Being Blown Away in (and by) Ireland

Hello! 
Let me begin with apologies for not updating my blog sooner. There are complications with my computer situation that I hope to be resolved by the time I get to Romania. The following are blogs that I’ve written throughout the past month, but am just now posting.

 

August 20, 2009:
Whoever coined Chicago “The Windy City” must have never been to Galway, Ireland. I was unprepared for this weather and am incidentally ill equipped to handle the climate. Thankfully, on the World Race it is not only socially acceptable, but the norm to wear the same jeans and hoodie 6 days in a row. So far, 7 tents have been the victim of hurricane-like winds, which means 7 of my squad mates are officially homeless for the time being. Rain has been on the forecast EVERY single day. Very seldom are we able to enjoy a “nice day” when it rains only 2 or 3 times. I can honestly say, I’ve adapted to the weather and I don’t even notice the rain anymore. I even slept through the tail of the hurricane that swept through.

 

                          

 

Aside from the weather, Ireland is a lot like I imagined and nothing like I thought it would be. Today I saw the picturesque rolling hills, flocks of sheep, and stone fences. Up until today, we had spent most of our time in the city (Dublin and Galway) and our campground. We officially started our ministry this week. We met our contact Jimmy Earle who works at a relatively new Christian church called Discovery Church. We got an information-packed orientation to the culture and history of Ireland to better understand the people. This was both very helpful and entertaining. Those of us with an 8^th grade sense of humor learned new ways to insult one another using culturally offensive words. In addition to putting on fashion shows, helping single moms, working in the “travelers” (Irish gypsies) neighborhood, Discovery Church has a “Greening” project.

Yesterday, we suited up in orange reflective vests with buckets and scrubbers in hand and ventured into the city’s center. We cleaned graffiti around the city and along the way, Chad, Colin, Geoff, Anna, and I met 5 young girls in an alley. They were taking photos of themselves and asked if they could have our vests. We let them borrow the vests for their alley photo shoot then invited them to come along with us. They were excited to join in our search for spray paint covered walls. We spent the next hour hanging out with them. They imitated our accents by saying things like, “You know what I mean?” and “Awesome!” Their impressions were pretty impressive and surprisingly accurate. They also told us all about how common it is to start drinking at the age of ten. We shared a little bit of our lives with them and invited them to church that Sunday. They were really excited about hanging out again, so we agreed to try to find them in the square again sometime during the week.

                              

After spending the day with these girls, I am hopeful that I will see them again, but at the same time feel a little hopeless for them. How much of an impact could I have possibly made on them? I wonder if they have anyone in their lives to mentor them and show them there is so much more for them than getting drunk every night. It is without a doubt a cycle and I pray that this is the generation that breaks it. I pray that these young girls will grow up to be strong women of God who (if they should choose to) raise strong children. I pray that their children will dream big dreams and want so much more for their lives than what is expected of them. I pray that they will want all that God has for them.