Clip from Football in Ireland

The Beginning of Saturday Morning Football(Soccer)
This clip is from the beginning of me training kids at the local football (soccer) club in Buncrana. This was before enough girls started coming to split off for all-girl training sessions. Johnny (head of coaching) and I join the kids in the scrimmage at the end of training. You can almost make out Lough Swilly with choppy water in the background that December morning. It was soooo cold. I could barely feel my feet! I'm in the red jacket. You can see me get smoked (standing like a block of ice) by one of the boys. Pray God would draw these girls close to him.

New Contact Info & Buncrana House Tour

I am back in Newnan. I'm still trying to settle back into the U.S. and teaching. My email is still the same valesewe@yahoo.com. My new phone number is the same start but last 4 digits are now 6408.

I've just figured out how to use YouTube. I've posted this video tour of my home when I lived in Buncrana.
Check it out.

Coming Home

I cannot believe how quickly time has passed this year. It has been a year of incredible experiences. God has been working in so many ways during my time in Ireland. I am sad to have left the Emerald Isle, but I am happy to see you all again. I am now in Germany for a few days. I hope to see my sister during her layover in Frankfurt as she is on her way to Asia. I will be back in Atlanta on July 22nd on Delta 6446 at 5:30 pm. See you soon!

Girls' Football Camp...Rain and Shine

Thank you for your prayers for the football camp. Saturday and Sunday the weather was gloomy and rainy, not the ideal for the camp, yet 6 hearty girls came the first day. On Monday 5 girls came out, 4 of which were new. We had a good soccer training and then got to sit down and talk with the girls. We talked about being a champion in life with stories from the book of Ruth and about Mia Hamm. It was a great opportunity to share the Gospel and have a good time playing soccer.

One of the girls asked about training sessions on Saturday mornings with the Fun Soccer Academy. She has come the past two weeks. I have been praying that God would provide a woman who is a Chistian and good footballer to take over training the girls on Saturdays. God is working! I've recently gotten to know a woman who played for the Swiss national team. It is exciting to hear how God's brought her to Ireland and been working in her life. I hope she will be able to do some training with the girls next season.

Burnfoot Football

Jesus & Soccer...for Girls

I am organizing a soccer camp for girls this (Irish) holiday weekend, June 2,3, & 4. For a couple hours each day, the OM team and I will provide soccer training and share the love of Jesus with these wee girls (age 8-12). This is an exciting opportunity! We are hoping for many kids to come and good weather.

- Pray for for hearts to be given to the Lord and for God to touch the campers' lives in specific ways
- Pray for teamwork and unity to bind the leaders
- Pray for the speakers who will be challenging the athletes-that the Lord will speak through them
- Pray that lives will be changed and that parents would encourage and invest in the growth of their children's Christian walks


Saturday morning training session with the girls I coach through local recreation club. I've invited these girls to the camp and hope they bring friends.

Big Summer Outreach

Hello! It's Valerie now. Sorry it's been a while since the last post; Beth has been busy preparing to leave the country for 2 years. I want to tell you about the next big event for us here on the Emerald Isle.

Impact Ireland is the main summer short term outreach programme. This year it will run July 3-17.

We expect up to 100 people to participate on teams - already we have 80-90 signed up from USA, Australia, Austria, Germany, and Brazil. We have already closed the door for applicants from outside Ireland, but are still open to welcome Irish applicants. Last year no Irish signed up to join the teams, so this year we are hoping for some!

The programme starts with a three day orientation/training conference for all participants to be held at Kilkenny Presbyterian Church. From that conference teams will go out to work with local churches in the following places:

Kilkenny: 35 team members will stay in Kilkenny working with three local churches. One team will run 'The Rock' youth drop-in in the centre of the city. Last year, it was one of the more successful things we did with a good number of local teens coming regularly and appreciating it. We will also have three teams working with each of the three teams doing kids clubs and running a city-centre coffee shop.

Carlow: 15 team members will go to this town to work with local churches and be involved in street outreach in the town centre.

Tullamore: During the week that the team will be there the town festival - The Phoenix Festival - is on. The local Presbyterian church is involved and hopefully other churches will come on board. They are talking with the festival organisers and we hope to have the team and Big Red Bus involved in the festival.

Mountmellick: A small team will work in this small town doing a children's club and reaching out into a housing area.

Cavan/Cootehill: We hope a team will work with churches in these two towns - first few days in Cavan and then moving on to Cootehill for the remainder of the time.

Please Pray:
For the participants as they prepare and for Irish to join.
For the churches to be blessed and as they plan their programmes. For good relations between churches, teams, and OM
For organising the whole event - line up, logistics, applications, conference, ...
For fruit in transformed lives and communities.

Update on Easter and Football

Easter
The Amazing Grace Celebration on Easter Sunday went very well. They had 240 people there! Praise God that so many people were able to come.

Football
Valerie's team of young footballers (soccer players) continues to grow. They had 18 girls at practice last week! Please continue to pray for Valerie and her growing relationship with these girls.

Alpha Course and Football

Alpha Course
One young lady came to the Alpha Course this week. The discussion was on how and why to read the BIble. She had never read the Bible, but just takes what others tell her about the Bible to be true. She said that she would begin reading the Bible, but she is nervous about it. Please pray for her as she seeks God in His word for the first time. Pray the He will reveal wonderful truths to her, and she will know Him in a great and personal way.


Football
Valerie's training with the youth girls soccer is going well. She had 15 girls last week. Please pray for wisdom for Valerie to be a good coach and for opportunities for Christ to shine through her.

St. Patrick's Day and Easter

The team took a float to the St. Patrick's Day parade in Buncrana and had the Big Red Bus parked on the main street for the festivities. They had face painting in the downstairs of the bus, and upstairs, they had an exhibition of St. Patrick, John Newton, and modern-day slavery. The exhibition included paintings and the common thread of slavery. Many people don't realize that St. Patrick was a slave in Ireland, and he later returned after his escape to share the Gospel. They also made an Amazing Grace float for the parade. The float was a re-creation of John Newton's ship, the Greyhound, and included children from Scoil Iosagain, a local elementary school. This was the first time that the team was able to work with this school. Praise the Lord for this new connection!

Here's a link to a video of the Parade.
http://andrewgw.multiply.com/video/item/5

Valerie chatting with Charlotte, a fellow footballer (soccer player) from Buncrana women's team




They will have an Amazing Grace Celebration on Easter. April 8th is the date that John Newton sailed into Lough Swilly in 1748. You can find the story at

www.amazinggrace.ie

The celebration will be held at the Gateway Hotel. The town council will be invited, a choir will sing Amazing Grace, and there will be an Amazing Grace dance performed by members of the OM team. Pray that God will bring many to this event and speak to them through John Newton's story of grace and hope found in Christ.

Weekend at Castlederg

Here's an update from Valerie from last weekend:

This weekend’s brilliant weather was such a lovely blessing. The team worked with a church to bring the Big Red Bus to the town center of Castlederg on Saturday. The church is having events during this week. We were able to chat with and invite people to those events as they came for free tea or coffee, face painting, balloon modeling, games, and the live band. The day went so well and the local people from the church were enthusiastic. We were all excited to be a part of the first big outreach that’s happened in Castlederg. Please pray for the people who heard the Gospel on Saturday and for those that will attend the meetings throughout the week.


Some youth and games upstairs on the bus Andrew doing a magic trick for the kids

The band playing inside a truck as a stage - parked just in front of the bus

A Glimpse of Beyond 48 and Amazing Grace

Here are links to video from the last two big events.

Beyond 48 video clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnALt1dDjsQ

Amazing Grace video clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8iqt2VYykw

"AMAZING GRACE" PRE-SCREENING IN BUNCRANA Monday March 5, 2007

Over 250 people attended the pre-screening of "Amazing Grace" in Buncrana, County Donegal on Monday March 5. Hosted by the Mayor of Buncrana, Cllr Joe Doherty the event united politicians, church leaders, members of the business community and community leaders from Donegal and across the border in Northern Ireland. One highlight came when Irish singer Moya Brennan sang the well-loved hymn, accompanied on the guitar by Mayor Doherty. "Amazing Grace" is the story of Williberforce and his battle to abolish the trans-atlantic slave trade. The film also shows the vital role that John Newton played in encouraging Wilberforce to use his political influence for good.As the first screening of film in the Republic of Ireland came to an end in St Mary's Cinema, Buncrana, there was a spontaneous round of applause. Enjoying the story, many also recognised the vital message of the film both within Ireland and across the world. May-Lynn Chang, Director of Strategic Marketing for film makers Walden Media shared why she wanted the film to be shown in the North West of Ireland, "What struck me was the heart of reconciliation. There is an opportunity here to work cross boundary, cross faith, cross border, cross political party and that is also the spirit of Wilberforce in terms of really wanting to make change."Many of you come from different walks of life but what drives you is the hope for a future, the hope for a change. Ireland is very much a country that understands freedom and longs for peace."Mike Mullins, Director of OM Ireland added, "My dream, is that people from all over the world will come here to reflect on what it means to know amazing grace and that the Lake of Shadows (Lough Swilly) would be known as a place of hope, even a place of salvation for a wretch who found Christ."

"Amazing Grace" goes on general release across Ireland and the UK on March 23.

Amazing Grace Screening Today

Just a reminder...The prescreening of Amazing Grace is today in Buncrana. Please be in prayer for this event, the people that will come, and the OM team.

Val said the first meeting of the Alpha Course went well. They had 2 people attend. Please continue to pray for this Course.

Beyond 48 update

Here are some pictures from the 3-day event, Beyond 48/TeenStreet. Please pray for Georgina and Tanya, 2 teens from Donegal that attended. Val was excited to have girls from their area at Beyond 48. There are very few believers at their school. Please pray for strength, boldness, and wisdom for these girls as they go back to their school and lives in Donegal.

There was a total of 390 teens and adults at the conference!

Here is the Global Action Team Members: Holli, Malin, Anna, Valerie
The main session with Dan and Suzie Potter engaging the kids with wacky illustrations, while teaching God's truth. In this picture, Dan's playing scrabble blindfolded.

Many of the kids signed this banner as a statement of their commitment to live for God.

Valerie helped with sports during the conference. She had a great time playing football with the kids, but came home very sore.

Amazing Grace and Alpha

The Alpha course is starting tomorrow. Please be in prayer for the team and for Mike especially, as he will be teaching the course. Pray that many people would come, they would truly experience God, and they will be eager to come back and bring others with them.

The Amazing Grace movie opened last Friday. If you haven't seen it yet, please do. Continue to pray for the prescreening in Buncrana that is happening Monday, the 5th (the movie opens in the UK Mar 23) . You can read more about Amazing Grace, John Newton, and Lough Swilly at www.amazinggrace.ie, a site setup by the OM team. Also, here's some excerpts from a letter sent to all the churches in the County Donegal letting them know about the screening:

An AMAZING Connection
The hymn "Amazing Grace" is known and loved across the world, but few realise that Donegal played a significant role in the life of hymn writer John Newton. In 1748, John Newton was a foul-mouthed slave trader. He faced death during a violent storm in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and cried out to God for mercy.

Finally, after four weeks at sea the wind changed. Newton wrote, "We saw the island of Tory and the next day anchored in Lough Swilly in Ireland. This was the 8th day of April (1748) and before we had been there two hours, the wind began to blow with great violence. If we had continued at sea that night in our shattered condition, we must have gone to the bottom. About this time I began to know that there is a God that hears and answers prayer."
From that moment, John Newton’s life began to change as he came to realise that God’s grace could save even a ‘wretch’ like him! The crew received a warm welcome from the local villagers on the shores of Lough Swilly in County Donegal. Carpenters went to work repairing the ship. Meanwhile, John Newton visited the city of Derry where he attended church.
Later, John Newton became a clergyman and a prolific hymn writer. He went on to play a significant role in the fight against the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Newton mentored evangelical politician William Wilberforce and saw the first anti-slavery legislation passed in the British parliament before his death in 1807.

An AMAZING Coincidence?
When OM Ireland was launched in 2002, many questioned why the ministry chose to focus on Donegal. Most Christian agencies are based in Dublin and although OM Ireland opened an office in the capital, Director Mike Mullins (who was living in Buncrana) believed it was right to remain in the North West.
Mike was the first to widely publicise Lough Swilly’s connection with John Newton and Amazing Grace. As a result God is opening doors of opportunity to share the story with politicians, business leaders, community leaders and many more. Local and even national media have publicised the story. As one politician put it – "there is so much bad news in the world; it’s unusual to have some good news to share for once".
We believe it is no coincidence that Mike Mullins and OM Ireland are based in Donegal at this time. Our prayer is that Christians across the region will unite to embrace this historic connection with John Newton as part of their heritage and as a God-given opportunity to share good news.

This March sees the release of a movie called "Amazing Grace" which charts the history of William Wilberforce and his fight against slavery. The movie also shows the key role John Newton played in mentoring Wilberforce. Coinciding with the film and the 200th anniversary of the first anti-slavery legislation, many are continuing the work of Wilberforce and Newton by campaigning for the abolition of modern day slavery. This provides an opportunity for Christians to stand up for Christ-like values and oppose injustice and oppression.

Senior politicians from many different political parties and from both sides of the border have already agreed to attend the Buncrana pre-screening at the beginning of March. We are sure you can sense the significance of this opportunity – will you pray with us for God to work through this film in the lives of those who attend the screening?
From March 23, the film will be on general release. Please encourage all your church members to go to see the film and to take friends to see it. Check out www.amazinggracemovie.com for a trailer and more info.

AMAZING GRACE SUNDAY - Sunday 8 April
We would like to see Christians and churches across Ireland celebrating "Amazing Grace" Sunday on the anniversary of John Newton’s arrival in Lough Swilly (April 8). Below are a few suggestions of how you could mark this significant date, however, we would also like to extend a special invitation to all churches in Donegal.
On the afternoon of Sunday 8 April (Easter Day) we are arranging an "Amazing Grace" celebration in Buncrana, on the shores of Lough Swilly. This event will bring together Christians in the area with many local people to sing "Amazing Grace" and to hear the story of John Newton as well as testimonies of people whose lives have been changed by God’s grace. Will you join us?

Other ways your church could celebrate Amazing Grace Sunday
Raise your voice
-Why not sing "Amazing Grace" as part of your Easter Day Sunday service, paying special attention to the meaning of the words?
- Why not encourage people in your church to share testimonies of what God’s amazing grace means to them?
-One church in Donegal is hoping to ring Amazing Grace on their church bells on Easter Day.
Raise awareness
- Why not share the story of John Newton and its connection with Ireland? It is a powerful illustration of how the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus can change lives.
-Why not raise awareness of modern day slavery using Newton and Wilberforce as examples of Christians who made a difference?
- OM Ireland can provide stories, information and resources about the Dalit people in India who have suffered for centuries under the oppressive caste system. Today, thousands remain in slavery. In India, OM is playing a vital role as part of the Dalit Freedom Network (www.dalitfreedom.com) and providing education for thousands of Dalit children who have been denied this basic human right.
Raise money
-Why not take up a special collection to help those suffering from slavery or oppression?

Thanks again for all your prayers! I should have updates soon about the TeenStreet/Beyond 48 conference from last week.

Exciting Times in Buncrana

Thanks to all who saw the last update and prayed for the team during the Tea Dance. Val said it went well. They only had 5 kids there, but that allowed them to really give them personal attention and also allowed other team members to have some good conversations with some of the adults. They are still waiting to hear if they will have the team back again.

A few updates and some new news:
Alpha Course
The priest in Buncrana is excited about the Alpha Course they are planning to start. He is willing to work with the team on this course, and they may even directly work together in teaching the course. They are planning to start Feb. 28th. Please pray that this cooperation will bear much fruit and not be hindered. Praise God that it is coming together; pray that many people will attend.

Football
The last 2 weekends, 10 girls showed up for the youth football team! Valerie is very excited about building her team and building relationships with these girls. The youth director seems optimistic that more girls will turn out as the weather gets warmer.

Beyond 48
There is a youth event sponsored by OM called TeenStreet/Beyond 48 that will be taking place in Kilkenny Feb. 17th-19th. These conferences have been popular in other parts of Europe. This will be the first one held in Ireland. Please pray it can unite Irish teens in Christ. There are many details and finances that must come together before then, so please pray that God will provide. Praise Him that 325 teens have already signed up to come. They have a worship band lined up to lead. With a great turnout of teens signing up, they are in need of some more volunteers to help. Please pray for more workers, or that the current team can effectively minister to all the kids. Their hope is that this event will continue to grow in the years to come.

Amazing Grace
The movie Amazing Grace is scheduled to be released in the U.S. Feb 23rd. The hymn, Amazing Grace, was written by John Newton. Newton came to know God personally after a storm in which his ship almost sank, but floated to safety in the the Lough Swilly, where Buncrana is. The movie is about William Wilberforce and his fight for the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. Newton was a friend and mentor to Wilberforce during this time. The website for the movie is http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/. A prescreening will take place in Buncrana on Mar. 5th. It will be a huge opportunity for the OM team. There are many details that must still get worked out. Praise God that they have booked the cinema for the screening. Satan and other people have already begun to attack the people and process of this event. Please be in prayer for the team and all who will attend this event, that it could be a life-changing event for many.

Many high-level politicians from many different parties all over Ireland and Northern Ireland have been invited to Buncrana for the prescreening. Pray that they will come, they will recognize the bigger picture, and they will not base their attendance on what other party’s politicians or religious leaders will also be there. This movie and screening will also play a part in the current movement to abolish slavery and human trafficking all over the world. Joseph D’Souza, the head of the Dalit Freedom Network, will be coming to speak at the reception. Their website is http://www.dalitnetwork.org/.

Please take all your friends to go see it, and tell everyone you know to go see this movie. It is a movie about incredible men of faith and their devotion and service to God and His people. It is a great opportunity for this to be shared on the big screen.

New Teammate
The team has recently gotten a new member from Germany. Anna will be a great asset to the team. Valerie is very excited to have her on the team and living in the house.

Tea Dance

Valerie has asked for special prayer tomorrow from 11am-1pm (eastern time). The team will be doing a program for the children in Buncrana during the community's weekly Tea Dance. Before Christmas, the team was asked to perform their puppet show for the kids during the tea dance one week. They are very excited that they have been asked to come back and do another program for the kids. Please be in prayer now and especially during the event tomorrow. This is a great opportunity for the team to build its relationship with the community.

-Pray that the program will go smoothly and be effective.
-Pray that the kids will have fun and want the team to come back again.
-Pray that the community will want the team to do this on a regular basis.
-Pray that this will help the team build relationships with the kids and their families.
-Pray specifically for Valerie, who will be in charge of the games.

Thanks so much for your prayer and support!

Holiday

Valerie had about 10 days off over the Christmas holidays. She and her teammate, Holli, went to Switzerland and stayed with one of Holli's friends for Christmas. Valerie got to ski in the Alps while she was there. On the 27th, I met them in London, where we stayed until the 1st. We had a great time seeing the sites and just relaxing. It was so good to see Val again. We spent New Years under Big Ben, and then travelled over to Ireland on the 1st. I got to stay with Val at her house in Buncrana until the 5th. It was wonderful to spend time with her there and meet the team. Three of them have recently finished their time in Ireland and returned home. Please be in prayer for them as they move into a new phase of their life. Also pray that the team in Ireland can quickly adjust to their absence. Here are a few pictures from Switzerland, London, and Ireland.




Valerie sends her love and greetings. She is so thankful for the support and encouragement of her friends here in the States.

Football

Valerie is continuing to use her talents as a footballer (soccer player) to build relationships in the community. She loves playing with her women's team and playing with the men every week. She's very excited about coaching the youth girls' team. They had two practices before the Christmas break and seven girls have come out to play. Please continue to pray that Valerie will be able to build relationships with these girls and that more girls will turn out for the team.

The Christmas Tour

Well, it's been awhile since the last post, and I apologize to all who have been wondering about Val and the team. Just before Christmas they finished their tour of the schools in which they performed the puppet show, A Donkey's Back. The tour was a great success. Between 1,500 and 2,000 kids saw the show and heard about the true meaning of Christmas! The kids and teachers all loved the show. I will work on downloading a video of the show.
For now, here are some pictures.

Donkeys, Football, and Shoeboxes

Valerie is doing well these days. The team is staying very busy, as there are many ministry opportunities during the Christmas season. Today, they started a Christmas tour that will last for the next 3 weeks. They are presenting a puppet show to children in about 25 different schools. They have also been invited to present the show at the annual Tea Dance in Buncrana. This is a big step in their relationship with the people of Buncrana. They have been working hard to prepare the show, and they are excited about starting the tour today. This is a summary of the puppet show:

THE DONKEY'S BACK
It’s nearly Christmas and the children are busy practicing for the school Christmas play. Bray, the donkey, would love to have a part in the play. As he auditions for different roles, he discovers what Christmas is all about. “The Donkey’s Back” is a 30-minute colourful, multi-media presentation for 4 – 12 year old children exploring the true meaning of Christmas using puppets, drama, magic, music and more…

Please pray for positive responses from the children and teachers and that lives will be changed.
Pray for safe travelling, health and strength for the team. Also pray for the practical things, that the show will run smoothly.

Val is starting to help coach in the boys' youth football (soccer) program. Last week, one of the directors told her that they were considering starting a girls' program and asked if she would be interested in helping with it. Praise God!! That has been on Val's heart and mind since she began to consider joining the team in Buncrana.

The team had their first meeting of the Alpha Course. Here's what Val said about it: "We had the introduction meeting for Alpha tonight. Geraldine and her kids Fionan, 12 ,and Roisin, 10, were there. The possibility that the priest here, Father Walsh, might support or get behind the alpha course is huge. He has suggested waiting til Jan. to start the course. We are taking his advice and talking with him some more about it in hopes of a good reaction to it. Keep praying that God would guide us in the best decisions that we might reach people for His glory.

Tonight Fionan said something that really opened my eyes again to the reality here. We talked about an alpha course for youth, and he mentioned that he did not know of one Christian child at his school. He said many shut down or "run away" when Christianity is mentioned. Such a need! But not easy to minister to it."

Another one of the team's ministries is a short daily devotion on the radio station, Monday-Friday. You can listen to it online. They come on at about 2 pm Eastern time. Here's the link: http://www.icrfm.ie/about.htm

The team also collected 3,500 shoeboxes for the Donegal area for Operation Christmas Child!

New Blogger and Prayer Requests

This is Valerie's sister, Beth. Val and I have come up with a new plan for keeping her blog updated. Her internet connection is very slow, so it's difficult for her to find time to post updates. From now on, she'll give me her updates and prayer requests over the phone, and I'll post them on here. Please feel free to post comments on the updates, and I'll pass them along to her.

Things are going well for Val in Ireland. She said it's very cold, and it's only going to get colder. Please pray that her toes don't fall off. (Just kidding, she is going to the store in a couple days to buy an electric blanket and some warmer clothes.)

She's coaching in the youth football (soccer) league, planning to help out with the high school team in town, playing on a women's team, and playing with an informal men's team once a week. She's the only woman that comes out to play with the men, but of course she can hold her own. Please pray that she builds good relationships through these teams.

Also pray for the IEB, Irish Evangelical Band, a traveling band that recently came to her town. Please pray for their ministry and also for the three believers from Buncrana that attended their meeting. They are Geraldine and her two children, Roisin and Fionan. Please pray for them to be encouraged and for their spiritual growth.

Also be in prayer for an upcoming ministry, the Alpha Course. It is a basic and practical course that answers questions about Christianity and helps believers live out their faith. The first meeting is on December 1st. Please ask that people will attend and grow in their knowledge and faith.

In addition to prayer, you can also support Val by sending her old cellphones. She can turn in old cellphones in exchange for free minutes. This would be a great help for the team in their daily communication. There are small, flat-rate boxes you can get at the post office that are an inexpensive way to ship things to Val. Please email me at bethsewell12@gmail.com if you need her address.

Thanks to all of you who are supporting Val through prayer and/or finances. You are part of God's great work in Ireland!

In Holland, enjoying a stroopwaffle (the best Dutch treat ever!) exchanging e-mail addresses

Dancing and Radio

Wed, Oct. 4, 2006

Dancing! Last night the ladies on the women’s football (soccer) team invited me to their annual awards presentation and dinner on the 13th. But wait…it is not just dinner, but a meal “followed by Disco.” It is a big deal to me to get to go to this event. I look forward to spending time with the gals on the team off the pitch (field). I’ll start working on my moves for the disco ;)

Yesterday, the Global Action (GA) team went to Inishowen Community Radio (ICR) studio to record the two-minute Word for the Day bits. We recorded enough of these mini-devotionals for one to play daily for the next two weeks. Pray that God will use these short messages to draw people to Himself.