There are simply those places in the world that we connect to. Perhaps even before we can comprehend why we connect to them, we feel our spirits being lifted just by being there. Ireland has been that place for me. It doesn’t matter if we’re weighed down with packs and hiking to the bus stop, sanding or painting houses, sleeping on mattresses on the floor, or walking down Shop Street in Galway – my heart has been singing since the moment I have stepped onto this beautiful green land. Most days, I have to stop what I’m doing and remind myself of how blessed I am to be here. Some days, I’ll become giddy or start squealing like a little girl- it happens, just ask any of my teammates- because I just can’t believe I’m not dreaming. But I’ll have more on how this country is impacting me in a blog that will be coming soon.
I wanted to take a moment now just to fill you in on how we’ve spent our past 2 weeks, and on what’s in store for the weeks to come.
We have been working with Discovery Church on a program that they have started called "Adopt a Neighborhood". We are serving in a neighborhood called Merview which houses mostly elderly people. We’ve been painting their gates, doors, living rooms, bedrooms, etc. as acts of love toward these people. The church hopes that these acts of kindness will help them to establish trust and relationships with these people, which would then hopefully open the door to true witnessing and honest conversations about God. Our job is to simply plant the seeds.
　
　
(Working with some of the men from the church on sanding and preparing this house for painting.)
(Mikala painting the studio at Fran’s house – more on that below.)
We have been working with a young married couple in the church named Andrew and Sarah. They shared with us that less than 1% of the population of Ireland is Evangelical Christians. While 84% of the population call themselves Catholic, their religion is based more on tradition than actually practicing their faith. They claim to be Catholic because their parents and grandparents were Catholic, but most do not attend church more than once or twice each year.
We were also asked by Paul, the pastor of the church, to plan a lesson for children’s church on Sunday. Our team worked together splendidly and the children’s church (complete with puppets, Bible stories, songs, and crafts) was a great success!
　
(Leading children’s worship time)
　
(Awful face, but here I am leading the Bible lesson on Jesus healing the blind beggar)
Last week, a member of Discovery Church named Fran opened her home to us. She provided some delicious meals to fill our bellies and 6 fabulous mattresses for us to sleep on. We had a blast with her and her 2 daughters, and we were so thankful for her hospitality. Because she is a single mother with 2 young daughters to care for, we showed our appreciation by painting her kitchen and her "studio" for her. It was a great experience and it made us happy to be able to bless her in some way.
If you haven’t caught on yet, we’re pretty much becoming painting pro’s. True life.
(Our team in front of Fran’s house (our first WR home!!!), which she named Bethel after the story of Jacob in Genesis 28.)
(Our bedroom for the week (The "Studio" as Fran liked to call it!) The 7 of us shared a room- which was crazy, but so much fun!)
(Our morning view outside the studio. Have I mentioned that I’m in LOVE with Ireland??)
On Saturday, we moved into the home of Brian, Pastor Paul’s father. Brian moved out of the house for the week so that they could bless us with a home. Yes, these people are truly amazing. The house is wonderful, and we have been blessed beyond measure! Hopefully, I’ll be able to share pictures of our new home soon.
The church also blessed us by introducing us to a member of their church staff named Herjit. She is a truly wonderful woman of God and was kind enough to train the 7 of us on how to go about praying for healing for people on the streets. This Sunday, after we finish leading children’s church, we’ll be going down to Shop Street (the main shopping area in Galway city) to offer prayer for healing to the people in the town. This is definitely far outside of my comfort zone, but I’m trusting God’s promise that He "goes before (me) and will be with (me)". –Deuteronomy 31:8
I’ve already heard some awesome stories from previous "Healing on the Street" experiences that Discovery Church has had, so I hope to come to you next with good news.
I guess that’s about all I have to tell for now. My apologies for this being rather lengthy… There was just so much to tell!
As for prayer requests:
– Please pray for our team as we continue adjusting to the "intentional community" aspects of the Race.
– Please pray for Discovery Church. They will be finding out within the next several days if they will be acquiring an actual church building. This is a big deal because they’ve been meeting in a hotel for services. It is a beautiful hotel, but not very convenient.
– Please pray for the hearts of the people we are serving, and that God is doing a work inside them for His kingdom.
– Please pray for our immune systems as we adjust to the Ireland weather! One girl on our team has already had to stay home a few days because she wasn't feeling well.
Thank you so much for the blog comments, Facebook "likes" or messages, e-mails, and everything else. I can’t always respond as frequently as I might like to because of the lack of available internet, but please know how much joy you all bring to my life.
Until next time…
Your Galway Girl
