On the Eve of the Border Walk

Lectures have now drawn to a close; the weeks of routine teaching intermixed with chores are over. Two out of us seven trainees have gone home with the end of the season. I write on the eve of a new chapter: the Border Walk.

As I mentioned in my last entry, the Border Walk is literally a prayer walk along the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland--one island, two countries. Technically, Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland is an independent member of the European Union, but the divide between the two countries is not monitored by any kind of border control. This will allow us to crisscross freely back and forth across the border. Here is a list of the cities we will be passing through and staying in, in order:

• Rostrevor (the YWAM base; our starting point)
• Newry
• Crossmaglen
• Darkley
• Lisnaskea
• Enniskillen
• Belcoo
• Belleck
• Kesh
• Castlederg
• Strabane
• Londonderry-Derry (known as "Londonderry" to the North, or "Derry" to the South)

This is what our schedule looks like, as far as miles go:

Please pray for physical strength, endurance, and perseverance for us as we walk 200 miles over a course of 16 days. For most of us, the DTS schedule has consumed almost all of our time, leaving little or no time for physical training. I, for one, am a bit concerned for the initial shock on my body. Practical things to pray against would be soreness, exhaustion, and blisters. There will be a couple luggage cars available to carry us if we are unable to go on, but we want to walk as far as we can, praying for peace and the cities we are walking through. We want to see God move mightily in these cities, and heal very deep wounds in the people. Blood has been spilled in these cities, and the people have far from forgotten it. Pray the love and Truth of God will not get buried under religious labels and political affiliations, and that the Spirit of God will move in these cities, rejuvenating them and bringing them back to life in His name. Pray that when people see us walking along the side of the road and ask us what we are doing, that God would open their ears and hearts to hear and see what He wants to do, and that He would put the right words in our mouths and help us to respond with wisdom and respect. Also pray that we will be able to find enough bathroom spots along the way. ;)

The days of walking will be long, and far, with few changes of clothes, and showers where we can catch them. We will be sleeping on the floors of churches and sometimes in people's homes, in our sleeping bags. The DTS will not be the only people doing this (base staff will be coming too, and people from the community can join), but most other people will only be joining on certain days; it is very unlikely they will walk the entire distance with us. For the second week, we will most likely be dragging a cross along with us.

We leave tomorrow morning. It is unlikely that I will have access to wireless internet during this time, so I will not be able to update until I get back. Please keep us in your prayers!