A Series of Unfortunate Events

Sorry for the long wait, almost a year, I believe. But alas, here is our Ireland Newsletter:





This is probably the longest newsletter I have written since I have been going on missions trips. I try to keep it at a one page minimum, but because of a series of unfortunate events, I cannot keep this shorter. I must tell; I must write the facts as it was. I must glorify God through this all. So sit down, relax, grab a cup of coffee (or tea) and read.

As many of you know we had been preparing for this mission trip for about a year. Since August of 2011 we knew we were going to Ireland. We did not know the full details of the trip but we were meeting constantly to pray and to plan. The team started with 10 people who were interested in investing a week long Vacation Bible School camp in Dublin, Ireland. The number went down to 5, and with 5 we planned a week long pirate-themed VBS. We had costumes ready, games, candy, lessons, a skit that was divided in 5 days...everything we could think of. We were ready. On June 29, 2011, all packed, we headed to Bush Intercontinental to start our adventure. The five of us entered the airport, but only four of us got on the plane. Sam, one of our teammates had been detained. His wife had packed his pants on her carry-on and did not check them. There was a switchblade that had been forgotten in the pants, and alas, we were in an airport. Double hit. Sam told the officers that we were a team going on a mission trip. That if he had to be detained, so be it, but it wasn't the team's fault. So off we went. At this point we did not know whether Sam would be able to travel with us. Hopefully, we thought, they would just take the knife away, slap him on the wrist, and say something like, "Remember this day, we got you on record. Never do it again".

Two hours later we were ready to board the plane. Sam had gotten arrested, and LeeAnn (Sam's wife) was crying because Sam had told her to go (regardless of him going to jail).  The thing that kept LeeAnn calm was that she had been told it was only going to be a misdemeanor. At least not a felony, she said. Our ten hours of voyage from Houston to London was probably the longest plane ride I had ever been. My nerves, my fears, all heightened up. Emotional stress remained on all the team. Brian and I weren't even sure if we did the right thing by going. Should we have stayed in Houston? Call the church in Ireland and tell them we won't be going? Something happened. Something major, we would say. Nonetheless we were now in an airplane. It would have also been the quietest plane ride  if it wasn't for a Scottish man next to me wanting to know why I was going to Ireland. For tourism, I explained. He wasn't convinced. But he asked no more and started talking about how beautiful Ireland was. He showed me a picture of his teenage children. Been livin here for twelve years already, he said. Mr. Anderson befriended me that day. I took my bible out to read and after asking what I was reading he told me he was a good person and that all he needed to go to heaven was just that. I told him the only thing getting you into heaven is the blood of Jesus, he says naw, i'm a good person, that's enough. I promised him a bible when I returned to Houston. You'll be wasting your money, he told me. I said, no I won't. He said, Yes, you will. Then he chuckled and told me that If I were to buy him that bible it would be the first one he'd ever had. And to buy it with big letters because he couldn't read those tiny letters. Ten hours was enough for me. If that is all I would have ever done in this mission trip my heart would have been glad. But the Lord had so much more.


At our London overlay, LeeAnn found out that Sam was being charged with a felony. Please, can I go home now? She asked him over the phone. Doesn't this change things? Sam's response must have been no for she started crying and she boarded the plane with us. Sam had been charged and he had a hearing on Monday morning. Probably the first of many. He's getting letters of recommendation to testify that he is a good person, she said. And so it was that as soon as we met Pastor Brian and his church members in Dublin we had an instant connection because of this story. Don't worry, they told us. It will get dismissed.

Meanwhile, I was starting to sneeze a lot. I had developed a small cough in less than a day and did not realize that it would be the beginning of a severe cough that would last for a month. This made my stay in Ireland difficult. However, we all had work to do, and we were one person short, there was no time to rest. Cough medicine and some tea was all I could take, although it did not help much. Looking back now I believe I had bronchitis, but the doctor never explained what I had and gave me the same medicine Brian would take a month later for his bronchitis. Pastor Brian and Anne Kelly substituted as mom and dad for those ten days. In fact, when we were leaving, we all felt as if our dad was dropping us off at the airport. I don't think I really felt sick until I was back in Houston.

Despite these events, the glory and the power of God was evident. The bible says, "what you sow with tears you shall reap with joy". This is what happened exactly. The emotional trauma of leaving a team member behind made us doubt our motive. Why were we here? And why were we doing these things for? During the week long of VBS, Nate, LeeAnn, Brian and I were were in constant back to back activities. Prepare the lessons, prepare the snacks, have lunch, have the kids back, two hours in the mornings, two hours in the evening. Nate played a pirate who couldn't count to 3. One, two, one! Nate would say. Then you would hear the Irish children saying, "no! tree! one two tree!". Then Nate would revert back to his ways and poor old thing could not count to 3. Brian was Captain NoBeard, the most vicious of us all. This character had a change of heart when God  audibly spoke to him inside a whale to tell him that he needs Jesus. LeeAnn was the most spiritual of us all, knowing very well that her trust remained in God, and that without him we were nothing. And finally, a missionary assistant who replaced sam was Mrs. Fixalot. She was captain No Beard's right hand man and could fix everything in sight, expect for a torn map. Which, when Captain NoBeard saw this, his wrath overpowered him and quickly unfriended his right hand. It wasn't until Captain NoBeard had a change in heart that he was able to ask for forgiveness and that his crew was able to bestow that very same thing upon him as well. The children laughed, their most favorite character was the mean rugged old captain NoBeard. The most kind, pirate Sue (leeAnn), and the most friendly, pirate Scruff.

Brian Kelly, pastor of Hope Centre, did not stop loving us one bit while we were over there. From Irish vanilla ice cream called a ninety-nine, to fish and chips, we went to visit cathedrals, the Irish shore, and much much more. Somehow, we managed to do all of this and get a real perspective of Ireland. How many people know Jesus in a personal matter? How many young people go to church? Not many. It is not popular, and, because it is a post christian society, it is rather frowned upon. We met with a young missionary couple from the state of Oklahoma who have in their heart a great vision to start a Chi Alpha at Trinity College. We were the first ones to write in their journal of prayers for the campus. With some coffee and tea in our hands, we each took turns in writing down specific prayers for Trinity. We hope that one day they will come true. How Awesome would it be to see a group of students loving each other so that others may know about Him? Will it be popular? Of course not. Will it be full of outcasts? I think so! But that is yet the best part ever, because Jesus started with the scum of the Earth, and since then the world has never been the same.

On Monday Morning, LeeAnn was waiting for a call back from Sam. Before then, however, Brian Kelly invited us to pray together to ask God to free Sam. This prayer makes me nostalgic each time I think about it. I believe, that each heart was in unison that morning. Each heart was praying for our brother in Christ. Each heart was praying for one specific reason, and there was no division, no distraction. It was the most unified moment I have ever lived in my life. How my heart yearns for such things...things that are from above, and not feelings that are from this Earth. I don't recall how much time passed when we got the call that all charges had been dismissed. Sam later on told us that he could have easily gotten ten, twenty years in prison. We praise God that everything worked out for the better, just as His Word says "He makes all things work together for my good".


I could say many more things about our trip. About the two mountains we climbed on our first actual day in Dublin, about how many times we had fish and chips, about drinking tea at least 4 times a day, about our Chinese dinners after church. All of these are moments which we remember often. If cupid angels existed then Brian and I got shot. We fell in love with Ireland. In fact, we really felt it was our home away from home. I am not sure I have ever quite felt that in another country. Maybe I just really love rainy weather and Brian really loves the Rugby team, but we often remember our time there. We want to go back again. We want to adopt Ireland as a country where we continuously keep in touch. We need people to catch this vision with us, but we are not sure where to even begin! Meanwhile, we will always try to listen and pray. I will leave you with this last thing, two personal testimonies of the impact our presence made while in Ireland.

During our vacation Bible school we had two young girl teenagers attend our camp. We thought it was a bit odd at first to see them so interested in what seemed to be a camp directed towards five year olds. However, they were laughing, running, and even helping the younger children be part of all the fun and games. Almost at the end of our camp the girl's relative came up to the church leaders and told them thank you. She said, thanks for everything you've done this week. There's been three deaths in the family and this is the first time I have seen them smile since last year. A week after we came back from Ireland Brian Kelly e-mailed us back telling us another testimony. One of the youngest girls to attend camp, named Ruby, kept on asking her mom, "Mom who is Jesus? Who is he? I want to know who He is." Her mother could not tell her but she immediately called Brian's wife, Anne, and told her what Ruby had asked. Anne came to rescue shortly and gave Ruby a small book that could answer her questions. This is why, ladies and gents, we do the things we do. We do them for Him, who on the cross paid for our sins. I remember hearing a preaching once saying that a man went to Africa because he was so moved by picture of lepers being isolated, hungry children being unfed etc. He thought to himself, surely these people are hungry for Jesus! But when he got there he realized that they had an unfathomable knowledge of who God was and that they were sinners who wanted to stay in their own SIN. Then this man gets mad, and asks God, why did you bring me here?! These people don't want you, they love their sin and they want to stay in it! Then he felt God speak to Him in a way he had never before, saying " I did not send you to Africa for them. I sent you to Africa for me! Don't I deserve the reward of my suffering?"

Doesn't he deserve the reward of his suffering? Doesn't he? Think about this. Pray about being a missionary. pray about being a missionary in your workplace. Think about the lamb who was slain for you. Doesn't he deserve the reward of his suffering?

In Him,

Brian and Michel Castro