Connecting...

I am sitting at Panera working on our website with my cup of coffee quickly losing heat. Headphones pumping away I distract myself visually with the people around me. I just watched two brides-to-be come into view as a playful infant with enormous blue eyes is taken from my side. From across the table we were previously engaged in a stranger’s game of “peek-a-boo” so obvious that his grandmother jokingly remarked “I’ll bet you are glad we are leaving…” as the family walked out. The first bride-elect was more obvious coming in for lunch after her hair appointment (the veil gave her away) and before her wedding. The second bride-elect is a little more discreet to her surroundings, known only to the mentor she is meeting for lunch and to me…

Latreia has a funny way of opening people up. When “doing” mission work I have found myself willing to open up to people. I remain open of myself as well as remain open to what they have to offer. It is a funny sort of reactionary state of mind that is quite freeing to experience. After Latreia I find myself opening now and then in the same way trusting in others to accept what I might bring to them. With the Youth Encounter conferences we all (students and fellow presenters alike) had the opportunity to open up about our passions as others opened up with theirs. A group from Wartburg invited me to advise their trip to Savannah, GA (http://www.latreia.org/georgia2.php) where I had the chance for some great conversations with incredible individuals. I particularly connected with one of the trip members on so many levels… like a long lost brother.

When I say “Latreia has a funny way of opening people…” I mean to use the literal translation (Romans 12:1 “worship”) as well as the company (Latreia, Inc.). Worshiping the Lord in our daily activities invites us to remain open to others and see them in the way God sees them. It builds a foundation of common understanding and perspective. Seeing people the way God sees them also allows us to see differences and look beyond them… a different and introspective-fun level of connection. Savannah opened me to teammates not only like but different from myself; “lost brothers” that I could connect with more than the fact that our lives parallel to the fact that we are both children of God – believers or not – looking for connection and understanding.

I am getting married in July. The second bride-to-be was my very own fiancé. Our engagement and our process of discovering “relationship” has broadened my view on trusting in others - connecting with others. I never really cared for Paul’s analogy in Ephesians [5] of the church as a bride to her husband in Christ. I am beginning to understand, now. Connecting with people in Savannah, with the toddler next to me in whom I saw my niece and nephew, with the students and staff at Youth Encounter, with the bride-in-veil and with my very own bride-to-be who now sits with me, finished with her meeting. There is freedom in opening up and remaining open… for some (me) it requires a leap of faith in both small and great ways. Christ accepts us if we bring to him what we have to offer… if we trust in him and ask him to connect. The connection is worth the leap.

I have nothing...

September as a previous entry, huh? Gosh, this message is long awaited… We do apologize for not keeping up to date. So this may be a little long but… an update.

I visited the office the other day for the first time. Laura, Kelly, Stephanie and I met at the office on January 2nd for an all day meeting. Office? Through the support of people very much like those of you (who may be reading this) the Lord has blessed Latreia with enough funding to open a small office in Dinkytown, a pocket within the Twin Cities next to the University of Minnesota. Latreia shares office space in a building designated to house non-profit organizations. The office is outfitted with a desk, computer, printer, filing cabinet and bookshelves.

I took (on this visit) the final bundle of mail that would come to Latreia through the PO Box in Waverly as mail is now sent to the office. Latreia receives much mail - mostly newsletter updates from the places visited during a year on the road. It’s funny to read through the newsletters and find out what is going on… mostly funny to pick out the names of the people Latreia had the opportunity to serve with and think back on time spent with them. Together again, we reminisce.

People ask what I do… I am a carpenter - I work on a crew that builds houses. Kelly, Laura and Stephanie have jobs as well. I am sure people ask them the same question. I am sure they answer according to their employment track and I am sure they get the same funny thoughts in the back of their head – “Should I tell…?”

The truth is that Latreia as one life-changing year on the road is nowhere close to “one year.” The truth is that Latreia has been the answer to a calling that has changed our lives. The truth is that Latreia continues to reach the lives of others. The truth is that Latreia was never about the year.

The last time we were assembled was in October of 2005 when we held our first Board of Director’s meeting. Board of Directors? Latreia has a B.O.D. consisting of 7 individuals along with the 4 original members of Latreia - 11 in all. Our board is pretty cool… the first meeting lasted a couple hours where we generated immediate and long term goals and then brainstormed how to reach these goals. I wish I had the space to share a little about each board member but you will have to trust me when I say they are great… they have been the answer to our prayers for council.

This last meeting in the office was held to discuss… basically to discuss where Latreia stands. I will skip telling you about the application for insurance coverage. I won’t bother you with the details of constant website and recruiting management. I suppose it would be cumbersome to include figures about budgeting, fundraising and the hiring of our first employee (an office assistant!). It will suffice to say that as of January, 2006 Latreia is still alive and kicking. Just a few weeks ago we invited the first individual to join Latreia for the year-long team leaving in September of 2006. The 4 of us will meet at the office again in 2 weeks and our next Board meeting will be in 3.

Latreia is alive in the newsletters we receive each day. It is alive in the newsletters we send out. Latreia is alive on the World Wide Web where we have had college students tell us they are going to take a trip to a place we have listed. Latreia is alive as we speak at the Youth Encounter conferences we have been invited to. Latreia is alive in the hearts of each member of her Board of Directors and it is alive in a small office in Dinkytown. Latreia is also alive in all of you that are reading this right now. Latreia is alive in you because you have cared enough to check in. Thank you all for your continued support. I sit here finishing this letter listening to Bebo Norman sing “I have nothing without you…” and I think... Latreia is alive because of the grace of God working through so many people who answer the call to give back to the Creator who first gave to us.

Jesse

Why we're here...

How do I even attempt to summarize this past year on the road? I’ve been asking myself this question ever since we finished our trip four weeks ago. I was hoping by this time I’d have some vague idea by now. Instead, I’ve given up and settled on just sharing a few reflecting thoughts about our trip.

When I look back, the year is already starting to become a giant magnificent blur. People ask me over and over again what my overall favorite thing from the trip was and I am left at a loss…there is no such thing. There are so many favorites they are too long to list here. Yet one lesson God taught me this past year sticks out to me—why He created us in the first place.

Looking back, it is the people who have left an indelible impact on me—on my thoughts, on my desires, and on my faith. They’ve inspired me, taught me, coached me, and loved me, and what a blessing every person has been. And so, I’ve learned, because of people—people that God chose to create—I have seen His glory this past year. I saw His glory in “Big H,” my favorite four-year old dancing ladies man in Mexico; I saw it in Cherise, a stay-at-home Mom who single handedly organizes an after school program for poor and troubled youth in a trailer park community in Virginia; I saw it in Chris, a youth pastor in PEI who exemplifies what it means to live life with a joy and energy for the Lord that is wildly contagious; I saw it in MP, a grouchy sarcastic country-singing contractor who passes up building houses that he could make real money on to build homes for the poorest people in Appalachia; I saw it in Jackie, a volunteer coordinator in an Ohio soup kitchen who scrubbed the floor of the walk-in freezer with a smile on her face because she knew who she was truly serving; and I saw it in CeCelia, the 18 year old girl who we witnessed make the brave decision to walk away from the only people and the only way of life (on a reservation) she had ever known so that her unborn child wouldn’t have to grow up in the cycle of alcoholism and abuse that she did.

God’s glory shone through these few examples and hundreds of others on our trip. And I guess that’s really why we’re here: to give Him the glory in our everyday lives. To inspire one another and to show others just a small taste of the sweet Grace that we have been given through our Father. Whether we are Christian or not, we’re all part of this great ebb and flow of life, being touched by His provision and His glory daily because of the people whom we meet and whom we know. So, as I re-enter what many would call the ‘normal’ life (working and living in one place), I challenge myself and I challenge you—it is our choice how to live our lives. Who will we live for and who do we desire to glorify?
Kelly

Those St. Benedictine Monks

These past two weeks as I have been “cleaning” my room at home in Iowa I have been stumbling across little questions all over the place. Whether it is in a box of notes I had received in Jr. High or an old journal of mine from High School or even a term paper written my freshman year at Wartburg – I continue to see God moving in strange and bizarre ways.

I think the gem that I have found thus far is a one page reflection paper written for a half credit class my senior year. This class focused on the “Spirituality” and a good portion of time in this class was spent talking about the St. Benedictine monks. The reflection I was asked to make dealt with the importance of both contemplative time in solitude and the act of loving your neighbor in community. The passage stated (in paraphrase) that people can spend all of the time in the world in prayer, reading scripture and learning doctrine and theology but if they do not put down the “books” to help a brother/sister in need, they are unrighteous in the sight of the Lord. This is ironic for a group of people that disciplined themselves to live in solitude, yet in community.

While I agree with that, I wonder if we look a step further. How do we find balance between those two things? Community and solitude- two key components to Christian faith. I am finding as I sit in my home in Chariton, Iowa I am back to spending much time in solitude…after spending a year in community. Both extremes are unhealthy in excess. Like the monks that lived so long ago, I think that I struggle with the same question. How do we create a lifestyle where both community and solitude flow evenly from our soul?

Laura

Home is where the Heart is

Last sunday, after leaving a weekend spent at home, I felt like I was embarking on my first service trip ever. I was anxious, excited, and even a bit nervous as we headed to Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota. I haven’t felt this way for quite awhile…it was actually a welcomed change. I have yet to be “calloused” to this new culture. I am pretty uneducated when it comes to the rez; this “fear of the unknown” causes all these unexpected emotions to once again rise to the surface. Because of my lack of knowledge, the rez proved to be a wealth of information that was eagerly consumed by my numerous questions. The more I was exposed to the people and their way of living, the more I wanted to learn.

And lucky for me, there was just the guy to answer my many questions. His name is Pastor “Boots” March. Two years ago he came up from Houston, TX and has been pastoring in Cannon Ball (one of the communities within Standing Rock) ever since. His passion for reaching each and every person on the rez is contagious. Day after day he wakes up, waters his plants, refills his bird feeders and then unselfishly dedicates his day to serving those around him. His unconditional love and desire for each individual draws each one closer to knowing Jesus as his/her personal Savior (even if they do not realize it quite yet!) Through Boot’s dedication, God is bringing hope to Standing Rock. And that hope is the salvation found in Jesus Christ. On our last night on the rez, Boots commented, “Home is where God leads you. I am home now, and it only took me 65 years to get here.

I guess that saying is true – Home is where the heart is.

Stephanie

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