Northern Ireland: Days 3 & 4

Day 3: Friday, July 3
Friday was a busy day. We began with a fuller introduction and orientation to Northern Irish history and society by Doug Baker, our primary host in Belfast. We all learned a great deal about the history of conflict in Ireland and the current situation.

In the afternoon we took a bus tour of Belfast. Highlights included sections of the peace walls, city hall, and the shipyard where the Titanic was built (it was news to most of us that the Titanic was built in Belfast). We also made visits to the three sites that, in addition to the 174 Trust, will be our places of shared service with Belfast youth: the WAVE Trauma Centre, Fortwilliam Macrory Presbyterian Church, and Whitehouse Presbyterian Church.

After the tour, we had a great discussion with Conor Maskey, a young member of the Belfast City Council. He talked about politics in Belfast as well as a trip he and other members of the BCC took to Chicago to learn about living with diversity. While some of us did not agree that Chicago is as successful at constructively living with diversity as Conor did, it was certainly fascinating to hear his reflections about the reverse version of the trip we are currently on. If Conor represents the future of politics in Belfast, I think we all left that meeting very hopeful.

After this meeting with Conor, we ventured into the city center in small groups for dinner and enjoyed some local food. After swimming and some showers at the leisure centre, Kurt bravely led us through a devotion on feet washing in which we actually washed each other's feet. That definitely took us out of our comfort zones and helped us think more concretely about being a servant to others.

Day 4: Saturday, July 4
Today we took a day trip up to the north coast to visit the Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, and a fish and chips dinner in Ballycastle. It was a wonderful day to visit some of the most beautiful sights many of us have seen. Everything was so beautiful and green, and we got rained on sufficiently to make us feel like we're in Ireland. The fish and chips were incredible.

Tonight I led a devotion on God's communal nature, the reflection of that communal nature in human communities, and reconciliation. It was inspired in part by the trinitarian knot we used on our t-shirts.

Don't forget to visit our Facebook page to see pictures and videos of our trip.