Farewell Dublin

            This looks to be my final blog post in Ireland which is a bittersweet moment. I’ve had several different thoughts run through my mind as I’ve pondered what I will write. It is hard to place a conclusion on this trip or add the final pun

ctuation mark to the work here. The reason for this hesitancy is that I realize t

he work he

re

 is not nearly

 complete; there are many more things that God is doing and needs to do here in Dublin and at A

bbey Church. My time here was a small clause in the greater work that is being scripted. For me to say mission accomplished

or goals complete would be to cheapen or oversimplify what is attempting to be accomplis

hed here. In the end, it is the spirit of God that needs to come and move hearts, change attitudes, and renew lives and my hope is that our team’s presence,

 prayers, and involvement has helped tilt things towards that horizon.

            This past week has been the least structured si

nce we’ve arrived here, and we were given a lot of free time to see parts of the city and the countryside before we left. Our team took advantage of this

 and we took a two day trip, on Monday and Tuesday, to Northern Ireland and the north coast. We rented a nine passenger van and drove a couple hours

 north of Dublin into County Antrim. We stayed at a youth hostel in a little town called Bushmills. We were only a few miles fro

m the coast and we spent our time up north exploring Giant’s Causeway, Carrickaread Rope Bridge, and Dunluce Castle as

 well as exploring other places along the coast. It was beautiful scenery and the ideal picture of Ireland with small villages dotting a rolling and green landscape with the occasional sheep and cattle grazing in the pasture.  Standing on the shore, looking out into the North Sea you could even see, in the distant horizon, the western tip of Scotland

            This week we had our Men’s Bible study and it looks like it will continue to go on after our team leaves which is an answer to our prayers. We really wanted this Bible study to continue after our team had left, and with two Abbey members stepping up to lead it – it looks as if it will.

            Even though this is my final blog in Ireland, I plan on writing one more time during my few days in Atlanta and summarize my trip more succinctly and with greater detail. But I’ll leave you with this thought:

            Sitting on one of the hexagon shaped pillars at Giant’s Causeway, I looked out for several minutes into the dark, green North Sea. I watched the water rolling onto the rocks and listened as it made a symphony of waves.  As I looked to my side, I noticed a man come and sit down across from me. He was a middle aged man and had his dog, a german shepherd, with him. I thought it was peculiar that while the man stared out into the endless stretch of mist and waves that the dog’s eyes gazed in the same direction. I knew that this dog couldn’t appreciate and understand the beauty of the scene that his master was looking at, but being obedient he followed his master’s example. It made me think of Dublin and the many things that become obstacles and barriers between me and the finished work to the point where I can’t see the final picture. I am at a loss in understanding how things will work out. I’m blinded by difficulties, technicalities, and disappointments. I know, however, that God has important things in store for this city, He is orchestrating things at this very moment, and He is on a mission to build His kingdom in Dublin. At this moment,  I look out hoping to see someday what my Master has cast His eye towards now. 

Adventures of a Missionary Tourist

I wrote just to give you an update of what has been happening over the last week. 

- We finished our last week of open Abbey, it ended on Saturday. 

- We were involved in our last service at Abbey and said goodbye to a handful of people that we had connected with over the summer and that we weren't going to see during this coming week. 

- I was able to help organize the men's bible study (which will continue after our team leaves - alright!), and I was able to help lead our weekly prayer vigil on Friday. 

- I have many more things to write about as well as pictures to show you, but we are close to leaving for our trip up to Northern Ireland and the North Coast. 

I'll have a more complete blog published by Wednesday, thanks for checking up and God Bless. 

Luke

Parrēsia

I would like to open by thanking all of you who take time to read and respond to these blog entries, and I’m finding that there is a wider circle of readers than I had planned or imagined. I truly and deeply appreciate your support, prayers, and encouragements; I find myself dependent on them. It’s proof that the mission field is not bound by location or worked by just the few – all of God’s kingdom, which encompasses the whole world, is involved in spreading the gospel and reaching to the needy with the compassion of Christ. I wish to encourage you by saying that I believe you to be apart of the work of the Kingdom of God here in Dublin through prayers and encouragement. It is a world-wide effort.

World-wide is a fitting term to describe what my typical encounters with the people in Dublin are like. This city of 2 million, which is small by international standards, hosts dozens of different ethnic groups. This past week, during open abbey (our open door outreach to the community) I was able to have conversation around the tea table with a German student who now lives in France and a Chinese couple who live in South Africa, all three happened to stop in the church at the same time. We had a short conversation in English, and then the Chinese couple began talking in Mandarin to Connie – an Abbey church member from Hong Kong. On another day, I had a long conversation about faith, Christianity, and our favorite movies with a man named Pawel, he was a middle aged Polish man who had come to Dublin to work and learn English. Today I was able to help a Romanian who was living on the streets and could barely speak a word of English, he came into the church looking for some food. Fortunately our kitchen was well stocked this week and we were able to give him a meal, coffee, and some biscuits. On Monday, I had a conversation with Ramon – a Kenyan man who is living in a hostel on the same block as us. He’s come to the church several times for our arts café, and is now planning on coming to our Sunday services. Meeting the international community, needless to say, is very common here.

The Arts Café (named Xpresso) has taken over most of my time for the past week. We’ve been planning for this event all summer, but we kicked into overdrive this past week in preparation. I designed a banner and had it printed, helped to schedule and get in contact with artists, I contributed to our refreshments menu with some smoothies, and amidst all this we prepared for our RTE service this past Sunday. RTE is the national public broadcasting of Ireland. Every Sunday they select a church to broadcast a service, and this past Sunday Abbey was host. I was able to be a part of the service by singing. I also wrote a prayer and read it at the conclusion of the service. During this time, we’ve had two teams from America come and help with our preparation for Xpresso. One team was from Monroeville. They were mostly high school students, and they helped with cleaning, painting, and preparation for the café. The other team was a group of musicians, many from Nashville, who have come to perform and advertise for the festival by busking (playing for spare change) in the streets of Dublin. I played harmonica with one of the artists, Dave Dewese. We had rigged a small stage from scaffolding equipment and two amps. From underneath the shadow of Abbey Church, David and I played into the streets of Dublin as people walked up and down the sidewalkss of Parnell Square. It was a great experience to get the looks, stares, and turned heads as people were surprised to hear live music being played over loud speakers into the streets. The Café has been a great success, and we’ve been averaging over 100 people coming into the church each night.

I’ve titled this entry parrēsia because it’s an apt word to describe what the Lord is teaching me as I reflect on my experiences here; the word is Greek for boldness (i.e. “outspoken”);. I’m learning to have parrēsia, to be outspoken, in my witness to the people who come from all parts of the world to this city. I’ve become more willing to confront people that I have just met with questions that I may have been timid to ask because of the demand it places on the other person to answer and on me to press them for a sincere answer. Questions like: Do you know about Christ? Where do you think you stand with God? What do you believe in?. I am finding much more confidence and willingness to raise these and similar questions. I hope the Lord continues to teach and build me up in this area, not only on this trip, but for the rest of my life. I want more and more to have boldness, to be outspoken, for Christ.

Thanks Again for reading

I want to offer a quick praise report. We’ve had a Hindu woman, Annita, attend Abbey church for the last two weeks. She started coming after she had walked into the church during Open Abbey; while there she had a conversation with one of our team members, Steph. Just a few days ago, She accepted Jesus as her savior! Praise the Lord.

Luke

Thanksgiving

When I was flying to Dublin, 30,000 feet in the air, and far above the North Atlantic Ocean, I caught a beautiful glimpse of the sun setting into an endless field of clouds. During that moment, impressed by the beauty of it all, I was whispering continual thanks to God. Thanking Him for bringing me this far on the trip, thanks for what He has done and what He has yet to do, and thanks for His goodness and grace.

Now that I am beginning my fourth week here in Dublin, I had caught myself wondering if I was still offering whispers of prayer to God thanking Him for what He is accomplishing here. It is easy to become complacent with praise when things seem routine or the luster of their novelty has worn off, but I am realizing that God is still good, still at work, and still guiding me along whether I recognize it or not. I really noticed this point over this past weekend when the Lord placed several things in my path, literally.

One situation, on Thursday night, was my encounter with Eddie, a homeless man. He had fallen and cut his head pretty badly that night and was sitting helpless on the sidewalk as we walked by. Some of us on the team were able to stop, help him stand up, clean the blood off of his face, and walk him to where he needed to go. We had a long conversation with Eddie as he hobbled down the streets. He told us where he was from, why he was on the street, and he had the occasional wild story to tell as well. While we were walking with him, I kept wondering if it was a wise decision to do this – I knew that helping random people on the street at night was not particularly safe. I didn’t feel at ease until he started stalling us from leaving right before we said our goodbyes – I realized at that moment what Eddie wanted was not so much our help but our company. I think that he is a very lonely man, and the tiniest bit of sacrifice and compassion that we showed him was a warm blanket wrapped around a man who has experienced long nights in cold and solitude. I thank the Lord for putting him in my path.

Another situation occurred after church this past Sunday. While I was talking to people after service, I noticed a younger man that I hadn’t met yet. I walked over to him and introduced myself. He told me his name John, and instantly I could sense that something was bothering him. I sat down in the pew in front of him and I began to have a conversation with him hoping to get at what was noticeably troubling him. Quickly, John began telling me about the struggles he is having in believing that God truly loves him. He opened up about his past, his attempts at suicide, his struggles with the Christian faith – all the while my heart was wrenching to hear this. I prayed, while listening to him, that the Lord would impress something upon me to say to him. All I could encourage him with is the fact that God is full of love, quick to mercy, and restores our hope. I left him with those words and the promise that I would pray for him – I’m trying to stay in contact with him too. I’m thankful that God allowed me to spot him at the end of service.

On my flight over, I was giving thanks for what was easy to see and was effortless to enjoy. Now I’ve noticed that God has orchestrated things so that people who are in need have come along my path at times when I hadn’t expected it. These people are the answers to my prayers – my prayers petitioning for the Lord to use me to reach people. I’ve realized that it has taken less of my reach and more of His hand to answer those prayers, and for that I am so grateful. I’ve moved from whispers of thanks to shouts of great joy. Thank you Lord!!

These are just two of the many things that God has been doing here. This past weekend I also attended a Christian conference led by Marva Dawn, a theologian who has written several books on worship. She raised some interesting points on the importance of community and being mindful of the poor. On Sunday our team was able to lead the congregation in three worship songs – the last two Sundays we had only done one song. Today I went to Lindy Road Primary School, it’s the grade school that Abbey has founded, and I was able to help Alan with a quick talk at their final assembly before summer holiday. Much more is happening, and we are preparing for much more to come.

I leave you with the chorus to Falling Slowly from the movie Once. Once won an academy award this past year for best original song, and it was filmed here in Dublin. In fact several of the scenes were shot half a block away from where I’m staying. We watched the film as a team several weeks ago. The words to the chorus apply well to our continuing work here:

Take this sinking boat

And point it home

We’ve still got time

Raise your hopeful voice

You had a choice

You’ve made it now

Lord we come to You as broken vessels and realize that we have no guide, no hope, and no god like You. We ask that you still lead us in our remaining time here in Dublin and at Abbey. Our choice is to serve you, we have made it now. Continue with us on this journey. Thank you so much. Amen

Luke

Frisbee, Pink Bicycles, and Salsa Dancing

It has been way too long since I've added my last post. Part of the reason is that I've been on my feet with little down time to earnestly reflect on my experiences over the last few days, but another part is that I've been a little negligent (a watered down term for lazy) over the past week to sit and write.

Some things here have become routine, such as working at Open Abbey – the ministry where the church opens its doors to the public. Open Abbey allows for the team to meet tourists and locals from Dublin, offer Christian hospitality, and share the Gospel Message. It was through Open Abbey that one of our team members was able to share the Gospel and pray with a person to receive Jesus and this was all done in Spanish, not English!! We are praising and rejoicing with the Lord that another soul has joined in His kingdom and our thoughts and prayers are with our new brother, Daniel. We also are continuing with our daily time of prayer and devotions. This Tuesday I was able to share in devotions some thoughts that I had from the parable of the Prodigal Son and how it relates to our work here as a team. We have been called, like both sons, to spend our time at work with the Father. As the title to this blog suggests, I’ve had my hand in several different and eclectic ministry opportunities as well:

I’ve recently joined the Dublin Ultimate Frisbee League with the intention of meeting twenty and thirty-somethings outside of Abbey Presbyterian. I had my first game this Monday and of course my team prevailed. I was able to meet several people who ranged from a stereotypical fiery Irish redhead to teammates from places like Canada and Germany. We have several Americans on our team as well. One American, Scott, is working with a house church in Dublin. He shared this with me after he found out that I went to Grove City, because he had several Grove City students help him and his church several years back over an Easter break. (What a small world – and more to fact, what a wonderful way that God orchestrates things together) It was encouraging to make that connection and I hope to make many more connections through this opportunity.

Last week I took a day and worked on painting an antique bicycle – hot pink. It was Alan Boal’s (Abbey’s Minister) idea to paint the bike pink to make it a pseudo Post-Modern piece of art. The bike was in great condition, despite the fact that it was nearly 60 years old, and it was still very much street worthy. Even the peddle-powered headlamp mounted on the front of the bike was in working condition. The bike has evolved from a work of art into an advertising scheme. We hope to use the bike when we advertise for our Xpresso arts festival that we will be holding in July. We think that nothing will leave an indelible image in someone’s mind like a pink bicycle coasting down O’Connell Street.

Also this past week, I was able to have dinner with our new Brazilian friends. The Brazilians are students learning English at Grafton College, a half block away from the church. It was by chance on our first Sunday here that we were able to meet Paula, and rapidly from there we have been able to meet several of her other friends from Grafton. We went to Paula’s house which was several blocks away from where we are staying. Over the course of the evening we enjoyed dinner and conversations in broken-English that dealt with issues like our favorite sports, how old we were, and occasionally we would break out into song. The point of the conversation was not so much the conversation itself, but what was hidden behind the words. A phrase like, “American football, good: yes?” may have been asking me if I like the occasional football game, but behind the inability to fully express ourselves to one another we were reaching and connecting heart to heart. The words may not have been there, but we were fast becoming friends with these people. After our dinner, we ended the evening dancing – especially salsa dancing. It was a custom that I had never before experienced after a dinner party – but it was enjoyable and an evening I soon won’t forget.

Reflecting back on these occasions with tourists, frisbee games, pink bicycles, salsa dancing with Brazilians, and many other experiences that I have yet to tell you about; I never would have thought myself doing this when I committed to doing mission work in Dublin. When it’s listed together it seems rather silly and trite. I realize, however, that a pink bike or frisbee was not the end in and of itself – there is something greater at work. I am reminded of Luke 19, when Jesus commissions the disciples to go on ahead and find him a donkey to ride on into Jerusalem. What a lowly task to be given, and what a lowly animal to choose for the arrival of the Messiah. God had destiny in line for that donkey, we see it written through the prophet Zechariah, and that small animal would bring forth the king of kings. Though it was a small task, it had a glorious end. I like to think that Frisbees and pink bicycles can work in a similar way, that just like the disciples were told to say, I believe that “the Lord has need of it.” It is my hope that they too can be used in God’s ultimate plan for His kingdom and to bring Him glory.

God Bless

Thank you for reading,

Luke

We saw a vision

"In the darkenss of despair we saw a vision, 

We lit the light of hope, 

And it was not extinguished, 

In the desert of discouragement we saw a vision, 

We planted the tree of valour, and it blossomed

In the winter of bondage we saw a vision, 

We melted the snow of lethargy, 

And the river of resurrection flowed from it..." 

                   - Liam Mac Uistin

Service this sunday went wonderfully well. Our song that we played for the church (O, Church Arise) was well received by the congregation. Alan gave a very challenging message about those who are oppressed. It is a message that hits home to a congregation that consists of Irish people (one of the most oppressed people groups in History) as well as immigrants, refugees, and those seeking asylum. Alan reminded us of the great comfort we have in knowing that God is on the side of the oppressed - that he hears the cries of those in need. "The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?" After the service we had a congregational picnic in Phoenix Park - it's an enormous park on the southwest side of Dublin. Apparently its design was mimicked when they created New York's Central Park. At the picnic we enjoyed sandwiches, biscuits (cookies), crisps (chips), and a time of fellowship. I was able to meet a few more people from the church as wess as teach some fo the people how to play ultimate frisbee. I also kicked around the soccer ball with some kids and I took a turn at playing some field hockey - which was hardly successful. Today (Monday) was our team's day off - so i took the time to do some reading and then we walked down to Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, and the Chester Beatty Library - where we saw a collection of art and ancient manuscripts. Two of the pictures I posted are from our excursion today, and the last picture is the statue that is in the Garden of Remembrance (the park across the street from Abbey) Near the statue is a poem written by the Iris poet Liam Mac Uistin (I posted a portion of it at the beginning of this post). The poem celebrates the struggle for freedom of the Irish people - but its message reflects the resolve of our team. We have seen a need, we have been called to a purpose, and our vision is to reach others and glorify God. 

Thank you for reading

God Bless 

Luke

Recreation, Reconvening, and a Trip to the North

These past couple of days the team and I went on a retreat into Northern Ireland to place a final stamp on our training/orientation. We stayed at a Christian Retreat center in a small village called Rostrevor (spoken like: ross trevor). The center was a converted manner house that sat on the shores of an Irish Lougue – (we know them by their Scottish spelling “Loch”). Over those couple of days we spent time in prayer, fellowship, devotion, and discussion on our purpose as a team here in Dublin as well as Abbey’s purpose in Dublin. Our team’s purpose is fairly plain, we are here to help the church and see to it that their work in the community of Northern Dublin is maintained. We want the people in the city to experience the love of Christ through social outreach. It is also our goal that we evangelize to this city and see souls won for the kingdom. Our hope and prayer is that through social outreach and evangelism we will be able to have 8 new people solidly planted in Abbey . When I say solidly planted I meant that they are involved and regular attendees of the church.

Eight people seems like a small goal for our team of nine, but what we are trying to accomplish is difficult on several levels. First, there is the spiritual state of this city/country/Europe. This area is spiritually dead – many people (most notably young people) have turned their backs on Christianity and the church. It is the sorry trend for much of Europe as the Western nations have moved into a post-Christian era. In Ireland specifically, church has historically been a political machine and so stating your church denomination is more likened to making a political stand instead of sharing personal religious experiences. So the very fact that Abbey is a Protestant church in a highly Catholic area puts it at a “political” disadvantage. The final level is the state of the church itself. Abbey is a dying congregation and it has been dying steadily over the last several decades. It was a church that once housed several hundred on a Sunday service – but now its attendance is barely 80 people. A solid portion of the congregation is elderly, and they are rather apathetic about the decline of their church. They are not happy with the state of things, but they see the decline of Abbey as something that is inevitable. These are barriers that are in front of us, and ones that with the help of God we hope to break through.

Tomorrow is our second Sunday here and we will be involved in the worship service. A group of us will be leading the congregation in worship. We are going to teach them a newer hymn – “O Church Arise.” This hymn has become the anthem for our team and we hope a song that the church will strongly embrace. It is a call for the embattled church to stand and follow “Christ our Captain.” Now that training is complete, we will go forth this week starting to work in the ministry we have been given for this summer – and as the hymn states our team also asks “Spirit come put strength in every stride/Give grace for every hurdle”

-Thank you for reading

God Bless,
Luke