Dear CCC,
About six years ago, Cory, Rylynn, and I arrived in Ireland together for the first time. We wanted to see whether the dream we had been building since before we got married could actually stick. Did we really want to move to Dublin? On a colleague’s recommendation, we visited churches all over the city, but when we stepped into the dingy black-painted room in the basement of Filmbase, something changed.
Steve and Leanne invited us to their home almost immediately. We were encouraged to attend a Connect night on our first visit, and we went to the pub with everyone right from the start (baby included). We visited a City Group and met some of the most genuine, loving people we had ever known. By the time we found you, Christ City Church, we only had a month left in Dublin, but we knew we had found our home.
It took a year and a half for us to get back to Ireland, but you waited for us. You checked in with us repeatedly over that time, even video-calling us into a prayer meeting. When we arrived at last, now with two little girls instead of one, the Vaughans welcomed us into their home. We stayed there while we recovered from jetlag, floundered through culture shock, and found ourselves a house of our own.
The months that followed were very challenging for us—we were exhausted, lonely, depressed, and seriously stressed out. We almost gave up on Christ City Church, but you didn’t give up on us. You challenged our beliefs about church and loved us so well, we couldn’t help but stay. You created the creche for us. You drove us to church and home again, all the way from Malahide, when we didn’t have car insurance to drive ourselves yet. And with time, you truly became our family.
Since having children, Sunday services have always been difficult for us. But at CCC, we knew our little girls’ antics were loved, not just tolerated. Even when we were tired, we wanted to go, because we wanted to see you, our brothers and sisters. City Group and Life Groups created spaces for our faith to grow and opportunities for us to make deep Christian friendships. You became some of our best and most beloved friends. When we had to move abruptly in 2019, you lived the gospel instead of reading it by packing up our kitchen for us. You babysat our daughters, called us out on our sin, joined us for crazy adventures, laughed, and cried with us.
When our visa situation became difficult, you fought again to keep us, spending hours on official paperwork to help us stay. As you know, of course, the Irish government declined our repeated applications and appeals, and in August 2019, we were forced to leave. We tried and tried to come home, and you helped us again. But the government rejected us again, too.
Months have passed since we received that final rejection, and we’ve been pretty quiet toward you. I’ve wanted to hop on and participate in an online service to see your faces and be a part of your community again, but I find I don’t have the heart right now. We wanted so badly to build a life with you, Christ City Church, to raise our daughters under your influence, to pour into you deeply because you have poured so much into us, but our time was cut short. We might not be angry anymore, but we are still profoundly grieved. We don’t understand (yet) why God has taken us away from you. I hope we understand someday.
It is the great longing of our hearts to return and live in Ireland again someday—to return to stay, and to grow old with you. I don’t know whether God will make a way back for us or not. For the moment, all paths we might attempt feel forced, not free. We have something to do before we can come back, if we can ever come back, or God has something to do in us. Both, probably.
I wasn’t sure about Dublin at first, but you convinced me. With your love, CCC, you made Dublin the truest home we’ve ever known. We loved you, and we loved Ireland because of you, and you redeemed our vision of what the church can be. Thank you.
Keep loving Jesus and loving each other, CCC. We can’t fully express how much you mean to us, but we want you to know that there’s a part of us that’s permanently healed because Christ City Church was our family for a time, and we can never thank you enough.
Always,
Kristiana, Cory, Rylynn, and Melody Miller
There is a reaon for everything and its so hard to get our head around what that reson is or could be at times our minds go 90 trying to think or figure out why so many unanswered questions . All we can do is trust in God trust that he will answer our prayers and trust that all the heart ake and struggle is part off the journey becasue God has a plan we just don’t understand it and its the unknown and its keeping the faith. Its the need off prayer for pations and for the will to carry on in faith and in difficult times. I will keep u guys in my prayers every nite .. take care sending lots off love