April Update

Friends and Family,
The weather has been incredible this past month in Ireland. It has been amazing to watch people come out of their homes with the sun. As soon as the sun came out, people were outside enjoying it. It’s been wonderful.
I am sorry that I never followed up on what happened with the break in here a couple of months ago. We did call the police, and they came and spoke with me. A couple of detectives came to my house about a week later as well in order to get an official report. As I described one of the guys that broke in, one detective recognized who I was speaking of and went and got a picture from back at the police station. He showed me the picture and it was in fact the same guy. I do not know what all happened after that. I have not heard from the police since then.
The Lord can turn every bad situation into something good. We know that He does this. The same was true with this incident. While the detectives were at my house, they saw my Bible and began to ask questions about whom I was and why I was here. I ended up being able to share the gospel with the two men. They did not accept Christ at this point, but at least a seed was planted. I pray that the Holy Spirit will bring more people into their lives to help them come to a personal relationship with Christ.
I have been slow to write this month’s update because I have been waiting on the Lord to reveal his plan for me for the future. I have been seeking the Lord for him to show me His will on whether or not I should return to Ireland. During this time, I have also been thinking about the possibility of going back to school and getting my Masters Degree. As of right now, I have applied to Friends University, and it is looking like that is a plausible option for next year. However, I desire to follow God’s plan and not my own. Please continue to pray with me as I seek Him on this decision. Pray that I will be more concerned with God’s will rather than my own. Pray also that I will be more concerned with God’s will than the will of others around me. I am scheduled right now to return to the States on July 23rd.
I have been giving an African lady from the church named Mary music lessons on Saturdays. She loves to sing, but cannot read music. It has been a fun experience for both of us as we dive into the world of music together. There is a lot to learn, and she is very busy with her job and kids. Please pray that God will grace her with grace to understand, and pray that I will be able to affectively teach her. It has been a blessing for me to spend Saturday’s with her and her family. They have been in Tallaght for only a few moths, and it is a true blessing that they are here.
I have recently had the opportunity to get to know a Polish family from the church who is now living in Tallaght as well. This last Sunday, I was able to go with the family to a park and play tennis with the father Michael. I have had wonderful times of fellowship with this family, and they are teaching me many things about the Polish culture and how blessed we really are here in Ireland and back in America. They grew up in Poland during the time of communism, and it has been interesting to learn their perspective on the world, and to learn about how they began to have a relationship with Christ. Again, the Lord has blessed me with the chance to meet with this family.
Friday nights are continuing to go well. We are doing all we can to reward good behavior in hopes that it will help the kids learn to be respectful. The Bousman’s were able to visit in this last month and Tyler and Jordan had the opportunity to come on a Friday night. They were able to see first hand what all happens on a Friday. Tyler mentioned to me that it would be hard to explain how the kids really are. It is definitely different working with kids here in Tallaght than it would be working with kids in America. The struggle I am finding out is this: how do we reach the kids where they are? Christ met people where they were at and applied the gospel to them in their particular situation. How do we affectively do the same thing here? This is a hard code to crack, but I put my faith and trust in the Spirit to reveal himself to both me and these kids.
Kevin and Shirley are planning on coming out to Colorado for a visit around the same time I am coming back. They plan on being in the States from July 19th, to August 10th. I am not positive on the dates, but that is approximately the right time. They are looking forward to seeing many friends and faces. If you would be interested in doing anything special with them, please let me know so that the can begin to organize their time while in America. They are planning on having a week to be by themselves in order to relax as a family, but that leaves two weeks open. They are excited to see you and to be able to introduce you to their son Jake.
Thank you all for your continued support and prayers. May the Lord bless all of you in all you do to further His kingdom. Praise be to the Lord!
His grace and peace be with you,
Jared