A CELTIC ADVENTURE

"Where? Belfast? Northern Ireland? It is too far away.” That was what I said to Casey when he first shared with me the possibility of going to Ireland, if Dr. Graham Chessman should agree to be his dissertation supervisor. I was not too keen to have my life routines disrupted for three months. Just in case I sounded too negative, I quickly added, “Let us pray about it; if it is God’s will, he will have to open all the doors for you.” However, I was already whispering quietly in my heart, “Lord, I pray we don’t have to go to Ireland.”

Well, God worked on Casey’s behalf. In his time, he opened one door after another. Now the possibility has become a reality. We will be leaving for Ireland on 7 September for the Centre for Theological Education (CTE) at Belfast Bible College. This is a great opportunity for Casey—to study under Dr Chessman, the director of this Centre—as his research topic is contextualization in theological education. The Lord also miraculously provided a scholarship from CTE for Casey to do this sabbatical research.

As for me, God had to work in my heart. Over time, the initial reluctance turned to passive resignation then to willing acceptance. And now, there is eager participation. Since I am not enrolled as a student, I will have time to read up on my research topic in the library. The excitement is also fuelled by my friends’ envy whenever I poured out my anxiety of going to Belfast to them. Those who had visited Northern Ireland before waxed lyrically about her beauty. In my reading, I discovered that C. S. Lewis, the author of The Chronicles of Narnia, was born and spent his formative years in Belfast. Maybe, this short stay in Belfast will awaken my creativity and inspire me to write a dissertation that could be the world’s next bestseller. Dream on, Davina! Truly, I am now ready for this Celtic adventure!