The Light House

At the end of an intense and emotional 2 week discipleship training in Greystones, in Co Wicklow as a group of about 30 (Irish/Northern Irish/American interns and staff ), we were divided into groups of 4 or 5 and sent on outreach teams across the island. My team was made up of 2 American girls and 1 Northern Irish girl. Our assignment was to go help with Liberty Church in Dublin 8, for the next 2 weeks. As part of that, we're sent to the Light House, a Christian soup kitchen in Dublin City Centre. 

We arrive at the Light House Saturday afternoon, tired, but ready to help in whatever way they need us to. We arrive as a group of 4 girls, saying we're here from Liberty church. The staff there say they were excepting us, but the man who was our contact person between Liberty Church and the Light House is at a conference in Cork, and will be there all week. Basically the staff there at the Light House weren't sure what to do with us. But, they told us to "wash up" and help with the food prep for dinner. After we're done with all the food prep and we're waiting to open, a couple of the interns (college age) invite us to join them in playing cards. Before we can join them however, the man that seems to be the man in charge, Joe, asks us if we can go downstairs to talk. 

Joe takes us downstairs, to the prayer room. As we sit down, he starts asking us what we're doing here, why we're there, where we're from.... think, third degree integration. He then goes on to mention that if you have too many Americans in one ministry, you loose the Irish authenticity, and the homeless that are Irish, feel like projects. It should probably be noted that Joe is American and there were at least 4 interns there that were also American. So, I understood what Joe was getting at. But I didn't know what he was wanting me to do about it. We'd been told to be there that week. But if it was really too many Americans there that day, we were more than happy to leave. (In all our minds, - my team that is- we were all hoping that they didn't need us and we could just go home). Joe kept going on about how you have to be intentional with people, and have conversations with them, treat them like people. That's what makes the Light House different from any other homeless ministry in Dublin, they were intentional there and got to know people, asked their names.... I honestly don't remember what else he said, he just seemed to keep going on and on.I was just thankful I was too tired to argue with him or get defensive (who knew God could fatigue for His glory?!) Eventually, Nesta (my Northern Irish girl), spoke up and asked if they knew so-and-so, literally as soon as she started talking it was like seeing a miracle unfold before my eyes. Joe suddenly connected with her, wait, she's not American?! And he did know the girl she'd asked about! (Only in Ireland). From then on all conversation went through Nesta, and suddenly is was ok that we were going to be there that next week. 

Normally right before they open they have quite a few volunteers that will come in to help on a Saturday. So the plan was that we'd stay only if they didn't have enough volunteers. As it turned out, non of their regular volunteers came, so we got to stay that afternoon!

Gabby and Nesta got kitchen duty and Caitlin and I got "floor duty",  (talking to the homeless people as they came in, ate their meals, if they needed anything, we'd get it for them...). 

Initially, it was awkward to try and make small talk conversation with a homeless person. What do you talk about? How do you get beyond the initial "how are you? How's it going?" 

One gentleman that I sat down with to try and engage him with conversation, I ended up talking with for 2 hours! Turns out it was his first time to come in. He'd never been married. Didn't have any family left..... Sweet older man, that claimed he never did much talking, but apparently today just needed to talk. As he told me he was hoping to buy a house in Lucan (Co Dublin), I felt the urge to pray with him. So I asked him if we could pray. He obliged me. By that point, the Light House was trying to close, so we had to split ways. 

Team Chicken Soup!
Our first day at the Light House done!
Nesta in front, Caitlin (aka Coats) left and centre, Gabby in the hairnet and yours truly in the back.

The rest of our week at the Light House was less exciting. But it was still beautiful and challenging. Learning how important it is to be part of a community, and what it looks to like to draw out our God given gifts from each other, and to actually celebrate those gifts, and our difference, just as team of 4, but also with the other Light House staff/ interns and volunteers.