Oh I can dance… Move aside, Dunclug. October 28, 2007

So I just got back from the Dunclug Estate’s “hallowe’en” party at Connolys… it was hilarious! Here were some of the costumes the wee Irish decided to wear:

-transformer (my personal favorite)

-Guiness bottle and leprechaun (go figure)

-ghostbusters…. with jet pack and all

-wheelchair skit actors from the show “Little Britain”… (who won the £50 award for best costume)-I was introduced to this show shortly after getting here and it is so funny.

-Marge and Homer Simpson

Those were the most hilarious ones… I took pictures… dont worry.  The girls taught me how to rave dance.. and my eyes got melted out by the intense disco lights… and I was asked on a date by a boy in a nurse’s suit. I would consider tonight’s outting to have been a successful one! No, but I got to know the older girls alot better. They really are an awesome group of girls… but you all know that already. Tonight I was specifically with Catherine, Lyndsey, Kylie, Muriel, Toni, MRS. LIZ (who is making me christmas dinner before I come home haha) and Amy… who bartended all night.. such an amazing person, then Philip Lynn, ‘Tuna’, Mrs. Hilda, Ashley… the dancing queen… I am not sure if yall remember her?? It was hilarious… and so much fun.

SO it was an adventure indeed… I am off to bed now, let me know how you all are doing! My email is heburton@olemiss.edu

Seriously, shoot me an email and fill me in on what is going on in ya’lls lives! I would love to be praying for each of you

Have a fabulous Sunday,

Hannah

arts. academy. October 25, 2007

Today was the fourth arts academy meeting and we doubled our numbers. It was so encouraging!! We just kind of laughed when we saw all the kids walking up… we had no clue how we were expected to handle the kids, but they were so well behaved and so willing to stay focused and learn! Also, there is a large group of older teenagers coming now… hopefully they can be leaders one day!!

Thats all….

han

World Traveler October 23, 2007

I mean…. there is not much I can even say except that my trip to Belfast and Edinburgh, Scotland was absolutely amazing. The city was the most beautiful city I have ever been to, the building were all so old and intricate…. and the shopping was not half bad We had so much fun.

Here was my schedule:

-Caught train to Belfast right after the arts academy let out on thursday night. Met Becky and went back to her house where I met all her house mates. She lives in an old house where the rooms are about triple the size of what our rooms were.  Its located about 15 mins or so from the Belfast city center so we could just walk everywhere.  The campus buildings are gorgeous…. so cool.

-Wandered around the city center for a while on friday morning and afternoon while Becky was in class and met up with her later after a mini shopping spree…. ehemm. We then got a taxi that when exchanged to American dollars cost three of us 50 dollars. RIDICULOUS.

-Flew to Edinburgh and met up with Carol (the ginger one) and stayed with her that night at her flat at Queen Margaret’s University. We just stayed up and talked for a while. It was nice.

-Woke up at 9 a.m. and took the bus into Edinburgh where we shopped on the infamous Prince’s Street and where we met up with FIONA! It was so good to see her and she seems to be doing awesome. We took a red bus tour and completely froze to death so we followed it up by getting the best cinnamon lattes ever created by anyone on earth. No lie.

-That night we took a ghost tour of Edinburgh which was pretty interesting. We learned to history of “dark Edinburgh” and “One armed Johnny”. Yeah, they called this crazy, blood thirsty murderer “One armed Johnny”. Strikes terror in you. Then we saw where John Knox was buried. Underneath the #23 parking spot of a bank parking lot. All he got was a little silver plaque that you could not even read. Next, we went down underneath E-burgh to the place where the black death plague thing is “hidden”. We saw the actual underground city… it was pretty cool.

-Sunday we just hung out and attended this church called Carrubbers Christian Centre. It was great except that we went on a special night when they had some craxy geologist man come and rebuke evolution. When he finished, everyone just stared at him as if to say “Ehemm… What?”. But other than that it was neat.

-We flew back to Belfast at like half 4 in the morning or something ridiculously early like that.

It was amazing, I took a ton of pictures…….. L1 is going AMAZINGLY. Keep on praying for that ministry!!

Tonight we had a board member from ‘Freedom in Christ’, who also is a good friend of Hayley’s, come and sit in on the women’s Bible study and after she opened her Bible and just began to read to us, pray for us and encourage us like crazy. It was amazing. The women in the study, including myself, were treated in such an awesome way.

Well, thats all for now. I hope y’all are doing spectacularly

hannah

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood October 17, 2007

So today was a really good day! The arts academy went SO WELL. We had a load of kids there and they all had a blast, so it seemed. I went to the McCrudden’s for dinner… yes, I was invited over and they said they wanted to adopt me. I think that means I am in. Then tonight Catherine and I went walking and visiting around the estate and ended up at the local pub…ehemm… called “Connolley’s” and hung out with the older people. We laughed and carried on… played old school Cher and Whitney Houston on the new digital juke box, and I got serenaded by the old, drunk men. It was fabulous. They all sang to me for like an hour. What are you supposed to do when people are singing to you? Like, when they are looking at you, singing straight to you? I didnt know what to do with my hands or my face… But they were paralytic so they didnt mind me being awkward. Then I was OFFERED a ride home from Mr. McCrudden because he didnt want me walking around the estate all by myself at midnight. Fair enough.

Basically, it was a really good day. I know you all are obviously keeping me in your prayers… thanks so much I was so encouraged by today… and the fact that I leave Thursday for Belfast and Friday for Edinburgh!! SO EXCITED.

It’s Hayley’s birthday! SO she treated herself to TWO ‘Take That’ concerts. Now I get the pleasure of staring at a massive poster of a 90’s, european, poppy boy band… day in and day out. They are cute in a ‘you are as old as my dad’ kind of way. haha She is upstairs now dreaming of Mark Owen and how she almost touched him as he lay on the stage 3 feet in front of her, doing the caterpillar, waving her “T-T” flag while catching his eye and bursting everyone around her’s eardrums. How sweet.

Well, thats today in a nutshell. It is freezing over here. If anyone wants to mail me like some heat… that would be nice. Thanks.

 hannah

I Hate Irish Peanut Butter… by the way. October 15, 2007

Hey just a quick little post to let yall know whats going on. So things got a little more intense around here last night. Luckily for me, Hayley went to a “Take That” concert…spare me… and left me all alone to fend for myself! I heard alot of commotion outside close to the pitch but nothing happened where I was. Good thing or I would have been forced to use my escape plan.. which includes climbing through the bathroom window, hopping down on the conservatory roof and leaping over the fence. Since we all know I can’t even walk in a straight line, this would have been ugly. BUT do not worry, nothing happened in Dunclug Gardens. The rest of the estate is crazy right now… so just pray for them and their own safety.

L1 starts tomorrow and I am really excited. I will be sure to let ya’ll know how it goes!

The “Freedom in Christ” bible study I have been doing with Hayley and some of the women in the estate is going really well, they are asking awesome questions and beginning to really, genuinely get what confiding in Jesus is really like. It is a blessing to get to watch them grow so much.

I leave for Belfast on thursday night. I am really excited… Then it is on the Edinburgh the next day. whoo hoo. I can NOT wait. I am hanging out with Fiona Bonar when I am there so I will send ya’lls love to her

I hope everyone back home is doing well. BTW. It is like 40 degrees here. I am LOVING it, but I am also freezing my butt off. Ok. Thats all for now.

Hannah

“Run, Hannah, Run!” October 14, 2007

Hey ya’ll… So things have been alittle testy around here the past few days. First a young guy from the estate died last week leaving everyone a little down and extremely angry. He dated a girl that I have been getting to know pretty well over the past few weeks for about 5 years and his whole family lives in the estate. Then on sat. night there were huge crowds of drunk teenagers that ended up vandalizing a young family’s house… and it wasnt the first time so the police here have gotten involved, which has upset the people… alot. So there is a large amount of hostility towards families we know, alot of talk about burning people out and riots… you know.. the usual. Sike. Its nerve racking. There are police military vehicles everywhere day in and day out. This is kind of strange, but it is better than no crowd control at all.

Our arts academy starts on TUESDAY! We are really excited and a whole heck of alot of kids are coming. I am pumped about the whole thing.

holler yall.

Hannah

Jenny From the Block October 11, 2007

Ok so, I have something really exciting to share. Since there have been many changes within Hillside here, many ministries that HCC started have ended. Kidzone, the Sunday morning primary school ministry is still on as well as the Senior High youth group that meets on friday nights, which are teens ages 16 to maybe 18?? This means there is a gap right in the middle for kids ages 7 through 14ish. I have been praying the God would show me what I was meant to do with these kids. Here is what I think I have been led to do…

Every tuesday and thursday we are starting an after school program that will include a dance academy, art academy and a music academy. Kind of like what we do in the summer, but, obviously, it is going to be year-round. The kids will meet twice a week to deepen whatever artistic talent they have. Then, one saturday night a month, we are going to have a showcase up at the church where the community will be invited to come in and see the work the kids have done. The dancers will show their dance and the artists will present their art. When we finally get a music class, those kids will put on a little concert for us. I am really excited about where this may lead us. I have heard great feed back from the kids in the community as well as their parents regarding the arts academy… I ask yall to pray for this ministry as well as everyone who will be taking a part in it.

We have different influential members of the community coming to help us out. Naomi, Ryan and Catherine are taking over dance..  which I am really exicted about. There is still so much planning for me to do… and since I have never done anything like this in my life, I am a little nervous! BUT I know this could be something great.

When I was driving into the estate the other day… JLo’s song “Jenny From The Block” came into my head for some reason. Probably because I had been watching the “Best of Jennifer” for two hours with Norma. But I  laughed. It was a funny moment, pulling into the estate singing “Im still, Im still Jenny from the block”. Ok, I trust all of you are doing well. I miss yall so much.

Hannah

Quick To The Point, To The Point No Faking. Cooking MC’s… you know the rest. October 9, 2007

Everything is truckin’ over here. Not much has been going on at all. Catherine McCrudden and I are beginning an after school program called “L1″… It will be cool, I think. Everyone here is just feeling really down… wayy down. DID YOU ALL CALL AND ENCOURAGE LIKE I ASKED? Didnt think so. DO IT. that was for Kim and AB. No but really, please please please. They really need to hear something encouraging. It seems like one bad thing happens… then another bad thing happens… there are alot of hurt feelings and mixed emotions, confusion, depression… you name it, our brothers and sisters are feeling it hardcore. Things are just really tense right now. No need for specifics… just really tense. They all miss you almost as much as I do, though.

So tomorrow I am taking little Kathryn McKinney back to school clothes shopping. She is so going to be best dressed.

I am getting ready to pack up and go to Belfast and Edinburgh, Scotland next weekend! I am really excited. I thought maybe I was going to be able to spend a whole week with Becky McKee in Belfast, but if L1 gets up and going I will have to go down thursday night. Which wouldnt be so bad… I am really excited about visiting Fiona! Trouble, trouble, trouble….

Im about to hit the sack in my bed that is larger than the one I own back home. Talk to you all very soon!

Hannah

Storytime October 5, 2007

So this is a funny little story for all you boys and girls…

Yesterday I had just come in from a fantastic walk to, through and from the People’s Park. It was such a nice day to be out and about so I was planning on grabbing some lunch really fast and going visiting around the estate. So I I plopped down on the couch in front of the window when a little blue and yellow light caught my eye. I turned around to find Smack Down 2007 in our front lawn. There were police and police security vehicles EVRYWHERE. Of course I sat and stared at them, like one of those annoying neighbors that has to know everything. Then, the police started coming out of a neighboring house with big, black box after big, black box. Inside I was like “Ahh! Lock the Door!”… but outside I was like, I hope my roomie isnt a secret drug dealer.  Yes, outside…I said that out loud. I had met one of the policemen the other day and I think he saw mw staring so he came up to the front gate.

I walked outside and he went on to carry a completely normal conversation with me while all this was going on in the background. He asked me how I was doing, if I needed anything, If I liked Dunclug, If the people were being nice to me…. Hello?? Mister? Maybe you should go open one of those boxes and tell me whats in it, ok?! I didnt say that….. But he asked me if any of the children had been throwing fireworks at me, I said nooo.

Come to find out, its fireworks season here in Ballymena, and fireworks are completely illegal. So they were taking out smuggled fireworks. Not really as James Bond as I thought, but atleast I wont get them launched at me.

HB

Irish Cheerleading October 3, 2007

So its seems to me that alot of the members of Hillside are feeling down in the dirt lately. I know that this whole church changing experience has been tough on some of them and I really feel as if all of you from Nashville can, you should call up a member and encourage the heck out of them! They could really use it since their time and energy is being stretched thin over all the ministries the church has to offer… so if you have a spare moment in time, call a Hillsider up and pray with them and encourage them! Thanks, people.

NEXT: Today was the first session of “Zoned Out” with the 8 to 12ish year olds. It was great we had about ten kids, with the great expectation of more to come… it rained alot today so many of the kids didnt come out. I mean, you would think they would be used to that by now?? I guess not. I am taking a group of the kids through some great devotional book that they really seemed to like and understand and Normie is taking the rest through another one that is not as good as mine, but she cant help it, so it will have to do. haha. Then we have both a dance class and a cheerleading class. Its hilarious. I will just leave it at that.

After that I went and hung out with the McCruddens for a while and then went on a wee walk with Catherine Mc around the estate. There I met a really sweet girl named Tonya Ward and her boyfriend called Connor…Ward. They were really sweet people, we went to their house and they introduced me to their American Bulldog. I didnt quite catch its name… Snoff, Snout….  I dont know, but I will just call it flesh eating, killer animal. Scariest animal ever. They thought it would like me cause I am American…. sike. BIG OLE SIKE.

So that was exciting. I took my little pink camera out today to take some sweet pics and I discovered a bunch of back allies and hidden paths. I didnt go in them… they were dark.

I also met a really nice guy today that happened to be the biggest dealer of special junk in the area……… hmmmm would have liked to know that before I asked him why his eyes were red and why he was about to go kill someone for their money and if I could come over for a “special visit” sometime and see his “shop”.

haaaa ok, I lied. I didnt say any of those things. Im not dumb. Air-headed… yes… dumb…. sometimes yes…. but not all the time. But I did meet the Happy Man mentioned above. Kind of intense, I wont lie.

OK, Im going to warm up some disgusting HEINZ wieners and saucy noodles. Holla.

Hannah B.