Monetary Update!

Hey everyone! What’s the craic? (Translation: What’s new with you?) I hope this finds you all well and enjoying spring. I know this season can be crazy; finishing up school work, final exams, planning for the summer, starting staff training for camps—it’s nuts! Belfast is no different. My ‘kids’ at the church are all studying hard for their end-of-year tests, the members at the WAVE Centre are all planning holidays and family trips, and everyone is anxious for the weather to get warm! (Does it get warm here? The jury’s still out; I’ll let you know!)

With all that’s been going on, I realized that I haven’t sent out a monetary update in a while. First of all, as always, thank you so much for your donations! You have all helped me raise just over $6,440! This is incredible! I’m well over two thirds of the way to my overall goal of $9,000. However, as incredible as this is, I am over a thousand dollars short of my next fundraising goal; the YAV Office has set a goal for $7,500 to be in by May 15. That’s this Saturday. Now, as mind-blowing as it would be to raise $1,060 in three days, if this doesn’t happen I won’t get deported. But it doesn’t mean that we can’t try! I still need monetary support. You all have been so generous, and I can’t thank you enough for that. Please continue to donate. No amount is too small (or too large!) and the easiest way to make a tax-deductible donation is to simply go the YAV homepage at www.pcusa.org/yav. Click ‘Support A YAV’ on the right-hand side of the screen, scroll down to the bottom of the page, click ‘Lynnea Hunter’ and follow the instructions.

I hope you continue to enjoy the stories and photos that I post here, and thanks for checking them out. I sure enjoy living them! Thank you all so much, again, for all your support! I definitely feel your thoughts and prayers everyday! God bless!

Síocháin (Peace...)

¡España es Bonita!

For those of you who may not know, I recently—very recently as I’m still here and return to Belfast tomorrow—got the chance to visit my friend Megan in Salamanca, Spain. She’s currently studying and working at a campus ministry for the Universidad de Salamanca when she’s not entertaining guests. (Which she does well!) I’ve had an amazing time, but one of the coolest experiences was church yesterday morning. I went with Megan and her flatmate Nicole to the church they attend here (one of the few non-Catholic churches in the city. Spain is still a predominately Catholic nation, and when I say ‘Catholic’ I mean the religion, not the socio-political standpoint of Northern Ireland.) Church starts at noon and generally runs until 1.15 or 1.30. It was quite an experience. Besides the fact that I understood about 1% of what was said it was really different. The guy who seemed to be acting at the pastor said some stuff which I assume to be the welcome, then read a Scripture passage, then prayed. We then sang a song (which sounded cool—‘Bendito Es,’ which means ‘Blessed Is’) and then the floor was opened to whoever wanted to say anything. Somebody would pray and read Scripture, and then someone else would shout out a song they wanted to sing and we’d all join in. And mega props to the praise band! As musical numbers were a part of the ‘free for all’ worship style no one in the band knew what we were singing before anyone else, but they played really well. We all had the same worship book full of songs, but they sounded like they’d rehearsed together for hours. My favorite was ‘Maravillosa Cruz.’ I sang the verses in English and did my best at the chorus in Spanish. We sang ‘Lord I Lift Your Name on High,’ too, which was pretty cool. (But in Spanish, of course.) After several people had read and prayed and we sang about 5 or 6 songs, we had Communion. There were 2 celebrants (one of whom was also the bass player,) and 4 people passed the elements around. It was low-key but very worshipful; reverent while being approachable and down-to-earth. The whole experience made me think that this was probably what the early church was like: a bunch of friends gathered together to read and pray and sing and learn from each other, and to share the bread and wine as they might share pinchos and sangria. Not irreverently and without thought, but naturally, like it’s second nature. It should be second nature. Of course now I want to try Communion with tortillas and sangria. I think it would be yummy. And I don’t think God would mind.

pinchos--Spanish 'pub grub'--and sangria

For more pictures from Spain, click the 'Bonita Salamanca' link under Picture Gallery to the left.

sunday

the day has dawned,

the women have returned,

the tomb is empty,

and still I am in disbelief.

"Are you really here?

Are you really risen?

Have you really conquered death?"

I can scarcely

take it in.

I fall face down in the dirt

because that's the only place

I'm worthy enough to be.

I left you.

I spent the last hours

far from the cross,

drowning my sorrows

in all but you.

I left behind

all that I

thought true.

I betrayed

all that I

thought sacred.

still, you are here for me.

still, you rose for me.

still, you conquered death for me.

all I can do

is spit the dust

from my mouth,

lift my heart

to heaven

and cry,

"Alleluia!

Alleluia!

Alleluia!"

saturday

were I a disciple
would I not have spent
the last hours
far from the cross?
attempting to
drown my sorrows
in wine?
in the company
of friends?
leaving behind
all that I
had thought true?
would I have
betrayed all
that I
thought sacred?
my head screams,
"NO!"
my heart admits,
"yes."
who are you?
where are you?
how can you be
who you claim you are?
yea, though I know
the end of the
Story--
I walk through
the Valley
of the
Shadow of Death
Thy rod and
Thy staff
are far from me
only because I
fail to reach
out and take them.
I am a
disciple
yet I doubt.
I am a
disciple
yet I fear changes.
I am a
disciple
yet I wonder,
"will you really rise?"
the morning
holds the answers.
I
will have
to wait
and see.
and
believe.