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.

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!