Six 116 mile roundtrips, five Christians, five days, three clubs per day, 61 children hearing the gospel (perhaps for the first time).

We started each day with a good sleep in the car (except for Neil, who was driving) followed by coffee and a time of prayer with Sara, who lives in Drogheda.

The Children
On Monday we arrived at the first club to find the children were already waiting, and had even brought out their own mats! They were excited to see us coming; the older girls were excited to show off their gymnastics but the boys engaged well. On the Tuesday we were very disappointed to find that of our original 11 children, nobody had turned up but we spent the time praying and reminding each other of God’s sovereignty and were delighted to see them back on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The second club was a very rowdy club, but definitely my favourite, and not just because they brought us cupcakes on the last day! Although it was quite rowdy some of those children listened so intently and seemed to grasp what we were teaching.

The final club was quite family orientated and the older siblings kept the younger ones in line! This club enjoyed teaching us new games and were keen to sing. I’m not sure how much the little children understood of the teaching, but the seeds have been sown and the rest is God’s work.

The Parents
It was very encouraging to have Mary, a supportive Christian parent whom the team had been introduced to last year, come back and tell us about what God had been doing in her life and in her church. Not only were the children learning from the lessons, but Mary went home to read the story of Zacchaeus for herself.

Another parent, who had very recently become a Christian, dropped off his son the next day and told us he was delighted to see what we were doing and encouraged us to keep going because it is an important work.

One day whilst buying lunch in the local spar, the lady serving us asked if we were the people who came and did the kids clubs each year because the children really looked forward to them!

Over the past few years the relationships with both parents and children have been growing and trust is being built up. Please pray for these children (and adults) who have heard the gospel in Drogheda this summer, pray that they will turn from their sin, follow Christ and tell others the good news. Pray also for the possibility of establishing a more permanent ministry in Drogheda.