October 7, 2024 • 58 mins
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Discover the life-changing impact of mission trips and prayer with CIY's Director of Engage, Brittany Shoemake, who shares her profound experiences in Spain and Northern Ireland. Brittany opens up about Missions as a Lifestyle and the pivotal role of prayer in connecting with communities. Tune in to hear her stories of collaboration, and the joy of introducing new groups to these meaningful mission trips, including her fondness for the scenic beauty and deep relationships formed in Northern Ireland.
Explore the genuine pursuit of faith among young believers and how CIY Engage trips encourage authenticity within the church. This episode is packed with personal anecdotes, including the chaos of early flights and strategies to beat the alarm, alongside reflections on positive trends within our faith communities. You'll be inspired by a follow-up conversation with our MOVE and MIX mission partner from this summer, RIOT (Revival In Our Town), as we hear from their director, Richie Shilliday.
Immerse yourself in the power of storytelling and leadership as Richie tells stories from the history of RIOT. We discuss how sharing personal stories can connect generations, enrich faith journeys, and create lasting community impact. From Dundrum's modest yet impactful ministry efforts to Richie's inspiring storytelling lessons, this episode celebrates the authenticity and growth experienced by those involved.
Be sure to check out the new video version of this podcast on YouTube!
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- www.ciy.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Hi, I Superstar.
If you want to go one of thoseplaces in 2025, you can jump on
CIYcom get registered for thoseevents.
Also, if you want to go on anengaged trip, that is a thing
you can do.
That registration has been openfor a long time now, but we're
going to talk about some waysthat you could make that happen
(00:46):
with my co-host today, brittanyShoemake.
Brittany welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Hey, brad, good to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
You know what's crazy that I was looking at earlier
is that it's actually only beentwo.
It's been a long time, but ithas only been two episodes since
you were last on the podcast.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
That's funny to think about.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
So you were like a very yeah, you were a very late
guest for season three, a veryearly guest for season four.
So glad you're here.
Hey, how was your summer?
Speaker 2 (01:14):
It was fantastic.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Yeah, you did a lot of things, yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
And it's funny.
I'm thinking back to thatepisode now and I was talking
about the things that we weregoing to be doing in just a
couple of months, and now it'sbeen a couple months since those
have happened yeah, so Spain,and we talked a little bit about
Spain last time, so how wasthat trip?
Yeah, it was phenomenal yeahyeah, yeah, phenomenal.
First time there with teamexpansion.
(01:37):
Who was there in Granada andtook a?
Took a group from Florida thatwas with us.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
I love Florida.
We know that, I know.
But yeah, it was that was withus.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
I love Florida, we know that.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
I know.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
But, yeah, it was a great first run there and I
think the main thing that thestudents came back with from
that trip is how much thatmissions is a lifestyle and one
of our principles that we talkabout.
But just getting to rubshoulders for a week with the
team that's there the missionsteam that's there just got to
(02:08):
see their day in and day out ofwhat that looks like and what
ministry is and some really justpractical ministry tools that
those students came back with.
So, yeah, it was awesome.
Got to see God doing some workand things that we can continue
praying for.
So it's a it's a hard place.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
I talked to some students who went on that trip
cause they were with me at moveand um they're.
One of their biggest takeawayswas like how much prayer plays?
Like such a central role inwhat team expansion is doing and
is like kind of they're holdingonto God's coattails and really
just following wherever heleads them, and I thought that
(02:47):
that was a really cool.
I mean if you're going to haveanyone take away from a trip and
you come back and you believein the power of prayer and you
have new, like prayer habitsthat you've seen work and that
you've adopted in your own life.
That's a huge win.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah, yeah, for real.
And I mean that was we weredoing and learning new ways of
prayer through prayer walking,through prayer experiences.
It's, it's the tool that theyare using right now and we often
talk about prayer is themission, for prayer is the
engine for mission, and so justknowing that the, the prayer
(03:21):
walking that we were doing andthe things that they were
teaching us through some oftheir methods, uh was really
like helping to soften the soilfor the work that they're doing.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Yeah, yeah, that's so cool.
It was so fun catching themlike when it was all fresh in
their minds right as they werecoming back and hearing all
these phrases about how much funthey were having, so also a
mission that you have loved fora long time.
When's the first time you wentto riot?
Speaker 2 (03:47):
First time I went to riot was in January of 2015.
Okay, yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Um so 10 years 10 years, which is crazy A decade
now of you being able to partnerwith them, a mission that I've
loved for less long time, butstill a long time.
Um was our mission partner thisyear, which I thought was so
cool.
Getting to introduce people toRichie, so so sweet, it was the
best.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, I mean they've been obviously partners with CIY
for over 10 years now.
Yeah, and so to get to andwe've had so many teams over 40
teams, I think, in the last 10years and go over and get to
partner with them, but then toget to share them with even so
many more groups and churchesand youth pastors, that's been a
(04:30):
really sweet thing.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Yeah, it was so phenomenal, so cool, okay, so I
want to know what.
This is going to be a difficultquestion for you.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
But I want to know what your?
No, I'm not gonna ask thatquestion.
That's an unfair question.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
But here's what I will it's gonna be something
about favorite it will.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
It's kind of, but like we're not gonna go there
because I know you'll just bediplomatic and boring and not
have a hot take boring.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
You wouldn't have a hot take.
You wouldnoring you wouldn'thave a hot take.
You wouldn't give us a hot take.
Only boring.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
People are boring, what's your favorite country
that Engage travels to?
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Oh yeah, so I get this question asked a lot.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
You're already caging Already.
You're already doing it.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
I have favorites for different reasons.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
They're all your favorites.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
They're all my favorites in a lot of ways.
Okay, but yeah, there's thedifferent cultural reasons that
they're favorites Places thatI've been to over time so have a
lot of good relationships, sothat would be a favorite.
There's just the beauty ofplaces and the scenery and so
there's those good.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Let's do that one.
So what's the most beautifulplace that engaged travels you?
Speaker 2 (05:41):
think it is Northern Ireland.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
A hundred percent it is.
Which is, yeah, engaged travels.
You think it is northernireland a hundred percent it is.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
It is, which is yeah.
Also, it fits into a couple ofthose categories because it's
one of the places I've been tothe most as well of our
locations and so have reallyreally deep relationships there.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
So we have, in part because of our relationship with
riot that we developed to movethis year.
Um, I was looking at it today.
What do we have?
We have like eight or ninetrips going to northern ire move
this year.
Um, I was looking at it today.
What do we have?
We have like eight or ninetrips going to northern ireland
this year with engage yeah,right now, over nine and it's
continuing to grow.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
So, yeah, yeah, we have six during the summer, so
2025.
But then we've added some moreum in the spring and in the fall
just for some other moreprivate, customized type trips,
for groups too, and we're opento that year round yeah, so.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
So like the move season is basically june 1st
through july 31st, let's pretend.
Uh, it's not those exact dates,but it's basically two months.
The Engage season this yearwill run at least from mid-March
.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
January actually.
Well, oh yeah, the January trip.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
So from basically January 2nd or 3rd or whatever,
through the second week ofOctober which is insane.
That's what it's looking like,if you want to go on an Engage
trip, dream literally any ofthose times or the other couple
of months that we left outnovember and december on the
table.
I'm just gonna go ahead and saythat on your behalf.
(07:11):
Um, what, like I know it's adifferent process for a youth,
like they can't just go on ourwebsite and register for an
engaged trip.
It's a.
It's a different thing.
So like what is it?
Speaker 2 (07:22):
yeah, you know yeah, yeah, usually I.
It's starting withconversations.
Uh, so we'll get an email, getsomething coming through our
website.
Uh, have hey, brad, you'll handme a name of somebody that you
talked to that is interested.
But yeah no, it starts withconversations of just learning
hey, what's, um, what?
(07:43):
What are you looking to get outof this as a youth pastor?
And maybe some of them havebeen on other trips before.
Some of them this is their veryfirst time to tap into what an
international trip looks like.
And so, just gauging from thoseconversations, we help steer
and direct and guide in the waysthat are needed and necessary
and help figure out what's goingto be the best type of trip for
(08:05):
the group, best location,whether that time of year cost.
There's just a whole lot ofdifferent factors in there.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
But we can help guide and steer that conversation and
so, yeah, going from there.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Okay, so reach out to Britt.
If I get a hold of us, somebodycan point you in the right
direction.
Literally, you can reach out toany CY social media email.
Whatever you want to do, we'llget you in the right place.
One of my favorite things aboutmission trips, though, is
before we do, the mailbag isjust.
They are the places where themost hilarious and insane
(08:40):
stories happen, and this wouldnot be a good podcast if we
didn't tell just a couple ofthose stories so how many wait?
how many trips did you go onthis year?
Speaker 2 (08:52):
I went on three so you went to honduras went to
honduras with producer lauren,that's right you went to went to
spain, spain, and then I was inNorthern Ireland, at Riot,
during the spring.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Northern Ireland at Riot in the spring.
That's right, that's so fun,yeah, so what insane things
happened that wouldn't happenanywhere else in the world.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
What insane things happened wouldn't happen
anywhere else in the world.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Just give us a couple of good, lucrative-.
Well, this was actually insane.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Okay, give us a couple of good, lucrative.
Well, this was actually insane,okay, during the Honduras trip
they were having abnormalamounts of rain than any time.
So it's a rainy season, butusually there's some rain that
will come in through theafternoon, but I think it
literally rained the whole time.
(09:43):
We were there.
From getting picked up at theairport started raining on the
way back to the mission house,we had people in the backs of
trucks putting tarps over,trying to stay dry, trying to
keep the luggage dry Amazing.
And then literally got rainthroughout the whole week until
we were getting dropped back offat the airport on the way home.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
That's tough.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
But I'm saying that we got to experience a Honduras
that most people never get toexperience, so and I mean we're
still able to do the things thatwe're planning on doing.
There Changed a couple thingsin the schedule but fortunately
there's a lot of inside thingshappening, so it worked out.
It was fine.
But hey got to experience adifferent part of our different
(10:28):
season of hunders I love it.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
That's amazing.
So no, no, no, nobody broke anylimbs, nobody did anything
crazy nobody uh, there was,nobody had any.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
We're not wishing for that to happen, brad.
You know, I know we're notwishing for that to happen.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Brad, you know, I know we're not wishing for that
to happen.
I'm just saying sometimesstudents get out of the country
and they they change for thebetter.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
It's true, you know, yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
You know, I mean one time you were on this podcast
and you told a story aboutsomebody throwing up in a trash
can at the Taj Mahal, yeah, sothat's really the kind of thing
that I'm looking for here.
Am I not gonna get another oneof those out of you year after
year?
Okay, fair enough, but peopledo get.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Do get a little more brave when they're overseas of
trying which is great thingswhich is great.
Um, we had some guys that foundsome mangoes on the ground, no,
and they were like it'sprobably not a good idea to eat
them.
And turns out we find out laterthey sure did open them right
up, right off the ground it hadbeen raining and took some bites
(11:35):
of some mango that probablydidn't come out in the best ways
.
We'll just say that.
Yikes, Okay, well so if youwanted your poop story that's it
got it okay, we can move on now, okay, that's great, I love it.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Um, in all seriousness, though, engage
trips are like the best thing.
Uh, engage, we say that wetrain students for a life of
kingdom work, and, um, yeah,it's super cool.
It's super cool what?
What happens when you getstudents in another, in another
place that they're a littleuncomfortable with?
Speaker 3 (12:16):
um, on that note, michael, hello, hello, brad
hello brett, hi michael Michael,hello, hello Brad, hello Brett.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Hi Michael, it's time for the mailbag.
It is time for the mailbag.
Michael's got some questionsfor us to answer.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
I do.
I think this question fromNathan Anderson is a pretty
interesting question, nathan.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Anderson oh man.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Trip leader for CY Engage.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Wow.
Former trip participant with CYEngage.
Wow, former trip participantwas on a trip with CY Engage
last summer, two summers ago nowtwo summers ago yeah anyway,
and I think for people who areworld travelers this question.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
I'm curious what they would say okay.
Nathan wants to know how manytimes do you click snooze on
your alarm.
Oh, that's a good question it.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Okay, Nathan wants to know how many times do you
click snooze on your alarm?
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Oh, that's a good question.
It says a lot about a person,honestly.
Yeah it is usually once youclick it, you snooze once, so
your alarm goes off twice.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Yeah, so I set my alarm intentionally nine minutes
earlier than what I want to getup, because I know I'm going to
hit the snooze once.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Amazing.
So, even when you have to getup for like a 5 am flight.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Oh, I usually don't snooze at that point, okay,
because I'm usually awake, it'sgo time.
Yeah, yeah, those are thenights, when you have to get up,
catch a flight, go somewhere.
That I really don't sleep greatthose nights, yeah, so I'm
awake already.
So once that alarm goes off, Iactually.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
I have a follow up question to that.
Yeah, Are you good at going tobed at a decent time the night
before you travel?
Speaker 2 (13:57):
No.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Okay, I'm not.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
I just I'm, I count on like yeah, I don't sleep
Speaker 1 (14:03):
before I have to go somewhere.
Yeah, it's a bad habit.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
But I can sleep on airplanes.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
So I factor that into the sleep schedule as well.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
It's a formula.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Whatever I mean, I would rather be sleeping in my
bed, but knowing that I haveflights the next day, I'll sleep
on an airplane.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
I'm a zero snooze guy .
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Zero.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Set the alarm, I'll wake up.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Ready to go?
Speaker 1 (14:31):
Not ready to go, but I don't press snooze, so that's
a weird thing about me.
And just one alarm, one alarm.
Well, when I like tomorrowmorning I have to leave my house
at four o'clock in the morningto catch a 6 am flight, gross,
and I will set like a 325, a 328, a 330, a 331 alarm, just like
(14:54):
make extra sure.
But here's the thing I neverneed them, I never actually.
Yeah, I'm the same way, yeah Ido.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
I do that, but it's like I need a safety net here.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Yeah, yeah also I am.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
I am not a person that has ever slept through an
alarm.
Like I know.
There's people who will setmultiple or set different sounds
.
That's never been my issue, soI I will wake up to any.
I'm a pretty light sleeper,yeah yeah, never, never slept
through an alarm there you gomaybe have done the like whole
(15:26):
am pm.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
Yeah, yeah, I've done that a few times I I one time,
um, missed an alarm.
I don't know if it was becauseI slept through it or if it's
because I did that thing where,as soon as I turned it off, I
immediately fell back asleepwithout meaning to.
But one time missed my alarmthe morning that I was supposed
(15:51):
to leave for a superstar tripand woke up to my doorbell
ringing because both of ourvehicles decided to come to my
house to pick me up.
And that is probably some of thefastest that I've ever like,
gotten myself ready to walk outthe door.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Well, yeah I would say so and I just, I just had a,
I just had a heavy weight on myhead and on my shoulders for
the rest of the day yep, younever recover from that kind of.
Thing no, like you feel, youfeel that all day long, yeah,
yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Terrible way to start your day.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
So sorry for that.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
We have a question from Flint Spencer and Flint
wants to know what isencouraging to you that you've
seen in the church lately.
Aw.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Aw, that's endearing Love.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
encouragement questions.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
I know and Britt, you see a lot of the church.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
See a lot of the church around the world.
So true, so true.
I think I have been encouragedby this draw to authenticity in
the church around the world ofthese authentic believers.
Authentic faith and gettingback to just this is real life.
(17:10):
We're not putting on a show.
God's not looking for aperformance out of anybody.
He's wanting our hearts andI've got to see that and been a
part of those conversations.
So that's been encouraging,this draw to authenticity.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Especially among young people.
Yeah, absolutely are reallyleaning into that.
It's like they don't want themanicured answers and the right
yeah, see right, totally seeright through it yep, I love
that.
Yeah, I am gonna answer thisquestion because I usually end
up answering them all, which ismaybe my red flag, I don't know.
But the one thing I've beenencouraged by in the church is
(17:51):
just our home church.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
Christ.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Church of Foronogo has been doing some really cool
things lately.
I was at a D group retreat allweekend with Flint Spencer.
Watching that guy pastor juniorhigh students is amazing, so he
crushes it at that.
And then we did like thisincredible food drive recently
(18:14):
and I'm hearing all thesedifferent ways that people are
getting connected.
They have things for, like,single moms and moms connection
and they do a bunch with thefoster care system and it's like
, man, our church is out there,just be in the church yeah, and
I love it, yeah, and I knowchurches all over the country
are.
You know, that's just like thelens that I see that through,
yep, but I don't know.
(18:35):
Yeah, just like following mychurch on social media, and
every time they post a story, Iclick on it and I'm like, oh yes
, an awesome thing yeah it.
It's so cool.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Yeah, yeah, and I think there's something to it
with the growth that's beenhappening too of trying to
figure out space issues andtrying to ask people to maybe
come to a different service tomake space for somebody else,
and it's amazing, it'sencouraging, yeah, else, and
it's amazing, it's encouraging.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Yeah, speaking of space issues, I read an article
the other day about how thepeople in the international
space station vote in uselections oh yeah yeah, it's
pretty fascinating interesting.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
I'm not.
I'm not gonna give it away.
I'm not gonna give it away.
I'm not gonna give it away.
Something I've ever thoughtabout.
Yeah, that's a different.
I haven't thought about iteither.
Different space issue.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Well, yeah, she said space issue, and I was
immediately like it is a spaceissue.
It's a completely different kindthose are not the space issues
that Christchurch is doing as amatter of fact but anyway, I'll
let other people put two and twotogether on the actual type of
space issues that we're dealingwith.
Yeah, anyway, that's good,that's good, that's good, paykel
(19:46):
, thank you.
As always, an excellentmoderator for the mailbag
portion of this segment.
I'm excited, brittany, today totalk to Richie Shilliday.
Yes, so a lot of people got tomeet Richie at Move, like we
already talked about, and Mix,that's right, and he is just one
of one.
Richie is in so many ways and,uh, I'm excited to get to chat
(20:09):
with him.
So you want to go chat withRichie?
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Yeah, let's do it Richie Shilliday.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Welcome.
How you doing.
Speaker 4 (20:18):
Hi Brad, I'm doing really well Good Enjoying a
little stroll through theForrest around Ball Hinch Rugby
Club, as we've just taken Ari totraining.
Thanks for being patient withme, guys.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Yeah, of course, I will say that nobody who has
ever been on this podcast hasever had as beautiful of a
backdrop on their video as youhave right now.
So you win the award for that.
I don't know what the prize is,but uh, yeah, that's good.
So, hey, you took a group.
(20:55):
Yeah, you should come over hereand see me.
Um, hey, you took a group ofstudents to move this year,
right, Aiden actually took ourgroup down to move.
Aiden took your group down tomove, um, so I think it's cool
that a lot of the youth pastorsthat patronize this podcast will
(21:15):
have had a similar experienceto what your group had over in
Ireland.
But a lot of people got to meetyou this summer, richie.
We had Riot as our missionpartner.
It was really cool Both Moveand Mix to watch people kind of
get to know what you do at Riot,of get to know, uh, what you do
at riot and get to know you alittle bit, and so we just kind
of wanted to catch up, talk toyou, uh, give, give the people a
(21:37):
little behind the veil.
Look at who richie shillidayreally is.
So, um, but not too far behindthe veil, okay yeah, that's a
good old scary.
Speaker 4 (21:46):
It can be dangerous Anyway so, yeah, what was your?
Speaker 1 (21:52):
I want to know what your experience was like being
the Move mission partner.
How was that whole thing foryou?
Speaker 4 (22:03):
So, yeah, when the idea was introduced I honestly
was a little or whole lot.
No, we're not a big fancyorganisation.
We're just this wee project,just a tiny little village in
Northern Ireland that's plannedto love our young people and
(22:24):
trying to care for our community.
Be the hands and feet to carefor our community, be the hands
and feet in a town that is onesmall wee, plant-based church
and we're just trying to do avery simple thing of bringing
Jesus in a very normal way intopeople's lives.
So to be asked to be a missionpartner for a huge, big American
(22:48):
, wonderful mission organizationwas like no, we don't, we can't
do that.
That doesn't make sense.
There's got to be and it's nota false humility, I'll say, it's
a very honest assessmentthere's got to be much more
better, suitable, deservingpeople.
So to be asked and to have beena mission partner of COI is an
(23:14):
incredible blessing and gift.
We're very, very honoured tohave been able to be that
partner and for COI to take somuch care and love and to tell
people about us.
It's humbling but at the sametime it's just wonderful to be
(23:35):
able to share the goodness ofGod and what he's doing in our
little project and the livesthat he's transforming True
hopefully.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
Just loving people, yeah, so hopefully just love on
people.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Yeah, so one of the stories that didn't get told
this summer that I think is justa really, really incredible
story that I want to kind oftalk about a little bit is
actually Aiden's story.
So people got to meet Aiden,which was cool.
He was in some of the videosand did a little bit of the kind
(24:10):
of narration of a few of thestories and that kind of thing,
but we didn't get to actuallytell his like journey to riot
and what his, his history kindof looked like and all of that
kind of stuff.
So I want to just kind of likedive into that a little bit, if
we can.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
I love that family so much.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Love Finbar and Minigan Aiden.
Great crew of.
Like, dive into that a littlebit if we can.
I love that family so much.
Uh, love fit bar and miniganaiden.
Uh, great crew.
So, um, tell me what, first ofall, who is aiden to you, like,
what is his role at theorganization?
Speaker 4 (24:41):
so aiden, just this month the committee and I and
I've been asking Aidan for Idon't know a couple of years now
to come on staff to reallyconsider being more than just a
volunteer and a supporter ofRiot, as he has grown up with
(25:02):
Riot and is honestly like theRiot prodigy, if you will, of my
heart and how to reach peopleIn Northern Ireland.
There's this lovely divide notvery lovely really, but
Protestant and Catholic.
So Aidan comes from a Catholicbackground and is very proud of
(25:24):
that heritage and culture, andthe Lord has used me within and
a community around us to helpdistinguish a little difference
in what it looks like to be aProtestant Catholic in modern
Christianity.
And it's not about thisreligion of attending and going
(25:45):
to church but, more importantly,getting to know who Jesus is
and trying to journey out daily.
What it looks like to be afollower and have a walking,
talking, normal, everydayrelationship with Jesus got to
go back to maybe when he was 11or 12 after Sorry, hold on.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
I'm going to interrupt you for a second.
One thing that the people haveto know about you, about Richie
Shilliday, is that you'rebasically the mayor of Dundrum,
the chancellor of County DownWell it doesn't make a
difference.
The whole county, the wholecountry of Northern Ireland,
everybody knows Richie, so he'son a walk right now.
(26:40):
He's going to be saying hi topeople.
That's okay, it's just going tohappen.
Speaker 4 (26:45):
So the beauty of doing what I do.
I've gotten involved in sportand lots of ways to reach people
.
So this is the Ballin' HanksRugby Club, a really big, great
organization that brought meinto coaching.
So I coach with the minis andmy kids play here.
So my heart for people andintroduce who I am because of
what Jesus has done, I straightaway got involved in coaching
(27:06):
and helping is done.
I straight away got involved incoaching and helping.
So Adi's group I helped withfor a while and I now coach with
Harrison in the primary fiveage group.
So I know a lot of the coachesand the parents because their
kids have now come to RADbecause, well, some of them are
out of the U of RAD but a lot.
Once they met me, I tell themabout RAD and so they come along
, so it's really neat at me.
(27:26):
I tell them about Riot and sothey come along, so it's really
neat it's a good bridge.
It's really neat back to Aidanright how old was he when you?
Met him, probably 11 or 12, andhe's like, like you guys have
met punk kid 14, 15 years ago.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
I think yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (27:52):
Yeah, so he's just a normal Irish kid trying to
figure things out.
He has been talking to going tochurch or mass maybe is a more
appropriate term to part of theschooling and part of just the
(28:15):
religion.
You should attend these things.
But Aidan is a thinker andAidan is always questioning
what's the big picture.
And as he was doing that, ofcourse he was influenced by some
(28:36):
people and made some dodgychoices and kind of came to the
wrap of making some bad things.
I've got to figure thisreligion thing out.
Tell me more.
So Aidan was always superinquisitive about his journey
(28:57):
From, honestly, 12, 13 years old.
There was a good maturity abouthim.
But there's a really neatincident that happened.
I think he was 13.
And the kids are pretty roughstill at this point.
Right, it's a fresh project.
We're introducing the streetkids into some sort of
discipline structure and tryingto share what faith is to us and
(29:22):
church religion.
And so he's in the bathroommessing around and I don't know
how, but he sits on the sink andhe rips the sink off the wall.
Now just imagine the water goeseverywhere.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Oh no.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
There's water pouring everywhere and he comes down in
a panic I've broke the sink.
I promise I'll just sit on it.
I'm really sorry.
I'm like what the heck?
Ok, I run up and sat on it.
I'm really sorry.
I'm like what the heck?
Okay, I run up and I see it andI'm like oh wow, got to go turn
the water off because it'sdrowning the place.
So I turn the water off.
I'm like dude, what happened?
And he's like I just sat on itand it fell off the wall.
I'm like all right, it's okay.
(30:01):
And honestly, now, as I it'slike a little so-and-so's,
vandalizing, but the Lord gaveme patience in that moment and I
was able to say to him don'tworry about it.
Absolutely fine, we'll get itfixed.
So I turned it off.
We were able to turn it off,stop the water.
(30:24):
I got a couple of stop endsdisconnected and so, with no
problems, turn the water back on.
And he was like years there.
He's like richie, it just madeno sense to me the grace that
you showed me in that moment,like anywhere else in my life,
that, um, I did something stupidor wrong.
(30:44):
I got like in trouble and toldoff and people were cross and I
giggled because I'm like well,that would have been me normally
.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
But thankfully in that moment still me normally.
Speaker 4 (30:56):
Thankfully, in that moment the Lord was all over it
and somehow in the spirit in methere was grace and it was like
he said that struck to him.
If that's what a Christian'slike, then I want to know more
about that.
So that kind of connected.
We had mission teams come overand share stories and as Aidan
(31:18):
shares his story now, he alwaysmentions that as the teams
talked and shared stories thatintrigued him about the goodness
of God and how it started toimpact his life.
So the little testimonies thatwe work on with teams and
sharing what God's doing in yourlife, that's really impactful
to young people searching andlooking for God.
(31:40):
So what he caught, he goesdeeper himself, deeper himself,
deeper himself, and he's lookingonline for different things.
He starts seeing some of theseguys who are doing miracles and
healing and different stuff, andhe keeps coming back and asking
(32:00):
questions and it causes me thento go read scripture and him
and I sit and read through stuffand work together.
So this goes on for a few yearsuntil he comes back one night
and he's like, let's see, I'vekind of like got to this point
where I've asked God, I can't goon anymore.
I need Jesus in my life andI've kind of like Jesus, come in
(32:22):
and I'm like you what he's like?
Yeah, I guess I asked Jesusinto my life and that I know I
need him as my personal savior.
And I'm like, dude, you justlike become a Christian.
And he's like, oh crap, whatdoes that mean?
I'm like, what do you mean?
What does that mean?
He's like am I a Protestant?
(32:48):
I'm like no, yeah, that's a.
So I had to, yeah, so I had toexplain to him like no, this is,
this is way bigger.
Like there's no protestantcatholic in scripture.
Like this is a relationshipwith jesus that is supersedes
the silliness in our wee country.
Uh, what's going on?
So I'm like you can.
You can tell people like youlove jesus and this doesn't
(33:09):
matter about the religion in ourcountry, so that's all good.
He tells his mum and dad and hismum is like, oh, no, like does
that mean he's a Protestant?
Do I have to go and meet upwith Finbar and Mary and be like
no, that means nothing, mary,he is still your Catholic boy,
just that he loves and knowsJesus, and so that's got to be
(33:35):
sort of when he's 14 or 15, Ithink.
So it's taken a few years toget to that journey with him,
but the Lord got a grip on hisheart, this beautiful heart that
wanted to know.
And, as most of you maybe haveheard, he goes on um to meet a
lovely american girl who came onthe ci team.
(33:56):
That's right, that's not,that's not me to be.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Come here, right, yeah, something about something
about our program being calledengage.
I don't know what what that hasto do with it, but no, that was
so.
C so Corey was on our veryfirst student trip in 2015, the
January trip.
She was on that one.
Speaker 4 (34:17):
I was honestly really tough on those guys because
Corey didn't come back in thesummer there's kind of a no
dating rule and they were reallygood with that and I even
wouldn't let them talk for amonth.
I go well, I say that I didn'tlet them.
I asked them to be respectfuland to leave it for a month and
if there was anything going on,let the Lord work in it.
(34:38):
I think that was actually thesecond time she'd come back, but
the Lord used that relationshipin a beautiful way to draw them
both close to him and them andtheir relationship together.
So they got married.
They spent a couple of years onmission and, as he has turned
back to Northern Ireland, I gothim working part time with Riot
(35:01):
just in the last month.
He's now full time signed up,so I'm going to retire and then
talk to you ever after.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
You better not.
He's never coming out of thewoods anybody who knows me yeah,
no, that's not happening.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
Richie will never retire you'll die with a shovel
in your hand, won't you?
Speaker 4 (35:25):
the Lord is definitely changing my heart to
help to hand over a lot moreyouth work to him as I support
him in the next few years andthe Lord is opening doors in
community in different ways.
But I think that the villagewill need our community needs
(35:47):
and even direction of how Riotwill look to serve and love our
community more.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
Yeah, yeah.
So I want to lean in on thestories thing that you talked
about.
Um, cause, every, every studentwho comes on a CIO engaged trip
to Riot at some point, uh, tripto riot at some point uh stands
(36:17):
up and has three minutes toshare their story, uh, with a
group of young people that thatcome to riot and britney, I know
that you've watched this happen, yeah, so many times.
Dozens and dozens, hundreds oftimes maybe, and um, it really
there's something about theamerican experience that like
makes that hard for students,and I don't know what that is
but it's like difficult for them, and then they come over and
(36:40):
but yeah, there's the part of itthat richie is so good and
gifted about.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
it's not just hey, have have every student prepare
their story and then they'regoing to share it.
Like we take time and, richie,like you've you, you guide this
process so well and the pastorheart in you of how a student
can tell the story to a kid atriot, so in a completely
different cultural context, butshare a piece of their story
(37:09):
that connects to the gospel.
It's not the student's story allabout themselves, but, richie,
how you guide that to point tothe main character, which is God
, and knowing him.
For you, what like you set thatup, put the ball on the tee and
let God do with it what hewants.
(37:30):
And so how you guide, that isreally good.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
And, honestly, you know, like everything as you do
ministry, this is like, come onclose to 30 years maybe, of me
doing youth work and 25 orsomething of doing youth
ministry, um, and as we'vewalked through that, um, there
(37:56):
was a.
There was a season when I feltlike the ministry that I was
doing was using mission teamscoming in and not doing ministry
.
Very well, honestly, of amission team would come in to
serve and love and I almoststood back and applauded and
said great job, well done,thanks.
And the feedback I got after aseason or two was like it was
(38:17):
really good, we love the teams,but there just wasn't connection
and our young people or theoutreach that you did, they fell
away within weeks and so like,okay, how do we change this from
being a short-term trip thatmakes an impact but doesn't have
that lasting impact that wewant and people deserve to have
(38:41):
time to figure out who thisJesus is.
And that's where Riot honestlyand God sort of developed that
vision of Riot that we wouldbuild the project to pour into
community and the mission teamswould supplement and benefit
from it.
The key for me is helping peopleunderstand who they are in
(39:05):
Christ.
Our story is one of the mostpowerful things that we can
share and get across to someone.
So to understand that and whatJesus has done in your life, or
an example or a symptom not asymptom a moment where you can
hold on to something tangiblethat I know God's real and he's
(39:25):
moved in my life because of this, of how you articulate and how
you share that with someone, isso really vitally important.
Now there was a team I thinktwo or three, maybe more I'm
getting old people, I'm sorry,this could be four or five, four
or five years ago and the teamwas made up of a couple of
(39:45):
different groups who wanted togo and this is CIY.
They wanted to go to Honduras,they wanted to go to Haiti, and
those trips fell through andthey all had to come to riot.
And as we talked through storiesand the heart of listening, the
heart of caring about theperson in front of you, and how
to share a little bit of Jesusand trust that maybe a few words
(40:08):
or trust that a minute of whatGod had done in your life was
impactful, these guys wereexplaining to me that was so
scary and worrying to them,right, and I'm like that's,
that's really hard and I almosthad forgotten, in a way, being
(40:29):
older that it becomes easier totalk, but as a young person, you
know the thought of teaching asermon or standing up in front.
It's still quite scary, right.
And what I wanted to tell thesepeople was this is a gift from
God.
This is an opportunity whereyou just get to plant a seed in
somebody's life and trust Godthat he is already working and
(40:51):
that he will continue to work.
But we need to be faithful intelling the goodness of God in
our lives.
So they were like, okay, that'sa different thought than what
we had of having to just get upand share this timeline from
when I was young and what itgoes through.
And I'm like, yeah, thathonestly, there's a point of
(41:13):
that in our growth of faith.
But when you're trying to shareto people who don't quite know
what Jesus is or where faith isor what religion looks like, to
make it real and personal andsomething that they can make
sense of, is really beneficial.
So, honestly, as you walk withthis and God kind of led and
(41:37):
guided, all of these piecesstarted to fall away.
Enough how we need to own ourown story.
And, honestly, the teams oftenand this is Sarah why in other
church groups often they haven'thad opportunity to share their
faith or seen the need for that.
(41:58):
And so I hope this crazy Irishguy, that need and that love of
Father's heart that Jesus diedfor us all.
He wants everyone to know heloves us so much that actually
we have a responsibility ofbeing gifted of knowing Christ,
to share that in a way that isrelatable to the people around
(42:20):
us.
So I hope and want thatexperience of that team that
were so worried and they didn'twant to come to riot because
they thought they would have tostand up and share right, and I
was like that's a terriblereason not to come right yeah,
yeah, you know and it's not so.
(42:41):
I hope we've taken the fear outof that that.
Actually, this is a goodexperience to journey.
Well, what do I believe andwhat is it that God's done in my
life, and how do I actuallybegin to think, the process, and
then you get to share a coupleof minutes of God's goodness.
So, brittany's right, we'vetried to do that in a way that
(43:02):
is supportive, encouraging andeverybody is able to do it, and
there's hundreds, probably, ofstories where people have
struggled and then they've gotthrough it, and from healing and
prayer that we've been able todo with teams until reaching and
like touching hearts of kidsthat hear their stories.
(43:23):
It's just incredible.
And when God, how God, uses it,I just I don't understand, I
comprehend, I just I'm like, yes, thank you.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (43:35):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
It's uh.
Every time I this verse alwayspops into my head when I think
of you, um, from Revelation,talking about how people who
were oppressed by the evil oneovercame by the blood of the
lamb and by the word of theirtestimony.
And uh, I always think that'ssuch a fascinating little verse.
It's like that those two thingsare mentioned hand in hand.
(43:57):
They're like you have jesusblood and you have your story
and that's what you've got.
You know, um, and I think youkind of lean into that in a
really really, uh, special waymy favorite thing about it is
kind of funny is um the threeminutes piece, because you know
that people, if you're like,tell your story.
It's like well, I was born onseptember 29th 1990, and then
(44:21):
they want to recount every daysince, and it's like no, you,
when you're talking to somebody,you've got like 90 seconds to
catch their attention and youalways talk about like leaving
them wanting more.
And even the way that you talkabout like the strategy of of
telling your story and how youdo that and how you craft it, I
think is really cool.
Speaker 4 (44:40):
Well, everybody's super bad, right.
Everyone you meet peoplethere's there's like a hundred
different aspects to people andat different topics you can talk
to.
So you have to be like I don'tjust have one approach but I'm
going to try and share witheverybody.
Like god has worked with me ina million ways and if I think
(45:03):
about the ways god has helpedand corrected and show grace and
been kind to me, I've never runout of things to say because
I've made every mistake and Godhas been so kind and let go of
you know things that I've doneand said and spoken to people.
(45:28):
Spoken to people and assistedhim to realize he can use all of
that to build up his family.
And people need to know, eventhough I made a mistake, God's
still going to use me, he stillloves me, he still wants me.
Yeah so, yeah.
So I love that people havegotten to get.
(45:48):
He still wants me.
Speaker 1 (45:49):
Yeah, so, yeah, so I love that people have gotten to
get kind of an insight into allof that and I want to make sure
I want to be respectful of yourtime and I want to make sure
that we hit on one other thingfor a little bit before we let
you go, and that is ourinitiative at Move this summer
(46:11):
had to do with this littleproperty that I love um up on
the Hill in in Dundrum there and, uh, hopefully giving you know
the Lord is going to give you anopportunity to to purchase that
property so that you cancontinue to do more things with
it.
Right now, what all is outthere.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
There's the youth center, there's the house,
there's the football pitchthere's swing set, play park and
a garden, community garden.
Speaker 4 (46:43):
Yeah, the food bank and library, yes.
Speaker 1 (46:47):
So, if you were able to purchase that property, which
I'm believing that you're going, you were able to purchase that
property, which I'm believingthat you're going to be able to
do that, what's your dream forit?
What's next?
Speaker 4 (47:00):
So if I'm listening and hearing the Lord right on
the committee or the RADScommittee, who I'm so fortunate
to have a group of people whopray and consider my craziness
as I ask God for big things, Ithink there's already been
(47:20):
people put in place for a cafeand a way to serve and love our
community as a meeting house anda place that community, a
meeting house and a place thatwhat is the, a place of peace,
honestly, is what I think.
So I said cafe, but it's ameeting place where coffee and
(47:43):
whatever treats and stuff aregoing to serve.
But there's already people thatGod has introduced me to in the
last six months that I'm likeyeah, I can see that person,
there's a need for them, but itwould help them to be involved
in this and give them a role intheir job, uh, within that.
So prayer wise uh, I've beenyou people, you know me, I'm not
(48:08):
very patient.
I have been more patient than meabout this and anything in my
life of not phoning, not writingand asking questions about when
can riot move and what to do.
I've really been waiting on theLord for the next step.
So now that incredible donationand support from you guys step.
(48:29):
So now that incredible donationand support from you guys, we
can kind of go and ask afterwe're going to meet with the
committee and say how do we goto a Methodist church and say
what can we do to help thisprocess?
Speaker 1 (48:45):
Which the Methodist church for the people listening,
the Methodist church is.
Who currently owns the propertythat you're leasing it from?
Speaker 4 (48:51):
Yeah, so how do we take these next steps and what's
the requirements?
The heart has always been tohonor and respect the church and
the heritage.
A place was built in the 1880sand they have cared and
ministered up until COVID, whenthe church closed.
(49:14):
So we want to be respectful ofthat, and I love the heart of
the Methodist.
It was about caring for peoplein the community, and so they
have always kind of saidwhenever they make a decision,
we will be the first people tocome to.
So we just need we don't needit too much.
My patience is getting to thatpoint where I would like them to
(49:38):
come and meet with me and say,hey, we'd like to think about
you guys taking this over.
We're going to sell it to you,and am I being foolish in
expecting God just to do all ofthat without me pursuing it or
(50:01):
trying to figure out?
Do I need to pursue it?
And that's part of the Chasejourney.
Yeah, you know.
That's good so I've beenlistening to the committee on it
.
Speaker 1 (50:14):
I'm really um trying to be sensitive and and careful
very unlike me, honestly well, I, uh, yeah, I I think it's cool
that this conversation kind ofwent to this place, because a
lot of people feel, after move,very invested in the ministry of
(50:36):
riot emotionally.
I think they really connectedwith the wants to continue to
partner with you in prayer.
It sounds like that's a prettybig uh thing that we could be
praying for is is some, somediscernment among your um
(51:00):
director or your board and um,yeah, yeah, just for those
conversations with the Methodistchurch, which we will be doing
for sure.
Speaker 4 (51:07):
Yeah, yeah, thank you .
Yeah, that's key.
Yeah, yeah, thank you, yeah,that's key, yeah, so that on a
short term, I got to go andbuild a greenhouse.
We have a three by eight metergreenhouse to build, so I got to
get my digging tools out andget a little foundation built
(51:29):
and get that all set up in placefor the coming season when I
can get some things planted andconnect some.
Speaker 2 (51:38):
Our hope and that is to connect some older generation
with some young generation andshare some advice and skills and
, by spending time relationshipwith that, just open the door
for Jesusesus to do what jesusdoes yeah, yeah, that's right,
yeah, and I I can't go withoutsaying this like you're talking
about riot being a place ofpeace and a place for the
(52:00):
community, like that alreadyexists um that that is already
true of that space and just the,the uniqueness of where you
guys are located in dundrum andthis, this community hub.
But I, I mean, it excites mejust knowing yeah the, the
potential of god to do even morewhen there's some facilities
(52:23):
that can actually accommodatemore people and and what that
can look like.
So it's just seeing how God'sgoing to work that out for you
and praying for that as well.
Speaker 4 (52:34):
Yeah, just as you said about we're ready to peace,
I'm ready to do things for thecommunity.
I've seen a kid in the distancein one of the rugby shirts says
Riot Revival in our townbecause we sponsored some shirts
for the group last year, and soI'm just like god, I, I'm just
reminded of your, your goodness,yeah, as the kids run in here
(52:56):
wearing a rad shirt yeah, yeahwell, uh, we love you richie,
we're excited, uh, for whatgod's going to continue to do
through your ministry.
Speaker 1 (53:05):
I uh, it is not cold here yet, but as soon as it gets
cold, the first beanie thatcomes out is my Dundrum Cricket
Club beanie.
So, yeah, always encouraged totalk to you, brother.
Speaker 4 (53:19):
Yeah, Thank you guys, Bless you.
Thank you.
Hopefully you can understand meeverybody.
Speaker 2 (53:27):
That remains to be seen.
Speaker 1 (53:30):
We'll slow it down a little bit and see if maybe that
helps you're talking aboutthings that are pising into my
heart, so I'm sorry.
Speaker 4 (53:38):
I got excited in there.
Speaker 1 (53:41):
I understood you, so I was encouraged thanks, richie.
I don't know if I said this onmic or off, but he is like a one
of one person, like therereally is nobody like him, and I
don't know if anybody has evercome on this podcast and been as
just like transparent,vulnerable.
Speaker 2 (54:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (54:01):
As he is like this isn't me.
This is how God is working inmy life.
Speaker 2 (54:05):
He's always so good about that stuff, yeah, he is
and not afraid to talk aboutshortcomings or the things that
he's working through in his ownfaith and his own walk as well.
Just great guy I mean theauthenticity that we talked
about.
Authenticity Is something thatis so real and tangible and you
feel that.
Speaker 1 (54:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (54:25):
And talking with him as well.
Speaker 1 (54:27):
And I don't, like, I don't want this to be like
commercially, I really don't butat the same time, it's like I
want every high school studentto go and interact with that man
for a week.
Truly, I like there's not.
Yeah, it's just incredible what, what he's able to, like, stir
(54:47):
up in people.
And what we didn't talk aboutwas like he goes through this
whole process of teachingstudents how to tell their
stories.
That is a tool.
Speaker 2 (54:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (54:55):
Like that they can like there's no, there's no
translation.
That needs to be done.
Right, no you bring that backwith you and you can use that
absolutely any room you walkinto right here in the United
States, and that's exactly whathe he talks through as well,
into right here in the UnitedStates, and that's exactly what
he talks through as well.
Speaker 2 (55:10):
And when we're talking about this isn't just
for this one time moment orthree minutes of sharing with
the kids at Riot.
This is the tool that God'sgiven you for the rest of your
life, yeah it's incredible.
Yeah, and it's something I'vebeen saying this as well and
I've said it to him other times.
It's something I've been sayingthis as well and I've said it
to him other times he keepstalking about.
We're just this wee project inthis wee village.
(55:33):
But I mean, the impact of thatministry has gone so well beyond
the borders of even the countryof Northern Ireland you think
of how many hundreds of peopleand we don't even know, like,
how God has used people'sstories and the ripple effects
that have happened.
But well beyond the walls ofriot has God used that ministry.
(56:01):
And I mean, I'm a firsthand.
Speaker 1 (56:04):
Oh yeah, I have that firsthand experience to say that
and have seen how kids in theUS have been transformed by the
ministry there and how God'susing that so there is an aspect
to it, though, when he calls ita we project, like it also is
you know what I mean, like whenyou go and visit the property.
(56:25):
It is like I mean every youthroom of every youth pastor
listening to this conversationis 10 times nicer than the youth
center, right?
You know what I mean.
It's like an old building thatthey don't have enough space A
bunch of hand-me-down couchesand like a projector that they
(56:48):
put words up on a screen with,and he's been able to use that
to do all of that impact thatyou're talking about, which is
just a gift from the Lord.
It's so incredible, anyway.
Well, that was a greatconversation, really encouraging
for me.
Thanks for being here, britt.
I'm going to have you close usout by reading that little
(57:10):
blessing there.
Speaker 2 (57:11):
Yeah, I would love to .
May God show you grace andbless you.
May he make his face shine onyou.
May you experience the love ofChrist, through whom God gives
you fullness of life.
May you be strengthened by hispower.
May Christ himself make hishome in your heart that you
would be full of his love andgrace and that those you serve
would see Jesus in you.
May Christ himself make hishome in your heart that you
would be full of his love andgrace and that those you serve
(57:33):
would see Jesus in you.
Speaker 1 (57:37):
Today's episode was produced by Michael Hester,
lauren Bryant and myself.
Thanks to Richie, thanks toBrittany it was incredible
having both of you here andthank you for watching or
listening.
If you liked what you heard, besure to subscribe.
Wherever you listen to or watchyour podcasts, we'll be back in
(58:01):
a couple weeks.
In the meantime, you can reachout to us on the CY community
Facebook group or by email atpodcast at CYcom.
See you next time.
Hi, I Superstar.
If you want to go one of thoseplaces in 2025, you can jump on
CIYcom get registered for thoseevents.
Also, if you want to go on anengaged trip, that is a thing
you can do.
That registration has been openfor a long time now, but we're
going to talk about some waysthat you could make that happen
(00:46):
with my co-host today, brittanyShoemake.
Brittany welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Hey, brad, good to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
You know what's crazy that I was looking at earlier
is that it's actually only beentwo.
It's been a long time, but ithas only been two episodes since
you were last on the podcast.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
That's funny to think about.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
So you were like a very yeah, you were a very late
guest for season three, a veryearly guest for season four.
So glad you're here.
Hey, how was your summer?
Speaker 2 (01:14):
It was fantastic.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Yeah, you did a lot of things, yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
And it's funny.
I'm thinking back to thatepisode now and I was talking
about the things that we weregoing to be doing in just a
couple of months, and now it'sbeen a couple months since those
have happened yeah, so Spain,and we talked a little bit about
Spain last time, so how wasthat trip?
Yeah, it was phenomenal yeahyeah, yeah, phenomenal.
First time there with teamexpansion.
(01:37):
Who was there in Granada andtook a?
Took a group from Florida thatwas with us.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
I love Florida.
We know that, I know.
But yeah, it was that was withus.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
I love Florida, we know that.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
I know.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
But, yeah, it was a great first run there and I
think the main thing that thestudents came back with from
that trip is how much thatmissions is a lifestyle and one
of our principles that we talkabout.
But just getting to rubshoulders for a week with the
team that's there the missionsteam that's there just got to
(02:08):
see their day in and day out ofwhat that looks like and what
ministry is and some really justpractical ministry tools that
those students came back with.
So, yeah, it was awesome.
Got to see God doing some workand things that we can continue
praying for.
So it's a it's a hard place.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
I talked to some students who went on that trip
cause they were with me at moveand um they're.
One of their biggest takeawayswas like how much prayer plays?
Like such a central role inwhat team expansion is doing and
is like kind of they're holdingonto God's coattails and really
just following wherever heleads them, and I thought that
(02:47):
that was a really cool.
I mean if you're going to haveanyone take away from a trip and
you come back and you believein the power of prayer and you
have new, like prayer habitsthat you've seen work and that
you've adopted in your own life.
That's a huge win.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah, yeah, for real.
And I mean that was we weredoing and learning new ways of
prayer through prayer walking,through prayer experiences.
It's, it's the tool that theyare using right now and we often
talk about prayer is themission, for prayer is the
engine for mission, and so justknowing that the, the prayer
(03:21):
walking that we were doing andthe things that they were
teaching us through some oftheir methods, uh was really
like helping to soften the soilfor the work that they're doing.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Yeah, yeah, that's so cool.
It was so fun catching themlike when it was all fresh in
their minds right as they werecoming back and hearing all
these phrases about how much funthey were having, so also a
mission that you have loved fora long time.
When's the first time you wentto riot?
Speaker 2 (03:47):
First time I went to riot was in January of 2015.
Okay, yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Um so 10 years 10 years, which is crazy A decade
now of you being able to partnerwith them, a mission that I've
loved for less long time, butstill a long time.
Um was our mission partner thisyear, which I thought was so
cool.
Getting to introduce people toRichie, so so sweet, it was the
best.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, I mean they've been obviously partners with CIY
for over 10 years now.
Yeah, and so to get to andwe've had so many teams over 40
teams, I think, in the last 10years and go over and get to
partner with them, but then toget to share them with even so
many more groups and churchesand youth pastors, that's been a
(04:30):
really sweet thing.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Yeah, it was so phenomenal, so cool, okay, so I
want to know what.
This is going to be a difficultquestion for you.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
But I want to know what your?
No, I'm not gonna ask thatquestion.
That's an unfair question.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
But here's what I will it's gonna be something
about favorite it will.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
It's kind of, but like we're not gonna go there
because I know you'll just bediplomatic and boring and not
have a hot take boring.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
You wouldn't have a hot take.
You wouldnoring you wouldn'thave a hot take.
You wouldn't give us a hot take.
Only boring.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
People are boring, what's your favorite country
that Engage travels to?
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Oh yeah, so I get this question asked a lot.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
You're already caging Already.
You're already doing it.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
I have favorites for different reasons.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
They're all your favorites.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
They're all my favorites in a lot of ways.
Okay, but yeah, there's thedifferent cultural reasons that
they're favorites Places thatI've been to over time so have a
lot of good relationships, sothat would be a favorite.
There's just the beauty ofplaces and the scenery and so
there's those good.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Let's do that one.
So what's the most beautifulplace that engaged travels you?
Speaker 2 (05:41):
think it is Northern Ireland.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
A hundred percent it is.
Which is, yeah, engaged travels.
You think it is northernireland a hundred percent it is.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
It is, which is yeah.
Also, it fits into a couple ofthose categories because it's
one of the places I've been tothe most as well of our
locations and so have reallyreally deep relationships there.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
So we have, in part because of our relationship with
riot that we developed to movethis year.
Um, I was looking at it today.
What do we have?
We have like eight or ninetrips going to northern ire move
this year.
Um, I was looking at it today.
What do we have?
We have like eight or ninetrips going to northern ireland
this year with engage yeah,right now, over nine and it's
continuing to grow.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
So, yeah, yeah, we have six during the summer, so
2025.
But then we've added some moreum in the spring and in the fall
just for some other moreprivate, customized type trips,
for groups too, and we're opento that year round yeah, so.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
So like the move season is basically june 1st
through july 31st, let's pretend.
Uh, it's not those exact dates,but it's basically two months.
The Engage season this yearwill run at least from mid-March
.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
January actually.
Well, oh yeah, the January trip.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
So from basically January 2nd or 3rd or whatever,
through the second week ofOctober which is insane.
That's what it's looking like,if you want to go on an Engage
trip, dream literally any ofthose times or the other couple
of months that we left outnovember and december on the
table.
I'm just gonna go ahead and saythat on your behalf.
(07:11):
Um, what, like I know it's adifferent process for a youth,
like they can't just go on ourwebsite and register for an
engaged trip.
It's a.
It's a different thing.
So like what is it?
Speaker 2 (07:22):
yeah, you know yeah, yeah, usually I.
It's starting withconversations.
Uh, so we'll get an email, getsomething coming through our
website.
Uh, have hey, brad, you'll handme a name of somebody that you
talked to that is interested.
But yeah no, it starts withconversations of just learning
hey, what's, um, what?
(07:43):
What are you looking to get outof this as a youth pastor?
And maybe some of them havebeen on other trips before.
Some of them this is their veryfirst time to tap into what an
international trip looks like.
And so, just gauging from thoseconversations, we help steer
and direct and guide in the waysthat are needed and necessary
and help figure out what's goingto be the best type of trip for
(08:05):
the group, best location,whether that time of year cost.
There's just a whole lot ofdifferent factors in there.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
But we can help guide and steer that conversation and
so, yeah, going from there.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Okay, so reach out to Britt.
If I get a hold of us, somebodycan point you in the right
direction.
Literally, you can reach out toany CY social media email.
Whatever you want to do, we'llget you in the right place.
One of my favorite things aboutmission trips, though, is
before we do, the mailbag isjust.
They are the places where themost hilarious and insane
(08:40):
stories happen, and this wouldnot be a good podcast if we
didn't tell just a couple ofthose stories so how many wait?
how many trips did you go onthis year?
Speaker 2 (08:52):
I went on three so you went to honduras went to
honduras with producer lauren,that's right you went to went to
spain, spain, and then I was inNorthern Ireland, at Riot,
during the spring.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Northern Ireland at Riot in the spring.
That's right, that's so fun,yeah, so what insane things
happened that wouldn't happenanywhere else in the world.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
What insane things happened wouldn't happen
anywhere else in the world.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Just give us a couple of good, lucrative-.
Well, this was actually insane.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Okay, give us a couple of good, lucrative.
Well, this was actually insane,okay, during the Honduras trip
they were having abnormalamounts of rain than any time.
So it's a rainy season, butusually there's some rain that
will come in through theafternoon, but I think it
literally rained the whole time.
(09:43):
We were there.
From getting picked up at theairport started raining on the
way back to the mission house,we had people in the backs of
trucks putting tarps over,trying to stay dry, trying to
keep the luggage dry Amazing.
And then literally got rainthroughout the whole week until
we were getting dropped back offat the airport on the way home.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
That's tough.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
But I'm saying that we got to experience a Honduras
that most people never get toexperience, so and I mean we're
still able to do the things thatwe're planning on doing.
There Changed a couple thingsin the schedule but fortunately
there's a lot of inside thingshappening, so it worked out.
It was fine.
But hey got to experience adifferent part of our different
(10:28):
season of hunders I love it.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
That's amazing.
So no, no, no, nobody broke anylimbs, nobody did anything
crazy nobody uh, there was,nobody had any.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
We're not wishing for that to happen, brad.
You know, I know we're notwishing for that to happen.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Brad, you know, I know we're not wishing for that
to happen.
I'm just saying sometimesstudents get out of the country
and they they change for thebetter.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
It's true, you know, yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
You know, I mean one time you were on this podcast
and you told a story aboutsomebody throwing up in a trash
can at the Taj Mahal, yeah, sothat's really the kind of thing
that I'm looking for here.
Am I not gonna get another oneof those out of you year after
year?
Okay, fair enough, but peopledo get.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Do get a little more brave when they're overseas of
trying which is great thingswhich is great.
Um, we had some guys that foundsome mangoes on the ground, no,
and they were like it'sprobably not a good idea to eat
them.
And turns out we find out laterthey sure did open them right
up, right off the ground it hadbeen raining and took some bites
(11:35):
of some mango that probablydidn't come out in the best ways
.
We'll just say that.
Yikes, Okay, well so if youwanted your poop story that's it
got it okay, we can move on now, okay, that's great, I love it.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Um, in all seriousness, though, engage
trips are like the best thing.
Uh, engage, we say that wetrain students for a life of
kingdom work, and, um, yeah,it's super cool.
It's super cool what?
What happens when you getstudents in another, in another
place that they're a littleuncomfortable with?
Speaker 3 (12:16):
um, on that note, michael, hello, hello, brad
hello brett, hi michael Michael,hello, hello Brad, hello Brett.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Hi Michael, it's time for the mailbag.
It is time for the mailbag.
Michael's got some questionsfor us to answer.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
I do.
I think this question fromNathan Anderson is a pretty
interesting question, nathan.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Anderson oh man.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Trip leader for CY Engage.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Wow.
Former trip participant with CYEngage.
Wow, former trip participantwas on a trip with CY Engage
last summer, two summers ago nowtwo summers ago yeah anyway,
and I think for people who areworld travelers this question.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
I'm curious what they would say okay.
Nathan wants to know how manytimes do you click snooze on
your alarm.
Oh, that's a good question it.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Okay, Nathan wants to know how many times do you
click snooze on your alarm?
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Oh, that's a good question.
It says a lot about a person,honestly.
Yeah it is usually once youclick it, you snooze once, so
your alarm goes off twice.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Yeah, so I set my alarm intentionally nine minutes
earlier than what I want to getup, because I know I'm going to
hit the snooze once.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Amazing.
So, even when you have to getup for like a 5 am flight.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Oh, I usually don't snooze at that point, okay,
because I'm usually awake, it'sgo time.
Yeah, yeah, those are thenights, when you have to get up,
catch a flight, go somewhere.
That I really don't sleep greatthose nights, yeah, so I'm
awake already.
So once that alarm goes off, Iactually.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
I have a follow up question to that.
Yeah, Are you good at going tobed at a decent time the night
before you travel?
Speaker 2 (13:57):
No.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Okay, I'm not.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
I just I'm, I count on like yeah, I don't sleep
Speaker 1 (14:03):
before I have to go somewhere.
Yeah, it's a bad habit.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
But I can sleep on airplanes.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
So I factor that into the sleep schedule as well.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
It's a formula.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Whatever I mean, I would rather be sleeping in my
bed, but knowing that I haveflights the next day, I'll sleep
on an airplane.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
I'm a zero snooze guy .
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Zero.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Set the alarm, I'll wake up.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Ready to go?
Speaker 1 (14:31):
Not ready to go, but I don't press snooze, so that's
a weird thing about me.
And just one alarm, one alarm.
Well, when I like tomorrowmorning I have to leave my house
at four o'clock in the morningto catch a 6 am flight, gross,
and I will set like a 325, a 328, a 330, a 331 alarm, just like
(14:54):
make extra sure.
But here's the thing I neverneed them, I never actually.
Yeah, I'm the same way, yeah Ido.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
I do that, but it's like I need a safety net here.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Yeah, yeah also I am.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
I am not a person that has ever slept through an
alarm.
Like I know.
There's people who will setmultiple or set different sounds
.
That's never been my issue, soI I will wake up to any.
I'm a pretty light sleeper,yeah yeah, never, never slept
through an alarm there you gomaybe have done the like whole
(15:26):
am pm.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
Yeah, yeah, I've done that a few times I I one time,
um, missed an alarm.
I don't know if it was becauseI slept through it or if it's
because I did that thing where,as soon as I turned it off, I
immediately fell back asleepwithout meaning to.
But one time missed my alarmthe morning that I was supposed
(15:51):
to leave for a superstar tripand woke up to my doorbell
ringing because both of ourvehicles decided to come to my
house to pick me up.
And that is probably some of thefastest that I've ever like,
gotten myself ready to walk outthe door.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Well, yeah I would say so and I just, I just had a,
I just had a heavy weight on myhead and on my shoulders for
the rest of the day yep, younever recover from that kind of.
Thing no, like you feel, youfeel that all day long, yeah,
yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Terrible way to start your day.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
So sorry for that.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
We have a question from Flint Spencer and Flint
wants to know what isencouraging to you that you've
seen in the church lately.
Aw.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Aw, that's endearing Love.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
encouragement questions.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
I know and Britt, you see a lot of the church.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
See a lot of the church around the world.
So true, so true.
I think I have been encouragedby this draw to authenticity in
the church around the world ofthese authentic believers.
Authentic faith and gettingback to just this is real life.
(17:10):
We're not putting on a show.
God's not looking for aperformance out of anybody.
He's wanting our hearts andI've got to see that and been a
part of those conversations.
So that's been encouraging,this draw to authenticity.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Especially among young people.
Yeah, absolutely are reallyleaning into that.
It's like they don't want themanicured answers and the right
yeah, see right, totally seeright through it yep, I love
that.
Yeah, I am gonna answer thisquestion because I usually end
up answering them all, which ismaybe my red flag, I don't know.
But the one thing I've beenencouraged by in the church is
(17:51):
just our home church.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
Christ.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Church of Foronogo has been doing some really cool
things lately.
I was at a D group retreat allweekend with Flint Spencer.
Watching that guy pastor juniorhigh students is amazing, so he
crushes it at that.
And then we did like thisincredible food drive recently
(18:14):
and I'm hearing all thesedifferent ways that people are
getting connected.
They have things for, like,single moms and moms connection
and they do a bunch with thefoster care system and it's like
, man, our church is out there,just be in the church yeah, and
I love it, yeah, and I knowchurches all over the country
are.
You know, that's just like thelens that I see that through,
yep, but I don't know.
(18:35):
Yeah, just like following mychurch on social media, and
every time they post a story, Iclick on it and I'm like, oh yes
, an awesome thing yeah it.
It's so cool.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Yeah, yeah, and I think there's something to it
with the growth that's beenhappening too of trying to
figure out space issues andtrying to ask people to maybe
come to a different service tomake space for somebody else,
and it's amazing, it'sencouraging, yeah, else, and
it's amazing, it's encouraging.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Yeah, speaking of space issues, I read an article
the other day about how thepeople in the international
space station vote in uselections oh yeah yeah, it's
pretty fascinating interesting.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
I'm not.
I'm not gonna give it away.
I'm not gonna give it away.
I'm not gonna give it away.
Something I've ever thoughtabout.
Yeah, that's a different.
I haven't thought about iteither.
Different space issue.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Well, yeah, she said space issue, and I was
immediately like it is a spaceissue.
It's a completely different kindthose are not the space issues
that Christchurch is doing as amatter of fact but anyway, I'll
let other people put two and twotogether on the actual type of
space issues that we're dealingwith.
Yeah, anyway, that's good,that's good, that's good, paykel
(19:46):
, thank you.
As always, an excellentmoderator for the mailbag
portion of this segment.
I'm excited, brittany, today totalk to Richie Shilliday.
Yes, so a lot of people got tomeet Richie at Move, like we
already talked about, and Mix,that's right, and he is just one
of one.
Richie is in so many ways and,uh, I'm excited to get to chat
(20:09):
with him.
So you want to go chat withRichie?
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Yeah, let's do it Richie Shilliday.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Welcome.
How you doing.
Speaker 4 (20:18):
Hi Brad, I'm doing really well Good Enjoying a
little stroll through theForrest around Ball Hinch Rugby
Club, as we've just taken Ari totraining.
Thanks for being patient withme, guys.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Yeah, of course, I will say that nobody who has
ever been on this podcast hasever had as beautiful of a
backdrop on their video as youhave right now.
So you win the award for that.
I don't know what the prize is,but uh, yeah, that's good.
So, hey, you took a group.
(20:55):
Yeah, you should come over hereand see me.
Um, hey, you took a group ofstudents to move this year,
right, Aiden actually took ourgroup down to move.
Aiden took your group down tomove, um, so I think it's cool
that a lot of the youth pastorsthat patronize this podcast will
(21:15):
have had a similar experienceto what your group had over in
Ireland.
But a lot of people got to meetyou this summer, richie.
We had Riot as our missionpartner.
It was really cool Both Moveand Mix to watch people kind of
get to know what you do at Riot,of get to know, uh, what you do
at riot and get to know you alittle bit, and so we just kind
of wanted to catch up, talk toyou, uh, give, give the people a
(21:37):
little behind the veil.
Look at who richie shillidayreally is.
So, um, but not too far behindthe veil, okay yeah, that's a
good old scary.
Speaker 4 (21:46):
It can be dangerous Anyway so, yeah, what was your?
Speaker 1 (21:52):
I want to know what your experience was like being
the Move mission partner.
How was that whole thing foryou?
Speaker 4 (22:03):
So, yeah, when the idea was introduced I honestly
was a little or whole lot.
No, we're not a big fancyorganisation.
We're just this wee project,just a tiny little village in
Northern Ireland that's plannedto love our young people and
(22:24):
trying to care for our community.
Be the hands and feet to carefor our community, be the hands
and feet in a town that is onesmall wee, plant-based church
and we're just trying to do avery simple thing of bringing
Jesus in a very normal way intopeople's lives.
So to be asked to be a missionpartner for a huge, big American
(22:48):
, wonderful mission organizationwas like no, we don't, we can't
do that.
That doesn't make sense.
There's got to be and it's nota false humility, I'll say, it's
a very honest assessmentthere's got to be much more
better, suitable, deservingpeople.
So to be asked and to have beena mission partner of COI is an
(23:14):
incredible blessing and gift.
We're very, very honoured tohave been able to be that
partner and for COI to take somuch care and love and to tell
people about us.
It's humbling but at the sametime it's just wonderful to be
(23:35):
able to share the goodness ofGod and what he's doing in our
little project and the livesthat he's transforming True
hopefully.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
Just loving people, yeah, so hopefully just love on
people.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Yeah, so one of the stories that didn't get told
this summer that I think is justa really, really incredible
story that I want to kind oftalk about a little bit is
actually Aiden's story.
So people got to meet Aiden,which was cool.
He was in some of the videosand did a little bit of the kind
(24:10):
of narration of a few of thestories and that kind of thing,
but we didn't get to actuallytell his like journey to riot
and what his, his history kindof looked like and all of that
kind of stuff.
So I want to just kind of likedive into that a little bit, if
we can.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
I love that family so much.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Love Finbar and Minigan Aiden.
Great crew of.
Like, dive into that a littlebit if we can.
I love that family so much.
Uh, love fit bar and miniganaiden.
Uh, great crew.
So, um, tell me what, first ofall, who is aiden to you, like,
what is his role at theorganization?
Speaker 4 (24:41):
so aiden, just this month the committee and I and
I've been asking Aidan for Idon't know a couple of years now
to come on staff to reallyconsider being more than just a
volunteer and a supporter ofRiot, as he has grown up with
(25:02):
Riot and is honestly like theRiot prodigy, if you will, of my
heart and how to reach peopleIn Northern Ireland.
There's this lovely divide notvery lovely really, but
Protestant and Catholic.
So Aidan comes from a Catholicbackground and is very proud of
(25:24):
that heritage and culture, andthe Lord has used me within and
a community around us to helpdistinguish a little difference
in what it looks like to be aProtestant Catholic in modern
Christianity.
And it's not about thisreligion of attending and going
(25:45):
to church but, more importantly,getting to know who Jesus is
and trying to journey out daily.
What it looks like to be afollower and have a walking,
talking, normal, everydayrelationship with Jesus got to
go back to maybe when he was 11or 12 after Sorry, hold on.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
I'm going to interrupt you for a second.
One thing that the people haveto know about you, about Richie
Shilliday, is that you'rebasically the mayor of Dundrum,
the chancellor of County DownWell it doesn't make a
difference.
The whole county, the wholecountry of Northern Ireland,
everybody knows Richie, so he'son a walk right now.
(26:40):
He's going to be saying hi topeople.
That's okay, it's just going tohappen.
Speaker 4 (26:45):
So the beauty of doing what I do.
I've gotten involved in sportand lots of ways to reach people
.
So this is the Ballin' HanksRugby Club, a really big, great
organization that brought meinto coaching.
So I coach with the minis andmy kids play here.
So my heart for people andintroduce who I am because of
what Jesus has done, I straightaway got involved in coaching
(27:06):
and helping is done.
I straight away got involved incoaching and helping.
So Adi's group I helped withfor a while and I now coach with
Harrison in the primary fiveage group.
So I know a lot of the coachesand the parents because their
kids have now come to RADbecause, well, some of them are
out of the U of RAD but a lot.
Once they met me, I tell themabout RAD and so they come along
, so it's really neat at me.
(27:26):
I tell them about Riot and sothey come along, so it's really
neat it's a good bridge.
It's really neat back to Aidanright how old was he when you?
Met him, probably 11 or 12, andhe's like, like you guys have
met punk kid 14, 15 years ago.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
I think yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (27:52):
Yeah, so he's just a normal Irish kid trying to
figure things out.
He has been talking to going tochurch or mass maybe is a more
appropriate term to part of theschooling and part of just the
(28:15):
religion.
You should attend these things.
But Aidan is a thinker andAidan is always questioning
what's the big picture.
And as he was doing that, ofcourse he was influenced by some
(28:36):
people and made some dodgychoices and kind of came to the
wrap of making some bad things.
I've got to figure thisreligion thing out.
Tell me more.
So Aidan was always superinquisitive about his journey
(28:57):
From, honestly, 12, 13 years old.
There was a good maturity abouthim.
But there's a really neatincident that happened.
I think he was 13.
And the kids are pretty roughstill at this point.
Right, it's a fresh project.
We're introducing the streetkids into some sort of
discipline structure and tryingto share what faith is to us and
(29:22):
church religion.
And so he's in the bathroommessing around and I don't know
how, but he sits on the sink andhe rips the sink off the wall.
Now just imagine the water goeseverywhere.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Oh no.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
There's water pouring everywhere and he comes down in
a panic I've broke the sink.
I promise I'll just sit on it.
I'm really sorry.
I'm like what the heck?
Ok, I run up and sat on it.
I'm really sorry.
I'm like what the heck?
Okay, I run up and I see it andI'm like oh wow, got to go turn
the water off because it'sdrowning the place.
So I turn the water off.
I'm like dude, what happened?
And he's like I just sat on itand it fell off the wall.
I'm like all right, it's okay.
(30:01):
And honestly, now, as I it'slike a little so-and-so's,
vandalizing, but the Lord gaveme patience in that moment and I
was able to say to him don'tworry about it.
Absolutely fine, we'll get itfixed.
So I turned it off.
We were able to turn it off,stop the water.
(30:24):
I got a couple of stop endsdisconnected and so, with no
problems, turn the water back on.
And he was like years there.
He's like richie, it just madeno sense to me the grace that
you showed me in that moment,like anywhere else in my life,
that, um, I did something stupidor wrong.
(30:44):
I got like in trouble and toldoff and people were cross and I
giggled because I'm like well,that would have been me normally
.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
But thankfully in that moment still me normally.
Speaker 4 (30:56):
Thankfully, in that moment the Lord was all over it
and somehow in the spirit in methere was grace and it was like
he said that struck to him.
If that's what a Christian'slike, then I want to know more
about that.
So that kind of connected.
We had mission teams come overand share stories and as Aidan
(31:18):
shares his story now, he alwaysmentions that as the teams
talked and shared stories thatintrigued him about the goodness
of God and how it started toimpact his life.
So the little testimonies thatwe work on with teams and
sharing what God's doing in yourlife, that's really impactful
to young people searching andlooking for God.
(31:40):
So what he caught, he goesdeeper himself, deeper himself,
deeper himself, and he's lookingonline for different things.
He starts seeing some of theseguys who are doing miracles and
healing and different stuff, andhe keeps coming back and asking
(32:00):
questions and it causes me thento go read scripture and him
and I sit and read through stuffand work together.
So this goes on for a few yearsuntil he comes back one night
and he's like, let's see, I'vekind of like got to this point
where I've asked God, I can't goon anymore.
I need Jesus in my life andI've kind of like Jesus, come in
(32:22):
and I'm like you what he's like?
Yeah, I guess I asked Jesusinto my life and that I know I
need him as my personal savior.
And I'm like, dude, you justlike become a Christian.
And he's like, oh crap, whatdoes that mean?
I'm like, what do you mean?
What does that mean?
He's like am I a Protestant?
(32:48):
I'm like no, yeah, that's a.
So I had to, yeah, so I had toexplain to him like no, this is,
this is way bigger.
Like there's no protestantcatholic in scripture.
Like this is a relationshipwith jesus that is supersedes
the silliness in our wee country.
Uh, what's going on?
So I'm like you can.
You can tell people like youlove jesus and this doesn't
(33:09):
matter about the religion in ourcountry, so that's all good.
He tells his mum and dad and hismum is like, oh, no, like does
that mean he's a Protestant?
Do I have to go and meet upwith Finbar and Mary and be like
no, that means nothing, mary,he is still your Catholic boy,
just that he loves and knowsJesus, and so that's got to be
(33:35):
sort of when he's 14 or 15, Ithink.
So it's taken a few years toget to that journey with him,
but the Lord got a grip on hisheart, this beautiful heart that
wanted to know.
And, as most of you maybe haveheard, he goes on um to meet a
lovely american girl who came onthe ci team.
(33:56):
That's right, that's not,that's not me to be.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Come here, right, yeah, something about something
about our program being calledengage.
I don't know what what that hasto do with it, but no, that was
so.
C so Corey was on our veryfirst student trip in 2015, the
January trip.
She was on that one.
Speaker 4 (34:17):
I was honestly really tough on those guys because
Corey didn't come back in thesummer there's kind of a no
dating rule and they were reallygood with that and I even
wouldn't let them talk for amonth.
I go well, I say that I didn'tlet them.
I asked them to be respectfuland to leave it for a month and
if there was anything going on,let the Lord work in it.
(34:38):
I think that was actually thesecond time she'd come back, but
the Lord used that relationshipin a beautiful way to draw them
both close to him and them andtheir relationship together.
So they got married.
They spent a couple of years onmission and, as he has turned
back to Northern Ireland, I gothim working part time with Riot
(35:01):
just in the last month.
He's now full time signed up,so I'm going to retire and then
talk to you ever after.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
You better not.
He's never coming out of thewoods anybody who knows me yeah,
no, that's not happening.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
Richie will never retire you'll die with a shovel
in your hand, won't you?
Speaker 4 (35:25):
the Lord is definitely changing my heart to
help to hand over a lot moreyouth work to him as I support
him in the next few years andthe Lord is opening doors in
community in different ways.
But I think that the villagewill need our community needs
(35:47):
and even direction of how Riotwill look to serve and love our
community more.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
Yeah, yeah.
So I want to lean in on thestories thing that you talked
about.
Um, cause, every, every studentwho comes on a CIO engaged trip
to Riot at some point, uh, tripto riot at some point uh stands
(36:17):
up and has three minutes toshare their story, uh, with a
group of young people that thatcome to riot and britney, I know
that you've watched this happen, yeah, so many times.
Dozens and dozens, hundreds oftimes maybe, and um, it really
there's something about theamerican experience that like
makes that hard for students,and I don't know what that is
but it's like difficult for them, and then they come over and
(36:40):
but yeah, there's the part of itthat richie is so good and
gifted about.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
it's not just hey, have have every student prepare
their story and then they'regoing to share it.
Like we take time and, richie,like you've you, you guide this
process so well and the pastorheart in you of how a student
can tell the story to a kid atriot, so in a completely
different cultural context, butshare a piece of their story
(37:09):
that connects to the gospel.
It's not the student's story allabout themselves, but, richie,
how you guide that to point tothe main character, which is God
, and knowing him.
For you, what like you set thatup, put the ball on the tee and
let God do with it what hewants.
(37:30):
And so how you guide, that isreally good.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
And, honestly, you know, like everything as you do
ministry, this is like, come onclose to 30 years maybe, of me
doing youth work and 25 orsomething of doing youth
ministry, um, and as we'vewalked through that, um, there
(37:56):
was a.
There was a season when I feltlike the ministry that I was
doing was using mission teamscoming in and not doing ministry
.
Very well, honestly, of amission team would come in to
serve and love and I almoststood back and applauded and
said great job, well done,thanks.
And the feedback I got after aseason or two was like it was
(38:17):
really good, we love the teams,but there just wasn't connection
and our young people or theoutreach that you did, they fell
away within weeks and so like,okay, how do we change this from
being a short-term trip thatmakes an impact but doesn't have
that lasting impact that wewant and people deserve to have
(38:41):
time to figure out who thisJesus is.
And that's where Riot honestlyand God sort of developed that
vision of Riot that we wouldbuild the project to pour into
community and the mission teamswould supplement and benefit
from it.
The key for me is helping peopleunderstand who they are in
(39:05):
Christ.
Our story is one of the mostpowerful things that we can
share and get across to someone.
So to understand that and whatJesus has done in your life, or
an example or a symptom not asymptom a moment where you can
hold on to something tangiblethat I know God's real and he's
(39:25):
moved in my life because of this, of how you articulate and how
you share that with someone, isso really vitally important.
Now there was a team I thinktwo or three, maybe more I'm
getting old people, I'm sorry,this could be four or five, four
or five years ago and the teamwas made up of a couple of
(39:45):
different groups who wanted togo and this is CIY.
They wanted to go to Honduras,they wanted to go to Haiti, and
those trips fell through andthey all had to come to riot.
And as we talked through storiesand the heart of listening, the
heart of caring about theperson in front of you, and how
to share a little bit of Jesusand trust that maybe a few words
(40:08):
or trust that a minute of whatGod had done in your life was
impactful, these guys wereexplaining to me that was so
scary and worrying to them,right, and I'm like that's,
that's really hard and I almosthad forgotten, in a way, being
(40:29):
older that it becomes easier totalk, but as a young person, you
know the thought of teaching asermon or standing up in front.
It's still quite scary, right.
And what I wanted to tell thesepeople was this is a gift from
God.
This is an opportunity whereyou just get to plant a seed in
somebody's life and trust Godthat he is already working and
(40:51):
that he will continue to work.
But we need to be faithful intelling the goodness of God in
our lives.
So they were like, okay, that'sa different thought than what
we had of having to just get upand share this timeline from
when I was young and what itgoes through.
And I'm like, yeah, thathonestly, there's a point of
(41:13):
that in our growth of faith.
But when you're trying to shareto people who don't quite know
what Jesus is or where faith isor what religion looks like, to
make it real and personal andsomething that they can make
sense of, is really beneficial.
So, honestly, as you walk withthis and God kind of led and
(41:37):
guided, all of these piecesstarted to fall away.
Enough how we need to own ourown story.
And, honestly, the teams oftenand this is Sarah why in other
church groups often they haven'thad opportunity to share their
faith or seen the need for that.
(41:58):
And so I hope this crazy Irishguy, that need and that love of
Father's heart that Jesus diedfor us all.
He wants everyone to know heloves us so much that actually
we have a responsibility ofbeing gifted of knowing Christ,
to share that in a way that isrelatable to the people around
(42:20):
us.
So I hope and want thatexperience of that team that
were so worried and they didn'twant to come to riot because
they thought they would have tostand up and share right, and I
was like that's a terriblereason not to come right yeah,
yeah, you know and it's not so.
(42:41):
I hope we've taken the fear outof that that.
Actually, this is a goodexperience to journey.
Well, what do I believe andwhat is it that God's done in my
life, and how do I actuallybegin to think, the process, and
then you get to share a coupleof minutes of God's goodness.
So, brittany's right, we'vetried to do that in a way that
(43:02):
is supportive, encouraging andeverybody is able to do it, and
there's hundreds, probably, ofstories where people have
struggled and then they've gotthrough it, and from healing and
prayer that we've been able todo with teams until reaching and
like touching hearts of kidsthat hear their stories.
(43:23):
It's just incredible.
And when God, how God, uses it,I just I don't understand, I
comprehend, I just I'm like, yes, thank you.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (43:35):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
It's uh.
Every time I this verse alwayspops into my head when I think
of you, um, from Revelation,talking about how people who
were oppressed by the evil oneovercame by the blood of the
lamb and by the word of theirtestimony.
And uh, I always think that'ssuch a fascinating little verse.
It's like that those two thingsare mentioned hand in hand.
(43:57):
They're like you have jesusblood and you have your story
and that's what you've got.
You know, um, and I think youkind of lean into that in a
really really, uh, special waymy favorite thing about it is
kind of funny is um the threeminutes piece, because you know
that people, if you're like,tell your story.
It's like well, I was born onseptember 29th 1990, and then
(44:21):
they want to recount every daysince, and it's like no, you,
when you're talking to somebody,you've got like 90 seconds to
catch their attention and youalways talk about like leaving
them wanting more.
And even the way that you talkabout like the strategy of of
telling your story and how youdo that and how you craft it, I
think is really cool.
Speaker 4 (44:40):
Well, everybody's super bad, right.
Everyone you meet peoplethere's there's like a hundred
different aspects to people andat different topics you can talk
to.
So you have to be like I don'tjust have one approach but I'm
going to try and share witheverybody.
Like god has worked with me ina million ways and if I think
(45:03):
about the ways god has helpedand corrected and show grace and
been kind to me, I've never runout of things to say because
I've made every mistake and Godhas been so kind and let go of
you know things that I've doneand said and spoken to people.
(45:28):
Spoken to people and assistedhim to realize he can use all of
that to build up his family.
And people need to know, eventhough I made a mistake, God's
still going to use me, he stillloves me, he still wants me.
Yeah so, yeah.
So I love that people havegotten to get.
(45:48):
He still wants me.
Speaker 1 (45:49):
Yeah, so, yeah, so I love that people have gotten to
get kind of an insight into allof that and I want to make sure
I want to be respectful of yourtime and I want to make sure
that we hit on one other thingfor a little bit before we let
you go, and that is ourinitiative at Move this summer
(46:11):
had to do with this littleproperty that I love um up on
the Hill in in Dundrum there and, uh, hopefully giving you know
the Lord is going to give you anopportunity to to purchase that
property so that you cancontinue to do more things with
it.
Right now, what all is outthere.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
There's the youth center, there's the house,
there's the football pitchthere's swing set, play park and
a garden, community garden.
Speaker 4 (46:43):
Yeah, the food bank and library, yes.
Speaker 1 (46:47):
So, if you were able to purchase that property, which
I'm believing that you're going, you were able to purchase that
property, which I'm believingthat you're going to be able to
do that, what's your dream forit?
What's next?
Speaker 4 (47:00):
So if I'm listening and hearing the Lord right on
the committee or the RADScommittee, who I'm so fortunate
to have a group of people whopray and consider my craziness
as I ask God for big things, Ithink there's already been
(47:20):
people put in place for a cafeand a way to serve and love our
community as a meeting house anda place that community, a
meeting house and a place thatwhat is the, a place of peace,
honestly, is what I think.
So I said cafe, but it's ameeting place where coffee and
(47:43):
whatever treats and stuff aregoing to serve.
But there's already people thatGod has introduced me to in the
last six months that I'm likeyeah, I can see that person,
there's a need for them, but itwould help them to be involved
in this and give them a role intheir job, uh, within that.
So prayer wise uh, I've beenyou people, you know me, I'm not
(48:08):
very patient.
I have been more patient than meabout this and anything in my
life of not phoning, not writingand asking questions about when
can riot move and what to do.
I've really been waiting on theLord for the next step.
So now that incredible donationand support from you guys step.
(48:29):
So now that incredible donationand support from you guys, we
can kind of go and ask afterwe're going to meet with the
committee and say how do we goto a Methodist church and say
what can we do to help thisprocess?
Speaker 1 (48:45):
Which the Methodist church for the people listening,
the Methodist church is.
Who currently owns the propertythat you're leasing it from?
Speaker 4 (48:51):
Yeah, so how do we take these next steps and what's
the requirements?
The heart has always been tohonor and respect the church and
the heritage.
A place was built in the 1880sand they have cared and
ministered up until COVID, whenthe church closed.
(49:14):
So we want to be respectful ofthat, and I love the heart of
the Methodist.
It was about caring for peoplein the community, and so they
have always kind of saidwhenever they make a decision,
we will be the first people tocome to.
So we just need we don't needit too much.
My patience is getting to thatpoint where I would like them to
(49:38):
come and meet with me and say,hey, we'd like to think about
you guys taking this over.
We're going to sell it to you,and am I being foolish in
expecting God just to do all ofthat without me pursuing it or
(50:01):
trying to figure out?
Do I need to pursue it?
And that's part of the Chasejourney.
Yeah, you know.
That's good so I've beenlistening to the committee on it
.
Speaker 1 (50:14):
I'm really um trying to be sensitive and and careful
very unlike me, honestly well, I, uh, yeah, I I think it's cool
that this conversation kind ofwent to this place, because a
lot of people feel, after move,very invested in the ministry of
(50:36):
riot emotionally.
I think they really connectedwith the wants to continue to
partner with you in prayer.
It sounds like that's a prettybig uh thing that we could be
praying for is is some, somediscernment among your um
(51:00):
director or your board and um,yeah, yeah, just for those
conversations with the Methodistchurch, which we will be doing
for sure.
Speaker 4 (51:07):
Yeah, yeah, thank you .
Yeah, that's key.
Yeah, yeah, thank you, yeah,that's key, yeah, so that on a
short term, I got to go andbuild a greenhouse.
We have a three by eight metergreenhouse to build, so I got to
get my digging tools out andget a little foundation built
(51:29):
and get that all set up in placefor the coming season when I
can get some things planted andconnect some.
Speaker 2 (51:38):
Our hope and that is to connect some older generation
with some young generation andshare some advice and skills and
, by spending time relationshipwith that, just open the door
for Jesusesus to do what jesusdoes yeah, yeah, that's right,
yeah, and I I can't go withoutsaying this like you're talking
about riot being a place ofpeace and a place for the
(52:00):
community, like that alreadyexists um that that is already
true of that space and just the,the uniqueness of where you
guys are located in dundrum andthis, this community hub.
But I, I mean, it excites mejust knowing yeah the, the
potential of god to do even morewhen there's some facilities
(52:23):
that can actually accommodatemore people and and what that
can look like.
So it's just seeing how God'sgoing to work that out for you
and praying for that as well.
Speaker 4 (52:34):
Yeah, just as you said about we're ready to peace,
I'm ready to do things for thecommunity.
I've seen a kid in the distancein one of the rugby shirts says
Riot Revival in our townbecause we sponsored some shirts
for the group last year, and soI'm just like god, I, I'm just
reminded of your, your goodness,yeah, as the kids run in here
(52:56):
wearing a rad shirt yeah, yeahwell, uh, we love you richie,
we're excited, uh, for whatgod's going to continue to do
through your ministry.
Speaker 1 (53:05):
I uh, it is not cold here yet, but as soon as it gets
cold, the first beanie thatcomes out is my Dundrum Cricket
Club beanie.
So, yeah, always encouraged totalk to you, brother.
Speaker 4 (53:19):
Yeah, Thank you guys, Bless you.
Thank you.
Hopefully you can understand meeverybody.
Speaker 2 (53:27):
That remains to be seen.
Speaker 1 (53:30):
We'll slow it down a little bit and see if maybe that
helps you're talking aboutthings that are pising into my
heart, so I'm sorry.
Speaker 4 (53:38):
I got excited in there.
Speaker 1 (53:41):
I understood you, so I was encouraged thanks, richie.
I don't know if I said this onmic or off, but he is like a one
of one person, like therereally is nobody like him, and I
don't know if anybody has evercome on this podcast and been as
just like transparent,vulnerable.
Speaker 2 (54:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (54:01):
As he is like this isn't me.
This is how God is working inmy life.
Speaker 2 (54:05):
He's always so good about that stuff, yeah, he is
and not afraid to talk aboutshortcomings or the things that
he's working through in his ownfaith and his own walk as well.
Just great guy I mean theauthenticity that we talked
about.
Authenticity Is something thatis so real and tangible and you
feel that.
Speaker 1 (54:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (54:25):
And talking with him as well.
Speaker 1 (54:27):
And I don't, like, I don't want this to be like
commercially, I really don't butat the same time, it's like I
want every high school studentto go and interact with that man
for a week.
Truly, I like there's not.
Yeah, it's just incredible what, what he's able to, like, stir
(54:47):
up in people.
And what we didn't talk aboutwas like he goes through this
whole process of teachingstudents how to tell their
stories.
That is a tool.
Speaker 2 (54:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (54:55):
Like that they can like there's no, there's no
translation.
That needs to be done.
Right, no you bring that backwith you and you can use that
absolutely any room you walkinto right here in the United
States, and that's exactly whathe he talks through as well,
into right here in the UnitedStates, and that's exactly what
he talks through as well.
Speaker 2 (55:10):
And when we're talking about this isn't just
for this one time moment orthree minutes of sharing with
the kids at Riot.
This is the tool that God'sgiven you for the rest of your
life, yeah it's incredible.
Yeah, and it's something I'vebeen saying this as well and
I've said it to him other times.
It's something I've been sayingthis as well and I've said it
to him other times he keepstalking about.
We're just this wee project inthis wee village.
(55:33):
But I mean, the impact of thatministry has gone so well beyond
the borders of even the countryof Northern Ireland you think
of how many hundreds of peopleand we don't even know, like,
how God has used people'sstories and the ripple effects
that have happened.
But well beyond the walls ofriot has God used that ministry.
(56:01):
And I mean, I'm a firsthand.
Speaker 1 (56:04):
Oh yeah, I have that firsthand experience to say that
and have seen how kids in theUS have been transformed by the
ministry there and how God'susing that so there is an aspect
to it, though, when he calls ita we project, like it also is
you know what I mean, like whenyou go and visit the property.
(56:25):
It is like I mean every youthroom of every youth pastor
listening to this conversationis 10 times nicer than the youth
center, right?
You know what I mean.
It's like an old building thatthey don't have enough space A
bunch of hand-me-down couchesand like a projector that they
(56:48):
put words up on a screen with,and he's been able to use that
to do all of that impact thatyou're talking about, which is
just a gift from the Lord.
It's so incredible, anyway.
Well, that was a greatconversation, really encouraging
for me.
Thanks for being here, britt.
I'm going to have you close usout by reading that little
(57:10):
blessing there.
Speaker 2 (57:11):
Yeah, I would love to .
May God show you grace andbless you.
May he make his face shine onyou.
May you experience the love ofChrist, through whom God gives
you fullness of life.
May you be strengthened by hispower.
May Christ himself make hishome in your heart that you
would be full of his love andgrace and that those you serve
would see Jesus in you.
May Christ himself make hishome in your heart that you
would be full of his love andgrace and that those you serve
(57:33):
would see Jesus in you.
Speaker 1 (57:37):
Today's episode was produced by Michael Hester,
lauren Bryant and myself.
Thanks to Richie, thanks toBrittany it was incredible
having both of you here andthank you for watching or
listening.
If you liked what you heard, besure to subscribe.
Wherever you listen to or watchyour podcasts, we'll be back in
(58:01):
a couple weeks.
In the meantime, you can reachout to us on the CY community
Facebook group or by email atpodcast at CYcom.
See you next time.
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