Currently, I am sitting in a
christian coffee shop in Galway, Ireland. I look outside, and I see this
beautiful canal, right by the historical Spanish arches. I’m not sure why they
are historical, but they sure are pretty. I can’t believe I’m here.
Galway, Ireland has captured my
heart in a way that I would have never expected. Perhaps it was when our
contact refered to Galway as being the “Austin of Ireland”- It’s
hip, trendy, artsy, liberal, and
beautiful, just like home.
The suicide rate here is off the charts, and this is one of
the most unreached countries in the world. In fact, Europe as a whole, views
Christianity as irrelelvant, and less than 1% of Europeans are Evanglelical
Christians. Our contact told us that the
average missionary last one and a half years here before quitting to go home,
because it’s so discouraging. There’s something about this place though. I have
a huge heart for Europe, and I know God told me a few years ago that I was
going to serve in Europe-what if my love for Ireland is more than just Collin
Farrell and all of the beautiful accents? What if it was the Lord calling me
here? Needless to say, I’m stoked about
our ministry here.
The older generation church here has really screwed people
up. Instead of focusing on a relationship with Jesus, they have crammed laws
and condemnation down people’s throats. Combine that with the rampant sexual
immorality, and it’s no wonder that
people view Christianity as irrelevant. The church that we are working
with is awesome. The mission field here involves a lot of
thinking-outside-of-the box, and they have definitely done some pretty cool
things- like a fashion show! How cool is that??? I mean, that’s almost as cool
as starting your own business for the purpose of God! J If only the weather wasn’t so crappy here.
It’s such a pain in the arse having to wear so many clothes.
Seriously, the weather here is insane. One minute there’s a
monsoon, the next a rainbow. We saw three rainbows yesterday. Beautiful, but if
the wind breaks one more tent, I think our squad will have to sleep inside the
bathroom.
Our Irish culture debrief was very interesting. The history
of this country is beautiful. We can curse like sailors here too, because a lot
of our curse words aren’t swear words here. (I’m not saying we will!) Six words that you can’t
say in Ireland: Randy, Bloody, Fanny, Booger, Bugger and Knacker…. I can’t
remember why for some of them. And the peace sign is actually flipping someone
off.
Please continue to pray for us, as we work in the cities and
bless the church here. Our contact is hilarious, and wants to open up a bubble
tea shop for the same reason that we opened up a frozen banana stand.
Just because—-
I’m having a “good craic” (good laugh) here in ierland. The
people here think we blow-ins (tourists) are cheeky (funny), because we greet
with “hi”, instead of “hiya.” When we eat out, we usually have chips (fries), biscuits
(cookies) and tea instead of fizzy drinks (sodas). We are usually in our
jumpers (sweaters) because it is always chilly here, as well as runners (tennis
shoes), because of the rain. If you ask for the bathroom, they have no idea
what you are referring to, it’s actually called the loo here. If someone says
they will “call” you, it actually means they will come for a visit, and they DO
NOT STOP for pedestrians here. I learned that the hard way.
