Sunday...

Here's the report about Sunday as promised:

It was the most wonderful day of the entire weekend! Kari and I had done some searching for churches close to campus on Saturday, but didn't find many, and the ones we did find didn't post the time the service was to start. So, we decided to take the train back to Carrickfergus to attend one of the churches we had seen there on Saturday. It was a cold, windy and rainy morning, so the walk to the train station was less than enjoyable, but we survived and were looking forward to a nice cup of tea and a scone when we arrived. Unfortunately, we arrived in Carrickfergus to find the streets deserted and all the shops and stores closed! We wandered around the town for a while, but unable to find anything open, Kari and I went back to the train station to get out of the rain and sit in some warmth until the 11:30 church service at First Carrickfergus Presbyterian Church. Instead of tea and scones, we bought juice boxes and Kari got a Snickers from the station's concession stand.

At 11:15 we headed back to the church, and it was well worth getting wet in the rain and waiting in the train station. From the moment we stepped inside, people were greeting us left and right with heart-warming smiles and cheerful welcomes. I don't think I've ever felt so welcomed when visiting a church as I did there. Another one of God's many blessings I suppose! Anyhow, Kari and I went in the sanctuary and found a seat and a few minutes later the pastor, Cecil, sought us out to introduce himself and welcome us. He took a few minutes to tell us a little bit about how the service was going to go and to find out a little bit about Kari and I. We told him we were both from Wisconsin in the US, which everyone guessed straight away by our accents. Coincidently, he was going to use a video clip of Lake Delton washing away that house this past summer during his sermon! He introduced us to a couple of church members sitting around us before leaving to finish preparing for the service, both of whom were very kind and invited us to stay for tea, coffee and biscuits after the service - just like church at home!

The service was fantastic. Pastor Cecil started out with announcements and included an announcement that "We have two young ladies visiting with us from America, Kari and Kelsey. Please make sure you make them feel welcome with us today." Of course everyone turned to look at us, which was slightly embarassing, but after the service we must have met twenty different people all wishing us the best in our studies and expressing their hope that'd we be back again. The rest of the service, other than the sermon, was led by the children of their Sunday School group, Christian Endeavor. I loved it! They announced songs, led the congregation in prayer, shared with us the various missions projects they were helping to fund with the day's offerings, read the Bible passage (the story of the house on the rock and the house on the sand) and even wrote and performed a skit to act it out! Kari and I definitely want to go back. We even got contact information from several individuals who offered to give us a lift to service next week and invited us to the college group.

So that was church yesterday. By the time we got back to campus the rain had stopped and the sun was shining again! I spent most of the afternoon figuring out my timetable (aka schedule) for classes this week, and then I went to the campus entrance to meet my dear friend Elsie. It was dinner time!

Elsie picked me up at 5 pm and together we drove to the apartment she rents to students and tourists. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by the couple that joined us. Larry and Jane are from Austin, Texas, but they have lived all over the world, in places such as Portugal, Peru, Brazil, Daytona Beach, Florida and Madison, Wisconsin (Larry got his master's degree there). They came to Northern Ireland through a Fullbright Scholar teaching program that Larry is part of. He will be teaching social policy classes here at Jordanstown. The best part about Larry and Jane...he is 72 and she is 71! I guess you could say I was hanging out with an older crowd?!

Elsie has a cute little house just up the road from the Jordanstown campus. Her son, Matthew, who is 29, also joined us for our delicious dinner of chicken roast, vegetables, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy. As if that wasn't enough, we had fresh apple pie and custard for dessert and then tea with milk and chocolate covered biscuits (aka cookies) for second dessert! I was filled to the top. After dinner we went into the living room to watch the UK version of Antique Road Show. For a moment I thought I was living in a retirement village, but no matter. The conversation was pleasant and I had an absolutely lovely time!! I think I could listen to Larry and Jane's stories of all the places they've lived and their many adventures forever.

When it was time to leave, Larry and Jane gave me their phone number and email address and urged me to contact them if I needed anything at all. In Jane's words, "If you're feeling homesick, just give us a call and we'll come and pick you up and take care of you." Two more acquaintances whose kindness I will treasure for a very long time! Elsie's goodbye was no different. She told me to be sure to stay in contact with her and said she was going to invite me to have tea with her and her son's girlfriend the next time they get together. She also said I could call her and she would come pick me up if I just need to get away or talk through things or just for some advice from a local or a ride to the grocery store. She even referred to me as her foster child for the semester. Never have I known such kindness and love from complete strangers. God has blessed me tremendously with these guardian angels and I look forward to spending more time with them as the semester progresses!