My Adventure to Northern Ireland

Belfast

Queen's College

           It has been an amazing few days. I had an opportunity these past few days. God gave me an opportunity to see another part of Ireland and see how God has been working in Ireland. This past Monday, I took a coach up to Belfast to spend time with a dear friend of mine. Upon arriving, I got to see first hand the city of Belfast. Belfast is an amazing city and God is doing a great work in that city. The history of the city is fascinating. Since 1913 when the Irish began to rise against the British control, the city has existed in a state of conflict between the people who wanted their country to be connected to the entire Ireland and not connected to the United Kingdom. These people formed the IRA and then there was a group who wanted to remain connected to the United Kingdom known as the Ulster Volunteer Force. These 2 groups of people associated between catholic and protestant churches fought among each other which led to the years of the troubles where one group would fight and kill and bomb the other. This was over and over. They even built the infamous peace walls and murals. This city built around a conflict has been healing but even with the vast amount of churches there is so much more to do in the city. I am thankful for the opportunity to see the city and the country from my friends. The ministry in the north seems a more traditional ministry while the south seems more difficult than others. At the same time, I am sure it is as difficult as the south just looks different.

I found Narnia

The Peace Wall

            This adventure to the north and the experiences I have had in the south from the church here and working with TEAM. The Irish people are a very proud people and at the same time a very lovely people. Just this past 24 hours I have had the opportunity to serve the church by helping set up for a wedding that will occur in the church building. I mainly helped by bringing chairs down from their attic back stage to their living room. I loved the opportunity to serve the community here by helping set up the church.

If you have an opportunity, can you please pray for…

People: Bill, Graham, Clem, Tim, Donna, Eric, James, Julia, Linda, Jesse, Joyce, Danny, Pablo, Rebekah, David, Esther, Dennis, M. Murphy, Robyn, Sylvia, Dorothy, Joanne, Allison, Davy, and all of the Irish People

Organizations: SBC, Exodus, Exodus Teams

Events: Kids Club at SBC, Holiday Bible Club in Tobermore, Men’s Shed, and TEAM

Also, Please pray God to continue his work in my life and allow me to be sensitive to the needs of the Irish

Cheers!

3 Weeks in Ireland

Swords Baptist Church Service

Ní féidir liom chreideann ive curtha in Éirinn seachtaine cheana féin. It’s hard to believe that I have now been in Ireland this long. Even a year ago when I was first talking with TEAM and my mission coach and various professors and friends, I never thought I would be sitting here in Swords Ireland writing back home to let them know how things are going here.

Swords Baptist Church Entrence

These past few weeks, God has given me a great opportunity to build some great relationships and see how god is working here in Ireland. This is a beautiful country full of a deep and a rich history. The history is amazing and their heritage of the Church is fascinating. These people over the years have lived under a theology that put a lot of rules in place and placed a heavy burden on the people. This burden has left the people with no desire to learn about Christ for they expect the church to have a lot of rules.

Bill (Left) Clem (Right)

In the past week, I have had the opportunity to build some good relationships with the people hear, adult and youth. For example yesterday I went to Dublin with an American I met here who lives here with his German wife. He is a believer and I spent the day walking around Dublin with him getting to know him. We went to the Jameson Distillery museum (don’t worry I didn’t drink) and then headed into the heart of Dublin after towards the Dublin spire. We talked about many things, and I hope I had the opportunity to share a bit of the truth with Him while we spent time together. He is a believer so I hope I can encourage him while I am here.  We also walked around 4 courts, Temple Bar, O’Connell Street, the General Post Office (Sight of the 1916 Easter Rising), a replica of a Irish Famine Ship and Henry street. Dublin is a beautiful city with many people who are in my prayers.

Ivy

Also, last Friday I started to build relationships with some of the youth here. I was given the task of making sure the kids sign in when they enter the church building. So while I was waiting, 3 kids come out, Cian, Luke and Stephen with a futbol. They asked if I wanted to join so I went with them out to the car park. We started kicking around the ball and played pig in the middle and then we played curbs and ended with a big game of hide and go seek with the kids. I’m excited that I have the opportunity to get to build relationships with the kids here. They are all great kids but all need a wee bit of Jesus. For example, after the hide and Go seek we started playing pool in the youth room. A kid who was probably 14 maybe 15 stated that he had money on the England World Cup match. It broke my heart that kids at this age are gambling which is a huge problem in Ireland in general not just the kids.

I’m excited to see where God is going to take me these next few weeks. Were busy planning kids club for the local kids. The theme this year is an inventor who builds a time machine. The professor named Professor Ian Ventor is written off the idea of Doc from Back to the future. I’m honored to be here serving the Irish any way I can.

Prayer Requests

Please pray for the Following people I have been building relationships here with:

Jesse, Nathan, Jonny, Clem, Tim, Bill, Ray, Sylvia, Linda, Graham, James, Shay, Donna, Eric, Cian, Luke, Stephen, Robyn and Ireland in General.

Also, please pray for God to allow me to be sensitive to the way He is working here in Ireland.

In the Hope we have in Jesus,

Jacob

Dia duit ó Éirinn - Hello from Ireland

Swords Baptist Church

It is hard to believe that I have now been in Ireland a total of 15 days. Wow where has the time gone. I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet so many people and have fallen in love with the country. These people here are amazing, the culture is fascinating and the country is beautiful. I have now experienced almost all aspects of the ministry here at Swords Baptist Church except the children's or the adult Sunday school.

Dublin Ireland

                 For you see, the church here operates a wee bit differently than I have experienced elsewhere. I arrive on Sunday about 9:30am and as usual, I am one of the earliest people to arrive at church. Nothing unusual there. The only ones who get there before me are the pastor, worship team and a few people organizing the facility for service. The service, I think starts about half 10 and goes to about half 12. The service begins with music and after the announcements the pastor will dismiss the children to go to sunday school or to the children area known as the creishe (I have no idea if I spelled that right). Then the pastor preaches and then concludes with one more song. The service ends a bit odd but then 2 times a month there is a coffee time were the congregation gets to talk with one another.

Well, this Sunday I had the opportunity to meet missionaries that the church here supports that are with New Tribe Mission in Russia over McDonald's. They are fascinating and it is always exciting to meeting a missionary who has a heart to be faithful to God's call.

Trinity College

So now I am in the heat of ministry here and starting to find areas to explore in Ireland. This next week I am going to go into Dublin again to see the Guinness Factory, the general post office, the trinity library, St. Patrick's Cathedral, an old cemetery. Then later on in July I have an opportunity to visit cork and see how God is working there with the pastor I've come to get to know here by the name of Clem. Great man of God who just loves people as people. Then Im going to some time next week visit my Murphy friends in the north and then visit a friend in a town in Trim to see how God is working there through a church plant.

Christ Church Cathedral

These Irish are fascinating in that they are all seeking something but don't know what it is that they are looking for. The problem is that the Catholic Church here has hurt the Irish people so much, not to say that there is not any evangelical Catholics its just that the overall catholic church has left such a burden on the people here that it has stirred people away from engaging a church or Christianity. The pastor here even avoids using the term Christianity and focuses more on calling people Christ followers because even the term Christian has a somewhat bad connotation with the Irish.

It has been exciting to see how God is working here and excited to see how hes working in other parts of the country.

Prayer Requests

> Please pray for me to continue to build relationships with the people here to allow the love of God to shine through me.

> Please pray that the Irish may come to know Christ

> Please Pray that God will allow me to be sensitive to the way the Holy Spirit is working in Ireland.

Is féidir dia duit (May God Bless You – In Irish),