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!
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