World Race country #3. I can’t believe it. A week ago I arrived in Galway, Ireland prepared to start another month of ministry. Here is a brief overview of my time in Ireland thus far:
Immediately, I felt more “at home” in Galway than I have the entire time on the race. Really, aspects of the town itself remind me so much of home. Galway is a very young, creative, and artistic city that our ministry contact described as the “Portland” or “Austin” of Ireland. Arriving here, I was thrilled to see an abundance of coffee shops and bookstores, not to mention traditional Irish pubs on every corner. To add to my excitement, I learned that I am spending the month in a tent right on the coast. There are few things as wonderful as waking up to the sounds of nature only to step out of my tent and look at the ocean. I even get to go running on trails alongside the water- what a dream!
We are working with “Discovery Church” in Galway this month.Discovery Church is one of the few protestant churches in an predominantly traditional Roman Catholic culture. Our contact, a missionary from Nashville, TN, has set up various ministries for us which include community service, prayer and healing, and street evangelism- all of which are rarely experienced in this part of Ireland.
While on the surface, this town reminds me so much of home, I have begun to realize how drastically different the spiritual climate here is than that of Athens, GA. Ireland is described as a “post- Christian” culture (as is the majority of Europe). While much of the country remains nominally Catholic, the majority of individuals have turned from the church for various reasons. While Ireland once was a country that was responsible for sending missionaries all over the world, our contact describes present day Ireland as a country “in desperate need of a Saviour”.
This description has become reality for me as I have begun having conversations with many people in the city square here in Galway. It is very apparent that the underlying mindset of the culture here is that “now” is all there is- the goal of most individuals is to achieve happiness in the moment. My heart breaks for this city- a city that is fairly affluent and seemingly content, but ultimately dead. It seems as though the gray mist that defines the weather here in Ireland has also begun to define this nations’ spirituality. I see a culture around me that is searching for happiness and light in entirely temporal things, all the while remaining in a gray spiritual cloud. I learned recently that the church in Africa is growing 50 times faster than the church in Europe. The church in Asia is growing 43 times faster. After spending just a week here in Galway, this statistic is not surprising to me. I see a generation of people here who have become content in living temporal lives, not knowing that they are missing out on abundant life.
Please pray for Teams Umoja and Koinonia this month as we seek to bring the fire of the Spirit into a city that has fallen into coldness and apathy. Pray for boldness. Pray that we would sense the urgency of the Kingdom. Pray, as always, that we would make the most of every opportunity. And pray that the abundant life that is offered would become a reality to the people of Galway, Ireland.:)
