We can’t help where we are born but it does matter what we do with it

Friday we were gratefully allowed to sleep in until 9:30.  Some slept soundly after the previous night of very little sleep while others of us were wide awake at 2:00.  We walked the short distance from our hostel to the classroom in the Presbytery Chaplaincy and began to learn about the complexity of Northern Ireland.  Rev. Steve Stockman, our host and a native of Northern Ireland, gave us a summary of his experiences here and some of the history of the country.  He started by explaining how we are all victims to where we are born.  None of us can have any say in that but we can choose how we respond to the places and people we are born with. This will most likely prove to be a very important reminder as we seek to understand the conflicts here and in our own lives.  We learned that he grew up in a very Protestant part of the country about 30 miles away from Belfast.  He proudly informed us that he shares his hometown with God aka Liam Neisen who speaks the voice of Aslan in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.  Because the country is so small, only six counties, a little distance by American standards is a much longer distance here.  The thirty miles separting him from Belfast allowed Steve to only hear a few bombs while his friends who grew up in Belfast saw and heard much more violence.  We were encouraged to consider the politics of Jesus when reflecting on both Northern Ireland and the United States.  The quality company, teaching, tea, and coffee made for a wonderful first day of class.