Stories

YV team members walking across the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge at the North Antrim coast.

Peacemaking in Ireland happens one family at a time

DUBLIN, Ireland - The Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary defines a venture as "an undertaking involving chance, risk or danger."

Teens and young adults interested in trying their hand at such a mission need look no further than Youth Venture, a program of Mennonite Mission Network. In this case, though, the "chance, risk and danger" apply to the challenging of comfort zones and established perspectives.

Eight young adults took that challenge this summer with a three week Youth Venture trip to Lurgan, Northern Ireland during July. They worked alongside staff at Lurgan's YMCA, an organization that strives to create a refuge for and make God's love relevant to at-risk 14-to-25 year olds. The group hoped to encourage cross community work in a town that is sharply divided on sectarian lines.

The trip was sectioned in two parts. Week one involved a redecorating project at one of the two YMCA drop-in centers in Lurgan, where the Youth Venture team had the opportunity to work with local Catholic youth.

"We decorated the center by painting a graffiti wall and images of sports figures and by leaving our own special mark," commented Hugo Saucedo, one of the group's leaders from San Antonio, Tex.

The Church Walk drop-in center in Lurgan now bears a Texas flag with the state motto "Don't Mess With Texas."

During the second week, team members helped facilitate a vacation Bible school, the Hill Street Presbyterian Church's Kings Club.

"We were only there a few days," said Kristi Yoder (Hicksville, Ohio), "but it was encouraging to see the younger kids wanting to know more about Christ."

Bombarded by media reports of grenades and street fighting, team members weren't sure what to expect during their stay. "I didn't know if I would see a lot of fighting and violence or not, but looking back, it's not the 'troubles' I remember," commented Yoder.

"The best part of the trip was just hearing families' individual stories and making relationships with them."

Saucedo agreed. "The most interesting part of our work in Northern Ireland was seeing the people for who they were," he said. "We see so many reports about Northern Ireland and how the peace process is collapsing. The reality is that peacemaking is working in Northern Ireland one person and one family at a time."

Elizabeth Zerger, a member of the group from McPherson, Kan. remembers the woman who gave her a hair cut. Margaret was Catholic, but had married a Protestant.

"She was really open to talk about her experiences," commented Zerger. "She told me 'at the end of the day it doesn't matter which side you're on. At the gates, St. Peter isn't going to ask if you were Catholic or Protestant.'"

The Youth Venture participants came to serve, but often discovered they were the ones being served instead.

Kathleen McKay of Allenspark, Colo., was especially grateful for the work of Brendy McCann, the youth director at the YMCA. "He did absolutely everything in his power to make sure that our trip was comfortable and a good one," she said. "The rumor about the Irish being hospitable people is definitely true."

Members of the Hill Street Presbyterian Church in Lurgan opened up their homes, treating the group to tea or supper and sharing about their lives, their culture and their faith.

"Their stories challenged me to see life through the eyes of people who truly have to have faith to survive, to listen for God's voice through their words," said Saucedo. "I discovered things are not black and white. I found these people and experiences to be a source of healing for me."

Yoder found her perspective changing, too. "There is so much going on in this world, and the least I can do is know about it and pray for the situation. And I see a new meaning to the word 'service.' It is no longer just a word that means work. I now see the reward that comes with it."

Youth Venture participants discovered their English didn't always match that of their new friends. One group member complimented a neighborhood girl on her tie-dyed jeans, telling her she had "nice pants." It happens that "pants" in Ireland are worn under jeans.

A dearth of keys also added spice to the trip. Because the house in which the group stayed had only three door keys, lock-outs were frequent. On one occasion, two girls in the group recruited a young man from the church to help them "break and enter" with a tricky climb to a second-story window.

Aside from linguistic juggling, acrobatic feats, and their work in Lurgan, the Youth Venture group was able to make a variety of day trips, visiting Belfast, Londonderry, and Dublin.

Elizabeth Beachy