Thursday, March 3 - Cork, Republic of Ireland

* I was told that 200 would be a good crowd for a Christian meeting and that 300-400 would be fantastic. Well, 500 people turned out for this event, which was organized by an evangelistic group that actively spreads the gospel in Ireland. It was considered phenomenal for this country! The man who organized the meeting also does a program on one of the local secular radio stations, and he interviewed me for an hour before the meeting. He was thrilled at AiG's apologetics approach, which he says is SO needed for this culture. (I was later told that our meeting in Cork was more phenomenal than we realized at first. Apparently they estimate there are only 4,000 Christians in the entire province, so to have around 500 was really something!) * Before the meeting started, one lady told me she had attended the meeting I spoke at six years ago and that it totally changed her life. As a result, she obtained our materials and has been able to share the gospel with many people. * One came up and said in his Irish accent, "Aye, I don't like the way you get people to laugh." "Oh," I said. "Aye, this is serious business—it's not good when they laugh like this." I thanked him for his comment and said that Christians can enjoy life and be happy, too!!!!! * A few American students who are studying abroad came and spoke to me, including one young man who was convicted during the talk to somehow get involved in Christian ministry once he left university. * One man told me he had heard me speak in California a few years ago. He said that the message changed his life and he was now working with a church in Cork where he uses our material. * A lot of people came up and thanked me profusely for coming to Ireland and for equipping them. Lots of statements included the phrase "this has changed my life." The organizers were thrilled with the response.