful! It was just before noon and the sun was bright. Walking back we were able to see St. Donard's peak in the Mournes. Just a lovely day! Today we didn't meet anyone at the sea or on the boardwalk. That is unusual. Because the property around MH is a part of the National Trust, it is a public area. We often see folks with dogs or prams. They even take the babies for walks when it's raining! They simply put a rain shield around the pram. One afternoon we even saw a reclined wheelchair with an older woman all bundled up and her family taking her for a brisk walk.

You can see St. Donard's peak in the photo at the left. And isn't the green grass luscious looking? The brownish is the heath, I think!                       The CSI team from Georgiana UMC in Florida is here. Jon Clark accompanied them. Bebe and I helped Deirdre prepare lunch and tea (a light supper at 5). After lunch I was in the office with Sarah when Alan came in to ask if he could see her after he spoke with "the Americans". He met with the team for a devotional time. It seemed a bit odd to have him refer to them as "the Americans". Of course, it's what they/we are. It just made it obvious that we are the foreigners here.

I'm directionally challenged so I don't know if this is the "west wing" or not. But I'll explain the rooms on this end of the building. The top floor, extreme left is the sitting room in the flat. The second window is Deirdre's room, the third is the sewing room/w.c., the fourth and fifth the women's toilet and shower rooms. The main floor would be 1-2, Richard's room, 3-4, the room Bebe and I shared for 2 weeks and 5, the washup room/dishwasher room. The lower level is the craft room, the library and the larder (pantry). My room is on the back side of the house opposite the flat's sitting room.

The cat who typically spends a lot of time sleeping in the area outside the kitchen window made an appearance in front of the house. I petted him a bit and then he got cantankerous wanting to scratch me. Of course he tried to run off when he saw I was taking his photo.

Alisdair at Street Ministry

We ate a bit early so the team could get the kitchen chores finished and head to Belfast for street ministry. Bebe had plans to meet with the Kairos folks again. I boarded the mini-bus for Belfast. We first stopped at a church to get a few instructions from Leslie who has been doing this faithlfully for several years. He gave us a brief sketch of what to expect and we were off. We walked about 6 blocks and "set up shop" on a brick paved street that is limited to pedestrian traffic. Luis brought his guitar. He and Jennifer were singing. Then Alasdair used paint and a large sketch pad to illustrate his short talk. An attorney named Stephen gave another short message and used a type of flannelgraph board with pictures. Leslie asked me and Jon to be prepared to answer some questions about our own faithwalk. Our group made up the basic crowd but also made it easy for others to stop and join. There were several who did stop and we were able to share with them, give them a tract and pray with them. Most of the people were under 25. However, I had the opportunity to talk with a 75 year old man. He had lots of reasons why he didn't need church. It was an interesting conversation. I found that he is Scotch Presbyterian, raised in the church but almost a humanist now. I answered his reasons with scripture and he continued to talk. As we ended our time together, I asked him if I could pray for him. He was open to that. I would ask you to pray for James Hill as God brings him to your remembrance. Also pray for Leslie and Stephen who are faithful in this ministry. And pray for Alasdair, Sarah and Daniel who travel weekly from Dundrum to Belfast to share. The people are very open to this kind of ministry and as we debriefed, Leslie told us of many who have come to know the Lord through this work.

We stopped to visit another ministry, the Jesus Army. They do a similar type of work in Belfast. There are several who live in a communal setting. At the end of our visit there, the director had prayers for me and others laid hands on me. I'll share more about that another time.

Catching Up

Sunday

After a phone call or two, we found out some times for worship in area churches. Our choices were Newcastle Baptist, Presbyterian or Methodist. There is also a Presbyterian in Clough (“clock”). The Methodist in Dundrum and Downpatrick were joining the Newcastle congregation today for the circuit meeting. That’s where we decided to go at 11:30 a.m. We arrived in the rain, parked about half a block down the promenade and made our way with the cold wind chasing us! The church is on the main street and is enclosed by an iron fence…very 19^th century!

The organist played “Danny Boy” during the prelude. We asked one of the staff here at Murlough later and she said there are hymn lyrics to the melody. I wasn’t aware of that at the time and thought maybe the Irish just liked “Danny Boy”.

They served a light lunch and insisted that we join them. It was finger sandwiches of salmon or egg salad or lettuce and tomato. They also had lovely desserts cut into small individual portions. All of this and the tea was served on delicate pink flowered china….no styrofoam for this church! We visited with several, some of our One2Four folks were there, the daughter of Laura Swartzendruber—Kokomo 1^st Presbyterian, the pastor’s wife and others. I chatted with a couple who have a caravan (camper) at Newcastle. They are from the Republic of Ireland. They suggested several places we might want to see. I mentioned the high prices in Northern Ireland and the wife said they are higher in the Republic. They cross the border to buy groceries! Maybe these prices aren’t so high after all

Monday

We met with Alan at “half two”, another way to express 2:30. He had some ideas for more ways to connect with the community. He suggested that I might want to help with some brochures and fliers. He approved our idea to write letters to all of the One2Four people. After our meeting, we composed two letters, one for those who attended last week and one for those who did not. (We had a list from Deirdre.) We included fliers for the Christmas Lunch/Dinners that Murlough House will be offering….a 4 course meal for £ 18 lunch and £22 dinner.  That kept us busy until after 7 but they were ready for the post office.

Tuesday

Bebe went to the Kairos prayer meeting. Kairos is a ministry that reaches out to addicts, the homeless and others. Alan thought Bebe would be helpful to them because of her experience at the Kokomo Rescue Mission. I dropped her off, went to the Wool Shop (I’m becoming a regular customer!) and then to the Post Office. I saw the sign but couldn’t find the door to the Post Office. Finally I went inside the Hallmark Shop and at the back was the post office!! I didn’t have postal codes for all the letters and was chided a bit by the clerk. He sort of harumphed and said "there are four Newcastles in the UK".  However, he turned out to be very helpful and said if I just added "County Down" I would not have to call the number to get all the postcodes. I had 44 letters and bought 48 second class stamps plus ten postcard stamps for £ 20 and some odd pence ($32). From there I went to a couple of shops, and then met Bebe at Maud’s for a diet Pepsi! We have only had 2 soft drinks since I arrived! We made a couple more stops and then home to Murlough.

The bed and my electrical jungle!

View from the bed

Sarah has moved out of the flat so Deirdre and I are moving in. I boxed up my belongings and Bebe and I carried them up the back stairs. My room is 6 ft x 15 ft with one electrical outlet. I have two UK strips connected to reach so I can plug in a bedside lamp. I also plugged in a convertor and my US outlet strip. Years ago my daughter Ricque was a student at the University of Mississippi. She had a similar electrical jungle for her microwave, refrigerator, word processor, etc. My Uncle Jim helped her with something and commented that it was “an electrician’s nightmare”. He was an electrician. I had to think of Uncle Jim and what he might think of my wiring!!

Even a tiny room is nice...I have graduated from 3 drawers to 9 and now have more than I need! The wardrobe is obviously antique. It appears to be hand carved. The downside is that the hangers of today are bigger than when this wardrobe was made and the door will not close. The room is on the corner so I have two outside walls. The window is single pane (required to keep it historic…) and drafty. The lace curtains are lovely but don't do much for the draft. Deirdre recommended that I use a hot water bottle for the bed. I did and it was nice to have the covers warmed!  I slept very well under two duvets!

Wednesday

Bebe moved from the room we had been sharing to the room upstairs that Deirdre moved out of. She packed up this morning and we carried her things up. I located a power strip for her so she also has an electrical jungle...tho not quite as bad. This house was apparenly wired when electricity was first introduced and one outlet per room seemed to be more than adequate. Times have changed but the wiring has not.

The team from CSI is arriving today and four couples on Friday. We will have to use the coffee bar, a nice sitting room and small kitchen in a building detached from the manor house but just behind. I went out to check it and spent an hour or so cleaning.

Deirdre asked us to go to the Oasis and make up a room for more guests coming over the weekend. We took off but missed one turn. Pretty soon we were utterly lost. (I don’t feel too bad about getting lost. This was only my 3^rd time to drive to the Oasis….Jenn has lived here almost 2 years and got lost a few weeks ago!) We were in the hamlet of Maghera (Mock—hair—rah with a real guttural sound on the ck) so I stopped and went into a pub for directions. I had no road numbers or road names…just “the Oasis”. As it turned out, the bartender lives “next door to the Oasis” which probably means a few hundred yards as there is no house close by. Anyway, he gave us excellent directions and we made it. We couldn’t get the keypad to work so after a phone call, we returned to MH. Richie said the door sometimes swells when it rains and we just needed to PULL HARD! {Note: The Oasis may be an old pub/inn...or not so old. It has six bedrooms with bath upstairs. The downstairs has a breakfast room with kitchenette, a full kitchen, a dining room, a bar and a "library" or game room. We had the One2Four there and a group of ten or twelve could easily be accomodated in the bedrooms. It's about six miles from Dundrum...out in the middle of pastures. Beautiful area!!}

The team had arrived when we returned and Deirdre had lunch prepared so we served the team and ate with them. Then Richard joined us (for sheer strength) and we returned to the Oasis. He punched in the numbers and yanked on the door and we were in! While we made up beds, Richard did some work on the grounds. We were soon off to Castlewellan to pick up some wood for a project at MH. As we went into Castlewellan, I had to downshift a couple of time for the steep grade. Coming out of town it was hard to keep it down to the speed limit…a nice steep hill! Incredibly the road is rather straight. Richard called it curvy…vertically curvy! He does have a way with words!

Our ministry may seem scattered but it seems to me that a part of it is to encourage those who are here fulltime. Thus far, I believe we have been doing that with Sarah, Joan and Deirdre. Our assistance to Alan with the AIM conferences and our participation in staff meetings has also been a part of ministry. I recall a sermon Lou Herchenroeder preached years ago about Caleb and Joshua holding up Moses' hands with the staff. Sometimes our call is to hold up the hands of those in ministry. Our time here will be short (ten weeks) but whatever we can do to assist in the work through Murlough House will ultimately bring glory to God...and that is our primary call.

Canes, Crepes and Chutney

Array of canes at the craft bazaar

The big event of the day was the Craft Sale in Seaforde. We had been told there would be a "run" in Dundrum today so we should be prepared for that as we drove through. It was an 8 mile run and apparently a part of it was by the sea. As we sat in the "nook" of the great hall, we saw runners coming up the Murlough Drive and diverting at the boardwalk to go down to the sea. Driving through Dundrum wasn't too bad as most of the 600 runners had completed the race.

We arrived at Seaforde in just minutes. Clough is about a mile beyond Dundrum and Seaforde is just after Clough. The sale was held at the YFC building....Young Farmer's Club. Jenn's pies and breads did well, not a complete sell-out but a good start on her little business. Bebe and I enjoyed seeing the other crafts and foodstuffs. We bought chutney (Aubergine and Apricot, Rhubard and Ginger, and other varieties) and Butter Fudge..ummmm. I also bought a cane. I've begun a collection so wanted to add one from N. Ireland. I priced shillelaghs last year and they were dear! There was a stall with handcarved canes and walking sticks. The blackthorn was about 25 lbs (almost half the cost I saw in the souvenir shops). The one I selected is wild cherry and the handle is made from banksia nut.

Banksia Nut at back and cross section pieces.

We had a light lunch of tomato and cheese crepe! The crepe grill was huge and it was fascinating to watch her pour and smooth the batter for the thin, thin crepes! I would show you a pic of the Butter Fudge but alas, there is nothing left for that!

Thursday was a day for R & R. Bebe and I rested and enjoyed the day. Jenn came to bake for the sale at Seaforde on Saturday. She has started a business, "Pie in the Sky" and is selling pies, breads, cookies and muffins. She is striving for a healthy product. She had a "boot sale" earlier in the month however it was held indoors (Boot being the trunk of the car. At Boot Sales, typically folks go to a carpark and open the "boot" to sell their wares.) She did well at the Boot Sale even though her specialty was Pumpkin Pie. Apparently the Irish have not even heard of using pumpkin for pie. They must have been quite good as there is a Craft/Bake Holiday Sale at Seaforde on Saturday and she was invited to come and bring pies! All day Thursday, she was busy scooping out the squash, rolling out pastry and measuring, mixing, baking and packaging pies.
   She made seventeen!

After they had cooled, Bebe and I helped her package them. In the meantime, we just kept her company. (Note the baby bump on Jenn...due in February!)

Our evening consisted of not much else...reading and crocheting. We did turn on the heater so we could enjoy the small sitting area in the great hall. The sitting room is so big and often very chilly. This little area is "just right".  Richard was very kind and not only made tea for us but delivered it down the long hallway. Richard is very good to make tea often. I asked him one morning just how much he drank. His first answer was "12-13 cups a day" but then he qualified it. I'm not sure how much he drinks but he makes it often and for that, Bebe and I are grateful!

(I am not able to get this pics where I want them. I tried....)  On Friday we decided to go to Newcastle for a bit of shopping. We also did some research for activities for the One2Four. Our stops included two shoe stores (and I bought a pair of fleece lined slippers...my feet are warmer tonight than they have been the whole time I've been here. Great purchase!!), two accessory shops and a great find in a scarf, two "About a Pound" stores (similar to Dollar Stores), a hardware and an electrical (looking for a convertor), Sugar Island Jewelry (to see if she'd like to give jewelry making classes..she would not), Tourist information center (to check on possibilities for day trips for the group), the library where we were able to get a borrower's card and we each checked out books about Ireland!, lunch of Ginger Squash Soup with homemade wheat bread and a cherry scone, and then Beulah, a Christian bookshop, looking for a book suitable for our potential book discussion group. The clerk recommended War and Grace, stories of faith from WWII. There are many short stories. Finally we went to the Woolen Shop. I needed more yarn for the afghan and I bought some for a new knit project! Because there is one hour parking on the streets of Newcastle, I had to move the car twice. I want you to know that I parallel parked! That is quite the feat considering I did it on the "other side". I'm becoming quite adept at this other side of the road business!

We had some great chats with clerks and business folks. At one of the shoe stores, the fellow told about hunting rabbits at Murlough and bagging 60 per day...because that was the limit! The fellow at the bookstore told us about his trip to Florida for Christmas one year. The librarian told me that if we walk down the beach a bit, we should be able to see the seals across the bay. Frances at the Wool Shop was very hospitable. She gave me a knitting lesson! They all ask what part of the US we are from! Wonder how they know?

As we walked along the streets, there were plants displayed for "winter gardens"--primroses, pansies, dianthus and several colors of heather. Beautiful! We left Newcastle (and did not see Leonard today!), stopped for petrol and then back to Murlough House. Richard had prepared lunch so we had leftovers for an early supper. Jenn was baking zucchini bread, raspberry muffins, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies. She packaged up everything and left Murlough House smelling absolutely wonderful. However, she did not leave any peanut butter cookies.