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. 

The Americans are playing football?!

"The Americans are playing football?!" This was passed excitedly from person, to person during the football (soccer) tournament held on Thursday evening.  Part of iHeart Derry is a football tournament between local teams of young boys.  They are extremely good at the sport and everyone was very surprised when the Americans decided to put together their own team to play against the local boys.

People started laughing and gathering around the field where the Americans were playing.  "Who are you rooting for?" I asked Jill, one of the local girls who was working with iHeart. "Well I'll root for the Americans, but we all the know our boys will win!" She answered smiling.  This wasn't the end of the surprises, as an American girl went out on the field to play everyone was even more surprised and started talking about the GIRL who was playing football! "Don't girls play football?" I asked. "No, not really," Jill replied. The boys on the team they were playing looked at her, not trying in the least to hide their amusement that a girl would try to play and were surprised when she stole the ball from them quite a few times!  The Americans did end up loosing to the local boys, but maybe, sometime there will be a team of Americans, girls included, that will be able to take them on and win!

There are still five places to fill for the trip! Though the deposit deadline was the 5th, I would be happy to have you join our team! If you are interested, look at the page "Come to Ireland with us!". 

: : A view of the soccer field where the tournament is held : : 

Are YOU willing to take the step of faith?

The $100 deposit for Ireland is due tomorrow. I encourage you to pray about it and take the step of faith to go on the trip. I know it takes faith to make such a big commitment. Questions come about the plausibility of it... "How will I raise enough money?"  "Is it even possible to get that time off work?"  "I'm already too busy, should I add such a big commitment?"  All these are questions have asked myself many times as I decided to plan the trip, often wondering why I took something on that I knew nothing about.  I'd like to encourage you to step out in faith, if God is calling you to go on this trip, send in your deposit, He'll take care of the rest!

Send your check to:

Capitol City Vineyard Church

1635 Coolidge Rd.

East Lansing, MI.

48823

Attn: Ireland, (insert your name)

In the memo of your check, write “Missions”

"Dad, you're going to Ireland!"

When I got back from my tip I was exhausted, but very excited about it.  I told my parents right away that I wanted to go back in 2015 and Dad was coming with me.  "What about the money?" Dad asked. "Oh, don't worry, I'll pay for both of us!"  Dad just smiled, thinking it would all blow over once I got back into the routein of home.

Well, it was a few months before I mentioned returning to  Ireland again. This time, telling Dad I was in contact with the church there and they were sending me details.  "Aren't you excited to go?!" I asked him.  He seemed surprised I was still thinking about it and patiently listened to me chatter about how much it was going to cost and all the wonderful  things we will be doing there. I kept trying to get him excited and to really believe that I was serious about going.

Since he still seemed quite skeptical that I would follow through with my plans, I decided I would just have to take the next step and contact someone who would be able to help me figure out how to buy plane tickets.  I knew this was going to be the hardest part for me since  I knew nothing about buying tickets and setting up group flights. 

After getting a price and figuring out many details, I showed Dad the travel agreement from the agency I am working through.  I asked him to read it to make sure nothing was amiss.  After reading the agreement and realizing that I actually have tickets reserved to get us to and from Ireland, he finally took me seriously! I am so excited to experience serving the Lord with my dad, with the most amazing man I have ever known!

Many times during this process I felt overwhelmed and confused, wondering why I ever got this crazy idea and am trying to follow through with it.  The only answer to that question is God. He has called me to bring a group of people back to Ireland with me. It is Him who I have turned to in prayer at each mistake I have made and wall I have come up against.  With God in charge of this trip, there is nothing to fear.  When I don't know how I will be able to make enough money to follow through with my promise of paying for both Dad and me, I just have to remember that God provides!

Last year I went with my Grandma, next year my Dad will be going!!!

Day 3

Monday was our day to get ready for Kids Week to start.  We went to Donemana, a little town way out in the country. This is the school where we would be holding our VBS for the next few days. We spent the day praying for the students that were going to join us on Tuesday and getting registration set up, gathering supplies for crafts, and figuring out the details.

 : : Donemana Primary School : :

: :  In the town of Donemana : :