Update from Belfast
Greetings from (mostly) sunny Belfast. We don’t have internet access here so it’s been tough to keep in touch, so we’ll try to jam as much into this update as possible.
God has really blessed us with amazing weather here. Apparently it’s rare to get a block of sunny, warm days in this area — even in the summertime. It’s been mostly clear with temperatures around 70 degrees. Perfect weather for ministering to kids outdoors.
The team arrived here early Saturday morning and spent the first two days hanging at The Haven, a christian center situated on a beautiful farm in the countryside about 15 minutes outside of the center of Belfast. In order to get adjusted to the culture, we played lots of football (soccer), ate a ridiculous amount of British sweets (Jonny Gann has an unhealthy addiction to Jaffa Cakes) and crisps (potato chips). They actually have smoked bacon-flavored crisps here. God truly loves these people.
OK, back to the missions. Our goal here in Belfast is to help Johnny Caldwell (the pastor of the Rock Community Church) and his crew re-launch Go Kids, their local kids program. Go Kids has unbelievable access to the schools here. Nearly everyone we’ve talked to on the streets has heard of them and loves the work they do. The program has been on hiatus for a few years and Johnny feels that God’s vision is to get it back up and running at full strength.
That’s where we come in. We’ve spent the past couple days canvassing the local neighborhoods, talking to kids and passing out flyers promoting a two day “kick off” event on Thursday and Friday for Go Kids. We’ve been setting up inflatable toys (they called them bouncy castles here), painting faces, singing songs, doing skits and playing football with the kids. (Our group just barely beat a group of local kids, 1-0, in a football match yesterday. But they were like seven years old.) It’s been amazing to see how God has worked through these small events so far. There seems to be a strong emphasis on community here, so when they see something going on in the park, they all come out to see what’s going on. We look forward to seeing how he works on Thursday and Friday at the actual kids club event.
We’re about to head out once again to spend time with the local kids, so here’s how you can pray for us over the next few days:
- Pray for the Go Kids club event that’ll take place this Thursday and Friday at a local primary school. Pray that God will bring lots of kids through the doors and that they would hear the gospel preached through the music, skits and games. Pray that we would be in tune with God’s vision for this event, not just ours.
- Pray for us as we hang out in the local neighborhoods this afternoon (Wednesday). Pray for energy for our kids (it involves a lot of walking) and that the local kids here would be ready to receive our message. Also pray that we would understand what they’re saying and we would understand them. We do speak the same language but it’s sometimes impossible to understand their Northern Irish accents when they speak fast. Pray that that wouldn’t be a hinderence.
- Pray for Johnny Caldwell and the rest of the Rock Community Church. These folks have such a passion for telling the people of Belfast about Jesus. Pray that this Go Kids program would be influential far beyond when we leave next week.
- Pray for unity between the Protestants and Catholics in Belfast. There is political peace here, but as you walk around the neighborhoods there is still a clear division between the two groups. Pray that they would know God’s peace and that they would find unity in the one true God that they both serve.
- Pray that Jonny Gann would take it easy on the Jaffa Cakes.
July 17th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Glad things are going well. Please ask the lovely Mary Anne to call me or email me a number to call. Thank you.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:17 am
It was so great to read about the team and see your pictures. Miss you guys. We are praying for you, always, confidently and expectantly! Can’t wait to hear from you. Stay strong in the Lord, stay the course. Make a difference