Curry Chronicles
Summer 2010

It just doesn’t get much better than a warm, sunny day of May in Galway. Everyone’s mood is instantly elated, and no one stays indoors. Following winter’s chill and damp, when the sun comes out, so does all of Galway. Though it’s only in the low 70s (Farenheit), it’s summer in Ireland! The streets are crowded but no one is in a hurry, the parks are full, and people lounge on the grass next to the river Others even brave the rock-sandy seashore of the bay, though the temperature of the water, barely out of the Atlantic is frigid. This time of year, the daylight stretches longer, with dawn around 4:45 a.m. and dusk nearing 10 p.m. The daylight creates a bit of havoc for sleep patterns, especially when no one wants to waste daylight hours, but nobody complains because winter brings just the opposite.

Students 
The pitiable secondary students who have to take the junior and senior certification exams this year, are still chained to their study (the joke is that the weather is best from May through the first few weeks of June, but will return to more clouds and rain just about the time the very last student hands in their exams. It has certainly seemed that way each year!) Primary school students don’t finish until the end of June, but no doubt they’re counting the days.

We’ve one more school retreat this week then they’re over until the fall. Though we’re seeing fewer lunchtime students, we are getting more that bring in their computers or books and sit a while over a cup of coffee to study.  Our staff is in the middle of doing spring cleaning before our two week closing at the middle of June. At that point we say goodbye to the American interns who were here for a year, and July 1st we welcome new ones. Katie Fiori has already returned to Canada, and Asher Cole and Rachel Suderman will leave in mid-June. It has been a good year.

Left to right: June & Arden Autry, Mandie Feeney, Asher Cole, Susan Curry, Tom O’Loughlin, Rachel Suderman, Katie Fiori, Sarah Feeney, Deidre Morris, Mike Shortt, Orla Downey, Megan Gordon, Eamon Breen

Tom O’Loughlin, is taking the summer to work in a ministry in NYC called The Father’s Heart. They operate a soup kitchen and work with inner city youth. Please pray for Tom as he gets a time to expand his ministry horizons. 

Alpha/Community Bible Study
Our Alpha group has now morphed into a Bible study group using the Community Bible Study materials. Great feedback from the group: some are reading the Bible for the first time; others have never read Philippians (our current study) and several have attested to the fact that they are regularly getting up an hour early to read and study the Bible, and are loving it. We are so excited about the growth we see in the individuals and the group as a community of believers. All wanted to break for the summer due to vacations and we will begin a new study in September. Keep this group in your prayers, that what has begun will continue.

Emmaus Scripture School
Changes are afoot for our Scripture School next year. As you know, Arden and June Autry have been with us for four years. Arden established and got Emmaus Scripture School off to a great start. June has handled all of our publications, brochures, and advertising. She’s helped with the bookkeeping and in the bookstore, led the Lectio Divina prayer group on Saturday mornings, and basically made herself indispensible in more ways than we can imagine. With the last two years being more difficult for them to obtain a visa, they felt this might be the Lord’s timing for them to prepare for a change and for Arden to prepare a successor. Close friends of the Autrys have a son who just finished a doctorate in New Testament Studies in Limerick (Ireland). John Shelton and his wife, Grace, were praying about whether they were to return to America or stay in Ireland, and all agreed it seemed the Lord’s hand was pointing toward John as the next Scripture School director.

Arden will be on hand, to aid John in the transition of the school’s leadership. The Autrys did, thankfully, just get their visa renewed so they will continue with us until their next step unfolds.

John and Grace have two young children (Gloria and Michael) and will join us in August after spending the summer in the US.  Pray for the Sheltons as they raise financial support and as they make the move to Galway.
We are excited at their coming, but we’re certainly not looking forward to the Autry’s absence whenever that takes place. Please pray for Arden and June them as they have several options they are prayerfully considering for the future.

New Interns
Pray for our new workers who will be arriving in July. Laurel Dyson, from Tulsa, who was an Emmaus Scripture School student several semesters back, will be returning long term! Sarah Crawford, will be joining us from Texas. Pray for each of these special young women as they make plans to come.

The Ash Cloud??
Ireland, for the past two months, has been periodically overshadowed by the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland.  People have asked how if it’s affecting the weather or making the skies cloudy. Cloudy skies in Ireland? To quote a famous Irish playwright, Sean O’Casey, in his play Juno and the Paycock,
 “ I often looked up at the sky an' assed meself the question - what is the moon, what is the stars?” I think he must have written that on one of the numerous cloudy days of Ireland, for sure! But, as for the ash cloud, we don’t see any effect, other than on flights. We are watching the “ash forecast” closely (yes there is now such a thing), as it affects tourism and the coming and going of our workers over break. Please pray for the safety and timeliness of those flying. 

Serving a Very Faithful Lord,
Kelly, Susan, Natalie and Leah Curry