Winding Down

Eleven days. It really is hard to believe that this trip is coming to a close. On Friday, the 18th, I will be flying back home, marking not just the end of this trip, but also of my seminary education. Before thinking about what is to come after I return to the States, I do have some things to think about here.

School projects are winding down. I have already turned in one of two significant assignments. This second one is proving difficult to finish, but plans are in the works to help me accomplish just that. I quite possibly will be able to finish typing it up on Thursday. Once that is done and emailed, my educational experience will be entirely out of my hands, for everything I will have had to do to become a seminary graduate will be accomplished. Wow.

But there are still things to do here. This Sunday I will be preaching again at Grace Fellowship in Killarney, and next Wednesday (16th) the church will be caroling at a couple different homes for elderly and disabled. There is also the possibility of a church Christmas party, but I have not heard for certain if it will happen before I leave.

One interesting aspect of these last few weeks is the meeting place we are using for church. The Cultural Center is being used by the city as Santa’s Grotto (I’m still waiting to understand what they mean by “grotto”). So as a result we have been forced out. Our alternative meeting place? My flat. This past Sunday I had it set up with the most number of chairs we could fit – 15 – and every last one was filled. It was a packed house. I have no idea what we will do if we ever have more than 15 people come. Standing room only???

It has been a good trip. And its not over.

Back in Killarney

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.

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?

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.

Ah the weather!!!

Actual weather report for today:

"showers turning to rain"

One thing they forgot to mention: hail!!!

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.

Burning holes into the night.

It is hard to believe I am nearing the half-way point of this trip. Already much has been done for my culture study, but there is a great deal yet to accomplish. I have had a couple opportunities to preach and lead bible studies and there are many more to come. The schedule is looking to only get busier as the weeks move along.

If one thing is true about the culture, it is very dark. One member of the church here mentioned it seems as though this country is overshadowed by a dark cloud that it has become Satan’s stronghold. Harsh words for a country with a strong “Christian” heritage. The Catholic Church is a very important part of the culture here, but rather than teach the Gospel, it seems the Church is leading people away from it. Ireland is also known for being a land very familiar with struggle, poverty, and suffering but in the last 20 years that has changed drastically and an economic boom known as the Celtic Tiger arrived. The result of this was the country became more westernized and with that – secularized. The Tiger has left, and it remains to be seen how the country will respond to its leaving, but the dark cloud remains.


However, throughout the country, small candles a glimmer of light of the Gospel are beginning to penetrate this dark cloud. The small group of just 10 believers here in Killarney is one such example. The people here love God, and they love to pray and share their faith, so it seems it is just a matter of time before God answers and causes the church to see growth. Needless to say though, they do covet all our prayers. So please pray with us that His Church would grow in Ireland.


Prayer Needs:

Pray for Joe (name changed for privacy), he visited the church recently after having not been there for 10 years, and we know he does not know Christ. He may even become a primary contact for my culture studies as he mentioned that he and I should go hiking.

Culture adjustment – Ireland may speak English, but do not let that fool you. I have sat through many conversations scratching my head trying to understand not just the accent, but also the meaning of the words used.