We're Back!

Wow! I can't believe how fast it all went! Praise the Lord for all He has done in Derry as well as in our lives!  I'm sorry I didn't get around to posting while I was gone. We were kept very busy and I don't have a phone or anything of my own to use. 

We arrived home at 1:40am on the 15th.  I will be posting pictures and stories soon!

Lydia

The Vision:

What is our goal for this trip? To change and to be changed. We will go out as lasers on our mission and spread the light Christ has given us there. We will be filled with His light and be changed as God works and speaks through us!

Let’s be sensitive to what God wants us to say and do. Maybe it is just to smile at someone, having patience with a child we are working with that isn’t cooperating, praying for the others on our team when they are feeling down or discouraged. 

What does the Lord have for us to accomplish? How are we going to accomplish it? What are your goals for this trip? Let’s come back to America as 12 changed people, but not stop there. The same pain and hopelessness we will see in Ireland is right here in our own towns. As we go back to normal, everyday life, we can keep sharing what we have learned, and how we have changed with others. I want to see God work in mighty ways, to see miracles! God has power and He wants change, all He is lacking is laborers.

My dad and I have been praying for each of the team members and pouring our hearts out in prayer for the locals in Ireland. Please join us in prayer. God has amazing things for you to accomplish! Let’s make Him the center of our trip!

Whether you are going on the trip yourself, or know someone who is, you have the ability to make a change in our world through prayer! God is powerful!

July 12th

This video explains the strife in Northern Ireland. It was recorded in 2013. Though it shows many different areas of Northern Ireland, including Derry, the march it covers happens in Belfast.




In 2014 there was much more peace on July 12th, just a year after the previous video was recorded. The Lord has already worked on so many hearts! This is very obvious from the peaceful reports of last year's parade. You can read about the 2014 marching season HERE. Let's be praying that God opens hearts and heals hurts this year!

I Heart Derry Local Kickoff

On Sunday the 10th Cornerstone Church had their official I Heart Derry Launch where they present this year's schedule to the members of Cornerstone and invite them to sign up and serve at I Heart Derry.

The local response has been absolutely incredible with around 175 volunteers signed up to participate throughout the week. Many of whom have signed up for the whole week.  Praise the Lord! 

Let's be praying for the locals who will participate as well as the teams from around the US who will be gathering in Derry July 3rd-15th.  The Lord is going to do amazing things! 

You can keep posted by visiting:

Instagram - i_heart_derry

Instagram - cornerstonecity

Twitter - cornerstonecity

Facebook - iHeartDerry

Facebook - Cornerstone City Church

or-iheartderry.com

There are photos and information on all the different projects that will be happening throughout the week.

What does a typical iHeart week look like?

iHeart Derry outreach is an annual event hosted by Cornerstone City Church.  It will take place from July 4th-13th in 2015. 

The week opens up with a high energy training day which sets the stage for the week to come.  Volunteers are broken up into teams and sent to different locations throughout the community. There will be 5 Kid's week locations including Donemana Primary School, Lisnagelvin Primary School, and Currynierin community center. Playgrounds will be built throughout the community as well.

Each morning teams go to their locations to host high energy events for children.  These events consist of dancing, songs, sports, stories, crafts, and games of all kinds.

After the kid's programme for the day winds up, teams prepare for the next day's lesson and head to their street cleanup project.  There is a mobile-medic station where people can get their blood pressure and sugar levels checked as well as receive minor first aid.  Coffee stations will be set up around the city as well. On Thursday evening there is football tournament between local teams.  

It is amazing to be a part of this event and see the impact Christ's love has on a community!

"Sometimes...

being a missionary doesn’t require you to live amongst anacondas or gigantic bugs."

Please read this amazing post written by Noelle Rhodes, missionary to Northern Ireland. Noelle is the one who heads up Kid's Week during iHeart Derry.  I encourage you to read this article where she explains in her own words what it's like to be a missionary in a first-world country and why she feels called to minister to Northern Ireland with her husband and children.  Click this link to read her article! 

"Beyond fights over flags and parade routes, I see the potential for this little place to become a mighty lighthouse of hope for transformation. This is why I work with children. The most effective people group to influence a cultural shift is children. If we can teach children that because of Jesus’ love for them, they can love each other...well, who knows what Northern Ireland will look like in 20 years time? " - Noelle Rhodes

Street Pastors

"Four missionaries currently are involved with Cornerstone City Church. The Inmans focus primarily on children’s ministries and organize the Kids Week segment of the church’s annual citywide outreach called “iHeart Derry.” The Suarezes created and lead the Master’s Commission ministry and are involved in Street Pastors, an evangelistic outreach to teens. Raquel and the Inmans also participate in Extreme Team, a ministry that goes into elementary schools to share the gospel in fun, exciting ways.

Engaging a culture where historical religious division runs deep requires exemplifying personal salvation in Jesus and authentic Christian love. For Cornerstone, sharing that love means loving the whole community.

“Derry has lots of old memories that conjure up pain,” says Robert Suarez.  “It’s very important that what we do here is visible because that will create new memories. As a result, what they think back on will be positive, healthy and life-giving rather than negative.”

As the Master’s Commission and Street Pastors teams go out in ministry across the city, their impact can be felt in a variety of ways.

“When we’re out among the people, it calms the atmosphere. Young people come over to us and want to talk. After an hour or so, they go home without getting involved in trouble. We’ve actually seen a decrease in violence,” says Robert.

Local leaders, media and the police department have acknowledged what Cornerstone is doing for the community as both Catholics and Protestants are touched by believers’ acts of compassion. This year, as part of the “iHeart Derry” outreach, Cornerstone partnered with Convoy of Hope Europe to build a playground in a Protestant neighborhood. Their effort drew the attention of the deputy mayor, who made an appearance at the site. When the project was completed, grateful parents watched their children play at the new facility until late in the evening. The church also hosted a prayer event, inviting people from the community to form a line across Peace Bridge, hold hands and pray together."


This is an excerpt from an article on Worldag.org, if you would like to read more follow this link: http://world.ag.org/article/bridging-divisions-derry

While in Ireland we will have a chance to participate in the Street Pastor program.  Last year we were invited to join the street pastors and stand outside a night club from 12-2am. We handed out soup, coffee, and simply shared Christ's love.  As it mentions in the article, there is much more peace in the areas where the street pastors are and they have developed a relationship with the police in Derry. This has in turn opened more opportunities for Christ's love to be shared.