Please . . . No More Settling

I think (and hope) that we’re near the end of the initial phase of settling in to life in Ireland. Actually, every time I think we’re almost there, more “settling” type things need to happen. Just the word itself is starting to rub me wrong. I’ve never assembled so many household items in such a short amount of time – from office desk and chair to vacuum cleaner and lawn mower. And speaking of lawn mowers, the grass in our garden (Americans, read “yard”) was so high by the time our landlords got the mower to us, I’ve filled about 9 large garden bags just this week. (And the landlords actually got the mower to us sooner than they originally said they would.) The mower that we were given is really nice . . . but I digress.

Kristy and I went to our local health club to inquire about a membership. It’s a nice club, decked out with a café, a pool and spa area, free weights, more cardio machines than I’ve seen in one place, and a hair salon. It’s a little spendy, but I’m not sure there are too many other options close to us.

This next Monday, I meet up with Irish church leader and theologian, Fergus Ryan. He’s done a tonne of research into the history of the Catholic church in Ireland, as well as other historical and cultural issues. He’ll be a great source of knowledge and understanding of the current spiritual environment here.

I’m also looking forward to visiting our local Catholic church to get an idea of what Irish Catholicism looks like and what 46% of Irish people are experiencing in that facet of Irish culture. (That percentage is much lower in the Dublin area, I’ve been told.)

Things that have been on my mind lately, in the midst of the "settling" (*shiver* - there it is again):

• The profound responsibility that the church has to serve the poor and the marginalized in society.
• The potential for "church" to be redefined at it's core as a network of relationships, void of the oftentimes distracting elements of church buildings and stage-centred Sunday services.
• The tension that American ex-pats (particularly in ministry) live with regarding their home country. Many grow embittered about the U.S. and still others grow more obnoxiously patriotic and defensive of their home country. Just wondering if the balance is found in allowing one's identity to be more defined by eternal things than by earthly nationalistic paradigms. Our eternal citizenship elsewhere gives us plenty of reason for critique of any and every nation and culture on the earth, including those claiming to be a "Christian nation." Much more to be said on that. For another time.

A Little Coincidence

Came across this remix of a scene from "Garden State" today. Coincidentally came across this picture on Flickr. See the connection? (HT: my lovely wife, who came across the YouTube clip while reading this article.)

Another small coincidence happened today. Kristy and I found ourselves broken down by the side of the road. Near a MacDonalds. Just a few short months after breaking down in my father-in-law's Crown Vic in Monument, CO. Near a MacDonalds.

So we called a tow truck and they took us to the dealership where we got the car less than a month ago. They'll have it fixed tomorrow afternoon. Never really occured to me that I might have a problem with a car that came off the assembly line two years ago.

Big shout out to Matt Kingsley for driving out to give us a lift back home.

Up for Air

Back in the game with internet access . . . at least for today. Kristy and I are watching the Covell's kids while they're at the Ryder Cup practice day with Rod & Dawn Taylor, so we're borrowing their broadband connection while we're here. Hope to have internet access hooked up at the new house on Friday.

Things are coming along nicely. We've got most of the boxes unpacked and 85% of our stuff put away. Yesterday, we were in the city trying to get a vehicle tax disk and trading my UK driver's licence in for an Irish one (neither of which we were successful at, for various reasons).

When I got home and read a newspaper, I realized that the Dublin Fringe Festival has been going for a few days. One of the most brilliant things they're doing is a series of live "geurilla style" art installations whereby artists perform various eye-catching artistic feats randomly throughout the city. Yesterday, shortly after Kristy and I were headed out of the city centre, someone dumped pink dye (eco-safe) into the River Liffey. I'm telling you - Dublin is one artistic place!

I'll try to write more and post some pictures this weekend.

Off to the New House Today

Today, we move into our new rental home, so it's a good day! It may take a while to get broadband service, so there may be some "web silence" from us until then. I'm sure we'll be able to find some free Wi-Fi somewhere in the meantime.

Yesterday, I got a call from our man who's been working with Irish customs to get our container to us. Surprisingly, he said that there had been no problems and that they could deliver the containter on Friday morning! This came as a huge relief to us since we had heard that Irish customs may require proof of our residence in the U.S. for more than 6 months, like utility bills. Of course, all of those kinds of records are on the container. It wouldn't have been impossible to work through, just a headache and a delay.

So after being in our new place for one night, our belongings will arrive on our front doorstep the next morning. As you can see, we are being taken care of! From our house search to our temporary housing to the container arriving in good time, God's hand has been in it all. Big shout out to those of you who've been faithfully praying for us. Keep it up! We've only begun to get settled in to life and service in Ireland.

It's Just Temporary

Temporary Housing

We've really appreciated the temporary place that we've been staying in, however lacking it may be in modern day conveniences. What's not in the video is a shot of our "refrigerator," which actually just a cooler that we try to keep filled with ice. Also, we were able to replace the light bulbs in the loo. So we got that goin' for us. Which is nice.

Thursday is moving day.

Ireland Tour Pics

I've posted some pics from our road trip last week. (click here) Lots to share about it, but haven't had time nor reliable internet connection to blog much. Once we get moved in to our rental home this Thursday and have had a chance to get broadband sorted out, things will get a little more consistent.

This week, our goal is to persuade a bank to let us open an account without having to prove our address with a utility bill, since we don't have one yet (and won't for a good three months after we've been living there). We've got pressure on us by the estate agent and the landlord to set up a bank account with a dirct debit to pay our monthly rent, as stipulated in the lease. Of course, they know we can't get a bank account without proof of address in a utility bill, but have essentially said, "Figure it out." Hmmmm . . . . somebody's gotta give.

The New Wellcome Bungalow

At long last, Kristy and I have a rental home! We put a security deposit down and met the landlords on Wednesday.

We were pretty confident about the house (a one-story, three bedroom bungalow), but wanted to drop by on Wednesday to see the garage which had been locked up the first day we saw it. The only way that it was going to work was if we could use the garage to store two of the beds that come with the house, as well as our big couch.

We had already scheduled one other appointment to see another property, so before we went over to the bungalow, we visited this other unfurnished house. Our hope was that it would be awful, so as to make it easy to choose the bungalow. Unfortunately, it was pretty sweet.

When we climbed the steep staircase to the converted loft (attic area converted to a room), I said to Kristy, “This is really nice.”

Through clenched teeth, Kristy said, “I know.”

She was thinking the same thing I was and she was a bit frustrated. After 2 weeks of looking at 20 places that didn’t work for one reason or another, here we were with two houses, the both of which would be great! As we discussed the two options and prayed about it, I told Kristy that our God seemed to be providing us with two really good options. All we needed to do was choose one. Its times like these that God’s goodness and abundance become so tangible.

After wrestling with our options and discussing things further with Sheryl Kingsley, who’s been a huge help throughout the process, we decided to go with the bungalow. The only problem now is that the place isn’t available until the 14th of September. So until then, we’ll be staying with some friends of friends in a large house in Foxrock. Early next week, we’ll probably take off to the countryside for a few days to get a feel for the rest of the country.

Big shout out to those of you who’ve been praying for our housing and all the other settling issues! Once we're able to get into the place on the 14th, I'll be sure to post pictures.