North and South: Irish Edition

For our two weeks in Ireland, we stayed in two places. The first was in Rostrevor, Northern Ireland, which is just across a bay from the Republic of Ireland.

The YWAM base that we stayed at was right on the water, and the week that we spent there was a time of rejuvenation after Scotland. We painted and picked up trash and prayed and led services, but we also spent a lot of time in personal reflection and learning about God. The bases's resident nun, Anna Mary, taught us about the Catholic/Protestant troubles that have ripped Northern Ireland apart for decades.
We also hiked - a lot. In our free times, we hiked to the top of the mountains outside our back door and jumped from peak to peak. It was exhilarating to be so close to the magnificence of God's creation in that way. I always speak to God more easily on mountain tops, so it was a real blessing to me.
My favorite part of the trip was the afternoon that I spent singing in a nursing home. The people were hilarious, even though they were deadpan at my hilarious joke (Question: What kind of cheese is not yours? Answer: Nacho cheese!).
The thing that I learned most clearly in Northern Ireland was how praying consistently for a place and its people can change things. We have the ability to transform things in the spiritual realm, and the team at YWAM Northern Ireland have done that by daily praying for their city and reaching out to its residents. I have begun to do the same thing for London. If you think of it, I'd love for you to pray with me.

This is the view from the front yard of the base: