Rick's Birthday - Model Railway Exhibit at Ulster Transportation Museum

We spent last Saturday afternoon at a local museum for Rick's birthday.  He loves trains, and especially model trains!  He's just a big kid at heart anyway...as many of you already know!  Here are some of the pictures we took.  We had a great day, I really enjoyed watching him enjoy all the exhibits, and there were plenty!

Finding Favor in Friends and Family

October was a month of renewal. Renewed friendships, renewed fellowship in the Lord and renewed relationships with family. Spring is usually thought of as a time of renewal, not the autumn, but for Cindy and me it was a reversal this year. The month started out with the first ever All Ireland conference for the Calvary Chapel fellowships on the island. We were able to renew friendships with all the folks we had met just a few weeks before during the children’s ministry training. Also, some of our wonderful pastor friends came over there, too, including the great Irish ex-patriot John Henry Corcoran who is now based in Costa Mesa California.

The conference itself was themed around the “Parables of the Kingdom of God” and 9 messages were given by all the Irish pastors as well as those who had traveled from America.  The result was a renewed closeness with the Lord.

The month ended on a high note with the visit of Dan and Deb Schell, Cindy’s oldest brother and his wife.  We all had a delightful time and of course, good ‘craic’.  It was nice to have them to ourselves in our own home. When the Schell family gathers there is always a flurry of activity and a lot of people around. Their visit with us this time resulted with a renewed and deepened relationship between brother and sister.

            So it was all about family this month.  We can see in our natural family an image of the family of God – we are brothers and sisters in the faith. God pours out His blessings on the family and in a variety of ways we received those blessings in this past month. We thank the Lord for the blessing of renewal in the family at home, the family of faith and the family on earth.          “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” 2Cor 4:16

Cindy, John Henry & Rick 

Dan and Deb by Belfast City Hall

Dan, Deb, Cindy & Rick

Visiting an old graveyard

Dan and Deb at Galgorm Castle

Hallelujah Party 2010

This year again Harvest held a Hallelujah Party as a Halloween alternative. There were a lot more people who came this year.  Rick shared the Gospel message through an object lesson. Everyone had a wonderful time as you can in the pictures below...


Everyone truly enjoyed the time and we are already looking forward to next years!

Kids guessing the quantities of goodies in the jars

Stick the leaf to the tree....way to go Little Bo Peep!!!

Let's go fishing....

Apple swing game...first to eat the apple wins...this was so funny...couples, kids and their parents..great fun

Cupcake Walk

Candle Making Craft Class

 Yesterday we attended a craft class in town, candle making.  I talked Rick into coming along, and because he is such a good sport...sure enough...he came!  We had such a good time, met lots of folks and each came home with a hand full of candles!  We wanted to do this in order to get out and meet people where we normally wouldn't.

One women in particular was great - Dominic, she is from France originally but has lived here in Ballymena for the last 21 years.  Dominic has two children, and we have invited her to come along to the Hallelujah Party the 30th October.  She teaches French at a local secondary school (high school) Ballymena Academy.  It's quite interesting, in the fact that she and her children actually live on the grounds of the school!  There are three homes on the grounds.  One is for the Head Master (Principal), another for the Grounds Keeper and the third I'm not sure who its for, but Dominic and her family love living there.  She said that she actually has 3 gardeners!

Rochella and Dominic

Rick had a lot of fun in the class
We all had a great time at the candle making class, and are very glad we took it, even Rick said so as well!!

Flowers - mine, Stripes, Ricks..pretty cool huh!!!

These are all the candles Cindy made.

Calvary Chapel Ireland Conference

This year the first, of a long awaited. All Ireland conference was held the first weekend in October. There were around 160 attendees in all. It was a wonderful time for all the Calvary Chapels in the Republic of Ireland and Harvest (the only CC in Northern Ireland) to come together and fellowship, get to know one another and to see all the children playing together. We drove down to the conference, arriving on Thursday, to help set up in any way needed. Jan Knight, one of the women from Harvest drove down with us.

On our way to the conference we stopped by a "High Cross", seen in the picture behind Cindy & Jan. This cross is around 1000 years old! Inscribed on this, and another located here, is the story of the Bible. Carvings beginning in creation through to the second coming of Christ...amazing to see these crosses. I Peter 1:25 says, "the Word of the Lord endures forever" is what comes to my mind.

Once we arrived to the conference, Rick and I were asked to oversee the camping and registration. So, camping we did....but this time....we stayed dry!! It did rain, but we were blessed with a new tent...a waterproof one!! We did have a wonderful time, and we were snug a bugs in a rug! (only 3 layers of sleeping bags and blankets :-)

This is the 'best' picture I was able to get this night...Ian is playing the Uluen (sp?) pipe, and Irish pipe, Siona, his fiancée is playing her violin, then there is Rebekah (Pastor William's wife) on her violin and Dave Sylvester from CC York came to lead worship. We were truly blessed with some great worship.

Rick and one of the men who are helping at CC Waterford, CJ from the States

John Henry is one of the teachers at the School of Ministry where Rick attended. We have a real special place in our hearts for John Henry - he is so much fun, always keeping a smile on your face!

Gwanyeboyie! Gwanyeboyie!

Some of the ladies at Moreland Close

Cindy and Margaret

Debbie enjoying a cup of tea with the folks at Moreland Close, Sally is sitting behind Debbie in the blue sweater, she is who stood and yelled "Go on ye boyie!" during the film - these folks are such dear, sweet people.

The movie was nearing the climax and a lad for the “good guys” had just
intercepted a pass and was streaking down the sideline for the end zone. As you
read these words, you, as one familiar with American football, understand exactly
what is happening. But this film was being shown to a group of senior citizens at
an active care retirement facility in our town of Ballymena. This was probably the
first exposure any of them had had to America’s favorite sport. However, we
realized that they did “get it” when one of the ladies in the back row jumped up
and cheered on our hero with an exuberant outburst of a well known Northern
Irish expression: “Go on ye boyie! Go on ye boyie!”

We were delighted that they were enjoying the film so much, as a regular
part of our ministry is reaching out to these dear folks with friendship evangelism.
Likewise, this joyous cheer reminds me of the encouragement I can receive from
the Lord. In those moments when I may feel down or discouraged, I recall
Scriptures such as Colossians 1:11 which says, “May you be strengthened with all
power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,
giving thanks to the Father…” In other words, at these times, I hear God
whispering in my ear, “Go on ye boyie, go on.”

The Lord's Creative Time at CreationFest

Rick led morning devotions for us campers who were up bright and early.

Us in the camping office...working hard, can't you tell???

Rick, Desiree Uht, me and Janelle Uht - two girls we taught in Sunday school when they were just 'wee-ins'. The girls were at CreationFest serving in the children's ministry area with a team from Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa.

Rick, Eddie, Cindy, Chris and Dave - the Wren brothers, Chris and Dave worked with us in the camping office

You know the times I’m talking about – when we do things because we know it’s the right thing to do, yet we wonder if any real good can come out of it. I kind of thought CreationFest would be like that. CreationFest is a week-long Christian festival combining bands, Biblical teaching and youth and children’s activities. It is not your usual music fest; as I came to see it (and the way it was received by most everyone in attendance) it was a Christian festival done right.

CreationFest was sponsored by the Calvary Chapels of the UK and Ireland. It was free to attend and had camping at a nominal cost. While at the UK Pastors and Leaders Conference held in York, England at the start of July, Cindy and I were led to volunteer to head the camping when the need was broadcasted. Oh well, it’s not glamorous, but it’s necessary. But God… who always has surprises for us, used these two simple servants in amazing ways.

We were “stuck” in the camping office in the back corner of the festival site, but people were brought to us. The office had power outlets and word soon got out that portable devices could be charged there. Some would come in, they thought, just to charge their mobile phones and would engage in conversation and lo and behold, real ministry was happening in their lives. We prayed for their needs, gave counsel, encouraged and befriended them and saw the Lord move through us.

The peak experience came as we ended up leading a girl to faith in Christ! She, too, had just walked up to the office with a practical need to be met, but the Lord used us to meet the greatest need of all in her life. The CreationFest had as a primary goal – which was wonderfully met, to build up the body of Christ. But being a Calvary Chapel sponsored function, the gospel was frequently presented and 58 new members of the family of God were officially registered! Make that 59 with our new sister Judy.

Thanks for all your prayers during this time, we are so very grateful for you!!!

Rick and Cindy Johnston