Peace is in everything...

The rose garden within the Botanical Gardens of Belfast.

Jess, Sarah, Mo and me at the Botanical Gardens in Belfast.

This is the view outside the back of our house!

Hello everyone!

The weather is changing here in Belfast. We find ourselves freezing most of the time, even indoors. I came home the other day from a long day at work to find my roommates all on the couch in the living room with every piece of clothing that they had brought, bundled under about 10 blankets! Needless to say, it's cold here. To those of us that live in the South, it is about as cold as we have ever seen. This last Tuesday was just about the coldest I have ever been. You see, the cold here is different. It's a wet cold, one that chills you to be bone.

Having said all of that. All of your warm and encouraging comments you have left me has helped me to fight this cold weather, my heart truly is warmed by you and your prayers.

This week has been busy. I find myself getting into a real routine now. I feel like this is my home now. The old adage "home is where the heart is" is very true. Although I miss my friends and family dearly, my heart, my mind, and my life is here. Sometimes that is a troubling and a very hard thing to grasp.

I have learned though that if you are going to be any good to this world, you have to give it your all...including your heart.

This place is all about heart. I am learning what getting to the heart of the matter really means. Sunday was my first meeting with my youth group. Although it was a joyous event, it was masked by the fact that earlier that morning in church I found out that a young man, 15 years old, had taken his life. This boy used to be a part of this group that I was just starting to get to know. Although the kids did not say much when we prayed for him and his family, I could see it in their eyes. So many of these kids have lost so much.

It seems to me that the more I build relationships the more I realize that everyone here has been influenced by the troubles in some way. Here I am, only a month into my stay and I have been influenced as well. Although I never knew this young man, I will be hearing about him and counseling our youth through this hard and dreadful time.

On a lighter note, I get to go to my first rugby match here tonight. We are all so excited as we have been watching the rugby world cup on t.v. for the last few weeks just trying to understand this violent, strange game. We are excited for the outing and excited to see what all the fuss is about. The Irish DO love their rugby. That and futbol.

I hope that this finds all of you doing well. May you find peace in your own life. May you take time to listen. Listen for God, listen for yourself, just listen.

God's Blessings-

Melissa