Day Twenty-Six: County Clare

Tuesday 26 May

The annual VOX magazine Finding Faith Tour looks very different this year. Instead of a 7-day road trip around the island, this year VOX editor Ruth Garvey-Williams brings you highlights from all 32 counties (one per day plus one for each of the 31 days in May). Contact Ruth if you have a story to share.

Day Twenty-Six: Nothing without Him!

One of the great joys of past Finding Faith Tours is when I am able to meet a whole group of people from a particular church or churches in a certain area and hear their stories. While that has not been possible this year, in Ennis, County Clare, I was able to catch up with several different people from Shannon Christian Church. Here’s a little taste of some of those stories (watch out for the summer issue of VOX for more!):

Bryan’s Story

Bryan McNamara was a “normal Irish lad” who drank too much and spent his weekends in night clubs but his lifestyle changed when he met his wife-to-be, Jean.

“Fast forward a few years and we had our first daughter. We were so happy and really looking forward to the future,” Bryan said. “We bought our first home and then we found out we were going to have our second child. We were over the moon. In October 2016, when our second daughter was born, things couldn't have been any better or so we thought.”

Two months later they received the worst possible news. Jean had stage four cancer and was given between six and 12 months to live! They tried everything, even travelling abroad for treatment. But nothing worked.

“One day I was talking to a good friend and he asked if he and friends from church could come and pray for Jean and I said, ‘Yes.’ That evening they came and we talked and prayed and I could feel a strange presence in the room.” 

Bryan and Jean went along to the church (expecting the boring experience of being dragged to mass as children) but were overwhelmed by what they experienced. Sadly Jean died almost exactly one year after her original diagnosis and Bryan was left to care for their two little girls.

“As the weeks went by I starting going to church and reading the Bible. This brought me more and more peace and prayer became a daily thing. I was growing in faith and I could see all the gifts God was giving me. He surrounded me with people that could help me and teach me about Jesus. But I was still not fully convinced. Then one night, I was alone and I really began to pray. I was brought to my knees and I gave my life to Christ.

Now, when people ask me why I have so much faith, I simply say, ‘Without God we are nothing!’  My life is an example of what God can do if you put your trust in Him. You don’t need self-help books - you only need Jesus Christ!”

Caroline’s Story

Caroline Nolan was born in County Galway, the youngest of a family of five.  “For as long as I can remember, I never felt good enough,” she said. “I would not say my upbringing was too difficult but I believe I was very sensitive, so things affected me more.”

When she was 18 years old, Caroline’s mother died and she turned to drink in an attempt to cope. She sobered up when her first son was born and joined a 12-step programme but still struggled to live without alcohol. “Nothing filled the hole in my soul. Even drink was a temporary fix. But one day at the end of a meeting, one man handed me a prayer and said, ‘This might help you.’”

Caroline began to pray that prayer (the Miracle Prayer) every night until she meant every word. “Lord, Jesus, I come before You, just as I am. .. I repent of my sins, please forgive me... I give You my entire self. I invite You into my life Jesus. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour...”

Falling into a deep depression, Caroline remembers crying out to God from the depths and suddenly experiencing His unconditional love. It was an encounter she would never forget and would stay with her for the coming years, but her battle with depression eventually led her back to drink and she spiralled down into homelessness and despair.

Finally, another homeless man brought her to a Nigerian Christian church and it felt like coming home. “That was the beginning of my journey back home to God. I had never been in a Christian community before. I struggled for a while but now for the last 18 months I haven’t had a drink. 

“Today I have a roof over my head. I wake up in a clean, dry bed. I can put on a kettle. I have hot and cold running water. It is amazing! And most important of all I belong to the most high God!”

“Jesus means everything to me.  Sure, my life is not worth living without Him!”

We’ll bring you more of these stories and more from County Clare in the summer issue of VOX magazine!