Wednesday night was neat because I was able to slip into a debate held by a club on the Trinity college campus, and I really enjoyed my evening.
Thursday I decided to try the same thing again, so I left the ship around 7:30 headed into Dublin. I went straight to the Trinity campus too find something to do. I hadn't been on campus but ten steps when I saw a sign for a 7pm Christian Union club, so I followed the arrows and found a group of students just settling in to listen to a lesson from a girl in her thirties. This was the second Christian Union (CU) meeting of the school year, and folks were very welcoming. After a 30 minute teaching on biblical freedom I joined the group for coffee and cookies, where I met a lot of neat people. I met a girl from NYU who was really nice, and the president of CU, a chap named Gavin. They introduced me to many other students, all of whom were very welcoming. When I explained how I came to be in their CU meeting most of them laughed and found it crazy, but they were happy I'd come regardless. Gavin and I decided to get lunch on Friday and set up a time and a place to meet.
The next day I met with Gavin and a few of the students I'd met the evening before, and we talked over lunch and laughed about silly Irish or American things. As we left the restaurant Gavin asked if I'd seen the Book of Kells yet. If you've never heard of it, the Book of Kells is a copy of the four gospels, intricately crafted by Scottish monks in the 8th century. Anyways, I hadn't seen the book. Gavin offered to take me to see it, so I went. There were just three of us at this point, but we skipped the line and walked right into the exhibit. The volume itself is absolutely magnificent-page after page of detailed artwork that must have taken a painfully long time to create.
We finally said goodbye and I headed back to the ship. It was bittersweet. I'd made new friends and yet I had to leave them so soon.
The interesting thing about this encounter was the timing of it. On Thursday afternoon I was spending time with my Resident Director (RD). Her name is Dani and she is really neat. We were just sitting around on the ship enjoying some downtime and talking about life as we have been known to do from time to time. I told Dani that I was increasingly frustrated by the lack of Christian community on-board the ship. We have a Christian Club that meets together on the ship, but scheduling anything on the ship is a messy ordeal because people tend to forget when meetings are, etc. I've missed a few of the meetings myself (along with everyone else it seems). Seemingly randomly, I walked into a situation where other people wanted to talk to me about my faith and hear my story. Having the chance to spend even an hour or two with other believers was so refreshing. On the last day we were together, I asked Gavin how I could pray for him and for the students of CU, and he told me that the most present challenge they face is that of engaging a community of believers. On a campus of 17,000 students, Gavin and a group of about 50 students comprise the only Christian club on campus. I come from a campus that is also about 17,000 students, but the campus ministry I attend (one of many) has 300 people each week.
In one fell swoop, the Lord showed me two things:
1. Christians all over the planet are struggling to form community. In Ireland or on a cruise ship, growing a community of believers is something that takes work and intentional discipleship. It doesn't just happen that people come together the way I've always seen it happen at App state or in Raleigh.
2. I have been given a really special opportunity at App State over the past three years, and I am excited to re-engage with the RUF community at school when I get back in the Spring. I guess I've always taken campus ministries for granted. Seeing a student-led group learning and growing together in their faith has given me a renewed appreciation for my campus minister back home.
After Wednesday night's debate I thought that my experience in Ireland couldn't get any better, but I was wrong. Thanks be to God for the ways he has chosen to open my eyes to his work in my life and in the lives of others around me.
P.S. So over the whole touristy, beaten-path thing.
Always lost like Robert Frost,
Cam
Thursday I decided to try the same thing again, so I left the ship around 7:30 headed into Dublin. I went straight to the Trinity campus too find something to do. I hadn't been on campus but ten steps when I saw a sign for a 7pm Christian Union club, so I followed the arrows and found a group of students just settling in to listen to a lesson from a girl in her thirties. This was the second Christian Union (CU) meeting of the school year, and folks were very welcoming. After a 30 minute teaching on biblical freedom I joined the group for coffee and cookies, where I met a lot of neat people. I met a girl from NYU who was really nice, and the president of CU, a chap named Gavin. They introduced me to many other students, all of whom were very welcoming. When I explained how I came to be in their CU meeting most of them laughed and found it crazy, but they were happy I'd come regardless. Gavin and I decided to get lunch on Friday and set up a time and a place to meet.
The next day I met with Gavin and a few of the students I'd met the evening before, and we talked over lunch and laughed about silly Irish or American things. As we left the restaurant Gavin asked if I'd seen the Book of Kells yet. If you've never heard of it, the Book of Kells is a copy of the four gospels, intricately crafted by Scottish monks in the 8th century. Anyways, I hadn't seen the book. Gavin offered to take me to see it, so I went. There were just three of us at this point, but we skipped the line and walked right into the exhibit. The volume itself is absolutely magnificent-page after page of detailed artwork that must have taken a painfully long time to create.
We finally said goodbye and I headed back to the ship. It was bittersweet. I'd made new friends and yet I had to leave them so soon.
The interesting thing about this encounter was the timing of it. On Thursday afternoon I was spending time with my Resident Director (RD). Her name is Dani and she is really neat. We were just sitting around on the ship enjoying some downtime and talking about life as we have been known to do from time to time. I told Dani that I was increasingly frustrated by the lack of Christian community on-board the ship. We have a Christian Club that meets together on the ship, but scheduling anything on the ship is a messy ordeal because people tend to forget when meetings are, etc. I've missed a few of the meetings myself (along with everyone else it seems). Seemingly randomly, I walked into a situation where other people wanted to talk to me about my faith and hear my story. Having the chance to spend even an hour or two with other believers was so refreshing. On the last day we were together, I asked Gavin how I could pray for him and for the students of CU, and he told me that the most present challenge they face is that of engaging a community of believers. On a campus of 17,000 students, Gavin and a group of about 50 students comprise the only Christian club on campus. I come from a campus that is also about 17,000 students, but the campus ministry I attend (one of many) has 300 people each week.
In one fell swoop, the Lord showed me two things:
1. Christians all over the planet are struggling to form community. In Ireland or on a cruise ship, growing a community of believers is something that takes work and intentional discipleship. It doesn't just happen that people come together the way I've always seen it happen at App state or in Raleigh.
2. I have been given a really special opportunity at App State over the past three years, and I am excited to re-engage with the RUF community at school when I get back in the Spring. I guess I've always taken campus ministries for granted. Seeing a student-led group learning and growing together in their faith has given me a renewed appreciation for my campus minister back home.
After Wednesday night's debate I thought that my experience in Ireland couldn't get any better, but I was wrong. Thanks be to God for the ways he has chosen to open my eyes to his work in my life and in the lives of others around me.
P.S. So over the whole touristy, beaten-path thing.
Always lost like Robert Frost,
Cam
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