Back in Cincy

So after long hours of travelling I am now back in the Natti! Its good to be back but home is home really. I realized so much in going home. Getting to see my friends and family was amazing. I left a big part of myself back in Ireland but to be honest, no matter where I go I will always leave that part there. I was able to see Northern Ireland from an outsiders perspective when I went home. Everyone seems to be leaving. There aren't many jobs, many people have found themselves in such crappy financial situations. For so many people there just isn't any hope. I hate seeing my country in this way. I hate seeing people who feel forced into moving because there isn't any work. I realized  just how much Ireland is in my blood, how much passion I truly have for it and how much I really want to see change in it.

Being back in Cincy, I'm ready to get started. I really want to have an amazing semester and take back so much more stuff home. I want to apply what I have learned. I want to inspire people. This semester has some crazy things in store for me, I know it! And I'm totally excited about how God is going to mold me and shape me this semester.

"But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through" - Francis Chan


This is one of my favorite quotes. It really hits home doesn't it? Kind of convicting? I am not supposed to live a comfortable life. Fact. I found recently that I seem to find myself moving around so much, constantly being unsettled. But I'm not suppose to settle. I am suppose to be uncomfortable. I am suppose to be fully trusting in God. I am a servant of Christ. It isn't about me. It never was. How many times have I put myself in the situation that Francis Chan is talking about? Not many I can tell you. But this year is about trusting. I want my faith this year to be everything I wish it had of been last year. I want to do crazy and radical things for Christ. Join me? Make 2012 the year that you'll look back on and go "that was the start, that was when I began fully trusting, that was when I finally let go and let God take the reigns on my life and I wonder why I never did it sooner because it was the best thing I ever did because God did insane and crazy wonderful things through me that year"

You have the opportunity. Just as much as anyone. Make this year insane.

The Final Countdown

So it has suddenly struck me that Im going back to Cincy in basically a week. This is completely shocking! I cant believe I have been here nearly three weeks, the time has flown by! Basically I dont feel like I have used my time being home wisely, I dont feel like I have been talking and visiting as many people as I should have in the short space of time I have had here. One of my new years resolutions was to build better relationships, become more people focused, really take an interest in peoples lives and just be that person that people know they can talk to. So Im learning to priortize my time, Im getting round and seeing as many people as I can and having good conversations with them. When I got home it was so overwhelming, things that I didnt want to change ..did, and things I did want to change ...didnt.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world"

Basically, coming home made me realize that I left a part of myself back in Ireland. A big part. And it will always remain here. You can take the girl from Ireland but you cant take Ireland from the girl. This place changes you. This place inspires. But I want to be part of something big here. I want to make a difference here. My job now? Getting as many people as I can behind me and inspiring as many people as I can to come to this country. This place is beautiful, if youve never been here it will steal your heart.

"For greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city"

But the churches are missing a lot. They are missing the point. Granted, some are totally spot on. But this places needs Jesus. Needs a contemporary approach. We need people, teams, anyone with the right mind set, the passion. We need people who love and cherish this country just as much as I do. People who care enough that they want to see this place go under a crazy and radical revolution. You ever want to talk to me about this, I would be more than happy to, you can email me (vikki.smyth@fsmail.net, vikki.smyth@ccuniversity.edu). I want teams, from anywhere. I want as many people as I can gather to help me and help ministries here change this country. You want to work with a ministry here? I got you! You want to help somewhere? call me up. Honestly that litle voice telling you ask more questions? ask them. That voice whispering in your ear to come here? follow it.

This place needs people with passion, this place needs YOU. Lets see this place change. Lets see it soon.

New Years Eve

2011 has been such an amazing year for me. So many amazing things have happened and when I look back to this time last year I literally had no idea how God would bless me this year. I literally had no idea what was in store for me. I guess youre the same as me though, you cant help and look back at the last year and see some of the missed opportunities, things you shouldve done better, things you shouldve left. But we need experiences like that in order to know what to do next time. Its life. Crap happens. We live and we learn. But this year Im making a list. A list of things I want to accomplish this year. I want to start new. I want to make a new lifestyle for myself. I want to learn from the mistakes of 2011 and make 2012 a year to remember. Today will be the day I will draw up my list, I may even publish it on here tomorrow. If you have any cool ideas do let me know, but I can tell you that my first new years resolution is to blog more because I'm a bit of at that
                Have a great New Year, Vikki xx

New Look

So you probably notice that I have given the blog a new look. Well heres the deal. I believe that 2012 is going to be mental and I want to be ready. I have some awesome things that I want to accomplish next year, I wanna start off well. I dont want to waste any opportuninties this year. I want to document what this crazy year is going to hold for me on this blog. I want to make resolutions and stick to them. I want to be inspired. I want to moulded. I want to be remade. I want to live an inspiring life. So follow me on this, follow me on this crazy journey Im about to go on, we have no idea where this is going to go, its going to be mad, but I can honestly say to you....

Watch this space

"The Boys of the NYPD choir were singing "Galway Bay" and the bells were ringing out for Christmas Day"

Well Happy Christmas from the Emerald Isle!



So this song basically is Christmas in Ireland. I cannot tell you how many time I have heard this song playing since I came home. Its been great to be home, to see everyone again. I have also been able to look at Northern Ireland from an outsiders perspective. This places needs a lot of things. There really is a shortage of things to do for teenagers around here. Churches are so outdated its unbelievable. We need teams, people, anyone with a passion for Jesus to come here. So Im taking this upon myself, my mission for the next semester is to recruit as many people as I can to come to Northern Ireland. You really never know where a conversation can lead, or what a conversation can result in. The most people I can pump into this country the better. I just hope that some of the people I can hopefully encourage to come here could see themselves here longterm. I want to get as many people as I can here. I knwo fine rightly that people fall in love with this place. I am already in love with this place. You can most certainly take the girl out of Ireland, but you can never take Ireland out of the girl. This place holds in it so much beauty. My entire life was once here, my past still is. This places inspires me beyond belief. The scenery is breath taking and is only when you go away and live in the city for 5 months that you realize this. I am extremely proud of where I am from. But I want to give back here, I want to make a difference. You may think that naive of me. I have always been a dreamer and will continue to be...

"I'm coming home, I'm coming home, tell the world I'm coming home"

So it's currently 3.58am in the morning of Friday 16th and I am hoping on a plane at 3.20pm. I am so pumped to see my people. I am so excited for them to just see how being here has changed me. They are also going to notice I have a pretty mortifying American twang to my accent but I guess it'll prove an entertaining tip for them. I have not seen my people in 5 months and I cannot describe how it feels to know that I will be with them this time tomorrow! I would love it if you could pray that my flights and travels go safe! I would hate to get stuck this close to seeing everyone! My best friend is engaged back home and I just want to give her a HUGE hug, my other best friend just got into the university that has been on her heart for a long time! Things are moving so much and I just want to share in that! I cant wait to see my wee brother turn 15! I want to see my Daddy because no matter how old I get he is always my Daddy (even though he has a theory that i only call him "Daddy" when i want something). But what I'm most excited about is that I am going to have so many great conversations with people from home about my time here! I have a month here, a month to just show what I have learned and experienced and I am just so excited! :) Wish me luck! :) 

Perspective

On Sunday my preacher at my church here talked about Jesus on the cross. Initially I thought to myself "I've heard all this before, it can't be anything I haven't heard". Well as you can guess I was completely wrong. I had seen the movie The Passion of Christ and I thought "Surely he cannot say anything worse than this". Wrong again. 

Jamie told us how 6 out of 10 people who were sentenced to crucifixion never even made it to the cross itself. The torture before it was so severe that many didn't make it. He described how Jesus' vertebrae probably would've been showing from beatings. The pain that was described was unbelievable. Many people were crying, many walked out but all sat in total shock. The sermon was the news of the day, the whole congregation were talking about it. When I sat there and heard this story, tears were swelling in my eyes. It had been a frustrating week. A painful week. But when I heard this, in such detail, I realized how my pain was nothing compared to this. My heart break was nothing compared to this. I felt that people had caused this pain and frustration I was feeling. But I caused the pain that Jesus went through, he went through that for ME, and for YOU. And you know what? He would do it all over again for us. He wouldn't even think twice. That my friends is true love. See pain in our life is inevitable, it is a fact of life. But it is suffering which is optional. 

Christ died on a cross, something which represented crime and defeat. He died a criminals death. But He turned this symbol of the cross into a symbol of victory. Christ has invited us to "take up our cross", we must die to this world, to sin. But it is through this invitation to die, that we have an invitation to live. We have an invitation to really live a full life. God will take us amazing places, but we have to allow Him to, we have to hold nothing back, we have to surrender our lives. It is through losing our lives that we will find them.