Help Shawn Boonstra in Northern Ireland
Early in my ministry, I made a promise to God. And now I need your help to fulfill it.
While studying the impact of the work of Patrick and others in Ireland in the early Christian church, my heart stirred. A conviction began to form: I needed to share the Gospel in Ireland.
I wrestled with God. “But I’m not from Ireland. I don’t even have any ancestors from there.”
Yet the Spirit pressed me.
“OK, I’ll do it . . . but only if you have someone official from the church call me.”
Well, one year later, no one had called me. Two years, five years, twenty years—still nothing. By that point I felt confident nothing would happen.
AN UNEXPECTED CALL
Two years ago, one call changed everything. As I listened to the voice on the other end of the line, I felt chills go down my body. It was the Irish Mission president, and he wanted my Voice of Prophecy team and me to minister in his territory.
“I was hoping you’d consider Belfast.”
Belfast? Did he know what he was asking? Catholic-Protestant tensions and violence have long made Northern Ireland a minefield, and this was the capital. A city where just wearing the wrong color might get you shot. This invitation was more intimidating than Rome. Oh, no, he must have made a mistake . . .
“Belfast?”
“Yes, Belfast.”
My heart sank. This mission may be the most ambitious and difficult evangelistic project I’ve ever taken on. To accomplish something so audacious, so impactful, it’s going to take all of us on our knees. Please join me in praying for our work in this troubled but resilient city.
To be successful, it will also take us committing ourselves financially. Your gift today can help us make the near-impossible possible.
GETTING ACQUAINTED
The first step in reaching Belfast was to visit the city ourselves. In late 2022, Jean, Alex Rodriguez, and I boarded a plane and headed “across the pond.” It was a truly eye-opening experience. While in Belfast, we visited and worshiped with church members, but more than that, we did our best to immerse ourselves in the wider community.
After spending two weeks in the city, we headed home and began the next stage of our efforts for Belfast. Working with our Discover Bible School team, we began a social media campaign to invite those living in the Belfast area to begin Bible studies. The results were encouraging, both to us and to the church members in Northern Ireland. “We didn’t know so many people would be interested in something like this,” they told us.
I want to encourage our Northern Irish friends with this truth: God wants to save their loved ones and neighbors in bigger and better ways than they could ever imagine.
Alex Rodriguez (red vest) with Belfast members
GETTING ON THE AIR
Step three of ministering in Belfast was to introduce Discovery Mountain
to families in the area. In what can only be called a miracle, we were able to buy airtime on Spirit Radio, the leading Christian radio network in Northern Ireland. Now every Sabbath and Sunday morning, families are listening to new episodes of the program.
The response to Discovery Mountain has been very positive—so positive, in fact, that Spirit Radio is asking us if we’d be interested in purchasing even more airtime. Your support will help us take advantage of opportunities like this.
MAD ABOUT MARRIAGE
Three weeks after Discovery Mountain hit the air, we hosted our first live event: Mad About Marriage, hosted by Mike and Pam Tucker from Faith for Today. We had no
idea what would happen with the seminar. Members had told me to expect only one to two guests.
Five minutes before start time, we had just a handful of people roving around the room. Time to sweat—and pray.
It turns out that the residents of Belfast arrive “fashionably late.” Praise the Lord!
We had to scramble to find extra chairs for everyone who showed up.
The seminar was phenomenal, and the guests were eager to sign up for anything else we had to offer. The church members were over-the-moon excited
about the number of guests who showed up.
CONTINUED EFFORTS
As this year began, we focused our efforts on hosting a second public-facing live event: MindFit.
We deployed our evangelism team for this project. Associate Director Tenisha Tavares-Kincaid brought church members from throughout the Irish Mission together for a prayer rally, and then Director Alex Rodriguez hosted MindFit, live in Belfast.
The response was strong! Small groups began shortly thereafter where church members invited folks from the community into their homes for follow-up Bible studies.
OUR GOALS IN BELFAST
I have a heart for the underdog and the often-defeated. Perhaps you do, too. Over the years, our members in Northern Ireland have grown skeptical, even hardened, as other efforts to evangelize their communities have fallen flat. I want to encourage them with this truth: God wants to save their friends and neighbors in
bigger and better ways than they could ever imagine.
But more than that, I want to show you, and all my other friends in North America, that it is possible to generate interest
anywhere—because God is at work everywhere. If God can do things in Belfast, He can do things in your town as well.
We have developed an extensive calendar of initiatives to reach the people of Belfast, but conservative estimates say it’ll take upwards of $300,000 to pull it off. That’s why I need your help.
Is God calling you to reach this hardened land for Christ? Why not join Jean and me today in reaching Belfast for His kingdom?
Your brother in Christ,
Shawn Boonstra
Speaker/Director, Voice of Prophecy
