We know that we know that we know

I'm going to be honest with you guys...this was a hard week. 

As our date for outreach approaches and our bank account dwindles, I have allowed my heart to become frustrated with God and his plans for our future. We knew beyond a doubt, through much prayer and confirmation through other believers and scripture and "that still small voice" that God called us here. We knew that we knew that we knew....ya know?! 

So why then did I feel left high and dry by my Jesus? 

I was such a brat. 

God spanked my faithless and doubting butt. I needed it. 

I think growing up I knew, and know, that God loves me, but I didn't equate His love with His provision for me. That was a harsh reality to wake up to. 

The world wants to know how we are going to make it, and understands even less the concept of living on full time support. Attempting to live entirely by faith many profess but few can really understnd until they have to lay down the very thing they find the most security in, their paycheck. I would profess understanding that kind of faith...until this week. I had no idea what it meant to be "all in" until now, until I am responsible for more than just my husband and myself. This baby brings a whole new set of eyes to walking by faith. 

I needed perspective. 

In Hebrews it talks about the many many saints of old and all of the things they endured for the promise of heaven and they did all of these things BY FAITH. Just after that it talks about the discipline The Lord brings for His children. What an honor to be called a child of God, an heir to His kingdom, to be disciplined instead of condemned. God is shaping and stretching my trust in His provision. It's so so hard. 

It can be so easy to think first of the nay-sayers, the ones who think of us as "irresponsible" all for a lack of understanding what true obedience is. The opinions of those who don't really know our heart for obedience can't be our loudest voice in our minds. Jesus beckoning us out onto the water has to be louder to us than anyone else. 

This is stretching us for a lifestyle of living by faith. Our expectation of how God provides expands every day. When I spoke of us expecting God to be bigger to us, I had no idea the brevity of the words I was speaking. 

Still God chose to forgive me for my small mindedness, He put His arm around me and whispered the words "I will" into my ear. 

"I will provide, BECAUSE I love you"

"I will give you a healthy baby, a home, a mission field, a future and a hope. I WILL." 

If the God of the universe tells you He will, He will. 

That needs to be enough for me. His promise is enough. 

So, when I was sick (literally) and tired and overwhelmed, God spoke. I find a new hope for today and His call on our lives. And yes, I still know that I know that I know that we are supposed to be here today.

The future is exciting, and yes, we may be literally insane by your standards but that's ok. You can just pray for us either way. 

For now, we have a healthy baby, a warm place to lie our heads down, food to eat. We have laughter, we have joy. We have so much more than most, it's enough and THEN some. 

Tomorrow we have all of YWAM Ireland here in Sligo for a day of fellowship and prayer for YWAM Sligo. Needless to say I am looking forward to seeing some old faces from my first DTS. We also have our scan tomorrow afternoon! Which means we get to see our baby for the first time since our 6 week scan at the very beginning. School is going well too. Learning new things every day. We have our tickets for Morocco now too! AH! It's really happening! 

As far as pregnancy goes, baby is a mover and a shaker. I am feeling great, never did get that second trimester energy, but not nearly as bad as it was. My ribs are expanding which I wasn't prepared for. It's a constant dull ache until it's sharp pain for a few seconds at a time at night. All normal for a person of "my short torsoed stature" I guess. If that's all I can claim though I would say all is worth it. 

Thank you for those of you who take the time to read these and pray for us. You are appreciated and needed. God bless you all until next time- Team B

I'm Irish, Not An Idiot

Whoa, what a week!  Our lecture this week focused on the Father Heart of God and how we have certain areas of darkness in our lives that are keeping us from seeing the Father.  It was impactful, to say the least, but also super encouraging as well.  Before we dig deep into that subject,  lets update you all on everything else that has been going on in our lives here in beautiful Sligo, Ireland.

Last week's lecture was on experiencing intimacy with the Holy Spirit.  Hearing Him talk to you and the feeling of "closeness" with Him.  It was a great reminder of all that we had been doing with Singing Waters on the island, and it was great to see all the students excited about hearing The Lord speak to them.  At the end of the week, we visited Northern Ireland to experience just a wee bit of St. Patrick's ministry.  We first visited Downpatrick to see one of the major spots of St. Patrick's  hometown ministries as well as visit the very first church planted by St. Patrick.

After visiting Downpatrick,we made our way back home and stopped at Armagh, another one of the cities that St. Patrick had a big influence.  We were able to stay at a nice hostel there and explore the city some before we came home.  We were abe to visit both churches of Ireland, one being an Anglican Church planted by St. Patrick, with the other being a Catholic Church, which was breathtaking.  It was great to be in these towns with buildings and places that are a few thousand years old.

Returning back home, we celebrated yet another birthday here and another this week as well (so many October birthdays!). We prepared our hearts to receive the message this week about God's Father Heart and man, it was awesome.  Larry Nichols, our guest lecture this week, is from Montana and has worked with YWAM for many years.  His love and passion for the Father Heart of God was astounding and very encouraging for Justin as he  prepares to be a father himself.  Larry also brought a guest with him, Les Sannes, who was such a joker.  Les bunked here with us at the hostel and really spoke into our hearts.  He prayed over us for our finances and really encouraged us to constantly seek after the heart of God.  It was great having the view of a sender, one who donates and supports missionaries, rather than a receiver (us).  

It was so impactful to hear about God's Father heart.  We were challenged to really investigate the heart of God and understand exactly how much love the Father haves for us.  It is overwhelming to try and understand just how much God loves us.  Even when we disobey The Lord, He still beckons us closer and wants an even deeper relationship with us.  This sometimes, seems unfathomable.  Why would such a powerful being want that from us?  Because that is precisely who God is and it was great to experience that this week from Larry and Les.

Next week is an exciting week for the group because we were invited to staff a holiday Bible camp for a local children's organization.  We will be staffing this camp most of the week and then hosting a party on Halloween night for the children.  Both of us are ready to take part in the local children's lives as we show them the love of God.

Also happening next week is lecture focusing on a discovery Bible study to aid us in sharing the Gospel.  We have a gentleman from Egypt coming in for lecture and Justin is very excited to meet him.

Korina's doctor was finally able set an appointment in a few weeks to have her ultrasound to determine the sex of the baby, so we won't be keeping y'all in the dark for that much longer!  

Some continuing prayer requests for this week...

For finances as we are nearing the due date for our outreach costs.  You can donate many ways, either online here or by donating directly to YWAM Sligo via PayPal (click on donate, add our names in the memo/comments box).  For further ways in partnering with us, please send us an e-mail at justin.barigian@gmail.com .  

For further revelation from this past week as we continue to dig deeper as a group following after the Heart of God.  As we continue to grow more vulnerable as a group, the enemy tries to tear us apart any chance he gets, so for protection as students open up together and grow.

Baby things.  Continuing health for the baby and the mother.  That the baby will be turned the right way as to reveal the gender, because this will be our last ultrasound.

"Look at this door! Have you seen this door?!"

Culture Corner.

So instead of lingo this week, we are going to explain the title.  We went to a local coffee shop with one of guests this week, Les, and he decided to pay for the hot chocolates.  Being his first time in Ireland, let alon Europe, his Minnesotan accent was easy to spot! When paying for the drinks, he pulled a handful of small change out of his pocket and asked the lady at the counter if she could help him count the Euro.  Mind you that Euro coins have huge numbers on the face of the coin and are very similar to American currency.  As she is picking through his change, he dropped an American quarter on the counter and she said, "That one won't work here". Les chuckled and tried to explain that it was worth $4 or $5 in Irish currency.  The lady quickly responded, "I'm Irish, not an idiot" and everyone, including Les, got a good laugh out of it.  

Dublin Troublin' and Mutton Bustin'

I'm not even sure where to start so I guess I will start at the beginning....

We left Oakhurst for Burbank Tuesday morning with my father-in-law. It was a relaxing drive down to Hollyweird. Our hotel was really nice and we grabbed what might have been the last Mexican food for a while. It might have been that we knew it was our last American dinner, but that was the best Mexican I've had in a while. If you're in Burbank head over to Salsa and Beer! 

In the morning we met up with our sister Amber and her husband Chris to have breakfast before our flight left. It was great to see them one last time. Our short flight to San Fran in the tiniest plane I've ever boarded was pleasant enough. Our flight from San Fran to Dublin was actually not too bad, a little over 9 hours. It included meals and snacks and a personal touchscreen tv with a ton of stuff (Justin watched the new Captain America while I indulged in some True Detective-boo ya!)

Once we landed in Dublin it was 11am the next day.... but our brains were still on 3am time. We got to our hosts house by bus from the airport in a suburban town called Santry halfway between the airport and the city center. We spent the afternoon and evening in Santry.

Back yard of our hosts house -pretty sure they filmed part of Shawn of the Dead back here....

The next morning, after some much desired sleep, we took the bus into Dublin and spent the day exploring the city. Justin got his first taste of fresh Guinness, genuine fish and chips from his first chipper, and a relaxing walk through Saint Stephens Green. 

Justin overlooking the pond in St. Stephens Green

The next day we met up with one of our fellow DTSrs and hopped the train out to the opposite coastline to Sligo, our final destination. The train was nothing short of magical (you guys wild horses- or at least they looked wild, like Shadowfax status guys! -ran alongside the train as we passed through the countryside) Also the sun was shining, which was weird, but so so nice.

Our arrival at the base was met with a warm welcome from the rest of the students and staff. We are staying at the White House Hostel here in town, a cozy little old place that overlooks the river. So far we have done a bit of exploring of the town of Sligo, getting to know our fellow DTSrs, and today was our first offical day of orientation!  Currently we are taking bets on who will do some actual mutton bustin' (riding sheep for as long as you can -for you non-hillbilly people) My bets are on a student named Ruby 😉 Life is so so different now, but so so good. 

I am feeling great pregnancy-wise. 17 weeks on Wednesday. Still no discernable movement but in the next week or so we will hopefully find out if its baby boy Barigian or baby girl Barigian! Taking votes now! Still waiting for this second trimester energy to kick in but all signs point to soon. Still no crazy cravings, or aversions really, I just have a preference for salty and savory and not so much sweet. 

Prayer requests-

We still need to raise about 3,500 for the outreach portion of our DTS. So finances and also  safety while we are in Morocco. 

That we would  be effective in our minstries here, and a good influence on our fellow DTSrs.

For teachability and a curious heart.

Last but not least...thank you. To everyone of you who have supported us through prayer  and finances to get us to this point. To every person who wished us well, encouraged us, even liked a photo on Facebook, you're all our heroes. 

Until next week- The Barigians 

For old times sake....some lingo for ya:

"Like" always goes at the end

In America - "That sheep is, like, really fat."

In Ireland- "That sheep is really fat, like." 

Business as usual...maybe?

     Life around here has been what some may call, "business as usual".  While that may fit the bill for most of what we are doing lately, it is far from the truth.  It would be a disservice to our Maker to just call the last month "usual" because of the blessings He has poured on to us.  

     We are working like crazy lately, trying to save as much money as we can for DTS, but also really getting involved as much as possible downstairs.  Justin had the chance to speak on something God has placed on his heart.  God has shown him that we need to look more closely at how we evangelize.  The focus needs to be on the individual receiving love from a believer.  Too many times do we focus directly on conversion, that we miss an opportunity to really love on people the way Christ did.   

Justin was blessed to be a part of this church by sharing his heart on evangelism.  We are excited to further extend our knowledge on this subject as we approach our start date.

     God is also preparing our hearts for a special healing service that we are going to be a part at Singing Waters.  The leaders have been earnestly seeking after the heart of God and what it means to be bold.  He placed it on our hearts to have a healing service here at the church.  We could not think of a better way to be bold for Jesus and count on Him to show up at this service.  Tons and tons of prayer has already gone into this and will continue to as we near the service.  We just want to show the city of Avalon that we serve a God who heals, all you have to do is call on His name.  We are asking Lord, thank you in advance for your presence.

     So, I think we are down to something like 68 days until we move off the island and 88 days until we hop on a plane and head to the Green Isle.  Every couple of days we are finding out more information regarding our DTS.  There are currently 12 students attending our DTS in Sligo, with the count being 8 men and 4 women.  We know that for the duration of our stay in Sligo, we will be in a hostel called the White House which is situated near central downtown (if one would say that there is a downtown Sligo).  The hostel has been rented out to YWAM so we will have full rein over the place.  This is super exciting because we will be able to make it our home and be able to live right in the city that we will be serving in.  From the White House, we will be attending our lecture at one of the local churches, just a short walk away.

  

The White House (not a great pic, sorry!)

 

     After lecture phase, we know that there will be a small group performing outreaches in both Lebanon and Morroco.  Please pray for clarity for us as God show us exactly which country He wants us to serve in.  We aren't quite sure how we will be serving in these countries, but will update as soon as we find out.  

 

     Support raising has been going very well, but we still need a large chunk of our DTS covered while we are saving.  We have our plane tickets (as we posted last week), which is a huge blessing from God.  Besides our plane tickets and the support that we currently have, we are still in need of about $6,000.  God has been so gracious with us and promised us the full amount once we reconcile a previous debt.  He has asked us to be bold in using money that would otherwise go to our DTS and put it toward this debt.  We will have this paid off in about two weeks and couldn't feel more blessed.  

     Funding is necessary for us to attend our DTS, but we are also looking for support in ways of some supplies.  We would love to invest in a nice DSLR camera like a Canon Rebel T3i or similar.  Also, Justin is in need of a camping backpack since his bag is just a little too large to take internationally.  We have a fair share of necessary clothing, but may need items that we just don't seem to own like rain boots, light rain jackets, and other light, waterproof clothing.  If you would love to help us out with these items, we would be forever blessed by your support.

In the meantime, we are choosing to dig deeper into God's word and not fall complacent as we look forward to DTS.  It is not easy by any means because our hearts are already there in Ireland (as well as Oakhurst!).  The Lord has blessed us with a calmness that seems confusing at times, but is greatly appreciated.  We are planning a support dinner here on the island for mid July and may even have one in September in Oakhurst before we leave.  If you want to help out in any way, let us know!

Action photo on the Rib Runner looking for dolphins!

     Lastly, we would love to thank each and every one of you.  By reading this blog, you are supporting our desires and dreams every day.  We can never thank you enough for all of your support.  

     If you would like to know more about our fundraising campaign, please visit https://www.youcaring.com/justinandkorina.  You can donate online via WePay or PayPal (for online donations, we recommend PayPal).  If you want to be old school, you can mail your checks to the church (check our website above!).

Once again, thank you for all that you do.  We love you all dearly!