I first met Davood about 15 years ago, when an Iranian English student of mine from the Abbey Street Methodist Church introduced us. Davood was a young student who supported the Iranian revolution in 1979, but like many Iranians, he soon realized that those who had taken over the country were as bad or worse than the regime they had replaced. Davood was forced to flee Iran to Germany in the early 1980s for being the wrong kind of Muslim. He returned in the 1990s to bury his mother and father but was denied return to Germany for having broken his asylum plea. Though he was a mechanical engineer, Davood lost hope and soon lapsed into drug addiction - culminating in a debilitating dependence on heroin which nearly cost him his life. By the grace of God, he was given a job by an Armenian Christian who not only offered Davood the purpose that meaningful employment provides but also offered him the hope that only the gospel of Jesus can offer. He became a believer, but after sharing the good news of Christ with others, was again forced to flee Iran. He eventually made his way to the UK and then later to Ireland where he has been sharing the gospel with Iranians and other Muslims for the better part of two decades. You can learn more about his ministry here - https://www.irishchurchmissions.ie/church-planters/iranian-church-dublin .
Ali Reza has been working with Davood for 2 years now and has a similar story. If you are interested in supporting their mission, you can reach out to them, and they would be happy to share with you how you might help.
After our two Iranian brothers shared their stories, Arthur from the All Saints Church put us to work doing a deep clean of the parish hall and the main church building. We also topped up the driveway with gravel stones and some of the teens painted an entryway, though I think they may have got more paint on themselves than the structure.
Wednesday evening was spent in a joint teen night with the Christ Connect Church and the All Saints Church of Ireland, Raheny. Of course, we had pizza and then the Irish teens taught our kids some "somewhat" traditional Irish dancing, while our Kansas teens taught them some "kinda" country line dancing.
Following the teen night, Juli and I met up with Simon and Liberty Finnegan for a chat at the Manhattan in Raheny. We chatted about this and we chatted about that. It's been two years since all four of us were together. One topic of conversation was the devastating loss of Glen Hansard early Wednesday morning. https://www.npr.org/2026/07/29/g-s1-136080/glen-hansard-obituary
Juli and I first saw Glen's band, The Frames, at South by Southwest in Austin in the spring of 2002. We saw them again just a few months later at Emo's in Austin, and on that occasion, I had a lengthy conversation with Colm, The Frames violin player, and co-founder. As I was wrapping up my chat with Colm, Glen came around the corner and as I was about to introduce myself, he quickly asked, "Where's the toilet?" I pointed him in the direction of the men's room, and that was my only ever interaction with the poetic and musical genius. But by God's grace, I at least had the privilege of having any interaction with one of Ireland's finest ever!
The news of Glen's death hit me hard and is still a shock to my system. For 24 years I have found inspiration from The Frames, The Swell Season, and from Glen Hansard's solo work. What a shame that he died at only 56 and how tragic that he leaves behind a wife and 4-year-old son. May he rest in peace. I look forward to experiencing his music at an ever more heightened level in the renewed creation in the age to come. Glen's death reminds us that life is a precious gift, and that we must embrace every day as the gift from God that it is. May we all make the most of this day and the days to come. - Shay
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