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| The evangelistic newspaper of the modern Jesus Army | 2003 |
UNDETERRED!
A disastrous start to the 2 Pray Gospel Coach Campaign didn't stop the Jesus Army team in Dublin and Belfast! Mhairi Campbell-Fowler reports
We set off, well prepared with our Jesus Army Streetpapers, songbooks, P.A. equipment, food, hot drinks and air beds!
But disaster soon struck as we were boarding the world's largest car ferry at Holyhead. There was a big dip between land and ferry and, as we skirted it, we heard a terrific bang. A big hole in the double-decker's oil tank! Consequently, the coach was sent back with all our supplies and literature!
Landing in Ireland, we straggled off, bearing our hand-luggage - a line of colourful 'refugees', clad in Jesus Army jackets carrying only what we could. We caught a bus to Dublin and held a 'war' council at a round table, over some hot coffee, in McDonald's. It was just us, the red crosses, and the 'raw' gospel in our mouths and lives!
Dave remembered a friend we knew in Dublin, who had stayed with us. We rang him and he invited us over. There we found a hot lunch of beans on toast, hot drinks, mattresses to lie on, email access and a base from which to 'storm Dublin!'
Tina and I spent an hour in the famous Trinity College talking to groups of students about faith in God, discussing our different beliefs and exchanging experiences. I noticed one young man dressed in his rugby kit - he reminded me of the young C.T.Studd who had given up his career in cricket to obey God's call. We talked about God's call on our lives and our responsibilities to Him, and we prayed together.
Tina and I then wandered into a pub near the famous Temple Bar. After asking the bartender if we could give out our crosses, we proceeded to approach folk. One man shouted out, "You take your 'orange' crosses out of here." "Actually," I said, "they are 'red' for the blood of Jesus." The whole bar went quiet and we proceeded to talk to and pray with people. After tavelling north, the next day we were on the streets of Belfast with no 'props'. But between us we made music in the Cornmarket, attracting people by our worship and 'lifting up Jesus' with our bright and colourful jackets.
One lady commented, "Isn't it lovely to see Christians happy and really enjoying themselves". Iris, whom we had met on a previous visit, brought her friend Beatrice, and we prayed for their unconverted husbands, one of whom is very ill. They said they loved to 'get into their closets and pray', and we asked them to pray that we find a suitable house to rent in Belfast before the end of the year.
On Saturday, Barbara and I went round the town, down the back streets, handing out our crosses and saying "Can we give you a cross and bring you a blessing in the name of Jesus and could we pray with you for anything?" We prayed for several folk, among them Liam, in front of his market stall, needing something good to happen in his life and Stephen, in the Sex Shop, looking very fed-up. He had done R.E. but knew he needed 'faith'.
In front of the City Hall, the normal venue for meeting up with the young 'Goths', we were surrounded by the usual crowds of youth asking fore their red crosses, some wearing them from previous visits. "Yes", we said , "you can have a cross but only if we can pray for you!" One young man could hardly stand up when team member, Ali (from Iran), prayed in Farsi and we prayed in tongues as the power of God moved upon him! We prayed for many people.
So stripped of all our protection and defences, we found God moving in a refreshing and powerful way as we stepped out in faith, often in fear and trembling. We saw God beginning to draw a people together for the building of the Jesus Fellowship church in Northern Ireland. We found local Christians grateful that 'we were doing the business on the streets' and felt their support and comradeship.
This article has been extracted from Streetpaper, published by Jesus Fellowship
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