March News

The list of Irish saints is past counting; but in it all no other figure is so human, friendly, and lovable as St. Patrick - who was an Irishman only by adoption.  ~Stephen Gwynn

 

Up to 40 million Americans are of Irish descent, and Saint Patrick's Day is an icon to anyone even remotely Irish.  The story goes:  Patrick was the son of a well off British minister.  As a teenager he was taken captive by Irish raiders and enslaved to tend sheep in the Irish countryside.  During his time in Irealnd, he felt God was calling him to spread the Gospel to the natives.  Years later he would escape his captivity and return to Britain to receive Biblical training that he would later use in his missionary life in Ireland.  His powerful scope reached multitudes in Ireland for Jesus.  By adapting many of their paegan rituals, symbols, and culture into Christian terms, Patrick made Christianity understandable and accessible to everyone.  Like this most revered saint, we're simply adopted by God to spread His word by adapting and assimilating to a culure with all its quirks, trials, and luck--or in our eyes, blessings.  Speaking of the latter...

 

 'If you're enough lucky to be Irish, you're lucky enough!'

 Irish Proverb

 

As the luck of the Irish, or Irish wannabe's, would have it, we are expecting our third child!  Baby is healthy with a strong heartbeat and is taking it easy on mom for the most part.  Our due date is slated for the end of September, and we are super excited to welcome G3 into the outer world.  So, what does this mean for Ireland, right?  Like Ireland, baby number 3 has long been in our hearts, and, like Ireland, we put the timing in God's hands.  For the safety of Maureen and the Babe, we laid down a date of July 31 to be the latest we will travel/move before the child is born.  If we are not able to leave for our foreign mission field before the due date due to funding, complications, or whatnot, we have a planned timeframe of January/February 2009 to depart.  The Lord has been so amazingly faithful that we are nothing but thankful for this miracle child.  His timing is perfect.

 

Back to St. Patrick's Day for a moment; many consider it the doorway to Spring.  The cold earth will soon thaw, and so will our finances.  We look forward to being out and about meeting with you once more to discuss our financial goals and catch up on friendships.  Thank you for your generous financial partnerships and referrals to others with a passion to see Jesus spread far and wide throughout Ireland.  We are so blessed.  To become part of the vision, please fill out the form at the bottom of this letter with the partnership you are able to commit to.  We are in need of merely 30% of our launch funds and 60% of our monthly salary to be pleadged, or as a more realistic example, 80 families to take us out to a $20-$40+ dinner once a month.  Thank you for your prayerful consideration and contribution to our needs.

 

Prayers and Praises

*Praise God for a great place to live with lots of room for the girls to romp around, G3, random groceries from friends, everyday being a little closer to living our vision of ministering in Ireland, having our taxes finished, and family and friends love and support.

*Pray for Kevin as he attends youth leader training to sharpen his skills for use with our church in Duluth and in Irealnd

*Pray that Ireland, especially the youth, would recover the missionary spirit that St. Patrick brought with him and sent people out with.

*Pray Naomi with YFC in Galway would have trust and clarity in seeking God's next step for her

*Pray Suzi and Hansi with YFC Dublin would be refreshed, and for the new drop in center they are opening for students