Unity

This past weekend we celebrated the tenth anniversary of OM Ireland. The two days of celebration were a culmination of months of hard work and preparation from staff and volunteers. Many things could be said about this weekend, and many good things have been said, such as how there were more people than we expected or how George Verwer, founder of OM, came and encouraged each individual in the crowd. What I would like to share however is not about the event or even about my experiences; it is about unity. The topic of unity came about several times this weekend and whenever something is repeated, you know it is important.

The ten-year anniversary was an event for us to celebrate with others all that God has done and is doing in Ireland, so naturally we had some people on the property who were not from around here. In speaking with one of them, it was brought to my attention how very blessed I am, and we all are, to have such a wonderful community and team. Each staff member has a job to do each day, yet we still find time to help one another and see the needs of the team as a whole. Work and duties aside, we are able to come together every morning and learn, worship, and pray with one another. It never even occurred to me that in other work places people don’t generally squeeze around one table at lunch to eat together, or spend time in conversation with one another over cups of tea, because it all just felt so natural. I believe it is this unity that made my transition into the office so smooth. It would have been difficult to not feel welcome. This unity among the team allowed us to pull together all that was needed for the celebration and it allows us to continue toward a common goal.

A common thread is essential for unity, and this weekend brought to light another form of unity. Over forty people came on Friday night and over two hundred joined Saturday, coming from near and far to be with us. And what was the common thread? It was not involvement in or even people who have been impacted by OM, although both had a presence. The common thread was, and is, Christ. Some who attended may not know who Christ is, but they came to see what He has done and is doing in Ireland. OM would not exist or have a purpose without Christ, and it is in Him we have unity. The two hundred people in that tent gave a mere glimpse of the unity that is in Christ around the world and the unity that should be enveloping every nation and people group. What else can bring together liars and thieves, pastors and preachers, young and old, strong and weak, rich and poor? We are all subject to the human condition, which means we all need a savior. When we understand that, we are able to stand together in Him.

The tent on Friday morning.
Thankfully the weather cleared up later.

Floating lantern ceremony, representing the different
lights we have shining here for God's kingdom.

Taste of Ireland: If you are asked "have you had any tea?" depending on the time of day, that could be a question referring to if you have eaten supper. 

An English Expedition

I am sitting in the living room of a lovely English couple, and when I say lovely, I do not mean prim and proper lovely. They are hilarious. They have great senses of humor and they make you feel quite at home. Why am here you might be wondering? I came for the One Way UK puppet festival in Derby and Reading. Instead of going home (Ireland) in between, Anna and I have stayed here. We have been helping a friend a little with her puppet workshop and at the festival I have been learning so much about puppetry and how to better use it for ministry. I am so pumped for our Christmas show!

Aside from puppets, Anna and I got the opportunity to go to London yesterday! We spent the entire day exploring London, which of course was not enough time. We made the most of our time though and saw the Parliament building, Big Ben, the London Eye, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham palace, Westminster Abbey, the London Tower, Tower Bridge, the Globe Theatre, the Millennium Bridge, and Oxford Circus. I am quite proud of our navigating skills on the underground and our ability to fit in nearly everything we wanted to see. I would like to go back one day and actually see a show in the globe theatre and somewhere else as well. I would like to go inside Westminster abbey and to Baker street. There was just too much to see! I suppose that's how the world is. And think, that's just the world. What will heaven be like?

Taste of England: a flashlight is a torch and Big Ben is not the name of the clock but of the hand on the clock.

The Colors of Fall

As the leaves change colors and fall to the ground, I cannot help but enjoy the beauty of it all. Where there were once endless shades of green, there are now warm reds and yellows. The trees over the roads make canopies of autumn bliss that gently let their leaves be carried away with the wind. The leaves float and dance as they fall to the covered ground where they crunch under toe and heel. The hills still teem with green grass and wooly sheep, but now the landscape is kissed by the season’s change. Even the vines that crawl up the stone walls have left summer behind.

I feel like a child watching a magician. I am in awe of the wonders around me and astounded by their Creator. I cannot fathom how so many colors are produced out of nowhere or how a single tree can purposefully lose its own leaves to prepare itself for winter. Nature is magnificent, but it is our Creator who is worthy of praise. With each season He gives and takes away life and with each day He displays His beauty and wonder. Have you ever looked up at the sky and thought about the hand that painted it? I often do and I smile every time. He doesn’t just paint a new picture everyday, He paints a new one every minute and His canvas is so large, we cannot even see it all.

Sometimes it is hard to see beauty in life, in this world even because it is broken in so many ways. Even so, God is good and His love endures forever. 

Taste of Ireland: If you want to play football while you're here, be sure to be specific! You can play soccer, Gaelic football, or rugby! 

Psalm 148

This literally gave me chills. I nearly cried actually. 

Psalm 148 

Praise the Lord.^[a]

Praise the Lord from the heavens;
    praise him in the heights above.
² Praise him, all his angels;
    praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
³ Praise him, sun and moon;
    praise him, all you shining stars.
⁴ Praise him, you highest heavens
    and you waters above the skies.

⁵ Let them praise the name of the Lord,
    for at his command they were created,
⁶ and he established them for ever and ever—
    he issued a decree that will never pass away.

⁷ Praise the Lord from the earth,
    you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
⁸ lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
    stormy winds that do his bidding,
⁹ you mountains and all hills,
    fruit trees and all cedars,
¹⁰ wild animals and all cattle,
    small creatures and flying birds,
¹¹ kings of the earth and all nations,
    you princes and all rulers on earth,
¹² young men and women,
    old men and children.

¹³ Let them praise the name of the Lord,
    for his name alone is exalted;
    his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
¹⁴ And he has raised up for his people a horn,^[b]
    the praise of all his faithful servants,
    of Israel, the people close to his heart.

Praise the Lord.

We are the only creations that are too self-absorbed to praise Him constantly. Our songs do not even compare to the songs of His symphony. We are finite beings, minuscule compared to all of creation, and yet, He loves us and longs for deep relationships with each one of us... I cannot begin to fathom it. 

If you have not seen any of Louie Giglio's talks, you should definitely check some out. 

P.S. Thanks to Tim for sharing this with us in devotions this morning. 

Everything is a Tool and Anything Can Be a Tool

This week two of our training courses were on creative thinking and evangelism. We started out with some exercises to get us thinking outside the box. At first we had one random object that made its way around the circle and each of us had to use the object in a different way, pantomiming and making the object take on alternative functions. Each of us were then given a random item such as a paperclip or a helmet and we had to tell the gospel using that object. Some things seemed easier to work with and others you really had to stretch, but we quickly learned that you don’t have to use the object to tell the whole story. Just use it to get you started or help you make a point. The last round we did was with one object that got passed around the circle and when it was your turn, you couldn’t use the same method as anyone else in the room. It was so cool to see how one object could be used in so many different ways.

Learning to share the gospel using the most unexpected of things was something so practical and helpful because now I can enhance my abilities to share with people and even feel more confident when I do. I know I am a visual person, so having something physical helps me collect my thoughts and it may prove helpful in reaching someone with a similar mindset. I also greatly enjoy that kind of thinking. It makes me remember all the times my sister, Ate Kelsey and I used to act out infomercials for household objects.

Everything is a tool and anything can be a tool if you are willing to think outside the box and see beyond the surface. A watch tells time so you can talk about the creator of time or how our time is running out. We wear watches as accessories and our looks can sometimes become our priority. A watch can help tell a story about bondage because of the way they look like shackles. It is a circle that unites us with God, but when undone there is a separation between us and Him… The possibilities are endless!

Taste of Ireland: If you need someone to take you from point A to point B, you ask them to “give you a lift”… Getting a ride has a negative sexual connotation, so don’t say that. And if you need to ask what time they are getting you, you would say “what time will you be collecting me?” 

P.S. Sorry if the quality of this post is not my best. I did not really proof read it and I chose to sleep vs. take more time to write it. :p

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).