Love in the Kitchen

Jesus Christ calls us to love one another as he loves us.  This love can be shown in many ways:  smiling and saying hello to a stranger, lending a hand to a friend who needs help, taking the time to listen to someone who is hurting, giving someone a hug, and the list could go on forever.  This morning, I experienced Christ's love through a cooking lesson with two of the other volunteers and our site coordinator's wife, Elaine. 

The first week that we were in Belfast, we were going through orientation and had the pleasure of sharing our lunches and dinners with Doug and Elaine.  Elaine was so gracious to cook delicious meals for all of us.  As we raved about how good her cooking was, she offered to give us some cooking lessons.  This morning, we had our first cooking lesson in Karl's and my kitchen.  Elaine taught us to cook lentil stew and scones.  I was so excited to get to bake my first scones in Northern Ireland, and they turned out delicious! 

I do not think Elaine realised how great of an impact she made on me, and the other girls learning the recipes, this morning. The recipes weren't that difficult and complex, and it only took us an hour and a half to cook. But, that time that she took preparing the recipes and ingredients, and the time she spent with us in the kitchen meant a whole lot to me. Cooking is a favorite past time for me, and I have not had much time to cook since starting my work at Whitehouse. That being said, the time I got to spend in the kitchen this morning, in the company of other ladies was wonderful...a bit therapeutic you could say.

Walking in Belfast

I believe that one of the best ways to experience a new place is to venture out on your own two feet.  Since arriving a little over two weeks ago, I have managed to spend a lot of time either walking or running the streets of Belfast.  This is my preferred method of exploration because it causes me to consciously pay attention to where I am travelling, as opposed to taking the bus where my mind can easily wander and lose track of where I am.  Being on foot allows me to take in the smells and sounds of my surroundings as well.   For this blog entry, I am going to tell you about two danders (walks) I have taken.

Mural along the Shore Road

Last Thursday Liz gave me the day to myself and I decided to venture out from Karl's and my flat and walk through various places of Belfast I had not yet seen.  I started the day walking to the City Centre where City Hall is located.  On the way, I took time to notice the many different murals and flags I was passing.  Murals and flags are ways that people of Northern Ireland publicly display their allegiance to political parties or remember events of the past.  Once I arrived at City Centre, I spent time looking through City Hall and its exhibits which focus on the history of Belfast. 

Botanic Gardens

From City Centre, I continued south toward Queen's University and the Botanic Gardens.  Right next to the gardens is the Ulster Museum, so it was my next stop for the day.  The museum has two whole floors dedicated to the history of Belfast and the Troubles.  I focused my attention that day on learning about the history of Belfast, but I will soon be returning to explore the other art and nature exhibits the museum has to offer. 

Taken along the Shore (and below)

Today, I decided to take another walk.  This walk however turned out to be a lot longer than I expected, but it was very enjoyable none the less.  After Friends and Neighbours at Whitehouse this afternoon, a gentleman from church dropped me off at the shore in Whiteabbey.  I was only planning on walking along the shore for a mile or two, but I ended up staying along the 93 bicycle path all the way to City Centre (probably about six miles).  The shore line was very pretty and smelled of breezy sea air.  As I continued along the foot path, I found myself paralleling the motorway...this was not a very enjoyable part of the walk, but I kept going only to find myself in Duncrue, which is a very industrialised part of Belfast.  This was not the most enjoyable scenery either.  But alas, I kept going and stumbled out in Cathedral Quarter.  I came across some neat art pieces and historical buildings, thus making my really, really long journey worth the while. 

There is still a lot of Belfast which I have yet to explore, so I still have many walking or running journeys ahead of me.  Perhaps Karl and I might get to venture out on one together this Saturday when we are off together. 

Albert Memorial Clock

The Big Fish at Donegall Quay

First Sunday with Whitehouse

I woke up this morning feeling quite nervous about my first Sunday with Whitehouse.  I knew I would be meeting a whole lot of people and was nervous about making a great first impression.  A wonderful lady named Anne picked me up for church and brought me right to the kitchen to get a cup of tea before services started.  Immediately I was welcomed by a room full of kind ladies who gave me the warmest hugs I have received since arriving in Belfast!  The members of the congregation are so friendly and really helped me to feel at home in my new church. 

Here is the photo that was projected
during the service for my introduction

I was formally introduced to the congregation during the children's sermon.  My fellow youth leaders, John and Francis, did a little "meet Kendra" interview with the children.  They asked me about my family, what I am hoping to get out of this year of service, where I am from, and what kind of Northern Irish phrases I am learning.  They had the children teach me some words, and it was very fun....we got some laughs from the congregation.

During the message of the service, Rev. Liz Hughes spoke about the importance of church and how church is more than what we do on Sunday morning but is a place where we can join together as family.  This message was so fitting for what I am experiencing right now.  Here I am, in Belfast, so far removed from my family outside of Karl.  I know that my family back home is praying for me and thinking about me, but it is so nice to be surrounded by a loving family inside the doors of Whitehouse. 

After church, Karl and I went to Liz's house for dinner (late lunch), and her husband cooked us a wonderful meal!  It was so nice to sit around the table and join in conversation, starting to form relationships with the people of my new home. 

Lastly today, I attended SWAT (youth group) and met some of the youth of the church.  We spent a lot of time sitting around talking and listening to music, which was a great way for me to start to get to know the kids.  We had a lot of laughs centered around my ignorance to the slang they use, but I think I will start to catch on to the jargon soon...hopefully.  The other youth leaders are absolutely wonderful, and I think that I will be able to learn a lot from them over the course of the year.  They are really good at relating to the kids and have very balanced relationships with them.  All in all, I had a fabulous first day and am excited for what it in store for this upcoming year.

Welcome to Belfast!

The time was about 8:30 AM, the day August 30, and the place Belfast, Northern Ireland.  Continental Flight 94 hit the ground with eight anxious young adults aboard.  Those eight young adults being myself, Karl and six other individuals from around the U.S.  We arrived in Belfast extremely tired but excited to see our new home for the upcoming year. 

Doug and his wife, Elaine, picked us up with a car and a mini bus, loaded our luggage and drove us all to our houses.  We quickly stepped into our new homes, dropped our luggage in our rooms and proceeded to the next house.  At the last house we visited, we took a moment to enjoy our first cup of tea and scones (biscuits in the U.S.).  The rest of the day was pretty much a blur, as we spent it trying to stay awake in order to adjust to the time change. 

After getting a full night's rest, we all set off to begin touring each other's volunteer sites for the next three days.  As we stopped at each site, we toured the premises and learned a bit of the history of the neighborhood and about the community involvement of each site.  It is amazing how complex the conflict between the people of Northern Ireland is and how deep the Troubles have touched the communities that we will be working in.  I have a lot to learn about as the year goes on.

My site, Whitehouse Presbyterian, was the second to last stop for the whole group.  By this time, I was very anxious to see the church, reconnect with Rev. Liz Hughes, and meet others in the congregation.  In fact, I was so excited to see the church that I ran the 2.5 miles to and from to get a sneak peak the morning we were scheduled to see it.  (By the way, I had to be very conscious about which way the traffic was travelling when crossing the street). We got to the church and were welcomed with open arms and hugs.  There were a number of folks from the congregation there to meet us, and they were so hospitable and friendly!  I will be attending my first worship service this Sunday and will get to meet the youth group in the evening...I can't wait!

As an end note, here are some fun words that we are picking up and pictures from a walk to Scrabo (a tower outside of the city):

boke=puke
skint=broke
craic=fun/entertainment
biscuit=cookie
jumper=sweater
bap=bun/roll
come by you=pick you up