Address: 101 Stevens Rd.
, Greenback, TN 37742
Temporary Phone: (865) 856-7407 · E-mail: kevsdarling@gmail.com
Hope for the Hopeless
“Is beannaithe an fear a chuireann a mhuinín sa
Tiarna agus arb é an Tiarna a dhóchas” (Irimia
17:7).
“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and
whose hope the LORD is” (Jer. 17:7).
Sean lives in the bustling city of Cork, the second
largest city in the Republic of Ireland. The awaking
sounds of the city were already in full swing. As Sean
opened him eyes one dreary morning, he searched the
room for hope, but what he saw swept all hope away in
a tide of guilt. The single room apartment was in the
same disarray that it had been for months. Still in his
cloths from the night before, he crawled out of bed and
dragged himself to the window. Looking out, there was
still a faint glimmer of hope that tickled at his heart.
Sometimes it almost hurt because it seemed unreal.
Sean needed something to sooth the aching in his heart.
He felt trapped and alone.
The night before was rough. He had gone out
with his friends again. This time they didn’t do
anything too bad. Nonetheless, he felt guilty (almost
dirty) for what he had done. They had drunk a few
beers in a local pub. “Nothing that bad,” He thought to
himself. For a moment he thought back over his life.
Feelings of guilt and shame were even stronger now.
He had encountered one disaster after another. “I am
worthless,” he thought to himself. “There is no hope for
the likes of me. Why am I even on this earth?”
Suddenly a face appeared in his mind. It was a
small, rounded face of an elderly man from a Baptist
church he had attended in Cork.
“God wants you, Sean,” the earnest looking man
said in his thick Cork accent. Those words kept coming
back in his mind as he pictured this kind hearted man
expressing earnestly God’s love.
Sean knew that the man prayed for him every
day. “Why does he waste his prayers on the likes of
me?”
As life seemed to stand still for just a moment,
Sean remembered when God first began to get a hold of
his life. It seemed like God just would not let him go.
Sean had been on drugs for a while and one particular
day had been no different than many others. He was
barely conscious when he stumbled on to some cassette
tapes his grandmother had.
Curious, he popped them into
a recorder. He then began to hear
something he had never heard before
in his life. It was a man preaching.
He was simply reading the Bible and explaining it.
Even though the effects of the drugs were still on his
mind, the Word of God gripped at his heart, as nothing
else in his life ever did. The message was stronger than
all the addictions he had. He tried to run away.
Somehow, he couldn’t. He became involved with the
church that his mother and sister were attending, and
for a while things were looking better. He had hoped
God was changing his life. He just could not believe
that God could change him and love him as a sinner.
But then it all went wrong again. After a while
Sean had fallen back into drugs. The addiction was so
strong and the drugs were easily accessible. He could
not say “no” to his old friends who had led him wrong
before. Here he was back where he started. There could
never be hope again, he thought. Would God still love
him even though he failed?
I (Kevin) personally know a young man with a
story not unlike this. He is struggling at this very
moment to break free from the control of drugs. God is
working. Please keep this young man in your prayers.
The Word of God says there is hope in God,
which fills our hearts with joy and peace (Rom. 15:13).
God has given me this hope over and over again, even
in spite of my own failures. I want to see young men
like Sean understand this truth and live in that hope and
power of Christ’s love. This requires me, as well as
other followers of Jesus, to take the Gospel to heart and
present it to all those around, to those in our own cities,
to those across the nation, and to those in Ireland.
Bible Study Ministry in Clonmel, Ireland (co. Tipperary)
Michael Carey is a native Irish missionary working
with troubled youth in the town of Clonmel, a town of
30,000 populous.
Michael and his team are working in the more disadvantaged neighborhoods. They specifically hold Bible Studies.
Michael shared with us how the LORD has been dealing with several young people (mid 20s) who have been attending
these Bible studies since last November. The study size ranges from 9-13 and a good number of them have been
consistent in attendance.

“They come from poor homes and consequently they’re ‘rough’ (so to speak),” is Michael’s description of the young
people. “All the girls who have children are unmarried. One of the guys was a career criminal and drug addict (he’s
clean now). One of the girls was homeless.” I believe you get the idea.

In one private e-mail correspondence, Michael says:

“Ireland is a difficult field Kevin. The culture is very
“You may not realize the control drugs
immoral. Many unwed mothers etc. There appears to be have over addicts. Coming off heroin is
significant growth in the number of suicides. However, I very, very difficult.”
truly believe that God is working.” Michael Carey
Irish Businessman
Indeed, God is at work! In a recent Carey Prayer Letter
(August ’09), Michael talks about one particular young man named Darren who was heavily addicted to drugs
(heroin, a particular harmful drug). He is now completely free! He is attending the Bible Study Michael and his team
are hosting. Praise the Lord!

Please keep Michael Carey and the team in your prayers. If you would like future reports of the work in Clonmel, you
may e-mail Michael to join in his work with prayer: michaelcarey7929@gmail.com. Just tell him who sent you.

Weston Corner:
Baby is growing rapidly. Darleen
feels the changes almost daily. The
little one is now kicking and
stretching inside the womb. It is a
very exciting time for us as we
anticipate our baby to arrive in late
January!
It was also exciting to have Kevin’s
parents and three younger siblings
travel from California to visit. It was
a blessed time, and the new
grandparents (to-be) heard Baby Weston’s heart beat!
~ Prayer Requests:
• Michael and his work in Clonmel
• Sean, to have victory over drugs. (His actual name was changed)
• Baby & Dalreen, during the pregnancy.
• Our upcoming Biblical Counseling Training Conference (Sept.
16-19th). We will be specifically learning to help others
experience the breakthroughs they need to live in freedom and
victory (e.g. dealing addictions, overcoming the flesh, etc).
• Continued direction and wisdom on choosing a mission board.
~ Praises:
• God’s work in Ireland
• How well Darleen is doing during the pregnancy
• The special visit of the Weston family and Darleen’s two
grandmothers this summer.

Ireland Prayer Targets

Please join us in
pray for these two
Irish counties:
Tipperary and
In the Service of our Lord,
Cork. They are
both located in the
southern coast of
Ireland. Pray for
Tipperary
the Irish Church to
have purpose and Cork
vision in raising
up believers
committed to
holiness in Christ.