So, Team Ireland has been in Northern Ireland for nearly 3 weeks and we have been enjoying our time immensely. The travel was a little bit rocky with 3 different planes, and one of them missed, but once we arrived we hit the ground running. We spent the first week staying in a college dormitory operated by the Presbyterian Church called Derry Volgie Hall near Queens University, a beautiful old school with nearly 20,000 students. During this first week, aside from enjoying our time in individual rooms and proper beds, we met with leaders from each of the summer outreach teams we will be a part of and also went to an official training with about 200 other young adults taking part in outreach teams through the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Our task for the summer is to be a part of these teams which are organized though the Youth and Children’s department of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland which other students sign up to be a part of. Each of these teams go to different churches for one week of the summer to orchestrate a Holiday Bible Club, (the equivalent of a Vacation Bible School). In addition to learning about the actual programs we will be taking part in, we have been using a variety of different methods to get acquainted with the local culture. From late night chats with other university students staying in Derry Volgie to tourist attractions such as an open top bus tour and the Titanic museum, we have begun to be clued into local slang terms and the tense history which has shaped the people in this area and their deeply divided and politically charged attitude toward different denominations of the church. Also during this first week, we helped with an evening camp with members of a church who had never before put on a Holiday Bible Club solely with members of the congregation and were feeling very anxious about the endeavor. We were glad to be a part of their first year and found them to be very welcoming and appreciative of our extra hands. From there, the the team split up to head off to two different camps in different parts of Northern Ireland. Becca and Shelbie spent their time in Scrabo Presbyterian church about 20 minutes outside of Belfast. Finding the band’s leader with a hoarse voice on the first day, Shelbie was able to jump in and sing with the band at the Sunday service and for the rest of the week at camp while Becca joined the “action team” to go along with the songs. The two also got to share their testimonies at an evening teen program, and, seeing as Shelbie’s fell on the Fourth of July, there was an entirely necessary singing of the Star Spangled Banner at the end, by request of the crowd. Kelli and Emily spent their week in Newry working with both Downshire and Sandy Street Presbyterian Churches. They also put on children and teen camps and especially noticed God working through their team dynamics and how fluid the team seemed to work together. The team has found a new appreciation for “tea time,” and the intentional pursuit of community at points during the day with the teams by means of a cup of tea and plenty of “buscuits,” (euphemism for cookies and desserts). We have now rejoined as a team and have spent some time taking a break in Scotland before we get on with an entire summer of Olympics themed camps. Yesterday we arrived in Islandmagee to start preparing for next week’s camp. Join us in thanking God for all the wonderful people we’ve met and the specific children we have seen grow closer to God through the programs we have already been a part of. We would also love your prayers for energy and focus as we continue to work with differnt teams and move around the area so that we are able to connect with members of the teams and children alike.
Love, The Drifters (as named after our new favourite Irish candy bar and our current drifting lifestyle) Shelbie, Rebecca, Emily, Kelli