Today was a free day. Some of us slept in and had a later breakfast. We also assembled our sandwiches for our lunch that afternoon. Lisa was chief cook for making our supper for tomorrow night with co-chefs Mrs Johnson, Kathryn and myself! We tackled a foreign kitchen and whipped together a lasagna. Than we left to do some sight seeing! First we went to see some old monastic ruins about 45 minutes away in Kells. When we got there our ancient history deprived eyes popped in awe. There was a sheep pasture that we had to walk through to get to the ruins. There were big arches and doorways that were partly in pieces and some that were whole. Some building were a bit weathered but mostly there. I saw some birds swooping through the arches in the more ruined areas giving the place a mysterious and deserted air. We each wandered around taking some pictures and enjoying the scenery. There was a river that went over a river to a path that lead to an old mill converted to a coffee shop, which Tim and Kathryn enjoyed, and an awesome bridge. Around 2:00 we ate a picnic lunch outside an old church. Next we headed off to Kilkenny castle. Kil means church and there are many towns in Ireland that start with Kil. One funny one is Kilmaoe. The castle was more tourist popular which means more witnessing opportunities! After finding a parking spot a little walk away from the castle we parked and head over handing out some tracks along the way. The castle was 800 years old and was built of a beautiful silver grey stone. It was quite stunning, from an Americans point of view. We then toured the castle. It had been restored well and was magnificent. It has the second longest room in Ireland, called the picture gallery. There were also great stone work, paintings, some amazing weaving and needle work. The grounds out side the castle were beautiful too. We then, handing out tracks along the way, went to a restaurant downtown for a famous Irish meal of Fish and Chips. Fish and Chips is breaded fish with fries that are are bigger and more square than our fries. In the restaurant there was a group of school boys and when we came in Tim teased them about their hurling team skills. The town of Kilkenny is know for its amazing hurling. After ordering Morgan went over and did the rope trick for them. They were very attentive and clapped for him when he was done and thanked him when they left. Another man in the restaurant also listened closely. We then headed for the midweek meeting at Kilkenny Christian Assembly, grabbing a 99 with a flake on the way. It is like soft serve cone just more creamy with a flaky chocolate stick in it. The people at the midweek meeting in Kilkenny were friendly and very welcoming. The team sang two songs at the beginning of the meeting with Kathryn accompanying beautifully on the violin, her first time playing with a group. Morgan shared his testimony and Tim spoke on Matthew 24. We all enjoyed good conversation, getting to know the people at the church. We also enjoyed the obligatory cup of tea with biscuits (cookies) which a hospitable assembly member prepared for us. Refreshed by the other believers we went back to the Johnsons for another good nights rest. Please pray for the people who accepted the tracts today, that they would read them and God would start a work in their hearts. Also please pray for the boys who heard the gospel in the restaurant, and for the assembly at Kilkenny, that they would continue following and serving the Lord.
-Olivia for the team
Praying you on from Canada. Preach to them as a dying man to dying men!