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!!!”  

St. Patrick's Day

I did not really know what to expect on St. Patrick’s Day. I knew it was a big holiday here, but I didn’t really understand why it is celebrated and to be honest, I don’t think most Irish people do either. The general consensus is that Ireland is celebrating St. Patrick. From there the facts and reasons sort of get muddled up. They know he “chased the snakes from Ireland,” but that isn’t even the reason he should be remembered. St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, chasing away paganism and he used the shamrock to explain the holy trinity. Most people just look forward to the copious amounts of alcohol and parties. – Side note. I wonder how much money people spend on this night alone. - Our way of participating in St. Patrick’s Day was walking through the parade with our big red double decker bus, a cross, and tracts. We passed out the tracts to people watching the parade and then parked the bus on the street later that night. The bus became a focal point for conversation and a beacon of hope as people moved from one pub to the next and passed by people who were completely sober on St. Patrick’s Day. For those who were really intoxicated, I am not sure how much of the conversations really stuck, but there are always people who remember and question. Personally, I am not good at speaking to people, but I can at least pray for their souls and for the seeds that were planted in their hearts to take root and grow.

Taste of Ireland: The first St. Patrick’s Day parade was in New York in 1762.

The Tree of Past, Present, and Future

A week and half ago, we participated in a mentoring clinic that was focused on how to develop good mentoring relationships. The week was mentally draining to say the least as we covered a lot of material in a condensed period of time, but it was also a great learning experience. We talked about the importance of listening and not just hearing. We looked at people’s learning styles and personality types. And we were given a number of tools that can be used to get thoughts, emotions, and ideas from the heart and the back of the mind, to the forefront. One of those tools was a “life map.” It is an ideal tool for developing self-awareness as well as helping the person mentoring to see where the person is at and how they see themselves. In order to gain a better understanding of ourselves and get the full effect of the exercise, we each made a life map for our own lives. The idea is to map out all of the significant events in your life, whether positive or negative, and explore the circumstances or events that may have shaped you into the person you are. Some people mapped out their lives as a timeline or on a graph, but I chose to go for a more symbolic approach.

This is my life as a tree. There are two large trees around me, placing myself in perspective. I am still young, literally and spiritually. I have my roots planted, but I still have a lot of growing to do. My life is not quite bearing fruit, but there are buds, signifying I have some impact and I am on my way. I am far from perfect, but I know where I have come from. When I look at this tree and see the life I have lived, I see what has been important to me. At first, I was embarrassed to be among others with more developed stories than my own. I thought eighteen years (fifteen of which I actually remember) made my life less credible. On the contrary, my life is full of meaning and purpose. I am not ashamed of who I am and I cannot wait for what’s ahead.

My roots will go deeper

My limbs will stretch higher

My leaves will grow and fall away

Towards heaven I’ll grow for towards heaven I go

To be with my King someday.

Taste of Ireland: Most secondary schools (age 12-18) have what is called "transition year," usually before the last year of secondary school. This optional year is focused primarily on developing non-academic skills. 

Itching Fingers

Do your fingers ever just itch to make something? I want to lock myself in a studio and make beautiful things like this. I have ideas already for an Easter story and in my head it looks so cool, but although I consider myself an artist, I cannot draw. These people used a lot of raw materials and didn't actually draw very much, so maybe there's hope! 

About the puppeteers. 

A Hard Heart

I am currently reading through the book of Exodus and I have continually come across something that was rather puzzling at first. The beginning portion of Exodus is about God delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and how He does so through Moses and Aaron. The story is quite dramatic and enthralling with frogs and gnats emerging from nowhere, people getting covered in boils, and not a single Israelite being plagued when all the Egyptians suffered, but it was not until after the tenth plague that Pharaoh let the people go. Even then, he was reluctant. This is where my confusion set in. The LORD said to Moses in Exodus 7:3-4, “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you.” Throughout the following chapters, a similar statement is repeatedly made (Ex. 7:13, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7,12, 34; 10:1, 20) and at first I could not understand why. Why would God harden Pharaoh’s heart? Didn’t He want to set His people free?

I was so consumed with this question, that I missed the answer in plain sight. Verse 5 of chapter 7 says, “And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.” Exodus 10:1-2 says ”Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.” How could I even miss it? Of course! Why does God do anything, but for His glory?

By hardening Pharaoh’s heart, God had opportunity after opportunity to display His almighty power. He also made it so the Israelites could remember how God delivered them from Egypt. At first glance, it seems almost unfathomable that something negative could be used for God’s glory, but victory comes with a defeat. In our daily lives, it is especially difficult for us to see how God will use some of the situations we are in for His glory. He can heal someone to show others his power or even simply to remind us of how dependent we are on Him. When things in our lives go wrong, we flail about, stress out, and almost always fail to see the good in the situation. The verse from this morning’s team devotions ties in perfectly: Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the Earth.” He will be exalted, whether we see how or not. He tells us to stop worrying, stop trying to take control, and stop relying on ourselves. Be still and know He is God.

Taste of Ireland: Even though it has been quite stormy as of late, according to the Irish Meteorological Service, Ireland’s average number of wet days (days with more than 1mm of rain) ranges from about 150 days a year along the east and south-east coasts, to about 225 days a year in parts of the west.