"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17
Cole Irland grew up in a church-going home. It wasn’t just any church. It was a great church! What made it great? The people. They gave and served and were united by Jesus. One person stood out to Cole. It was his fifth-grade youth leader. He discipled Cole and the group of boys every week after school. This leader’s faith and how he lived sharpened and shined a light on Cole’s faith.
“These people in my church were great examples,” Cole shared. “They were people who walked with the Lord. You knew they were saved by Jesus. They had values they stuck to. They had a willingness to give up their time. My leader devoted a lot of time to the youth group, especially the 5/6th graders. I saw him pouring into the youth in my small town. He discipled me and that showed me a level of importance. That discipling helped me see through barriers. It was like iron sharpening iron.”
One way Cole was sharpened was with God’s word. As a kid, the stories and people in the Bible seemed far-fetched. How could all that happen like Jonah and the whale? Getting to the bottom of it and understanding it became a barrier. Through the discipleship of his parents and those in his church, he started to understand the Bible.
“I was given help to understand God’s character,” Cole explained. “God can do anything he wants. If He sent his perfect son to live and die for me, then he can send a fish. He sent a son that died in my place and did what I can’t. I knew then Jesus is the answer and is the only way to God.”
Over the years, God continued to reveal the truth of His son Jesus Christ to Cole and through faithful people. After college, God led him and his fiancé to Citylight. Through another faithful community of believers, Cole’s faith has been sharpened, and opportunities have been given to him to sharpen others.
This past April, Cole heard some news about the global team in Jamaica. A switch was turned on in Cole.
“Luke Manna (Citylight Global Director) told me more about the upcoming trip,” Cole described. “I remembered thinking while Luke was describing to me their need was “Oh man, God is orchestrating me to think and pray about going.” But there was the inconvenience factor. I just started a new job. I wanted to see if it was okay. I had to talk to my wife, but I knew she would be all in with me going. All these things were going through my head as he was talking to me. The next day I checked with work, and it was a quick and easy “Yes.” Also, I hadn’t been away from my son before. It also worked out because my wife was taking our son on a cruise with her mom and sister. God took that away.”
Less than a month later, Cole was in Jamaica with a team of seven. He even recruited a friend from his City Group to go. The goal was to erect a playground. The previous one was destroyed by last year’s hurricane. When they arrived, he found out they were serving alongside a team from a church in New York. Quickly the two teams became one in mission, and the heavy lifting began.
“I knew it would be uncomfortable for a week straight,” Cole said. “But that didn’t matter. I was willing to go and help. I was a little nervous about not having done construction. I work in software sales. But I had the heart that if they have jobs I can do, then I will do it. Saying yes and offering myself if someone approached me and asked was my goal. That was where I wanted my heart to be.”
That’s exactly what Cole and the young guys on the team did. They dug holes in solid rock to make the footings, mixed cement in a garage and wheel barreled it to the job site. In doing so, God showed Cole and the team what it looked like in a tangible way to build and advance God’s kingdom.
“Before going I wondered if what we were doing would be valuable?” Cole confessed. “Mission trips are normally to go and be evangelistic. I wondered based on this; will someone be converted? I knew the enemy put these questions in my head. I tried my best to reject that. Once we got there it was evident! Those kids hadn’t had a playground since October. There were so many kids on the property and how sweet and precious they all were. They deserved a safe and awesome place to play. As we were building it, I envisioned the memories they would have on this playground. God showed me they were going to be safe on this playground when they hadn’t been for more reasons. He showed me that the Word of God would be preached here.”
Throughout the week in Jamaica, Cole was reminded and given even a bigger perspective of the Church. He witnessed God’s people, and from other countries, serving and discipling one another. Everyone shined the light of the Lord and brought out the best in one another.
“It was cool to be there with other people who have a heart for Christ and for his kingdom,” Cole explained. “The church from New York was amazing and their love for God was obvious. I got to know the team and heard their testimonies and how God has formed their lives and marriages. Each person was encouraging."
"I saw hard work on the team like Steve. Steve is in his mid 60s and like that guy, he can work anyone to shame! I am a more able body than him and to see him go hard helped everyone and motivated us to get it built. We accomplished that and God helped us. Everybody was bought in and in some of the hottest conditions. Even the Jamaicans who worked on site. They fed us and fed us well. I didn’t expect that. Their hospitality was awesome. They were so kind and talkative and interactive. They were so happy we were there and so willing to help. They loved on us.”
The team even finished early and were able to help with a project they weren't planning. It ended up being a powerful opportunity.
"We even finished the playground a day early," Cole described. "So, we took the opportunity and built a roof over the Jamaican team's laundry. Some of the older staff women were so happy for the roof over where they work every day. I thought it would be uncomfortable to build this at the last minute, but they made it comfortable and were just awesome hosts.”
Looking back on the trip, Jamaica was another reminder to Cole of how the people of God are called to sharpen one another. Especially in the small and mighty ones he saw and interacted with at Robin’s Nest.
“The kids play hard and interact on a level so innocent,” Cole shared. “They are there to learn and to live a better life than what was given by their family. A few of the kids have stood out to me. One young girl, maybe 3-4 years old, always wanted to play and swing and swim. She was very outgoing and wanted to be held. And then there was a young boy who wore a cape every day. It had a ‘K’ on it for kindness. I was mixing cement in a garage one morning and saw him walk by and I said “Superman!” and he said “No, I’m Batman!” I called him Batman the rest of the week. My son was Batman for Halloween last year. I showed him pictures of my son in his batman costume. He wanted me to show him that picture every day. These kids were so fun. They play so hard with the little they have. They were our motivation to build something that would blow their minds. The playground would be a piece of safety that proclaimed and glorified God to them.”
When Cole was a kid, a similar age as those he saw and grew to love in Jamaica, God used women and men in a mighty way to sharpen him. God continues to do this for Cole with a church, a City Group, a wife and family and now a team of believers in Jamaica and New York. Now, Cole gets to be the iron who sharpens iron in others. It is God who provides the shine from the sharpening. May we all shine for the Lord.
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