Tyler and Erin in Ireland

2007-04-24T12:56:00.000-07:00

We're Back!!

Greetings from back in Indiana.

We arrived back in Chicago on Friday afternoon and are in the midst of enjoying time with family and friends.

Our last couple weeks in Ireland were fantastic. We had a lot of goodbyes, some which were more difficult than others. We will certainly miss the people that we worked with and interacted among.

In the next week, we will be putting together a final letter to tell you more.

As far as our next move, we are planning to move to Chicago sometime in May, where I will be attending Trinity Seminary in the fall. We are excited to start yet another adventure!

Thank you all so much for keeping up with what we have been doing. We appreciate all of you so much.

Love,

Tyler and Erin

2007-04-09T07:24:00.000-07:00

Beantown!

This past week, I had the privilege of going with our basketball team to Boston. The week really couldn't have gone much better. Our Freshman guys had been looking forward to it for many months and none of them returned disappointed. The guys played three games against small school opponents. We won one of those matches and the guys were able to interact with the opposing players after all of the matches.

We did a lot of fun activities as we saw the Basketball Hall of Fame, a Celtics game, and a minor league hockey game They also got a chance to meet a lot of faithful supporters of our ministry in the way of meals and activiities. The kids were blessed and so were the Sportslife supporters.

The trip brought me back to my days as a camp counselor as I was hosted in a house with five of the guys. We took over the basement. It was a great setup as we had foosball and air hockey going on constantly. For all but one of the guys, it was their first time in the USA, so it was fun to see their reactions to the many differences, such as large houses and yards, basements, shopping malls, and fast food. They loved the food, but by they end they were missing their fries with vinegar and curry sauce.

There were countless opportunities all week to interact with the guys and our relationships with them were deepened. They asked a lot of questions about God and Christianity and the hope is that several of these guys will start meeting with Dan for Bible study. There are definitely a few that are interested, which is great.

Erin survived the week apart well and was well taken care of by friends who were here visiting and who are apart of the Taylor group around the corner. This week we will both be working an Easter sports and arts camp with the kids up in Ballymun.

It's hard to believe there are only two week lefts for us here. It will be sad to leave, but exciting to get home in many ways as well.

Thanks again for all of your support and prayers.

Tyler and Erin

2007-03-21T10:23:00.000-07:00

St. Paddy's Day

I hope everyone enjoyed their St. Patrick's Day on Saturday and represented the Irish well by wearing your green. We had a great time with the festivities here. Our first big thing was the parade. We were with Erin's dad and a number of students from the Taylor group over here. The parade was quite bizarre to say the least (monsters, sea creatures, and several American marching bands), but it was a very fun atmosphere nonetheless. Afterwards, we made our way to Croke Parks for the club finals for gaelic football and hurling, two very entertaining All-Irish sports. We ended the day with a nice meal at Vance's favorite Italian restaurant back in Greystones and even got to watch some of the NCAA Tourney. It was a great day!

The night before, we had a nice St. Paddy's Day party at youth group. It was a lot of fun and included contests to see who could most creatively act out famous Irish legends and who could create the best Irish dance. The students also enjoyed their Green milkshakes and Pin the Tail on the Donkey using cut-out body parts and a life size painting of St. Patrick himself. We had a number of our regular students bring friends, which is always great.

Next week, I will be traveling to Boston with Dan and our basketball team of Freshman students. While there, we will be playing matches against American opponents, promoting the ministry in an area where a large amount of our support originates, and just having a really fun time. Dan and I are really looking forward to the extended time with the guys. Please pray for safe travel, good interactions with the guys, and that they would all get along also.

Thanks and have a great week!

Tyler and Erin

2007-03-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

Upward Basketball Ends With a Bang!

This past Sunday, we finished up our Upward basketball seasons with a fun and entertaining end of the season party. The afternoon started off with each of the eight teams getting to play their parents. This was quite the hoot as most of the adults had no idea how to play basketball. But what they lacked in skill they more than made up for in their competitiveness. Erin put her artistic skills to work as the official facepainter for the afternoon. After the games, we had pizza and pop, which was then followed by a short program. Each of us coaches were able to publicly praise our players in front of their parents, a basketball entertainer performed some amazing tricks, and a short presentation of the Gospel was given. It was a fine day and was enjoyed by parents and players alike.

It really was an amazing privilege for us to work with these basketball leagues. Youth sports in this rough neighborhood are a necessity to the growth and development of these kids. They need activities that keep them involved and working towards something bigger than themselves. I have definitely been impressed with how important these programs are and how cool it is to do it all with the backdrop of Christianity.

A few other notes this week:
- We had a All-Worship night at youth group last Friday and it was received well. This Friday, we will be having an outreach emphasis as we will be having a St. Patty's Day party.
- Erin's dad is back over on business for a week, starting today. We are looking forward to some time with him and will be taking in some of the many festivities surrounding St. Patrick's Day this Saturday.

With love,

Tyler and Erin

2007-03-07T13:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Erin's 23rd birthday! It was a fine day indeed. We celebrated by having tea and dessert at a nice hotel in Dubin (owned by members of U2), taking in an art exhibit, and watching a couple movies over Chinese food back at home. Thanks for the calls, emails, and cards. They were appreciated very much.

The Upward basketball leagues concluded their seasons on Sunday. The girls capped off a great season with another win while the guys couldn't quite get it going, but played extremely hard. This coming Sunday, the whole family is invited as we will have players vs. parents games and a pizza party, followed by a celebratory program. It should be a lot of fun as many of the parents have not touched a basketball before. Please pray for a great day with the families.

Erin continues to enjoy teaching. She really is building some good friendships with her fellow art teachers and enjoys the comaraderie that she has with them. Also, she is really enjoying teaching junior high aged students, which she hadn't done yet before the first of the year.

We are barely starting to see evidence of the baby now. The week before we return home will be when we have our first scan. Will it be a boy or a girl? We'll see!

Have a great week!

Tyler and Erin

2007-02-27T15:19:00.000-08:00

A Timely Visit from Mom

Last week, Erin's mom and her friend came to visit. This was a nice treat for the both of us, especially for Erin. The three ladies took off for a few days to go to Kilkenny and Waterford. They had a great time relaxing and shopping. It doesn't sound like I missed much...just kidding! While they were here, we also paid a visit to a nearby monastery and spent some time in Dublin. The ladies also seized the opportunity to make red velvet cake and it was enjoyed by all.

Upward basketball is down to the final week of the season and our final practice was this evening. The guys were pretty wound up as usual, but nonetheless, I think they did pretty well during the devotional time in which we talked about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and how Jesus saved us from slavery to sin. The girls were adorable as usual and they enjoyed the players vs. coaches game that our team had. The players took us by a bucket.

Erin had another doctor's appointment yesterday and had to face the needles involved with blood tests. She took it like a champ. We will be having our first ultrasound just before we come home, so we are looking forward to that.

Thanks again for all of your prayers. We hope you are all doing well!

Tyler and Erin

2007-02-18T05:36:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Fun

On Friday night, we had a successful Valentine's Day banquet for the youth group at St. Mark's. We had about 60 youth seated around tables in the sanctuary. One other youth group in town joined us for the event and much fun was had by all. Throughout the night, there were activities and games, including "Name that Romantic Movie" and "Speed-Chatting." One of the great attributes of the church over here is that churches really work together and it was evidenced on Friday. Please continue to pray for the youth, that they would develop real and personal relationship with God. Also, please pray that many of group's friends who came for the banquet would start attending the youth group on a regular basis.

As for Erin and I, we had a unique Valentine's Day ourselves as we traveled by city bus for two hours to find a Papa John's pizza joint. That was the romantic evening that Erin wanted and it was fantastic to have some good old American pizza. Yesterday, we also had a great time on North Bull Island just north of Dublin. The island is full of small dunes and wild grass. It was a gorgeous day for it, which we understand is quite the opposite of the weather back at home in the States.

Today, we have another round of Upward basketball games. Devotions with the guys' team went very well this week. We talked about trusting in God. The guys are a pretty rowdy bunch, so it was a blessing to really have there attention this week. Continue to pray for the kids that we are working with and also keep Dan (my boss) and Amy in your prayers as they are due to have a baby this week.

This morning, Erin and I greeted her mother at the airport, so this week should be a lot of fun with her and her friend around. It is always good to see family.

God bless you all in everything that this week holds.

With love,
Tyler and Erin

2007-02-11T12:51:00.000-08:00

Sick But Well !!!

Greetings once again!

Today was another good day with the basketball leagues in Ballymun. It is hard to believe that the leagues are already halfway over. Both teams, the Wildcats and the TIgerBabes, did very well today and pulled out two close victories. Erin was sidelined for the day with a nasty cold. She has been in bed most of the weekend, drinking a lot of liquids. It was a disappointment as she was planning to enter a Valentine's chocolate dessert making contest in town yesterday, using Grandma Danec's red velvet cake recipe. (Mom, we'll make it together when you come next week!)

Youth group is going well and I have had a couple great opportunities to hang out with different guys form the group on a one-on-one basis, which is always great. The Matthew Challenge is at its midpoint and we are having our annual Valentine's Day Banquet this coming Friday. It will be quite a night with "Name that Famous Romantic Movie" and of course karaoke.

Please keep both Sportlife and the St. Mark's Youth Group in your prayers. And keep praying for Erin's students at St. Andrews, and that she would continue to be a good witness and role model to them. Also, please keep our health and future plans for when we get back in your prayers.

Thanks for your support,

Tyler and Erin

2007-02-02T06:30:00.000-08:00

This week was another great week of working and serving in this fine country. God is good and can definitely be trusted.

Last Friday evening, Erin and I team taught at youth group about the importance of personal study of the Bible. It was responded to well by the students and we look forward to seeing how the Matthew Challenge goes this month.

On Sunday, games got underway in the Upward basketball leagues in Ballymun. Both the Wildcats and the Tiger Babes won their first game, which was fun to see. Move over Bobby Knight, I am coming after your all-time coaching victories record (only 800-and-some wins to go).

Erin had a good week teaching at school and is enjoying her new students. Next, week she is teaching a few more classes because of another art teacher being gone, so that is a blessing.

The baby seems to be doing good. Erin has her first full-fledged appointment this Tuesday. Thanks for your prayers. She has been feeling a lot better this week!

Thanks for your continue prayers. Keep them coming!

Tyler and Erin

2007-01-26T09:55:00.000-08:00

This month has just been flying by!!! Actually this week flew by!!!

I (erin) started teaching a few art classes a week at St. Andrews which I am really excited about. It isn' t a ton of work, but it will keep me in practice with teaching and lesson plans, etc.

Tyler was hard at work getting his teams well practiced for their games that will start this coming sunday ( Jan 28). One of his "Tiger Babe Team" girls told him that one day when she has kids, she is going to name one of them Tyler. It made Tyler's day.

Tonight Tyler and I are speaking in youth group and kicking off "The Matthew Challenge" - We are challenging the students to read through Matthew over the month of February since there are 28 days in February and 28 chapters in Matthew. We have been writing short commentaries/devotionals to go along with each chapter.

Tomorrow Tyler and I are heading to Galway for the day with my dad to go out to eat at his favorite restaurant and just hang out. Dad has been here all week getting the new Irish Studies Group settled in Greystones. He has also been meeting with different people in the minstry field to get Taylor students involved with while they are here.

It has been fun spending time with dad and of course being spoiled by him. Tyler and I have eaten very well this week :)

Thank you for your prayers and many notes of encourgement, we love hearing from you.

Many Blessings, Erin and Tyler

2007-01-19T03:49:00.000-08:00

A Happy New Year Surprise !!!

The adventure of life for Erin and I is going to get even crazier. We just found out last week that Erin is pregnant! Yes, it is true. Our world changed quite dramatically last Wednesday after it was confirmed that Erin is 6 weeks along. Obviously, it was quite a shock, but we are extremely excited as well. The prospects of being 23 year old parents is a little intimidating, but the Lord is in control and can be trusted. The pregnancy does not change our plans of being in Ireland until April 20. It does throw a curveball to us with what to do and where to go when we get back, so please lift us up in prayer over the next three months as we seek God's direction.

As for other matters, two Upward basketball leagues are up and running in Ballymun for 10-12 year olds. I am coaching both a girls' and a guys' team and they were both a lot of fun at our first practice on Tuesday. If you want to be more specific in your prayers, you can pray for the kids on the Wildcats (the boys' team) and the TigerBabes (obviously the girls' team).

Erin has been a champ these past couple weeks as she has been dealing with morning (and afternoon and evening) sickness. It has been a frustrating week at times as she has been looking for a temporary job to supplement our raised support. Yesterday, she did receive word that she will be teaching a couple art classes at St. Andrews, with the possibility for more on the way. It is a very limited role, so we are praying that God would either expand her role at the school or open another part-time position. We are thankful for what He has provided already though.

Erin and I continue to covet your prayers in the coming months. We are being forced to trust God more and more each day, but that is a good, albeit sometimes tough place to be.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

With love,

Tyler and Erin

2007-01-11T01:22:00.000-08:00

Back in Action

Happy 2007 to all of you.

The holiday season turned out to be a very memorable one for Erin and I. As mentioned in our previous posting, we were able to get away for a few days to Paris and it met all the expectations we had for the trip. We saw just about everything you could see in 3 and a half days, including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre Dame. It was fantastic... and so were the pastries, crepes, and other Parisian specialties.

Between Christmas and New Year's, we were well taken care of by friends over here. It was different to be away from our families on Christas Day, but we enjoyed our first Christmas together very much.

Finally, on January 2nd, my parents, along with Emily and Jason, came over to visit for just over a week. It was fabulous to be with them and we made lots of memories. We showed them around Dublin and also took a short overnight trip to the west part of Ireland. Bunratty Castle, the Cliffs of Moher, and the ancient Clonmacnoise monastary were the highlights of our side trip. It was very refreshing and encouraging to be with family again and we look forward to Erin's parents coming over here in the next couple months.

So, yesterday we got back to our normal routine. Upward basketball in Ballymun is all set to go. We had a coaches training session on Sunday. Several guys from the Freshman basketball team that Dan and I coach are serving as assistant coaches for the teams of 10-12 year olds. This is very exciting, since a majority of these guys were apart of the first Upward leagues in Ballymun a few years back. Our hope and prayer is that they would continue to grow and mature in every way and lead the charge of continuing to move this needy area in the right direction as they get older.

Tomorrow night for youth group, we are having a family night where all of the parents will attend with their kids. I think we have some fun activities planned and hopefully it will really encourage the parent/teenager relationships in our church.

We would appreciate your continued prayers for us as we get back to a normal schedule and as Erin is still trying to seal up a job. The holiday season was such a blessing to Erin and I and we are very excited to get back in action with the ministries in which God has placed us.

Many thanks and blessings to all of you,

Tyler and Erin

2006-12-18T14:22:00.000-08:00

Great Weekend!!!

This weekend was crazy, but it was fantastic! As you may recall, this past weekend we had a retreat with the youth at the church. We had a smaller group than we hoped for, but it was a weekend of fun, memories, and quality teaching. The theme of the weekend was "It's a Wonderful Life." We talked about how God desires us to live 'wonderful' lives for Him filled with risk taking and Spirit led living. Over the course of the weekend, we gave many examples of heroes of the Christian faith, both from the Bible and from modern times (from Abraham, to the apostles, to St. Patrick, to Hudson Taylor, to Billy Graham). As for fun, we did everything from an 'Amazing Race,' to a midnight Christmas party, to a zip line, and of course the obligatory bonfire.

Yesterday afternoon, we had signups and evaluations for our basketball leagues forming in Janurary for 4th-7th graders up in Ballymun. We had a turnout of 26 guys and 16 girls, which is about the normal size for both our guys' and girls' leagues. We will try to recruit a few more in the next couple weeks, especially a few more girls to allow us to have 4 girls' teams. The kids are almost all new to the game and they loved the drills that we had them do yesterday.

Finally, last night, we had the second carol service and winter wonderland at the church. The kids were much more behaved for the Winter Wonderland and for the short skit that the youth put on for them. I got a chance to close at the end and talked a little bit about making Jesus the Lord of your life and how to ask Jesus into your heart. The kids seemed to all really enjoy everything we did and went away with some great Christmas candy.

Erin went right back at it today as she had her last day of student teaching at St. Andrews. We are still waiting to hear if she will get a paid position there after the new year, but it sounds promising.

Tomorrow, we have the chance to get away for a few days. We came upon some great deals on flights to Paris, so we are taking the opportunity to spend 3 some time there. Both of us are extremely excited as you might expect and it will be a fun way to celebrate Erin being done with school and also taking in all of the Christmas lights in Paris.

Hope you are all having a great month and we will be thinking of many of you over the Christmas holiday. Thank you so much for your continued prayers.

Merry Christmas!

Tyler and Erin

2006-12-12T03:30:00.001-08:00

Getting in the Christmas Spirit!

The Christmas season is in full swing here. Erin and I are proud to say that we have a tree up, the stockings are hung, and the smell of baking is in the air. Our place is decorated as well as possible and looks very festive thanks to Erin’s imagination. It will undoubtedly be a different Christmas this year, but it will surely be a memorable first Christmas for the both of us. We are hosting a Christmas dinner for the adult volunteers of our youth ministry tomorrow evening and are looking forward to the fun to be had together, which includes the all-important “white elephant gift exchange.”

The last two Fridays of youth meetings at St. Mark’s have gone very well as we did a video scavenger hunt and then had a normal meeting this past Friday. The scavenger hunt had them singing Irish folk songs in front of statues and interviewing police officers, just to name a few. The students loved it! After we returned to the church, I had the chance to share my testimony and then we had snacks while we watched the videos of each group’s antics.

This past Sunday, the youth were given the responsibility of putting on a short kids’ program after the traditional carol service. One room was decorated beautifully as a winter wonderland type of scene and the kids were led from there into another room where we had a stable scene set up. Several of our youth were dressed up as characters in the Christmas story and put on a short play. About half of the audience was from a rough area right next to the church here so it was quite an experience! But, the Christmas story was told and I got a chance to say a few words to the kids afterwards, so the night was beneficial.

Erin’s student teaching experience is winding down this week as her students have Christmas exams. She has been kept very busy this past week as she is sending back her final projects and papers to Taylor. There is a possibility that she may be able to stay on at St. Andrew’s in a paid position for the duration of our stay. This would be ideal and we are praying hard that it will come to fruition!

Happy Holidays!!!

Tyler and Erin

Prayer Requests:
- Erin: that she would get a paid position at the school for the duration of our stay
- Sportslife: for a great turnout at the signups for our basketball leagues
- St. Mark’s Youth Group: for a wonderful retreat this weekend

2006-12-01T02:35:00.001-08:00

Greetings friends! It has been quite a rainy week here in Dublin. It seems like every day we have had downpours and enormous waves crashing up against the rocks on the coast.

Erin had another good week at school. Last night, some her sophomore students had an art exhibition at the school. Their works were sold off and the money was donated to humanitarian works in Uganda. The night went very well and was a lot of fun for parents and kids alike.

This week, the basketball team I help coach had our first game since I have been here. I am sad to say we lost, but it was still a good time with the kids. I’m not going to lie; it was an awful lot of fun to be on the sidelines again of a high school athletic contest. I wanted to jump out on the court myself!

On Sunday, we were given tickets to see a big rugby match between the Irish national team and a team from the Pacific Islands. Ireland won big and being there in the crowd was a delight.

Tonight at youth group, we will be doing the video scavenger hunt around Dublin that we intended to do last month. Rain cancelled our plans then, so we are praying that the same will not happen again tonight.

God bless you all and have a fantastic weekend!

Love,
Tyler and Erin

2006-11-24T07:20:00.000-08:00

Greetings on a rainy day in Greystones, Ireland. Though Thanksgiving is not a national holiday here, Erin and I were thankfully still able to get our turkey dinner yesterday. We spent the evening with Scott and Jenn from the Taylor group around the corner as well as with a few Irish friends. We had an incredible feast and a good bit of fun.

This week has been a good week for both Erin and I. We had a great party on Saturday with the Taylor group of students watching the Ohio State-Michigan game. (Unfortunately the better team lost.) Work and ministry have gone well this week. Youth group went well on Friday evening and basketball practices have gone on very well in Ballymun.

God has been so good to us here and we are so grateful for how God has put this experience together. Erin and I are very happy in what we are doing at the school, with the St. Mark’s youth, and in Ballymun with Sportslife. One bit of news, for which we are particularly grateful, is that we will be getting a free place to live from the middle of December to the middle of January. This will save us a considerable amount of money and will afford us a more comfortable setting over the holidays. Thanks be to God!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Tyler and Erin

A few things to be praying for:
- St. Mark’s youth retreat - which will be taking place now from December 15-17. Complications came about with the original dates in November, but it has all be worked out and rescheduled. Pray for God’s leading and blessing on the weekend.
- Dan and Amy Tabb – co-workers of ours’ over here who have been in quite a bit of physical pain lately. Dan is having severe neck and back pain, while Amy is pregnant, and often feels very sick.
- Job for Erin – She is currently looking for temporary job opportunities for after her student teaching experience ends in mid-December. A permit has come through for her, so now it is just a matter of finding a place to work from here on out that would hopefully employ some of her talents and likings.

2006-11-16T14:41:00.000-08:00

Tyler and I are having another good week here in Ireland. We both miss our moms and dads– well, at least I do.

I love school, nothing beats having a tea, coffee, and scones break. Did I mention that teachers get complementary lunches here? I think that is typical in Ireland, but don’t quote me on that. I have actually been able to eat lunch the past two days with two girls from the Taylor University Irish Studies Program group – Lauren and Amanda. They have been observing different teachers in the primary school for a few days. It has been fun comparing notes with them on school systems in the US and in Ireland.

I am working with a wonderful teacher named Mary West. She has been so helpful with showing me the ropes of teaching secondary students. My students are great! There have been a few particular classes that I have been able to really get to know because I see them three or four times a week.

One of my students I see a lot of happened to be good friends with my brother Ryan when he attended St. Andrews for the 03’-04’ school year. Her name is Saskia, and she is from Holland. She is amazing when it comes to painting, and she also has a good eye for design and composition. I also have many other students that have just been a joy to get to know. The more I am in this school, and no matter how preppy or international it is, highschoolers are highschoolers no matter where in the world they come from. They all have the same hopes, fears, dreams, struggles, desires, wants, needs, and the list goes on.

Tyler is doing well and continues to enjoy his work with both the sports ministry and the youth group. He’s been fighting a bad cold all week, but he thinks he is finally breaking it. Saturday’s have become our day off together, which has provided for loads of fun. Last weekend, we hiked a mountain called Sugarloaf. It was so windy - blowing up the mountain - it nearly blew us off our feet at the top. Then it took three tries to get back down going against the wind. It was worth it. We had a great view of the towns of Bray and Greystones. We warmed up, thereafter, at Powerscourt Mansion, sipping coffee and enjoying the views that you may remember from the party scene in the movie, “Count of Monte Cristo.” There’s your recommendation for a movie to watch this weekend… after you cheer on Ohio State to their victory on Saturday – GO BUCKS!!!

Okay, I think it is time for bed. Good night.

Erin Whitney

P.S. If you are in Upland area, you must see my good friend Becky Beeh’s senior art exhibit at the Metcalf Art Building. I had a sneak peek of it before I came here – I am sad to be missing her opening on Friday night the 17th from 7-9pm. It should be up for at least two weeks.

2006-11-09T09:59:00.000-08:00

Now We’re Going Full Speed Ahead

This week we got to experience what a normal week will be like. Erin is back to teaching at the school. She is really enjoying her students and the teacher that she is working beside. It has been interesting to see how independent they allow their students to be, especially the older ones. Most of the classes allow the students to just work on projects they have going at for a while. Because of this, Erin has really been able to converse and get to know her students, which is great.

Work in Ballymun with Sportslife is going well. Dan coaches a school team of freshman boys and I am now his assistant coach. The boys on the team are great and we have a fun time with them during practices. Beyond that, I have started to do some administrative work for the ministry as well.

Both Erin and I attended our first youth group meeting at St. Mark’s this past Friday. The students are much different from the kids that Dan and I work with in Ballymun for obvious social reasons, since many of them have been in church their whole lives. But just as in any other youth ministry, there is still a lot of room for growth in depth of commitment and in numbers. On Sunday morning, one of the other volunteers in the youth ministries told us how one of the girls, in particular, really clicked with Erin and couldn’t wait to see her again. Outside of Friday night meetings and Wednesday night leaders’ meetings, I will be putting many hours in at the office at the church working on youth group matters.

Thanks again for your prayers and support. We are really enjoying it here and feeling as though God has us in the right place at the right time.

Love,
Tyler and Erin

Prayer Requests:
- The Holy Spirit’s guidance as we plan a retreat for the St. Mark’s youth group at the end of the month.
- The guys on the freshman basketball team in Ballymun – that Dan and I would have opportunities to share and converse with them on an individual basis

2006-11-02T11:56:00.000-08:00

Gettin' the Ball Rollin'

This week we began work with both the St. Mark's Church youth group and in Ballymun with Sportslife International. On Tuesday evening, both of us met some of the youth from St. Mark's for the first time at a a Halloween alternative party. With students in Ireland having this week off, Halloween is that much more of a problem over here with drunken bonfires taking place all over. The party was a first-time attempt to provide a fun alternative event for the local youth groups. It went well and was fun for all. I was humbled in the blow-up sumo ring as Andrew, one of the older kids in the group, got the best of me with his size and rugby skills. Erin and I will both be helping out with the normal youth meetings on Friday nights.

Yesterday, I got my first experience with the Sportslife ministry in the Ballymun community. As referenced in our initial letter, Ballymun is a rougher community in northern Dublin that has been ravaged over the years by unemployments, drug usage, and suicide. The event we put on yesterday was a three-on-three basketball tournament for mostly 10-12 year olds. We only had about a dozen kids, but I think they all had a good time. One of the other volunteers presented a short lesson on John 3:16 during a break. It looks as if ministering to these kids will be a tough task, but if God is with us anything can happen.

Erin is in the middle of her midterm break. Pretty rough to work 3 days and then have one week off! On Tuesday, we got to enjoy a long hike on Bray Head, which was a gorgeous walk on a gorgeous day.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support. May God bless you richly.

Love,
Tyler and Erin

Prayer Requests:
Tyler - That good relationships would start to form with the kids at St. Mark's and at Ballymun.
Erin - That Erin would continue to know her students on a deeper level

Erin and I at St. Stephan's Green in Dublin

Carrig Eden - where Erin and I live

2006-10-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

In the land of leprechauns

Greetings from Ireland! We have arrived safely and are settling in nicely. It is so good to finally be here. We are living in the town of Greystones, which is about a 50-minute train (DART) ride south of downtown Dublin. Erin and I have a small apartment in a retreat center setting. It is cozy, but it get’s the job done and we are thankful for the great deal we are getting on it. The location of it is amazing as we are right on the Irish Sea! As a bonus, we are basically around the corner from the Irish Studies Program students from Taylor University and their small campus here. We know the professor-leaders (Scott and Jenn Moeschberger) of their group as well as some of the students, so it has been fun to have some familiar faces around as we have transitioned to living here.

Erin has begun her student teaching at St. Andrew’s College in Booterstown, which is a 40-minute DART ride toward downtown. Her first day was yesterday and went very well. The school is in large part, very international, as she has students in her classes from nearly every continent. The school is very prestigious in the area, and we are very thankful for the opportunity that Erin has to train there.

As for me, my work does not begin until the middle of next week as the leader of the two ministries with which I will be apart is gone in the States for a conference. Therefore, I have been able to direct my time to getting things settled for us, as well as resting, reading, exploring, and getting rejuvenated. It has been excellent! Erin and I did get a chance to stop in at St. Mark’s church, where we’ll be helping with the youth ministry. We met a couple other staff members and we are very excited to get going with that.

Many thanks to all of you who are praying for us and financially supporting us here. We hope the kingdom of God will be advanced here in Ireland and that we ourselves would continually experience the presence of God in our lives, as we seek to implement the gifts and abilities that God has given us.

Many blessings on you all,

Tyler and Erin

Prayer Requests,
1) For Erin, that she would really be able to get to know her students and would be able to reflect Christ to them.
2) For Tyler, that God would continue to recharge him in every way.
3) For us, that we would continue to transition well.

2006-10-17T08:25:00.000-07:00

The time for us to leave is approaching quickly and we are extremely excited. Our flight is scheduled to take off on Sunday evening out of Chicago. We will fly through the night and arrive in Dublin mid-morning on Monday. Erin will begin right away with student teaching, beginning on Tuesday. As for me, I have a little breather once we arrive, as Dan - the leader of the ministries with which I will be volunteering - will be away at a conference.

This week is full of finishing up duties here as we try to finish out our current jobs, pack up everything, and get around all of the details that are involved with moving overseas for 6 months. This weekend, we were able to enjoy seeing some friends and family down at Upland, and we got to share about what we are about to do and give the lesson for the Upland Community Church senior high youth group - which we have both volunteered with in the past. We had a lot of fun doing so and it gave us even greater enthusiasm for the work we will be doing in Ireland.

Prayer Requests:
-That Erin and I finish well, at the school and at the golf course respectively
-That we get all of our bases covered with documentation, financial support, insurance,and a work permit for Erin that will begin after she is done student teaching
-That God will continue to prepare us in every way for the big transition