Ahhh... Summmer!

June is coming to a close and July will be here tomorrow. I don't know where January-May went really but I am happy to be into the summer months and even a bit of summerish weather here in Northern Ireland. As for The Press, June was relatively quiet. When good weather hits a country normally drenched 8-12 months out of the year in serious rain people tend to not stay indoors but enjoy being outside which I applaud! Maybe it's the bit of Alaska in me that thinks good weather=being outside. I was not discouraged by this fact mainly because I think I anticipated it. Along with that anticipation The Press will be closed for the month of July to give all of our wonderfully faithful volunteers a much earned rest from doing things that they really don't have to do.

As I write this I am aware that The Press will be actively closed for the next month but it will continue to live and be active. Over the past few months I have been dreaming up the next stage of what The Press could look like, what I hope it will become and continuing to dream with the Dreamgiver about what He sees in it and what it's purpose is to be. Over this last year, it has not been so much about the coffee or food (which by the way are still excellent!) but it's been about the people. The people who come in only once, the people who come in every week without fail, and the volunteers whom I see so much potential in and only hope that I can partner with God in calling that out in each of them. So over the month of July I will be working on more of the unseen items of The Press, the practical items, admin, and hopefully getting it ready to step into the next stage of this dream.

Last Sunday a great guy called Alain Emerson spoke about 'enlarging our tents' and that's exactly what I feel like God has been speaking to me about in regards to The Press. It might be small and hidden from the majority of people, but I believe in time The Press will be a light in our town, it will be a safe haven for broken people and it will serve one of the best cups of coffee if not the best in Dungannon! Not all of those things have happened yet but that's what a dream is, something too big to do on our own that we have to partner with God and others to accomplish it and on my own I know I could never make these things a reality in The Press.

While our doors are closed my heart remains open to all that God desires The Press to be, who He wants The Press to reach, how He wants us to serve Dungannon and also the world. It's a pleasure and privilege to be living out one of my many dreams, and I want to encourage anyone reading this to ask God to dream over you and your life! You never know what kind of surprises He has in store!