Neighborhood Potluck

The sky was cloudy as we set out the wide variety of dishes for our neighborhood potluck but it didn't keep the people away. This annual event is one that I remember going to since I moved with my family to this street when I was only 6 years old. Back then it was a place to meet the neighbors around me. This time I was catching up with people who I haven't seen in years, but have always been a part of my life. Whether it was taking care of their cats when they went out of town, babysitting their kids, weeding their gardens, singing carols on Christmas eve, or simply hanging out, I know these people. These people care about me. They were interested to hear what I have been up to and what is next.

I also met people and conversed with people who I don't know, or only know just a bit. The bond became stronger as we found things in common, and as we understood our differences in regards to the context that we come from.

When the rain started to come down nobody moved. Everybody was content to continue in their conversations. We wanted to be together and enjoy being in the presence of one another. The children, of all ages, continued to play together in the surrounding yards. We laughed, we joked, we listend, we spoke. We even mourned together the loss of loved ones over the past year. The mosquitos and another pocket of rain finally chased us indoors and some continued to socialize into the nights at one neighbors' house.

Amongst hearing so much criticism these past few years about the suburbs, I couldn't help but recognize that this isn't one of "those" suburbs. We aren't disconnected people sharing a space. We are a community that cares for one another.

Going to Paraguay!

The Peace Corps invited me to serve in Paraguay as a crop extensionist! Halleluya! I leave September 28th. I started a separate blog for my experience in Paraguay. http://maddieinparaguay.blogspot.com. Follow my adventures there!

Twenty three years

This summer I turned Twenty three years old. I have always thought of birthdays as welcoming another year of life, but this year I am especially thankful for being granted the past year and all 23 years of life that has been given to me. It is a gift that I have been given that I don't deserve. Life is precious and it is a joy. It is also frightening. You never know what might happen or when the Lord will decide that your time on this earth is finished. Human beings have tried to make themselves infinite with the creation of medicine. We try to extend the life that has been given to us, but regardless of how many years we will try and live, we are really finite beings that will soon be gone from this earth. I am so thankful for everyday that I am allowed to live. I welcome it with joy and thankfulness.

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.