Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

| by archiveworldraceblogs

The World Race has officially begun and I’m loving it!  We’ve been in Ireland for about 2 weeks now and it has been a whirlwind. Our first week consisted of training in Dublin, which was a really powerful time of being filled up by the Holy Spirit, corporate worship, reconnecting and bonding with team mates, and tent camping!
 
After training, each team was assigned their ministry for the remainder of the month, and my small team (along with the rest of the 40ish people on my squad) found out we were off to Galway, Ireland. Our accommodations for the month are our trusty tents again.  It’s a little tricky though because the weather here every single day includes freezing cold rain and super strong wind.  I pray each night that my tent withstands the harsh conditions!  Aside from the bleak weather, Galway is gorgeous… ocean coast, green rolling hills, beautiful countryside, wild sheep, friendly people with darling accents, and cute little towns!

Our ministry is with a young Christian church called Discovery, and has consisted of tangible service. We’ve formed a “green” team to help better the city environmentally. We’ve scrubbed graffitti off city property, cleaned up trash, beautified parks and beaches. We’ve also worked with key families in the church to do odd ended jobs around their houses and yards, such as painting, creating church storage areas, and improving yard landscape.  Being active around the city and representing Discovery church has generated a buzz as people on the streets ask us what we are doing and why we are doing it. We’ve been able to share about the World Race, as well as extend an invitation to church, in hopes that they will be curious and interested enough to check it out on Sunday. 

The people here in Ireland, for the most part, are very resistant to the idea of church at all. A majority grew up in the Catholic faith and were forced into the religion because that’s what everyone else did. Many have been scarred by Catholicism and are now almost completely turned off.  Discovery church has worked to establish genuine relationships with the Irish people and to meet them where they’re at in society, not to force a bunch of “godly” rules down their throats. I have realized that Ireland, although a developed, beautiful country, is in desperate need of the Holy Spirit!

 
We have one more week left in this country and then we’re off to Romania.  Please pray that I would be open to how the Spirit moves and that I would take every opportunity to show genuine love to whoever I meet.  Please pray for Ireland and that God would bring revival to a nation so desperate for more.
 
We are attending Discovery church’s service tomorrow morning, and I’m excited to see how they do church here in Ireland!  More to come… thank you all for your prayers and support!!