Living life with each other, and loving one another

I feel like I’ve been getting stretched to and past what I thought I could take since I’ve been here, and day in and day out I’m amazed at how its possible to keep moving forward, even through the tough times.  This past week, as a whole I guess and even particularly the end of the week, Camp Hero, the wildfires, and other things have pushed me to the point of being stressed and tired and initially/honestly wanted to just take a step away from it all and try to regroup myself. 

What’s recently amazed me is the idea that working towards a goal and a purpose, while putting your trust in the fact that it’s for the right reason (spreading the love of God and loving all we come in contact with), is enough to give you the strength to carry on day after day, even when you feel as if you had enough.  Thinking back to my Urban Min class and thinking back to the reality that God truly has a heart for the poor, a heart that so many in our society has locked away and disregarded, makes each encounter, each gunshot heard, each shooting we hear about, each tantrum from our kids at Camp Hero, each moment of attitude that should not be coming from a 3^rd grader, and each conversation with these kids and people here an absolute joy.  Now there is no way I can say that I think it’s a necessary joy in that moment, ;-) but what I can say is that, there is so much going on behind the scenes that we often don’t get the privilege to find out about.

Knowing the few stories that I do gives me the option and better ability to love these kids better in spite of their bad spots, because first off, so many of what influences them pushes them to this point and by the time they get to us, they really cant help it necessarily, and second, we’re to love everyone.  That includes orphans, widows, homeless (in what ways we can, obviously will vary given different circumstances), ‘bad’ kids with attitudes that make you want to just lose it on them, and people that are just different than you.  There obviously isn’t a surefire way that works to love everyone, but if we take the time to get past initial first reactions, attitudes, and really love on a person, we’ll find ways to love and care for people in ways that best meet their needs and not just in a way that we think they should be helped. 

How do I love on a boy who has told me his family may be getting deported? How do I love on a girl who tells me about the constant gunshots she hears outside of their apartment during the night? How do I love a boy who can push your buttons constantly, not listen, talk back, fight, etc, but gets frightened when we’re in the park with the rest of the class and he heard what he thought was a gunshot, but was really just a group doing construction on a house?  When I really sit back and think, so many kids in the class I’m with have stories that show why they act like they do.  Cant lie. I know that I prob would have given up on them before because I was fed up and cant handle it.  Now, I cant help but want to be around them more and be a positive influence.  I know that an answer that I have even failed to do enough of is to pray.  PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY.  I’ve yet to truly understand and realize the power of prayer, but I do know that if nothing else, that’s something I can do. And also, dont think that you are going to be able to make it through alone.  At least for sure dont think that youll make it out well.  Community is a part of life.  Community brings people into your life that can support you and walk along side you.  While it may not be always super duper, its a process that can, if handled well, end up as something beautiful.  

First full group picture! (Rebekah, Me, Grant, Jill, Mike, Funmi)