Off We Go

Today we set off in the footprints of St. Patrick to love the people of Northern Ireland we will move past the fields where Patrick tended his sheep and had a life changing encounter with the God of the Universe. Patrick was enslaved and was forced to tend the sheep he life was difficult to say the least, winters in Antrim (lone ridge in Gaelic) can be brutal and the tending of sheep boring and tedious. It was in these quiet times that Patrick was convinced of the existence of God. Through nature and meditation Patrick grew in stature and maturity but this was not enough so Patrick escaped his captivity to pursue the God who loved him most and knew him best. Patrick found himself in seminary and excelled so much that he was tops in his class and offered any Pastorate of his choice, he chose Ireland the place of his captivity and set sail to bring the Good News (Gospel) to a darkened land. It is said that when Patrick landed in Ireland it was pagan and when he left it was Christian in his 24 years in Ireland that Patrick baptized 120,000 people and started over 600 churches and was sending out 3000 missionaries.

We too go to a darken land with less than 3% church attendance Ireland has spiritually hit rock bottom, some say that this is due to the failure of religion (I tend to agree) and that religion has little to offer modern man. It has been relationship and not religion that all of the giants of faith sought with God, knowing God always trumps knowing about Him. Patrick put it best when he said; "I was at that time about sixteen years of age. I did not, indeed, know the true God." Faith is trusting the one we know to guide us through the things that we are unsure of or unfamiliar with and knows that we are not alone in our journey. I think that it is rather funny that i am traveling with four sixteen year olds and they still have the same opportunities that Patrick had to bring light into the darkness. Please pray for us daily remembering us for health, safety and travel.

pat