An Ordinary Day With Extraordinary Features

I seem to post a lot of things about "what I am learning" or "what God's teaching me," which is indeed a huge part of life, but I have not said much about days like today. Today was a normal day with extraordinary features. Everything about it seemed to contrast with yesterday. Yesterday was a windy day with bursts of down pouring rain. Today the sun was shining and the breeze blew but gently. The clouds in the sky were like the sheep that dot the fields. Yesterday I was tired and lacking in creative drive or ideas. Today I was well rested and full of new thoughts. Yesterday I was discouraged about finances and today I was greatly encouraged by God's ways and timing of providing. Everyday is new. Everyday is ordinary and yet also extraordinary.


Taste of Ireland: Even though I hate the thought of eating a little lamb, well made lamb stew is so good!

An Invisible Line

Travelling between North and South Dakota does not reveal drastic differences in lifestyle. In fact, not very much is different in terms of culture or customs. In contrast, the differences between North and South Korea would be drastic. Distinctions between Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland are somewhere in between (although no where near as severe as North/South Korea). For starters, Northern Ireland is a part of the UK and the Republic is not. I won’t go into the politics because I don’t entirely understand it all myself, but this distinction effects the way of life across the border.

After only one visit to the North, the difference in economy was notable. The cars on the roads and in the car parks were generally more expensive brands, models, and/or year. The shopping centers were bustling with people and no one was worried about heating their homes. The greatest difference I would like to note is in the evangelical population. The lunch we attended after the service of a church in the north had more people than if all the members of two local churches in the Republic came together. Contrary to popular belief, the Republic of Ireland only has about 1.5% Evangelical Christians. Over 90% of the population claim Christianity as their religion [Operation World], but especially in recent years, ritual, guilt, and social norms have taken precedence over true relationships with Christ.

It is sad to see how desperately lost so many people are. The fact that there are massive congregations just an invisible line away makes me think about how many lost people I ignore across my own invisible borders. I don’t know how to resolve the issues that lie between people of each nation nor do I have a right to say how things should change, but as a member of the body of Christ, I will say that there is a need for unity within the church in this nation and across borders. Junior used the story of the four friends who brought the paralyzed man to Jesus through the roof to illustrate the church [Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-25] . We must come together with the common goal of bringing people to Jesus. We must work together just as the friends carried the man and walked together. There will be obstacles that come in our way, but faith in the power of God will prevail. It can be uncomfortable to step outside of our Christian bubbles and see that there is world outside our doorsteps that still needs the love of Christ, but it must be done. After all, Jesus came to heal the sick, not the healthy [Matthew 9:11-13].

Taste of Ireland: The typical way to take a cup of tea is black tea with a lot of milk (seriously it’s like they are having tea with their milk) and some sugar. Don’t forget the bikkies! 

Hours Well Spent

In the days leading up to Good Friday, when we began our Easter outreach, I spent most of my time cutting cardboard and paper into shadow puppets. I was determined to finish making everything in time to use for Easter and so I ended up staying in the office working until eleven the night before we left for Carlow. I managed to finish enough that the show would work, even if a few minor details were missing. The first few runs of the show were slow since none of the puppeteers had seen what they were to be doing, and I myself had not seen everything together apart from in my head. After several times going through the show, it was more or less ready to be seen by the public eye. Unfortunately the only time we were actually able to perform it however was on Good Friday in front a few church folks.

Looking back on the week, I am surprised I am not disappointed despite having spent so much time putting the pieces together and then not being able to share the results with many people. We didn’t have the right audience so I knew the time wasn’t right. And even though only a handful of people saw the actual show, the experience of creating something for the first time was one I can only be proud of. The little taste I did have of sharing it with others made me all the more excited for when I do have the opportunity for more people to see it and in the mean time, I want to make it the best I can make it.

Another reason I am not disappointed is that I think the many hours I spent working on this prepared more for the week in a new way. Like times before, much of the outreach was spent on the Big Red Bus allowing people to come inside for a cup of tea or coffee and a chat. We had kids programs planned, one of which was the shadow puppet show, but little of it was used since we had very few kids come during the week. That being said, most of the ministry was in conversations with youth and adults. Unlike the other outreaches I have been part a of, I had good conversations with people everyday. That is not to say I didn’t do anything on previous outreaches, but this time I was less hesitant to approach people and bring up the gospel. This could just be time making me more comfortable, but I really think it is greatly due to how much time I spent on the shadow puppets. I didn’t have time to worry about “what am I going to say to people?” or “how am I going to share God with them?” For days all I was focused on was The Tale of Three Trees and in turn the amazing yet simple story of Christ coming to this Earth then dying for us on the cross. Through pieces of cardboard and paper, God reminded me that I need to look to the cross, and I need to trust in Him. Again and again I talk about trusting God, but it is something I am learning in new forms everyday. This time it was for strength, strength to continue on in His work, strength in His words and not my own, and strength in his unfailing love.

I am so thankful to everyone who encouraged and pushed me in this new direction and I can’t wait to share with you all the final results.

 

Production

A glimpse of the final product

Taste of Ireland: If it is dry outside, the Irish will be outdoors, even if it is three degrees Celsius and windy. I was outside the other day and a child ran by excitedly and yelled with glee: “IT IS DRY OUTSIDE!!!”