His Mercies are New... Every Year

The Northern Ireland team is preparing to leave again in a couple weeks. I (Daniel) will be headed over a couple of days early on July 15th, with the rest of the team following on July 17th. We'll all be returning together on July 31st.

Pray for us! The Lord knows our needs, our anxieties, our desires. Pray specifically:

• For team unity around the gospel and our Lord who we're going to proclaim.
• For unity with our Northern Irish brothers and sisters who we'll be partnering alongside. 
• For the nine new team members (including little Andrew Matasovsky!) who are going to Northern Ireland for the first time. Pray especially that they would cross the "cultural divide" easily. 
• For the ten team members who are returning to Northern Ireland. Pray that we would not go into "cruise control," but be on the lookout for the opportunities God has for us.
• Pray for the Matasovskys (Joel, Trish, Andrew) specifically as they love the Irish while caring for their almost-two-year-old Andrew and as Trish enters her third trimester with their new baby.
• Pray for the whole team to be sensitive to the Spirit's promptings and seeking God in his Word and through prayer during the days leading up to, during, and after the trip (and while you're at it, pray our whole lives would be marked by seeking God!). 
• Pray for the two communities, Kittys Road and Attical, that there would be an excitement about our arrival and that the Spirit would be moving to draw people to himself through the ministry of the team. 
• Specifically there has been much relational hurt and some deaths in Kittys Road; pray especially that Christ would be seen as the balm that heals all wounds with his love. His love is better than life!
• Pray for Attical, that the relationships that were built and the good will that was established last year would continue this year, and that through these relationships gospel opportunities would arise. 

Finally, please pray that 2 Corinthians 5:14-17 would be on our minds and hearts during these weeks, and would characterize the team.

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;  and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 

home

The American team (sans Kristy, who stayed on to visit a missionary friend in England) landed back in the US around 4 pm local time yesterday and were lovingly welcomed at the airport by family before we went our separate ways to deal with jet lag in our own ways, and to begin the process of unpacking everything that God did on this trip.

There is no way we can see now the full impact of this trip on us and on the communities in Kilkeel, but a few things are obvious already: God sustained us through a demanding two weeks. The gospel of Jesus Christ was proclaimed. One of our team members got to answer the question, "What's a Bible?" from a child at Attical. We've also made and continued friendships that we hope will continue for a lifetime. In the coming days, I hope to gather stories of grace from my own memory and from members of the team to help you as you thank God with us for this trip.

To start: Some of my friends in the States sent me with two Bibles in case an opportunity presented itself to give them away. On our last night at Kitty's Road, I was talking with one girl with whom I'd made a strong connection over the last few days, and with whom I'd talked about how much one can get out of reading the Bible. As I was preparing to leave, I asked her if she had a Bible of her own, and she said she didn't. I gave her one of the Bibles, and she was really excited, thanking me repeatedly and telling me she was excited to put it to use. I'm hoping we can study the Word together over facebook in the coming months. As I was writing the girl's name in the front of the book, another kid came over and said, "I want a Bible!" so I wrote his name in the other, adding his sister's name at his mother's request. These two Bibles are seeds that have been planted in two households in Kilkeel, and I'm praying over them.

I think one of the most obvious things I've gained from this trip is that now I know better how to pray for Kilkeel. As I go forward from these two weeks, I've committed to praying daily for those I met and the ongoing work of Mourne and Kilkeel Presbyterian in Kitty's Road and Attical. This is a major way our team can benefit the local outreach team: by praying faithfully and specifically for God's work in Kilkeel.

One of my prayers for Kitty's Road in particular is Psalm 20:5: "May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!"

Northern Ireland, we miss you!

See You Later

Tonight the team said goodbye to one another after a day filled with fun events. Each place that we went could be talked about, but the relationships have been the focus throughout our time here. We know goodbye is only temporary for God's people... ultimately it is truly only "see you later" as our Northern Irish friends keep reminding us.

God is good.

Debrief at Castlewellan Castle

We piled into our minibuses today and ventured to the town of Castlewellan, north from Kilkeel along the coast. We spent the afternoon at Castlewellan Castle, debriefing from the whole trip. We discussed everything from the logistics of host homes to the need for spiritual nourishment day to day. It was a helpful time to pull things together, look back, and look ahead to future years.

There was one untoward incident at the beginning of the afternoon:

I'm not sure who started it, but Daniel did end up making a trip to the doctor with quite a sore shoulder...

This evening the team ate our last meal in the church hall cooked by the amazing Grace, and then hung out, playing board games and watching a movie. Tomorrow is the day we say our goodbyes to our beloved Northern Irish friends before heading out early Saturday morning for the Dublin airport. Keep praying for us, that we would finish this mission strong, say goodbye well, and carry out what God has set in motion through this mission.

Grace.

last night

Tuesday night was the night we said goodbye to Kitty's Road for the year, perhaps for longer. The morning session was rather sparsely attended at first (it was a cloudy morning, and a lot of the teens in particular were enjoying sleeping in), but more trickled in as the morning progressed. We spent the afternoon at Silent Valley, enjoying a game of "football rounders" (kickball). The evening, then, was our big production, our last hurrah. The Kitty's Road community had prepared a jaw-droppingly bountiful dinner for us all, after which we had a variety show, a time of wild hilarity. The community center was packed. Our team did a few sketches, reviving an old favorite "The House is on Fire" and introducing a new one or two. Some Kitty's Road girls did a country-western style dance, and one Kitty's Road boy, who had adamantly refused to demonstrate his karate skills, had volunteered instead to read something from the Bible, and accordingly read Psalm 1 in a clear, steady voice.

After the show came the eagerly anticipated slideshows. Some Kitty's Road ladies had put together an excellent one with loads of photos from our week's adventures. Merren, on our American team, had also put many hours into a brilliant video compilation from footage she'd gleaned throughout our time. There were a few words, then, from a Kitty's Road community committee member and from our N. Irish leader Dave, and then it was time for mingling and goodbyes.

Suffice it to say that was hard.

We'll have our whole-team debrief, Lord willing, tomorrow at Castlewellan, after which I'm sure I'll have many more stories or perspectives to share to help communicate what this project has really been. In the thick of things, it can be hard to grasp the big picture, or the direction of things. As our project winds down, the pattern of grace is coming more clear. More on that later.

Today was a team day. We got to sleep in, and then met for lunch and headed to the beach, where everyone who stuck around near the beach long enough either went into the water of his own accord or was--er, helped along by a team member or three. It was windy and the water was cold (but not, I kept reminding myself, as cold as Lake Superior), and also it's around full moon time, which means high tide and big waves. It was really quite a neat experience, diving into the green-grey waves and getting that shock of cold and mouthful of salt.

Finally, this evening was our host-home dinner. The team and our host families gathered in the church hall for a meal, a rendition of one of our award-winning skits (this one, "The Pencil Salesman"), slideshows, and a few words from the team leaders. It was a great time to recognize what God has done through this outreach and to specifically thank our hosts, who have served the team in an irreplaceable way and have become some of our best friends in this country.

As we reckon with the fact that our trip here is almost over, pray that we'll continue to make the best use of our time, that we'll persevere in love for each other, and that God would solidify the lasting impact of the trip in those to whom we ministered and in us.

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you." John 15:16

Grand Finale

On Monday night, the Atticall community gathered at their Gaelic clubhouse for a talent show. This had been arranged by Zak, Peter, and Paul Cunningham, the coach of the Gaelic team. We weren't really sure how many would show up, but they slowly began to file in. Soon there were over a hundred people in the clubhouse.

There were 7 different musical and dramatic acts, and afterwards Stephen stood up for a few minutes and explained very clearly why we're there: we would love to see less people identify as Protestants and Catholics and more identify as Christians and simply followers of Jesus.

Yesterday (Tuesday) we said farewell to the Atticall folk as the last day of programming finished up. In the morning one of the teens made a profession of faith after talking to a team member about John 3:16. This was unprompted and simply came after talking about the implications of the verse for eternity. Pray that the profession would grow and the initial signs of faith would blossom into God-fueled faithfulness as the Northern Irish team follows up with her.

While several stayed back to work with the Irish language program (and memorize John 3:16 in Gaelic!), the teens caught a ride to Country Fried Chicken, a restarant in Kilkeel. Afterwards they walked down to the beach, where people were thrown in, and great fun was had by all.

Last night we gathered for our last meeting with the teens... about 15-20 or so came out. Dawn shared her testimony, and Zak spoke on God as a judge, reading from Matthew 25:31-46. Both were used by God to point to the reality of judgment... although not many deep conversations happened after that, we trust that God's Word does not return void, but it accomplishes all he purposes for it.

Today the teams are gathering at the beach in Cranfield and then preparing a thank you meal for our host homes. Pray that

• the Northern Irish would be given opportunities and remain faithful to followup with the young girl who professed faith in Christ, and all the others who have heard the Word this week.
• the team would look to Jesus as our comforter and friend in these days when we're saying goodbye to so many new friends.
• the relations between the two churches (Kilkeel and Mourne) and the two communities (Kittys Road and Atticall) would be strengthened in weeks and months to come, and that genuine love would abound.

nearing the end

Kilkeel

Members of both teams have described tonight as a "significant" moment for our ministry in these communities. This is a real answer to prayer. At Kitty's Road, I (Madeline) shared a testimony, which went well, I think (many thanks for your prayers), and Dave (the Northern Irish team leader) spoke on the truth that Jesus is sufficient for every challenge in our lives, a message which struck something of a nerve. There were some really, really good and honest (and in some cases, difficult) conversations in our small groups after the message. Many of us felt real connection tonight, and received an answer to our many prayers for opportunities to have God-centered conversations with our friends at Kitty's Road. Our debrief back at the church hall was also an intense time. We had a substantial discussion and were very near to each other in the varied emotions of the moment. Our hearts are full for each other and for the people of Kitty's Road. Fyodor Dostoevsky says that "Active love is a harsh and fearful thing compared with love in dreams." We thank God for the love he has given us for each other and for the people of Kitty's Road, and we ask your prayers as this love for the lost is not a light thing to bear. We long so deeply for these people to know our Jesus.

Atticall entered the rather somber Kitty's Road debrief full of exuberance after their excellent variety show tonight. The team were rejoicing not only in good performances but in the fact that the Atticall community was incredibly welcoming, stating that our folks don't need to wait for an invitation to return at any time. The atmosphere was joyous, the message of unity through Jesus Christ was clear, and the whole team was greatly encouraged by this definite work of God that we've witnessed.

As we finish up, there are so many things to be praying for, but foremost among them is that God would accomplish the purposes he has for us and the Kitty's Road and Atticall communities in the next few days. Pray that sin and distractions would not be able to hinder us from gleaning and contributing all God wants us to. We ask also that we'd succeed in forging bonds these last few days that will last. Finally, "from him, through him, and to him are all things and to him be the glory." May Christ be preeminent in all things.