Sieg Chronicles

Monday, April 1, 2013

Greetings, Friends! I hope this letter finds you all staying warm as we enter April and hopefully spring weather soon! Ive so enjoyed the past 6 months back

drums to play with the worship team; and so many other fun experiences.

Also during this time, an opportunity to go to Ireland has arisen. Now for some reason unbeknownst to me, I have always had this

from Chinagetting to hang out with my family and church family, travel and see some of you friends again, and even have the opportunity to interesting time since returning from my year awayexperiencing some serious reverse

underlying desire to go to Ireland. That, coupled with the fact that Ive had the travel bug since being back from China, in addition to a dear

make some new, really dear friends. Its been an

friend deciding to join me in this venture has

culture shock; trying to figure out whats next for me in this weird stage of life; getting the opportunity to babysit and hang out with an

me pretty stoked about what's coming and about the incredible ministry and people we are going to be joining in Ireland.

awesome family to dearly love;

that I have come working with the

So whatexactly will I be doing? Well, the

opportunity is to work with an addiction recovery ministry called Teen Challenge--"a Christian based organization which started caring for

youth group at my church, as well as learning the

troubled youth in New York City in 1958 Teen Challenge strives to help the 'whole person', not just the substance abuse to teach a whole new way of living by addressing family relationships,
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Tiglin, Ireland

work attitudes, self image, peer pressure, temptation, community relationships and a variety of other life skills." I will be interning at the Women's Centre, called Tiglin--a centre that implements this Teen Challenge program for women, 18 years and over, with drug and alcohol addictions. The internship will initially run for three months (June-August), and I will be serving 40+ hours a week in whatever capacity the centre needs (potentially helping with office duties, leading counseling/discussion groups, assisting patients suffering from withdrawal, etc). I know its going to be a challenging, stretching three months, but I also feel confident that God has given me this
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opportunity, just as He did the China adventure; so I am thrilled to see what He wants to do through it. My year in China was challenging in its own ways, but I wouldnt trade it for anything. One thing that I undoubtedly believe God did through my time in China is to bring me out from under a burden of fear that used to significantly affect and hinder my joy in life. Since my China adventure, life and the unknown have become more of an adventure to enjoy than a challenge to fear. This has been the most evident as Ive considered the trip to Ireland. Something that previously would have been a terrifying step, is now an exciting mystery; and I am fully aware and grateful that God has brought about this change in my life. It is extremely refreshing, to say the least.

working with residents,

So all of that said, I shall embark upon this new Irish expedition at the beginning of the rapidly approaching month of June! However, before I do so, there are a few things Id like to ask of you. First and most importantly, I am quite certain that the prayers of my friends and family carried me through my time in China during the toughest moments. I could not have made it without those prayers. SO I know from experience that your prayer support is absolutely crucial for this next quest. I plan on sending prayer updates, keeping you informed on how you can be praying for Tiglin, the women there, and all of us staff and interns. Just knowing that I have such a solid team of prayer warriors is overwhelmingly heartening and encouraging as I prepare for this trip. Secondly, unlike my China tripwhere the job covered travel and living expenses for the yearthis time Ill be covering my own travel, as well as a few additional uncovered expenses for the three months. One of the things God has taught me since returning home is to consistently trust Him to provide and lead, something that He is giving me
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ample opportunity to practice. Each time over the past six months that Ive considered looking into a more permanent next step-such as going back to school or getting a more full-time job than the few awesome part-time opportunities He's given me--He has continually led me to keep on waiting. I found myself frequently questioning what He was doing, what I was waiting around for, and how I was going to provide for myself; but when He suddenly brought this Ireland opportunity into view (through a random FB message of a dear friend telling me about the opportunity), I was grateful for the waiting I had done. His plans really are flawless, and I love the excitement of trusting Him for each step. He has blessed and provided beautifully over the past half year, and I definitely trust Him to continue doing so as I pursue His leading! So your prayers are what I most intensely desire for my time in Ireland; but if any of you feel led to give financially towards this trip, anything thats on your heart to give would be a blessing. Thank you in advance for joining the ministry in Ireland, especially through your prayers!

e n I r e h t A k

dbits i T h m Iris o d n Ra
The Wh it e Ho an Ir use w ish a as d rch it esign ect. ed by

The Irish Police force, Gardai, dont carry firearms. In recent years they have been outfitted with batons and pepper spray. Which makes the Irish police force just slightly more effective than your average single woman in New York City.

, not gree the c n, wa olor s ori a s gina soci Patr lly a ick. ted w ith S aint
es

Blue

n me i a n e plac dere t h s g e a long ckan u The M s nd is ich i a l h e w Ir ig lia, n p u a a e h dau to m eas. d s e t o a tw sl een tran w t e sh b mar
The longest one-word name in Ireland is Sruffaunoughterluggatoora.

od ZIP c r o l ta o pos n. n e r a Dubli e r f e o h e T d outsi d n a l in Ire

An Irish birthday tradition is to hold the birthday child upside down and

The re a re m tha ore n pe mob ople ile p in Ir hon elan es d.

the d n a ous ck, o m r fa m times as the age of the child. sha ost e m h the p, t r e r a a eh ss o Th nd. r a c l re ltic of I Ce s l bo sym
bump his head on the floor as many

For more info on Tiglin and Teen Challenge, feel free to check out http://tiglin.ie/ home/

Any donations can be sent to: Katherine Sieg 694 Bent Creek Lane Bumpass, VA 23024 4 by May 20th, 2013

Im planning on continuing my China blog while in Ireland! journeyofanepicadventure.blog spot.com