Tom's Baptism and the Beignning of the End

I have already started saying goodbye to people here. Throughout this, my last, week, the goodbyes will be increasingly emotional. I have been telling people that I will see them again. In the past, this has been a way to downplay the goodbye, but I do plan on returning to Ireland at some point for some duration, though I can't say when or how long.

This Sunday was not my last, but it would have been a good one to end on. Eight-year-old Adam came back to church and this time brought his brother (I told him he was like the disciple Andrew, who went back to get his brother, Simon Peter). During Brian's sermon, I took the boys, along with two little girls whose parents sometimes come, out for a separate teaching. We talked about the miraculous catch and being fishers of men, which is the passage that Brian was preaching on. After the service, we presented a rugby ball and a soccer ball to the boys and they were thrilled. It was Brian's idea to get them these. The balls they were using were pretty bad, and he thought it a good way to help the family without a strong insinuation that they need help.

In the afternoon, everyone was invited down to Black Hall Strand (beach) for Tom's baptism. Tom and I had discussed throughout the week what baptism meant and did not mean. I asked him to be thinking about what to share before his baptism, about what Jesus had done for him. Though we had talked about what he would say, when it came time he got choked up and could hardly speak. He then shared that Jesus had done everything for him, taken his punishment and given him life, and that he was being baptized to publicly show this. It was beautiful to see him so moved by the gospel. His dad is not a believer and was there in the crowd. Then James and I took him out in the freezing cold water, between two rocks, and I baptized him. Afterwards followed a barbecue to celebrate. On the way home, Tom told me he would always remember that day.

Earlier in the week, I had the privilege to meet up with Garrett Gross and his brother Justin in Dublin. I also was able to hang out with Johnny one final time (it has been such a pleasure to become his friend). With the Gross brothers, I did most of what I hadn't yet done in Dublin, which included seeing the 4th century Book of Kells in the Trinity University library, seeing Christ Church Cathedral and the adjoined museum and seeing Kilmainham Gaol (jail), which has a prominent place in Irish independence. On Tuesday I came down and we finally had Bible study with three individuals: Rachel from Nigeria, Abraham from Ethiopia and Joshua from Ghana. I lead the study on Jesus' statement, "I am the bread of life". It was a good discussion and reinforcement of the gospel, and also served to promote unity amongst different Christians in New Ross. We have a lot we can learn from these individuals. Abraham, for example, has been in prison for professing to be "a born-again Christian". We are meeting again this Tuesday night, and I believe my friends Phillip and Brandon from Nashville are planning to be there.

On Friday, after watching Braveheart in the morning, I went in New Ross with the Gross brothers and Brian. On the streets there, Garrett played songs in his guitar, songs by the Rolling Stones and Bob Marley to draw attention, and also worship songs. Not many people stopped to talk to us, but an English-speaking Romanian street musician did stop and I was able to share the gospel with him. He said he would try to make it to church one week. It took a lot of courage for Garrett and Justin to do this, and I appreciate their willingness to serve as well as have fun.

That afternoon, the four of us, plus Tom, drove up to the Wicklow Mountains. This was my third time at Glendalough, but I could never get sick of it. We hiked on some different trails than I had before, so it was a bit of a new experience anyway. Then we drove along where Braveheart was filmed (which is why we had watched the movie in the morning) and drove to Johnnie Fox's Pub (again, my third time). The drive there, as the sun was setting, was insanely beautiful, I can't put it into words, nor do the photos on facebook capture it. We stayed that night in the hostel in Dun Laoghaire (just south of Dublin) where we had stayed on Monday night, a great deal. The Gross brothers left for the airport early in the morning, but Brian, Tom and I slept in and then enjoyed a beautiful day by the sea before heading back on the train. I've been told by several people that this is the first time Tom has ever had a true friend. I know it will be especially hard on him when I leave, but he and Brian have connected well and I know their friendship will continue to flourish. More importantly, Tom knows the Lord now.