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In the year I served as a Young Adult Volunteer in Belfast, Northern Ireland I came to treasure the words of St. Patrick, "He who gave his life for you, it is he who speaks within you." I started to hear God’s voice more intimately and see God’s face all around me as I witnessed God at work in reconciliation in Northern Ireland. God changed my view and my heart forever, teaching me about simplicity, humility, authenticity and discipleship. I went to Belfast with 2 suitcases and lived on a stipend of about $200 a month. I learned about all the things I didn’t need in life and I lived in solidarity with my neighbors in the most impoverished area of North Belfast.
As a volunteer in the afterschool program, I learned to put aside my pride and my degree in education and make toast with humility so I could build relationships with my coworkers and the children. I served alongside people on both sides of the deep divide of the Troubles in Belfast, people seeking peace and healing with one another after deep hatred, pain, and loss.
I worked at Whitehouse Presbyterian Church, which sat on the divide of Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods. The church had been destroyed in an arson attack just two years before and they rebuilt with a commitment to cross-community peacemaking efforts. For example, on Tuesdays I supported a lunch program for older adults from both communities, people who had been enemies for over 30 years were sitting at table together.
My other placement was a community center where I volunteered with the afterschool program and groups for youth and adults with disabilities. Often, people with disabilities would be targeted by paramilitary groups; they were vulnerable, easy to attack. Our group organized events for them to socialize safely, build relationships and life skills.
In these placements I saw the deep rifts that still exist in Belfast’s society and I saw how God was bringing people together to heal them. I was a stranger, but these communities welcomed me in and blessed me with the chance to join in on the good work they were doing. God changed my heart and my view, offering me a chance to see the world through the eyes of Christ who is re-creating and reconciling. He who gave his life for me grew new gifts and parts of me far more abundantly than I ever imagined. God is at work in the world in vibrant ways and invites us to be a partner in it in ways that will change us forever, shaping us as we respond to God’s loving invitation. He who gave his life for you, it is he who speaks within you.
Lauren Slingerland
Chaplain Resident, Harborview Medical Center
Seattle, WA
Pentecost helps to show God's plan to save all humanity and demonstrates that He is a God of love, and that no one will be lost because of circumstances of birth.
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