(The CYIA team in Derry!)
Richill Baptist Church hosted the team and allowed us to stay there for the week!
Later, the team went out into the neighborhoods to hand out flyers to parents, letting them know that we would be hosting 5-day holiday Bible clubs in the neighborhood for their kids to go to. We had many parents interested, if only to drop their kids off for free babysitting, but we were just excited for anyone who was interested. We split up into 5 teams that would go out into 3 neighborhoods each. I do not have any pictures of the kids for security purposes.
In the evening, after tea, we walked out to the Derry Peace Bridge together. We sang old childhood Christian songs on the Peace Bridge as loud as we could. It was a blast! :)
Fiona Cooper
Friday, July 19th, was the last day at the neighborhoods and together as a team! Pastor David came back to speak to us again. We went out after prayer and lunch. This time, I did the story. I felt a lot of weight about it, because it was about the Last Supper and the gospel story and the importance of it. I was very convicted about how usually we dumb down the gospel to kids and leave out important things. I felt as though the Holy Spirit really emboldened me to speak the full gospel with clarity and in a way that they could understand. But, even though we had the most kids we had ever had at the first group, we did not have any kids come to the last two. We were not discouraged, however, instead we talked together and prayed together. Gareth treated Deborah, Christine, and I to Starbucks after that to celebrate a great week as a team.
We all came back to the church to clean and eat Chinese (I ate fish and chips). After dinner, we all said our goodbyes and then Stephen Wilson, the pastor of Letterkenny Baptist, came to pick me up and drop me off at his mother's house for the night. It was nice to have a full night's sleep after such a crazy and amazing week.
Child Evangelism Fellowship- A worldwide organization in which believers evangelize to children with the gospel of Jesus Christ and disciple them in the Word of God and get them involved in local churches to spread the kingdom of God.
Children Youth In Action- A summer ministry for youth ages 14 and up to reach children for Christ. Usually there is training for youth to complete and go through to participate, but sometimes, if you are an older believer and asked by a church, (as I was) you can participate with a team.
Sunday, July 14th, started with the CYIA team leading worship at Richill Baptist. Aaron and I led worship again and the other part of the CYIA team participated as well! It was wonderful!
(Bryan, Anna, Rachel, Jennifer, Gareth, Fiona, and Deborah at Richill Baptist on Sunday)
(David Baird, the gentle and passionate pastor of Richill Baptist Church)
Later, the team went out into the neighborhoods to hand out flyers to parents, letting them know that we would be hosting 5-day holiday Bible clubs in the neighborhood for their kids to go to. We had many parents interested, if only to drop their kids off for free babysitting, but we were just excited for anyone who was interested. We split up into 5 teams that would go out into 3 neighborhoods each. I do not have any pictures of the kids for security purposes.
In the evening, after tea, we walked out to the Derry Peace Bridge together. We sang old childhood Christian songs on the Peace Bridge as loud as we could. It was a blast! :)
(Fiona and Rachel
Derry was the city of culture this year which is the reason for the flags.)
(Rachel, me, and Fiona)
Fiona is my sweet English friend from Wimbledon. Rachel is my sweet friend who lives in Ireland. They go to school together in Glasgow, Scotland. Fiona is studying religious studies and Rachel is studying to be a vet. Fiona came over to Ireland to stay with Rachel and her family and help with the CYIA team. She and I could understand the small differences of the Irish and marveled at the beauty of the land together!
(Fiona and Deborah skipping off to Derry Peace Bridge)
(Rachel, Christine, and I on the Peace Bridge)
(Rachel, Jennifer, and Christine on Derry Peace Bridge)
(The CYIA team singing on the Peace Bridge together)
(Pauline and Kenny Bingham- Pauline is one of the craziest and most wonderful women!)
On Monday, one of the pastors from another church, Tim from Cornerstone, came to speak to us before we went out. Then we all prayed together for a while and did some last preparations. We headed out after lunch. My team was led by Gareth McBeth, and had Christine, Deborah, and I. Another girl, Laura, was able to come with us on Tuesday and part of Friday. We had the smallest team. We spent an hour at each of the 3 neighborhoods that our team was assigned to. All were in rougher areas and had a high concentration of Catholics.
The rough agenda of the time we spend in our hour at each of the 3 neighborhoods:
-Start with games (usually us running around with the kids or playing football/soccer)
-Sing songs (Deborah played guitar and sang, I sang and did hand motions)
-Memory Verse with the kids
-Story time
-Quiz over the story
-More songs
-Prayer
-Games
Each day we switched around roles of who led each activity.
We had 3 kids come to the first neighborhood, 2 kids come to the second, and about 6-10 kids come to the last neighborhood (some left.)
On Tuesday, July 16th, Tim returned to encourage and speak with us again and then we did prayer time together again, sharing and encouraging each other and asking the Holy Spirit to move in the hearts of the kids we talked with. Then, after lunch and prep, we went out back into the neighborhoods. I did the memory verse that day. We had 4 kids come to the first neighborhood, 2 kids, and then 4 kids at the last. It was not as many kids as the first day, but we were glad that kids came. It's the Holy Spirit that does the work- we are just called to be faithful and speak the Word about Jesus Christ.
On Wednesday, July 17th, Tim spoke with us for the last time that week. We had prayer time together, and then headed out after lunch again. More kids came to the first two clubs at the first two neighborhoods, but both dwindled a little toward the end. The last group of kids started out with one little girl and then two more came after a little while. I was so excited to see how joyful they were that we came back and how enthusiastic the kids were about the songs. They soaked up all the attention we gave them. They were so hungry for love. All we could hope is that they saw that it was not us, but Christ in us that they were so attracted to.
In the evening, after sharing and praying together, we went to the beach to leave the church open for the Richill Baptist members to have their corporate prayer time together.
(Rebekah, Rebecca, Mark, Jill, Matthew
Bethany, Glenda, me,
Karina, and Allison at the BEACH!!)
(the view at the beach)
(the beach!)
Fiona Cooper
(she and I went for a walk on the beach and talked for a while! it was wonderful!)
(so beautiful)
(Fiona, Deborah, Anna, and I- taken by Rachel)
Thursday, July 18th, started with David Baird, the pastor of Richill Baptist, coming and speaking to us. We prayed together and headed back out. The amount of kids was smaller again at the last two, but the first group was about 6-8 kids. One of the girls brought her cousins to the club. It was wonderful how attentive and excited she was.
That night, we went to Gareth McBeth's house for a BBQ. It was good craic! ;) (if I have not said before, that means "it was good fun!") Fiona and I went for a walk and talked and I went on a tractor ride!!!! Great craic!
(David, Jennifer, Pauline, Fiona, and Heather at the McBeths)
(me, Rebekah, and Alison at the BBQ)
(the buzz at the BBQ)
Friday, July 19th, was the last day at the neighborhoods and together as a team! Pastor David came back to speak to us again. We went out after prayer and lunch. This time, I did the story. I felt a lot of weight about it, because it was about the Last Supper and the gospel story and the importance of it. I was very convicted about how usually we dumb down the gospel to kids and leave out important things. I felt as though the Holy Spirit really emboldened me to speak the full gospel with clarity and in a way that they could understand. But, even though we had the most kids we had ever had at the first group, we did not have any kids come to the last two. We were not discouraged, however, instead we talked together and prayed together. Gareth treated Deborah, Christine, and I to Starbucks after that to celebrate a great week as a team.
We all came back to the church to clean and eat Chinese (I ate fish and chips). After dinner, we all said our goodbyes and then Stephen Wilson, the pastor of Letterkenny Baptist, came to pick me up and drop me off at his mother's house for the night. It was nice to have a full night's sleep after such a crazy and amazing week.
(the CYIA team!)
Saturday, July 20th, was the big day for me to go to my family's get-together for the 90th birthday of my great-grand Aunt MaryAnn McBrearty. Some of my second cousins picked me up from Letterkenny Baptist to go with them to the mass at the Catholic church in Bruckless, Co. Donegal. Mass was at 5 pm. One of the cousins asked me at the end of the mass if I would get up and sing in honor of MaryAnn. I was nervous, but I got up and sang two verses of "How Great Thou Art" and it was incredible: I felt the Holy Spirit empowering me to sing on and sing out and proclaim the gospel that the song portrayed. I felt and saw all the family members who I had never met or just met stop and listen and I felt the Holy Spirit moving as I sang. It was something so beyond me. Even though it was nerve-wracking, I am so glad I sang for MaryAnn and the family. We went to Blue Haven for dinner. It was pretty posh and nice. Then, we hung around and danced and talked until late into the night. It was a wonderful time!
(the birthday lady, MaryAnn, and I after the mass)
(MaryAnn and her siblings)
(the excitement!!)
(MaryAnn and her kids)
(the grandkids and MaryAnn!)
(Blue Haven music group and one of the granddaughter's singing a song)
The CYIA team was wonderful work with, and I made friends that I will never forget. The Holy Spirit worked in incredible ways in the people on the team and in the hearts of the children that we worked with. Thank you all so much for your prayers!
Please continue to pray for the members of the team as they go out into the world in their everyday lives- that they will continue to live and speak the gospel of Jesus Christ!
My time with my family was wonderful, but please pray for them. They are all Catholic. I learned a lot about Catholicism during my time in Ireland: the essence of Catholicism is good-works based theology. Basically, if you are good enough and try to be a good person- through prayer, doing good things, and going to mass- you will go to heaven.
The only way we can be saved is by realizing that we can never be good enough- we were created in God's image but we are under the curse of sin, which has a consequence: death and separation from God which is the eternal death and damnation of our souls. It is only because Jesus Christ lived a perfect life as both the Son of God and a human on earth, died in our place taking the wrath of God upon Himself, that we are freed from this punishment. But, Jesus is so awesome (in the TRUE sense of the word) that He had power over sin and death and they could not keep Him in the grave: He rose from the dead- which gives us hope! He is our Lord and Savior and worthy of being praise because He is the Son of God and ascended to be at God's right hand in heaven. But, He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us transforming us to be more like Himself and revealing to us the Truth that is in Scripture which we could never understand without divine revelation. But, Jesus is coming back to judge the world someday- that is why we have to realize or reject that Jesus is who He says He is and saved us from ourselves.
Friends, please pray for my family in Ireland with me.
Pray for Ireland.
Thank you so much!
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