Ireland has rightly been dubbed the emerald island; the thrilling beauty of the endless rolling green hills must be seen to be believed. On Monday, April 4th, we arrived in this lovely country, full of charming people, rich culture, unique history, and an overall enchanting aura. The day we left Switzerland, God immediately began to give us a taste of how He would move throughout our outreach in Ireland. Monday morning, Chenda (a 20 year old girl on our team from Cambodia), still had not received the visa she had applied for weeks before. We were scheduled to leave the base at 3:00 pm in the afternoon, but without a visa Chenda would be unable to join us when we departed for Ireland. When a phone call was made concerning the issue we were told that no one had even begun to process her visa yet, and the customs department in Bern, Switzerland closed at noon. So one of the staff hurried to Bern with Chenda to see what could be done. While they were gone, we prayed. Then two minutes before 12:00 we received a phone call, Chenda’s visa had been processed and she was now able to go to Ireland with the team. Needless to say there was much rejoicing and celebration. God had provided just in time. The event served as a reminder that God has a plan for our team and that His plan includes provision, encouragement, and a revelations of God’s power and guidance.
We finally entered Ireland as a team around 10:30 pm that night. We had been coached on what to say when we were questioned at customs. We were a group of tourists and if they pressed further then we were to say we were here to do volunteer work with churches. There was a small holdup as one member of our team was delayed for a short time at customs; his name is Matthews and he is from Malawi so they took a bit longer with him. But in the end God granted us favor and we made it through customs, to everyone’s great relief. For the first week of outreach we stayed in a youth hostel in Dublin; which we booked reservations in a few days before we departed for Ireland. We had now entered into outreach in Ireland with no knowledge of what was before us. We only knew that God had called us to Ireland and now we would wait for Him to show us what to do. So on Tuesday we began the day with prayer. Then we went on a free tour of Dublin, in order to learn some more about the people, the culture, and the history of Ireland. Then on Wednesday we again began the day with prayer and then we split up into four different groups. Each group went to different parts of the city and our sole purpose was to make contacts. So we knocked on doors; we entered into different churches or random organizations that we saw as we walked around town. We would go in, tell them who we were, explain that we were in Ireland to serve in any way we could, to be a blessing, and to see if they might have any opportunities for us to join with them in service to the community. As we walked we would pray and ask God to direct us to the people He wanted us to partner with in ministry. My group went to a couple of Catholic churches, but they had nothing for us to do.
While my group walked around town looking for contacts, searching for various buildings or churches that different people sent us to, we passed a place called the Apostolic Church. It was a Pentecostal church on the side of the street that just looked like another store front. But the sign over the door caught our attention, so we went in. The first time we entered they were in the middle of a prayer meeting so we left and came back later. The second time we met the Pastor; Patrick Fitzpatrick. He was very friendly and excited that we had come. He was very familiar with YWAM and as soon as he heard that we were looking for areas to serve, he immediately said he would defiantly have work we could do. Then he invited us to church on Sunday. The rest of that first week was spent finding more contacts, spending a lot of time in prayer as a team, and watching as God opened doors. One of the girls on our team was just walking along the street one evening, near our hostel and she saw a building that said “compassion center”. She walked in, told the man at the desk who we were, what we were about, and that we were looking for areas to serve. Through that connection our next week of outreach and housing was planned and provided for. Throughout the rest of the week the majority of our outreach was actually planned as we continued to meet people, make contacts, and watch as God opened doors for outreach opportunities and provided housing. Then that Sunday five of us went to the Apostolic church and talked to Pastor Patrick a bit more. We explained to him that we would be in different parts of Ireland, but during the beginning of June we would be back in Dublin. So He agreed that his church would host us for one week and while we work with the church and serve the community, members of his church will be housing us. So God provided a week of outreach and housing through that contact, which is very exciting. This is just another reminder that God has a plan, and that He is our provider.
During this second week of outreach we moved out of Dublin, into Cavan. In Cavan we have been hosted by the man from the Compassion Center in Dublin. He is a pastor from Nigeria, Pastor John, with a church in Cavan. The compassion center is a ministry where, three days a week, members from Pastor John’s church feed the homeless. His church is mostly Nigerian and they have been so friendly and hospitable. The first day we arrived in Cavan we had no idea what our outreach for the week would look like, the pastor and His assistant (Edd) were planning the whole thing. So we got off the bus, met Edd and headed to the Hosanna House (Pastor John’s church). Once there, three of us went grocery shopping to get food for the week, while everyone else went to get settled in the house they had prepared for us. But when they got there they found that the house was not stocked with necessary kitchen items, nor did it have any running water. So, yet again, we were in a prime position to see God provide; once again we were in a position where we had no idea where we would be staying for the week. But we knew God had called us to Cavan so we waited for Him to provide. Long story short, by night fall God had provided two beautiful houses for the week; one for the three boys and one for the eight girls.
Ministry in Cavan has been a day by day process of watching God open up different doors each day. So far we have done door to door evangelism a couple of times; just letting people know God loves them (the majority of people here in the north of Ireland are Catholic). Some of us have worked with homeless people, and we have built relationships with both Protestants and Catholics. We have also gone to old folks homes on two occasions, sang for them and have just spent time talking with them and telling them about why we are here. Yesterday we had the opportunity to speak to a class of 14 to 15 year olds at a local Catholic school. They were learning about the book of Acts and we were their “real live” examples of what it means to be a missionary (funny thought). That was SOOOO exciting! I was actually able to tell them what I want to do with my life and I was able to teach them a bit about the issues of human trafficking as well; which none of them had ever heard of before. It was so encouraging to see how focused they were and how hungry they were to learn more. In the end they expressed how glad they were that we had come and spoken with them. Then for the rest of the week we will be doing some street evangelism as well as serving in more practical areas in the community. We will also be speaking and singing at the church on Sunday (the Hosanna House).
Then on Monday half of our team will be heading back to Dublin to do youth, children, and homeless ministry for two weeks (I will be in this group). The other half will be going to Northern Ireland to work with the YWAM base there for two weeks. While we are in Dublin for these two weeks we will be staying at the Life House which is a Christian ministry that works with feeding the homeless. It is also affiliated with a ministry called Dublin Christian Mission (DCM). DCM works with kids and youth, hosting Christian clubs for inner city kids of all ages. While in Dublin we will work with DCM and with the Lighthouse. The Compassion Center hosts its homeless ministry in the Life House building as well. So through the connection with the Compassion Center that was made during our first week in Ireland, the first month of outreach and housing was provided for; God is so good!
So that is the download on the first two weeks of outreach in Ireland. But no blog update would be complete if I didn’t express how beautiful the Irish culture is! I absolutely love Ireland! The people are some of the most friendly that I have ever met. Everywhere you go, especially in the smaller towns, people on the street greet you with a smile and a “hello how are you”, in their beautifully thick Irish brogue. The Island itself is more beautiful than can be expressed in words. The peaceful serenity of the country from its emerald fields with the grazing sheep, to the majestic cliffs along the coast, is one of the most spectacular I have ever seen. Even the most vivid of imagination could not do justice to the lovely scenery, or to the rich experience of living in the culture amongst some of the most charming people in the world. God truly has revealed a unique, special, and very creative aspect of His character in the way that He has created the culture, heritage, and history of this glorious Island and its beautiful people. I am so excited and I feel so privileged to live among the Irish people; to learn from them, and to serve them for the next three months. I cannot wait to see what all God has in store for our team here, and for all those we come in contact with during outreach. It is truly my prayer that we are able to be a blessing to the Irish people and that God’s will will be done; that God will be glorified in Ireland.
