Earlier today I gave a brief and very self-centered reaction to the bombings in London. Rather than convey my shock and sympathy, my mind went immediately to “how does this effect me.” I wish I had reacted differently. In retrospect it only shows how selfish I am at a time like this.
And yet, there is no getting away from this simple truth: This mornings attack bear some effect on our trip to Northern Ireland.
Earlier today I contacted the leadership of our mission trip. I asked… “In light of what has happened, do you think that everything will proceed? At whay point would we rethink our plans?”
Here is the response I got back:
Hi PA -
Actually, I had one of my trip leaders traveling from London/Gatwick to London City airport at just the time the blasts happened. He made it to the airport and on up to Liverpool fine.
I am going to copy in this email an email I just received from A-, the Summerserve coordinator for Northern Ireland.
Just for your information, we have a direct flight from JFK to Dublin. Dublin of course is in the Republic of Ireland. We will then take coaches up to Belfast. The Irish Republic and Northern Ireland are a separated from Great Britain, Wales and Scotland by the Irish Sea. We will not be going anywhere close to London or even the land mass that England, Wales and Scotland are on.
Here is A-’s email:
Hi D-,
I’m sure that you’ll have heard the news by the time you read this. I suspect you might have some uneasy parents calling you, so if you want to reassure them you can remind them that Northern Ireland is quite separate from England, separated from London itself not just by a lot of miles but also by the Irish Sea. The team will be nowhere near London at any time.
It looks like an al Qaeda attack, and all previous incidents of this kind have been one-off attacks with no follow-up (9-11, Madrid, Kenya, Bali), so if they follow that pattern there should be no danger anywhere in the UK for some time to come. I’d suggest it’s timed to coincide with the G8 summit which will be long over and done with by the time the team arrives.
In conclusion, we wouldn’t see this as increasing the personal risk of anyone coming to Summerserve Ireland.
Blessings,
A-
So, there you have it. Let me know if you have any other questions, or any of your students or parents can feel free to call me directly.
Blessings!
D-
And with that, I rest.
