Ireland is everything I imagined it to be.
The land is green and lush, the towns are quaint and inviting, and the people are as lovely as they come.
And although for the majority of the year it’s rainy and cold, we’ve been blessed with uncommonly warm weather and clear skies.
It’s the perfect place to end this incredible journey.
In addition to warmer weather, July also ushers a season of trouble into the culture of Northern Ireland. Many of us racers (myself included) were uneducated as to the history of this land, so on our first day here, our ministry contact sat us all down and gave us a quick history lesson. It went something like this:
In the 17th century, the English successfully subdued Northern Ireland, and as a result groups of Protestant English and Scottish people began to colonize in the predominantly Catholic country. In the early 20th century, Protestants and Catholics divided into two warring camps over the issue of Irish home rule. Most Irish Catholics desired complete independence from Britain, but Irish Protestants feared living in a country ruled by a Catholic majority.
Although armed hostilities between Protestants and Catholics largely subsided after a peace agreement was reached in 1921, violence has erupted over the issue from the 1960’s and into the late 90’s.
Every year, on July 12th, the Protestants and Catholics of Northern Ireland ”celebrate” this part of their history by marching on one another. There are parades, flag burnings, and often times riots break out amongst people on opposing sides.
We were here for the festivities this year, and although it was an unexpected twist to our time here, I was interested in seeing how the church was going to respond.
This month, we are working alongside Causeway Coast Vineyard located in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. I can easily say that it is the most God-honoring, Spirit-led, people-loving church that I have ever had the pleasure of serving with. Their heart for the poor and hurting in their community, their passion to change the culture and call a generation up into their true identity is nothing short of contagious.
Each year during this time, the church sends groups of people – young and old – into the heart of the parades and protests and they hand out candy.
That’s it.
No yelling, no sermons, no pamphlets or agenda.
They simply walk up to the misguided teens or staggering men and hand them a lollipop with a smile.
The police officers have found this so effective that they now request the church’s presence every year. The police chief sat down with the pastor of the Vineyard a few years ago and explained that when they intervene, it only seems to make matters worse – but when “the people with the candy” fill the crowd, everyone settles down and tensions ease.
None of us were surprised that this display of unity was so effective. We’ve all learned this year that no matter the culture, when shown a selfless act of kindness (even one as simple as a lollipop) it makes hatred that much harder to find.
At the end of the day, love triumphs. The light invades the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.
It’s a lesson I hope to never forget.
