Hope amidst despair

In Cannon Ball, North Dakota there is nothing but dusty land, dry fields, rundown trailers, garbage dumps, and stray dogs within one hours’ drive. We spent our week on Standing Rock Indian Reservation living and working with Tipi Wakan, the only active Christian church in the community. We saw some of the poorest living conditions we’ve seen yet on our 47 week trek across the U.S. Many people don’t have running water in their trailers, food in their homes, or a lawn not covered in trash. It is not a safe place to live or to drive because of the rampant alcoholism that devastates the small community. It is no wonder people turn to drugs and alcohol—a person could go insane with no vehicle and nothing to do for so long. And, to compound the problem, there is no reason to work when they can make more money by not working, collecting assistance checks from the government. As Pastor Boots said, “Besides Christ, the greatest need the Sioux have is for hope.” Hope for anything really, hope for a life that is different from the downward drug-addicted cycle they are trapped in, hope for their children to have an education that can help them succeed, and hope from outsiders who bring love instead of judgment. The only source of hope I found this week (with the exception of the amazing pastor we worked with, Boots) was the latter…

Though unplanned, we worked with a mission group from my hometown (Mt Vernon, IA) this past week on the reservation. I watched as 16 high schoolers and 7 adults brought hope to the children of Cannon Ball. It was so inspiring for me because I used to baby-sit about half of the kids who led Vacation Bible School every afternoon for 30-50 kids on the reservation. It was moving to watch as they offered urine-soaked children piggy back rides, played games and taught Bible lessons to kids who have never been taught manners, and gave unrelenting hugs to youth who hadn’t bathed in days…

It was fun for me to get to sit back and observe. Usually our group is the one leading, but instead we stayed in the background this week doing small work projects around the church, only jumping in with the kids on occasion. To watch kids who I last knew as 5, 6, 7, and 8 year olds leading worship, teaching Bible lessons, and just plain loving these kids filled me with the only hope I have for this place. Cannon Ball is full of despair, drugs, and destitution…yet, as long there are people who care enough to share an outstretched hand, there is still hope. Hope for these children to grow up knowing who their ultimate source of hope is—Jesus Christ.

Kelly

The Itch

Well, the itch has begun. As we are nearing the end of our trek across the United States (only 4 states to go!) I am starting to get the urge to move on to the next phase, whatever it may be. This past week we volunteered with four different organizations in Minneapolis. I had a much different perspective this week because I plan to move to the Twin Cities this fall. For the first time in 46 weeks, I went into an organization with the idea that I could come back and volunteer on a regular basis if I so choose. As I played with children at Mary’s Place, the thought was running through my mind that I will have the opportunity to play with them again. I also met an elderly woman from Germany in a low-income nursing home who took special interest in me because of my ability to speak to German. She gave me her phone number and told me to call anytime, as she’d love to help me brush up on my rusty skills. As I took her number I smiled, because I realized I really could meet with her again. I didn’t have to smile and say ‘I’ll be in touch,’ knowing in my heart that our paths will probably not cross again.

I have been very aware of how hard it is to leave places, knowing that likely I may never be back, but I don’t think it hit me how much my spirit has craved something with longevity until I spent time in a place where I can establish roots. The possibility of growing relationships rather than just planting seeds is what I am excited about as I prepare to settle down in one place. As we left on Latreia, the prospect of always being on the move, meeting new people, and doing something very different every day was a huge draw to me. The irony is that the things I am excited about now that we are about done are completely the opposite. I am thrilled with the prospect of living in one place, building solid and real relationships with those around me, and having a bit of routine in my daily life. I will also have the chance to disciple others and to be discipled myself.

And though the itch has begun to begin building roots, I am also eager to finish the amazing journey which began 11 months ago… And, no doubt, after I have settled down for a month or two, I’ll be wondering when it will be time to travel again!

Kelly

Cities experiences

Well, here I am guest blogging. I was asked to earlier after a weekend trip to Kansas City and one of the more interesting church experiences of my life, but that weekend I never did serve with Latreia. Now that I officially have, I thought I would fill you in on my experiences.

First off, let me say that all year I have been jealous of the girls. The experiences they have had, the people they have met, and the work they have done is amazing. It was a pleasure then for me this week to help out. On Monday (the 18th) I met the gang at Sharing and Caring Hands near downtown Minneapolis. There we served breakfast/brunch to the homeless and needy. We also got entertained by a nameless fellow who could really impress with his impersonations. One key thing caught me there. As many of the men and women went through the line they said “Thank you.” I wondered as I dished out goulash and soup, why? Why are they thanking me? I don’t need to be thanked for doing a job that many more of us should do. They should be thanked for showing up at a place like Sharing and Caring and receiving some help, and more importantly the message of God.

In the afternoon, we went to Mary’s Place, an assisted/transitional living center. There we played (and played, and played) with the youth of Mary’s Place. I was WORN OUT at the end of those three hours. While shooting hoops, throwing the football, etc. I thought about how lucky and blessed I’ve been. I’ve always had someone to throw the football around with me. I’ve always had coaches who cared enough to teach me and classmates the fundamental skills of basketball. I thank God for that, and I also thank God for the kids there at Mary’s Place. They all have special gifts and they are all have such opportunities that lie ahead of them. One of the gifts they gave me was some perspective on what I have and what I need to give back. They gave me some perspective on how God works miracles big and small every day. They made me think and hope that they learned just a little from Latreia about love and giving, because they taught me a lot.

Christian Grandgenett

The Upper Peninsula!!

Hello everyone!! I can't believe it...I'm actually going to do something that Kelly asked me to do by putting a little message on here following the week that I spent with the troops in the "Land of Go Blue". I wanted to make sure I got this up here right away because after a couple days back at work my mind has already started to be overwhelmed by the "to do" list.

What can I say...the week was wonderful. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is a beautiful area and we were fortunate enough to spend the majority of the week outdoors. We spent a couple mornings hanging out with toilets, mops, and sponges but the majority of the service work was done on the camp trails and the beaches of Lake Huron. We spent a good portion of time hauling logs off the trails from fallen or cut down trees to create more space for snow to fall for the snowmobiles and cross country skiers that use the trails throughout the winter. Damen, Kelly, and I also were given the task of removing, or downsizing in a number of cases, large rocks that were impediments for trail users. Our work on the beach was pretty simple...remove the beach grass. Simple, but at times, very frustrating.

On my trip home and even after being home for a couple of days, I was thinking about the week and what I learned from it. I thought about service work in general and how service trips are often so complicated and difficult to put together. However, the one thing that Latreia demonstrates every day is how simple things are. "This job needs done...we'll do it." Pretty simple. Without their complaining or questioning why, the Lord has used them to flat out get things done. The location, type of service, and who they're serving with doesn't matter to Latreia as long as it's done in the Lord's name. God has asked them to do something so they do it. I hope that's what I am able to take away from my time spent there. Too often I question why and never get beyond that question. Therefore, whatever I was asked to do doesn't get done. May I do acts of service every day at work, in the community, and with my neighbors that are done simply as a result of the love that I have in Jesus Christ.

Austin Robertson

Faith experience?

This is a comment on an earlier blog which asked whether soup kitchens should require sermons before feeding people. The comment was so good that we wanted to republish so more would read it... Latreia

I think this circumstance is emblematic of a larger question about evangelism and sharing ones faith. i myself prefer that no religious element / experience / activity be required for the reception of food for the hungry, and I want to comment on what types of "faith experiences" will be born out of the two circumstances.

i think that the moment of vulnerability (hunger in this case) is a very special and unique one. i think that an individual's emotional and, perhaps to a lesser extent, spiritual connection to a particular dogma is often born out of such experiences (some explicitly physical like hunger, some more psychological or emotional in their nature). i think that it is more often a good strategy to let the connection between that moment of need and a religion be one that is initiated by the individual in need.

i think that a more pressure-oriented presentation of theology (sermon before soup) may produce a greater number of people who will willingly communicate some sort of conversion. that is to say that if you don't give them their soup until they pray, not only will you get some additional fakers for the soup, but you'll also get more people who are honestly expressing spiritual feelings and ideas.

my concern isn't so much about their sincerity in the moment, it's about their retrospective feelings in the future about that process. i think that one must feel that one's acceptance of a faith was/is very much their own in order to carry out that faith in a genuine way. i think that there is a parallel to what many people experience in having a faith given to them by their parents. at some moment in time (perhaps more pronounced for some than others), one has to take it on as his/her own.

but as a practical matter, perhaps there is not always time enough to wait for such a person to have such an experience. is it possible that having the dogma in one's life, having it as an explanatory tool for questions about why life is, why pain is, what we are, etc., is the first step in growing attached to a faith and to God? perhaps.

i just think that it is terribly difficult to communicate that one is FORCING someone to hear a sermon out of a concern for that person (if that is in fact why one forces another to hear such a sermon). i think it appears to the person in need much more like a disciplinary measure, at best, and, at worst, an expression of insecurity by the person doing the forcing - that need for others to agree in order to validate one's own views.

but i personally am terribly concerned about autonomy and thinking through things for myself. i'd like to think that for a person to have a healthy and genuine spiritual life they would have to think and feel on their own b/c they want to, not b/c they had to in order to eat. i think simply letting it be known that one is acting in a Christlike way b/c one is a Chrisian is more difficult, requires more patience, but, in the end, produces a better long-term effect... produces a relationship w/ Christ that isn't based unevenly upon the wrong sort of dependency. my weakness / dependency makes me realize my need for God, but it doesn't mean that it should be intentionally exploited by another in order to bring about that realization.

Leighton Smith (friend of Latreia)