I am in Ireland

Hello friends and family!  I am in Northern Ireland now and wanted to share some pictures.  We got to go to Downpatrick to observe St. Patrick's day by going to a church service at a small church that he supposedly helped start.  Then we went on a "pilgrimage" to a cathedral in the center of Downpatrick where there was another church service.  We had a nice catered lunch there of Irish stew (yum) and apple pie. 

The facility where I am staying is very nice.  I have three roommates, all from different countries than myself--Canada, Japan, and Uganda.  My Japanese roommate's family is doing fine and was not hit during their terrible earthquake.  I am greatly enjoying all the groups I have been put in.  I am on the cooking team, yay!  And I have a great small group and one-on-one leader.  We just finished our first week of lectures and the speaker's name was Bruce Clewett.  We will have a different speaker each week.  I really loved Bruce and what he had to share with us.  He is a YWAM leader in Austria, originally from the USA.  He spoke about surrender, and some great foundations.  The foundations were: 1.God is who He says He is.  2. God can do what He says He can do.  3. I am who God says I am. and 4. I can do what God says I can do.  Just sharing a wee bit of our lesson for you! 

I've learned lots of new idioms here--trousers for pants, pants means underpants, everything small is a wee bit, cheers for thanks, queue for standing in a line, half seven meaning seven thirty, etc. 

God is definitely helping me see how surrender and trusting Him don't have to be sorrowful or a negative experience.  I am struggling with some fears still regarding being here and would appreciate prayer.

I love you all.

The local grocery store in Rostrevor.

The park in Rostrevor that leads to a mountain and hiking trails.

The Cloughmore Stone on top of the mountain "Slieve Martin". 

The church in Downpatrick where our pilgrimage ended.

A view from the top of Slieve Martin.

Cooking duty.  Holly, a staff member on the left, and Michelle, my Canadian roommate.

Time at Home

My flight leaves on March 7 and I return to the States on August 10.  Until then, I have been spending time with my parents and brother at their house in Ohio, where I lived in high school and now live again.  It is very different living here after living in another state for 8.5 years.  In some ways it's really nice to have family around-- someone to appreciate my cooking, always having someone to watch TV with or go to church with.  On the other hand, I've been learning some lessons about letting things go.  I didn't realize how important some trivial things had become to me, and I need to learn to be more flexible and work with people.  I think this is God's perfect training ground for me as I move forward to community living at the YWAM base.  There are bound to be conflicts but also there will be lots of opportunities to avoid conflicts by keeping a wise attitude.  Sometimes it's just best to keep your mouth closed!  I was reading about this same thing in Proverbs 17 today.  Please pray for me since it is very hard for me to lay down "my rights" and avoid conflict.

It is also strange being here with no job and nothing I can really start since I am leaving.  I am used to a more busy lifestyle, which keeps me from being idle.  I thought I would maintain my individuality here by getting out and doing some things around Cincinnati, but lo, this usually means spending money, and that is not the best thing for me now!  Praise God He has given me a little bit of work while home, babysitting and some other random tasks.  I also have been tagging along with family members' activities instead of doing my own activities, but this will change when I get to a more permanent place in life. 

Just an update that my phone was deactivated yesterday, so you may email me at Rnloomis@gmail.com or message me on facebook.

I feel ready to get on that plane and start moving forward, but I need to treasure this time too :)  Thanks for your prayers as always.  Love to all.