Travel home and transitioning to Detroit

The journey home for us was (thankfully) uneventful - though we did have an early departure out of Belfast to catch our bus to the Dublin airport. After a 4:30am wake up call, we made it through security and such in good time for our 10am flight. An easy connection in Charlotte and a releatively easy transition to connecting flights and meeting with families, it was almost unreal! 

Processing with the group, we were incredibly grateful for our hosts in Belfast, for the relationships we made, and for all we learned about the new culture, and most importantly, about ourselves. As you will have read in the reflections, the students experienced God in a variety of ways - some in common, many unique to their individual experience. It has been a pleasure walking with them! We said our goodbyes and are looking forward to connecting in a few weeks to talk about how we're processing things at home. Stay tuned for more reflections as they come in! 

Transitioning to Detroit for me was relatively easy, I had a bit of a delay but was picked up at the Detroit airport by Barb Schrag and Keegan, a Hesston College student serving with MDS as a part of his coursework this summer. The team from Belfast however had a bit more trouble... reminiscent of our experience trying to leave Chicago a few weeks ago. Their flight from Boston to Detroit was cancelled so they were able to get to Chicago and a couple of wonderful MDS volunteers drove down to pick them up... they didn't arrive back in Detroit until 5:30 this morning! So we took the morning off and will start with a tour at noon today. 

Here is a picture of the MDS Devotions which started off their day at 8am - the group from Belfast was still asleep, but Elizabeth Eichleburger, a YV participant from Nebraska here joining the team for the next 10 days was here so it was great to connect with her (on the Right) as the other MDS volunteers and Hesston College students participated in sharing and prayer this morning. 

We're glad to be here and ready for what this next time in Detroit will bring! 

Boarding for home...

We had a wonderful last evening in Belfast - a bit of shopping, a visit to a pub to hear some music from our friend Noel Maguire and his mates, and some pizza to talk over. It was an early morning today catching our bus to Dublin but we are here and through customs! Mixed feelings heading home, but glad for this experience. 

Wishing for smoother travels than our outbound trip! 

A reflection from Regina Miller

This past week has been so full of new and interesting experiences for me. I have never been to a summer camp or even just camping in general so I had no idea what to expect going into this trip. I was not scared, but I was definitely a little uneasy about how everything was going to work out. I quickly learned that I had little reason to be uneasy. As soon as the kids got to the camp everyone jumped into action. It was interesting to watch as the kids separated into their individual groups and the staff worked to get them all to mingle. I not knowing what to do just followed the example of my other staff members hoping that I would not make any mistakes right off the bat. It astonished me how many of the girls in my group were surprised when they learned they would be sleeping outside the first two nights of camp. I mean what exactly did they expect? 

As the week continued and I got to know the kids a little bit better I learned that though there are many cultural differences, 11-14 year olds have the same attitudes universally. They like to push and poke at you until you want to scream, but they can also do and say the nicest things that make you so proud of them. Some of my favorite moments were answering questions about America while watching my girls struggle to make s'mores around the fire and watching their faces light up when they were pushed outside their comfort zones and managed to survive. Though they may not know it, the kids at the camp taught me a few things. They showed me that I have an unlimited number of buttons to push, that my patience level is longer than I imagined,  and that despite being from different cultures we are all so much a like. 

It is really easy to let yourself back away from cultures that are different from your own, but when you open yourself up you can gain so much. I am so glad that I came on this trip. I am exhausted but I will be taking home so many great memories. I will miss everyone that I have met here in Ireland, but I am ready to be back with my family. It has been a crazy week, but it has been so much fun.  

Sunday morning and a reflection from Elizabeth...

This morning, after a wonderful ngiht's sleep in the Sheep Island View Hostel, and a great breakfast of course, we set out for the coastline - except this time we headed towards Carreick-a-Rede, an island connected the mainland by a rope bridge. The morning was absolutely beautiful - the coastline hike culminating in the island provided wonderful views and we enjoyed perfect weather conditions for it. 

Carreick-a-Rede was tradiionally one of the best places local fisherman found to cast their nets for the salmon season - so each season they constructed a rope bridge to cross to the island where they would lower their boats - a much easier location than the coastal cliffs that dominate the landscape. We also enjoyed a nice time of discussion on the island after a few days to process on our own some of our conversations about our time here in Northern Ireland. I've seen so much growth and learning in each of the students and am excited to hear their stories of beginning to bring these learnings home to their communities. 

After an incredible Sunday dinner at the hostel (topped off with roulade for dessert - which was spectacular) Mark picked us up and we are headed back to the Farset hostel in Belfast to check in. The evening will have a bit of last-minute shopping for some, the possibility of visiting a festival, and we may be catching some local music with a friend from SkyCamp - we are planning on enjoying every last minute of today! We leave the hostel at 5am tomorrow to catch the bus to Dublin and travel back home. 

We'll have a few more reflections coming this evening and tomorrow as we travel, but here's one from Elizabeth Eby while we're posting here. 

Northern Ireland is the most beautiful place I've ever been to. Today we went walking on cliffs, climbed across a rope bridge then sat on the prettiest grass I've ever seen just staring at the sea. I did not realize that grass could be beautiful before coming here. It's so green! Yesterday everyone walked down to the coast and those rocks are amazing. I got my little adventure hat on and climbed all over those things. The tide was coming in and a minuscule chance I would die; but it was totally worth it. This week I've gotten so much closer to everyone in our group. Together we've gone hiking, ate amazing food, and enjoyed deep conversations late into the night. It's hard to leave this place and this group of people. For one, I can no longer laugh at the inside jokes we've created. Then there's also this aspect of feeling like I'm abandoning this culture I've spent so long trying to fit into. Even bough all of us are so far away from home, I have never felt out of place here. Sure, we all had our struggles being in leadership positions or suffering from exhaustion but that's all part of the learning experience.

Elizabeth Eby

Saturday - from South to North

Saturday morning we woke up in Newcastle to an empty house, which all week had been filled with the noises and smells of 40 11-14 year old kids and staff... while we missed out friends, we'd be lying if we didn't say we were glad for some peace :) 

After a wonderful breakfast down in Newcastle, Mark picked us up and we headed north, stopping quick in Belfast and then on to the north coast of Northern Ireland... our first stop was the Giant's Causeway... and I think for the rest of the day I'll just mention an few words and then later on, with a better connection, I'll post more photos. 

After Giant's Causeway, we checked into the Sheep Island View Hostel and had a short rest before dinner in Portrush. It was a wonderful evening with our hosts and some really good dessert :) The group then took a hike along the coast... after getting down to the coast we went our separate ways and had some time to explore, read, or just take it in... this morning, the group agreed that it was the best night of sleep we've had so far! 

Now Sunday morning we are about to leave for a rope bridge and another nice walk along the coast before Mark picks us up to head back to Belfast for the afternoon/evening. There's a festival going on that we might see, and a friend we met at SkyCamp is playing music too- so we might try and see him too. 

Not sure we're ready to leave tomorrow! But it will be good to begin sharing these memories with friends and family in person. 

Reflection from Mark

The first 3 days of our trip was touring around Ireland and at the same time was also learning about their history, part of the missions training where we need to learn everything about the irish language and accent, slang, how they interact with each other and more. The second day right when we got to Belfast is when we met up with the exchange people and sat down with them for basically all day to do all those learning so both sides can learn because because the American exchange people are also from different places like  Pennsylvania, Alaska, Indiana, and Illinois where we all have different cultures.

 We were surprised to find that our words for different things and our  accent is also hard for the Irish people so we can all work together as a teams especially if we're gonna be dealing with the irish kids and all those before we actually got into the real objective. Our work is to be in a camp were we help out and be counselors for the kids as they call it camp leaders in Ireland. Sky camp was hard for the kids also as they're coming from different places in Belfast were there is a lot of tension going on between Catholic and Protestant; some people would say the tension between two sides is because of the politics and some  because of religion. 

Sky camp's purpose was to be the middle person and peacemaking were kids could become a better person and know how to make they're  country better in the future because as other people say " kids, young kids is the future". I definitely experienced God through the camp on how He let us travel just to be a good examples for the kids, that no matter what religion you are or what culture you are we all have in common and that is to love, compassion and more for one another.

Mark Alcantara 

SkyCamp

How can you possibly wrap up a week into one blog post? 

We've been up at SkyCamp this week here in Northern Ireland - as was previously stated, we haven't had access to wifi to keep the blog up to date so now we find ourselves at the end of a long week full of stories and trying to find the best way to communicate them. So... we're going to take a stab this way. Below is a bit of an overview of what our week was like, and in the next few days you'll get to read a reflection from the students about their experiences over the week and in general on the trip thus far. 

** I tried to upload this yesterday and it failed, since then, I was able to post a reflection from Selah Judge, so don't miss it! Look for posts from others in the next day or so. **

Students arrived around noon on Monday for 5 days and 4 nights of camp! The students came from different areas of North Belfast... Kids from Protestant and Catholic backgrounds, from a variety of financial and family situations, all with a common city and a group of youth workers who invited them to camp. There were 39 youth in all, and 19 of us leaders in different capacities... some full-time through the North Belfast Area Project, some volunteers through their Youth Working In Communities program, 2 from the Belfast Activities Center (running activities of course), and the 7 of us Americans. The variety in the group was one factor that stuck out to everyone there! 

Daily activities included 4 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and supper - a bedtime snack), a morning group activity, afternoon adventure activities (rotating through kayaking, bouldering, mountain biking, and hiking), and an evening cultural activity. Throughout the week the students learned more about their own shared Ulster culture (the region consisting of the counties of N Ireland plus two counties in Ireland), and then countries the YWIC students have/will be visiting: France, Australia, and the United States. Culture nights included hands on activities, Q and A's, food, etc. 

One very important design of the camp was to give students a foundation of a shared identity - helping them to realize all their similarities and modeling what it means to be proud of all aspects of your culture without needing to demonize another. Hearing the stories and sensing the realities that the young people exist in was an eye-opening experience for each member on the team - it brought our historical education in Belfast over the weekend to a new reality. These kids are incredible - we enjoyed building relationships with them, laughing, trying new things, and learning from one another along the way. 

Being in leadership in this setting brought its challenges too - discipline, respect, and communication are all unique experiences to a culture - and the differences between what we were used to and what was needed for this past week challenged us to step up, get a little loud, and have a little fun! Or was it patience? For me, it was unique too walking with each of the YV participants as they navigated these differences and uniquely lived into their roles for the week. We have a great team! 

Speaking of which, we've got to get back to Ardaluin and get some rest... tomorrow we head north to see the Giant's Causeway and enjoy what the northern end of the island has to offer! A few days to rest and see more of this beautiful country are a welcome transition as we near the end of our time here. We're grateful for the relationships made and experiences had so far, we have some incredible hosts and have been blessed to be a part of some awesome youth work here in Northern Ireland. 

Please check back in over the next few days as students share their reflections!

Peace,

John

Reflection from Selah Judge

Sky Camp is as much about the experience the kids have, as it is for the volunteers. When I first arrived at Ardaluin the camp was completely silent, but once the kids came it was an explosion of sound and movement.  It amazes me how much people are similar and also so different depending on where they live, how they are influenced, and what they are influenced by.  Having said that Northern Irish kids are influenced by a lot of American culture because NI and American people watch and listen to the same music and movies, so that is a way that we all started to relate. We got lots of questions that comes out of what they see in movies and hear in songs. A few were, "What's thanksgiving? ", and " You guys call crisps chips?!".  These children are so bright and intelligent and that shows through to us looking at them on a personal level, but doesn't always show itself through the media that people from the U.S see, which is doing an absolute disservice to these kids. 

All this wasn't obvious when we first arrived. It took a solid two days before the team and I agreed that we were going to survive. Now at the end I look back and think how crazy it was that we were only volunteers for four days. As the kids pulled away in the massive bus that they came in I was left hoping that they got something out of this experience because I could see them already moving on from the mindset of being in camp.  The leaders assured me that it did, even though in the picture of our whole lives, this is just a small hump in the monotony of everyday life.  

I am getting to a place where the idea of going home to my bed is very appealing.  Having said that though I am loving my time here and cant wait to see the Giant’s Causeway tomorrow!  

 

Chow,

Selah Judge 

Hello from Newcastle

Just a quick update from the Ardaluin house in Newcastle - it's quick because we don't have internet at this location and won't for the next week or so, so posts will be intermittent as connection is available. So don't worry parents, all are alive and well :)

Today we visited a local church, CFC, and then headed up here ahead of camp next week. More on church and the full days activities later, but it's been nice to have my colleague Tim Foley, his son Rian, and one of MMN's associates Austin Roberts join us this afternoon and evening. Thanks to them for joining us and sharing more about their work!

We have tonight alone, and a few things to prepare in the morning but are largely enjoying the calm before the storm when the campers and other staff arrive at 11 tomorrow morning! We look forward to this week but have no idea what exactly it will bring :)

Keep us in prayer!

Getting to know Belfast

We had a full day today!

We spent the morning touring some sites around Belfast - taking in more pieces of the culture that makes this city what it is, and learning the history both longer ago and from the more recent Troubles. We visited a section of the Peace wall and took note of the murals, the difference in perspective on each side of the wall, and the reality that though people can share a history - their perspectives can indeed vary widely. Similarly to this, we took a quick visit to the Ulster Museum, focusing on their exhibit on the Troubles, which aims to be as factual and unbiased as it can be - and were struck by the weight and length of the time. What stuck with us the most was the realization that such trauma is felt generations deep... 

This morning we were also able to visit St. George's Market, taking in local crafts and food, as well as a visit to the CS Lewis Square - it was a beautiful day to be outside! We wrapped up our morning with a drive up a hill overlooking the city to the Belfast Castle, some nice time to sit and reflect on the morning while taking in the view. After lunch we went on a bit of a shopping adventure... well, some shopped, others drank coffee, explored various landmarks in the city, or visited the docks and the Titanic Quarter. The evening was especially wonderful as we had a relaxed time being hosted by Mark at his home - we enjoyed first watching a local sitcom and having some laughs before retiring to the patio for an evening of singing, eating, and talking with one another. We have truly been blessed by hospitality! 

Tomorrow we begin our day by attending a local church service, and then will head down to Newcastle ahead of a week of camp! Excited to meet Tim Foley, who serves as the Regional Director for Europe for Mennonite Mission Network. Before signing off though, here is a reflection offered by Elizabeth Eby this evening: 

It's amazing how similar two people can be despite varying accents, polititics, and culture. Today was a very long day with varying activities each unintentionally deepening the relationships within our larger groups. That's really what today felt it was about. Riding in the bus and walking around the shops, we would talk about some of the differences we have between our two countries. For example, Nike and Addidas are huge here. And then of course we talked about all the cultural problems Belfast has faced in the past and still does to some degree to this day. The slang is different and some of the food has different names but eating together and talking together helps everyone understand each other and grow more accustomed. At Saint George's Market when I was walking around I found myself developing an Irish accent without meaning to. It was probably really bad  ut it really made me think. People are formed by their culture and their surroundings. How we adapt and empathize is the key to resolving conflict, You can't fix people or assimilate them, but you can form a deeper relationship while haveing fun all the while. - Elizabeth

Goodnight all. 

Orientation for SkyCamp, meeting the Belfast team, and hot pie...

We were able to sleep in this morning which was a welcome relief after the long travel adventures of the prior 48 hours! The students appreciated the fresh croissants and jam for breakfast - a new experience for most.

This morning we went over to the North Belfast Area Project center to meet our counterparts on the Belfast team, students enrolled in the NBAP's YWIC (Youth Working In their Communities) leadership development program. This is a 2-year program available to students after they're 15 in preparation for working with youth in the future. Along with other responsibilities throughout the year, the students help facilitate SkyCamp (for 11-14yrs) and have the opportunity to apply for cross-cultural learning experiences... like our exchange to Detroit. 

Orientation this morning was largely geared towards getting to know one another, and getting to know the program for the week. We focused a lot on SkyCamp, what our responsibilities and contributions would be, and helped to plan some of the events for students. We're excited for next week already! But also glad we have another day or two yet to rest up and prepare for a week of camp :) 

The evening was spent out with the full group, eating local fare; some had fish and chips, others had curries or the lucky ones (ahem, me) had beef or chicken pies... but hey, I'm biased. We went for coffee and dessert afterwards and had a great time learning about the students schooling, their hobbies, sharing stories of our favorite pastimes, and our jobs. After our return to the hostel we had a great wrap up conversation and then some went straight to bed ahead of a big day tomorrow - we'll be learning more about the local culture and history, beginning with a morning tour of a museum focused on the Troubles. 

Tomorrow you'll be hearing from one of the students - not sure which one yet, but I told them this is my last solo post for awhile :) For now, here's a photo of one of the murals mentioned in yesterday's post - it was one that stuck out the most to the group. Photo credit goes to Lauren on this one... goodnight all. 

Arrival in Belfast, hot showers, murals, and Chinese food....

We made it! While our travels took a few turns yesterday, the way flights worked out we actually ended up arriving in Belfast an evening early - sadly though missing out on some time exploring Dublin. Upon arrival we were met at the airport by Mark McBride, our host for the duration of our stay, as well as Selah's aunt and uncle who live here and work at the local YWAM chapter.  After the greeting Mark brought us directly to the hostel where we'll be staying the next few nights. Needless to say, the hot showers were a welcome comfort! 

After we had a chance to clean up, Mark took us downtown for a walk through the Cathedral Quarter downtown to start getting a feel for the city. In our conversation later this evening about what struck us, the murals were an overwhelming feature - seeming to express the emotions and feelings of community around us. Some of the students took pictures which we will post later - but we found that much of it also related to the other feature: the Peace Lines (or Peace Walls), which are a series of barriers between Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods... their aim to minimize violence between the communities. Some of the gates are still active, a few we drove past closed at 7pm, others at 10. It was both humbling and a reminder of what has happened here in the not-too-distant past. 

On the way hone we stopped by one of Mark's neighborhood spots for carry-out Chinese food. It was a new culinary experience for us all - not what we know as either "authentic" or take-out Chinese in the US, it was more curry-based - which we approved of! It was fun to sit down together back at the hostel and debrief a bit as we ate, and by 10:30 (half hour ago) most were headed to bed. We look forward to joining the group at the North Belfast Area Project tomorrow for some cultural education as well as orientation and preparation for Sky Camp next week! 

Now off to bed - fighting off jet lag being the primary task at hand! 

London!

To be more specific - Terminal 5 of London's Heathrow airport. 

Just a quick update during our layover. The flight was relatively uneventful - except that I (John) was excited about flying in Boeing's new Dreamliner... if you want an account of that, you'll have to ask on another channel. Otherwise, we are all fairly tired but in good spirits, glad to be on our way!We found a Harry Potter store right away, combined with some fries and nachos it helped to raise morale this afternoon :) 

*We all envy Mark's ability to seemingly fall asleep anywhere - as shown in the photo above. 

We'll head to Belfast in just under two hours! Unsure of the plans for the evening - but looking forward to meeting Mark McBride... and a nice hot shower. 

Travel day 1: An exercise in Flexibility

Well, the important thing is, we are all together now and in an hour we will be on our way to London - but we'll get to that in a second. 

A thunderstorm rolled through Chicago this morning - so just as it seemed Selah (coming from Anchorage) and Lauren, Emily, and Mark (coming from Philadelphia) were circling to land - they each got rerouted... leaving Selah to spend the day in Kansas City and the PA crew to spend their time in the wonderful city of Columbus. Meanwhile, Elizabeth, Regina and myself held down the fort here at ORD - watching our flights take off and rebooking backups. 

But we are all together now! After a crazy day, we have changed our plans and will head streaight to Belfast by way of London - we're sad to miss out on Dublin but it will be good to connect with our friends in Belfast an evening sooner. 

The fans are of Butch O'Hare, we don't know who Butch is, but we're tired of his airport. A few re-bookings later, and we're boarding within the hour! Thanks for following us, we'll let you know how the first flight went! That's it for now - none of us really have the mental capacity for much else :)

- John

Preparing to Leave

And just like that, the trip that was right around the corner is tomorrow! The team, made of of myself (John Murray) and a group of 6 high school students from 4 states will meet tomorrow at Chicago O'Hare to depart on our journey to Belfast.

Our first stop will be in Dublin before we catch a bus north on Friday morning, so we'll spend our time Thursday learning more about where we're at, adjusting to the time zone, and getting to know one another.

Use this blog to follow our travels! We'll be posting photos, updates, and reflections as we are able, so we invite you to get to know us and follow along.

And with that, I've got to finish packing...

John