The Lancaster Bible College Choir trip to Ireland was such a wonderful experience. I feel truly blessed to have been allowed to go. Even before we left, I prayed that God would be with the group of us going and for those who would send us. I prayed for experiences, connections, and moments with God and others. Like the good Father He is, He provided it all.

A monumental event before the very start of the trip was our financial overcoming. I was blessed by the generosity of those who donated to cover my costs. However, others were not. Despite their efforts, some members of our choir could not raise the funds needed to cover the cost of this trip. The college decided that individuals who could not raise sufficient funds would not be permitted to go. This was heartbreaking for multiple reasons. First, they wouldn’t be allowed to go and would miss this fantastic opportunity. Second, it was the choir going. Every voice matters in an ensemble. If even one voice is missing, the whole of the choir suffers. As soon as I heard this, I prayed and reached out to my mom so she could start praying too. I remember our choir director, Dr. Bigley, suggesting a time when we could get together and pray about our financial situation. It was so powerful when we went in a circle to pray, and I remember Dr. Bigley sprawling out into a bow, lowering himself to offer a prayer to God. The following days were covered in prayer. Although I knew God would handle everything, it was still hard not to worry and be a little stressed, especially for my best friend who couldn’t meet her goal. But then God answered our prayer! More donations were sent in, and after four days of prayers and trust in God, our shortage of $30,000 was met.

Well then, it was time to start packing and leaving. We stood outside the bus and the chapel in a circle, praying and singing the Doxology. We always do this before every concert and show, and it has become a favorite tradition of mine. It seemed like no time, and we were in Ireland. It was beautiful. I don’t know how else to describe it. I feel like crying just thinking back on our arrival to Ireland that evening.

I loved going around to the different cathedrals to sing and having our pop-up concerts, especially when we were on the streets of Galway. While Dublin was lovely, there was just something extraordinary about Galway. God used the gift of song to raise money that would be donated to the Ukrainian refugees and a suicide prevention group. We were also able to minister at a local school. Another memorable experience was the night we spent in a ballroom. Those in attendance were all older folks. They were filled with joy to spend time with us and expressed their appreciation of the young people attending. We shared our stories, and in return, they were delighted to teach us waltzes, polkas, and other dances. Sometimes it’s easy to forget the importance of showing God’s love through the simple gift of spending time.  

Then there was the joy of singing in the enormous cathedrals. Wow, just wow! The sound that lingered in the air even after we finished singing was mesmerizing. The silence that remained revealed the connection between everyone in the room. Even though it was predominantly a Catholic denomination where they don’t exactly raise their hands during worship, some were! The Spirit was moving every time we sang.  I could feel it. Tears were brimming in my eyes by the end of every single concert. Yes, I love singing and putting on a good show, but it didn’t feel like that when we were worshipping God. It was just complete. God is just so amazing, isn’t He?

I remember one day we traveled through the countryside traveling from one location to the next when we stopped to look at a pyre. The ocean was so blue and clear, and the grass was so green; I just had to stop and look. I thought, “This used to be covered by water. God pulled this land out of the sea, and He made this. This!” It was just perfect. Then I thought about how God wanted us to rule with Him, have dominion over the Earth, and how He thought that the world needed me in it. Me, a sinner who deserves death but was graciously saved by His Son. I mean it’s just so unbelievable to think about. That made me want to cry with gratitude toward Him.

One of the most memorable moments was the time we shared with Ukrainian refugees. About sixty of them stayed in a hotel that was closed to customers for the winter. It was such an incredible moment to connect with them, share our music with them, and then have them share their music with us. Before going, we learned a piece in Ukrainian that we planned to sing for them. One gentleman said his ten-year-old daughter was learning the piece, but she wouldn’t be here for another ten minutes. We sang other songs until she came, and when she came, she sang the first two verses for us. Then we sang the piece back to them. There was not a single dry eye in the place. It was so precious that it felt like it needed to be trapped in a snow globe. A woman came up to someone in our group and talked to her about how they heard people cared about them, but they didn’t know it was real until we sang that song for them. Another woman said that she hopes we can all meet again - not in Ireland, but at her home in Kyiv. They so desperately wanted to go home, but because of the war, they couldn’t.  While talking to the hotel owner afterward, the news he gave us broke our hearts. Because the winter season was soon ending, he couldn’t keep the Ukrainians at his hotel anymore, no matter how much he wanted to. Due to some rules and regulations, he would be forced to move them out and open his hotel to customers. He has been trying to find homes for them to live in, but he has only found homes for twenty of them so far. We prayed then – and continue to pray - for those refugees we met that day.

This entire trip was a huge blessing packed with unforgettable moments. I pray that this experience encourages others to step out in faith. Even though this experience may not look like a mission trip in a traditional sense – and it looked completely different from my Guatemala with my youth group. But I can honestly say we made just as much of a difference in lives in Ireland as we did in Guatemala. If you are willing, God will use you in His perfect way.

Sydney Hirsch

Berlin Brethren Church