It would be my luck to end the summer by getting sick. I woke up at 4:00 in the morning throwing up, and that lasted for a while. I've been at Luke's apartment all day today to try to regain my strength, and I'm finally holding some soup and saltine crackers down. I think I may finally be able to go home soon. This summer has flown by...I still can't believe it's over. I don't think the reality has completely hit me yet...it may not until I'm home and actually don't come back to Mobile.
It was hard to say goodbye to our kids on Thursday. Some of them wanted my phone number, so I gave it to them and told them to call me any time they wanted to, and I definitely meant it. We gave them sunglasses (thanks Dad!), blue cinch bags, notebooks, a toothbrush, toothpaste, candy, and extra stuff like toys, bubbles, pencils, or bouncy balls that we had left over in our prize box. We also had a pizza and ice cream party, so of course that went over well. Lots of them asked if I'd be back next summer...I told them that I definitely hope to be. I didn't want to make any promises though, because ya never know what road life will take you down. I already miss those kids, though, and they will forever be on my heart. Just a few minutes ago, two of the kids, Iman and Oneka, called me! I was SO excited, and then I found out that they called Jessica and Wes also. That just shows that we actually did make an impact, and the kids love us just as much as we love them. :)
Thursday night was also our last dinner provided by Whistler. It was Mrs. Judy's birthday, so I had everybody sing happy birthday to her, and we just had a lot of fun in fellowship over dinner. After dinner was our last organic worship, which went really well. We served communion to one another (which was WONDERFUL for me, because I'm used to having it every Sunday but have only had it once this summer) and washed each others' feet. After organic worship, Jessica, Stephanie, Liz, and I picked up Cora (who is the 15 year old daughter of Mrs. Paula, an awesome lady in the church, and to whom I have grown very close), and we took her to the movies to see Inception. That movie was so good! We had a great time together in the movie, and then Jessica and I spent the night with Liz and Cora (who are sisters, in a way...Liz was adopted into their family) in Saraland, which was a great experience. We were able to have a wonderful breakfast prepared by Mrs. Paula the next morning and just enjoy extra time with this wonderful family from Whistler church.
Last night we all went to a banquet at South Alabama's Wesley Foundation. Mom, Dad, Lexie, and Luke came! We sat at a table with Sheridan's family, and we had a great meal, and then Don and Jean made some speeches and showed a slide show. Jean also called each of us up by team to say some stuff about what we'd done over the summer, and we each got an envelope with some pictures from the summer in it. The banquet was a great way to say goodbye to all of the interns, even though it was sad to do so. This morning, Mrs. Judy, Mr. Charles, Mrs. Paula, Cora, Sara, and Reverend Fail were all at Whistler to help us clean and to say goodbye, so I was so happy to get to see them one last time before I left (even if I was sick, hah). Those people have made a permanent impact on my life, and I love them so much.
Well, I guess this raps up my 3.0 blog. Thank you to everyone who read it and gave me encouragement along the way! Hopefully I'll be back at church tomorrow; it just depends on how I'm feeling in the morning and when I make it back to Montgomery. This summer has been the best experience of my entire life, and I will forever cherish all of the memories and all of the lessons that came out of it. We were each asked to write a reflection about the summer, so I'll end with sharing that:
"This summer has, quite literally, been the best experience of my life. I’ve always been aware of the struggles related to living in poverty and developing racial stereotypes, but I’ve never actually done anything about it before. I’ve always had the excuse that I’m too busy with extracurricular activities, and too enveloped in my school work, which is all true. Education is very important to me, so I spend a lot of time studying, but this summer has helped me to realize that making an A on every single test is not nearly as important as making a difference in this world. The summer has also reinforced to me the importance of modeling our lives based on how Jesus wants us to live. His life is the perfect example of unconditional love, humble service, modest living, and genuine actions, and as Christians, we should naturally live in the same way. We should be as willing to help people as these churches have been willing to feed us, and we should always appreciate the blessings we have been given. It doesn’t matter if we only get a sandwich for lunch, or just a bowl of cereal for breakfast, or snakes and mice in our rooms, because at least we have a roof over our heads and food to nourish us. Although I am leaving Mobile tomorrow, I will not leave this experience or these kids behind. I am going to do my best to remember these things I have learned every day, and I will always be in prayer for Whistler, for these beautiful angels of God that have come to our day camp each day, and for the various ministries that we have visited this summer. I will never forget Tonny Algood’s true servant’s heart, or Reverend Fail’s compassion for the impoverished in this world, or Mrs. Judy Lacey’s love for anyone and everyone she meets. I will always have pictures in my mind of Shakarria, Levonta, Satoryia, Arlexsia, Laila, Oneka, Cantrell, Isjiaa, and all of these other kids who I have grown to love so much, and I will never forget certain moments with them, like Shakarria crying in my arms about her dog dying and about feeling worthless, or like Isjiaa begging me to play Chess with her so she could have companionship. As I go back home, I hope to change the way I live, and be optimistic and sure of God’s love instead of being cynical and letting anger get the best of me sometimes. Thank you, Don and Jean, for everything you have done for us this summer, and for making this internship so special and so inspiring."
Friday, July 30, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Beginning of the end
So, I went another week without posting, and don't quite remember everything that happened last week. It was really good week, though. God helped me realize that there are still honorable youth groups and honorable people out there by bringing us the youth group from Kingswood UMC, who was so wonderful with our kids! They brought crafts, helped us with a lot of the cleaning, and were so loving and genuine toward the kids. On Thursday when camp was over for the week, they even invited us to a swim party with them, so we got to hang out with them a little while longer, which was lots of fun. We were able to do some really neat things with stuff that had been donated to us, also. On Wednesday, we told the parable of the sower and the seed, and each kid got to decorate and take home a flower pot. The next day, we told them about how Jesus said He is the light of the world, and each kid took home a desk lamp! It was pretty exciting to watch how God was providing for us.
This past weekend was exhausting, yet so rewarding! My teammates and I spent most of Saturday planning a program for our kids on Sunday morning at church. We made each kid an individual award, bound all of their artwork into books that took a long time to put together, had to write out stuff to say, and lots of stuff, complete with trips to FedEx and Walmart. We also had to fill pillow cases that Wes and I tie dyed the day before with school supplies. We stayed up until around 2:30-3 a.m. doing all this stuff, yet we were completely convinced that not many kids would show up. None of our kids have come to church with us all summer; they just come for the day program. We sent home letters about having a special program where parents could see what their kids had been up to all summer, though, and guess how many kids came on Sunday morning? 20! 20 kids and most of their families! It was such a miracle, especially since we were only expecting maybe around 10 at the most. I had to choke back tears all morning, because it was so beautiful to be there with so many of our kids on Sunday morning. We got to sit with them for the first part of the service, and then we each shared a personal testimony. Next I gave out the awards, which we could tell the kids really appreciated. Each award was individual to the kid, and there were some groups of kids who got the same award. Shakarria, Brandi, and Laila all got the Sweetheart Award, Cantrell got the Christ-like Leadership award, Isaiah got the Young Leader Award, Levonta got the Compassion Award, Myia got the Kindness Award, Allegra and Arlexsia got the Peace Maker awards, and so on. After the service we gave them each their art books and pillow cases filled with school supplies, and everyone in the church was happy. Donald, Lanissa, and Laila's mom came up to me sobbing and hugging me, so full of thanks and love, and another mom talked about cooking a meal for us. We were so energized and happy after the service, and then we went out to eat lunch with a family from the church with whom we've become very close (we went over to their house for dinner on Friday night also!), and it was just such a great day, so full of love and blessings from God. Later I found out that my sweet sister prayed for me to get a blessing that morning....well, I sure got one! Sharing Sunday morning with my kids and seeing all of their happy faces was definitely a blessing.
Yesterday, another cool youth group from Dauphin Way came to help us do a community clean up, organize our art areas, and clean and organize all the toys in the nursery, so that was a big help. That same group came today to do a messy/water day for our kids. The kids had SO much fun! There was a tie-dyeing thing with shaving cream and food coloring, a station where they made homemade ice cream, outside games, a huge slip-n-slide, water tug-of-war, and a water balloon fight. It was kinda hectic, and there was so much to clean up afterward, but all that matters is that they had an amazing time. After water day, my team and I had our last mentoring session with Reverend Fail. In these sessions, we've each picked a verbatim, where we write down a conversation that we've had down here that struck us in some way, and then we discuss the conversation and what our actions and reactions say about us. I picked a conversation I had with Shakarria one time toward the beginning of camp, where she talked about killing herself and hating herself. It was tough to talk about, but Reverend Fail has a way of making everything better. He knows just the right words to say. I told him that I didn't know how I was going to leave here on Saturday....he said, "Well, you'll just leave. You may not know how to do it, but you will." And it really is that simple. I have to be able to let go of this place in a way (even though it will always be on my heart, and I hope to make several visits down here during the school year), and take everything I've learned back to Montgomery. It will be so hard though. I refuse to accept the reality of leaving until Thursday when I have to say goodbye to those kids, though.
Well, that's all I can think of to say for now. I didn't fall asleep until around 4:00 this morning, so I think I'm about to knock myself out with some Nyquil so I can sleep through the night tonight. Just too much stuff on my mind...plus, it was SO hot in here last night. Hopefully I'll get some better rest tonight though.
This past weekend was exhausting, yet so rewarding! My teammates and I spent most of Saturday planning a program for our kids on Sunday morning at church. We made each kid an individual award, bound all of their artwork into books that took a long time to put together, had to write out stuff to say, and lots of stuff, complete with trips to FedEx and Walmart. We also had to fill pillow cases that Wes and I tie dyed the day before with school supplies. We stayed up until around 2:30-3 a.m. doing all this stuff, yet we were completely convinced that not many kids would show up. None of our kids have come to church with us all summer; they just come for the day program. We sent home letters about having a special program where parents could see what their kids had been up to all summer, though, and guess how many kids came on Sunday morning? 20! 20 kids and most of their families! It was such a miracle, especially since we were only expecting maybe around 10 at the most. I had to choke back tears all morning, because it was so beautiful to be there with so many of our kids on Sunday morning. We got to sit with them for the first part of the service, and then we each shared a personal testimony. Next I gave out the awards, which we could tell the kids really appreciated. Each award was individual to the kid, and there were some groups of kids who got the same award. Shakarria, Brandi, and Laila all got the Sweetheart Award, Cantrell got the Christ-like Leadership award, Isaiah got the Young Leader Award, Levonta got the Compassion Award, Myia got the Kindness Award, Allegra and Arlexsia got the Peace Maker awards, and so on. After the service we gave them each their art books and pillow cases filled with school supplies, and everyone in the church was happy. Donald, Lanissa, and Laila's mom came up to me sobbing and hugging me, so full of thanks and love, and another mom talked about cooking a meal for us. We were so energized and happy after the service, and then we went out to eat lunch with a family from the church with whom we've become very close (we went over to their house for dinner on Friday night also!), and it was just such a great day, so full of love and blessings from God. Later I found out that my sweet sister prayed for me to get a blessing that morning....well, I sure got one! Sharing Sunday morning with my kids and seeing all of their happy faces was definitely a blessing.
Yesterday, another cool youth group from Dauphin Way came to help us do a community clean up, organize our art areas, and clean and organize all the toys in the nursery, so that was a big help. That same group came today to do a messy/water day for our kids. The kids had SO much fun! There was a tie-dyeing thing with shaving cream and food coloring, a station where they made homemade ice cream, outside games, a huge slip-n-slide, water tug-of-war, and a water balloon fight. It was kinda hectic, and there was so much to clean up afterward, but all that matters is that they had an amazing time. After water day, my team and I had our last mentoring session with Reverend Fail. In these sessions, we've each picked a verbatim, where we write down a conversation that we've had down here that struck us in some way, and then we discuss the conversation and what our actions and reactions say about us. I picked a conversation I had with Shakarria one time toward the beginning of camp, where she talked about killing herself and hating herself. It was tough to talk about, but Reverend Fail has a way of making everything better. He knows just the right words to say. I told him that I didn't know how I was going to leave here on Saturday....he said, "Well, you'll just leave. You may not know how to do it, but you will." And it really is that simple. I have to be able to let go of this place in a way (even though it will always be on my heart, and I hope to make several visits down here during the school year), and take everything I've learned back to Montgomery. It will be so hard though. I refuse to accept the reality of leaving until Thursday when I have to say goodbye to those kids, though.
Well, that's all I can think of to say for now. I didn't fall asleep until around 4:00 this morning, so I think I'm about to knock myself out with some Nyquil so I can sleep through the night tonight. Just too much stuff on my mind...plus, it was SO hot in here last night. Hopefully I'll get some better rest tonight though.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Love and Inspire
Well, I don't think I'd actually noticed my transformation this summer until this week, with ALL of its challenges. I realized that my eyes were open to new things and that I was beginning to see things differently before now, but bringing in another group of people and watching their interactions with our kids really made me see the problems in this world and how deeply it bothered me to see them right in front of my eyes.
I'll start from the beginning. On Tuesday, we took our kids on an awesome field trip to Camp Baldwin in Elberta, AL. From the very beginning, we knew this day would be complicated. The church van that we were counting on using wouldn't start up in the morning, so Jean had to frantically call around to search for another method of transportation. She finally drove to Saraland UMC, had herself put on the list of people who are allowed to drive their van, and came back to Whistler. I loaded myself and 7 of the youngest kids, between the ages of 4-7, onto Jean's van, and we embarked on our hour and 20 minute drive, at least 30 minutes late. We had been driving along for awhile, having a good time, when suddenly the van started shaking. Jean started freaking out as she realized that we had absolutely no gas left. In the chaos of the morning, no one had thought to check for gas. We had to pull over in a random parking lot and wait for someone who was already at camp to come get us, so of course the kids were restless and thought that they wouldn't be able to go swimming anymore. We eventually got them all there, and Jean got a gas can for the van, and we all enjoyed a good amount of time swimming together. Then it was lunch time though, and I had to wait in line for the bathroom for so long during lunch that by the time I got back, the food had been put away. So...that kinda sucked, but I knew I would be okay until dinner that night. Other than that, the trip was just general chaos. The youth group who was "helping us" actually stirred them up more than calmed them down, and they were no help at all as far as discipline and keeping the kids from going crazy. Then when we got back, kids had left clothes there, brought home clothes that weren't theirs, were wearing different shoes...we had even taken a kid with us who we somehow didn't have a permission slip for. Not to mention that we were 30 minutes late coming back because of the morning difficulties, so, naturally, we had some upset parents. But, even with everything that went wrong and all the moments I thought I was going to rip my hair out, the day was so worth it. They swam, went on a sailboat ride, got to steer the boat, and learned about and touched snakes, baby alligators, and turtles. I saw kids who have barely smiled all summer with smiles on their faces all day long because they were having so much fun. Those smiles kept me going and reminded me that none of this is about me; it's about the children who I love so much. Those smiles made everything worthwhile.
Wednesday.....oh, Wednesday. This is the day that truly angered me. I was a bit annoyed with the youth group, but I was going to try to give them another chance. First strike occurred when I went out to the fellowship hall to move chairs and tables together for our kids to have somewhere to sit during lunch. Well, I had pulled a ton of chairs up to a table, when suddenly, a group of the youth removed those chairs and took them to another table so they could all sit together. I just stopped and said, "Well, I guess I'm not doing this right now," and went back to the back where we live. Strike two happened during lunch. Two of the youth were trying to help me serve lunch, but at first, not many kids were coming to get food to eat. Well, that happens sometimes, and I honestly rejoice when they don't want food at day camp because that means that they got a meal at home. Instead of just waiting to see if kids would come to eat, though, the youth got angry that the kids weren't appreciating their efforts of trying to feed them. They were looking at my kids as though they couldn't believe they weren't eating anything (because apparently being a black child living in Prichard is equivalent to being poor and starving). Then another youth told me that the kids were rough, and others treated everything as if it was a joke and didn't even try to interact with the kids, and others pushed kids away because they're "unclean".....I could seriously go on forever. Basically, they had a "lets cross the bay and save the poor black kids" mentality. They pitied our kids instead of loved them. They took tons of pictures to use as trophies for their own personal glory, instead of being humble and genuinely loving as Jesus would. Jesus spent time with all walks of life, from tax collectors to prostitutes, and he never turned a person away. And not every single youth was like that...several of them were really awesome with the kids and were helpful to us. But the ones that acted as though they were better than our kids definitely got under my skin. I've never been as angry at a group of people as I was this week, because I could see the hatred and the hypocrisy right in front of my eyes. And it was directed toward MY kids, who I have poured all of my love and all of my heart into this summer. They ARE my heart, and they are my life. I will allow no one to degrade them or see them as a joke.
Luckily, after VBS was over for the day and we had cleaned everything up, my team had mentoring with Reverend Fail. Right when we were about to finish, he asked me what I thought of our conversation, which has basically centered around anger. I told him it was convenient timing, since I was pretty angry. I had already had a break down of crying because not only had I just watched my kids be degraded for a few hours, but also, in the chaos of everything, I had forgotten to order food bank for Thursday, so we had to throw something together. There's also always the looming reality of the end of the internship in two weeks, and the thought of leaving these kids absolutely breaks my heart. But, Reverend Fail let me get all of my feelings out, and I was practically yelling at some times, along with the other members of my team. I felt a bit better afterward though, because Reverend Fail has a way of saying the right things to ease the situation.
Today (Thursday) was the last day of VBS, thankfully. A lot of the same stuff I already described happened again....just youth who still have so much to learn about life and the true meaning of Christianity not helping us control the chaos in any way. It stormed in the middle of VBS, so Levonta freaked out because he's terrified of thunder. Mrs. Lacey from the church happened to be there though, so she took him home. Then Lanissa stepped on something and had blood all over her foot, so I had to take care of that. Just....lots of stuff. Then lots of cleaning afterward. Then we had to prepare for a Whistler community meeting that Reverend Fail was hosting that night about the price of water in Whistler. We went straight from cleaning into rearranging tables; searching for large paper, an easel, and a sharpie; and making refreshments. We had some things at Whistler already that we pulled together, but we had to go out and buy a few more things along with dinner for ourselves, since we missed the intern dinner for the second night in a row because of other obligations. God did an amazing thing with this meeting though. Instead of bringing in adults from the community, kids showed up. I don't think some of them even realized what was happening. They just came by because they know they're welcome and safe at the church, and they know we'll give them water after they've been walking around Whistler for who knows how long. So of course we invited them, gave them lemonade and food, and Reverend Fail changed the entire course of the conversation. He asked the boys the good and bad qualities about Whistler community and what things needed to change to make it better, and their answers were remarkable. They said things like wanting a park where they could play, wanting a Boys and Girls Club, recycling, making guys stop sagging their pants, and sidewalks for more safety while they're walking or riding their bikes. Can you see why I love these kids so much? They are the future of Whistler, and they have so much potential and so much power to make things better. Reverend Fail asked them if anyone had ever offered them drugs before, and most of them said yes. I mean, we're talking about boys between the ages of 7-10 being offered drugs and refusing them because they know it's wrong. That's powerful stuff right there. These kids never cease to amaze me.
Sorry for two really long posts back to back. I just have so much on my heart this week, and my thoughts are impossible to contain. I want to shout it to everyone and make everyone understand. Basically, the whole point of all that I have to say is that no one person is ever better than anybody else. I told the interns tonight during organic worship (during a rather long speech I gave expressing all the stuff on my heart) that if people, such as this youth group or even any of us, at any moment act as though we're better than the people we're serving, then we need to reevaluate our own lives. Love knows no boundaries. "Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." --1 Corinthians 13:6-8. Yeah, we all know that verse, but I think sometimes we forget the true definition of what it really means to love. I would challenge you never to forget simple Christianity, never to forget what Jesus stood for and what he died for, never to forget about love. Love abundantly, because the world can never have too much of it, and may never have enough of it.
I'll start from the beginning. On Tuesday, we took our kids on an awesome field trip to Camp Baldwin in Elberta, AL. From the very beginning, we knew this day would be complicated. The church van that we were counting on using wouldn't start up in the morning, so Jean had to frantically call around to search for another method of transportation. She finally drove to Saraland UMC, had herself put on the list of people who are allowed to drive their van, and came back to Whistler. I loaded myself and 7 of the youngest kids, between the ages of 4-7, onto Jean's van, and we embarked on our hour and 20 minute drive, at least 30 minutes late. We had been driving along for awhile, having a good time, when suddenly the van started shaking. Jean started freaking out as she realized that we had absolutely no gas left. In the chaos of the morning, no one had thought to check for gas. We had to pull over in a random parking lot and wait for someone who was already at camp to come get us, so of course the kids were restless and thought that they wouldn't be able to go swimming anymore. We eventually got them all there, and Jean got a gas can for the van, and we all enjoyed a good amount of time swimming together. Then it was lunch time though, and I had to wait in line for the bathroom for so long during lunch that by the time I got back, the food had been put away. So...that kinda sucked, but I knew I would be okay until dinner that night. Other than that, the trip was just general chaos. The youth group who was "helping us" actually stirred them up more than calmed them down, and they were no help at all as far as discipline and keeping the kids from going crazy. Then when we got back, kids had left clothes there, brought home clothes that weren't theirs, were wearing different shoes...we had even taken a kid with us who we somehow didn't have a permission slip for. Not to mention that we were 30 minutes late coming back because of the morning difficulties, so, naturally, we had some upset parents. But, even with everything that went wrong and all the moments I thought I was going to rip my hair out, the day was so worth it. They swam, went on a sailboat ride, got to steer the boat, and learned about and touched snakes, baby alligators, and turtles. I saw kids who have barely smiled all summer with smiles on their faces all day long because they were having so much fun. Those smiles kept me going and reminded me that none of this is about me; it's about the children who I love so much. Those smiles made everything worthwhile.
Wednesday.....oh, Wednesday. This is the day that truly angered me. I was a bit annoyed with the youth group, but I was going to try to give them another chance. First strike occurred when I went out to the fellowship hall to move chairs and tables together for our kids to have somewhere to sit during lunch. Well, I had pulled a ton of chairs up to a table, when suddenly, a group of the youth removed those chairs and took them to another table so they could all sit together. I just stopped and said, "Well, I guess I'm not doing this right now," and went back to the back where we live. Strike two happened during lunch. Two of the youth were trying to help me serve lunch, but at first, not many kids were coming to get food to eat. Well, that happens sometimes, and I honestly rejoice when they don't want food at day camp because that means that they got a meal at home. Instead of just waiting to see if kids would come to eat, though, the youth got angry that the kids weren't appreciating their efforts of trying to feed them. They were looking at my kids as though they couldn't believe they weren't eating anything (because apparently being a black child living in Prichard is equivalent to being poor and starving). Then another youth told me that the kids were rough, and others treated everything as if it was a joke and didn't even try to interact with the kids, and others pushed kids away because they're "unclean".....I could seriously go on forever. Basically, they had a "lets cross the bay and save the poor black kids" mentality. They pitied our kids instead of loved them. They took tons of pictures to use as trophies for their own personal glory, instead of being humble and genuinely loving as Jesus would. Jesus spent time with all walks of life, from tax collectors to prostitutes, and he never turned a person away. And not every single youth was like that...several of them were really awesome with the kids and were helpful to us. But the ones that acted as though they were better than our kids definitely got under my skin. I've never been as angry at a group of people as I was this week, because I could see the hatred and the hypocrisy right in front of my eyes. And it was directed toward MY kids, who I have poured all of my love and all of my heart into this summer. They ARE my heart, and they are my life. I will allow no one to degrade them or see them as a joke.
Luckily, after VBS was over for the day and we had cleaned everything up, my team had mentoring with Reverend Fail. Right when we were about to finish, he asked me what I thought of our conversation, which has basically centered around anger. I told him it was convenient timing, since I was pretty angry. I had already had a break down of crying because not only had I just watched my kids be degraded for a few hours, but also, in the chaos of everything, I had forgotten to order food bank for Thursday, so we had to throw something together. There's also always the looming reality of the end of the internship in two weeks, and the thought of leaving these kids absolutely breaks my heart. But, Reverend Fail let me get all of my feelings out, and I was practically yelling at some times, along with the other members of my team. I felt a bit better afterward though, because Reverend Fail has a way of saying the right things to ease the situation.
Today (Thursday) was the last day of VBS, thankfully. A lot of the same stuff I already described happened again....just youth who still have so much to learn about life and the true meaning of Christianity not helping us control the chaos in any way. It stormed in the middle of VBS, so Levonta freaked out because he's terrified of thunder. Mrs. Lacey from the church happened to be there though, so she took him home. Then Lanissa stepped on something and had blood all over her foot, so I had to take care of that. Just....lots of stuff. Then lots of cleaning afterward. Then we had to prepare for a Whistler community meeting that Reverend Fail was hosting that night about the price of water in Whistler. We went straight from cleaning into rearranging tables; searching for large paper, an easel, and a sharpie; and making refreshments. We had some things at Whistler already that we pulled together, but we had to go out and buy a few more things along with dinner for ourselves, since we missed the intern dinner for the second night in a row because of other obligations. God did an amazing thing with this meeting though. Instead of bringing in adults from the community, kids showed up. I don't think some of them even realized what was happening. They just came by because they know they're welcome and safe at the church, and they know we'll give them water after they've been walking around Whistler for who knows how long. So of course we invited them, gave them lemonade and food, and Reverend Fail changed the entire course of the conversation. He asked the boys the good and bad qualities about Whistler community and what things needed to change to make it better, and their answers were remarkable. They said things like wanting a park where they could play, wanting a Boys and Girls Club, recycling, making guys stop sagging their pants, and sidewalks for more safety while they're walking or riding their bikes. Can you see why I love these kids so much? They are the future of Whistler, and they have so much potential and so much power to make things better. Reverend Fail asked them if anyone had ever offered them drugs before, and most of them said yes. I mean, we're talking about boys between the ages of 7-10 being offered drugs and refusing them because they know it's wrong. That's powerful stuff right there. These kids never cease to amaze me.
Sorry for two really long posts back to back. I just have so much on my heart this week, and my thoughts are impossible to contain. I want to shout it to everyone and make everyone understand. Basically, the whole point of all that I have to say is that no one person is ever better than anybody else. I told the interns tonight during organic worship (during a rather long speech I gave expressing all the stuff on my heart) that if people, such as this youth group or even any of us, at any moment act as though we're better than the people we're serving, then we need to reevaluate our own lives. Love knows no boundaries. "Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." --1 Corinthians 13:6-8. Yeah, we all know that verse, but I think sometimes we forget the true definition of what it really means to love. I would challenge you never to forget simple Christianity, never to forget what Jesus stood for and what he died for, never to forget about love. Love abundantly, because the world can never have too much of it, and may never have enough of it.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Open the eyes of my heart, Lord.
So....it's been awhile since I updated this blog. I need to remind myself what I've done the past week. I can remember as far back as July 6th, because I have a schedule sitting next to me, hah.
-Last Tuesday, we interns prepared and served food at McKemie Place, which is a shelter for homeless women in a rough area of Mobile. My team was responsible for making banana pudding for dessert, and each team cooked a different part of the meal. The experience of serving these women was rich with blessings, and I enjoyed every moment of spending time with them.
-On Thursday of last week, the Quad W Foundation, who provides the funds for 3.0 interns to be paid, visited the sites and had dinner with the interns and Whistler UMC, and it was really nice to meet them. My teammate Jessica and I worked with the Whistler UMC ladies to prepare all of the food and set up the tables and everything right after our kids' camp was over and we had cleaned, so it was a long day, but so worth it to spend time with the women here at this church and get to know them better.
-Friday was a remarkable day. Each of the teams in 3.0 have a mentor with whom we meet once a week, and the mentor for my team is Reverend Fail. Reverend Fail is an amazing man, with so much love for people in his heart, and he is always busy doing something to help people. He's also a chaplain at the jail here in Mobile, and we finally persuaded him to take us on a tour of the jail. 19 of the interns went, and we split up into groups of 3 or 4 so we could each visit a different area of the jail at the same time. My group had Sergeant Love directing us around the jail, which was awesome, because he was so kindhearted and wanted us to learn so much from the experience that he took us to areas that weren't even on the list for touring. He has been working at the jail for 21 years, so everyone knows him, respects him, and loves him. I was fascinated by the inner-workings of the jail. I’ve read books and seen shows about people in jail, but I’ve never actually stepped inside of one before. There are so many different things happening at one time, such as people being brought in from the street, court, cleaning, religious services, and educational services. Then there are the women behind it all in the control room. They have to watch so many different screens and control all of the doors and elevators, and I found it really interesting to see how that system works and to watch what was going on around the jail. We watched a bit of a court session also, and I actually really wanted to stay and see a few more cases, because it was just cool to see how things such as unpaid traffic tickets and whatnot are handled. I know that some of the interns were freaked out by the inmates, especially the women inmates who were just as vulgar as the men probably would have been (the girl interns were only taken to the female sections of the jail), but I wasn’t really scared. I didn’t see them as vulgar scum who deserved to be there for their crimes, but as people who need love and ministry more than anyone. The visit to the jail reinforced that every person is a child of God, regardless of their race, gender, or past transgressions. Anyone can see the talent hidden behind those bars and bad lifestyles, especially through the pictures that had been drawn in the chaplain’s office and the mural in the work-out room in the barracks. If we, as Christians, spent more time loving these people and trying to improve their lives from the beginning (such as we’re attempting to do with the kids’ camp), maybe we could allow their talents to flourish in the real world instead of being held captive behind bars. We met one inmate in the minimum security building who gave us a speech about always listening to our parents and staying in school, because she would never have the chances that we have to get an education, and it's something she regrets so much. She's been in and out of that jail since she was 15 years old, all for petty crimes. She knows that what she does is wrong, but she's a career criminal. This time, she's already been in for 3 months. Everyone should go to a jail and meet an inmate, because half of the time, they can tell you what's really important in life.
-Now that my long section about the jail is over,I'll move on to this week. This morning, 5 of us met with Tonny Allgood, who works at McKemie Place and the Mission. the Mission has wonderful programs, including breakfast for people who are food-poor or living on the streets, which is accompanied by a worship service or a little devotional, since that may be the only word of worship they hear, ever. During the day, there's a program for senior citizens, which consists of providing food for them, picking them up, taking them to doctor appointments, or taking them to go grocery shopping. At night, dinner is served for the women staying at McKemie Place. (McKemie Place is the upstairs area of the Mission.) Tonny told us so many stories that made it absolutely impossible for anyone to deny God. You can call things coincidence as much as you'd like, but even I, with my somewhat cynical mind on occasion, cannot deny the power of God's hand in the success behind the Mission. Tonny is a complete man of God, and he may be the most loving, giving, and honest person I've ever met. He would give anything to help anybody, and he has so many things that he still wants to do to help the people in this area. Next on his list is a gang intervention program, since that's a huge problem around here, even though that would be an incredibly difficult ministry. He has spoken with a 15-year-old boy who got jumped into a gang (which basically means he was beaten into the gang), another who was "blessed" into a gang, and, a really horrifying one--a 12 year old girl who was gang-raped by 7 or 8 members in order to be initiated. They all wanted out, but it's impossible to leave gangs...blood in, blood out. The only way to leave the FOLKS (Followers of Lord King Satan) gang is to be beaten by 6 members for 6 minutes with 6 sticks. Yeah, you're not going to make it out of that alive. Tonny had so many stories that touched my heart. He's so humble though. His main point at the end of the discussion was that this is not his mission, not his ministry, but God's mission and God's ministry. He was just allowing himself to be used by God, and God is definitely looking out for him and the Mission and McKemie Place. I hadn't been in the best of moods this morning prior to this discussion, but afterward, I left with assurance of God's power and love in my heart, and with amazement of all the things Tonny is doing, and with the strive to let God move through me and do things to help this world.
-In regards to Kids' Camp, we're doing VBS this week! The youth group from Spanish Fort United Methodist is helping us, and they brought all of their materials from their VBS to us. Their youth are the ones who actually do the snack, games, crafts, and story time, and we do the opening and closing and moving around between groups. Today was a little challenging though, because it was kind of more of a trouble to have them here than a help. Our kids just got so excited about having sooo many new, energetic people with us, and the youth didn't lend a big hand in helping to discipline them or clean up after them. I'm sure it will work out better though once we talk to them about it and describe how our kids need to be handled. Tomorrow will be pretty awesome though, because we're taking the kids on a field trip to Camp Baldwin! We'll leave around 8:30 a.m. and get back around 4:30 p.m., and the kids will get to enjoy a day of swimming, SAILING, and an estuary walk. They've been begging to go swimming all summer, so I'm excited that we get to do this for them. It will be crazy though, because right when we get back and all the kids are gone, we have to run to the bank if we have time before it closes, shower (because I'm sure we'll be nasty after a day in the sun), dress up, and then go to this fish dinner at Dumas Wesley. Then we have to go to a book study that night. We'll be so tired by the end of the day, but it will be worth it.
-On a random note, somehow the Emmaus community caught wind of the 3.0 program, because today after work, there were little gifts on everyone's beds that came from various reunion groups! I knew it was from them as soon as I saw the word Decolores on a sticker. That seriously made my day so much, because I truly love the Emmaus/Chrysalis community. One girl was complaining because all she got was a toothpick and a quote or bible verse with it, and I seriously wanted to shake her and make her realize that it's not about what you get, but about the love and blessings that are being shared from complete strangers. At any rate, it's amazing to see how the Emmaus community follows me and uplifts me without even realizing it. What an awesome gift to have an entire community looking out for us! :)
-I realize how long this blog was, so major props to anyone who actually got through it, haha. I'll end with a picture of me and Levonta, one of the sweetest and most talented kids I've met here. He has a really rough home situation, so please pray that he and his sisters, cousins, brothers, and whoever else lives in that house can make it through life surrounded by love and be allowed the opportunities that many kids in this community don't ever receive. All he needs is a chance.
-Last Tuesday, we interns prepared and served food at McKemie Place, which is a shelter for homeless women in a rough area of Mobile. My team was responsible for making banana pudding for dessert, and each team cooked a different part of the meal. The experience of serving these women was rich with blessings, and I enjoyed every moment of spending time with them.
-On Thursday of last week, the Quad W Foundation, who provides the funds for 3.0 interns to be paid, visited the sites and had dinner with the interns and Whistler UMC, and it was really nice to meet them. My teammate Jessica and I worked with the Whistler UMC ladies to prepare all of the food and set up the tables and everything right after our kids' camp was over and we had cleaned, so it was a long day, but so worth it to spend time with the women here at this church and get to know them better.
-Friday was a remarkable day. Each of the teams in 3.0 have a mentor with whom we meet once a week, and the mentor for my team is Reverend Fail. Reverend Fail is an amazing man, with so much love for people in his heart, and he is always busy doing something to help people. He's also a chaplain at the jail here in Mobile, and we finally persuaded him to take us on a tour of the jail. 19 of the interns went, and we split up into groups of 3 or 4 so we could each visit a different area of the jail at the same time. My group had Sergeant Love directing us around the jail, which was awesome, because he was so kindhearted and wanted us to learn so much from the experience that he took us to areas that weren't even on the list for touring. He has been working at the jail for 21 years, so everyone knows him, respects him, and loves him. I was fascinated by the inner-workings of the jail. I’ve read books and seen shows about people in jail, but I’ve never actually stepped inside of one before. There are so many different things happening at one time, such as people being brought in from the street, court, cleaning, religious services, and educational services. Then there are the women behind it all in the control room. They have to watch so many different screens and control all of the doors and elevators, and I found it really interesting to see how that system works and to watch what was going on around the jail. We watched a bit of a court session also, and I actually really wanted to stay and see a few more cases, because it was just cool to see how things such as unpaid traffic tickets and whatnot are handled. I know that some of the interns were freaked out by the inmates, especially the women inmates who were just as vulgar as the men probably would have been (the girl interns were only taken to the female sections of the jail), but I wasn’t really scared. I didn’t see them as vulgar scum who deserved to be there for their crimes, but as people who need love and ministry more than anyone. The visit to the jail reinforced that every person is a child of God, regardless of their race, gender, or past transgressions. Anyone can see the talent hidden behind those bars and bad lifestyles, especially through the pictures that had been drawn in the chaplain’s office and the mural in the work-out room in the barracks. If we, as Christians, spent more time loving these people and trying to improve their lives from the beginning (such as we’re attempting to do with the kids’ camp), maybe we could allow their talents to flourish in the real world instead of being held captive behind bars. We met one inmate in the minimum security building who gave us a speech about always listening to our parents and staying in school, because she would never have the chances that we have to get an education, and it's something she regrets so much. She's been in and out of that jail since she was 15 years old, all for petty crimes. She knows that what she does is wrong, but she's a career criminal. This time, she's already been in for 3 months. Everyone should go to a jail and meet an inmate, because half of the time, they can tell you what's really important in life.
-Now that my long section about the jail is over,I'll move on to this week. This morning, 5 of us met with Tonny Allgood, who works at McKemie Place and the Mission. the Mission has wonderful programs, including breakfast for people who are food-poor or living on the streets, which is accompanied by a worship service or a little devotional, since that may be the only word of worship they hear, ever. During the day, there's a program for senior citizens, which consists of providing food for them, picking them up, taking them to doctor appointments, or taking them to go grocery shopping. At night, dinner is served for the women staying at McKemie Place. (McKemie Place is the upstairs area of the Mission.) Tonny told us so many stories that made it absolutely impossible for anyone to deny God. You can call things coincidence as much as you'd like, but even I, with my somewhat cynical mind on occasion, cannot deny the power of God's hand in the success behind the Mission. Tonny is a complete man of God, and he may be the most loving, giving, and honest person I've ever met. He would give anything to help anybody, and he has so many things that he still wants to do to help the people in this area. Next on his list is a gang intervention program, since that's a huge problem around here, even though that would be an incredibly difficult ministry. He has spoken with a 15-year-old boy who got jumped into a gang (which basically means he was beaten into the gang), another who was "blessed" into a gang, and, a really horrifying one--a 12 year old girl who was gang-raped by 7 or 8 members in order to be initiated. They all wanted out, but it's impossible to leave gangs...blood in, blood out. The only way to leave the FOLKS (Followers of Lord King Satan) gang is to be beaten by 6 members for 6 minutes with 6 sticks. Yeah, you're not going to make it out of that alive. Tonny had so many stories that touched my heart. He's so humble though. His main point at the end of the discussion was that this is not his mission, not his ministry, but God's mission and God's ministry. He was just allowing himself to be used by God, and God is definitely looking out for him and the Mission and McKemie Place. I hadn't been in the best of moods this morning prior to this discussion, but afterward, I left with assurance of God's power and love in my heart, and with amazement of all the things Tonny is doing, and with the strive to let God move through me and do things to help this world.
-In regards to Kids' Camp, we're doing VBS this week! The youth group from Spanish Fort United Methodist is helping us, and they brought all of their materials from their VBS to us. Their youth are the ones who actually do the snack, games, crafts, and story time, and we do the opening and closing and moving around between groups. Today was a little challenging though, because it was kind of more of a trouble to have them here than a help. Our kids just got so excited about having sooo many new, energetic people with us, and the youth didn't lend a big hand in helping to discipline them or clean up after them. I'm sure it will work out better though once we talk to them about it and describe how our kids need to be handled. Tomorrow will be pretty awesome though, because we're taking the kids on a field trip to Camp Baldwin! We'll leave around 8:30 a.m. and get back around 4:30 p.m., and the kids will get to enjoy a day of swimming, SAILING, and an estuary walk. They've been begging to go swimming all summer, so I'm excited that we get to do this for them. It will be crazy though, because right when we get back and all the kids are gone, we have to run to the bank if we have time before it closes, shower (because I'm sure we'll be nasty after a day in the sun), dress up, and then go to this fish dinner at Dumas Wesley. Then we have to go to a book study that night. We'll be so tired by the end of the day, but it will be worth it.
-On a random note, somehow the Emmaus community caught wind of the 3.0 program, because today after work, there were little gifts on everyone's beds that came from various reunion groups! I knew it was from them as soon as I saw the word Decolores on a sticker. That seriously made my day so much, because I truly love the Emmaus/Chrysalis community. One girl was complaining because all she got was a toothpick and a quote or bible verse with it, and I seriously wanted to shake her and make her realize that it's not about what you get, but about the love and blessings that are being shared from complete strangers. At any rate, it's amazing to see how the Emmaus community follows me and uplifts me without even realizing it. What an awesome gift to have an entire community looking out for us! :)
-I realize how long this blog was, so major props to anyone who actually got through it, haha. I'll end with a picture of me and Levonta, one of the sweetest and most talented kids I've met here. He has a really rough home situation, so please pray that he and his sisters, cousins, brothers, and whoever else lives in that house can make it through life surrounded by love and be allowed the opportunities that many kids in this community don't ever receive. All he needs is a chance.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
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