Our Home in Ireland

Welcome to Lakeside Manor, our new home. Our 18 bedroom house is located just a few miles from the city center of Belfast, and not far from Queen's University. Here it is that we eat, rest, laugh, and learn together. One thing I love about Lakeside is that most days I wake up and fall asleep to the sound of people laughing together.

Although we've only been here a few days, I already feel like this is so much more than just a place to eat and sleep. This is a safe place, in every sense of the word.

Billy said when he thinks of Lakeside he's reminded of the description from Psalm 23:2, "...He leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul..." For many of us, this trip gives us a chance to step outside of our normal enviornment and ask questions. Our immersion in the Irish culture forces us to look at and ask questions about our own values, faith, and culture from the outside as well. Lakeside provides a safe place for us to ask these questions.

I also believe the second part of this verse is a fitting description of our home at Lakeside Manor. I believe this will be a place of healing for many who are here this summer. Some of us came with questions that seemed too big to answer. Some of us are struggling in our relationship with God, desperately searching for understanding and authenticity. Some are healing from wounds we feel no one else can understand. I am one of those people, and I go to sleep every night overwhelmed with gratitude as I say, "Thank you God for allowing me to be here." I believe He is at work in this place in an amazing way, and I believe we will all come back home different people because of our time here.

Kara Bird