Free ticket anyone?

This morning Jesse, Laura and I went to a REI "garage sale". This is an outdoors/camping store that re-sells their returned merchandise for 80%-90% off retail value! Great deal, huh? So we arrive 20 minutes early (thinking that we were plenty early) only to be greeted by a long line of customers already perched and ready to make a clean sweep of everything that they think they can not live without. So we jumped in at the end of the line as an anouncement was being made: "Everybody with REI membership and those who where lucky enough to recieve a free ticket will be able to enter 10 minutes before everyone else." Who knew so many people were excited to buy used and recycled stuff; you would have thought that each one had hit the jackpot according to the urgency of their "need" to reach the merchandise before anyone else discovered their "hidden treasures".

This scene made me think a bit deeper about the situation that was unfolding before my eyes. It actually makes for a pretty interesting analogy between this REI garage sale and salvation (this may be a stretch, but just go with me). It also made me question, "If people can get so excited about a free ticket for second hand merchandise, why can they not get just as excited about a "free ticket" to heaven?" This morning, the individuals who where allowed to enter the garage sale (heaven) first where those with a membership card (believers in Jesus Christ/Christians) and those with the free tickets that were just handed out earlier this morning (believers who just recieved Jesus Christ into their hearts). And these passes just get them to a "second-best/used/returned" arena. As humans, often we settle for second best because we are not aware of the riches God has to offer. For the same low price (free) Jesus offers us a "free ticket" (salvation) to heaven for all those who accept Him as their savior and believe that He died on the cross for his/her sins (after which you gain your membership card). And this ticket is your free pass to "The party of the Century" where nothing is second best, but everything is PERFECT!

Stephanie

Suprise Ministry!

It has once again been so long since I have written. This has been such a great week. This is the first week I have been in charge since Wyoming...so that is a little strange. Kelly is also gone this week, which makes life really different. We have had the opportunity to work with two different organizations though.

Monday through Thursday we were working with Neighborhood Ministries. I am amazed by so many things with Neighborhood. The first thing would be that they EVER get anything done. The office is constantly a mad house. They have 18 people that work full time. Because they are a relational ministry, situations constantly come up out of nowhere. How exciting that you could never plan your day. The second part of their ministry that amazes me is that they reach so many people. Like Jesse said there were about 500 kids (k-6th grade) at youth group on Monday night, and probably close to 300 (Jr. High and High School) the rest of the week. These numbers do not take into account the people touched by the clinic and the church. What a blessing this place is to all who are involved.

The second place we worked this week we found "on accident” on the lower level of the Neighborhood Ministries building an organization “The Lost Boys” is housed. I am sad to say that I had never heard of the “Lost Boys” and their incredible story in any history class or even on the news. I am glad that we were given the opportunity to learn about these guys who are our age that did amazing things to find freedom and safety.

I’ll give you a brief overview of their story. Starting in the mid- 1980’a Sudan started experiencing civil war. Thousands of innocent children started fleeing their homeland. Most of the boys were between 4-11. They began walking to Ethiopia and stayed there until Ethiopia forced the boys to leave at gun point. They walked back to Sudan and then to a United Nations refugee camp in Kenya. They have lived in Kenya since 1992. In 2001 the United States government got involved and helped to “resettle” 4,000 “Lost Boys” in America. About 400 “Lost Boys” live in Arizona. It is amazing how full of hope and smiles these guys are. What a story!

Jany, one of the first four boys to the United States showed us around the center and shared his life with us! I am encouraged and in awe of his faith and love for life! How grand that we got to meet him and other “Lost Boys” in Arizona. God is Good!

Laura

Light-up shoes!

Phoenix, Arizona:

A couple of catch-up notes: This past weekend we made our way from Cedar City through the snow-packed hills of Utah back down to the barren low lands of the desert and up to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The drive through the park was beautiful with the snow covered pines and the occasional family of deer out the window. The canyon was nothing short of all that we could have imagined... actually it was very much what we could imagine because the clouds settled in for the day surrounding Latreia and all the other sight-(wish-to be) seers, not allowing us the canyon in its full splendor. The Grand Canyon is a huge and wonderful place but if you want to see the entire thing I recommend that you go there on a sunny day.

We are without Kelly this week in Arizona. She flew back to Iowa to be in a wedding, that's why the trio in the photos posted.

Last night was a crazy good time. We helped at what is called "Monday Nights" when close to 70 volunteers bring over 300 children (1st through 6th grade) from all over the city to a large classroom building on the site we are working. Everyone gathers for two hours where they will worship, have small group and class time as well as recreation time when crowds gather outside at the dimly lit soccer field; cones for the goals. I had so much fun serving food, distributing candy rewards, visiting with the shy kids and ending the night with a huge game of "little-kids-soccer" (where a swarm of children resembling a school of fish follows the ball all over the field). I especially enjoyed watching a diligent young boy score three goals against the older kids in what would be a 6-6 game. I could recognize him by his light-up shoes flashing across the dark field. For some children this night is what they live for; it is their salvation to hear God's message and have a safe place to be themselves. By the end of the night they were asking if we would be back. It broke my heart to admit the reluctant "no."

This makes me think of what is to come with our next week in Mexico. It is a wonderful experience getting involved in so many people's lives, to be with them. It is difficult, however to know that it will end. This is not the first time for this experience but the feeling was strong last night and I know it will be coming this next week. I am happy to witness those flashes of light in the dark where people are safe and loved. I leave that place wondering where those lights will end up and if they will be safe again. I am not sure if I will see my little teammate again but I am happy that I had the chance, at least, to see him once.

Jesse

Impact

Working at a place called the Happy Factory, we can’t really help but smile. Spending hours tracing, cutting, sanding, routing, branding, and oiling toys goes by quickly because of the photographs of poor children all around the world holding the very toys we are helping produce… Knowing that in just over a week we will be blessed enough to hand each of the 104 children at the orphanage in Mexico one of these toys, we can’t really help but love the work we’ve been doing all week.

I think the most inspiring part of this week has been listening to Charles Cooley, the founder of the organization, tell stories of the children who have received these toys. Charlie and his wife Donna started the Happy Factory on accident. About 15 years ago they made wood cars for their grandkids in their garage. After they ran out of grandkids to give the toys to, they gave some to the local children’s hospital. Soon, there was a high demand for their toys in many different places and Charles and Donna have responded to that need with the help of hundreds of volunteers. Today there are 24 branches around the world. Each time this pot-bellied, deep-throated retired man tells us a story about a child receiving a toy, tears come to his eyes and it is apparent why he and his wife are spending their retirement ‘working’ 8-5 for no pay… because each of those 100,000 toys they help produce every year carries its own story of love and of hope and, as Charles says, “that’s the greatest salary in the world.”

Their story is encouraging to me because it reminds me of how God can take such simple desires and grow them into aspirations which will change the world. They started out making a few toys for their grandkids and are now making toys for His children all across the globe…you never know what kind of an impact following your heart can have.

Kelly

Success

This is going to be short and sweet, and a bit random. About 3 weeks ago, the following question was asked of Latreia: How do you define success? or How would you define a successful week? Sounds easy enough to answer, but we all had to think about it for a while...and I have been thinking about it ever since.

I know that there are numerous way to answer this question, with the two most obvious ones being 1)I "bettered" the life of an individual 2)I was "bettered" or changed as an individual. Both of these are "success stories".

This last week at St. Judes, as I was pruning and weeding, I was once again pondering this question. And a more detailed definition began to form. Maybe true success is found when a great need is met - meaning an individual is able to use his/her knowledge, gifts and abilities to aid others who are in need of those services. Possibly in God's eyes success is not an accomplishment, but a life dedicated to living out the scripture and living out one's specific calling in life...whether is be teaching, healing, pruning or weeding.

This is an ever-changing answer...It's not set in stone. As God continues to open my eyes to more of his teachings, my views and attitutes will continue to be refined...And I pray they do!

Happy Birthday, Mom! I hope you had a wonderful day!

Stephanie

Restoration in Nevada

Hi all… today is our last day in Boulder City, Nevada where we’ve been helping at St. Jude’s Children’s Ranch all week. We’ve been doing a variety of yard work for them the last four days, including pulling weeds (who knew they hand you a shovel to do that in the desert?!), pruning trees, and digging out bushes. It has actually been a lot more fun than it sounds—we’ve been working outside in the 85 degree weather all week and getting a tan! It has also been nice to have time to work on our own…after a week of zero alone time in CA and the overwhelming emotions we experienced there, this low-key week has provided much needed personal processing and reflection time. My spirit has been restored through this week of hard work...

God continues to amaze me with how He provides each week. This last Sunday we spoke at a small evening service at Grace Community here in Boulder. There were 6 adults present and the rest were youth. We had a lot of fun worshiping with the student-led band and assumed that this week was meant to be a week of spreading the importance of service and probably not for raising funds. However, after the service we had several people come up to us with donations. One man offered a unique‘donation’—to take us boating on Lake Mead to see Hoover Dam from the water (we took him up on that!). Another couple from the church said they had just received a check from their insurance company the day before for the exact amount we try to raise each week…they drove to the ranch to give it to us two days later. It is the people God places in our lives each week who keep us going and who remind us that this isn’t our trip or our ministry in the first place!

As I’m writing this I am sitting outside watching ten girls from St Jude’s do a dance routine for the new dance club they are starting at the local high school. Juanita and Co. have also reminded me of a few things: 1) the reason we pulled weeds all week 2) youth have a contagious spirit of joy 3) and that I really can’t dance!

Kelly

"It's a small world after all"

I know that this is a few days old, (actually almost a week old already) but there are a few things I want to share with you. Last Saturday the three of us girls got to spend the day at Disneyland thanks to my cousin Jamie who works there. What a culture shock. We spent the first 2 hours trying to understand how we got from Skid Row to Disneyland. It was hard for me to justify even being there. New friends that we had met in LA were never going to be at Disney, they were just trying to survive. It was hard to be walking through stores and stores of pointless Disney stuff without felling guilty.

As the day went on, we had an easier time letting ourselves have fun. It was the perfect day to be there. No lines, beautiful weather and a fun place to forget about injustice for a few hours. I think we got to do everything that we wanted to do. We even rode a "Be Orange" ride. It was fun to be doing something different. I was in awe of the creativity in that place. It is amazing to me.

My favorite part of the day was the very last thing we did. "It's a Small World". This ride gets a bad rep, but I think it is so cool. At the end of the ride there is a beautiful scene of all the people in white singing the song in their native language, using native instruments and dance. It is an amazing picture of an ideal world. The more I think about it though, it is what Disney looks like. Although one must be of a certain economic status, people from across the globe come to Disney to find a place where they can be a kid. Race, gender, and religious background do not matter at Disney. I have never heard of fights breaking out there...it seems like there aren't too many places like that in the world.

After we finished at the parks, we got to hang out with my cousin Jamie. It was so fun to be with her and learn about her new life in California. She is just so fun to be around. She took us to a local surf hangout and out for a great Hawaiian supper. Hopefully it won't be so long between seeing her next!

I am continually blessed by the people we meet and the experiences we are having. I thank God daily for letting me be a part of this "ride"

Visible or Invisible?

As Jesse mentioned in the previous blog, He and I had the amazing opportunity to meet Clarence, a homeless man, at the "Lord's Kitchen". I am going to pick-up where he left off, and make the story even more complex. It's amazing how God can use you and open your eyes to things around you if you only let Him!

Clarence is a drug addict and he openly admits it. He also believes in Jesus Christ and He openly admits this also. Most might think this as contradictory. But I can truly testify that this man greatly desires to follow the Lord and it broke him to the point of tears as he was telling us about his "weakness".

How many of us are so readily eager to share our "weakness" with others, let alone complete strangers. Once again, most might think, "Well, I don't think that I have a sin like that...I don't do drugs or I am not an alcoholic!" Then I was reminded of Romans 1 where it lists off a variety of sins or "weaknesses"...envy, murder, arrogance - and the end result of each is death. God does not discriminate one sin from another. Sin is sin. The reason Clarence is in the spotlight, along with others who suffer from the same "weakness", is because it is openly visible. People are easily able to point it out and pass judgement without much self-examination.

But are we not taught that God examines each of our hearts...He knows our every thought and every need. Therefore, in God's eyes, it makes no difference if our "weakness" is public or hidden in the depths of our heart.

After our brief encounter with Clarence, he boldy proclaimed that today he was going to return to his rehab program - that is if they take him back. I want to pray for Clarence and everyone else, that we would have the courage to persevere through our "weakness" and that we would seek God for our strength!

Stephanie

Life on Olive

Today we moved into the city and talked with the people who we saw on the streets last night. We started off in a soup kitchen this morning where Stephanie and I had the opportunity to talk with Clarence and Keith. They shared gospel with us and opened up with what is going on in their lives. Clarence said that his main problem was the fact that he needed to face his “weakness.” With a little inquiry he bravely displayed a burned crack-pipe. Stephanie asked if he would give it up to her to throw away and he laughed placing it back into his pocket… he then said it was the “other” one in his pocket that she could not have.

The rest of the day consisted of more eye-opening experiences. We visited a shotty but oddly expensive retirement home. There was one television and then a pool table to occupy the residents. The rest of the recreation rooms consisted of rows of chairs that were chained with their backs to the walls and a sad piano that lacked over half of its working keys. I am trying to think back but I am sure there were no pictures on the dirty walls, either. Our day finished with a visit to a children’s after school program, many of whom were children living in skid row.

Amidst all of this I was challenged most by a conversation in a park. During reflection time today I was wandering around the USC campus rose garden when I happened upon a gentleman lounging in the sun. He was an Afro-American man roughly 30 years of age who was missing the lower half of his left leg. On top of a short stone wall he leaned back on what seemed to be a tattered sleeping bag with wooden crutches at his side. We exchanged hellos and he invited me to sit for a while. Right away he pointed out that I was “blonde-haired and blue-eyed” and then proceeded to question me on my views on race and ethnicity. Our ensuing conversation covered everything from our backgrounds to politics and religion. He then pointed out that differences exist among people but in all cultures money drives the hardest wedge.

I have been thinking the rest of the day about what he said. I have friends that are recovering drug addicts, homosexuals or alcoholics. I have been close to eating disorders, handicaps and many other “weaknesses” that can drain and even terrorize a person no matter where they lay their head at night. Oddly, I feel somewhat prepared to encounter “weaknesses.” Today, though, I was challenged most of all when I was asked about the economic wedge. I was challenged because I witnessed a man hurting inside due to the treatment he has received for the fact that he has no money. To this point I cannot figure out why that bell rings the loudest for me, but it does and honestly I am fit with confusion as to what to think about it.

The “invisible wall” (as some call it) that Laura referred to in an earlier blog is called Olive Street. For amusement I Googled “olive” to find something I did not know: olives are bitter by nature and need to be cured before they are good. I was also reminded that the olive branch is a sign of peace. In light of this discovery, I found that street name to be quite sarcastic. Without boring you with more on crazy symbolism I will say that tonight I am praying for a cure to bring peace. I am praying for love.

Jesse

Hope?

I am still trying to process tonight’s experience. I am not sure what I am even thinking. I know that I asked God to open my eyes to new things this week. I sort of wish that I could take that request back after tonight. My heart breaks and aches for what I saw. I sat in the van holding back tears of anger and sorrow.

As we drove I continually had to remind myself that I was in the United States. I so often was transported to Haiti; it all looked the same, the street-side markets, the crowded sidewalks, the loud music, the longing faces.

The part that makes me angry is the “invisible wall”, the street that separates affluent society from Skid Row. It is so apparent, the buildings change, the streets fill with garbage, cardboard beds line the sidewalks and yet those who drive to work from the suburbs never drive two blocks from their office to see the “third world” in their backyard.

All of this swims inside my head, but I don’t know what to do? What can I do? How do I fit into this puzzle? I am so well off, I lack nothing, even traveling in a van I have more that I would ever need. I want to remember these pictures for ever; I don’t want to become a suburb commuter that can’t see past the “invisible wall”.

I am anxious about what tomorrow will bring. I long for a sense of hope in this city. I pray to see joy. I trust that God is doing big things in LA…tomorrow I will be looking even harder.

Laura

Prayer tour of LA

Tonight we arrived for culture shock in Los Angeles. After an authentic Nicaraguan dinner, we were led on a prayer tour through the slums of LA. I am still reeling from the overload of devastation we witnessed. We first drove through downtown in the ‘big bucks’ section where dozens of high rise banks stand with their marbled flooring and twelve-story walls of tinted windows. Our next stop was within just one block and the landscape was changed. Bars over windows, trash lining the streets, and graffiti covering the decaying walls of old buildings emerged. We drove down Skid Row at 9 pm and the images still sweep through my mind. The one image that still makes me shudder is the picture of dozens of people lined up on the sidewalks with only a piece of cardboard to lie on. It reminded me of several ‘homeless’ awareness days I have helped with through Habitat for Humanity on Wartburg’s campus. During our night of homelessness, we borrowed huge boxes from local businesses to sleep in on the middle of the campus lawn. I had thought our little campout would be at least slightly similar to the actual situation… I was severely naive. Our cardboard homes were a palace compared to these. Not only did we have three times as much cardboard, but we slept on grass and in sleeping bags. Women holding children, men on crutches, and prostitutes who conduct business in port-a-potties were lined up and down the streets and their only refuge was a piece of flat cardboard to separate them from the hard cement. It is a hard realization to swallow.

I’m not sure what the primary cause of my nauseousness is stemming from right now…it’s a toss-up between seeing the horrible living conditions these people are living in and feeling the hypocrisy of driving down Skid Row with the mere purpose of ‘gaping’ at this foreign and impoverished lifestyle we know nothing about. Praying over different areas helped lessen the helpless feeling I had yet did little to decrease my anger towards the injustice. Perhaps that’s the point. The poverty here was reminiscent of Haiti except this time it was in our own country, in our own ‘land of opportunity’. The irony breaks my heart…
Kelly