Harvest

The month of April has been a month to evangelize. After our parents came for spring break the first week (we all had a great time and loved our families being there!) we were able to kick-start the last few months in Ireland with the Big Red Bus. The Big Red Bus is used for different kinds of ministry OM Ireland does, specifically for children’s events and tea and coffee evangelism. Sunday night we took the bus to Athlone to do street evangelism and offer tea, coffee, and/or prayer for anyone interested. We had a fantastic experience sharing God’s word. I personally was able to speak with three teenagers who were willing to listen and understand what we discussed. We had a great conversation and they told me they had never heard the gospel explained in such a clear way before and promised they would think about what I had shared. The Big Red Bus gave us more confidence to share God’s word with others in Tullamore. We have shared with schoolboys that come to the church during their lunch break, friends at the pub, and even explained the way we evangelize to friends from our church.

This past weekend was “Team Weekend” in Ballina. We brought the Big Red Bus to Cornel and Lukas’ church youth group where we played soccer and served coffee. Then, we took the Big Red Bus to a housing estate and had about 30 children attend. We all had a blast making crafts, listening to the puppet shows, playing outdoor games, singing, etc. To end it all, the Athenry and Tullamore team were able to participate in the Big Red Bus ministry in Athlone once more. We were able to evangelize to many people and I personally was able to speak with two teenage girls. One said she was somewhat of an Athiest but believed in a creator, heaven, and hell. The other believed in Evolution loosely because her friends did, but said she wanted to believe in a God but hadn’t gotten to that stage of her life yet. As we talked, we discussed sin, God, Jesus, evolution, creation, Catholicism, repentance, and a number of other things. They were very interested and said they enjoyed the conversation. It was a very uplifting experience!

As I told you in my last post, a woman here in Tullamore has been going through a rough time. I’ve been praying for an opportunity to speak with her and it came about the week before our Spring Break. She brought her daughter to Kid’s Club and was obviously upset about something. After the lesson (about Easter!) she and I sat and talked. As she talked about hopelessness I talked about hope in God. As she talked about sorrow, I talked about Joy; as she talked about grief I talked about Mercy; as she talked about disappointment, I talked about love. She said she felt God was distant during her time of depression, but at the end of the conversation she admitted she was the one distancing herself. I told her to pray every day to God about her problems and ask for His help and she promised she would. The week after break, we saw her again at our Kid’s club. She was happier and more joyful. I asked how she had been and she said wonderful. She had prayed every day and said it helped her a lot. I was so glad to hear she is doing better! During our last month here, though, I hope to sit down with her at least one more time and talk specifically about salvation. Please pray for an opportunity to do this!

Please continue to pray for the entire team in Ireland – Athlone, Tullamore, Athenry, and Ballina. God is working and convicting so many people. I pray that if revival doesn’t happen now, we’re at least planting the seeds for a soon-to-be “harvest.”

Blessings,
Leanne