Retreat!!

I love this church so much!! I have never felt so apart of a church family like I do from this one. Galway City Church is amazing!

Babysitting the boy and Ruby.

Today is food shopping day! But due to the lack of space in the car, I always watch Ruby and Wyatt. Ruby is at pre-school right now and I'll go pick her up with Wyatt later. This will be a fun day!! In the mean time I'm drinking got tea to keep me warm!!

Cathedral in Galway

This is a picture of the main cathedral in Galway. It's huge and real pretty!

Just boarded the plane!!!

Hey everyone!

The team just got on the plane heading for Shannon, Ireland!! Pray for a safe flight and that we are all able to sleep!
I should be out in about an hour due to the Dramamine I took! Haha

Thanks guys
Sarah

This is the Cliffs of Moher or the Cliffs of Insanity, whichever you prefer ;-)

This year we went by boat and went up top. I think the boat was a lot more fun and adventurous!

We also saw an Abby ( in the pictures of the crosses and of Meaghan). Unfortunately though, I was copying all the pictures from my phone to the laptop and thought I got all of them, but didn't so all the pictures from the Abby were deleted, BUT thanks to our fantastic photographer, I can still post some as soon as he sends them to me. Which he hasn't done. So as soon as he does that you can see more pictures! I am keeping my camera on me from now on. I forgot to charge the batteries so I couldn't take my camera to the cliffs. 

Today, Meaghan and I are going to a school just for kids with Special Needs. We have know idea what to expect, but we are very excited about going and seeing how they deal with special needs in Ireland. 

Sunday school and David Booth

Yesterday we ran the kids programming at Galway City Baptist Church. I had the 0-2yr olds which are called Crésh. So here are pictures from my class, as I am still waiting for pictures from Chris our photographer!

David Booth one of our photographers, videographers had a very unexpected death in the family while we were here and had to fly home this morning. So please be praying for him and his wife and their family!

Headed to the cliffs this morning!! Very foggy so pray for safety!

Carnival. Family fun day. Chaos?

Saturday was our family fun day/carnival/chaos. Actually it wasn't really chaotic, but it was a fun day to be with family. It was beautiful, sunny, NO rain(shocker I know) and a good turn out! Because it was so nice most of the kids played outside the entire afternoon! So it was great! Here are a couple pictures, I'm still waiting for our photographer(no not me) to send pictures of the carnival.

Have a great day and thank you for praying!

Sarah

We are here!!!

We made it safely to Galway City and to the Posts house after getting a little lost.

I am sitting down stairs in the lobby of our hotel waiting on the rest of the team so we can go eat!

2 days!!

Hey everyone!

I cannot tell you what a blessing it has been to see all the people who have gone above and beyond the call to give and sponsor this mission trip, not just for me, but everyone else on the team too.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency [fn5] in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever.”

10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.

 Last night we were given a more detailed schedule for the trip in TWO DAYS!
Thursday-FLY TO GALWAY!!
Friday- Rest and set up for the Carnival
Saturday- Carnival
Sunday- Church and lunch with the church, then dinner with Kirk and Sandlin Poth
Monday- Cliffs of Moher and shopping
Tuesday- Helping move a family who attends Galway City church into their new house and the University Student 3D night. We are watching the Truman Show
Wednesday-Bible study at the Posts house and getting things ready for the retreat!
Thursday- food shopping, and leave for the retreat and we are going to a see a castle on the way.
Friday-Sunday- RETREAT!!! Probably one of my favorite things ever!!
Monday- Fly home :'(

So that is basically what we are doing the two weeksish that we are there.

PRAY FOR:

1. Safe travel
2. our drivers who will be very sleepy and driving on the wrong side of the road
3. that we will have a lot of people from the community come to the carnival!
4. safe trip to the cliffs. we are going to them by boat this year so please pray that we will stay safe
5. lots of university students would come to the 3D night at the Posts
6. we would have no injuries while moving this family into their new house
7. safe travel at and during the retreat
8. safe travel home :'(
9. the team would connect and become like a real family while we are in country and just lift each other up and support each other

Thanks everyone for your prayers!!

Sarah

Leaving next week!

I am so sorry for not updating my blog a whole lot lately. I have been extremely busy with work.

Some updates!

I raised all my funds for the trip and did not have to use the garage sale money. Now that money is going toward purchases for the trip and other people going on the trip that were not able to raise all their funds or the funds were just coming in slow. We also gave a little bit to a family that my dad is friends with on Facebook, who is moving his family from Australia to London to be long-term missionaries.

Also this time (930 pm) next week ill be on a plane headed to Galway! I can't believe it's going by so fast!! It has always been my dream to go to Ireland and Galway, I just never thought that it would be for a mission trip. I think that that is the best way to go.

Please be praying for our team as we get final preparations done for the trip and that we would have safe travel!

Sarah

Update update update!!!!

As of yesterday I only need to raise $500 for Ireland, and with the garage sale coming up this weekend, I am positive that I will be able to raise the $500 by October 1st!

Garage sale info. If you would like to visit out garage sale, it is this weekend the 21st and 22nd from 8am-5pm. It will be at my grandparents house, and if you want the address just email me at beautifulsoul.photos@gmail.com .
Everything we make will be going to the trip. First to the remaining balance and second to things I might need for the trip, like a rain coat, and heavier coat because it is cold and rains a lot!

Please continue to pray for the team, we are all getting anxious and stressed at the same time. Pray that we would be able to get everything done in time for trip with as much peace as possible.

Fun times!

Someone dropped off donations for the garage sale this morning. My mom sent me these pictures while I was at work! That is a happy baby!!

missions banquet, GARAGE SALE, third culture kids AND 23 DAYS LEFT!!!!!!

I started this journey at about 130 days, and now we only have 23 left, YIKES! I have raised a little over half at $1545, so I still need $1000, but its all good because God always provides and sometimes in ways we don't expect and those are my favorite. :)

This weekend we had our 4th Annual Missions Fundraiser Banquet. Our very own Jason Post from Galway City Baptist Church was interviewing with our Missions Pastor, Tom Hayes. We learned the hopes and dreams that he and his wife Mandy have for the church. They were things like, we want our church to raise up leaders to start other churches not only in Ireland, but other countries as well. And pin pointing certain people who they think will one day lead the church. It was really cool, especially since I know the people Jason was talking about! :D

OUR GARAGE SALE IS THIS WEEKEND!!! Please be praying that the weather would be nice and that lots of people would come. I have to work most of the weekend, so I can't be at most of the sale which is a huge bummer!

Third-culture kids. What is a third-culture kid or TCK? A TCK is a child that was born in "Africa" but lives in "China". So what does this have to do with Ireland and my mission trip? Well, most of the kids in Galway City Baptist Church are TCKs. Most of the kids are African, Romanian, Polish, Indian, American, or another nationality. I have to do a project on TCKs for our culture meeting on Monday for our prep. So when I get that finished I'll do a special blog post about it.

and finallly...

23DAYS!!!!!! OH. MY. GOODNESS. I am so excited!!

Well, thats the end of my babbling, I hope you enjoyed it.

Sarah

5weeks to go!!

This going to go by so fast!!! This weekend is birthdays for my family. The next weekend is the missions banquet with the Post family. After that we are doing a garage sale, which I will post about later, then the next two weekends will be somewhat free! WOW! This is going by so stinking fast!

I still need to raise about $1000. So if you want information about donating financially or info to pass on to friends you can email me @ beautifulsoul.photos@gmail.com

Sarah

First missions prep meeting!

So this past week was our first prep meeting for Ireland.

We meet the team. And the team is Tom and Katie, Kristi and Walter, David and Jamie, Meaghan and Michael, Me, David , Chris. This is going to be a great team!

We received our assignments and I will be assisting Jamie with the youngest group of kiddos! I am very excited!!

On this trip we doing the following

• A carnival or what we call a fall festival at the school where Galway City Church meets
• visiting coffee houses and prayer walking
• 3D night with the University students. (3D=Dinner, DVD and Discussion) 
• and of course the Galway City Church Retreat! Our topic this year is missions!
• We will be having dinner with the Missionary couples, Kirk and Sandlin Poth, Jason and Mandy Post, Tim and Joan Cummings in their homes in the evenings

We will also have a day of down time where we are going to see the Cliffs of Moher, but instead of driving up to them and looking down, we are going to go by boat and see them from the water looking up. This will be SO fun!!!

Sponsor THANK YOU!!

One of the most important things to do when fundraising for mission trips is keeping people updated and sending out THANK YOUs to the people who have sponsored you, even if its a $5 donation, because God uses it all!!

So If you have sponsored me in this trip or past trips THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

Almost there!!!

60 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's all going by so fast! It will go by even faster once school starts

Missions banquet!

This is the Post family. Jason is the head pastor at Galway City Baptist church in Galway city.

On September 14th, Jason and his wife Mandy will be speaking at the missions banquet on taking root and branching out at Stonebriar Community Church. They are a very sweet couple!! I hope y'all can make it!

If you want more info on the missions banquet, go to Stonebriar.org/missionsbanquet

Pictures!!!!

Here are some pictures from the trip we took to Galway City last year!!

Preteen with a heart for the Lord

One of the 6th grade girls at camp this past week wrote this.

The Lord provides SO well and every time!

In the past two weeks I have raised $1100 for Ireland!

Thank you everyone for praying and I encourage you to keep praying!

Sarah

Giving ONLINE

Here is new feature...online donations! You can now give online by credit card (master and visa). I will be posting a link so you can get to the right place!

Click HERE

Type the amount of your donation in "MISSIONS GIFT" spot

In the comment box, put my name "Sarah Bailey-Ireland" and my PC# 3389, so it can be directed to my account!

If you donate online please let me know, because it only shows up on the 15th and last day of every month.

Thank you so much!!!

Biblical Fundraising...hmm

I was looking through the different bible plans I have on my phone through the You Version Bible app and found one called "Principles of Fundraising". I thought it might be interesting to get a take on fundraising through the bible, but what I didn't expect was for it to take me to Exodus.

The devotional starts out by saying that in every step of the process in the story God is there. That God told Moses who to ask, what to ask for and and how to use it. The story is the building of the Tabernacle in Ex. 25-36. It started like this:

"Yahweh said to Moses, "Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me." Ex.25:1-2

 I realized that that is basically what I do everyday on Facebook. I tell y'all what I'm doing and ask for a contribution and for those whose "hearts moves him" send a contribution. Pretty cool!

The next set of scripture I read was in chapters 35 and 36 of Exodus. Ex. 35:4-35, talks about the different classes of people that gave to the Lord.

"Whoever is of generous heart, let him bring the Lord's contribution: gold, silver, and bronze;..." 35:5

So if you are of generous heart, than give. Even if "giving" is prayer or time. It doesn't have to be money.

"Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the Lord has commanded..." 35:10

If you build, then come and build for God. Even if its simply repairing your neighbors fence.

I was telling a friend of mine last year about the Ireland mission trip, and her mom was sitting there listening also. She wanted to know more and wanted one of our letters, but her mom took out her check book right there and wrote me a check for the trip. I told her she should wait and pray and read my letter, but she said no. She then told me "If you can't go, then you should send!". I will always remember that.

Later on in Ex. 35 it talked about how the different people came and gave to the Lord.

"All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord." Ex 35:29

What I figure is, if you want to be generous, but don't have the money to give, than give your time and prayer. It goes a lot farther than you might think. If you like to build then go and help repair someones house in some way :-)

The last thing I wanted to mention is this. As the children of Israel came to give their donations, they didn't just come once, they kept coming and coming. They brought so much that they didn't need to give any more. For previous mission trips, I have raised double what I needed because people gave SO much! I was truly blessed :-D

So I ask that you would pray and ask God what He would have you give. Whether that be, prayer, time, or money. I know you will be blessed in return.

Sarah

I miss...

….damp stone walls that never dry, cream colored cows with wooly fur, cottages older than my native nation, clouds casting shadows on grassy hills, The smell of turf smoke rolling in, the distant bells of a medieval church, vistas of green, grey, gold and heather, the feel of the ocean from the other side, misty rain that never ends, colorful doors lacing cobble stone streets, peat fires burning in cozy pubs, and the foam of a pint on my upper lip. I miss Ireland. I miss Ireland very much.

 A girl I met on tumblr wrote this. She spent 4 months
in Galway for study abroad.

Here are a few pictures from my skype session with Ella and Laura in Ireland!

Ella put a rain boarder on the page because it was a very typical Irish day: Rain , clouds and coldness! 

Ella drew a mustache on Laura! haha Laura is a character!