How It All Began…
I first visited the island in the spring of 2007. It was the fulfillment of a dream I’d had since childhood. As a kid, it seemed like a land from another world, often portrayed with massive rainbows spanning across endless, lush rolling green hills. Also—something about little men in green tuxes with their pots of gold.
The first time I landed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it was with a team of 12 students from Vanguard University. I was given the privilege of co-leading the team with my good friend, James Burley. As a teenager, he met Paul Bowman, an Irish youth pastor studying and speaking in the States, and what started as a good friendship, soon became a ministry partnership. Having traveled there during his high school years, James now had a vision to take a group from college. We were invited to the town of Saintfield (a suburb of Belfast) to come alongside Paul in ministering to the youth of his community.
It is a well-known fact that Ireland is a predominantly Christian nation. In the Republic, close to 90% of the population professes Roman Catholicism with the majority of the remainder either considering themselves Protestant or “deeply spiritual”. We’re familiar with this type of language in the States ourselves. The trend that quickly became apparent to us however wasn’t so much an attitude where young people outright rejected the church, but an idealism that the time to get serious about one’s faith would come far later in life. More rare still, was talk of a committed relationship with the living Jesus.
Most of us are also aware that religion has been cause for centuries of division and bloodshed in Ireland. The height of ‘the Troubles’ is now in their history books, but the deeply rooted tensions between Catholics and Protestants is still pervasive in many neighborhoods. You consider all these factors and have to ask yourself, “What does the future of the Church look like for the next generation?”
Our team was by no means coming in with the mentality that we would save Ireland, but was it possible that even in the 8-10 days we would have, we could live in community with them and share in a glimpse of the Kingdom Jesus proclaimed was “at hand”? We were given the opportunity to go into local high schools and share our stories of the Gospel living in us through music, theatre and the personal testimonies of our own journeys. We had the opportunity to encourage the local communities of believers and pray over the pastors and leaders working in the community. What started as an effort on our part to pour into this community became a model for everyday life back home. We developed such a strong bond with the community that we returned a year later with another team in 2008—and then again in 2009!
On a completely separate occasion, my family had the opportunity to travel to Saintfield with me during the winter of 2008 as the church was celebrating 350 years in ministry! I had been invited by the church to lead worship and provide special music for an outreach mission they were planning to coincide with their anniversary. By the end of the outreach, a mutual stirring began to take place about the partnership we had formed.
At the beginning of this year, a routine phone call to a friend in Saintfield turned into an extended conversation that finally set the dream in motion. Our family received an invitation to relocate to Northern Ireland to partner with them in the work of the Kingdom. Just weeks later, Andi and I went through an extended process and were accepted as staff members with Christian Associates Intl., a missions organization whose main focus has been to plant churches all throughout Europe. We shared our vision for Ireland with them and they enthusiastically agreed to endorse our missionary efforts as we move forward.
It is now May 2010. The Vanguard campus and community has served as our institution of learning, workplace, and most importantly, our home since the fall of 1999. Andi and I met there, fell in love there, were spiritually nurtured there, and up until now have raised our children there. We are so grateful for the hundreds of relationships and memories we have built there.
Our desire now is that as our friends and family, you will commit to praying for us as we pursue this new adventure. So much is still unknown. We do however, have a certainty that this is exactly where God is calling us next and simply want to be obedient to His prompting. As you pray, you may also feel called to partner with us as a monthly supporter as we begin this journey. What we are about to pursue will require so much more than just the four of us. Will you join with us?
Thank you all for your love and friendship!
Carlos, Andi, Chloe & Joaquin O’Fernandez
Love it all. JJJJ
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