I am home now...have been for 5 days. Still processing Jackson and everything there. Being home is good but, I am beginning to be daunted by the immense un-packing / packing job that awaits me in the coming week...I head to school on Friday and am in no way prepared. I am a little worried that much of what I have learned and seen this past summer will get lost in the daily going-ons of school and what-not as I settle in. Race and homelessness are easy issues to ignore in Northwest Iowa - you have to make an effort to care which, may be part of a larger problem.
Church this morning was really uncomfortable - all white, mostly elderly people. We sang the hymns even slower than normal I feel like - much of the time I felt like we were doing a funeral march or something. It will def. take me a few weeks to get used to the change in worship - both are beautiful, just very different. Also, the congregation was soooo quite. This is something I have decided against - not against but, I have decided I like church more when there seems to be a conversation going between God/leader/congregation.
Also, I really like not having to buy groceries, I miss stray dogs, love the stars and the cool air at night, and miss the excitement of the city.
Peace!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Hello!
I realize that I have not posted in awhile - there has been a lot going on which, is not a change, I just haven't made the time to update.
Yesterday 3 of the 7 interns left the house so now there are just 4 (the Northwestern group) left. It is a lot quiter and some of the empty rooms are sad but, the new dynamic is fun too! :)
Leaving the Opportunity Center was difficult last week. I love Heather and the guys there and feel like I was just starting to get to know them about the time we left. I am excited to go back and visit them sometime.
Also, this week I have been helping with the kids at Voice of Calvary. There are 25(ish) kids this week and they are SOOooo much fun. I don't think I would have been able to have been with them for 8 weeks but, 1 is amazing and joyful and I LOVE IT!
I leave for home in less than a week - weird.
PEACE!
Yesterday 3 of the 7 interns left the house so now there are just 4 (the Northwestern group) left. It is a lot quiter and some of the empty rooms are sad but, the new dynamic is fun too! :)
Leaving the Opportunity Center was difficult last week. I love Heather and the guys there and feel like I was just starting to get to know them about the time we left. I am excited to go back and visit them sometime.
Also, this week I have been helping with the kids at Voice of Calvary. There are 25(ish) kids this week and they are SOOooo much fun. I don't think I would have been able to have been with them for 8 weeks but, 1 is amazing and joyful and I LOVE IT!
I leave for home in less than a week - weird.
PEACE!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Newsletter...
CHRIS and I had to write a letter for the Stewpot Newsletter (august edition)...I thought I would post a sneak peek....
He Said, She Said: Thoughts and New Perspectives
By: Chris Barker and Ashlea Combs
Chris Barker and Ashlea Combs arrived in Jackson, Mississippi on the same day, from the same part of the country, for the same internship. Shortly after beginning the internship, however, it was obvious that it would be their different perspectives that shaped what they saw. This became clear as they began to organize Stewpot’s annual Christmas in July food drive. Chris saw an old and unstructured list of donors as an exciting opportunity to revamp and re-organize the system for future endeavors. Ashlea, saw an marvelous way to connect the institutions, businesses, and churches of Jackson with their neighbors in need. As they better understood their different approaches they began to see every situation through new perspectives. Here are some of their thoughts on what they have been learning and doing this summer.
He Said:
One thing I’ve noticed in my time here is a definite lack of skill with electronics. Much of what I’ve been up to has been working with people to get email addresses, check social security benefits online, fill out job applications, and pursue enrollment in college. I’m finding that most of the folks here have little to no functioning knowledge of computers. More and more in America, that is a liability. As employers shift their applications to electronic systems, those that society has forgotten will find themselves at further disadvantage. Nowhere has this been made more evident to me than in the past week. I’ve been helping a gentleman get things sorted out so that he can go to Hinds Community College, but to enroll one must have a FAFSA filled out. The easiest way (for most people) is to do this online, but one must first get a PIN from the government, which requires an email address. Obviously, this is an interlocking system, and the only way for people to get into it is to have working ability on computers.
She Said:
Not only are things more difficult for someone who has never been taught technical skills often the difficulties are compounded by the lack of opportunity to acquire such skills. One of the projects I have been fortunate enough to work on this summer is a GED and job training resource guide. I’ve been astounded at the amount of phone calls, time, and energy that are needed to track down the information. The options are out there, they are just sometimes difficult to find. Though some may not possess the specific skills to track down such information I find it hopeful that there is work being done to enable people the options and opportunities they are searching for.
He Said:
Since I got here in June, I’ve noticed that Heather-- and all the people at Stewpot-- wear a lot of different hats. The job description might say one thing, but it quickly gets expanded as the situation requires it. The work that people are able to accomplish is incredible, but I can’t help but wondering if folks would be less overworked if there were more hands to help. Obviously, this cannot happen, as more people means more money. Having even one more person who could come to the Opportunity Center, even just in the morning, would make what is sometimes a very hectic situation less overwhelming for all involved.
She Said:
There are often many things going on at one time at the Opportunity Center; a sign needs fixed, food drive boxes need picked up, a persons animal needs rescuing, and then the computer breaks…again. Sometimes it is easy to get lost in the confusion and frustration of it all. Still, I have found that even in the midst of the most crazy situations there are bright, shining, hopeful moments. When I was tackling the closet, one of the men came and helped me the whole time; he is a great leader and we had a great conversation (plus, we got the closet done!). The lost cat that was on the porch one day seemed to bring a lot of guys together and inspire conversation. It is all those little moments and individual people that make the confusion bearable.
He Said:
Sometimes I hear folks insinuate that the homeless or unemployed are in the situations they’re in because of laziness. I certainly have not seen that scenario play out this summer. As holed up as we’ve been doing Christmas in July, some of the folks using the Opportunity Center must have gotten tired of seeing boxes constantly going out to my car to be delivered. But every time we had a large load of those things to move around, people jumped forward to make the job go faster. Now we’ve moved from delivering boxes to picking them up as some locations have collected copious amounts of foodstuffs to donate. I picked up a load from the DOT that had my car filled to the brim, and so weighed down it looked like I was heading back to college with all my stuff in the car with me. Once I got to Stewpot with the food, several gentlemen came forward to assist me in emptying my car again, happy, I suppose, to contribute their abilities in a concrete way. I went down to Sak’s to pick up a truckload of donation, some of which may have weighed more than I do, with Tim, and without his help… I may have been crushed under non-perishables. Once we got back to Stewpot, we set up a veritable conveyor belt of folks moving in and out of the building to get the truck unloaded. Lazy? I think not.
She Said:
I completely agree with Chris about the great inconsistencies between the general public’s view of the homeless and my experience this summer. I have come to know a number of the individual men and women and I honestly enjoy being able to spend time with them, in whatever form that may take. There are moments, however, when I feel like my presence here is somewhat hopeless and I would just like to leave. These feelings are usually brought on by a small minority of men who feel that is ok to be crude and demeaning. Though they are the minority, they can sometimes be overwhelming and tiresome but, instead of being upset or angry I try to remind myself of how few they are. Though there are homeless or unemployed people that are products of their own actions and laziness, they are the few. It is easy to assume that the actions of a few accurately reflect the mindset of the majority but, it is simply not true.
I thought we were creative :)
Peace!
He Said, She Said: Thoughts and New Perspectives
By: Chris Barker and Ashlea Combs
Chris Barker and Ashlea Combs arrived in Jackson, Mississippi on the same day, from the same part of the country, for the same internship. Shortly after beginning the internship, however, it was obvious that it would be their different perspectives that shaped what they saw. This became clear as they began to organize Stewpot’s annual Christmas in July food drive. Chris saw an old and unstructured list of donors as an exciting opportunity to revamp and re-organize the system for future endeavors. Ashlea, saw an marvelous way to connect the institutions, businesses, and churches of Jackson with their neighbors in need. As they better understood their different approaches they began to see every situation through new perspectives. Here are some of their thoughts on what they have been learning and doing this summer.
He Said:
One thing I’ve noticed in my time here is a definite lack of skill with electronics. Much of what I’ve been up to has been working with people to get email addresses, check social security benefits online, fill out job applications, and pursue enrollment in college. I’m finding that most of the folks here have little to no functioning knowledge of computers. More and more in America, that is a liability. As employers shift their applications to electronic systems, those that society has forgotten will find themselves at further disadvantage. Nowhere has this been made more evident to me than in the past week. I’ve been helping a gentleman get things sorted out so that he can go to Hinds Community College, but to enroll one must have a FAFSA filled out. The easiest way (for most people) is to do this online, but one must first get a PIN from the government, which requires an email address. Obviously, this is an interlocking system, and the only way for people to get into it is to have working ability on computers.
She Said:
Not only are things more difficult for someone who has never been taught technical skills often the difficulties are compounded by the lack of opportunity to acquire such skills. One of the projects I have been fortunate enough to work on this summer is a GED and job training resource guide. I’ve been astounded at the amount of phone calls, time, and energy that are needed to track down the information. The options are out there, they are just sometimes difficult to find. Though some may not possess the specific skills to track down such information I find it hopeful that there is work being done to enable people the options and opportunities they are searching for.
He Said:
Since I got here in June, I’ve noticed that Heather-- and all the people at Stewpot-- wear a lot of different hats. The job description might say one thing, but it quickly gets expanded as the situation requires it. The work that people are able to accomplish is incredible, but I can’t help but wondering if folks would be less overworked if there were more hands to help. Obviously, this cannot happen, as more people means more money. Having even one more person who could come to the Opportunity Center, even just in the morning, would make what is sometimes a very hectic situation less overwhelming for all involved.
She Said:
There are often many things going on at one time at the Opportunity Center; a sign needs fixed, food drive boxes need picked up, a persons animal needs rescuing, and then the computer breaks…again. Sometimes it is easy to get lost in the confusion and frustration of it all. Still, I have found that even in the midst of the most crazy situations there are bright, shining, hopeful moments. When I was tackling the closet, one of the men came and helped me the whole time; he is a great leader and we had a great conversation (plus, we got the closet done!). The lost cat that was on the porch one day seemed to bring a lot of guys together and inspire conversation. It is all those little moments and individual people that make the confusion bearable.
He Said:
Sometimes I hear folks insinuate that the homeless or unemployed are in the situations they’re in because of laziness. I certainly have not seen that scenario play out this summer. As holed up as we’ve been doing Christmas in July, some of the folks using the Opportunity Center must have gotten tired of seeing boxes constantly going out to my car to be delivered. But every time we had a large load of those things to move around, people jumped forward to make the job go faster. Now we’ve moved from delivering boxes to picking them up as some locations have collected copious amounts of foodstuffs to donate. I picked up a load from the DOT that had my car filled to the brim, and so weighed down it looked like I was heading back to college with all my stuff in the car with me. Once I got to Stewpot with the food, several gentlemen came forward to assist me in emptying my car again, happy, I suppose, to contribute their abilities in a concrete way. I went down to Sak’s to pick up a truckload of donation, some of which may have weighed more than I do, with Tim, and without his help… I may have been crushed under non-perishables. Once we got back to Stewpot, we set up a veritable conveyor belt of folks moving in and out of the building to get the truck unloaded. Lazy? I think not.
She Said:
I completely agree with Chris about the great inconsistencies between the general public’s view of the homeless and my experience this summer. I have come to know a number of the individual men and women and I honestly enjoy being able to spend time with them, in whatever form that may take. There are moments, however, when I feel like my presence here is somewhat hopeless and I would just like to leave. These feelings are usually brought on by a small minority of men who feel that is ok to be crude and demeaning. Though they are the minority, they can sometimes be overwhelming and tiresome but, instead of being upset or angry I try to remind myself of how few they are. Though there are homeless or unemployed people that are products of their own actions and laziness, they are the few. It is easy to assume that the actions of a few accurately reflect the mindset of the majority but, it is simply not true.
I thought we were creative :)
Peace!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Random thoughts....
Hello All! I really have nothing to say but, thought I should update everyone anyway. The past week has been pretty spectacular with everything that has been happening. Saturday, Voice of Calvary had another youth rally at the park (they're doing one every month now!). It was a little disorganzed but sooo much fun and a great afternoon, the neighborhood really came out for it and I think the kids loved it so, hopefully, even MORE will show up next month.
I wasn't thinking a whole lot about going home until one of our coordinators brought it up in a meeting, asking us to be aware to "not leave the table" yet. Of course, that just started me thinking about how much time we have left...oops. I realize that we do have a very short amount of time left in Jackson but, I also feel like we have quite a bit. We still have 3 of our 8 weeks left which, to me, seems like a good chunk of time. I have no intentions of leaving the table, I don't think any of us do.
Hanging around the opportunity center the last week has continued to be challenging. I think I have decided that, should I ever work at a homeless shelter, it would have to be one for women and children only. It's been really difficult to build relationships with some of the guys here. Although, some of them are absolutely wonderful and I am so blessed to have been given the opportunity to get to know them.
Someone asked me today what we have done that has been interesting around Jackson and I wasn't able to answer them. Now, I could name quite a few; the youth rallies, the resevoir, the ball game, New Orleans, etc...He also asked me what I had learned. I also could not come up with an answer. Being put on the spot with those questions made me realize that I am still in the midst of it all and sometimes things are difficult to process just yet. It will be interesting to see how this summer pans out. I am so excited!
Other than that, not a whole lot has been going on aside from the wonderful little moments every day that are too numerous to write down.
Peace!
I wasn't thinking a whole lot about going home until one of our coordinators brought it up in a meeting, asking us to be aware to "not leave the table" yet. Of course, that just started me thinking about how much time we have left...oops. I realize that we do have a very short amount of time left in Jackson but, I also feel like we have quite a bit. We still have 3 of our 8 weeks left which, to me, seems like a good chunk of time. I have no intentions of leaving the table, I don't think any of us do.
Hanging around the opportunity center the last week has continued to be challenging. I think I have decided that, should I ever work at a homeless shelter, it would have to be one for women and children only. It's been really difficult to build relationships with some of the guys here. Although, some of them are absolutely wonderful and I am so blessed to have been given the opportunity to get to know them.
Someone asked me today what we have done that has been interesting around Jackson and I wasn't able to answer them. Now, I could name quite a few; the youth rallies, the resevoir, the ball game, New Orleans, etc...He also asked me what I had learned. I also could not come up with an answer. Being put on the spot with those questions made me realize that I am still in the midst of it all and sometimes things are difficult to process just yet. It will be interesting to see how this summer pans out. I am so excited!
Other than that, not a whole lot has been going on aside from the wonderful little moments every day that are too numerous to write down.
Peace!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Unprepared...
The last few days at the Opportunity Center have been wonderful, difficult, and somewhat intense. It is really hard to describe everything that happens in a single day at the Center because there is always so much going on. Still, yesterday was a pretty incredible day...Here is what I wrote in my journal when I got home last night:
Wow! Today rocked my face off. I had no idea what I was in for. I had two really great, deep, spiritual conversations that I was not expecting, and that got me thinking and questioning things just as much as any class. The first conversation I had was remarkable and enlightening. I sat down by Matthew (an elderly gentleman) and we had a great conversation. It started something like this:
Ashlea: "Hey, How are you?"
Matthew: "Blessed".
A: "Yea? Doing alright then."
M: "Good and bad but, won't think about the bad, you know?"
A: "What's up?"
M: "O, just waiting on some things; papers, takes awhile to go through and I am not a very patient person." (btw...he is actually waiting on some very important papers)
A: "Yup! I am not a very patient person either...at all. Def. struggle with that. What's good?"
M: "Well, I woke up this morning and thought to myself 'Wow! my creator kept me safe again! And not only that, but he had the audacity to wake me up and give me breath this morning!'"
I don't know how to properly convey the emotion that was put into that last statement but, it was honest and pure and incredibly humbling. Our conversation from there on out put me in a position of pure awe and thankfullness. This man chooses his meager life (I am not sure if he chooses to be homeless but he does choose a simple lifestyle). He chooses it in order that, as he put it, "there would be no distractions between me and my creator." He told me that he wakes up every morning and the first person he thinks of is YHWH and he wants to praise Him and learn something new about Him every day. He also told me that he gets distracted enough, and the spirit has to correct enough as he is --> that he doesn't want anything else because it may create an obstacle.
It's just him and his creator.
Why was I so humbled then? Because he is so right. I do my best to not approach this situation or people thinking that I know something they do not or that I have something they need but, truthfully, that is a really hard thought to rid yourself of. Times like these, conversations like that, really make me see and understand how much more I have to learn. I though I might have something of worth to say to Matthew but, I found myself speechless (which is rare :) ). He was so honest and uncondemning as he told me about his life that it is still sinking in. His words were strong but what was most challenging about him was the way he lived his life; constant, holy, pure communication with his creator.
By the way....I will eventually try and get more pictures on here :)
PEACE!
Wow! Today rocked my face off. I had no idea what I was in for. I had two really great, deep, spiritual conversations that I was not expecting, and that got me thinking and questioning things just as much as any class. The first conversation I had was remarkable and enlightening. I sat down by Matthew (an elderly gentleman) and we had a great conversation. It started something like this:
Ashlea: "Hey, How are you?"
Matthew: "Blessed".
A: "Yea? Doing alright then."
M: "Good and bad but, won't think about the bad, you know?"
A: "What's up?"
M: "O, just waiting on some things; papers, takes awhile to go through and I am not a very patient person." (btw...he is actually waiting on some very important papers)
A: "Yup! I am not a very patient person either...at all. Def. struggle with that. What's good?"
M: "Well, I woke up this morning and thought to myself 'Wow! my creator kept me safe again! And not only that, but he had the audacity to wake me up and give me breath this morning!'"
I don't know how to properly convey the emotion that was put into that last statement but, it was honest and pure and incredibly humbling. Our conversation from there on out put me in a position of pure awe and thankfullness. This man chooses his meager life (I am not sure if he chooses to be homeless but he does choose a simple lifestyle). He chooses it in order that, as he put it, "there would be no distractions between me and my creator." He told me that he wakes up every morning and the first person he thinks of is YHWH and he wants to praise Him and learn something new about Him every day. He also told me that he gets distracted enough, and the spirit has to correct enough as he is --> that he doesn't want anything else because it may create an obstacle.
It's just him and his creator.
Why was I so humbled then? Because he is so right. I do my best to not approach this situation or people thinking that I know something they do not or that I have something they need but, truthfully, that is a really hard thought to rid yourself of. Times like these, conversations like that, really make me see and understand how much more I have to learn. I though I might have something of worth to say to Matthew but, I found myself speechless (which is rare :) ). He was so honest and uncondemning as he told me about his life that it is still sinking in. His words were strong but what was most challenging about him was the way he lived his life; constant, holy, pure communication with his creator.
By the way....I will eventually try and get more pictures on here :)
PEACE!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
"Land of the free" Land without Choice
Last Friday was the Fourth of July, Independence Day, and a vacation day for all of us interns! It was a really great day. We went to the resevoir (really big, man-made lake) in the morning, grilled out there around noon, got caught in a short rain-storm (that was SO much fun), and many of us turned really bright shades of red. Then, we headed back home, cleaned up, and went to a Mississippi Braves baseball game. It's minor league but, baseball on the Fourth of July - can't get much more American, right? It was a great game (even though we lost) filled with fireworks, festivities, fun conversation, and of course - our national anthem.
I have spent the summer realizing how strong of a role systemic poverty and racism currently have in our country. I am learning and seeing first hand how difficult obstacles are when they are set up by your own government. And though slavery may be illegal, I am really beginning to question if we are a "land of the free".
I have heard poverty be described as the "lack of having anything valuable to exchange", a lack of options, and a lack of choice. If you are poor or homeless what options do you have but to slowly try and climb your way up a slow moving, governmental escalator to try and find food, health-care, and a place to call home? I know that people are nervous about helping the poor because they believe (ignorantly, I think) that the majority of their "help" will be used to buy more drugs and alcohol - do we really believe that addicts are the only people living in poverty??
Why are we not more consciously seeking a way to empower and provoke people to grasp their dignity? It may take a little more effort and a lot more time but, it is not impossible to actually develop individuals and not just feed a cause.
I have spent the summer realizing how strong of a role systemic poverty and racism currently have in our country. I am learning and seeing first hand how difficult obstacles are when they are set up by your own government. And though slavery may be illegal, I am really beginning to question if we are a "land of the free".
I have heard poverty be described as the "lack of having anything valuable to exchange", a lack of options, and a lack of choice. If you are poor or homeless what options do you have but to slowly try and climb your way up a slow moving, governmental escalator to try and find food, health-care, and a place to call home? I know that people are nervous about helping the poor because they believe (ignorantly, I think) that the majority of their "help" will be used to buy more drugs and alcohol - do we really believe that addicts are the only people living in poverty??
Why are we not more consciously seeking a way to empower and provoke people to grasp their dignity? It may take a little more effort and a lot more time but, it is not impossible to actually develop individuals and not just feed a cause.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Strange Accents
I knew that spending a summer in Mississippi meant that I would be hearing a lot of southern accents but I was not aware of all the accents I would encounter. Aside from the residents of Jackson the residents of my house have very different ways of speaking. We realized this more fully on Sunday night when our group went to dinner with some people from a church we've been attending on Sunday nights (called the journey...really amazing).
In the house we have:
Chaeli -- Mississippian with a southern accent
Sarah -- from North Dakota and sounds Canadian some of the time (even if she won't fully admit it)
Jerica -- from Wisconsin, which is a dialect all of its own
.....and the rest of us are all from the midwest which really is no accent at all. It is great fun!
In other news, the last half of last week was quite the experience. Heather (the woman who runs the opportunity center) got married and left Chris and I and the security guards to run the place. It really was not difficult at all but did allow us more time to get to know a lot of the guys ( I say guys but there are girls too...we get about 160 people a day and from them about 10 will be women).
We've been learning a lot about empowering people in the internship and how everyone has something to give and by affirming that you affirm them. So, I have been trying to find little ways that I can do that around the center. One day last week some of the guys were playing cards, spades to be exact. I love playing cards but have never known how to play spades so I asked them to teach me. It was so fun! The partners changed as people filtered in and out so keeping track of the score was difficult (though it didn't really matter since they also loved to cheat) but, it was really fun. I was able to get to know them more individually, learn more names and stories, etc...I wound up playing for quite a few hours.
There were two main things that I really struggled with at the end of last week. The first one was a little girl named Roshelle. She is a beautiful 11 year old who comes in with her mother, grandmother, and older brother. She definently brightens up the place, is full of energy, and always has ideas of things to do which is really refreshing. Still, it is difficult for me to see the children coming in and out of the shelter.
The other thing that was challenging for me came out of a book we are reading called The Christian Life by Robert Lupton. He spends some time expanding the idea of "never do anything for someone they can do for themselves". It may sound harsh put like that but, it is really empowering and helps disolve the giver-reciever mentality of so many organizations and people with good intentions and hearts to serve that somehow miss something.
Once (sometimes twice) a day at the shelter we have 'snack time'. Most of the time the guys know when it is coming and Heather, I, Chris, or one of the guards will pass out snack. Since Heather was gone last week Chris and I were in charge of it. There was something about giving a snack to a man 40 years my senior that was certainly capable of doing it himself that bothered me. Who am I to control what he eats? He is perfectly capable of doing it himself. Many of the men in this shelter could pass out the snacks themselves, yet for some reason it falls to us. I feel that by doing this we keep the gap between giver-reciever and it makes it more difficult to just be in relationship. But, I have only been here 3 weeks so, maybe there is still more I do not know. :)
Peace!
In the house we have:
Chaeli -- Mississippian with a southern accent
Sarah -- from North Dakota and sounds Canadian some of the time (even if she won't fully admit it)
Jerica -- from Wisconsin, which is a dialect all of its own
.....and the rest of us are all from the midwest which really is no accent at all. It is great fun!
In other news, the last half of last week was quite the experience. Heather (the woman who runs the opportunity center) got married and left Chris and I and the security guards to run the place. It really was not difficult at all but did allow us more time to get to know a lot of the guys ( I say guys but there are girls too...we get about 160 people a day and from them about 10 will be women).
We've been learning a lot about empowering people in the internship and how everyone has something to give and by affirming that you affirm them. So, I have been trying to find little ways that I can do that around the center. One day last week some of the guys were playing cards, spades to be exact. I love playing cards but have never known how to play spades so I asked them to teach me. It was so fun! The partners changed as people filtered in and out so keeping track of the score was difficult (though it didn't really matter since they also loved to cheat) but, it was really fun. I was able to get to know them more individually, learn more names and stories, etc...I wound up playing for quite a few hours.
There were two main things that I really struggled with at the end of last week. The first one was a little girl named Roshelle. She is a beautiful 11 year old who comes in with her mother, grandmother, and older brother. She definently brightens up the place, is full of energy, and always has ideas of things to do which is really refreshing. Still, it is difficult for me to see the children coming in and out of the shelter.
The other thing that was challenging for me came out of a book we are reading called The Christian Life by Robert Lupton. He spends some time expanding the idea of "never do anything for someone they can do for themselves". It may sound harsh put like that but, it is really empowering and helps disolve the giver-reciever mentality of so many organizations and people with good intentions and hearts to serve that somehow miss something.
Once (sometimes twice) a day at the shelter we have 'snack time'. Most of the time the guys know when it is coming and Heather, I, Chris, or one of the guards will pass out snack. Since Heather was gone last week Chris and I were in charge of it. There was something about giving a snack to a man 40 years my senior that was certainly capable of doing it himself that bothered me. Who am I to control what he eats? He is perfectly capable of doing it himself. Many of the men in this shelter could pass out the snacks themselves, yet for some reason it falls to us. I feel that by doing this we keep the gap between giver-reciever and it makes it more difficult to just be in relationship. But, I have only been here 3 weeks so, maybe there is still more I do not know. :)
Peace!
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