Day 5: 2026 Belfast
Strength through weakness
Greetings from Northern Ireland! Before sharing about today, we want to say thank you. Your prayers, encouragement, texts (and even the occasional surprise FaceTime call!) have been a tremendous blessing to our team this week. While our days here have been incredibly full, hearing from our church family back home reminds us that we are not serving alone, and we are being faithfully supported and sent by the body of Christ at West End.
As we gathered for breakfast this morning, we opened to 2 Corinthians 12:7–10, where Paul reminds us that God's power is made perfect in our weakness. As we reach the latter half of the week, our team can certainly feel the physical weariness that comes with long days of ministry. Yet Paul's words were exactly what we needed. We were reminded that the goal of this trip has never been to showcase our own strength, abilities, or experience, but to joyfully boast in Christ alone. His strength, not ours, is what sustains us and accomplishes his work.
Day four of Holiday Club was another joyful morning as children once again filled the church. Cat Rawlings started the day with one of the week's favorites, "messy games," making sure both Pastor Dave and everyone's favorite, Davy "Iceland," were thoroughly soaked by enthusiastic children armed with water-filled sponges! We have a feeling there may be some friendly payback waiting for us on the final day.
Throughout the morning, our team found themselves fully woven into every part of Holiday Club. Joe Garcia quickly became a favorite alongside our puppet friend "Super Sam," while Nick Rawlings joined our own superhero, Mr. Norman, in leading the memory verse. Ruth, one of West Kirk's youth workers, faithfully taught the story of David and Goliath, beautifully echoing the truth we had studied that morning: victory belongs to the Lord. David's confidence was never in his own strength, but in the God who fights for his people. And the same God who fought for David is still at work today.
After another meal shared with our Holiday Club family, we spent the afternoon exploring the Ulster Folk Museum alongside many of our Belfast friends. The slower pace gave us time to walk together, laugh together, and continue building relationships that have become some of the greatest gifts of this week. We returned to West Kirk, where Ms. Jackie and her husband, George, prepared another incredible meal for us. While we have certainly enjoyed every meal, what has meant the most is that our hosts don't just serve us—they sit with us, share life with us, and welcome us as family.
The evening concluded with our final guitar workshop, and what a joy it was to witness! Nick Rawlings and Colette Stefaniak have done an outstanding job investing in these students all week. It has been exciting to watch friendships grow, confidence increase, and a genuine sense of community develop through music.
Pastor Peter shared how meaningful this week has been. The community center had been closed to Grace & Hope for years until the Lord recently opened the door through this workshop! Seeing students return night after night and new relationships begin has strengthened our confidence that God is opening new opportunities for the gospel in this community. As we packed up guitars and prepared for tomorrow evening's Community Picnic, our hearts were filled with gratitude and anticipation for all that the Lord still has in store.
HOw we saw god at work today:
Reminding us that his strength is made perfect in our weakness, sustaining our team as we continue serving through a full week of ministry
The growing trust and friendships with the children, students, volunteers, and church members, making Belfast truly feel like family
Opening new doors for Grace & Hope through the guitar workshop, using music and relationships to create opportunities for the gospel
prayer requests:
For tomorrow's final day of Holiday Club: That the children would leave knowing they are deeply loved by Jesus and the truths they have heard this week will continue to bear fruit
Friday evening's Community Picnic: As families, neighbors, volunteers, and students gather together, ask the Lord to use these relationships to draw more people into the life of West Kirk and Grace & Hope
For our ministry partners to be encouraged and strengthened long after our team returns home, and that God would continue using these churches as lights for the gospel throughout Belfast