Well today we completed lap 4 of our Triangle prayer walks and it was a crazy day when it came to the weather and bumping into lots of people for chats! The first half was full of some gorgeous sun which just makes everything better as we walked from Coleraine down to Portrush. Then about one minute after recording today’s podcast at Portrush harbour the heavens opened and we got soaked 😂 It stayed pretty wet on and off until we made it back to Coleraine where the sun returned and warmed us up before we got home. As well as numerous ‘honks’ from friendly drivers we had lunch with Janet’s folks and talked with 3 or 4 people who we knew as we walked around, meaning the whole day lasted close to 6 hours – our longest one yet.

We thought we would talk to you a little bit about one of the towns that we have been praying for each day. The coastal town of Portstewart. If you aren’t a local it’s worth knowing that Portstewart can be a busy wee place at this time of year. It receives many tourists and on the main promenade there are loads of coffee shops which in the summer months can all have queues out the door. It really is a beautiful place which has some gorgeous walks all the way around to the beach which stretches for a few miles.. Portstewart has an interesting history when it comes to church. It was greatly impacted by Sabbatarianism which was established through a local landlord in the mid 19th century. Sabbatarianism involved people living in a very strict and religious way, avoiding “secular things” as best as possible. This is one of the reasons Portstewart doesn’t have a railway station – the sabbatarians didn’t want outsiders coming into the town so campaigned that it would avoid Portstewart and go to Portrush. This is why we see a LOT of people bring their car when they come to Portstewart! In fact if you want to see a very interesting sight in the summer months head to Portstewart on a Sunday evening to watch the cruisers – bring earplugs though. I bet the Sabbatarians didn’t think that their stance on the railway would lead to Sunday night cruising at the Port 😂

As we have been praying around Portstewart over these days we have prayed that any old religious mindsets would be reset and that this place would be well known as a welcoming place. We prayed for a sense of community and prayed for those who are in poverty – whilst the town has many expensive homes and second homes, there are many there who are struggling as well. We prayed for the local schools and the different community clubs and associations. We prayed that the businesses in the town would experience flourishing and not just in the summer season but all the year through.

All in all we have walked and prayed over 60 miles (if our calculations are correct) and have loved the opportunity to pray for this community. On Monday and Tuesday we are completing laps 5 & 6 so this weekend will be filled with resting our aching muscles!!!