Ringsend: The Anchorage

After spending two weeks in the village of Greystones with about 35 people, moving back into the City Centre of Dublin with seven other people has been a bit of a shock. We are living above a Christian book store on Abby Street, about a 30 min. walk from the Ringsend community where we will be working these next two weeks.

My team is made up of four Irish (John - leader, Alice - leader, Sarah - my roommate from Greystones, and Declan) and four Americans (Elisha - my culture week partner, Linea, Ryan, and ME).

We will spend the next two weeks working with Joe Donnelly at the Anchorage doing community development and children's programs. The Anchorage is incredible. Joe and family (Sharon his wife, three daughters and two sons) maintain the Anchorage. It is a nursery in every sense of the word.

(This is a picture of the Anchorage)

The Anchorage sells plants, birds, and rabbits to raise money for community development in undeveloped countries. They also have a fully functional daycare that runs every day, and a drop-in club for youth Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Needless to say, they're very busy.

Joe has a passion for community development and seeing the Gospel lived and spoken. The Anchorage building is nestled in the center of a strong Catholic community. As a child, Joe threw rocks at the building that was seen as the sole Protestant stronghold. (Remember, Catholic and Protestant here mean far more than religion - it is a political, social, and societal statement far more than a religious preference) Today, he owns the building and is using it to reach kids similar to himself then.

I wish I could tell you Joe's whole story now and all the story of the Anchorage, but I'll have to save it for a later post - it is amazing! Too much to type now.

For an overview: I will be planting flowers in the community and refurbishing the Anchorage community center next week in the mornings. This serves several purposes including re-establishing trust of Christians in the neighborhood, placing value upon the community, and giving a face to the work of the Anchorage. In the evenings we will be working with kids and youth in the community. This week we'll be with teens, going to the beach, hanging out, playing games and building positive relationships. Next week we'll do a kids club (like a VBS) with about 48 Irish children.