The comforting aroma of coffee and hot tea fill the dining hall and quiet chatter and guitar strums pair with the cool night air as I begin to compose this little bloggy piece of Ireland. To even begin to encapture the atmosphere of God's love here tonight, our last night at Lacken House, is a challenge.
To sum up the past ten days into a few paragraphs is just as difficult. It has been some of the most challenging, yet most rewarding of my spiritual life and walk as a Christian.
What I can summarize about our time in Shannon is that God is at work and is moving in Shannon Town in such big ways.
When I first was chosen to mission in Ireland, I didn't quite understand God's calling for missions there. I mean, it's not a third world country. They aren't desperate for essential living things like water, food, and shelter. They are affluent. And besides all of that, isn't everyone Catholic? Don't they already know about Jesus? This all crossed my mind and was even said to me by others as I began to share about where I was called, but regardless of what my human thoughts were, I am following where Christ is calling — even if I don't fully understand His plan. (But really, do we ever?!)
What I have learned in the past two weeks is that Ireland needs Jesus just as much as starving children in Africa need Him. Just as much as struggling families in Guatemala need Him. Just as much people in the US need Him. Just as much those in your home town need Him. Just as much as you and I need Him.
During our training before being sent out, we were given the statistic that only 1.5% of Ireland is Christian.
Say what?! 1.5%?! For real?!
For real.
The remaining 98.5% are either professed Catholics or non-believers. Believing in Christ and having a personal relationship with Him is a totally different thing than attending church (or mass) once a week and confessing your sins in a pew-filled sanctuary with some muttered out hymnal lyrics. God doesn't want you to go through the motions and be a 'do-er' Christian; He simply wants you to love Him as He loves you as His child. He doesn't care about how many bible studies you've done or how much time you spend volunteering every week; He cares about your heart and your pursuit of Him. Don't misinterpret that I am saying bible studies and the like aren't what Christ calls you to do or be a part of, as it is through service and time with the church (the church as the body of Christ, not the building) that we can be strengthened in our walk. What I mean is that God wants you; not what you do or how much you give… but your heart and all of it. He wants you to seek Him and follow His word.
Just you and your heart and nothing more.
And that, dear readers, is what God has called us, His beloved children, to share with the people we are encountering here in Ireland and wherever we are called to as His disciples. We still have a few days left here and will be moving onto another missions location; we pray that in the coming days that His will be fullfilled as we close our missioning time in this beautiful country that is so in need of Jesus as a personal savior.
When sharing stories and debriefing our time thus far with the other missioning teams, we have learned that God is everpresent here and is doing an amazing work all over Ireland. The emotions and encounters that have been relayed today do nothing but show Christ's love in, around, and through us all. As afore mentioned, it is difficult to describe what God has done here this week. He is so good. He is so good.
To God be the glory.
