Update

I have so much to say I don't know where to begin. I'll begin by saying: Ireland was fabulous! The people were friendly, the food was good, the places were beautiful, the services were Spirit filled, traveling was fun...as everyone else has been saying, "It was a life-changing trip."

Not only did we get to see beautiful countryside and amazing places but we met some amazing people. My most favorite part of the whole trip was establishing relationships with the people. Most of the friendships are with people from Mark and Deanna Mander's church. But I also met many wonderful people in the churches we sang in.

One person in particular to mention would be Andy. Andy was our bus driver every day of the tour. He's originally from Scotland but moved back to Ireland, his wife's home country, about a year ago. Andy quickly became someone I would call family. Having his kind and loving spirit around made our trip all the more wonderful. It was such a pleasure to meet him and get to know him. The night we sang at his church he wore his kilt. It was the neatest thing to see him in his traditional attire. He told me that he usually only wears it for special occasions. It was humbling to think that the GBS choir singing at his church was a "special occasion."


Andy's son was another special person we all got to know and love. His name is Philip, he's 22 and he has down syndrome. He and his mother, Eileen, were fortunate to make it to more than one choir service. Philip loved us just as much as we loved him. Every service they went to he took the same choir program with him. We gave him some CDs and Eileen said that night Philip slept with them under his arms. Sunday evening we gave him a progrom that we all signed. He absolutely loves that program. Eileen told me that since then he carries that thing with him everywhere and shows it off to everyone. Andy has laminated it so that it won't become worn. What an honor it is to be used by God to make an impact in the life of even one person.

Here are the McLellans: Eileen, Andy and Philip


Another precious family we met are the Stewart's. Wesley Stewart was our sound man. He came to every service, set up his sound equipment and managed it for us. He was a joy to have around! He was always so cheerful and encouraging. His wife's name is Lorna, and they have two daughters named Rebekah and Hannah. They were also able to come to more than one service. It was so nice to see them sitting in the audience, smiling and enjoying the presence of God.

The Stewarts (clockwise from left): Lorna, Wesley, Rebekah and Hannah


A dear couple who helped us out a few days of the tour was Rev. Eric and Yvonne Stewart. They are actually Wesley's parents. Rev. Stewart is the former senior pastor of Coleraine Independent Methodist Church, the church where Mark Mander is now the senior pastor. Their love for Jesus shines from their faces. Simply glancing at them during our services would give me an extra boost of energy to continue singing.

The Stewarts: Rev. Eric and Yvonne


Overall, the people were wonderful. These are just a few of whom I was able to establish relationships with. As we passed through each church I was able to meet many more wonderful people. It was so encouraging to sing to people who were hungry for the Lord's presence. Everywhere we went we were greeted with anticipation; almost as if we carried the presence of God with us. It makes me sad to think that many we sang to have never experienced His presence like they did during the services. Our expression of worship was very new to them.

I must say that there is nothing special about the GBS choir. Everything we do, we do for the glory and honor of God. We are simply instruments used by Him. I hope that we were able to effectively carry out the message of the Gospel through our singing. And I also hope that the people know that we aren't the only ones who carry God's presence with us, but that they can too.

I'm Back!!!

Well, I'm back from Ireland. Feeling a little sad about it. In the short time I was over there I grew to love it so much! I will definitely miss all of the friends I made: Wesley, Lorna and the girls, Andy, Eileen and Philip, Eric and Yvonne, Peter, Keith and Naomi. They will all have a special place in my heart.

The services were amazing! Very different from singing over here in the states. You could tell that the people never before experienced God's presence like they did during the services. It was very humbling to be used by God in such a powerful way. Many people came up to me saying that they felt like they got a taste of heaven. I trust that the Lord will give the increase to the seeds that we planted.

I don't have much time to update on everything. I'll post some pictures...just as soon as I sort through them.

Interesting morning

My morning started off pretty normal:
First alarm clock goes off at 7:45 - hit the snooze.
Second alarm clock goes off at 8:00 - hit the snooze.
Both alarms go off again.....hit the snooze.
Have to go to the bathroom - finally get up out of bed.

So I'm up doing my thing, take a shower, do hair, etc. I look at the clock and it's 9:40 - time for chapel.

I get down there and the chapel is completely empty.

"Did I miss something!?!"

I run up to my room and look at the clock. Yep, it says 9:45 AM. I check my phone...it says 8:45.

How in the world did I do that?

Don't know but I had an extra hour this morning.

Can you say, "AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

It was a beautiful, sunny, warm Saturday. Perfect day to go play volleyball!

We round up about 25 or so people and head to Riverfront for some rousing games of v-ball. To make a long story short, we took a wrong turn at Riverfront and ended up at the Sphinx and Pyramids of Giza (a bunch of kids overtook the courts and decided to build a 3-D replica of Egypt).

So on the road again we were, a caravan of 4 cars, to Highland Heights, KY to play volleyball at some place Chris new of.

Tiffany, Isaac and I rode with Leanna - third car of the motorcade. We were having a great time enjoying the thrill of having the sun roof open, the wind blowing through our hair, Isaac acting like a dog with his head hanging out the window. Life was good. Here's Tiffany and Isaac evidencing a pleasant and enjoyable car ride.



Then it happened (*DUN, dun, dun...*)!

"Leanna, that's our exit! Ryan just got off! Quick, quick!!!"

In a matter of approximately 10.5 seconds Leanna veers across the right lane from the left lane, cuts off an old granny in a Cadillac, and just barely makes the exit.

At one point I look back and see the Caddy just inches away from Leanna's bumper. I think I was holding my breath and screaming at the same time.


Tiffany had an, "I'm-gonna-die-and-I-don't-think-I-really-need-to-use-the-bathroom-anymore!" look:


Isaac was rather calm. I think his reaction was more in reference to Tiffany:


Apparantly, the old lady in the Cadillac looked something like this:


And Leanna, well...she was enjoying the high of adrenaline:


Thank the Lord we made it safely! And I will also add that Leanna did very well despite the circumstances. I have video evidence to prove that Isaac, Tiffany and I all vouch for her as a good driver.

Just for kicks::

Friday evening adventure

Seth, this is for you...(lol)

What does a group of friends do on a rainy, dreary Friday evening?

Well, here were the options:
- Jungle Jim's (interesting, but too far)
- Coffee and a bookstore (typical)
- Bowling (cost money)
- Easter egg hunt (adventurous!)

Can you guess which one we decided to do? Yep, an Easter egg hunt in the rain at Ault Park.

Mel bought the eggs (and chocolate!) and off we were to the park. She and Seth were designated to hide the eggs up near the pavilion.

Meanwhile Sam, Isaac and I played Frisbee. (FYI: If you ever play Frisbee in the rain and don't want to get too wet, it IS possible to play with an umbrella in one hand. It's been tested and proven by moi.)

Finally, Seth and Mel informed us to take our places as the hunt was about to begin.

24 eggs. Three ambitious hunters. Weapon of choice: sharp keen eyes. Transport of victims: Hoodie pockets.

After about an hour of meticulous searching, through bushes, under benches, behind walls, we finished with five eggs still unfound.

Isaac, in third place, successfully caught 4 eggs.
Sam, in close second, caught 7.
And I, in first, caught 8.

After many more minutes of Seth and Mel trying to remember where they hid the other five eggs, we left with two still remaining in the shadows of the Ault Pavilion. May they consider themselves lucky. As for the poor unfortunate yolks of the captured nineteen, may they rest in peace wherever Mel put them.

Lil' Sibs

I'm back from Spring Break and it's all downhill from here. Lots of papers to write, songs to learn (for IHC), homework to complete, books to read and the list goes on. Every year I get nervous thinking I won't get it all done, but the Lord always gives me enough grace to do it.

I got to spend some quality time with my parents and little sibs. I have tons of pictures of the kids, but unfortunately forgot to some pictures of my parents.

Here are some pictures from break along with a video of Ronnie and Kimmie being cute. If you have a Facebook account you can see more on there.

All for the cause...

Well, I did it....I donated blood.

And I have to be honest and say that I didn't do it just to save lives. I did it to overcome a fear.

I must quote Dr. Brown and say that "I'm not into pain!" Not to say that people love pain, but I am very intolerant of it. And when you mix 'overdramatic' with 'zero tolerance for pain' well, I'm sure you get the picture.

I got all situated in the seat and started to psych myself up for the "poke." You know, pinching and poking myself where the needle was going to be inserted. (I do think I made the nurse laugh at my patheticness.)

I was sitting there, feeling pretty good about my adventerous self, when I saw it. Just across the way the nurse pulled out this 2" needle covered with blood from a donor's arm. I lost it. I thought, "they're sticking 2 inches of needle in my arm!"

Luckily for me, Sarah Williams was near and I asked her if I could squeeze her hand while the needle was inserted. I think my dramatization concerned the nurse because after the needle was in she reclined my chair just in case I passed out. Oh I did not like that. Immediately I asked for my seat to be propped back up. She just said, "Oh just relax. You'll be fine."

I was not fine. I could no longer relax my arm on the table. I had to hold my arm up on the table. After ten minutes of holding my already-asleep-arm my whole body was shaking from trying to keep my arm from moving. I couldn't even put my head back all the way because a hair pin was jabbing me in the head. Besides this, I had a fan blowing right on me which made me very cold. After it was all said and done my whole body was shivering and shaking furiously.

Let's just say that my first time giving blood was certainly not one of the best experiences of my life.

On a more serious note, an interesting thought just popped into my mind. I shed blood, a whole pint, to save three lives. And all I had to do was sit in a chair, feel a "little" prick and squeeze a ball.

Christ shed His blood to save mankind. But look what He had to endure to give us that blood; an agonizing death on a cross with wounds much larger than my "little poke."

Someday three individuals will be thankful for the blood I freely gave. But my blood will only be able to save their physical bodies. If only they knew that there is One whose blood can save their souls.

As much as I hated this experience, I think I will donate my blood again next year. Helping three people live a little bit longer, to have the chance to accept Christ, might just be their saving grace to eternity.