Blogs from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, Europe

Today was our last full day here in Northern Ireland. We caught the bus to downtown Bangor for one last breakfast at Ward's. We didn't order the "Ulster Fry," though, as we felt two of these in one week might result in immediate cardiac arrest. We opted for tea & scones. Ryan ate one Treacle & Ginger scone and one date & walnut scone (delicious). Treacle is like molasses. Kelly ate one of the treacle & ginger scones as well. We walked around the streets of dowtown Bangor for a couple of hours. The highlight was the marina on Bangor Harbor. We saw an Irish seal pop his head up as we strolled by. He kept his head up for a good minute or two checking us out and breathing very loudly through his nostrils. We ... read more

Today was the day we selected to head to the town of Carrickfergus, home of the famous Carrickfergus Castle. Like Grey Abbey, the original structure of this castle dates to the 1100's. There were some ideas that were quite revolutionary...including the very brutal "Murder Hole," and the three latrines that emptied right into the sea (see photo)! After returning home, we had a special evening of classes. The ladies class was taught by Kelly, and Bill taught the guys in one final session on personal evangelism. There were 24 people packed into the Grahams' house...the most they can ever remember being here at one time. Afterward, we all gathered for tea & biscuits, and we sat around singing traditional Irish songs (with some of Bill's old country & bluegrass favorites mixed in). Tomorrow will be our ... read more

We awoke to a beautiful Lord's day morning. The cool morning air is always a treat when one thinks of the warm, humid air back home. Kelly and I decided to take a walk down the road to Helen's tower (see the July 26th post for a photo). The tower stands a half-mile or so from the Grahams' home, much of which is a good uphill hike through lush forest. The photos of the golf course in the previous post are just the sort of views you see strolling along through what could be an enchanted forest. We saw one tree that just looked like a little leprechaun or fairy could pop out at any moment. We walked back to the house and got cleaned up for morning worship. Their meetings start at 11:00 a.m. here ... read more

A super-busy day today! We headed out this morning to begin going door-to-door with the gospel meeting invtiation cards. We had a crew of seven canvassing the neighborhoods. I would estimate about 1,000 of these invitations have been distributed to date. One thing we have noticed is the meticulous way in which the yards are kept here. The grass is lush and green, and it seems to always be trimmed to the point that you could putt a golf ball. Kelly continues to be amazed at the vibrant colors of the flowers here...this coming from a girl who, by her own admission, doesn't exactly have a green thumb. Ryan did stumble across a thistle plant. He was thrilled, however, to be poked by a REAL Irish thistle (see photo)! After we put in a few hours ... read more

It has been a couple of weeks since my last post and for that I do apologize. However, one universal truth that one must come to understand is that no matter where one goes life eventually returns to some form of a normal routine. With that said, it isn't that the past couple of weeks haven't been wonderful but rather that I have fallen into the routine of going to the class sessions necessary for my degree and reading the required material for those respective meetings. Those things of course and running. Instead of writing in-depth entries about class lectures and debates I figured it would be best to wait and sum up a couple weeks worth of time here in Northern Ireland. So now, quite simply, my time in Belfast since my last entry has ... read more