I_Am_is_in_me on Xanga

"I'm not so much a thinker...I'm a feeler"

I_Am_is_in_me
read my profile sign my guestbook Name: Megan Country: United States State: Illinois Birthday: 6/4/1985 Gender: Female Interests: I love...Jesus, my puppy-Annie, my family, my friends, laughing, babies, movies, U2, boneless buffalo wings, and Ireland. And I'm learning to play the guitar. Message: message me Member Since: 9/16/2005

SubscriptionsSites I Read
Subscribe to I_Am_is_in_me Get trial subscription LindleyAC05 squeaks_a_lot_bunches Pdubbya fedx13 Living4MyLord JoyNhim247 psandberg angiegirl starsweets0587 godchaser247 kupris lginter sweetannabella daynalougordon Christopherpros blurthelines sidewalkoflight adartse_b ade14 raynwar ibebob JudsonInAustria2005 daddiesgurl83 Guy_Smitty DarkWingDuck007 dancnfingerz smiller83

Blogrings
X judson college -where dancing leads to Hell X previous - random - next

Posting Calendar

\|<< oldest \| newest >>\|
view all weblog archives

Monday, June 19, 2006

Currently Listening
X&Y
By Coldplay
see related

So I have been told that some people have been questioning my whereabouts and whether I am still alive or not, due to my lack of emails. I am terribly sorry! However, rest assured that I am alive and I am well.

We had a team from Kentucky in these past 10 days or so. They were high schoolers or recent graduates. They were an amazing team! They worked hard and worked well with the kids of Dundrum. I got to know some of them pretty well and I hope to keep in touch with them.

I actually got to do what I came here to do. I finally spent some time with the youth of Dundrum. It was nice and I enjoyed it! Actually…it was amazing! Three girls prayed to accept Jesus this past Friday. I don’t even think that I can write it all out…it was just that amazing.

If you can please pray for those three girls: Martina, Naomi, and Danielle. Becca and I are meeting with them tonight to talk things over with them and see how they are doing. Please pray that this is not just a decision that they are making based on emotions and that they will be strong, because they are bound to be hit hard! There are also some kids who are really searching. They need your prayers as well. Please pray for the team here…that they can and will be ready for God to use them to mentor these kids.

Thank you so much for keeping me and the people here in your prayers! Please keep praying…I can really use them as of late!!!

Megan

12:07 PM - 31 views - 4 eprops - 3 comments - email it

Monday, June 05, 2006

Well, I’m back in Northern Ireland now. These past two weeks have been so long…and then looking back…so short! I will miss the people that I met greatly! They were wonderful and I will never forget them.

This past week was our Holiday Club and Teen Coffee Bar. I was in charge of the crafts for the Holiday Club and they all went really well! The children were so adorable! The Teen Coffee Bar went well also. For the most part, the teens that went there were church kids. This is different from Northern Ireland! They were wonderful kids! Many of them helped out in the Holiday Club and also wanted to spend time with us outside of the coffee bar. This was exciting and helped us to build stronger relationships with them.

The church that we worked with, meaning the body of believers that we were working with and ministering to, were amazing to us. As you know…these two weeks weren’t the easiest for me…and being away from home magnified the issues for me. But, these people became like family to me. They threw me a surprise 21^st birthday party the day before my birthday. These people knew me less then 2 weeks! They were a blessing to me!

My team was also a huge blessing. There were 6 of us total: 2 Northern Irelanders and 4 Americans. Richie and Becca were our leaders from Murlough house and Sam also works at Murlough and came along to do his puppet ministry. Chris Stewart and Alex are the other two interns here.

Richie is from N. Ireland. His sense of humor is different from ours…mine, but he has a wonderful heart. He pushes people and wants them to grow. I was lucky and got to get to know him a little more because he was one of the people that stayed in the house that I was in. He is a wonderful guy who watched out for us all!

Becca is from Florida and is dating Richie. She also stayed at the house I was in. I spent a lot of time with Becca these first two weeks. She isn’t used to having another girl around Murlough so it was nice for her to have me there…and I wouldn’t have lasted without her! She has just been amazing to me. I can’t say more besides that I love her!

Sam is the other Northern Irelander. He does amazing work in children’s ministry! He has so much fun with the kids and they love him! I was able to show some of my skills in puppets…and I have to say…I don’t have much skill in them!

Chris is from Arlington Heights and we go to college together, for those of you who do not know him. It has been wonderful having him here. He can always make me laugh and he is one of the BEST listeners ever! It is wonderful to see him in action and I know that he is going to be a wonderful youth pastor someday. I love to see God working through him. He is a blessing to me as well as the kids we’re working with here.

Alex is from IN and wants to be a missionary full-time. He has been a tremendous blessing to me as well. He looks out for me: when he saw that I was struggling with public speaking, he offered to help and told me that if I really couldn’t do it, he would. He gave me his material that he had planned for the coffee bar, and after everything with Bruce, he took that night over completely for me. I was so stressed and so…exhausted in everyway imaginable. I needed my load to be lightened and he was there to do it…without me ever asking!

Needless to say, I have been blessed by these people…I have been blessed by God through these people. They all watch out for me. I’m well taken care of! God is amazing!

4:49 PM - 20 views - 4 eprops - 2 comments - email it

Sunday, May 28, 2006

As I got on the computer to write an update about all that has gone on these first 7 days of my 7 week mission trip to Northern Ireland…even though my first 2 weeks are in Whitehaven, England…I got a scary email from my family saying only one line: “Megan, please call home as soon as you get this message, it is urgent.”

I quickly called my family and I got the news that my youth pastor, Bruce Sperling, passed away this weekend. He was so young, early thirties. He go married not too long ago, about a year and a half. He was amazing! I am so blessed that God put him in my life, however a short time it was. I he died a hero…he lived like a hero. God used Bruce to save many lives. I have so many good memories of him. I loved him dearly and I will miss him greatly! He is with my Lord…his Lord, now. I can just see how big the smile on his face must be…I know that Bruce would not want me to loose focus here. It will be so…so hard. I long to be home with my family and friends.

I spoke earlier about how I was about to write about my time here so far before I heard the news. I was writing to all of you and to Bruce as well. Here is what I was going to say to him…to you…

I got to Murlough house after a long flight and as soon as everything got settled, I was told that we were going to leave to go to England to the next morning at 5:00. We got here and I was told that I was going to be in charge of crafts for the VBS…or Holiday Club as they call it. I was also told that I needed to lead a discussion for the night with the teens. This is something that is really hard for me…no, it is more terrifying for me.
The first week at Whitehaven was spent in the schools. We did assemblies for the young children, which I was in charge of the memory verse and I had a small part in the sketch. This was fun and enjoyable for me. I liked this. Then I had a part…speaking part in the assemblies for the teens. This is not enjoyable for me. Our focus was on identity and questions. My section was to be a personal question that I ask God about identity. I talked about the question that asked God repeatedly and recently because of the situation that I was in: God why did you make me the way that I am? Why do you make me terrified of speaking in public? I shared about how I look at others and long for their gifts. I see how God has blessed them in that area and how I want Him to do the same for me. But then I talked about how I wasn’t being me. I wasn’t being who God made me to be, even though I don’t understand it. I talked about the parts of the body and the importance of looking to God and not to others to find out who I am.
This was so hard for me because I do not always live it out. I was honest with them and told them this. I was so nervous the whole time…before, during, and after. It was physically, spiritually, and emotionally draining for me. I know I sound like a sissy, but this is something that is horrifying for me. I cried many times in my bedroom. Even though I was upset with God and myself, I found myself relying on God more then ever. He truly carried me through this time and there was no way I would have gotten through it without him. For those of you who know me, you know that I normally would have only gotten through my name and then I would have busted out crying. But I got through it all…all that I wanted to say was said…or I should say, all that God wanted me to say I said.
This next week is the Holiday Club and the Drop-in for the teens. I ask that you will pray for this ministry and that God will work wonders. Pleas pray for me as well. It is going to be difficult to get through this week…with all that is on my mind now. Please, PLEASE, pray for Jill, Pastor Bruce’s wife. I can’t imagine what she is going through.

6:24 PM - 31 views - 12 eprops - 6 comments - email it

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Currently Listening
If Songs Could Be Held
By Rosie Thomas
see related

God is so amazing! Amazing…that pretty much sums up the month of March for me…

I went on the Northern Ireland mission trip and my whole heart was changed. Times were rough leading up to the trip, but God started to prune me on this trip. I learned so much about myself and God. He showed our team the power of prayer, which I am ashamed to admit that I had taken it for grated. He showed me to be grateful for the hard times, which is something that I will have to continually work on.

God has given me a heart for the people of Northern Ireland. I keep getting opportunities to go, and I am so excited because He always makes it happen. He has given me another opportunity this summer. I am planning on going back to work in Dundrum this summer for about 5 weeks. I am so excited. I know that I haven’t been home for very long, but everyday I feel a longing to be back there.

Today He has blessed me again by giving me the opportunity to serve Him and the Judson campus through being on JSO as one of the Mission Coordinators. I am so excited that He has given me this opportunity to serve.

I am so thankful and humbled by the grace He has given me. Our God truly is amazing!

2:30 PM - 27 views - 10 eprops - 5 comments - email it

Friday, February 24, 2006

Currently Listening
The Best of 1980-1990
By U2
see related

Ok, starting tomorrow it will be a week til our team leaves for Northern Ireland…CRAZY! I am so excited! I love that place! Please pray for our team and for the people that we will be serving there. I know that we will be seeing Him move there.

12:39 AM - 31 views - 6 eprops - 3 comments - email it

Next 5 >>