Help.

Life without...complication?

There aren’t many excuses for not blogging when one should be, but one good excuse, if there were any, would be a lack of computer.  And that is mine. 

Upon driving today in Belfast, I realized that I liked life without a computer.  It was much simpler.  It made writing letters seem like the obvious choice.  Now I’m not too sure.  (But I’ll keep writing letters, until I find a font that matches my handwriting.) 

We played a “game” in college called “Life without TV.”  We did it for fun, I remember, one semester in the Pea Pod.  We played so many games during Life Without TV.  Was it during that time we discovered how fun it was to run from one living room to the other, flying hands-then-head first through a hula hoop? Landing in a big pile of couch cushions?  Big spaghetti dinners?  “Study” days before Christmas break?

The last blog I wrote was about FWD—Faith With Deeds, an initiative that we were involved with in different parts of the Shankill. 

Instead of working backwards, trying to fill in all the details of the past few months, I’m just going to start from right now. 

We’ve started working in the Breakfast Club in the local primary school every day.  Lidia and I agree…it’s always a bit of a shock when the alarm goes earlier on those mornings, but once we’re in the cafeteria, buttering toast, playing games with the kids—we think, I wish I was on the rota to do this every day!   We’ve been having 15-20 kids each day. 

Tomorrow I set off for Spain, for a few days with a group called the New Teams Network.  I like that it’s not a committee or a club, just an “anyone’s welcome” group of people who will share tales and ideas and struggles we’ve had about starting new teams in Western Europe with YWAM. 

Why new teams?  In YWAM around the globe, there is a current push to move new pioneering ministries from big bases in rural places (great retreat centres, though) to simple, small (maybe) communities of YWAMers who move into cities to serve local church, bring new vision, and to send out missionaries.  Some call this church planting…this could get tricky, because then we ask—Is YWAM a church?  What is church?  And…then this blog would either be way too long, or very, very short:  “I don’t know.”

Either way, this is the push.  This is the new thing. 

The next time I’ll write, I’ll share more about YWAM Ireland’s idea of doing new teams in Ireland.  It has something to do with nomads. 

(It’s nice to be back.)

Faith With Deeds

I have never had such care put into my fingernails.  Two nights over they were delicately painted by Cameron, a nine-year old boy who I’ve known for a few years by doing breakfast club at the local primary school.  The first night he chose a brilliant orange, and the second night, it was a variety of gummy pinks. 

I just don’t have the heart to take it off.

For the last few days we’ve been working in the Lower Shankill with an initiative called “FWD”—Faith With Deeds.  It’s a Wells Church thing, and we YWAMers helped, too.   I have really never seen people on the road so open and thankful…it was radical for me to see.  We played with kids during the day, knocked on doors offering lightbulbs/smoke alarm batteries/prayer, and put on free community barbeques in the evenings. 

At one of the barbeques is where I got my nails done. And I look at them lovingly even as I type up this blog.

I so wish I could put more pictures of the kids from this past week, but unfortunately we’re asked not to do that, as to protect the kids.  But—you can imagine it, can’t you? 

There’s something happening on the Shankill; I can’t put my finger on it, exactly, but it feels big and small at the same time.  It has the feeling of something about Love, it’s giving me anticipation of Love coming. 

So watch this space.

Currently I’m in Closkelt, the other YWAM base in Northern Ireland, helping cook some meals for them during the DTS debriefing week.  It’s special to be here because this is the DTS that spoke on in February, and I feel connected to these students.  They’ve just returned from their outreaches—one team was in Ireland and the other was in India.

I’m looking forward to a week in North Carolina with my family for my holidays this year.  Roll on, beach with the Seibels!

Please check out YWAM Ireland’s new website:  www.ywamireland.org

You’ll find more info about how FWD went on that site, as well as more info about our upcoming trips and training schools.

Shankill and the Falls

I took a walk        
With my guardian angel
Through the streets 
Where I was born
The painted wall
Rose up around me
From the Shankill
To the Falls

In all the time
You entertain me
I broke my heart
I can recall
Till I threw the dice
And I kept my distance
From the Shankill
And the Falls

I know you're aching
To trust somebody
A spark of love
In everyone
From the Tigras Bay
To the silent barrio
From the Shankill
To the Falls

--a great song by Bap Kennedy

This week there's a group of us working on the upper and lower Shankill through a little initiative tagged, "FWD"--Forward, or Faith With Deeds. 

Pray for us!  We've loved the last two days, meeting people on the streets, at their homes, playing with kids, hosting BBQs.  We've had a real blast, and are simply and beautifully meeting God through the people we meet.  We pray they are meeting Him too, in love and friendship. 

With my friend Turk this morning, we spoke about the goings-on on the Shankill Radio!  They always said I have a face for radio...

Song and Dance

The other day Lidia and I went to a local primary school’s final service before the summer.  It was put on by the P7’s (the oldest class in primary school); we knew most of the faces from doing Breakfast Clubs there for the last three years.

I was over the top with pride and excitement for the great show they put on.  The room was filled with parents and friends; dads who left every so often for a smoke, people answering phone calls, slight distractions—even when the students were telling us about wind turbines and beating on their African drums (amazing performance!).

But---there was a holy moment. 

Four girls gathered on “stage.”  The teacher clicked “play” on the CD player.  And the four girls began their Irish dancing routine right there on the gym floor.  The once-preoccupied crowd fixed their eyes on the girls.  Someone started clapping in beat, and soon all were joined in. 

It was like everyone thought at once, “Now this is something I can be interested in.  I wasn’t too into wind turbines and hearing about netball tournaments…but song and dance is apart of who we are.” 

I had goosebumps up and down my arms.  I felt I saw a glimpse into the heartbeat of this road I live on.  I’ve been seeking to find their culture, but have not come up with anything really concrete.  Irish dancing—who knew?

The revival in Belfast in the 1800’s started with the people group, “children.” 

We can’t over-estimate how much children know and can teach us about the Kingdom of Love.

Another note about Belfast:  I was driving home from church yesterday, and the streets of the city are peppered with broken umbrellas.  This is one gusty summer!