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),