Day 2: Final Ireland by Ken
This morning we were greeted to a welcome sight in Galway: sunshine! This summer has been one of the rainiest seasons on record. We set off early to visit two important sites to explore in the city of Galway. We started at the Spanish Arch and traveled into the center of the city to visit the church of St. Nicholas. Many tourists visit St. Nicholas’ church because it is the oldest gothic church in all of Ireland, built in the 13th century. One of the amazing pieces of history tied to this particular church, is that this is the church that Christopher Columbus visited to pray prior to his departure to discover the Americas. We took time discussing what a great leap of faith that must’ve been for him, and discussing what might have stood in the way of his voyage. As pilgrims, we have come to Ireland on a voyage of wonder. We found ourselves asking what stands in the way for each of us that might keep us from moving forward with God in the calling that He has for our lives. The students were asked to pick up a stone from around this great church and write on the stone what was standing in their way to intimacy with God. They took their stones with them in their pockets, as a reminder that we are separate from the issues that hold us back, and while we’ve been carrying these burdens for some time, now that we have a tangible object to hold, we can see that we have the power to once and for all remove them from our lives.
That afternoon, we joined a local Irish Church, called Discovery Church, to support and assist them in a city-wide cookout that the church was holding as an outreach to the city of Galway. We invited people from the city to join us for free food, music, face painting, and a bounce house for the children. The pilgrims from St. Paul Episcopal church mixed in well with the Irish from the Discover Church, serving and helping wherever they were asked. The Discover Church, when asked why they were doing this, and even more why they were doing it for free, answered that they were a Bible-based Christian group made up of ordinary people that had encountered a loving God who transforms hearts and minds. This was a way for them to give back to the city of Galway and express their love for this fine city. Because of all of the sunshine, many of the pilgrims left at the end of the day with shiny, pink noses and rosy cheeks. They were tired, yet satisfied, that they had seen God and discovered Him in the ordinary.