Commit You Ways to the Lord

Photo Credit: OM Ireland

Impact Ireland ended on Monday and I apologize for not writing sooner. I think I avoided it because I didn’t know where to start. The two weeks cannot be captured in a few words, but thankfully, they don’t have to be. Each of the 40 plus participants along with each OM staff and church member has a story, if not many stories of how they witnessed God working and moving. After being separated into four teams, it was incredible to come back together and share all of the experiences. What I would like to share with you today follows our theme verse for Impact this year Psalm 37:5. “Commit your ways to the Lord; trust in him and he will act.”

Monday July 8. It was day three on the road for the Big Red Bus Team and we were with the Shannon Team. Although early on in the week, we were already feeling tired as we had used a lot of energy training many of the sessions the week prior. It didn’t help that being in the sun made everyone want to sleep and without an air conditioner (yet) the upstairs on the bus was easily 85 deg. There were definitely some spiritual attacks that day and with less kids at the kids club than anticipated, some were feeling discouraged. That evening however, we all met together before the youth rally and since we were waiting on a few people, we decided to pray. For 45 minutes we lifted our petitions to the Lord, read from scripture, and even sang together. There were moments of silence, but never emptiness. The room was filled with the Lord’s presence and He gave us a newfound excitement for the night ahead.

We went out into the square and ran through our program, singing songs of worship, presenting dramas, and sharing testimonies. All the while groups of young people listened and watched or pretended not to, but stayed anyway. Conversations began and soon they were at every turn. Joanna and I spoke with two girls who we thought would only listen for a few minutes, but ended up discussing God, the gospel, and salvation with us for an hour and a half. And we weren’t the only ones who had a story to share when the evening was over. When the team returned at 12, 12:30, everyone was buzzing like a hive of excited bees. There were stories of people opening up for the first time ever after years of rejecting talk of God. People laughed and cried together. The name of Jesus was proclaimed and glorified.

On our own we would be nothing, but when we put our trust in the Lord, He exceeds our expectations. This is only a brief example of how God did amazing things in Ireland this last week and how He is working here. This was just one night in one place from the perspective of one girl. I love what Joanna wrote about on her blog. It's quite well written so it'll be worth your time and it probably captures the experience much more eloquently than I do. 

I would also like to briefly add that I was incredibly honored and privileged to have had all the opportunities I did during these two weeks alone. I loved worshipping with the "Lacken House Band" and I couldn't have asked for a better team on the bus. The Lord brought us together at just the right time and I will always remember this time fondly. 

Photo Credit: OM Ireland

Photo Credit: OM Ireland

Other stories:
Katie : Boom!

OM Ireland Facebook: Video stories!

Taste of Ireland: Sunscreen is known as sun cream and a 99 cone is an ice cream that was, you guessed it! 99 cents!... only now they are usually 1.20... lame.

A Double Decker Through The Countryside

The general first thought that comes to mind when you hear “double decker bus” is a London bus or possibly a large city tour bus. Outside of London, Dublin, or another large city, double decker buses do not typically just pull up in the lane next to you. Imagine seeing what looks like a London bus driving right through the center of your town or even better, in front of your farm in the countryside. The sight would undoubtedly be unexpected if not shocking and definitely out of the ordinary.

This hypothetical scene is all but hypothetical. It is exactly what happens when we go out with the Big Red Bus, but instead of just giving people something to turn their heads to look at, we give them something to think about. The natural question is “why is there a double decker bus?” If we stop in their town, we might have the chance to answer that question and tell them about Jesus. If we don’t, they are at least left with a few other questions provoked by the verse on the sides and back of the bus: Jesus answered “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me” (John 14:6). It is not enough for us to drive around the country and hope that people come to Christ just because we have a verse on the bus, but the verse just might plant a seed that was not there before. It has already opened up doors for conversations with people and reminded us on the team that we are ambassadors for Christ.

Unfortunately, it can be incredibly easy to forget why we are here, even when we are submerged in ministry. Fatigue can set in. The preparations can feel like a chore. The puppet routine can become nothing more than a performance. And a group of rowdy children can feel like just another group to get through. This is spiritual warfare. Each day we go into battle and combat these feelings and thoughts with prayer. We must rely on God and remind each other that we serve the Lord and He is with us. It is so refreshing and encouraging to work with the local church whose members are always excited to have the bus come. They tell us stories after the day of ministry is done about people who came to the bus and interacted with them when they never would have before. They see the kids’ faces as they watch us doing the shadow puppet show (something we cannot do while behind the screen) and tell us how they absorb the story like sponges. They pray with us and for us as we pray for them and once again, I am amazed by the body of Christ.

I don’t often think about how crazy this life is, but I am so glad it is. I get to work with an international team of incredible individuals driving around Ireland in a bright red, double decker bus sharing the gospel through puppetry. Crazy.

Taste of Ireland: If something is cool or really awesome, you might hear local youth say “class” or “savage!”

Hey! What Happened to May?

May has come and gone in what feels like the blink of an eye. May was not even particularly busy in terms of my ministry involvement, but was rather a preparation month for all the things we have going on this month. Several new people arrived at Lacken in the month of May, three of whom are a part of the Creative Arts team. Emily and Joanna are interning for the summer from Bryan College in Tennessee and David from Georgia will be helping drive the bus.

In the past couple of weeks we have been getting to know each other better while putting together the programs needed for this summer. One of the most exciting things we have done while in the office (or rather the main house living room) is record the audio track for The Tale of the Three Trees shadow puppet show. We will still be doing the shadows live on the screen, but with a recording I was able to add sound effects and small details to add to the storytelling. By itself it sounds like a reader’s theatre production. Hopefully we will be able to film the show and allow you to see what all I have been talking about.

Another exciting thing we did was participate in the Carrick-On-Shannon 400 year celebration on Friday. It seemed to be out of nowhere that we were invited to participate, but it was a reminder of God’s timing and provision. It was a week and half ago that we were in Carrick with the bus hoping to meet up with some of the teens from our ministry time there in February. Instead of having a full bus like we anticipated, it was completely empty. Some of us walked around town and struck up a few conversations with adults here and there, but even the town seemed to be dead. Then before the evening ended, Junior received a phone call from the man organizing the parade. He asked if we would like to drive the bus through the parade. We accepted and brought the bus back the following week. The sun was shining. The streets were packed with people. Both young and old celebrated the past and future of the town. We went along the parade route with our worship songs pumping through the speakers as we passed out tracts to the spectators. Then when we set up the tea and coffee bar, a whole family came aboard and chatted with us about God, faith, and Christianity. In conversation with the kids, I used the little girl’s name to explain grace and before they left, I got through a simplified gospel message using the colors of the pick-up-sticks we were playing with.

I am but a sower of seeds. The Lord knows if what was said was ready to take root or not and He is the one who waters and allows new life to grow. (fr. Mark 4:1-20)

 

This is normal.

If you would like to know more about Emily or Joanna, check out their blogs by clicking on their names! Plus, they update more than I do. :)

Taste of Ireland: “Top of the morning to ya?”… no one says that.

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!!!”  

Beginnings

Whether it’s a story, a town or a person, everything has a beginning. This week I witnessed a new beginning for myself and possibly for a few others. My new beginning is as a missionary and I hope and pray this week was a starting point for some new believers. 

I have never really thought of myself as a missionary, even though I know as followers of Christ, we all live in the mission field. Even when I chose to become a missionary, raised support and prepared to come here, the term ‘missionary’ didn’t really settle in. That changed this week when I shared the gospel for the first time. A team of us from OM Ireland went with some people from the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland to the National Ploughing Championships in Co. Wexford. The Ploughing is one of the largest agricultural trade shows in Europe and brings in about 189,000 visitors each year. We had a tent where we offered a place to sit and have free tea, coffee, and baked goods. Although we did want to be nice to people and give them a rest from the hullabaloo of the day, our main intention was to share the love of Jesus with whomever we encountered. We offered free CDs and tracts, but most importantly conversation.

Many team members went out into the aisles and shared the gospel with people walking around. I mainly stayed in the tent by the puzzles table. The dad of one of my housemates is an evangelist and he had a table of puzzles that got people thinking and helped start conversations. It was interesting to see new ways of approaching the gospel and see how different methods work for different people. I resisted the urge to stay in my comfort zone of serving people tea and coffee without really saying much and tried my hand at the table. I was nervous and a little overwhelmed, especially on the first day when I actually made it to the point of talking about something substantial with a man who proceeded to throw around philosophical ideas.

After the second day, I felt like I hadn’t done much good. I fumbled with words and let many people walk away without giving them a single word of hope or questioning. Looking back I know that even if I wasn’t able to talk to anyone about the Word of God, I did help plant seeds. I sat with three girls while they had their tea and they ended up coming back the next day with several of their friends. People more capable than I were able to talk to them and really get them thinking. I also passed out CDs and flyers that day and saw some of those people in the tent later on in the day.

Because of my discouragement on Wednesday however, I pushed myself to really go for it on Thursday. We were all tired and ready to go home, but I knew it was our last day there. It was our last chance to share hope with people we would probably never see again. That day I shared the gospel for the first time and I didn’t stop there. I was not as natural or eloquent as others on the team seemed to be, but that doesn’t even bother me anymore because I know that God spoke through me. I still have much to learn about being a missionary, but because of this week I know that I am a tool in His hands. 

Taste of Ireland: Rain boots are called Wellies and if you ever plan on going to the Ploughing, you will definitely need them for trekking in the muck (mud).