Wed. Time to Leave

This has been an awesome trip.  Yesterday we went to Kilkenny which is about 2 hours away.  We did street ministry most of the day, but for about an hour in the afternoon, we slipped away and took a quick tour of a castle there.  It was a first for me.
I've so enjoyed being here in Ireland with fellow believers telling others that God loves them and He gave us Jesus.  So many here are steeped in religious beliefs that are so binding. 
Many of us will be up at 4 in the morning to go to Cork airport to connect to various flights to head home.  When I get home,  I hope to post more pictures. 
It has been difficult to get to WIFI and to have access to the internet.
Thanks to all of you for your prayers.
Love and blessings to you,
rk

Gypsy

This evening we've had a gentleman named Mike give the most interesting testimony.  He was born as a traveler, which we would refer to as a gypsy.  This is a group of people in Ireland who live to themselves and travel.  He said the first 5 days of his life, he was in 5 different places.  This man is about 50ish.  These travelers trust no one.  They are uneducated and make their living by thieving and robbing.  He shared how he was saved at 29.  It is too long a story to write, but he is now serving God, and will soon test for his diploma (same as a GED for us).  He told how his life was spared many times.  He is now being used in missions and was actually in Alabama recently.  A most interesting testimony of God's love for mankind.

 Here's the ladies that I'm rooming with in front of our house.  From Georgia, Illinois, Texas, South Carolina, and Kentucky.  Amazing how God brings together such a group to work together in ministry for this time.

 In the Blarney Gardens with Leah from Ohio.  Standing in front of a tree in the gardens.

 Beautiful flowers abound everywhere.

 Some of the team on the street.

Guys in the blue and white shirts in the red chairs are praying with someone at the street meeting.  We've gotten all kinds of responses.  Some of kind and some are not.  We have been taught to remain sweet and often we just smile and listen.  I've had some that would take a Bible after I pleasantly listened for a while. 
Today at the service, they had the first graduation service for the Bible School.  It was for the 3rd year students.   We then went to a nearby town at a ministry center and had lunch.  They then baptized 22 in an above ground swimming pool.  One of the candidates was a young man that accepted Jesus on Friday.  We are plugging him into the church. 
This is a beautiful land.  I see a lot of Holstein cows on the hillsides.  We've had sunny days all week, but they say it is suppose to rain tomorrow.  Apparently rain is the norm here.  Someone said they have had winter for 2 years. 
Thanks to all for your prayers and support.
Until next time.

I am enjoying Ireland with my first cousin, Linda, who lives near Fort Worth.  We are getting to know each other as we've never had the opportunity to spend a lot of time together through the years because of the distance.  We are both enjoying this trip so much.

Greetings from Ireland

Hello to all,

This is my first opportunity to blog.  It is difficult to get to a WIFI connection.  Because of limited battery on my computer and I do not have a proper electrical connector, I won't try to post pictures this time.

We are having a grand time.  The weather has been perfect so for.  It is ideal for the street ministry that we are doing.  It is sunny and about 70 degrees.  The locals here mention that this is not the norm.

This is a beautiful place and everyone is so gracious.  The ministry here is new for many of us.  We go to a main section in town and set up.  The youth on the team does a powerful drama presentation that really draws a crowd.  We interact and give out Bibles, tracts, and invite the to the local church.  Many are receptive and kind while some are not.   There is much disenchantment with the Catholic church here because of all the corruption that has occurred within the church.  They say every family has been connected in one way or the other. 

We have a very versatile team of 29 Americans.  Everything is going well.

One of the pastors here at the Bible school and church grew up in Jasper, FL.  He lived there until he was 17 or 18.  The Bible school is an arm of the church and is a very big help.  The church is 20 years old.  They do this street ministry every Wed.

Tonight I will be working with the preteens for about an hour and a half while others work with the teens.  It will be a busy day.

Thanks for your prayers, Until next time,

At Uncle Lindsey's on Memorial Day.  Left to right:  Ellen, Cason, Harrison, Clara, Clay, Davis, & Graham.  Homemade ice cream, snow cones, grilling, swimming, and just being together.  It was a fun day for all.

We had a wonderful visit to Mayo to visit family for a brief visit going down on Mon.  On Tuesday, I celebrated my birthday.  Since arriving home on Wed., I've been busy with last minute preparations for leaving for Ireland on Monday. 
Just checking my blog site as I hope to communicate via this venue while in Ireland.  I am getting excited by the day.
 Looking forward to spending time with my cousin, Linda, from Ft. Worth.  Her mom, Burldine, and my dad were siblings.  I think we are both looking forward to being able to spend more time together than we ever have.  I hope she still loves me after being together for 10 days.
Myra Henriott and I will leave Savannah during the middle of the day.  We'll meet up with Linda in Ft. Worth and leave for London.  We should arrive in Cork middle of the afternoon on Tuesday.
Meetings and ministry will begin on Wednesday. 
Thanks in advance to all for your prayers.
Until next time,

On May 7, 2013, my class presented "Bullies Anonymous" to the students of LUES.  We did 2 performances at 9 and  10 A.M.   While it was a lot of fun, it was also very educational.  We learned and taught about different types of bullies, and what usually happens to them.  I was very proud of my 3rd graders.  I will miss them next year. 

School's Out

Last Friday was our last day with students.  It's been a whirlwind of a year.  Three more days of postplanning,  then I'll be making a quick trip to FL to visit mom.  This will be my first time going back since dad went to heaven on March 21st.  Then on June 3rd, I'm leaving to go to Ireland with WMA on my 7th mission's trip.  I'm so thankful for these opportunities to go.