Sarah Faithe: June 2014

Hey guys,

Honesty time.

I'm feeling really discouraged. I'm doubting if God even wants me here still. Aside from a friend and my mother, nobody has said "yes" to seeing the lives of Irish youth changed. Nobody has sent me an encouraging message or email. It has been. Dead. Silence.
I feel like I'm shouting in a room full of people with a mega phone but everyone is deaf. It's rather difficult to not look at the numbers. I don't care about the numbers. I care what they represent. I have to keep reminding myself that people have said "yes" to prevention of sex trafficking in Cambodia. They've said "yes" to the first six months of this trip, to keeping Irish teens safe. And that it's down to the wire of either buying a plane ticket home or sticking it out and having faith that they will say "yes' again. That you will say "yes" again.

Anyone can fly to a third world country and build someone a house, to care for someone's physical needs. But it takes much longer to care for someone's mental and emotional needs. It takes months. Years. At first it just seems like I'm playing Uno or making bracelets with teenagers, but building relationships takes time. The coffee dates and long talks and tears and laughter don't happen right away. But you know what does happen right away? When these kids have a place to go to hang out three times a week instead of (for some of them) overdosing on drugs or drinking themselves into a stupor (like I used to). It breaks my heart when I see this stuff happen.
But at the same time, I'm so happy that these teens have chosen to hang out at the Rock or the Anchor or any other youth centre in Ireland.
It's literally a choice of life or death in some cases.

Missions In Ireland: How Choices Change Nations (create youth centers for at-risk teens) from Adventures In Missions on Vimeo.

And that's why I'm here on your behalf. This isn't about me It's about them. The future of Ireland. Of the world. These kids are world changers. And so are you.
It is going to cost approximately $1500 CDN a month to stay here and invest in these teens on your behalf. So far, $600 of that is covered. Thank you, Jesus. I have complete faith that Jesus is going to cover the rest of that. If you would like to partner with me in this adventure, feel free to contact me via email (sf.rochel@gmail.com) or on Facebook (Sarah Faithe).

Here's to many more lives changed.
Cheers.

I need to apologize. I have not been keeping y'all updated with what ministry is looking like here, and for that I'm sorry. I know I was pretty vague before I left about what I would be doing here, and honestly, that's because I didn't know anything either, thanks to AIM's lack of communication.

So, the past five months, as you already know, I have been working at a drug and alcohol free youth drop in centre in the town of New Ross, Ireland. What you don't know, and what I didn't know until after I got here, was that, our team were to start The Anchor from the ground up. We're talking brand spanking new. Crazy, right?

So, after being vetted by the Garda, and getting all the necessary paper work done, we finally had our first drop in night on February 8th. We have the Anchor running every other Saturday evening, and every Thursday afternoon. We've been able to connect with quite a few youth in town, and we've plugged ourselves into other local ministries. We've also been helping out at The Rock in Kilkenny, which we've used as a model for The Anchor. My team and I have volunteered there numerous times, and I've been developing relationships with some of the kids and the leaders. The Rock has been around for eight years, and is locally run.

Youth ministry was never really up my alley. I figured I would do the first six months with AIM and then I would be free to continue pursuing things I need to know for my dream of a safehouse. I was not expecting to fall in love with these kids, and with youth ministry. But here I am. Funny how God works sometimes.

So, what has your financial and prayerful support gone to? This entire trip has been about building relationships with the youth, other local ministry contacts, and the locals.
When I first got here, my team and I were given lodging by Rob and Joany, a Texan couple who retired early to serve Jesus here in Ireland. I am so beyond thankful for them. They have been such an inspiration and words cannot describe how I am indebted to them for investing in our team by helping out at The Anchor and getting to know us. They are excellent role models. Please keep them in your prayers, as Rob's father recently passed away.

Steve and Trudy moved to New Ross from Australia to open up kids ministry here in town. They have brought some of the youth to Christ and have been discipling and mentoring them. They have been gracious enough to help out at The Anchor and loan us their Wii to set up for the kids every other Saturday night. It's been an honour getting to know them and their passion for Jesus.

Our team have been slowly building relationships with some of the kids at The Anchor. The Irish move slowly, and that doesn't exclude relationships. After doing Bible studies with some of the girls at Steve and Trudy's, after having them over at our apartments for cookies and hang outs and movies and water fights, just now I feel like we've gotten to the place where we wanted to be. It's taken five months to get here, but we're here. And I'm so thankful for it. I'm thankful for them. It's been so humbling investing in these kids and seeing them rise up to their potential. Keri has the potential to be an evangelist. Every other day we hear about her telling folks about Jesus. Jenny has a pastoral gift. She serves like no other. Aaron is so creative. I'm constantly seeing him at the drawing station at The Anchor, whipping up some form of drawing. Ben, despite being loud and hilarious, also has a quiet and gentle spirit. He will do great things in life.
And I could go on and on about the rest of the kids that we've seen grow. And you know who made all this happen? You did. You believed in me enough to invest your prayers and money into to see these kids change the world. I could not have done this without you. So, with every fibre of my being, I say thank you. Thank you thank you thank you.

So, after my team goes back to the States at the end of June, I will be moving to Kilkenny. I will be volunteering with The Rock as much as possible and continue to build the relationships I've started, as well as start new ones. Since I am on a working holiday visa, I will also be looking into the possibility of a part time job. This way I can save up to come home for Christmas (missionaries need breaks too :) ). I will also possibly be running a weekly cafe in New Ross(the decision isn't mine to make, and hasn't been finalized yet). Because as much as my heart is in Kilkenny, I'm not quite ready to leave the youth in New Ross just yet. I am so excited to find a place to live and FINALLY put down some roots in my new home. No more moving around for the next year and a half. No more packing up my life. I've found home. And it's beautiful.

But I can't do this without you. I am looking for you, my dear supporters, to help me invest in the kids of Kilkenny. I am looking for 10-15 people to donate $50-$100 a month. I know that's a lot, but unfortunately living in Ireland is 1.5x more expensive than it is in Canada. But I know God's got me here for a reason. So I'm not living in fear because of big numbers. God owns all the money in the world. He has me here, and He's going to keep me here. If you would love to partner with what Jesus is doing here, or have any questions, email me at sf.rochel@gmail.com. I will no longer be with AIM after June 30th. So that means that 100% of your support is going straight into ministry, instead of going into someone's pocket. Yay for no admin fees!

Thank you guys, so so much for partnering with me this far, I would love to continue this journey with you and with Jesus.

All My Love,
Sarah

P.S. Here are some pictures from our past few months here. But first, meet my team!