Pictures of the work we're doing

We've been at the job for two days! Here are some photos from the site.

This is the front of the building. It was built in the 1930's as a church and named Trinity Church, then was sold in the 1900's and made into the Labor Exchange. Just a couple years ago, the Trinity church we're here working with bought the old building to use as their new building. They had no idea at first that it was originally called Trinity church. How awesome is that?! Anyway, it's not much to look at from the outside, but it's amazing inside. Ok, it's a total mess right now, but the bones are amazing. I wish I could've seen it in all it's glory in the 1800s!!

Julia and I moving a bunch of lumber


This is the room we are working in all week. It is no where near done, but has come a long way since the purchased the building. Part of this room has to be move-in ready by next week because the church's old office building sold and they have to get out quick! It might not be perfect or totally ready, but they're coming anyway! This is the only really "good" looking room in the entire place right now.


Julia and Barry looking cute as ever




Paul doing some mudding






Josh and me in our full, safety gear






This is "our" room. Where we meet, have snacks/tea, and do our daily devotions. It's tiny and is at the top of the building. The condition of the room will kind of show you how the rest of the building looks.. it's in need of a lot of work!






This is the project I worked on the entire first day. It is a vent hood for the kitchen that had been sitting outside in the elements for over a year. We had to clean it up really good and it took a LOT of elbow grease!






Diana and me in the middle of it. (you can kind of see how nasty the inside of that thing was!) The only thing we had to clean it with was brillo type pads, rags, and gritty hand cleaner






Afterwards, all shiny! We didn't think it'd ever come clean!







Josh sanding away






Barry flexing his sanding muscles






Jacob in the sanding room. These three guys are doing an awesome job!








Barry got just a little dusty in the sanding room






This is the large room upstairs. We're not working in this room though. It is absolutely spectacular. The details in this room are amazing!!








Today (Tuesday) we got to go on a little shopping excursion during our lunch break. Christine, (the obvious Irish woman) is a member of the church and offered to take us. She is SO incredibly sweet! This is me, Sandra, Mary Ann and Christine






Just another picture to show how dilapidated the building is.

Here is a video of the main room (again, this is not the one we're working on. This one is on the 2nd floor (technically first floor since they call the one below it the ground floor.. whatever!) Sorry for the poor video quality...

More Ireland pictures

We've been here several days now and have finished our 2nd day at work. It's TOUGH work!! We're doing everything from sanding floors, painting, mudding, more sanding, more painting, scrubbing, cleaning, you name it! It's been hard, and we're all a little sore and high from paint/paint stripper fumes, but we're happy to be here.

We love it! Except for the rain. In case you didn't know, it rains in Ireland ALL THE TIME. But it's not too terrible. We just always take rain jackets! And the fact that several of us have almost gotten killed by buses and trains. That whole looking right instead of left before crossing the road is is difficult to remember! On Sunday, we went to church and then to Glendalough for the afternoon. It's amazing! Here are a few pictures from there.

So many incredibly old graves


Gorgeous lake


Just to prove we really were/are in Ireland :)

After the tour of Glendalough, we went to one of the church members house for a team dinner. It was delicious!! We had beef, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, mashed turnips, mixed veggies, and carrots. For dessert we had trifles (which was basically banana pudding..very good) and fruit crisp (basically fruit cobbler) as well as fresh whipped cream. It was wonderful!

Our stay with our host family is going really well. We're actually staying with the pastor (although they don't like to use that word) and his wife, Fergus and Sarah. They're very gracious hosts and we love it. Two other team members, Dave and Sherry, are here too. Sarah has cooked us amazing meals every night and is taking great care of us! We're still adjusting to riding the train to and from town, but we're getting there. The first day, we watched our train go by and didn't get on. It can be quite confusing! All I can say is I sure am glad it's an English speaking country or else we'd be in REAL trouble!

Anyway, the stay is going well and we're having fun. It's definitely not been easy work or fun work necessarily, but it's so wonderful to know that we're helping to further the Kingdom of God by being here! Please continue to pray for our team as we're tired (not from jet lag anymore, but just tired from hard physical labor!!) and Satan is really trying to attack us each in different ways. We're all doing well though!

We're here!!

And we haven't slept in way too many hours to count. We got up yesterday, Friday, at 8:00 Texas time. It's now Saturday, 9:00 Ireland time, and we're just now getting to bed. It's been a loooong day (or two??) but we're here and we're alive! The host family we're staying with is super nice. David and Sherry are also staying at the same house with us. Partaaay :) A wonderful surprise: the house has Wi-Fi! So we shouldn't have any problems updating this blog, checking emails, etc. Hooray!

The flight to Chicago was fairly uneventful. And we survived the loooong flight to Ireland. The landing into Dublin was quite interesting. Apparently they had some serious wind and our plane was bouncing all over the place, quite literally. Talk about leaving fingernail marks in the seats! Anyway, we made it.

After we arrived in Dublin, we went to the Trinity church office building (which they just sold and have to be out of in 2 weeks, which is yet another reason we're working so hard to finish up some stuff!) to have an orientation, then meet our hosts. We drove to our hosts home and got settled. They live only a 10 minute walk from the beach!! we can't wait to see that! Afterwards, we met up with Kim Garrity and he showed us around downtown Dublin. We didn't really SEE much, it was more of a "this is something you may want to see" type thing. It was great because he showed us where the basic stuff was and how to get to it. Plus, I think we were all way too exhausted to actually do any real sightseeing.

Tomorrow, we'll head to church and then we're going out to the countryside to see some stuff. We're all really excited about that! Then, on Monday, we'll start our work with the church which is going to be really great. We can't wait! Please keep praying for our team as we are all completely, utterly exhausted! Here are a few pictures from today (yesterday?) for your viewing pleasure:

Getting ready to leave the church for DFW airport

Some of us on the flight to Dublin

We're in Ireland!!!

The Ireland flag

Somewhere in downtown Dublin

Dad - This is just for you.

One more day!!

We leave tomorrow! I can't believe it's finally HERE. Josh and I are excited and nervous, but so ready to go. Please be in prayer for us, and for the entire team, as Satan has already begun his dirty work. The discouragement, fear, and anxiety are among the things everyone is undoubtedly starting to experience. Please be in prayer that the Lord will comfort us, keep us safe, and do a mighty work through us.

We leave tomorrow afternoon and will arrive in Dublin on Saturday morning. Hopefully we'll be able to update soon!

Thank you for your support and prayers! We really appreciate it and are thrilled that you are teaming with us on this journey for the Lord!

One...Two...Three...CHEESE!!!!!

Here is our team!! Aren't we a good looking group??
L-R Back row: Robin, Josh, Julia, Barry, Barbie, Jacob, David, Paul, Fletcher, Peter, Gretchen
L-R Front Row: Mary Ann, Jeanne, Sherry, Mindy, and Sandra

We can't believe that we are leaving NEXT FRIDAY!! It still seems like this trip is way out in the future. I guess that's because we've been planning it for at least a year! It's exciting to see it finally almost time.

We talked some about communication in our last team meeting. I can't say for sure, but I don't think our team with have major issues with this. There is a great dynamic within the team and we all seem to get along fantastically. We're just ready to get there and get to work!

We've gotten a little more detail on what we'll be doing.. painting, tiling, wallpapering, and perhaps some drywall/plaster. Hooray! I'm sure things will come up and there will be oddball things, but those are "on the agenda" at this point.

Please keep praying for us as we get ready to leave. Packing for a foreign country, especially when you'll be working and aren't sure of the working conditions, is difficult! I'm sure everyone on the team is scrambling around to get things done... I know we are! Also, please pray for the health of everyone on the team. I know that there are some bugs going around the metroplex right now, so would you please pray for protection for us from those? It'd be quite miserable to be on an overseas flight with a nasty head cold! Prayers for general health are also greatly appreciated!

This Sunday the church will be praying over us as we prepare to leave. It should be an awesome time.

We can't wait!!!

3 weeks!!!!

I've been bad about updating this lately! Sorry about that!

We had another Ireland team meeting on Sunday. It is quickly approaching! I can't believe we leave in 18 days!!

We talked some about struggles and challenges we may experience while in Ireland. Mostly things within the team. I honestly don't think we're going to have any major problems with each other. I'm sure there will be small things that one person does that will drive another nuts, but nothing mission-threatening.

We had some time to share things that might "set us off" so that the other team members might be aware. For example: Josh might get annoyed if we're running late or behind. Barry said gets irritable when he's hungry. Dude, I can so relate. We will be the fussy ones if tea time is delayed! That may seem silly, but these things are things that might be helpful for our teammates to know so that we can do what we can to avoid them. (Like, being on time to dinner so Josh doesn't get frustrated because we're late and so we can eat on time so Barry and I don't go bananas on everyone!) All in all, I dont' think we'll have too many major issues. Now that I've said that, God will probably allow something major to happen ;) That's ok though! We can handle it!

I went on several mission trips while in college (NYC and Mexico) and so I do understand some of the troubles that can happen amongst team members. But there are some vast differences in those trips and the one we're about to embark on. Some of the differences in this trip and the ones I've been on in the past are:

1) We are all adults! Ok, so technically you're an adult at 18, and everyone on the college mission trips were over 18, but there is a difference in being 18, young, wild, and fancy free and being a mature, married self-reliant adult. By now, we can (hopefully!) all deal with the petty differences with each other and not throw a hissy fit.

2) There are no cliques. Most of us had never met prior to signing up for this trip so it's given us a great opportunity to get to know each other on an equal field. Sure, we may bond with one person more than another, but it's not like in college where I was with my best friends and so-and-so was with their best friends and we totally didn't talk or hang out. I love that we have no cliques!

3) This may seem like a silly one, but most, if not all, of our team members are married. Some are going as couples (us!) and some are not, but it is refreshing that we won't have to worry about "Johnny" having a crush on "Lucy", but "Lucy" likes "Billy". I hated that on the college trips. It was more like a dating trip than a mission trip.

This is just a short run down on a few of the things we talked about!

Some prayer requests:
1) For our team and that we will continue to grow closer together and bond as a team
2) For our host families that we will be staying with. That they will be prepared for us crazy Americans!
3) For all of the team members and that we will remain healthy now and through the trip.
4) For the project and the folks that are working there now
5. For the people and parolees that we will be working with and that God will begin to soften their hearts to hear the Word
4) That our plane doesn't encounter any problems that would cause us to crash over the dark, deep, Atlantic ocean in a huge fiery inferno...at night...with no where to land (can you tell the one thing I am nervous about??? :) )

That's it for this week!

PS - Did you know that finding a place in the metromess that has or can order Euros is might near impossible? Ugh!

3rd Team meeting

We had our third prep/training meeting today after church. Kim Garrity, the project supervisor of our team, was there which was super cool. He was able to tell us a little more about Ireland, and specifically Dublin. We talked about stereotypes and what we kind of expected over there. If you've seen the movie Waking Ned Devine, then you kinda can see what my preconceptions of Ireland might be! If you haven't seen that movie, well, then watch it because it rocks. So yeah, my preconceptions:

1. Old (not really the people physically, but the surroundings.. houses, buildings, roads, etc)
2. Deeply rooted in tradition
3. Funny accents (I totally think this one is valid!)
4. Laid back and slow
5. Very family/friends oriented
6. Quiet, empty streets...dreary almost. No crowds
7. Dirty.... Yes, that sounds bad, but it's true!!
8. Lots of farms and farmers
9. Very religious. Think "high church"
10. I'm almost afraid to say this one, but when I think of Ireland, I think of lots of drunks and pubs on every corner.. Instead of Starbucks they have like O'Toole's Pub or something. Forget morning coffee, go in for your morning shot of whiskey!

Now, keep in mind I've never been overseas so all I really "know" is what I've seen in pictures, movies, and read about in books. Some of these stereotypes I have were shattered after listening to Kim talk this morning. Apparently Dublin somewhat resembles America; meaning that it's modern, bustling, fast-paced and CROWDED! But, definitely not America. Still, this is completely NOT what I was thinking. I'm very interested to see how many of my other stereotypes will be ripped to shreds once we get there and experience the culture for ourselves!

Kim also told us that we will be working with parolees/ex-cons. There is a program there that brings in people who've just gotten out of jail and puts them to work. This helps them come back into society and gain useful working skills in the meantime. It's safe to say that many if not most of these people are non-believers. I'm actually really excited about this part! Having worked with Mission Arlington for years, I know that the roughest, toughest people are sometimes some of the people with the most raw, open and receptive hearts. I can't wait to see how God uses us to interact with these people.

We also spent some time in prayer. For those of you who have committed to praying for us and the team, here are some specific requests:

1. That the Lord will soften and prepare our hearts for what we will encounter there. That He will help us to be open and flexible in everything we do. That He will help us stand strong and not be discouraged when Satan throws things in our way, which he undoubtedly will do.

2. That God will also prepare the hearts of those we will be working with. This would include the church members, the project contractors, the parolees, and the strangers we may meet in our daily interactions

3. The health of our team members as we prep for the trip and especially while we are there. Some of the team members have some health issues as is so please pray that the Lord will protect us all while we are in Ireland

4. Peace for all of us as we've all experienced some nervousness in sending out our support letters. It's much easier to ask for support when you're a broke college student, but being a responsible adult makes it a whole other level. Also, please pray for the recipients of those letters and that the Lord will lead them (you!) to pray for us continually in our mission.

Those are the major ones for now. I'm sure we will be adding to that prayer list as we go!

I'll end with a joke that was told during our meeting today..

Q. What do you call an Irish 7 course meal?


A. A six pack and a potato :)

Interesting Ireland Facts

We've been on a 2 week hiatus from our team meetings, so nothing new to report yet. We have our next meeting tomorrow morning and each Sunday from then until our trip. We'll be posting more soon! In the meantime, here are some interesting facts about Ireland that one of our teammates gave us all at the last meeting 2 weeks ago!

1. Population over 4 million (as of July 05) - equally divided between males and females
2. Over 40% of the population lives within 97km of Dublin (the capital of Ireland)
3. Median age is 33 years
4. 98% literacy rate
5. 12 million sheep
6. Average life expectancy is 77.56 years
7. There are 900 pubs in Dublin, but rural pubs are closing at a rate of 1 a day due to a combo of high costs, smoking ban, and tougher laws against driving while intoxicated
8. All windmills in Ireland turn clockwise, the rest of the windmills in the world turn counter-clockwise
9. over 10,000 new businesses started in the first six months of this year
10. Ireland is the 2nd wealthiest nation in the world with over 30,000 millionaires
11. First divorce ever granted by the Irish government was in 1997
12. Vikings founded Dublin in 988 and they called it "Black Pool"
13. Dublin is the newest "microchip" capital of the world and world's largest exporter of software
14. Dublin is second in traffic jams behind Calcutta, India
15. The average cost of a home in Dublin is $283,000
16. World's only country with a musical instrument for a national symbol - the harp
17. The original White House was designed by Irish architect James Hotan in 1792. He oversaw the 3 year long restoration after the British burned it in the war of 1812.
18. The first American general to die in The Revolution Richard Montgomery, born in Donegal, Ireland
19. Natural resources are natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, gypsum, limestone, and dolomite
20. 10,000 Chinese students a year come for 12 months , spend 3 months learning English, 9 months working, then return home and allow the next group to come. 125 workers look after all of them
21. The battle of 1690 led to the battle between the Protestants and Catholics that is still going on today
22. The 3 color Irish flag, created in 1848, reflects the country's political realities. Orange stands for Irish Protestants, Green for Irish Catholics, and the white stripe for the hope that peace might eventually be reached between them
23. Ireland has the 2nd highest number of lawyers per capital in the world, after the USA
24. Ireland has the lowest unemployment rate of any country in the European Union
25. In a recent national survey conducted for Catholic and Protestant organizations, only 5% of 15-24 year olds could quote the 1st commandment. About 1/3 didn't know where Jesus was born, and 35% did not know what is being celebrated on Easter
26. Old Irish legend says that while Christ will judge all nations on judgment day, St. Patrick will be the judge of the Irish.

Ireland bound!

The Davis Family is headed to Ireland! This blog will be a means for us to update everyone on our preparation for the trip and hopefully, updates during the trip.

Our church, McKinney Memorial Bible Church, is sending a team over to Dublin, Ireland from October 3 - October 12 to work on a project with the Trinity Network. We have been blessed with the amazing opportunity to join this team. We can't hardly wait!! We will be doing construction type work on the newly renovated Trinity Church.

The church was originally built in 1839 and has recently been reclaimed from the Labor Exchange. They project has been a huge undertaking and they're finally about ready to open it's doors again. When we go, we will be doing the finishing touches. In addition to all the physical labor we will be doing, this will be an opportunity for us to witness what the Lord is doing in other countries and cultures. We will have the opportunity to meet Irish believers (and non-believers!) and encourage each other.

In order to make all this possible, we are building a team of ministry partners. This group consists of anyone who is willing to pray for us and our team as we head overseas and perhaps support us financially. We have to raise $3800 by September 12, 2008. Regardless of whether or not you are able to give financially, would you please keep this mission in your prayers as we prepare to enter the spiritual battlefield that is Ireland.

Any gifts should be made payable to “McKinney Memorial Bible Church.” You can also give online at www.mckinneychurch.com/giving. Either way please designate your gift for “Ireland – Davis.” Please note that all funds raised in excess of the total trip cost will be disbursed at the discretion of the McKinney Global Missions Committee.

We are looking forward to keeping you up to date with everything we are doing in preparation for this mission. Please, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask!