It's Out of Brokeness the Blessing Comes

Hebrews 10:38-39 – “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.”

So I sat down planning to blog about the happenings of tonight, but realized there was no way I could simply keep my musings to that, because what happened this morning was a huge part of today. And by this morning, I’m referring to the wee hours of the morning; we’re talking midnight-3:30 AM here. Some would argue that that is still last night, but either way, here we go.

It all started with an innocent game of Mafia. (And seriously, I WAS innocent…so thanks for trying to get rid of me). Our team was eating supper (which is actually tea and bread at about 11:00 pm) while we played and just really enjoyed one another’s company. People began to trickle off to bed, and soon it was just four of us left, doing dishes and cleaning up the coffee bar area. We began to talk about our first real day, the challenges before us and the things the Lord was laying on our hearts. One by one the guys came back searching for their missing roommates, and soon there were seven of us there in the kitchen. All I can say about our conversation and moments together is…God. There was something else in that room besides just the seven of us.

At about 1:30, we decided it was time to call it a night, say a quick prayer, and head to bed. That “quick prayer” took us to 3:00 am, but I can’t say that any of us actually realized the time that was passing. The seven of us just poured our hearts out to God in prayer and song, and just letting go of everything inside. We prayed for the kids at Kairos, the drop-in center we’ve been working at. Their hearts are so hard, and they are so guarded at such a young age. We prayed for the staff here at Murlough house, who deal with this day after day. It was so hard on us after one day to pur out, and yet they are here year round. And we prayed for our team, and how God is working in each and every one of us. Our prayers turned into song, and we just let the Holy Spirit move through us in new and amazing ways.

I wish I could explain in words just what was going on inside of me and this small group during this time. I think the biggest realization we made was that this trip isn’t just about the people of Northern Ireland. It’s about each and every one of us. And that may sound selfish. It may sound ridiculous that we would need to raise thousands of dollars and travel across to world for God to reach us. But it’s happening in me, and it’s happening in my teammates. God is breaking our hearts and changing our lives.

We also shared how going into this trip, building relationships with our team was something we all had concern about. But last night, the third night of this trip, I’ve connected deeper with some of my teammates than I ever thought possible, and that is a total God thing.

Anyways, so now back to what I originally sat down to write about. Today Erica and I left early with Ben, who works at the Kairos drop-in center, to get some baking supplies for tonight’s Christmas party. The rest of our team got to the center shortly after we did, and we had the afternoon to just hang out with and love on kids. And there was some baking…see our helpful hints at the bottom of this post.

Tonight was the big Kairos Christmas party. Again, I really am at a loss for words. These kids are just so…far away from where they should be, and where they could be. They have some serious respect issues, and it was really tough to deal with the way some of the older boys treated us. But it wasn’t all disappointment and simply wondering why God is placing us in some of these spots; the party tonight had some really terrific times too, and I’ll share just one of the many.

(Ok, let me backtrack for a second…before the trip we all packed shoeboxes filled with toys for the children here. In order to be able to give presents at the party tonight, we pulled some gifts out of our boxes that we thought would be appropriate for middle and high schoolers. I had some silver glitter putty, that gooey gross stuff my mom would NEVER let me have, in my box. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to include it, but one of my teammates told me I definitely should. To say she was right is an understatement.)

A little boy named Ben got my gift. He was absolutely FASCINATED by it. He’d never seen anything like it in his life. He held it out, all oozing between his fingers, and saying to everyone in his Irish accent, “This is from Florida! This is from Florida! This is American!” He was so, so proud to have this American treat that no one else in the room had. Before we left he looked up at me and said “Thank-you for my Christmas gift.” That’s God right there…in the midst of the disrespectful chaos of the rest of the group, one little boy was being changed.

-Sarah Ledeboer

Sarah and Erica’s International Baking Tips:
1. American recipes give you an over preheating temperature in degrees Farenheight. European ovens operate on Celsius. Know your second grade math conversion equations.
2. American recipes list things in cups, teaspoons, pounds, etc. European stores sell ingredients packed by liters, grams, etc. These conversions are slightly harder to keep track of.
3. Even if you figure out the English measurement for what you need, the kitchen you are in may not be equipped with the aforementioned measuring cups, teaspoons, etc. So measure by sight…it might work.
4. When math fails you, remember that no matter how many time you reach in you pocket to grab your cell phone and call Grandma, it's. not. there. Because it doesn't work here.
5. Don't forget the salt. But if you do, and the cookies turn out funny, just tell everyone that it’s the American recipe for chocolate chip cookies. They’ll find them delicious.