So, it has been 39 days since I left Ireland and returned to the States. It’s fair to say that I have had plenty of time to gather my thoughts and my emotions that accumulated from my trip. That doesn’t mean I’ve been able to do so… at least not as sufficiently as I would have hoped.

Upon returning on July 13^th, I was picked up by some friends from the airport in Atlanta and returned to Gainesville, GA where, the next day, I debriefed my trip with Clint Bokelman. We talked about how much there will always be to learn about the mission field… especially in Europe.

To spare you the details of the trip (though I’m sure you would all love to hear stories about how I ate the BEST Chinese food ever in a tiny town in the country) I will hit on a few key points. Those points being; my vision prior to going to Ireland, the lessons I learned while there, and my vision post Ireland.

Before I left I had a dream of opening a coffee shop and venue in an urban/suburban city. The past six years of my life have been spent in pseudo-preparation for just that. I have a degree in general studies in which I focused on mass media communications, music technology and cultural anthropology. The last three years I have spent working with a college ministry geared for making disciples of college students in community settings. I have also been heavily involved in the music scene, meeting bands, musicians, and producers who share my passions. For the longest time I imagined a building near downtown Statesboro as the location for this vision to be fulfilled. Doors were closed and have continued to stay closed. So, So when I was afforded the opportunity to travel to Ireland, I had to see if my vision could take root there.

As incredible as the landscape and the weather and the accents of the people are, I was focused on my mission- to learn the culture and its idiosyncrasies, to do property research, and to find partners for ministry. All of this happened, just not exactly as I expected.

Over the two weeks I was there I was ‘fed to the sharks’ with what I believed I understood about mission work, the Irish culture, and the rules of humility. I was seriously humbled and so was my dream. I knew on the plane ride back that my dream had to change… and it did.

It was easy for me to notice that my calling was not to high school aged ministry in Ireland, and I should have known that my preparation the past three years was leading me away from that anyways. I gravitated to the college-aged/college-bound Irish and found their hunger for enlightenment the most encouraging prospect of doing ministry in Ireland.

On top of seeing their hunger, I also saw the need. Dave Hayman and his missionaries have done a great job in breaking into the hearts of Irish middle schoolers and high schoolers. But Dave admits his ability to invest greatly diminishes after that age. What is needed is a ministry for networking Irish college-aged citizens for the purpose of expressing their questions and hearts and dreams. The place they, as well as many American college-aged people, do this is at University.

So, the summary of this post and my trip is to express how my dream has been redefined.

I want to see this:

• Hostel in a college/university city

• Café/Coffee shop incorporated into this Hostel

• An application process for any interested tenants for the purpose of giving them free housing during the week, and renting on the weekends. This free housing would require the tenants’ participation in janitorial duties, as well as other facility maintenance tasks.

• Weekly events like chess tournaments, futbol matches, movie nights, open mic nights, and Holiday celebrations.

• The café would offer discounted menu items to anyone with a college identification, free Wi-Fi and an extensive collection of literary materials and text books.

• The staff of this establishment (8-12 college graduates/interns) would double as private tutors for anyone interested (for a minimal cost).

• Funding for the continued existence of the establishment would be mainly support-raised to begin with, then partially self-sustained through business transactions, and eventually operated and funded by Irish natives, only requiring graduate, missionary interns for private tutoring.

In the midst of all of this, relationships will be built with individuals, not massive groups. These relationships are doorways into the green island’s hidden countryside and the hearts of people there, hearts that are much more difficult to reach for Christ as an American than as a native. The idea is not to provide an education service, but to provide a relationship model that can be experienced, learned, and incorporated.

This is also not motivated by monetary gain. I realize that offering free housing sounds absurd and ultimately unsustainable, even for a short season… but if it weren’t absurd, I would have a hard time believing it was God providing and not my own ability to keep a ship afloat.

What’s next?

I’ve recently started a job at the Spring Hill Suites, Historic District Savannah, Ga. I am learning the practical as well as business side of large-scale residency. In the past two weeks I have already gained so much wisdom not only through observation but also through personal failure. It has been great! I am putting $200 every paycheck into a savings account in order to supplement some of the costs necessary for my next trip to Ireland. I am living with my parents currently to cut out a lot of expenses and to get involved in a local church community. It is very true that you have to live like nothings left to get to a point where you can live like no one else.

What is needed?

Well the obvious ones are money, a property, and an incredible team of college graduates interested in tutoring and willing to invest at least one year in this ministry. If you’re interested, please email me! I want to know why you’re interested, what you bring to the table, and just get to know who you are! Also, with the job-market in the state it is in, what better is there to do for the next year? Live with your parents?

The less obvious needs would be people with connections to all the equipment necessary to run a café/coffee shop, all the furniture, tools, and appliances necessary to accommodate not only 13 staff, but also at least 20 Irish college students.

I realize a dream of this magnitude could take some time to get off the ground, but I’m in the perfect position to see it cultivated and tilled and prepared for the Lord to plant some incredible seeds. I feel He has already begun to do so.