The Baron in the Bell tower.

This week we took our first retreat together. It was a very needed break from Belfast and our jobs. We just needed to get away and some of us (me included) needed to take our minds off of not being home for Thanksgiving. We had scattered rain and clouds most of the way there, however Ireland's beauty cannot be masked by clouds and rain. Yes, sun would exemplify this already beautiful land, but even when it is freezing and the wind is blowing a Gail, you cannot help but gasp while watching the landscape unfold in front of your eyes as the land rushes by you while we drove on. We went to the far Western half of N. Ireland. The roads are narrow, the hills are rolling and spotted with sheep, and the little towns you pass though have a strange kind of welcome to them almost like you are coming home upon entering them.

We took our time and made the trip slowly, stopping often to get out and tour little places here and there. We stopped in the town of Omagh. We first went into the Church of Ireland and looked around. It was beautiful and packed full of history reaching all the way back to St. Patrick. We then went to the St. Patrick's Catholic Church to have a look see around. Upon entering the cathedral my eyes were commanded upward to the sweeping ceilings that reached as far as the eye could see. Lined with Angeles holding musical instruments and the sides lined with Latin phrases which translated meant, "You are the truth and the light" among many other phrases that I could not translate with my limited Latin background. Like most cathedrals built during this time the isles led down to a crossroads that showed the center of the cathedral made a cross, opening up to the wings of the church that were devoted to memorials for former Bishops and Father's that had given their life to the church and to God. Also like most churches in Northern Ireland there was a wing of the church dedicated to the memory of those who had given their lives in the wars over the years. Being that remembrance day has just past, it was still decorated with poppies, a flower that signifies remembrance in these parts. It is also the flower that grows wild now in the battlefields in France and other places where wars were once fought. We had just about finished our self guided tour of this incredible church when a older gentleman entered the church and began to talk to several of the YAV's. We soon all joined in on this conversation just around the time that we found out that he was the organist in this place of worship. It was his 83 birthday that day and he was there to practice the bells in the bell tower, this man was fascinating at first, we had no idea what we were in for...

This man's name was George and he was a Baron, son of a Baron in France. His grandfather, a talented and well known sculptor, his family is well known and apparently in the dictionary if you were to look them up. He was undoubtedly on of the most interesting people I have ever met in my life. For the next hour we spent with this incredible man. He first offered to take us up to the choir loft to have a look around, then we got that far and he asked if we wanted to see the bell tower. 107 steps later we were in a cold, damp, high up place that had the most elaborate pulley system of bells I have ever seen. It looks much like an organ, complete with foot peddles. The "piano" was a system of wooden pegs that were hooked up to pulley ropes that rung the bells. He sat down and started playing, he used his whole body when he played and sang along with himself, usually in French. It was nothing short of stunning to watch him play. Here we were in a bell tower, high over the city of Omagh with the man that plays the songs that everyone hears 2 miles outside of town. We sat and watched him in amazement for an hour. We all got to play, even if it was something simple. The best part besides hearing his stories to me was when 1 o'clock came around. Those bells the Westminster Chimes are on a schedule, they keep people all over the land on time. George said when they came on (which was the most intense sound from the bell tower let me say) that he liked to be naughty a little and upon the bells chiming then doing the one big, loud BONG for one o'clock, he instructed Jess, my roommate to hit that bell again. We, the YAV's of 2007 were now responsible for making everyone in Omagh, and surrounding areas think that it was really two o'clock rather than one. He laughed a laugh that I will never forget, we all grabbed our sides from laughing pains and then he said, everyone in the town is thinking, wow, this day sure is flying by!

Things like that just don't happen. They happen for a reason. This, among many other memories I have made in N. Ireland will stick with me my entire life. For years to come I will be telling the story of the Baron in the Bell tower.

Peace and Blessings to all of you.

Passion to fuel the fire...

Hello everyone! I hope that this all finds you doing really well in all of your different places in life. Life is Belfast is moving along with rapid pace. I find myself wondering where the time goes. We have been here for 2 and a half months now and it seems like yesterday. Getting used to the pace of life here takes a while, not to mention the weather, which I am still adjusting to I guess. The weather can really change through all of the seasons in one day here. Today was the perfect example. It was cloudy and cool this morning when I left, then it was warm and sunny after I got done with a meeting, then it was cold and raining when we left the grocery store just now. Wow. It really is a different world here living on an island.

Today I went to a meeting and it really made me think. I was then able to kind of form some of my thoughts in a formally fashion and thought you all might want to read what I have learned over the past couple of weeks. Things are still very new to me in a lot of ways here. I think that finding your footing in a new place is very difficult. It is especially difficult to be working with the peace and reconciliation act when you were not present for the fight that led to this damage. It is sometimes very hard to put into perspective. It is almost like reading the second book in a three-book set. You constantly feel like you are missing pieces of the puzzle. Like most political things, the situation here is very complex, very confusing and very messy! I attended a meeting today with people from all over N. Ireland that are working for the peace and reconciliation act. The morning was entitled "Loyalist matter too..." This meeting was talking about community and how we must reach out to those of us who are not like us if we are going to make a difference. The meeting lasted all morning and we heard from people from all over N. Ireland that are involved in finding peace in this place. This meeting was to see what others were doing (networking), seeing what else can be done (outlook), and then empowering those who are working for peace to continue the fight and to re-light the fire within that it takes to work on such a tedious task. It was incredible to be in a room of peacemakers. I was very inspired by the morning. It fueled my fire to be here for sure.

Sometimes I find it difficult in life to find the time and the energy to be passionate about all that I feel passionate about. It is such a hard balance to be able to see a need and then to be able to act on that. N. Ireland is acting on this call. They have seen that there needs to be passion in order to find peace in this place. All of these people in one way or another were there because they are passionate. Passionate about peace, passionate about God, passionate about their community. It was wonderful to feel that passion.

What I am doing here could most accurately be described as relational work. Basically I am to build relationships. Relationships therefore encourage communication, which then sparks interest in what makes the other person tick, that then leads to compromise, then that leads to peace and friendship. Although this process happens everyday, we all have relationships in our lives, we all have friends and loved ones that we keep up with it is not easy task. This is one of the hardest things in the world to do. It involves a lot of time, a lot of effort, and a lot of care. All of the volunteers are finding the challenge of it here. Be it the relationships we are building here, or the ones we are desperately trying to stay a part of back home.

Peace is such a small word for such a huge concept. Peace this week came in the form of a elderly woman in my pensioners group telling me that she loved me and giving me a kiss of the cheek after I came and found her when she was lost in a town shopping. Peace came in a little girl in my homework club writing on her white board that she loved me and giving me a smile and a hug. Peace came in getting to see someone from Amarillo who is in town for a week preparing to bring his youth group from Amarillo back in June for a mission trip. It came in the form of talking about things back home, shared dear friends and miracles like the Buffs being 10-0. Peace. It comes and goes. But when it comes...isn't it something.

Peace and love be with you all!

Melissa