PC(USA) Newsletter

Hello from Belfast!

As I sit and reflect on the past two months, I am at a loss for what to share with you. I remember reading through so many of these newsletters as I tried to decide where I would like to serve and where God was calling me. Now that I am here, it is hard to be on the other end, providing you with an idea of what this program in Belfast is like. There are so many things that I have already become accustomed to. I have to stop and look around every once in a while and remember to enjoy the little differences. I understood the accent quite easily and often times, I don’t even hear it anymore. When I see people driving in American films, it looks odd, as driving on the left side of the road is what I have come to expect. The city is dirty and busy, but I mustn’t forget that the countryside and Cave Hill linger right on the city’s edge, lush and green.

There have been ups and downs, bumps and smooth paths along the way. There have been days of homesickness and nights where Belfast feels like home. My work here connects me with a great variety of people, location, and political opinion. I am working with Fortwilliam and Macrory Presbyterian Church, and the Partnership in Community Transformation (PCT), the churches community outreach ministry. Through the PCT, I work in many different community placements, both Protestant and Catholic. My time is spent at three schools, with a joint Catholic/Protestant photography club, learning to play and help teach Net Ball in PE, rehearsing for the school drama of Oliver, and swimming class at a Primary school. Other days take me to an old folks home, a community youth club, and a mothers and toddlers group. Within the church, I lead bible class on Sunday mornings and youth group on Sunday nights. I work with the Boys Brigade one evening a week, doing art and singing with precious 4-7 year olds.

As I prepared to come to Belfast, I read a huge packet provided by our Site Coordinator on The Troubles, the conflict I was about to live within. While the history of the Catholics and the Protestants was hard to follow and really comprehend, living here has given me more of a picture of what The Troubles look like. When we arrived, I noticed the segregation immediately. The streets are marked with flags, the republic of Ireland flag for Catholic areas and the British and Northern Ireland flags for Protestant areas. The curbs are still painted in some of the worst areas. The football team one supports as well as the sports they play are representative of one side or the other. Even the way they say the letter H places them among the divide. After spending two months here, the sectarianism has been given many voices. A 10 year old Protestant boy refused to partner with a Catholic boy at a PCT event. He told me he would rather not participate than partner with him. I went to see traditional Irish music at a pub and heard a Nationalist community cry for freedom in the song “Four Green Fields.” My youth group told me that they don’t really think about the troubles, as it is just how life is in Northern Ireland. I want them to know that it doesn’t have to be. The more experiences I have here, the more I learn about the troubles, yet I cannot even begin to understand.

When I used to think of Northern Ireland, part of the UK, I didn’t immediately feel a sense of need there. It is not a third world country where there are images of starving children drinking from dirty rivers. They have running water, internet, and never failing electricity. But there is a need here. The need is not blatant; visitors come to Belfast every day and would not ever think about it. IT is a need that goes unseen and untouched. It is the need for peace within, for reconciliation, for alternative entertainment to keep youth out of trouble. I think it is this kind of need that is the most dangerous. My question for you is this: When is a social need great enough to warrant global attention?

Peace,

Libby