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Good news! The flooding has not affected the bus service, so I was able to return to Killarney on Tuesday and thus led the Wednesday night Bible study for the church here.
The visit to Douglas was incredible. Many varied experiences will go down in memory for me, and I learned a great deal about both life in Ireland and ministry.
But as one might imagine, there is still a long way to go. Sunday I am preaching at the church in Killarney, and I am again leading next Wednesday's bible study. I also have a great deal of work to complete for my studies for Grace. So for this final stretch of time here in Ireland will be seen with many busy days.
God is good though, and on this (American) Thanksgiving day, I have so much to be thankful for. This trip has been a wonderful experience filled with all sorts of emotions. I can only wonder what God will have in store for me after the trip is over.
Again, thank you for your continued prayers. I covet them every day.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Flexibility 101
News Headline: Flooding in Ireland!
I am in the middle of a trip to visiting Douglas, a suburb of Cork, and while here, the region received unusually heavy rains and as a result - flooding. This means for us all sorts of things. One, will I be able to return to Killarney as scheduled because the Cork bus station was flooded. Two, church has been modified.
Let me ask you something: In America, if there is flooding and as a result the church building is without water, what would you do? Well, this is our problem. There are health code issues that are preventing the Douglass church from meeting in its normal location, so we had to come up with a plan "B." What is plan B? We made one up!
We are splitting into separate homes for the Sunday, and in each house there will be some songs sang, someone will lead a devotion or Bible study, and maybe even break bread together. What this means is we need people available to prepare bible study lessons. Up until this afternoon, everyone was expecting just one person to have a sermon ready. Now, three others need to have something prepared... and guess who was asked to share at one of the house meetings?... yours truly.
Why this decision? I found the reasons to be fascinating and convicting. What is church? We often think of church as the place we meet for worship. A building, a congregation singing and worshiping together on Sunday mornings. If we have to miss a week, oh well. But not here. There is no option for "oh well." The church here is committed to demonstrating that church is more than a building. It is more than a large group gathering on Sunday mornings. Church is a dynamic organism not tied down to any one place or method. It is a group of people, committed to Christ and to each other. And we will meet together, one way or another. Kinda gets you thinking doesn't it?
I am in the middle of a trip to visiting Douglas, a suburb of Cork, and while here, the region received unusually heavy rains and as a result - flooding. This means for us all sorts of things. One, will I be able to return to Killarney as scheduled because the Cork bus station was flooded. Two, church has been modified.
Let me ask you something: In America, if there is flooding and as a result the church building is without water, what would you do? Well, this is our problem. There are health code issues that are preventing the Douglass church from meeting in its normal location, so we had to come up with a plan "B." What is plan B? We made one up!
We are splitting into separate homes for the Sunday, and in each house there will be some songs sang, someone will lead a devotion or Bible study, and maybe even break bread together. What this means is we need people available to prepare bible study lessons. Up until this afternoon, everyone was expecting just one person to have a sermon ready. Now, three others need to have something prepared... and guess who was asked to share at one of the house meetings?... yours truly.
Why this decision? I found the reasons to be fascinating and convicting. What is church? We often think of church as the place we meet for worship. A building, a congregation singing and worshiping together on Sunday mornings. If we have to miss a week, oh well. But not here. There is no option for "oh well." The church here is committed to demonstrating that church is more than a building. It is more than a large group gathering on Sunday mornings. Church is a dynamic organism not tied down to any one place or method. It is a group of people, committed to Christ and to each other. And we will meet together, one way or another. Kinda gets you thinking doesn't it?
Monday, November 16, 2009
Traveling
In just two days I will be one month away from returning to the USA. Wow. Hard to believe the trip is winding down. And yet, in many ways, it is only gearing up. The next few weeks are packed with ministry opportunities meaning the days will fly by that much faster and the work I need to do for school will be that much more difficult to finish.
But first an update on what has been happening. This past Sunday I was given the opportunity to lead worship. Leading consists of selecting songs and talking about the songs using a short devotional and a passage of scripture. Turns out it was not as easy to prepare for as I thought it would be. But I do believe my goal in focusing our minds on the Cross was accomplished, Praise God!
Today I then got to spend a number of hours traveling to the town of Kenmare to visit some properties some friends are considering buying. The couple I was with are friends of the Scheleens whom I got to meet previously, and the day turned out to be a wonderful time of discussing culture and faith.
On Wednesday I will be traveling to Douglas, a suburb of Cork, where I will be spending a week observing various ministries taking place in that area. It should be an exciting and refreshing time since the ministry there is more developed than what is happening here in Killarney. After I return from the trip on Monday, I will be hitting the ground running with needing to prepare some bible lessons and a couple sermons before packing up to return home. The days will be getting busier.
In the mean time, I have a couple papers I am working on for Grace. My goal is to finish one of them tomorrow (Tuesday). Pray that I am able to accomplish that goal as I am a professional procrastinator :)
Aside from that, my time here has been good. Very stretching as I have been forced to evaluate my future ministry endeavors. I am not yet prepared to say what they will be, for many decisions must be made first, but I do have a lot running through my head. Thank you for your prayers.
Also, more pictures have been posted at my flicker account located here.
But first an update on what has been happening. This past Sunday I was given the opportunity to lead worship. Leading consists of selecting songs and talking about the songs using a short devotional and a passage of scripture. Turns out it was not as easy to prepare for as I thought it would be. But I do believe my goal in focusing our minds on the Cross was accomplished, Praise God!
Today I then got to spend a number of hours traveling to the town of Kenmare to visit some properties some friends are considering buying. The couple I was with are friends of the Scheleens whom I got to meet previously, and the day turned out to be a wonderful time of discussing culture and faith.
On Wednesday I will be traveling to Douglas, a suburb of Cork, where I will be spending a week observing various ministries taking place in that area. It should be an exciting and refreshing time since the ministry there is more developed than what is happening here in Killarney. After I return from the trip on Monday, I will be hitting the ground running with needing to prepare some bible lessons and a couple sermons before packing up to return home. The days will be getting busier.
In the mean time, I have a couple papers I am working on for Grace. My goal is to finish one of them tomorrow (Tuesday). Pray that I am able to accomplish that goal as I am a professional procrastinator :)
Aside from that, my time here has been good. Very stretching as I have been forced to evaluate my future ministry endeavors. I am not yet prepared to say what they will be, for many decisions must be made first, but I do have a lot running through my head. Thank you for your prayers.
Also, more pictures have been posted at my flicker account located here.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Ah the weather!!!
Actual weather report for today:
"showers turning to rain"
One thing they forgot to mention: hail!!!
"showers turning to rain"
One thing they forgot to mention: hail!!!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Days of Encouragement
This past weekend I was able to make a trip to the town of Tralee. If you look at a map, it is about 40 minute drive north of Killarney. I thought I would take a minute to share some of the many great things that happened over the weekend.
There is a man, Frank, who is a part of the church in Tralee and works at a shoe shop in Killarney. I was arranged to meet with him Saturday evening when he closed up his shop at 6pm and ride with him up to Shaun and Tania Abrahams who are the missionaries in Tralee. Even the ride up to Tralee proved wonderful as he and I were able to talk about many of the difficulties with reaching the Irish people with the Gospel.
Shaun & Tania Abrahams
After arriving I had dinner with the Abrahams family and spent some time chatting with them. The next morning was Sunday worship. They meet in a small school, and we have to arrive early to set up chairs among other things. Attendance there is significantly larger than Killarney, but they have had a focused ministry there for a longer period as well. Aside from my preaching, they also had 5 people join the membership of this still smaller than most American church congregations. The excitement of the church was overwhelming.
Even after the service, more great things were to come. I got to have lunch with Shaun and Frank while the girls participated in a “boot sale.” The boot sale is much like a garage sale but smaller as people are gathered in a car park (parking lot) and sell things in their boots (trunks of the cars). The money raised is going towards a building fund which Shaun, Frank and I were on assignment regarding. After lunch we went to look at a field which they are considering purchasing to build a church on. The site is ideal for the church, situated just on the outside of town where there can be ample parking and room for growth. We took time to pray over the land that God would provide it and the funds needed.
Then for the evening I had dinner with the Abrahams and another family from the church, having a fantastic meal and conversation. On Monday morning Shaun, Tania and I went to another couple’s house for a prayer meeting. The four of them meet every Monday and so they freely invited me to join them. From there Shaun and Tania brought me back to Killarney feeling very refreshed.
The things happening in Tralee are exciting. God is working and that work is becoming more and more evident. What an encouragement to see.
There is a man, Frank, who is a part of the church in Tralee and works at a shoe shop in Killarney. I was arranged to meet with him Saturday evening when he closed up his shop at 6pm and ride with him up to Shaun and Tania Abrahams who are the missionaries in Tralee. Even the ride up to Tralee proved wonderful as he and I were able to talk about many of the difficulties with reaching the Irish people with the Gospel.
Shaun & Tania Abrahams
After arriving I had dinner with the Abrahams family and spent some time chatting with them. The next morning was Sunday worship. They meet in a small school, and we have to arrive early to set up chairs among other things. Attendance there is significantly larger than Killarney, but they have had a focused ministry there for a longer period as well. Aside from my preaching, they also had 5 people join the membership of this still smaller than most American church congregations. The excitement of the church was overwhelming.
Even after the service, more great things were to come. I got to have lunch with Shaun and Frank while the girls participated in a “boot sale.” The boot sale is much like a garage sale but smaller as people are gathered in a car park (parking lot) and sell things in their boots (trunks of the cars). The money raised is going towards a building fund which Shaun, Frank and I were on assignment regarding. After lunch we went to look at a field which they are considering purchasing to build a church on. The site is ideal for the church, situated just on the outside of town where there can be ample parking and room for growth. We took time to pray over the land that God would provide it and the funds needed.
Then for the evening I had dinner with the Abrahams and another family from the church, having a fantastic meal and conversation. On Monday morning Shaun, Tania and I went to another couple’s house for a prayer meeting. The four of them meet every Monday and so they freely invited me to join them. From there Shaun and Tania brought me back to Killarney feeling very refreshed.
The things happening in Tralee are exciting. God is working and that work is becoming more and more evident. What an encouragement to see.
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