I miss it. but thats not the end of the story

I miss it but...

I am determined not to miss out on life here in Calgary by dwelling on how much I miss Dublin. I know in my heart that I will go back so right now I am struggling to learn balance. I am struggling to LIVE here in Calgary, to invest in the people around me with out dwelling or worrying about Dublin. Its a struggle but one I am excited to see what God places in life here in Calgary. I am so blessed.

How can I not love that face and fall

But that's not the end of the story.

My life here is full, since coming home from Dublin I have seen God provide for me in every area I have had a need. I went from frantically panicking about having no job and bills to pay to having 3 jobs in a matter of a few weeks.

I desperately wanted a community to be apart of. I wanted it to be diverse, challenging and loving, a group who wasn't afraid to argue or be different. I can now happily say I am apart of a small group that is definitely all of these things and more than I would have dreamed for myself.

I wanted peace about life. I wanted to know that I am going down the right path and I can honestly say that although I have absolutely ZERO idea about what the future will look like I am at peace with where I am right now.

BUT

I miss it.

I miss the kids.

I miss the people at DCM

I miss the teens.

I miss the HARD times and the GOOD times.

I miss the city.

I miss my roommates.

I miss my church there.

I miss the laughs.

I just miss Dublin.

But I will keep looking at the Lord and thanking him for my incredibly blessed life.

Choose Life Kids

A secret about Snow

Alright I am about to share a secret with you all, and its a little scary for this self professed summer girl but I think that I am falling in love with snow. Mind you this love will only probably last until February but at least right now, snow is magical. There is something so peaceful about a fresh snowfall, all I want to do is sit in a warm room wrapped in blankets and by the light of candles and watch the snow fall. 

I stumbled across this poem today that I feel expresses my feelings about snow perfectly.

London Snow

BY ROBERT BRIDGES

When men were all asleep the snow came flying,

In large white flakes falling on the city brown,

Stealthily and perpetually settling and loosely lying,

      Hushing the latest traffic of the drowsy town;

Deadening, muffling, stifling its murmurs failing;

Lazily and incessantly floating down and down:

      Silently sifting and veiling road, roof and railing;

Hiding difference, making unevenness even,

Into angles and crevices softly drifting and sailing.

      All night it fell, and when full inches seven

It lay in the depth of its uncompacted lightness,

The clouds blew off from a high and frosty heaven;

      And all woke earlier for the unaccustomed brightness

Of the winter dawning, the strange unheavenly glare:

The eye marvelled—marvelled at the dazzling whiteness;

      The ear hearkened to the stillness of the solemn air;

No sound of wheel rumbling nor of foot falling,

And the busy morning cries came thin and spare.

      Then boys I heard, as they went to school, calling,

They gathered up the crystal manna to freeze

Their tongues with tasting, their hands with snowballing;

      Or rioted in a drift, plunging up to the knees;

Or peering up from under the white-mossed wonder,

‘O look at the trees!’ they cried, ‘O look at the trees!’

      With lessened load a few carts creak and blunder,

Following along the white deserted way,

A country company long dispersed asunder:

      When now already the sun, in pale display

Standing by Paul’s high dome, spread forth below

His sparkling beams, and awoke the stir of the day.

      For now doors open, and war is waged with the snow;

And trains of sombre men, past tale of number,

Tread long brown paths, as toward their toil they go:

      But even for them awhile no cares encumber

Their minds diverted; the daily word is unspoken,

The daily thoughts of labour and sorrow slumber

At the sight of the beauty that greets them, for the charm they have broken.

The Word

"The Word we study has to be the Word we pray. My personal experience of the relentless tenderness of God came not from exegeses, theologians and spiritual writers, but from sitting still in the presence of the living Word and beseeching Him to help me understand with my head and heart His written Word. Sheer scholarship alone cannot reveal to us the gospel of grace. We must never allow the authority of books, institutions or leaders to replace the authority of knowing Jesus Christ personally and directly . When the religious views of others interpose between us and the primary experience of Jesus as the Christ, we become unconvicted and unpersuasive travel agents handing out brochures to places we have never visited."

The Ragamuffin Gospel

Brennan Manning

HEATWAVE

If you haven't heard, Ireland is in the middle of a heat wave.

Beautiful day at the sea

It is the strangest experience I have ever been apart of, its not as hot as some places but its still just so hot. You cannot be inside because you will roast because no where has air conditioning and so you spend as much time as possible in the sun.

No complaints here, some of my best memories are being made in the sun these past two weeks.

We went to the sea

Swimming in a river

Had a huge water fight

Went on the slip and slide

and so much more!

Quick who is this?

Water fight in action

The sun drove us a little mad

Camps

Camp Set-Up

What can I say, its been a while since I blogged, yes I have been busy but I have also been avoiding this blog. You see, I am having one of the most amazing summers and I just don't know how to write about it.

I struggle with where to start, the campsite itself is beautiful and located in the famous Wicklow mountains, it has a forest to explore and adventure in. There is a field where we do the slip and slide, then there are the tents which are really more like houses that have the blood, sweat and tears of so many poured into them (a story for another time...).

Our "Bog" swing in the forest

Then there are the people, the leaders that I get to work with every week are incredible, they are so fully of life and love. They are inspiring to get to work alongside, the way that they just love the kids so unconditionally is really something so unique.

The beach during girls camp

Finally there are the kids and they are wonderful. Now I will be honest they do not always look like the "worlds" definition of charming and great, but they are. They are kids who can make you laugh for hours, they love fiercely and will teach you so much about courage and loyalty. They are really what makes everything work, camp is only wonderful because its a safe place for the kids to be for the week. Its a place where they get to meet and encounter God and its just so wonderful.


I have been so blessed this summer to be serving on the DCM camps, they are a place of safety, growth, love, encouragement, and so much more. It is an incredible experience and I can't wait to share more with you all.

We went the creative route during the sand-
castle competition... can you tell who this is?

Thank you for sticking with me even through my blogging lull.

Happiest place on Earth...

We love our accomadations for the weekend, our own rooms with showers, toilets
AND running water. What could be better!

Rock of Dunamaise

Last week I was extremely blessed to be taken away to a soul spa in the boring part of Ireland and let me tell you it has very quickly become my new favorite place.

sea the wonderland even had a magical
tree swing

A window in the ruins of a
old Abbey 

Grass paths through the garden
were like magic

Everyone thinks the most wonderful place
on earth is Disneyland, but really is Burtown
in Ireland

My new friend Gorgeous at the very
posh Durrow Castle

Castle Durrow

View from Rock of Dunamaise

New Must see places in Ireland.

A horse just for me!!!! Everyone please meet Chad, He's a
sweetheart with a bad rap as a bully.

There was even Liliacs on our soul spa weekend
away

Oh me, Oh my, A month has passed with no blogs....

Where do I even begin, it has been a whirlwind these past couple of weeks. Let me do a quick recap...

First we finished up the club season at the end of May and it was mayhem, seriously the last of my clubs was my most challenging. The kids just went crazy and honestly it took several days to process just all that happened. Thankfully after having fully discussed it as a group and with those wiser, we seem to have come to the conclusion that it was a compliment that the kids acted out in the ways they did that last week because it meant they were really going to miss us.

During the ends of clubs and up until now we have been madly rushing about trying to get ready for the camps that DCM is running this summer. I will be Jr. Teens camp, Sr. Girls, Jr. Girls, Family camp for the Markets area, and the Choose life camp. I am very excited for each of these camps but you cannot imagine all of the planning, training, physical labor, and stress that goes into doing camps for the summer.

End of Monday club Party

To say that we are all exhausted would be a understatement.

Especially since due to unfortunate circumstances I have been moving, rooms, beds, and couches for much of the past month due to some mold and plaster issues in my old room. Thankfully I have started to settle into a new room (and by settle I mean most of my clothes have made it in and I have slept there one or two times).



Thankfully my wonderful mentor is smarter than us all and planned a little weekend away in the country. Which was amazing, we didn't do as much "resting" as we thought we would but it was so much better. We laughed together, explored together, and just had a refreshing time, there was so much peace that accompanied our time away. It was a time for us to spend dedicated alone time with God as well as to foster better community amongst the interns that live in the building.

Off to the Ministry of Magic we go

Then because the Lord blessed me in ways you cannot imagine I was able to go on a once in a life time trip to London which was amazing beyond my wildest dreams. I cannot even begin to describe it in this blog or else you will be reading much much longer than you already have been.

However you are almost all caught up on life here in Dublin

The final bits are that everyone is now in a mad dash to make sure camp is ready to start a week from now. We spend yesterday spending some good quality time bonding as leaders of camp and today we spent doing some practical training for the low ropes coarse and zip line that we have down at camp.
It has been a busy but wonderful month full of so many blessings, times of laughter and exhaustion that cannot be expressed or captured in a blog. But I still want you readers to be apart of my life here because without your love and support I would not be here. So I cannot promise to blog more, but know that I am praying for you all and that I will try to get on here as much as possible.

Love you!

Ashley