A ministry of reconciliation

I must admit that I am not an expert at this reconciliation thing, but as I continue to uncover what reconciliation means I desire even more to continue to pursue a reconciled life. I have recently been learning that the most important reconciled relationship is to the creator god. When Adam and Eve desired to be god and at from the apple sin entered the world and the beauty the God intended in his creation was lost. We see the results of sin in the broken structure of society. It exists through racism, the groans of creation (earthquakes), sexism, classism, etc. Christ was sent to earth to transform the society that was sinful and corrupt and he left the church to continue in the ministry. The church exists to reconcile all things back to God.

"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28

I really love this verse. It reveals many of the broken structures of society. Jews and Greeks were different races as well as different religions. The slaves and free were different classes, and males and females are different genders. God wants justice for all. These three structures mentioned are fundamental to our thinking as a society and they must be broken down so that we can experience true reconciliation.

Refugee Needs

A large proportion of my work days here in Memphis are spent meeting the needs of refugees. The list is endless and many times they revolve around a need for rides somewhere. Memphis' public transportation system exists solely in the form of buses, which don't end up being reliable, take a long time, and the wait can be frigid in the winter months. Some of the locations I have gone with refugees are doctors appointments, grocery stores, and pharmacies. Rides to these places meet very physical needs of the refugees. One day last week I was able to give a woman a ride to the home of another woman who lived in a different part of town, just so they could visit. It might not have seemed important, but for a communal culture this contact with someone from your same culture can mean just a little piece of comfort in such a new and unfamiliar place.

Another need for many refugees is language. The USAmerica is an English dominated place and most every person speaks it in some form, from the doctors, to the woman behind the counter at Walgreens. Some refugees attended school in their country or camp and studied English. Others, especially the women, have never had education, so along with learning English they are learning how to read and write. Through their struggles, I have tried to also learn some of their language. When I use a word they know they smile or laugh at me in delight.

A transition

It has been a while since I have posted anything. I have gone through some major transitions in the last few weeks. After finishing up working on the organic farm in Minnesota I spent a week at home visiting friends and family and packing. I then drove for 15 hours to Memphis, TN, which will be my new home for at least the next year. I am a member of the SOS Academy which exists to glorify God by recruiting and encouraging kingdom-minded, eternally-focused disciples of Jesus Christ through a one-year internship in Memphis, TN.

I am living intentionally in the impoverished and diverse neighborhood of Binghampton and completing an internship with Christ Community Ministries Refugee Resettlement. I walk through the process of resettling with refugees from Somalia, Iraq, (currently) and around the globe. I spend time meeting the physical and spiritual needs of the strangers to this country. Every day I am reminded that I am fulfilling the call to welcome the stranger and the foreigner to the USAmerica.

I also participate in weekly reading groups with the other interns that are a part of the program. We read books on faith, missions, urban ministry, and development. We are currently finishing reading "The Holiness of God" and we will be starting "To Live in Peace." Along with reading group we are completing the course, Perspectives in World Missions.

I am daily challenged by the things that I am reading and learning from the people around me. I hope that I can be a light to the city of Memphis, the refugees, and every person that I come into contact with.

Saturday in the Cities

Today was a beautiful fall day in Minnesota. I returned home to the Twin Cities for the weekend. I needed a break from the farm and wanted to spend some time with family and friends. After a lazy morning I went to the bank, read about spiritual disciplines in a locally owned coffeeshop and then visited a friend. We drove down to the Mississippi and sat on a ledge that overlooks the river. We chatted and then went back to her house and chatted some more.

After that nice visit I returned home to spend the evening with my parents. My mom and I made a Kohlrabi, Apple, and Turnip coleslaw with vegetables that I brought home with me from the farm and we all ate steak, corn, beans, and coleslaw together.

I retreated to the basement to watch the culturally destructive television and watched a lifetime movie about Georgia O'keeffe. What an incredible woman. I was wonderfully interrupted by a phone call from my dear friend Karen, who I went to Gordon with. It was lovely.

I am excited for tomorrow when I will share the morning with my grandparents by going to church and out to eat afterwards. What great stories I look forward to hearing from them about farming and threshing!

The Adventures of Orrie and Maddie

This weekend my friend and co-worker Orrie and I were the only interns that stayed on the farm. We decided that there were too many fun things going around in the area to actually stay on the farm, so we ended up taking field trips to enjoy some of the local culture. 

On Saturday there was a threshing festival in Dalton. This wasn't merely a threshing, but also a celebration of historic rural life, big machinery, flea markets, food, and fun for the whole family. When we first arrived everybody was sitting around waiting for the tractor parade to start. 

Everybody was there to watch. 

And everybody participated. 

Young, 

old, 

women, 

and men.

We saw all kinds of tractors but the coolest were the steam engine tractors.

Afterwards we walked around the different exhibits

We found a blacksmith in his shop

and a woodworker making a baseball bat, which he kindly gifted to me after he was finished.

There were also some old homes, schoolhouses, and city halls. My favorite homes were the one room log cabins that had lofts in them. 

I think this would be the way to live. 

Then we saw the threshing happening and we didn't want to miss out on that. 

The thresher is connected to a tractor by a belt that spins around a gear. People stand on trailers and throw wheat (and other grains) into the back end and then the seeds get separated from the stalk. The stalks fly out the front and make a big pile while the seeds fall from the side into a trailer. It was the highlight of the day. 

We also watched the tractor pull. This was a hilarious sight to see. People hook their tractors up to "babe the blue ox" that adds weight as the distance increases and the tractor goes until the wheels begin to spin. 

Even the children wanted to drive their own tractors

On Sunday Orrie and I drove south to Sauk Center and participated in the fall festival at Camphill village. The Camphill movement was started by Rudolf Steiner, who also started the Waldorf Schools. Camphill village Minnesota is home to 45 people, half of who have special needs. It seeks to see the person not only as a physical creature but also as a spiritual one and it values the role that community plays in that. It is also a biodynamic farm that grows vegetables and grass fed beef. They also have some animals.

We saw some ducks crossing

And Orrie found a quaint swing

I ran into my friend Sarah who was drinking from a water pump

We wandered into a one room wood heated cabin. It reminded me of the cabin that we saw on Saturday and now I know it's possible to live like that even today. They were even using the same kind of stove!!

We also found the root cellar where they store the root crops for the winter. 

I also was able to talk to Leonard, a man who has been living at the village for 13 years. He told me about his model trains and airplanes that he builds and flies and he introduced me to his fiancé who also lives at the village. I talked to some of the co-workers as well and it sounds like a pretty cool experience. Maybe this adventure could turn into something more...???

Overall it was a good weekend with many new and cool things.