My Trip to Ireland

Last week was my first time to Europe and I loved it. Walking through Amsterdam was amazing, seeing a mixture of God’s beautiful people from all over the world walking through the airport. Hearing the sounds of many mysterious languages gave me the chills as I thought about how big God is and how much he loves each one of these people. And nothing will stop him from pursuing each one of them regardless of language, culture, history and ethnicity. The love of God can touch and reach anybody, anytime, anywhere.

                Ireland is a beautiful place and I can definitely see myself visiting and continuing to do missions work there. The Irish people are wonderful and friendly. It amazed me how vibrant the grass was when the weather was a little chilly and no leaves on the tree. It didn’t make any sense. Usually when there are no leaves on the trees, the grass is dried up and brown. Their grass was thriving with bright green colors.

                I am excited for the plans and future that God has in store for Ireland and the team of people he is using to help reach the nation for Christ. Even though it can be easy to be discouraged when you think of only one campus ministry on a college campus there, I am hopeful in a God that won’t relent until he has those he love to come to know him.

                The full time ministry team in Ireland was wonderful and very fun to work with. They are a bundle of joy; it was a great honor and pleasure to assist them in their ground breaking adventure in advancing God’s Kingdom in Ireland.

                This was my first international mission trip and it broaden my view of ministry. People are people no matter where you go, at the core we are all the same. Everyone wants to be loved and accepted. Everyone wants to know that their life means something, that there is a plan and future for their life, that they play a part in the big picture. Everyone is searching for that true joy and everlasting peace. And when they find it, they will take hold of that treasure. When truth is presented and it pierces their hearts and resonates with their soul, they come alive and become people of passion and purpose ready to walk out the destiny set before them.

I also learned the importance of settling into a community when you are planting a church. It is essential to understand the language and culture of the people, their mind set and way of thinking. It is a process that takes time and patience. But once you start seeing people within the community coming out to your events and accepting you, it’s a wonderfully amazing experience.