The Lost Day

Wednesday, the 2^nd of Feb.

I apparently forgot to send myself an email of what I did this day and I can’t find any pictures I took today.  So I can’t remember what happened that day, other than Viki taking fiendish delight in beating me over and over again at Monopoly Deal.  The game is a blast.  It's basically Monopoly as a card game that takes 20 minutes instead of 20 hours.  Highly recommended.

Oh and how could I forget Seth confidently leading us into the wrong house for prayer group!  Apparently punctuality is not an Irish priority so we decided to arrive a couple minutes late to fit in.  Well even when we got there late there was no one else there so Seth knocks.  Waits.  Knocks again.  Finally he just walks in.  Next thing I know there’s a little scream from inside and I see one of the church women sitting on the stairs with her hand over her mouth laughing.  Turns out the prayer group wasn’t at their house but the house across the street (another family in the church).  It was hilarious.

Prayer group that night was amazing. There were people there from all over the world and it is so humbling to realize you’re a part of something that’s so big.

Prayer group, and being in Ireland in general, made me realize how important my witness is and how the tremendous value of each moment I have with someone.  I can’t really explain why I realized it and felt that way.  My best guess is that I was meeting all these new people knowing that I might not ever get to see them again (though I certainly plan/hope to go back).  Contrast that with home where I fully expect to see each of my friends and family members again, hopefully a lot.  The reality is however that each moment is a moment we won’t get back.  A chance to either uplift and encourage, or tear down and discourage.  It doesn’t have to be stuffy, I mean, I think a hearty laugh is healthy and spiritual, but I’m resolving to be more intentional with my interactions in the future.

Oh, and Seth told me that there’s a castle in the middle of a field that’s been abandoned and you used to be able to climb on it but the farmer who owns the field recently put up “no trespassing” signs because it’s really dangerous to climb since it’s falling apart.  I am sure it would be tons of fun to climb.