The Next Adventure

“To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.”

As many of you know, I have just returned home to Northern Ireland to live and begin studying in Bible College in September. In my head this seems to be the next step in my life, or the next adventure if you want to call it that. The reason that I personally expect it to be an adventure is due to the fact that the last two years of my life have been just that: an adventure. An adventure of faith. Of fun. Of friends.

The last two years of my life were spent living and serving in Latvia, an Eastern European country and one of the Baltic States. I originally moved over to Latvia with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) to study in their Discipleship Training School (DTS). After these 6 months, I then moved to another city, called Liepaja, and started volunteering in a Christian Children's Centre ran by the organisation Hope for Children. The Centre was found in the worst area of the city called Karosta, and mostly work with underprivileged children. The Hope For Children's Day Centre also worked in conjunction with another organisation in the area called Karosta Kids, mainly working with teenagers. During the year and a half that I was in Liepaja, I worked with both these organisations in many different ways. It was certainly an experience that has shaped my life, and an adventure that I certainly will remember with fondness.

However, now I am home in Northern Ireland, and will be studying Youth and Community Work with Practical Theology. Despite the rather lengthy title, I expect my course to very fulfilling, educating and interesting. I felt the time was right for me to begin studying at a higher level to balance out my wealth of experience working with young people. Yet lectures will only be one aspect of my course come September, with the majority of my time being spent on placement. I will be serving in Helen's Bay Presbyterian Church as a youth worker, with a vision to develop youth ministry in the Church. Leaving so many friends and young people that I had built relationships over the last 2 years was very difficult, and I expect that making new relationships and friends in this new place will be equally as challenging. But as Ellen J. Barrier said regarding challenges, “I believe challenges are God's way of strengthening us mentally and spiritually, and yes, physically. After having won each challenge that confronted us, we are wiser and stronger.”

I was told by one man in my home Church of Trinity Presbyterian in Bangor to consider writing a blog or a newsletter to keep people back in Trinity informed of my adventures when I moved on to Helen's Bay to work. He said it would be an encouragement to many people, and lots of people were interested and praying for me already. Because I respect George so much, I took this suggestion to heart and started to contemplate it seriously. After much deliberation, I've decided that it would be good for not only me to journal my own thoughts, but to encourage and let everyone know how my ministry is going. This is what this blog for - to encourage, inspire and challenge you readers. Hopefully it will lead you to following my progress regularly and committing to pray for me and my ministries.

Life is a journey with many adventures. I invite you to follow the course of mine in the near future.