Ireland 2011 Short-Term Missions Report

In June 2011 our family took our sixth short-term mission trip to Ireland. This trip was different for us as we went earlier in the year than usual. Normally we go mid-summer and spend most of our time putting on day camps that run a week long. This time, we were able to use our mornings for rest and spend our energies on afternoon, evening and late night events. Since the Irish children were still in school, we focused on a wider variety of ministry opportunities than we ever had.

On arriving at Dublin Airport at 5:30 am, we got our vehicle and some breakfast, took a stroll in St. Stephens Green, and then drove to our friends, the Thompsons, for lunch. They have been involved in John 3:7 street ministry for many years. Each night that they go out to city centre, an average of 10-12 people accept Christ. They have been very involved in discipling people as well. Evie met their daughter Rebecca before we had been in the country, one day on our first trip 10 years ago. It’s beautiful to see these girls age in the pictures I take and grow into women who truly love the Lord.

After our warm welcome back, we headed an hour and a half south to Gorey in County Wexford. We stopped for groceries and supplies and on to our self-catering house. Soon after, several of the church members from Gorey came and we shared fellowship over Chinese take-out and tea, of course. At that point we had gotten not much more than a catnap in 32 hours. Keeping our eyes open was a challenge. But time is so short, and we did not want to waste any of it.

In the course of the week, we spent many times of fellowship every day, sometimes at our house, sometimes at others’ or out and about, such as taking an elderly widow friend to lunch. Some friends from past visits drove an hour or more to see us. When people speak of Irish hospitality, they do not exaggerate! We have been the happy recipients of much warm Irish hospitality and great meals. And our friend Ollie said that I make very good tea now, even for an American! Perhaps it has taken the whole ten years, but as small as it is, I consider it a triumph.

On the Sunday, Mark preached a sermon on bitterness, inspired by the teachings of Bill Parker. The response was tremendous and we understood right away that this was a teaching the church appreciated and felt they needed.

One morning, I led a talk at a women’s tea. It was attended by 30 women–off their chart in numbers. It was encouraging to meet so many new women, some of whom, hungry for God’s Word and fellowship, had driven an hour or more to get there. I had spent many long hours before the trip, praying about and writing the talk. I was surprised that the more I prayed, the more the direction changed. My specific prayer to speak the words that God most wanted the women there to hear was immediately answered as one woman thanked me publicly, saying it was exactly what she needed to hear and just what her pastor had recently taught about. Another woman piped up and said she didn’t even know the other woman or go to the same church, but that it was also what she needed and what her pastor had recently taught about as well. God is so good!

Mark and Jon Farris, who has traveled with us several times, gave a purity talk at a men’s breakfast. It was also well attended and challenged the men to live lives that honor God in all they think and do. We hosted a youth afternoon for younger children, teaching them five parables of Jesus and having them perform versions of them with drama and puppets. We also led a teen night where we showed the music video “You Are More” by 10th Avenue North and talked about God’s love for each of us no matter what we’ve been through or what we’ve done.

We brought as many Bibles as we could fit in our luggage with the goal of coming home with only our own, and less than that if opportunity permitted. We gave Bibles to those who did not have one at the events we worked with. We gave them out to people we met, like an elderly chap who helped us put oil in our car at the petrol station. Jon and Evie gave a Bible to an elderly couple that they have danced with at an Irish cultural night now three summers in a row. I believe we gave away all but one of the Bibles we brought.

Having had the privilege to visit Ireland six times in ten years, we continue to learn about the state of the Church there and see how it is changing. The abuse and distrust in the Catholic Church has continued to come to the surface in the last couple of years. And yet, many feel that to be Irish is to be Catholic. People are searching for spiritual alternatives. Some are turning to the ancient pagan Celtic ways. My Irish friend told me that last year over 10,000 people turned out to Bealtaine festivals on May 1 across the island. This involves worship of the same Baal talked about in the Bible. Others though, are turning to Christianity. In just the tiny new church we work with, having about 25 members, we saw that in less than a year from our previous visit, there were about six brand new Christians. We attended the weekly believers Bible study (they also have a weekly study for those just wanting to learn more about Christianity). There were many faces there unfamiliar to me. Men and women were coming from other churches because they were hungry for more study of God’s word. I was so impressed with their depth of discussion and even more impressed when, in talking to people afterwards, I learned that so many of them were brand new believers! They are well beyond milk and onto solid food. It is exciting to see people coming to the Lord and growing so deep in their faith. God is truly working in Gorey, Ireland!

We thank you, our church body at Blue Ridge, for your part in this mission to Ireland. Thank you for your prayers for our family and ministry while we were there. The church in Gorey asks for prayer for their continued unity, for maturing of the new Christians and for the many unsaved spouses and family members of their believers. Our family is also praying about the possibility of going back for a longer time, possibly three months this summer, Lord willing.

By Patrice Smith