This is part two of a three part series on my mission trip to Ireland. Read part one here. Read part three here.
Insights From Ireland: Behind the Story
Scripture
“Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” -Luke 12:24
Thoughts
“Leaving that which is familiar and comfortable … recover the loss of our heart and with the intimacy, beauty, and adventure of life with God.” –The Sacred Romance (John Eldridge)
I felt drawn to Ireland for continued growth in my journey, for more intimacy with my Father in heaven, thus being able to share this wonderful adventure with others. However, there is always more to a story. I needed to be drawn out of my comfort zone. I needed to see how committed I was to my faith and my willingness to share it with others. I needed something within me to come awake. I wanted to be like Peter and actually get out of the boat and into the water. Here are some of the “behind the scenes” stories that I didn’t share in Part 1.
Before “holiday” (which is what a lot of countries in that area call vacation), I was asked if I had made any plans for our time off. I hadn’t, so a group from my team invited me to go with them. Little did they know that my birthday would fall during this time. We traveled to Galway where they had already made arrangements to stay. I hadn’t booked a room and the Inn had none available (sound familiar?). One of my team members suggested four times to keep asking if a room had become available. The first three times – nothing. On my fourth and final attempt – a last-minute cancellation had occurred and unlike Mary and Joseph, a room became available for me at the Inn. God provides. Sometimes it takes patience and perseverance to see it happen. Even though I hadn’t planned ahead, God did. This helped me to lean on God even more than before.
Three days later – it was my birthday. Once again, I hadn’t planned anything. That morning, I confessed to the team that it was my birthday. From there, we visited the Cliffs of Moher, I was taken to a pub where someone bought me a beer and I was given a birthday card from my friends. The card had a picture of dentures sitting in water and a fish bowl with a fish saying, “Smiles a lot but doesn’t say much, does he …!” I still have the card (pictured above). That let me know that while I didn’t always feel comfortable talking, my smile said quite a lot. It was a great birthday, seeing a wonder of God’s creation, talking and laughing with friends – and oh – I also received my birthday spanks! I was surrounded by people willing to help make my day special and in the process, it became special for all of us.
Now for the big story. I had mentioned in Part 1 about the lady in her 60’s. We knocked on her door and she immediately said, “I don’t have time to talk to you. I am taking care of my elderly mother.” However – she left the door wide open. She invited us in and really wanted to hear what we had to say. She told us her story and her current situation. Feeling God kicking me in the butt – I opened up to this stranger and told her about having a brain tumor at the age of five, being told I had three months to live. Her expression changed as she said, “You do understand the struggles I have taking care of my mom.” Her brothers and sisters didn’t want to take care of their mother so the responsibility fell solely on her. I asked her why she felt she needed to be the one to take care of her mom. Her reply was, “Well, my mom took care of me when I was little, gave me a roof over my head, clothes on my back and food in my mouth. I want to do the same for her.” I explained to her that God wanted to do the same thing for her and her mom, through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. As we began to leave, we asked if we could pray for her and her mom. She happily agreed. As we said our goodbyes, Kenny (our Team Leader), reached out to shake her hand. I got up to do the same. This woman threw her arms around me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I didn’t know how to respond, so I took my cue from my birthday care and simply smiled. While Kenny and I were walking down the street to the next door, he looked at me and said, “Now we know why Jesus sent his apostles out two-by-two.” I became the butt of a joke for the rest of the summer, but I learned that behind every door is an opportunity that could lead to something wonderful.
With every story, there’s always more than meets the eye. I hadn’t planned on how to spend my time off. What transpired was better than I could’ve planned myself. I hadn’t planned on sharing my story with an almost-elderly woman taking care of her very elderly mother. What transpired spoke to both of our souls. Look a little closer and you’ll find that whatever story you’re in, it’s part of a much bigger story unfolding. This is where we’ll pick things up in Part 3.
Imagery
“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” -U2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_ISAntOom0
Caption: Even though we know our destinations, we need to keep searching for opportunities to share along the way.
Awesome.
Ah, good ole’ Kenny! I was often paired with him during my time “on the doors” in Westport as well. (Pam, Debby, and I spent three months in Westport & Castlebar later that fall helping Kenny, Larry, & Paudge.) After we left a house where the people let us share a bit–even if the conversation didn’t go super well–Kenny would often say, “Well, we got the Word in, so we did!” My favorite conversation from that time (which actually happened twice with two different older Irish ladies at different houses) was when a woman was going on and on about how Jesus helped her every day. I finally got kind of exasperated and blurted out, “You don’t need someone to help you! You need someone to die for you!” She responded, “Where am I going to find someone to do that??” And I said, “He already did.”