We are Andrew and Shawn Canavan, second-generation missionaries to Ireland. I graduated from Fairhaven in 2010 and married my wonderful husband in 2019. We have a precious daughter, Clare, who is just eight months old.
We have lived in Ireland as a family for just over four months and are currently on staff at Hope Baptist Church in southeast Dublin. We are at the tail-end of settling into our new home, new ministries, and new season of life. God provided an affordable apartment close to church and has met every single need along the way. A recent answer to prayer is my receiving a stamp four visa! I can now legally stay for three years and simply renew my visa online after that. Immigration difficulties are quite common, so the fact that I was given an appointment, then in and out of the office in about twenty minutes is providential!
It has been a joy to work in our local church and serve the Lord alongside Christians who love Him dearly. By God’s grace we have begun building up our teen youth group and Wednesday night Truth Trekkers (similar to Master’s Club). Please pray for us in this endeavor! My husband wears many hats as assistant pastor, and I stay busy teaching Sunday school, teaching the Ladies Bible study, and helping in the youth and music ministries. We (including Clare as pictured below) are currently in the process of handing out ten thousand New Testaments given to our church. Can you imagine how God’s powerful Word will change the hearts of Dubliners as it is given to those seeking for the Truth? We believe whole-heartedly it can, and it will.
As we think of the sleep-deprived and caffeine-fueled college students who will read this, 🙂 we wanted to encourage you with this thought- training time is never wasted time! There are many things we may come to regret as we look back on years gone by but attending a solid Bible college in preparation for whatever the future holds will never be one of them! God knows just what that future looks like for each one of you, so it is only left for you to trust that He has you at FBC for a reason. Some of the best advice ever given to me was, “Be a sponge not a rock.” Soak up all you can during these years!
Thank you, Fairhaven staff, for serving Christ and serving others through the ministry of Fairhaven Baptist College. It has made a significant difference in both of our lives. We are grateful to be, in a sense, an extension of your influence and ministry in Ireland.
In His Service,
Andrew & Shawn Canavan
