“Give me one pure and holy passion. Give me one magnificent obsession. Give me one glorious ambition for my life, to know and follow hard after You.”
May this song reflect the yearning of my heart. I don’t always feel that passion. I don’t always feel close to God, many times I feel far away. But then there is a moment when I come crying to his feet, where his forgiveness pours out. And I remember that he holds me, HE HOLDS ME. As a mother cuddles a baby close to herself, he wraps his arms tightly around me and never lets go. He teaches me lessons, gets me alone (see Jan 12 and 13 of My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers).
Today I chose to make use of the holiday and join the MLK service day that Messiah’s Agape Center organized. The day began with a tour of the city of Harrisburg- a city that I have lived within ½ hour of for my entire life but have never really explored. One fact that I found particularly interesting is that a significant portion of the city’s more affluent residents left after Hurricane Agnes wreaked havoc on the area in 1972. This left a great gap in the economy.
As we stood at the parking lot of the Civil War Museum (I honestly never even knew that this place existed!) and looked out over the city, I was struck with the memory of another time I looked out over a hill. When I stood at the top of the hill in Muyenga, Kampala, I was overwhelmed by the expansiveness of the city and the divide between the rich and the poor. And today I looked over Harrisburg with new eyes. Harrisburg, also, is a place of two extremes. There is a beautiful downtown, but homelessness is a very real problem.
Our session at lunch was directed at the needs of those who are marginalized due to disabilities. It was good to be reminded of the discrimination that they face- may I never be passive and ignore someone because they are different than I am!!!
This afternoon I was able to just hang out with precious kids at the Boys and Girls Club- we played air hockey (or some version thereof) and foosball and then played outside on the jungle gym. I even had to perform such antics as running around the playground 3 times, climbing the net 6 times, and doing 10 jumping jacks in order to get to the top level of the fort. Such amazing kids- I wish I lived among them and could more fully invest my life in theirs. God, teach me to live justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly wherever I am.
While I live here in Naugle 3B, I seek to invest in the lives of those living in community with me- both in proximity and also those people who live farther away but still are a significant part of my community.
Most of the time I just write these sort of things in my journal, but every once in a while I feel like getting my thoughts out in a public place- where people may or may not stumble upon them.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Support Letter for my upcoming International Journey- written awhile ago but just published now.
November 25, 2009
I would like to let you know about a journey that God is taking me on. In the past several years, I have pursued my interests in nutrition and international development through my academic studies and short-term trips. An opportunity has arisen that will allow me to continue this pursuit. For two weeks at the end of May 2010 I will be joining a team of 13 Messiah College students in partnership with Food for the Hungry (FH) to work in the village of Rodeo, Bolivia. FH is a Christian relief and developmental organization active in over 26 countries around the world. It is also the same organization that runs GoEd, a semester-long program in eastern Africa which I participated in during the spring of 2009.
Rodeo is a rural community about 34 miles from Sucre, the constitutional capital. It is high up in the Cordillera Oriental Mountains, and the native language is Quechua. The community struggles with domestic violence, alcoholism, lack of safe drinking water, insufficient sanitation, and poor nutrition. Our team will be developing a project based on our personal strengths to improve the community in one of these areas. I was able to observe the betterment of various Ethiopian communities as an FH Assistant Water Technician, and I hope to be a part of the same type of work in Bolivia.
My team meets weekly throughout the school year in preparation for our trip. My hope is to make maximal use of the cost of airfare, and spend an additional six weeks partnering with Food for the Hungry in some sort of ministry, although I do not yet know exactly what that will look like. I am excited to be able to spend more than two weeks in a country where I will be able to use my Spanish. Although Quechua is the main language in Rodeo, I will hopefully be able to communicate in Spanish during my additional 6 weeks.
Primarily I would like to ask for your prayer support in this endeavor. I could not go if I did not have such a strong support system of friends and family who partner with me through prayers and financial support. The monetary cost is $2,600 per participant for the 2 week trip. If you would like to support our team through financial giving, please go to http://www.messiah.edu/external_programs/agape/. Click the " Donate to Student Service and Missions Trips" button and follow the easy instructions. You don't have to create a profile. Messiah College would appreciate receiving these donations by April 1, 2010.
I would like to let you know about a journey that God is taking me on. In the past several years, I have pursued my interests in nutrition and international development through my academic studies and short-term trips. An opportunity has arisen that will allow me to continue this pursuit. For two weeks at the end of May 2010 I will be joining a team of 13 Messiah College students in partnership with Food for the Hungry (FH) to work in the village of Rodeo, Bolivia. FH is a Christian relief and developmental organization active in over 26 countries around the world. It is also the same organization that runs GoEd, a semester-long program in eastern Africa which I participated in during the spring of 2009.
Rodeo is a rural community about 34 miles from Sucre, the constitutional capital. It is high up in the Cordillera Oriental Mountains, and the native language is Quechua. The community struggles with domestic violence, alcoholism, lack of safe drinking water, insufficient sanitation, and poor nutrition. Our team will be developing a project based on our personal strengths to improve the community in one of these areas. I was able to observe the betterment of various Ethiopian communities as an FH Assistant Water Technician, and I hope to be a part of the same type of work in Bolivia.
My team meets weekly throughout the school year in preparation for our trip. My hope is to make maximal use of the cost of airfare, and spend an additional six weeks partnering with Food for the Hungry in some sort of ministry, although I do not yet know exactly what that will look like. I am excited to be able to spend more than two weeks in a country where I will be able to use my Spanish. Although Quechua is the main language in Rodeo, I will hopefully be able to communicate in Spanish during my additional 6 weeks.
Primarily I would like to ask for your prayer support in this endeavor. I could not go if I did not have such a strong support system of friends and family who partner with me through prayers and financial support. The monetary cost is $2,600 per participant for the 2 week trip. If you would like to support our team through financial giving, please go to http://www.messiah.edu/external_programs/agape/. Click the " Donate to Student Service and Missions Trips" button and follow the easy instructions. You don't have to create a profile. Messiah College would appreciate receiving these donations by April 1, 2010.
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