Thursday, 27 September 2007
You know you live by the peacewall when....
...the fact that you havent yet figured out how the key works in the back door, means a ten minute trip, driving round to get round to the front door on the other side of the wall....and after all that, you drop your top of the range, newly purchased tooth brush down the toilet....now THAT'S a night to remember!
Wednesday, 26 September 2007
Home sweet home...
Today was the big day! Finally I’ve made the big move from home to my new house with YWAM. It’s been difficult commuting over for the last few weeks (especially as my timekeeping isn’t the best…) and just generally not being able to move in, but finally the back door is fixed, lockable, and with a brand new pane of glass. So the house is all secure, and here I am!
I’m sitting on the bed in my new room (which I’m sharing with fellow staffer Adam Tjernagel (get your tongue around THAT name!)) and just thinking about being here and about the new phase that I’m moving into now. It’s odd, but I think it feels more real now I’m actually living here and not at home.
It’s funny moving up here. I think for a while before I came up, I was really looking forward to it, the idea of moving into the heart of where I feel God has called me is obviously something that’s pretty exciting, but, when I started up here on the Shankill and was driving around it, I began to think to myself… “Am I crazy?” Not only am I moving into one of the most notorious areas in the whole of Northern Ireland, but I’m moving into a house which is at the point where two conflicting communities meet! I’m not saying this so that you’ll all think “Look how brave Tom is!” because the truth is, bravery and courage is the furthest thing from my mind right now! But I’m just saying this to show that I’m here by the grace of God, I’ve followed Him here, and I’m going to have to trust that this is the best place for me.
I was thinking about this a few weeks ago, and I was reading Psalm 57 in the Bible. In it is says this:
“He sends from Heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me;
God sends his love and his faithfulness.
I am in the midst of lions;
I lie among ravenous beasts-
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.
Be exalted, O God above the heavens;
Let your glory be over all the earth.
They spread a net for my feet-
I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path-
but they have fallen into it themselves.
My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast.”
Psalm 57: 3-7
What encouraged me about this passage was the way that the Psalmist is talking about the difficulties he’s going through and enduring. That he is existing in a place of trial and somewhere that isn’t easy by any means. But the thing that struck me was that although he acknowledges these things that are difficult around him, his acknowledgement of the difficulties that surrounds him are separated by these words of praise, adoration and thanks to God for the strength to keep going.
This is what encourages, and also challenges me. For the next period of my life, I’m going to be living in a place that isn’t easy, a place that it’s likely it’s going to be challenging to live in. But what I want my time here to be characterised by is this trust in God, and the belief that I am here for a reason; that, as the Psalmist says, I can be assured of his love & faithfulness, and if I hold on to these things, will remain steadfast in my heart.
Following are some pictures of the house, so in case you ever come to visit, you have no excuses for driving past it! The two houses are on the Springfield Road in Belfast, and YWAM Belfast is renting them for the students and staff on the DTS. The one on the right of the picture is where I’m living (369) and where the guys on the DTS will be staying, while the one on the left (371) is for the girls.
This is the room I’m living in, and that bed is where I’m sitting right now…just to give you a visual!
This is the house from the front, my room is the one on the first floor (the big window). As you can see, the house is attached to the peace wall, which is an interesting living situation! The front door opens up onto the Springfield Road while the back door leads onto the Shankill.
And this is the house from the back.
I was sitting talking this afternoon to a guy who’s living here with us at the minute called Stephen (we quickly bonded over a mutual love of the TV show ‘24’…). He was saying that when he first moved into the house, his car had a brick put through the window, and was suggesting that maybe it wasn’t the best idea for me to have the car up here with me. I was worrying a bit about this (as you would…) and so I put the car into the driveway and went out into town. As I walked out the back gate, a man a few houses up was driving along and stopped to ask me if I knew whose car it was that had been parking outside the house over the last few days. I said it had been mine, and this man just suggested that it would be best for me to put the car in the driveway whenever possible because of the location of the house beside the peace wall. Apparently kids sometimes throw stones over the wall, so Stephen’s car wasn’t broken because of malice, but just because it was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It was just a really nice time for me to see God’s hand at work as I moved in here. I was worrying about this whole thing and whether it really was good for me to have my car up here, and it was incredible to see God putting someone in my path just as I started to worry to calm me down and to show me that there wasn’t a need to worry, that I just have to be careful.
So, this brings the end to this pretty long entry… Congratulations if you got through the whole thing! Please pray for me, Adam & Stephen as we live here for the next while and indeed for all of those in YWAM Belfast who are living here on the Shankill & Falls. Pray for us as we try and live in these communities, that we would build good relationships with our neighbours and the people in the streets, and that we would be able to show them something of Jesus by the way we live and go about our everyday lives.
I’m sitting on the bed in my new room (which I’m sharing with fellow staffer Adam Tjernagel (get your tongue around THAT name!)) and just thinking about being here and about the new phase that I’m moving into now. It’s odd, but I think it feels more real now I’m actually living here and not at home.
It’s funny moving up here. I think for a while before I came up, I was really looking forward to it, the idea of moving into the heart of where I feel God has called me is obviously something that’s pretty exciting, but, when I started up here on the Shankill and was driving around it, I began to think to myself… “Am I crazy?” Not only am I moving into one of the most notorious areas in the whole of Northern Ireland, but I’m moving into a house which is at the point where two conflicting communities meet! I’m not saying this so that you’ll all think “Look how brave Tom is!” because the truth is, bravery and courage is the furthest thing from my mind right now! But I’m just saying this to show that I’m here by the grace of God, I’ve followed Him here, and I’m going to have to trust that this is the best place for me.
I was thinking about this a few weeks ago, and I was reading Psalm 57 in the Bible. In it is says this:
“He sends from Heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me;
God sends his love and his faithfulness.
I am in the midst of lions;
I lie among ravenous beasts-
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.
Be exalted, O God above the heavens;
Let your glory be over all the earth.
They spread a net for my feet-
I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path-
but they have fallen into it themselves.
My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast.”
Psalm 57: 3-7
What encouraged me about this passage was the way that the Psalmist is talking about the difficulties he’s going through and enduring. That he is existing in a place of trial and somewhere that isn’t easy by any means. But the thing that struck me was that although he acknowledges these things that are difficult around him, his acknowledgement of the difficulties that surrounds him are separated by these words of praise, adoration and thanks to God for the strength to keep going.
This is what encourages, and also challenges me. For the next period of my life, I’m going to be living in a place that isn’t easy, a place that it’s likely it’s going to be challenging to live in. But what I want my time here to be characterised by is this trust in God, and the belief that I am here for a reason; that, as the Psalmist says, I can be assured of his love & faithfulness, and if I hold on to these things, will remain steadfast in my heart.
Following are some pictures of the house, so in case you ever come to visit, you have no excuses for driving past it! The two houses are on the Springfield Road in Belfast, and YWAM Belfast is renting them for the students and staff on the DTS. The one on the right of the picture is where I’m living (369) and where the guys on the DTS will be staying, while the one on the left (371) is for the girls.
This is the room I’m living in, and that bed is where I’m sitting right now…just to give you a visual!
This is the house from the front, my room is the one on the first floor (the big window). As you can see, the house is attached to the peace wall, which is an interesting living situation! The front door opens up onto the Springfield Road while the back door leads onto the Shankill.
And this is the house from the back.
I was sitting talking this afternoon to a guy who’s living here with us at the minute called Stephen (we quickly bonded over a mutual love of the TV show ‘24’…). He was saying that when he first moved into the house, his car had a brick put through the window, and was suggesting that maybe it wasn’t the best idea for me to have the car up here with me. I was worrying a bit about this (as you would…) and so I put the car into the driveway and went out into town. As I walked out the back gate, a man a few houses up was driving along and stopped to ask me if I knew whose car it was that had been parking outside the house over the last few days. I said it had been mine, and this man just suggested that it would be best for me to put the car in the driveway whenever possible because of the location of the house beside the peace wall. Apparently kids sometimes throw stones over the wall, so Stephen’s car wasn’t broken because of malice, but just because it was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It was just a really nice time for me to see God’s hand at work as I moved in here. I was worrying about this whole thing and whether it really was good for me to have my car up here, and it was incredible to see God putting someone in my path just as I started to worry to calm me down and to show me that there wasn’t a need to worry, that I just have to be careful.
So, this brings the end to this pretty long entry… Congratulations if you got through the whole thing! Please pray for me, Adam & Stephen as we live here for the next while and indeed for all of those in YWAM Belfast who are living here on the Shankill & Falls. Pray for us as we try and live in these communities, that we would build good relationships with our neighbours and the people in the streets, and that we would be able to show them something of Jesus by the way we live and go about our everyday lives.
Monday, 24 September 2007
I'm going to make a wonderful husband someday....
One of the things I love most about working with YWAM is the fact that when I arrive at the office at 9 in the morning, I never know where the day is going to lead. For instance, last Thursday saw me trying to navigate my way around the kitchen to make a load of scones for the cafe last Friday. Come on up any Friday in October and you can judge my creations for yourself... Though... I'm realising that for those of you who know me, maybe this isn't the best selling point! Example of what you can expect below...
Then today saw Laura, Amalia and I literally overtaking a launderette in the Holylands in Belfast. We were washing and drying all (and I mean ALL) of the linens that are used by YWAM Belfast. You should have seen the faces of the two girls who were working in there when we rolled up with my car completely packed the brim with washing… This picture gives the idea, though, this is only about half of what we did!
Who knows what tomorrow will bring…
Then today saw Laura, Amalia and I literally overtaking a launderette in the Holylands in Belfast. We were washing and drying all (and I mean ALL) of the linens that are used by YWAM Belfast. You should have seen the faces of the two girls who were working in there when we rolled up with my car completely packed the brim with washing… This picture gives the idea, though, this is only about half of what we did!
Who knows what tomorrow will bring…
Sunday, 23 September 2007
A Challenge...
We’ve had a busy week this past one. It came with a few wee changes to our usual schedule. Unfortunately, it started off on a sad note, as on Monday, we attended the funeral of one of my fellow YWAM staff-mates younger brother. The church was full of people eager to show the love they had for Vishnu, and to show their sympathy to the family circle.
As I stood in that crowded church, I started to think about youth work, and the importance that working with young people has in the society we live in today. Over the last while, I’ve been thinking a lot about the challenges young people face. In fact, just last Sunday, I again came face to face with this as I heard of a young person known to a friend of mine who took her own life last week.
What really challenges me as I try to think about working with young people in a variety of different contexts, is being someone whom they can feel comfortable to share their lives with. We need to realise that young people are going through a lot, what we see on the outside and the image they choose to show us may not be what’s going on under the surface. Only God knows what’s really going on underneath there, but that shouldn’t stop us being open to being used by Him. The challenge to me as I stood in that church was to be someone whom young people feel okay coming up to and talking about something that’s troubling them. Being someone they feel they can open up to who won’t judge them, or look at them differently and spread what they’ve told me around.
On Thursday, Erin (the DTS leader) and I met with a guy who’s a government youth worker on the Shankill Road, to discuss the possibility of us working alongside them in some stuff they’re doing. Nothing is for sure, I’m holding onto these plans lightly at the minute, but the idea of working with young people on the Shankill is one that excites me, but also terrifies me…for the reason’s I’ve shown here.
I also started volunteering at a teenage youth group on Friday night run in Fitzroy Presbyterian, called “Flipside Plus”. It’s a group for 15-18 year olds, run in the halls of Fitzroy. I’ve only been there one night, so I haven’t really gotten too involved, but any group that has a chocolate fondue on their first evening meeting can’t be too bad! I’m looking forward to getting a bit more involved there and starting to invest time in relationships with the young people, as well as some of the leaders there.
There’s so much in youth work that can be difficult, seeing young people struggling and trying to come to terms with what’s going on in their lives…but the other side of the coin is that it’s also one of the most rewarding things you can do. To see the energy and enthusiasm of young people is so exciting, and ultimately, to see a young person coming to know God when they are still young, and then growing up into his plan for them, seeing them reaching their full potential…there’s nothing better!
On a lighter note, on Thursday night I went on a wee road trip with a college friend of mine called Dave, to visit (of all places) Castlewellan! The Belfast Bible College pre-term week away was happening, so Dave and I went down to live in the past and catch up with a few people who haven’t managed to escape just quite yet!
We spent a bit of time in Newcastle, with a quick stop off to the dodgems… and then we headed over to Annalong where we had dinner at the Harbour Inn, with a wee walk along the harbour thrown in for good measure. It was a lovely night. I really enjoyed just sitting down, having a nice meal with some good, good friends, and just had a really lovely evening of relaxing and enjoying the company of those that God has blessed me with. Below are a few pictures of our time.
Me (attempting to look dangerous…I think it works…:D), Jonny, Dave and Iain
Holly and Laura
As I stood in that crowded church, I started to think about youth work, and the importance that working with young people has in the society we live in today. Over the last while, I’ve been thinking a lot about the challenges young people face. In fact, just last Sunday, I again came face to face with this as I heard of a young person known to a friend of mine who took her own life last week.
What really challenges me as I try to think about working with young people in a variety of different contexts, is being someone whom they can feel comfortable to share their lives with. We need to realise that young people are going through a lot, what we see on the outside and the image they choose to show us may not be what’s going on under the surface. Only God knows what’s really going on underneath there, but that shouldn’t stop us being open to being used by Him. The challenge to me as I stood in that church was to be someone whom young people feel okay coming up to and talking about something that’s troubling them. Being someone they feel they can open up to who won’t judge them, or look at them differently and spread what they’ve told me around.
On Thursday, Erin (the DTS leader) and I met with a guy who’s a government youth worker on the Shankill Road, to discuss the possibility of us working alongside them in some stuff they’re doing. Nothing is for sure, I’m holding onto these plans lightly at the minute, but the idea of working with young people on the Shankill is one that excites me, but also terrifies me…for the reason’s I’ve shown here.
I also started volunteering at a teenage youth group on Friday night run in Fitzroy Presbyterian, called “Flipside Plus”. It’s a group for 15-18 year olds, run in the halls of Fitzroy. I’ve only been there one night, so I haven’t really gotten too involved, but any group that has a chocolate fondue on their first evening meeting can’t be too bad! I’m looking forward to getting a bit more involved there and starting to invest time in relationships with the young people, as well as some of the leaders there.
There’s so much in youth work that can be difficult, seeing young people struggling and trying to come to terms with what’s going on in their lives…but the other side of the coin is that it’s also one of the most rewarding things you can do. To see the energy and enthusiasm of young people is so exciting, and ultimately, to see a young person coming to know God when they are still young, and then growing up into his plan for them, seeing them reaching their full potential…there’s nothing better!
On a lighter note, on Thursday night I went on a wee road trip with a college friend of mine called Dave, to visit (of all places) Castlewellan! The Belfast Bible College pre-term week away was happening, so Dave and I went down to live in the past and catch up with a few people who haven’t managed to escape just quite yet!
We spent a bit of time in Newcastle, with a quick stop off to the dodgems… and then we headed over to Annalong where we had dinner at the Harbour Inn, with a wee walk along the harbour thrown in for good measure. It was a lovely night. I really enjoyed just sitting down, having a nice meal with some good, good friends, and just had a really lovely evening of relaxing and enjoying the company of those that God has blessed me with. Below are a few pictures of our time.
Me (attempting to look dangerous…I think it works…:D), Jonny, Dave and Iain
Holly and Laura
A Café, a Greengrocer and a Job-description…
Originally posted on Friday 14th September
It’s been good settling into a routine and a rhythm this week working with YWAM, although it could be argued that it’s not really a routine when every day is different! This week we’ve been spending a lot of time cleaning out the houses that the students (and myself!) are going to be living in when they arrive at the beginning of November. More to come next week about these houses…hopefully some pictures and a story about why they are some pretty special, location wise…so keep your eyes peeled for that!
One thing that has kept us occupied this week was that the Shankill Methodist church asked YWAM a while ago if we would be interested in helping to open up a café with them. This is something that we as a team decided to take on for the next few months before the students get here, both as a way of raising some money to help fundraise for some of the students who are coming from developing areas of the world, and also a way of helping our staff team bond a bit and figuring out our working relationship before the students get here!
Below is a picture of the café we're working in.
We spent the last few days preparing for the big opening of the café today, figuring out a menu, shopping for the food and getting the café ready for having people coming in. A pretty amazing story that happened yesterday when we were setting up was that Shankill Methodist was having a prayer meeting, and one of the congregation was standing outside the doors welcoming people to it. Amalia (also on DTS staff) and I were going out to pick some stuff up, and got talking to this guy. It turned out that he was a local vegetable shop owner, and when he heard what we were doing, he took us over to his van and gave us a load of vegetables to make the soup! He also gave us his number and told us to give him a ring next week and the weeks after that to let him know what vegetables we needed for the café, and he’s going to donate them to us! This is an amazing gift to us, and a real sign of God’s blessing on what we are doing.
Today went well, we saw quite a few people coming through the doors, and even made a bit of a profit which was great for our first day open! Thanks to all who came around and visited! If you’re around any Friday in September and October between 11 & 2, feel free to drop by and enjoy a sandwich and bowl of soup… It’d be great to see you! Text or email me if you need any directions…
A few pictures of today's café:
As promised, I thought it was time I let you know exactly what working with YWAM Belfast actually entails! My role here is going to be working with the DTS (which stands for Discipleship Training School). The DTS will start on November 4th this year, and will involve two main parts, 5 or 6 months of a lecture phase which will be followed in the middle of March/start of April by a 2 month overseas outreach phase, the location of which is still to be decided, but will most likely be to an area that has seen conflict and is in need of reconciliation and forgiveness. This is owing to the fact that the DTS in Belfast is known as a ‘Reconciliation DTS’, with a lot of the lectures being focused on this aspect of our faith and our mission to the world.
Most of my time with the DTS will be taken up in sitting in on the lectures, running small groups and working on a one-to-one basis with some of the students who come, encouraging them in their relationship with God and helping them to figure out stuff in relation to this. It should be a pretty exciting time. My DTS really was life-changing for me, so I’m excited to be a part of these new students experience and trying to make this year a time both of learning, but also of great fun.
Another ministry of YWAM Belfast is known as the Forgiveness Programme, also working in the area of reconciliation, (are you sensing a theme?!), in which a team of staff are working in schools in Belfast and presenting a message of forgiveness and reconciliation to the kids who go there. It’s an exciting ministry, but one that I don’t really know a lot about, so I’m looking forward to hearing more about it, learning and working alongside them for a while too!
It’s been good settling into a routine and a rhythm this week working with YWAM, although it could be argued that it’s not really a routine when every day is different! This week we’ve been spending a lot of time cleaning out the houses that the students (and myself!) are going to be living in when they arrive at the beginning of November. More to come next week about these houses…hopefully some pictures and a story about why they are some pretty special, location wise…so keep your eyes peeled for that!
One thing that has kept us occupied this week was that the Shankill Methodist church asked YWAM a while ago if we would be interested in helping to open up a café with them. This is something that we as a team decided to take on for the next few months before the students get here, both as a way of raising some money to help fundraise for some of the students who are coming from developing areas of the world, and also a way of helping our staff team bond a bit and figuring out our working relationship before the students get here!
Below is a picture of the café we're working in.
We spent the last few days preparing for the big opening of the café today, figuring out a menu, shopping for the food and getting the café ready for having people coming in. A pretty amazing story that happened yesterday when we were setting up was that Shankill Methodist was having a prayer meeting, and one of the congregation was standing outside the doors welcoming people to it. Amalia (also on DTS staff) and I were going out to pick some stuff up, and got talking to this guy. It turned out that he was a local vegetable shop owner, and when he heard what we were doing, he took us over to his van and gave us a load of vegetables to make the soup! He also gave us his number and told us to give him a ring next week and the weeks after that to let him know what vegetables we needed for the café, and he’s going to donate them to us! This is an amazing gift to us, and a real sign of God’s blessing on what we are doing.
Today went well, we saw quite a few people coming through the doors, and even made a bit of a profit which was great for our first day open! Thanks to all who came around and visited! If you’re around any Friday in September and October between 11 & 2, feel free to drop by and enjoy a sandwich and bowl of soup… It’d be great to see you! Text or email me if you need any directions…
A few pictures of today's café:
As promised, I thought it was time I let you know exactly what working with YWAM Belfast actually entails! My role here is going to be working with the DTS (which stands for Discipleship Training School). The DTS will start on November 4th this year, and will involve two main parts, 5 or 6 months of a lecture phase which will be followed in the middle of March/start of April by a 2 month overseas outreach phase, the location of which is still to be decided, but will most likely be to an area that has seen conflict and is in need of reconciliation and forgiveness. This is owing to the fact that the DTS in Belfast is known as a ‘Reconciliation DTS’, with a lot of the lectures being focused on this aspect of our faith and our mission to the world.
Most of my time with the DTS will be taken up in sitting in on the lectures, running small groups and working on a one-to-one basis with some of the students who come, encouraging them in their relationship with God and helping them to figure out stuff in relation to this. It should be a pretty exciting time. My DTS really was life-changing for me, so I’m excited to be a part of these new students experience and trying to make this year a time both of learning, but also of great fun.
Another ministry of YWAM Belfast is known as the Forgiveness Programme, also working in the area of reconciliation, (are you sensing a theme?!), in which a team of staff are working in schools in Belfast and presenting a message of forgiveness and reconciliation to the kids who go there. It’s an exciting ministry, but one that I don’t really know a lot about, so I’m looking forward to hearing more about it, learning and working alongside them for a while too!
Staff Retreat
Originally posted on Saturday 8th September
Yesterday saw us returning from the 5-day staff retreat in Castlewellan. It was a real time of relaxation for me (which, no doubt many of you will be saying I didn’t really need…seeing as my last few months have consisted of not much BUT relaxation!). But the difference here was the chance to spend time getting to know this group of people that I’m going to be spending the next season of my life with.
The days consisted of a morning and evening meeting, where we had different speakers coming talking about the direction that we as YWAM may be going in the coming years, and challenging us with a messages of faithfulness and the call to seek and come before God in repentance. We also spent time thinking and praying about the period of transition that YWAM Northern Ireland is entering, a change that is symbolised by our new national leaders Jonny and Jenn Clark (on the left), who are taking over from Mike and Ros Oman (on the right) who have led YWAM here for the last ten or so years.
It was also a real time of confirmation for me that YWAM is where God wants me to be for this time. The ease with which I related to this group of people and the friendships that have begun (or re-ignited!) combined with the way God was speaking to me through the week, showed me that this is the place for me right now. I may not understand the whole picture at this time, but I feel like I’ve found my calling and my place in YWAM Belfast.
The rest of the time was free for us to go on walks, play some frisbee in the grounds, try and find our way through the hedge maze in the Castlewellan grounds (I failed…Many thanks to Sarah for directing us from the top! I’d probably still be in there otherwise) and just spend time getting to know one another while drinking a LOT of tea! It was definitely a time that was really beneficial for me. It can be a bit intimidating going to work with new people, and this week made this process so much easier. Even though I already knew some of the people, I haven’t really spent a significant amount of time with them for a few years, and so this was a good time to catch up on these relationships as well as starting off some new ones!
I’m really excited for what we the future holds for YWAM in Northern Ireland. Staying at Castlewellan was a group of 28 people from a variety of different countries, including Canada, the USA, Ireland, England, Holland, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, New Zealand & Sierra Leone. All of these people are here with the same goal in mind, to see the Gospel preached in this nation and to see people coming to know Jesus in a personal and real way, finding embodiment in a living faith. It was exciting to sit in the meetings and to look around to see the number of people sitting there, to feel the passion for what we are doing that was in the room, and to imagine the impact that God can have on this nation if we are willing to work as a team, follow God’s word and listen to His will for us. Hopefully these are exciting days to come!
Yesterday saw us returning from the 5-day staff retreat in Castlewellan. It was a real time of relaxation for me (which, no doubt many of you will be saying I didn’t really need…seeing as my last few months have consisted of not much BUT relaxation!). But the difference here was the chance to spend time getting to know this group of people that I’m going to be spending the next season of my life with.
The days consisted of a morning and evening meeting, where we had different speakers coming talking about the direction that we as YWAM may be going in the coming years, and challenging us with a messages of faithfulness and the call to seek and come before God in repentance. We also spent time thinking and praying about the period of transition that YWAM Northern Ireland is entering, a change that is symbolised by our new national leaders Jonny and Jenn Clark (on the left), who are taking over from Mike and Ros Oman (on the right) who have led YWAM here for the last ten or so years.
It was also a real time of confirmation for me that YWAM is where God wants me to be for this time. The ease with which I related to this group of people and the friendships that have begun (or re-ignited!) combined with the way God was speaking to me through the week, showed me that this is the place for me right now. I may not understand the whole picture at this time, but I feel like I’ve found my calling and my place in YWAM Belfast.
The rest of the time was free for us to go on walks, play some frisbee in the grounds, try and find our way through the hedge maze in the Castlewellan grounds (I failed…Many thanks to Sarah for directing us from the top! I’d probably still be in there otherwise) and just spend time getting to know one another while drinking a LOT of tea! It was definitely a time that was really beneficial for me. It can be a bit intimidating going to work with new people, and this week made this process so much easier. Even though I already knew some of the people, I haven’t really spent a significant amount of time with them for a few years, and so this was a good time to catch up on these relationships as well as starting off some new ones!
I’m really excited for what we the future holds for YWAM in Northern Ireland. Staying at Castlewellan was a group of 28 people from a variety of different countries, including Canada, the USA, Ireland, England, Holland, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, New Zealand & Sierra Leone. All of these people are here with the same goal in mind, to see the Gospel preached in this nation and to see people coming to know Jesus in a personal and real way, finding embodiment in a living faith. It was exciting to sit in the meetings and to look around to see the number of people sitting there, to feel the passion for what we are doing that was in the room, and to imagine the impact that God can have on this nation if we are willing to work as a team, follow God’s word and listen to His will for us. Hopefully these are exciting days to come!
The Beginning
Originally posted Sunday 2nd September
Starting something like this is a funny thing. I’m not really sure where to begin or what I should write about, but I reckon that probably the best thing to do is just start from the beginning… I imagine that most of you who are reading this will know who I am, and will have found this site by me telling you about it. But I suppose that for those who maybe don’t know me as well or have just stumbled across this, I should do a bit of an introduction… Not too long, just the basics!
My name is Tom Tate, I’m 22, born and bred in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I went to Stranmillis Primary School, then Belfast Inst for secondary school. While I was at Inst, I became a lot more involved in different Christian organisations and clubs, and then, when I was 16 at an annual Christian youth event called ‘Summer Madness’, I realised that even though I had been brought up going to church and in this Christian environment, it wasn’t something that was playing any part in impacting who I was. So at that point in time I realised that this was something I needed to remedy, and this was when I would say I actually became a Christian.
When it came time to leave school and go to university, I had my plans all set in place to go to Belfast Bible College. However, it seemed that God had other plans, and he directed my path in a different direction, and I found myself working with a worldwide Christian organisation called Youth With a Mission, YWAM for short (pronounced ‘why-wham’). This was the year when a relationship with God began to take a real priority in my life. I found myself falling so much in love with this God who had literally given everything for us, and realised that because of this, I had to start living my life in the reality of this fact. I spent an incredible ten months working on the Shankill Road in Belfast and in South Africa living and learning about the character of God and finding myself catching a piece of the vision of God’s heart for the world.
After finishing my year with YWAM, I started at Belfast Bible College for a 3-year degree in Divinity. These were years that were marked by a very real sense of God’s blessing as he provided me with an amazing community in which to learn more and go deeper into God’s word, and with some great friends to make these 3 happy years fly by in a no time.
The question was always at the back of my mind of what I was going to do after I finished college. I spent a lot of time exploring different options and seeking God’s will on where it was that he wanted me to be after I finished. It was a difficult time as I struggled to hear God’s voice and I wasn’t sure what it was that he was telling me. It was frustrating for me to not know where I was going to be next, as I like to know the next step! But thankfully he revealed it to me in his own time, and I was accepted to return back to YWAM in Belfast as a staff member.
So that’s pretty much all there is to it. Tomorrow is the big day I’ve been looking forward to for a good while now, the staff of YWAM Northern Ireland is going to be getting together for a 5 day staff retreat to get to know one another and also spend some time sharing ideas and visions for God’s heart for this country that we live in.
And that’s where this entry will come to an end I suppose… Over the next wee while I’ll be putting more up on here about what working with YWAM actually involves, and there’ll just be updates on what’s happening with me, the team and things that are going on that you can pray for us about!
The last time I worked with YWAM, it was an incredible time of discovery and growth for me, both personally and in my relationship with God, so I’m excited about this next period that I’m going to be involved with this organisation; but also about sharing the adventure with others, the things that are happening in my life and what God is doing with and through the small team of us that live and work on the Shankill Road in Belfast.
I’ll try and update this pretty regularly…and hopefully I won’t be too wordy! I’ll try my best to be concise… though, if this is the case I’m not exactly starting in the way I mean to continue!
I’m hoping this is going to be an interesting few years, so I’m looking forward to sharing the journey!
Tom
Starting something like this is a funny thing. I’m not really sure where to begin or what I should write about, but I reckon that probably the best thing to do is just start from the beginning… I imagine that most of you who are reading this will know who I am, and will have found this site by me telling you about it. But I suppose that for those who maybe don’t know me as well or have just stumbled across this, I should do a bit of an introduction… Not too long, just the basics!
My name is Tom Tate, I’m 22, born and bred in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I went to Stranmillis Primary School, then Belfast Inst for secondary school. While I was at Inst, I became a lot more involved in different Christian organisations and clubs, and then, when I was 16 at an annual Christian youth event called ‘Summer Madness’, I realised that even though I had been brought up going to church and in this Christian environment, it wasn’t something that was playing any part in impacting who I was. So at that point in time I realised that this was something I needed to remedy, and this was when I would say I actually became a Christian.
When it came time to leave school and go to university, I had my plans all set in place to go to Belfast Bible College. However, it seemed that God had other plans, and he directed my path in a different direction, and I found myself working with a worldwide Christian organisation called Youth With a Mission, YWAM for short (pronounced ‘why-wham’). This was the year when a relationship with God began to take a real priority in my life. I found myself falling so much in love with this God who had literally given everything for us, and realised that because of this, I had to start living my life in the reality of this fact. I spent an incredible ten months working on the Shankill Road in Belfast and in South Africa living and learning about the character of God and finding myself catching a piece of the vision of God’s heart for the world.
After finishing my year with YWAM, I started at Belfast Bible College for a 3-year degree in Divinity. These were years that were marked by a very real sense of God’s blessing as he provided me with an amazing community in which to learn more and go deeper into God’s word, and with some great friends to make these 3 happy years fly by in a no time.
The question was always at the back of my mind of what I was going to do after I finished college. I spent a lot of time exploring different options and seeking God’s will on where it was that he wanted me to be after I finished. It was a difficult time as I struggled to hear God’s voice and I wasn’t sure what it was that he was telling me. It was frustrating for me to not know where I was going to be next, as I like to know the next step! But thankfully he revealed it to me in his own time, and I was accepted to return back to YWAM in Belfast as a staff member.
So that’s pretty much all there is to it. Tomorrow is the big day I’ve been looking forward to for a good while now, the staff of YWAM Northern Ireland is going to be getting together for a 5 day staff retreat to get to know one another and also spend some time sharing ideas and visions for God’s heart for this country that we live in.
And that’s where this entry will come to an end I suppose… Over the next wee while I’ll be putting more up on here about what working with YWAM actually involves, and there’ll just be updates on what’s happening with me, the team and things that are going on that you can pray for us about!
The last time I worked with YWAM, it was an incredible time of discovery and growth for me, both personally and in my relationship with God, so I’m excited about this next period that I’m going to be involved with this organisation; but also about sharing the adventure with others, the things that are happening in my life and what God is doing with and through the small team of us that live and work on the Shankill Road in Belfast.
I’ll try and update this pretty regularly…and hopefully I won’t be too wordy! I’ll try my best to be concise… though, if this is the case I’m not exactly starting in the way I mean to continue!
I’m hoping this is going to be an interesting few years, so I’m looking forward to sharing the journey!
Tom
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)