Mississippi Journal (3.15.2011)

Servitude

Working on the house today was great. My team got so much done and we made Cora and Alice so happy. What we did was we painted the crown molding that we had taken down to restore because it was salvageable. Then we began scraping all of the wallpaper off of the walls because enough of it was coming off already. We had to use a special spray that would help loosen the glue/adhesive in the wallpaper, and even that was at times difficult. But we got all of the walls free of wallpaper, so they are the color of the last paint job, which is pink. The walls are so dirty and even after wiping them down with water, they were still filthy. I saved a piece of the wallpaper to put into my journal because it is a nice reminder of the project.

I also got to help fix their leaky sink. Plumbing is not something that I usually do, but it was fun and I got to do something new. Nick and I unscrewed the drain and PVC pipe, then we cleaned it from the old putty that had been used before. We put the new ring and drain back on but the gap between them where the sink would be was too big. So we had to unscrew it and Zac told us that we needed a gap thingy... I forget what it's called. So when we got that the drain worked and there were no more leaks! Alice was watching us while we did it and it was really funny. She is so sweet. She told us that if we ever go back we would need to go back and visit them. I guess I will just have to come back next year :).

After our projects we went on a tour of Canton, which was good for the team to see the area they were serving in as well as the obvious racial segregation. It still amazes me that it is so blatantly obvious here. People are not shy about being prejudice and to me, that is really sad. After the tour we had our devotional, Led by Kyra and Nick about servitude and it got a lot of great discussion going about the projects we were doing, and how some of it seemed trivial. We can't go into a project with the mindset that it doesn't mean anything because God gave us that project for a reason. Missions is not glamorous and you don't always do what you want, but you do what you do with a smile. It's not about what you want to do, it's about what God has you do. The work of a servant is not what everyone wants to do. If it means something to someone else, then you did a good deed. When you work for the greater good of someone else, you have done God's Will.

:{Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.}: ~ Romans 15:7

Mississippi Journal (3.14.2011)

Potential

The team was so incredibly productive today, and it really got me excited about the rest of the week. First we had to dig out a bunch of bushes around In His Steps property because they were going to die from the run-off from the roof. We had to dig out all of the bushes after digging new holes a few inches out. And because the weather forecast promised rain, we wanted to get as much done as possible. So we dug our holes and made sure they were the right size. Some of the holes needed to be worked on with a pick-axe because the clay was so hard, and that was a really fun tool to use. I got to work with most everyone on that project, which was really great since it gave me a chance to get to know everyone.
Around 1pm, we decided to have lunch and just when we got inside it began down-pouring and thundering and lightning. Our freshly dug holes were filled to the top in minutes by rainwater. We weren't sure if there were any indoor projects because we certainly did not want to waste a day of work.
My half of the team, (Christy, Nick, Lauren, and Caroline), got to go to a house and do a project there. We visited an elderly woman of 90 and her 50 or so year old daughter who lived in the same house. We had to go in and put sheet rock into the ceiling because the ceiling was falling apart. So we got all of the crown molding down from the borders, then took all of the stray nails out. There were a bunch of old tiles there as well that needed to get rid of because there were barely any left. We then lifted the sheet rock up and screwed it into the ceiling, making the dark room a lot brighter. The house we were in had wallpaper on the walls, but much of it had also come off, leaving the dirty pink paint underneath exposed. The dust that had accumulated was astonishing. There were little things everywhere and picture frames hung unevenly on the walls.
All in all, the house was not the type of house I would see on a day to day basis. But what surprised me was that one room that you could not really see was a lovely, well- furnished living room. It had beautiful couches and furniture and it was obviously well-kept. And it amazed me that there was such beauty in that one room, but not necessarily in the rest of the house.
The house reminded me a lot of missions because there was a lot that was not lovable. However, once you searched a little more, you discovered something truly beautiful. Amidst all of the things that are not what people want to see, was something that should have been on display. There was obvious potential in that house, and they utilized it.
It's the same with people: there may be a lot that you do not like, but you have to be willing to see where something beautiful is. You have to be patient, wait, and work to see potential. It is just as much about the people you serve and their attitude as well as your own outward image.
A Christian worldview should see past what human eyes see and open to see what God sees. He saw potential in us, so He sent His Son to die on a cross for us. He believed that there was potential and He saw through our ugly sins and sent His Son to show that we were and are forgiven. It shows that because God saw something in us, we should see something in each other. Who else is better to see potential in a fallen human than another fallen human? My God saw the potential we have, we should certainly humble ourselves to the same view. Leave all the judgements behind and look for the potential that other people have. Look deeper than the human eye does and see the potential that lies in your brothers and sisters.

:{This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.}: - 1 John 3:16 (NIV)

Mississippi Journal (3.13.2011)

Sunday! We are headed to the Bacon's church for worship, which is exciting. Most of the team has never been to a black church, so this will be quite the adventure! After we are picking Nick up at the airport because he had to take a different flight. I believe after that we are going on a tour of Canton, which I always love because it gives us a better sense of the area.

Mark 10: 43- 45

(Side Note: we went on the tour that Tuesday instead of Sunday afternoon)

Light

Mississippi. That place has so much potential. It has so much to offer and so many things that it can do. The people there are amazing and they are kind. It is a shame that others from out of state do not want to go and help their brothers and sisters there who are fighting poverty and racism. But there will be a day when those things are not as prevalent and when the state is united and flourishing. This beautiful place can be so much more beautiful.
The people in the South, are first off a whole lot nicer than people in the North can be. People in the North do not wave to cars that drive by just because they can. There has to be a reason, and I am not entirely sure why. People in the South are friendlier and chattier because they aren't in a rush to get to the next warmest place and they are perfectly content with sitting outside on their porch with their neighbors, simply talking to one another. There is not as much of a drive to have an agenda as there is in the North where I feel as though I am always scrambling to get this, that and the other thing done. I considered getting a blackberry today for when I graduate so that when I have a career I can check my email on the fly. I doubt that people really do that as much in the South as they do up here. In New England I feel as though everyone has an iPhone or some other variation of the smartphone. I always swore that I would stick to simply phones, but now the whole data plan idea is tempting because it would be handy in a busy Northern living style. However, in the South I might not even consider that option.
The South does however, still struggle with racism and that is not something that is acceptable. People are people. No matter what their skin color, they all bleed red. We all have the same make-up, we just have different skin tones. And if that is reason enough to hate someone, then I am really confused. Would that mean that someone with blond hair has every right to hate someone with brown hair? Does that mean that it is acceptable for someone with brown eyes to hate someone with green or blue eyes? It is so silly to me that people can hate others just because of their skin tone.
With that, there are many ways that the South has positives and negatives. There is need everywhere, North or South. I want people to see the potential everywhere because in all the places that we look down on, there is potential. We should not look down on anyone that literally cannot help their living situation. I want to create hope and ability in those people because I believe that they have so much potential. Everyone has talents and skills that are unlike any other person. Everyone is extremely blessed with a gift that God has given them and I want to help others cultivate those gifts and let those people flourish because of their own talents and not mine or anyone else's. Go light your world and have someone else light their own.

Now I'm Asking Why

It's almost terrible how much I miss Mississippi. Everyday I realize more and more how much I would rather be there than here. And I realize that God has a purpose for me being here, but I would rather be in the South. If I could drop everything and go back, I wouldn't even blink, I'd just board a plane and leave. My heart still hasn't caught up with me and I am still trying to wrap my mind around all that happened last week, and it is so hard trying to adjust. All I want is to throw on my grubby work clothes, throw my hair up into a ponytail, and just get ready to work. I want to be going to someone's house to repair or paint something. Or I want to be heading to the Saw Mill Quarters to play with kids and share the love of Christ. Yet, here I am back at my privileged school and my education and the memories that stick to me. Everyday I look at some of the pictures and just want to cry. I miss the faces and I miss the smiles.
Being at Gordon is wonderful. But I feel trapped. I don't know what to do because I feel so compelled to just somehow get back to where I feel I belong. I pray that God will bring me back there soon. I love it too much

You Made Me From Dust and Matter

Mississippi is coming up and I cannot believe it. There has been so much preparation and hard work that has gone into this trip; shaping it into what it is and creating something of humility. God has truly blessed this trip and given us an incredible opportunity to do His will. And the fact that we are just made from dust is amazing. God is using dust to do His work.

DUST. What does that mean? We were made from those pesky particles that end up all over our furniture that we are constantly getting rid of. We hold ourselves as more important than what we brush off of furniture when we are made from the same material. We are no better than what we wipe up with a duster. Yet God loves us more than dust. He treasures us and cares for us because to Him we have so much more potential than dust. We have minds and personalities and souls. We have something to offer because God made us with something to offer.

So as dust, I will be swept away to Mississippi and will be serving other beings who are made of dust. My team and I will be heading down and serving the people of Mississippi. We will be learning what humility means and how to be servants, giving all we have to the people we serve. Dust serving dust.

I am thankful that for a whole week we will have the opportunity to forget ourselves and fully concentrate on God and His people. For a full week we will truly become dust and think nothing of ourselves and only of the people we serve and the God we love. I am excited to be once again humbled and to learn what humility looks like. There are so many people that we are going to have the opportunity to meet who are going to have incredible stories that are going to inspire us to continue with our work. I pray that the team does not leave Mississippi without a sense of needing to continue with acts of humility. Hopefully they will leave with a newfound love of serving and missions and living life fully for God and His people. I pray they thirst for this when they return to school and into their normal lives. Mississippi will never leave them.

Ecclesiastes 3:20

It's Been a Long Time

Wow. I have not used this blog in so long. I feel really badly about that. I started using Tumblr, but I do feel as though Blogspot has a more sophisticated quality to it. So I will probably start posting more on here!

On Saturday I will be leaving to go down to Mississippi for the second time, and I am so excited! It is such a blessing to be able to go down to a place to serve for a straight week. I'm really excited to go and work and really immerse myself in servanthood. Please keep my team and the people we serve in your prayers!

Mark 10:43 - 45