Thorndale Avenue, north Belfast

We've finally settled in to our house on Thorndale Avenue, in a Nationalist neighborhood north of Belfast's city center. The house is more spacious than it looks from the outside, and is just down the street from the community center at which I'll be spending much of my time. (see the pictures of Thorndale House and my roommates). My fellow volunteers and I were introduced to our placement sites this week, which usually include a church and a community center. I'm focusing on teenage youth ministry at Whitehouse Presbyterian Church with Rev. Liz Hughes and at The 174 Trust with Rev. Bill Shaw.

Already I have found people here to be incredibly welcoming and hospitable. The "banter," as they call it, is quite entertaining, and is carries an important place in social interactions. Almost everyone I've met seems to greatly appreciate quick-witted jokes and lively conversation. I feel a bit slow sometimes, only being able to understand about half of what they say, but its getting easier with each day. People like Pat (a staff person at 174 Trust) have helped tremendously, happily repeating hilarious expressions and explaining local slang. I've also had some education in the not-so-nice slang of inner-city Belfast after playing football (soccer) with local teens.

I realize this first post is a bit incomplete- it is meant only to provide a basic context for subsequent posts, in which I will reflect more specifically on my experience here and the relationships the Lord is building all around me. Please let me know if there's anything you'd like to know more about, and I'll do my best to elaborate (use the "comment" link below each post). Thanks for visiting, and enjoy!