Monday

Been a bit low on photographic accompaniments these days, so here is a picture of cows:

Second-to-last day in Kitty's Road today. As the coffee morning was wrapping up, a big game of rounders (like baseball, but confusing) finished up the morning. Afternoon hangout time, though cut short to make way for preparations for this evening's community banquet, was fruitful as well. Having discovered the power of candy to bribe children to explore the Bible, I had the delight of gathering in a little circle on the grass with a group of girls, having a lively time flipping to different verses and talking about Bible stories. Isaiah 53 made one girl wonder, How could Jesus have created people if people like Isaiah were alive and prophesying before he was born? This led us to John 1 and awe at the wonder of the Incarnation. Sweet stuff! 

This evening, those under 18 (except Americans) endured a flurry of flying chips in the kids' tent for dinner (along with Country Fried Chicken), while the rest of us reveled in a first-class banquet that was equal parts entrees/sides and desserts. After we had cleared away the last of the sausages and pavlova, everyone gathered into the center for our last evening message before tomorrow's talent show wraps up the outreach. Mark and Ann shared their testimonies together, first talking about how God worked to save them individually, and then spending some time to talk about life in terms of their 20+ years of marriage, something that is pretty much unheard of in Kitty's Road. Afterwards our N. Irish leader Dave talked about Peter's denial of Jesus and ended with a direct and frank appeal to our friends of seven years at Kitty's Road: You've heard the gospel many times now. The rooster is crowing. Don't keep denying him. Repent and be saved. A gentle hymn ("There is a redeemer") closed the night out.

Please pray that as the folk of the Road turn to bed tonight and wake up tomorrow morning, they would be pondering Dave's challenge, and would realize that now is the day of salvation: now is the time to stop denying the call of the Christ, and instead to hear it and be His!

that which we have seen and heard

"that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:3

From American team member Grant (Kitty's Road):

Today we enjoyed fellowship with Kilkeel Presbyterian Church, one of two churches that have partnered together to reach their surrounding communities with the Gospel. What was most encouraging today was the unity of two groups of people coming from different parts of the world to worship together and receive from God's word. We hear a lot about the unity of the body of Christ but it quickly becomes a reality and a foretaste of what heaven will be like when it happens. One body, worshiping the king, from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. This is the truth we are enjoying now, but also the truth that we are bringing to the communities we are serving here in Ireland. We want others to enjoy fellowship with God through His son, as we are already enjoying him in worship and fellowship.

Those of us who are serving at Kitty's Road spent just a few hours after the 2nd service at Kilkeel Presbyterian with the community playing games and performing dramas. I also got the opportunity to share God's story in my life with those at the community center. The relationships that have been built over this past week have been very memorable and conversations about the Gospel continue to spring up.

As we enter our final days here please pray for the Spirit to continue his work of changing hearts and the seeds of the Gospel to take root and to bear fruit. Many have come to see there is a difference between a life of faith and a life of faith in Jesus Christ. Pray also that as the team experiences physical weakness from the long days that we would rest in Jesus while trusting that God's Word does not return void.

Like the heavens, let us declare.

Today was a day off for the Kitty's Road team and an afternoon and evening off for the Atticall team. We got to catch up on sleep this morning, and spent the afternoon and evening barbecuing with the team and hanging out in the nearby town of Newry. We will be back out to the Road, Lord willing, on Sunday night, for the bonfire of our lives and some praise and testimony-giving, and then Monday and Tuesday will be our last days out there before we wind up and head for home early Thursday morning.

As we think through the past week and look forward to the home stretch, we can only give praise to God. He has answered prayer and showered grace on us, from the miraculous weather to the prayerful spirit of the team. This outreach is most certainly his work, and we are encouraged.

Kitty's Road and Atticall are very different settings. Kitty's Road has a long history of exposure to the gospel and to people who have genuine relationships with Jesus. Some of the local team members lead a year-round Bible study and a kid's club, where conversations have been developing for months and some Kitty's Road-ers have been slowly coming closer to faith. There are many strong friendships between folks on the Road and local team members, in the context of which God has been at work in hearts. Many of the kids take a measure of ownership of the message we're bringing. They've grown up with their summertimes including singing to Jesus and hearing about his work. From a cultural standpoint, I've heard many locals say that this sort of relationship between Catholics and Protestants in this country is unbelievable. Dark times of blacklists and car bombs, segregated street corners and deadly vendettas are very fresh in people's memories, and some are very much alive as they are passed down through generations and young people align themselves with one side or the other. But in at least one neighborhood in this town, cultural Catholics and cultural Protestants are friends, some despite their families' vehement disapproval, and the context and content of these friendships is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is massive, massive grace. This is the kingdom of God which Christ died to bring, coming.

The moment-by-moment decisions and the vivid array of startlingly beautiful experiences that make up this trip from our perspective can be bewildering, like mounds of tiny mosaic tiles strewn across the studio floor. This day off, for me personally, has been very, very good as a chance to step back and remember what is really happening as this handful of redeemed ones in one stunning, tucked-away corner of God's earth spend time with other real people for a few weeks, living life and speaking his words. It looks like leading kids in crafts, doing puppet shows, throwing an American football, eating sweet buns and talking about family, singing songs of praise, opening the Bible, saying a few words in teaching and discussion, praying, praying, praying. That is to say, it looks pretty ordinary, looks pretty human.

But the key here is He in whose name we come. Remembering that because of who our God is, because of what our Savior did, death is dying, light is breaking in, our King has won the battle and he's at work establishing his kingdom--remembering this in the daily actions is what it means not to regard anyone according the the flesh. It's what it means to have faith; to look not to the things that are seen, but the things that are unseen.

And let me tell you: this perspective came by no profound perspicacity on my part. My mind has been swimming as much as I have been (which is to say, quite a bit). But this evening as we were coming back from Newry, God knocked us all flat on our little backs with the most enormous, scintillating, iridescent, arching, luminous, distant, present, brilliant rainbow, stretching across Carlingford Lough from the south of Ireland to the north. We hopped out of the minibus, flabbergasted, into the glowing rain, to try to capture the miracle with our cameras.

No photo can communicate the thrill of standing there with this gargantuan half-ring of splintered light singing out its colors to all the world above you, tying earth to sky, with you, tiny but indelible, right there undeservedly in the middle of it, in the luminous grey of rain in the evening sun. As we all stood there in various expressions of awe and delight, running through my mind was the sovereign, mirthful voice of a promise, the LORD saying to this earth of His after the Flood, "I will always be true to you." Oh, how he loves us!

Oh, magnify the LORD with me,

and let us exalt his name together!

Psalm 34:3, ESV

Another Day, More Grace

Friday was another picture perfect day in Atticall, not a cloud in the sky to be seen.  We began the day with two men for our adult tea, which was an answer to prayer, since typically it’s all women.  Three more of our regular women followed as the morning progressed, which was wonderful to see them again.  Stephen read the story of the woman at the well from John 4 and a local priest who was visiting prayed to conclude our time.  Our teens played some water games with water balloons, which turned out to be quite a blast (yes, pun intended).  

On Friday evening, after playing a super fun game where everyone except James (who won) got red spots on their face, Daniel taught out of Luke 18:9-14 and Luke 19:2-10. He explained how the tax collector Zaccheaus was justified (or made right with God) while the self-righteous, religious Pharisee was not and how Zaccheaus is an example of how a person is made right by their belief and confession and how works follow after this.  The gospel message was clear and we can tell from our discussion groups that the girls are learning about Jesus and what it means to believe in their hearts and confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord.  We are praying that the Spirit will make it clear to them to move forward in faith. Grant shared his testimony and how God has worked in his life.  Grant also played the djembe (an african drum) to You are My Vision while Rachel sung and Matt and Joel played guitar.

Tomorrow we begin the Treasure Hunters children’s ministry.  Please pray that we have a good turn out and that the children in this community would learn and hear more about Christ through the ministry of our team.

Joel and Trish Matasovsky

Not Only in Word

For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.

This is our prayer in Atticall. That they would know that they are chosen by God because the gospel came to them not only in word, but in power, in the Spirit, and with full conviction. That they would know beyond a doubt that they are Christ's, and would live a life of discipleship that flows out of that. 

This was our prayer Wednesday as we continued to speak the gospel into the lives of the teens in Atticall. After a rousing game of ultimate frisbee in the morning (in which multiple people collapsed at the end), we came back in the evening to do a abbreviated program. Matthew, one of the local Irish teen boys from Kilkeel Presbyterian, gave his testimony. Joel talked about Jesus' brothers, and we talked a bit more about his family in discussion groups. The girls were quite surprised that Jesus had brothers, and that led to them opening up about a few things. 

Afterwards, when we went up to watch a comogie match at the nearby pitch, a couple of the girls expressed a desire to have more Bible teaching; they also made it clear that the cost of discipleship is what is holding them back from coming to Jesus. This is a good thing that they realize the cost is high! Pray that they see the price of not following Jesus to be higher. 

On Thursday, the adult tea saw 11 adults come out. We played several games with the teens, including mafia (the best) and a few others. In the evening, Nina shared her testimony and Matt spoke about the leper that Jesus healed in Matthew 8. In the discussion groups, the weight of the message meant the girls were quieter, but they were totally engaged. The power of the Spirit was evident in the room throughout the evening. 

Pray for fruit in these young girl's lives. Pray for fruit at the adult tea in the morning. Pray for those who are starting the Treasure Hunters programming this weekend. Pray that God would break stony ground and bring forth salvation for those that do not yet know him.

Daniel

Updates for Days Two and Three at Kitty's Road

Another miraculously clear day dawns in Kilkeel as we gear up for Day Four at Kitty's Road.

Day Two:

Tuesday saw enthusiasm from the kids about the pretty spectacular puppet show our team has put together, an ongoing story about a puppet named Tiernan who time-travels back to the time of Jesus, but has never quite caught a glimpse of the Man himself, always arriving only to see the people who have been affected by His various miracles and teachings. After Treasure Hunters time was over, fifteen or twenty kids joined a few of us in a big game of soccer, where with reliable teamwork and cheery encouragement our team members continue to build trust with the kids, which I've been seeing pay off in more open communication and readiness to have a real conversation at other times.

In the afternoon the whole Kitty's Road crew headed to Cranfield Beach, where, despite the fog that had crept up during the late morning, was a really enjoyable outing for all.

In the evening we returned for our second session of silly skits, worship songs, a testimony or story of salvation from one of our team, teaching, and discussion. Alli shared her story for the first time, though this is here fifth year on the team and second year leading. The community know and love Alli very well, and hearing her talk with complete frankness about her life with Jesus was powerful. Grant's message about David led into a good discussion of sin in our own lives and the true possibility of forgiveness.

Day Three:

The afternoon activity at Kitty's Road today was their annual Fun Day, where rented inflatables and a DJ invade the grassy space and turn it into a carnival. The day lived up to its name, and what's more, the time we got to spend just hanging out carried over into an evening session that was remarkable for its frankness and fluidity of discussion. Justin shared his story, which included the recent loss of his father. As some said in the debrief afterwards, "You could have heard a pin drop," and "There wasn't a dry eye in the room." We were all riveted on this young man as he spoke of this tragedy with both sadness and an undeniable hope. Afterwards, as the children were dismissed before the talk, I winced as one of the teenage girls in front of me got up from her seat, supposing she was leaving with the children and bringing her friends with her. But then, "Where are you going?" asked one of her friends.
"To sit in the front," she whispered back, and the row of girls climbed forward to fill the front seats vacated by the children, eager to hear.

Ryan's talk about the reaction of Jesus' family to his rise to ministry was immediate and engaging. It was so easy to imagine Jesus as one of the Kitty's Road kids, growing up and then coming back, standing in this community center and, shockingly, reading out, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me..." Various discussions ensued, some difficult, some relatively easy, but overall, the gospel and what it means to have a personal relationship with this Jesus are some very live questions at Kitty's Road right now. Praise God!

Faithfulness and Fruitfulness

The team has been up for two days now in Atticall. On Monday, Zak and Peter hosted a brilliantly done gameshow marathon at the Gaelic Association Club. Several people came out, and the craic (as they say here) was great. The main purpose was to reintroduce the team to the community, but Zak made it clear why we were back: because we love Jesus, and we want others to love him. 

Yesterday (Tuesday) the Lord brought about 6-7 teens to the various teen programs and 4 adults yesterday to the coffee break. Last night we went out and watched a Gaelic football match and interacted with the dozen or so spectators, just to get the word out about the Americans being back in town and the programs. As with last year, the work in Atticall begins small, but word-of-mouth spreads quickly.

Peter pointed us to the gospel in the life of David amid his sin and repentance with Bathsheba. A couple of good conversations ensued as the teens wondered aloud alternatively why 1) God would let off a murderer or 2) thinking that God is so merciful that he'd let David off no matter what David did. Pray for wisdom as we follow up on these conversations today.

Tonight there is a camogie tournament game that we'll be attending after Joel opens the Word and we spend some more time with the teens. Tomorrow the program will begin properly. Due to a schedule conflict this year, we'll be back in the community from Saturday through Tuesday with Treasure Hunters for the kids in primary school. This has freed up the various Treasure Hunter workers to spend time with the teens and adults in the morning.

One might be discouraged when looking at the number of people who have come out, but as with last year we trust that our God will provide fruit in his timing; our work is faithfulness as he gives grace to us. Pray that we'd ask for more grace to be faithful today, and in so declaring our inability and thus humbling ourselves that we'd speak boldly of the glories of God in the gospel.

Last night a rainbow extended above the misty clouds that were covering Knockchree (the local "hill" that towers over Atticall). Just as it signified God's blessing and promise to not judge the earth with water, so we desire that God hold back his wrath from those of our friends who don't yet acknowledge him as Savior and Lord. Might it be, Lord.



Daniel