If it be the Lord's will, I will be on an airplane over the Atlantic just nine days from now. Along with my wife, Kelly, and our personal evangelism minister, Bill Snell (and his wife, Jewell), I am scheduled to spend three weeks on "the Emerald Isle." Two of these weeks will be spent in an intensive evangelistic effort in Northern Ireland. We will be working with Colin Graham in the town of Bangor, just east of Belfast. Colin and his family have been serving the cause of Christ in Northern Ireland for many years, and we hope to be a boost in whatever way we can to the churches of Christ in that part of the world.
During the first week, Bill will conduct an evening hours personal evangelism "how to" seminar for those who are already in Christ. The daytime hours will be spent making personal contacts and passing out literature and invitations to the gospel meeting that is to be held during the second week. Colin has suggested a theme of, Bible Names for that meeting.
Inasmuch as Colin knows the Irish people and their spiritual needs far better than I, this will be precisely the course we will pursue. The evenings of Sunday through Wednesday will be dedicated to studying Bible Names For God, Bible Names For The Gospel, Bible Names For Christ, and Bible Names For The Church. For those of us who have been part of God's kingdom for many years, these topics will surely sound very rudimentary. However, when one considers the religious landscape and political history of Northern Ireland, these studies that Colin has suggested seem to be precisely what these people need to hear.
Gone (for now) is the tumultuous life of fear and terror that once characterized life in cities such as Belfast and Derry. Cease fire agreements and treaties have brought an end to what was some of the most devastating violence to be found anywhere in the world during the 1970's, 1980's, and 1990's. The I.R.A. (Irish Republican Army) has been virtually silent since "The Belfast Agreement" (as it is commonly known) was signed in 1998. "The Troubles" (as the locals have dubbed these former times) were a result of religious division mingled with political resentment. During these times of peace, this may be a supremely advantageous time to expend our efforts in reaching a people still very confused from a religious standpoint.
Since I was just a wee lad, I have harbored a fervent desire to visit Ireland, since my ancestry is overwhelmingly Irish. My fourth great grandfather grew up in and around Belfast in the mid-1700's before he emigrated to the Colonies. He would fight alongside many other Irishmen in the Revolutionary War who held great disdain for the British Army. My father's side came from County Leitrim in the northwestern part of what is now known as the Republic of Ireland. Somewhere along the line, one of my relatives dropped the "O" from our surname. What started as "O'Rourke" became just "Roark."
Why am I detailing all this information? Simply to say this: I am as excited as any man can be about anything at the prospect of telling the good news in "The Motherland." For the soles of my shoes to tread the same soil upon which my great grandfathers and grandmothers walked while doing the work of the Lord thrills my spirit beyond my ability to tell. I hope this is just the first of many such trips I make.
Your prayers for safety and success would be very much appreciated. I will be keeping a regular travel blog up to date (that is, as long as technology cooperates). If you would like to keep up with what's going on, bookmark this site. We're scheduled to leave on Monday, July 21st with a return date of Monday, August 11th.
P.S. -- If you notice the heading on the travel blog site says, "The Baron - Ryan Roark," that's because I had to specify a user name. When I was a wee lad of just three, my uncle dubbed me "The Red Baron" because of my shiny red hair that everyone loved to rub for "luck." He even had a little t-shirt custom made for me to wear around with "Baron" emblazoned across the back. Just wanted to explain the history on that!
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