Ulster Covenant Parade

This is a video I took while watching the parade on Saturday that was to commemorate 100 years since the signing of the Ulster Covenant. In order to explain what the Ulster Covenant is you have to understand some history.  Ulster is one of 4 provinces in all of Ireland. Within Ulster there are 9 counties, 6 of those counties are in Northern Ireland. The other 3 counties are in the Republic of Ireland.

Pink is Northern Ireland; Green+Pink=Ulster Provence

At one time all of Ireland was under British rule. In the early 1900's Ireland wanted its independence from the United Kingdom. However, the province of Ulster wanted to remain British. In 1912 the  Ulster Covenant was created and nearly half a million people signed. This covenant stated that those who signed pledged to use "all means that may be found necessary". Shortly after Ulster Day and the signing of the covenant, the Ulster Volunteer Force was formed. In response to that the Irish Volunteers were formed in Dublin. So King George V invites both sides to Buckingham Palace for "all-party talks". This talk fails and the united Kingdom finds itself on the brink of Civil War.

 Finally in 1921, the split of Ireland became official. The southern part of Ireland became independent and are now called the Republic of Ireland. And the 6 counties in Ulster where the majority of the Unionist were became Northern Ireland. And it remains that way to this day. Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is a country in the United Kingdom. Dublin is the capital of the Republic of Ireland. The Republic of Ireland is a free country. To clarify, The Republic of Ireland is Irish and Northern Ireland is British. (Click for more info BBC-Ulster Covenant).

While technically Northern Ireland is British, its not that simple. While the majority living in Northern Ireland wanted to remain British, some wish to see Ireland unite as a whole. Thus there are two big political parties, the Unionists and the Nationalist. The Unionists wish to remain with the United Kingdom. The Nationalists wish to reunite all of Ireland.

For questions or more information (including videos) about Ulster Covenant or the Troubles or Northern Ireland in general feel free to email me anytime! :)

God works in mysterious ways

God is at work whether I can see it or not.

That's pretty amazing if you think about it. God is always there you just don't always see him. Maybe its because you aren't looking or maybe you just can't make the connections yet. God has always been present in my life and its fun to look back on things that have happened over the course of my life that don't make sense in the moment but looking back you can see the connection.

John Bell

This past weekend I went to see John Bell for the second time in my life. For those of you who don't know who he is he is an amazing hymn writer, a speaker, a Presbyterian and a preacher among many other things. He is from Scotland but he came to one of the local churches here in Belfast this past weekend so me and some of the YAV went to go see him. He is just as inspiring as I remember from when I saw him the first time in Virginia.

During this past weekend, I was trying to remember what I could about the first time I saw him and I discovered that the music we sang stuck out most in my memory. And the one hymn that came to mind was The Summons, which he wrote and we sing in church back home a lot. Its funny that I blogged about that particular song just a few months ago and then here I get to see him again! Its pretty crazy to think that in some small way a part of the reason why I am here this year is because of John Bell and that hymn.

The Summons has always been in my top 5 favorite hymns of all time along with Here I am Lord and I'm starting to wonder if that is a sign or the beginning of something. Its almost as if I'm beginning to see the connection between these different points in my life, but I still don't know where they lead. I hope that by the end of this year I will have a better understanding of where that might be...

 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT). 

 

Some Photos!

Photo taken by fellow YAV Courtney T

Saturday I climbed Cavehill in Belfast and saw this view of the city! It's about 370 meters above sea level, it was a long way up! For those of you who don't know much about Belfast here is a little information about Cavehill. 

"Cavehill is a basaltic hill overlooking the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It forms part of the southeastern border of the Antrim Plateau. It is distinguished by its famous 'Napoleon's Nose', a basaltic outcrop which resembles the profile of the famous emperor Napoleon. Cavehill is also the name of an electoral ward in Belfast. All of Belfast can be seen from its peak, as can the Isle of Man and Scotland on clear days." (Wikipedia).

Here are some more photos from around Belfast!

View of the estate from my church

The church where I work!

Coast near Bangor

On the Bus in Belfast

On the Bus

Stormont Castle

 P.S. These photos I took! 

Being vs. Doing

So I'm sure most of you are wondering what kind of work I am doing over here in Belfast. That seems to be the number one question that I have been getting. What are you doing?

The obvious answer is I will be involved in several programs including PAKT(Parents And Kids Together), Sticky Fingers, Messy Church, Beavers, Youth Fellowship, KidzOwn and a few others. However, that's not really what I'm "doing".  By planning, helping and participating in these events I am able to make connections and relationships with the people, which is really what my year is about. I am "doing" so much more just by being.

As YAV we talked a lot about being vs. doing. Something that really struck me was on one of the handouts we got, it said, "In any type of mission experience, there is a healthy tension between being and doing. Embracing both aspects of ministry is a key part of a successful YAV experience. In our culture, much value is placed upon what we do and achieve. If we cannot show that we are “usefully” occupied or point to the evidence of our work, we can feel a sense of failure or a lack of purpose because our culture values doing. We often see the act of just being present as wasted time or leisure... Allow God to use you whether you are being or doing. Often times one leads richly to the other."

For me, this is a hard lesson to learn. I'm so used to just doing whatever job needs done in an effort to be helpful. However, sometimes just being there is way more important than anything you could possibly do. I need to remember to really be present in the moment. As I attempt to conquer this concept, I will be reminded by these words...

"In the secret, in the quiet place
In the stillness You are there.
In the secret, in the quiet hour I wait,
Only for You, 'cause I want to know You more" In the Secret, Chris Tomlin

So I challenge you to not worry so much about what you are doing, but instead just be and listen and watch for God in the stillness. Take time to just be and you might be surprised at what you've been missing. "Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions." Psalm 119:18 (NLT)

What is community?

This is a question that has been floating around in my head for the past few days. Throughout orientation and moving into a new city my definition of community has definitely changed. I used to just see community as a place where you live. Now I have come to understand that it is so much more. Community is a way of life, its how you live and who you share your life with. I have come to discover that UNITY is a big part of COMMUNITY.
During my time here in Belfast I have noticed some of the differences between the communities in U.S. and here. Everything from language and food, to buses and history. But the most important difference I have seen is how the people here are aware of their struggles, but they are finding a way to make a difference.

In an effort to build up their society and neighborhood into a better place, they have created programs like the WAVE Trama Center, which helps with victims and survivors of the Troubles here in Northern Ireland. Or the LINK Center, which provides a safe space for kids to come and hangout after school. And even the churches have programs like kids club and boys brigade. Through these programs and many more all over the city they are slowly making these areas stronger in faith but also integrating peace.