What about Jesus?

I realized today that I hadn't mentioned much about what I'm doing here in Ireland, except for the brief mention of "a girl following Jesus to Ireland" in my blog title.

First...a little history lesson for anyone who is unaware of the basics about "faith" in Ireland. The island we all refer to as "Ireland" is split into two parts. The larger part is the Republic of Ireland and is not a part of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland is the north east section of the island and is a part of the UK.

The Republic of Ireland is mostly Catholic, whereas Northern Ireland is the epicenter of the Protestant vs. Catholic discord. Typically, the Catholics there wish to see Ireland become a unified country again and the Protestants consider themselves British and are happy to be a part of the UK.

Of course, this explanation is an oversimplification of the issues and, as with most controversy, I am certain there are many sides to the argument.

Being in the Republic as a "Protestant" is not always the easiest road to travel. This is the fundamental reason why I don't mention that word. Personally, I have never associated my belief / love / commitment to Jesus with that term anyway, so this is not a problem for me. Also, I didn't come here to try to get people to stop being Catholic. There are plenty of Catholics who genuinely love the Lord and are serving Him faithfully.

My purpose in being here is simple. I recognize that everywhere, even in a "religious" place like Ireland, every person needs to know these truths:

1) God loves us immensely and His desire is not to punish / condemn / hurt us.
2) Good works are important, but God is not weighing our good works against our sins to see if we measure up and deserve His salvation. Because, let's be honest, we know and He knows that none of us will never be able to measure up.
3) So, instead, Jesus laid His life down in our place to balance out an otherwise unbalanceable scale.
4) Submitting our lives to Jesus is completely worth it. He is the most faithful and powerful friend we could ever find in this life.

What is true about Ireland and the Irish is true about pretty much every other country on the planet. People respond to relationship-based truth. That is why I chose to come here for 3 months, instead of 3 weeks. I have never been a fan of walking up and down the street, handing out a booklet on "how to get saved". Not that God hasn't used those things as conversation starters from time to time, but it's not my personality to do things that way. Jesus stepped into people's lives and struck a personal chord with them. Yes, He preached to thousands at times and did miraculous things as well, but mostly he invested in people. He had dinner with them, sat by a well and talked, cuddled a few kiddos, healed people....loved people. I love that about Him. He had the perfect balance of doing these amazing, huge things and also touching people's lives in very personal, practical ways.

While I'm here, I am blessed to not only help with church-related stuff (worship on Sundays, prayer/worship on Wednesdays), but I'm also helping with a n0t-overtly-evangelistic ministry to Parents & Toddlers on Tuesday mornings...a great place to connect to people.

Also, I love that I can just be myself and talk about life with the Lord with my hostesses. God has already done some cool stuff within those friendships. AND I have the freedom and time to walk into town whenever I want, praying and looking for a chance to meet people and just get to know them....and see what God will do!

In reality, now that I'm here, I see that 3 months is hardly any time at all. This is a place that takes a serious investment and so I hope that God will use me in whatever way He sees fit while I'm here, for this short time.

Al and Christine Dreher (the pastors I'm working with here) are truly invested. They've been in Ireland for about 15 years now and they're in it to win it. It can be discouraging at times to follow the Lord into a place that is tough, but they have been faithful to that calling and I am praying that God blesses them more than they could imagine.

So, pray for me while I'm here, but mostly, please pray for the Drehers. They are the committed and called believers that the Lord has planted in Killarney and they desire to see the Lord magnified on this island and help so many people discover the abundant life that comes from following Jesus!

Love,
Katy