Prayer for Northern Ireland

I am writing to call you to prayer. Tomorrow I get on a plane with nine other college students and three leaders to go to Newcastle, Northern Ireland. For 11 days we will be staying at Murlough House (run by John Moxen and Project Evangelism) and working with Newcastle Presbyterian Church, hanging out and encouraging their youth group and working with them to put on a summer camp for the kids in the town. The camp, called PHAT Camp (Praise Him All Together), will bring kids ages 12-18 from all different backgrounds together to have fun together and learn from the Word of God. Each morning we will gather with some of the youth from Newcastle for worship at Murlough and to be taught by John Moxen. Then in the afternoon we will do a group activity with all the kids (capture the flag, hiking, ultimate, etc.). Finally, each evening we will have a Speakeasy, a camp night with worship, skits, testimonies, and preaching from the Word, followed by small groups with the kids.

This will be my second year in a row to go to Northern Ireland. Last year God lavished his blessings on our time, giving supernatural unity between us and the Irish, allowing us to form really strong friendships with our brothers and sisters over there. God also broke hearts, revealing sin and bringing people to the feet of Jesus. Over the past year, growth has continued. The youth group from Newcastle Presbyterian Church has become closely allied with a Baptist church in the area, and kids from both will be coming to the camp as well as kids from the Church of Ireland. I am so excited to return to my friends in Northern Ireland and to encourage them and be encouraged by them, and I am expectant of a new work that God will do this year. Some of the youth have been doing really well over the past year, while others have been away from the church. We are praying that God will bring back those who have been away so that they can be encouraged by the faithful ones and also play their part in Christ’s body. One of our main purposes this trip is to encourage the youth to be committed to the church as a whole, for this is the true body of Christ. We are staying for two weekends this year, which means we will not just do the camp and leave. Instead the kids will be coming out of the camp into the church.

We need your prayers during this time. Satan will be looking to block God’s work, and we desperately need a prayer covering. Here are some requests:

1. For supernatural unity within our team and between us and the Irish Christians
2. That we can deeply encourage each other through fellowship and worshiping together
3. That God will fill us all with a desire to pursue him and to be connected to his body, the church
4. That God will draw in youth who have been away from the church
5. That God will increase unity between the different churches
6. That I will let go of my desire for control and rest in God’s strength
7. That God will fill be to overflowing with a genuine love for the Irish people

Thank you for your prayers. I look forward to telling you all about the trip. (And for those of you in Northern Ireland reading this, I look forward to seeing you very soon.)