So, dear Readers, I return to you once more! First, let me warn you that I am still without much internet, so I most likely won't post for another three weeks, when I return to England and am once more reunited with my beloved, however beaten and bruised, Acer laptop!
Thailand was amazing. I really can't think of much more to say other than just that; the people, the culture, the landscape, the food, the clothes...everything was amazing! Having initially gone into the country wary of what the time there would look like, I left feeling as if part of me was left behind. Needless to say, I will most likely be returning, God-willing, at some point in my life, for what purpose, though, I do not know.
I am currently in Northern Ireland, where the last bit of outreach will happen. I'm positive I have already mentioned this previously, but this is Home. I love every part of the UK that I have lived in and/or visited, but Northern Ireland, particularly this Belfast area, is Home and where, I believe, I will end up living out a number of my days.
From the cold and brightly colored murals that depict victory and defeat to the ruckus of pubs teeming with friendly faces and old men who caution me to "watch out for eager young lads", I love this place! It has the best of any landscape; snow-capped mountains, rolling green hills, roaring ocean tides, castle ruins atop sheer cliffs, and so on. What more could you want, honestly? Perhaps aside from hot weather, sandy beaches, and tropical fruits...everything that embodies Thailand, essentially! Well, both beautiful, both stunning in every which way. But Northern Ireland is where, at the end of the day, I want to be, my cuppa tea in hand and hot waterbottle shoved in my jumper.
Ever since my outreach to Belfast nearly two years ago, my heart has yearned to return to this beautiful country, so rich in history and culture, so steeped in beauty and magnificence, so lost and hurting for a sense of destiny, purpose, and hope. I think that's part of what draws me here; this sense of excitement to share hope to the hopeless, peace to the restless, love to the hurting and uncared for. It's not only part of our nature to want to help others, but it's part of our God-given mandate, which is freakin' epic! I want to be a part of a Revolution of Hope here in Northern Ireland! I want to see a nation that has fought over its' identity for years walk in its' God-ordained, intended identity once and for all. How cool will that be? And I want to be here, part of it, tied to the outcome of this fight and committed to a cause, a purpose, a hope worth living and dying for.
And who knows, maybe, someday be joined by an "eager young lad" by my side? I'm not complaining...
