Our family movie night movie was "Bolt" and I thought the song was SO appropriate for our visit. =)
Monday, March 30, 2009
Our Trip to California
David and I got to spend 4 days with our California family and it was WONDERFUL! We loved getting to be Uncle David and Auntie Tiff to Jacob and Cameron and had a great visit with Christy and Ron. I am sad to be so far away from them, but am trying to be grateful for the time we had. Here are some highlights from our trip:
Our family movie night movie was "Bolt" and I thought the song was SO appropriate for our visit. =)
Our family movie night movie was "Bolt" and I thought the song was SO appropriate for our visit. =)
Monday, March 23, 2009
Cherith Brook
Last weekend I went with a group of young adults from Trinity to "Cherith Brook" in Kansas City. Cherith Brook is a residential Christian community located in the Historic Northeast neighborhood and is committed to sharing table fellowship with strangers and all resources with each other. They are inspired by the early church, the Church of the Savior, and the Catholic Worker. The commit their daily lives to practicing the works of mercy found in Jesus' teachings. They regularly feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, visit the prisoner and the sick. They also understand themselves to be peacemakers and they strive for peacemaking in all its dimensions: political, communal, and personal, working constantly to undo poverty, racism, and militarism.
We left Denver early Thursday morning and arrived at Cherith Brook just in time for their community meal. The kitchen at Cherith Brook was packed full with tables and chairs and over 30 people sat down for a meal together. I ate dinner with Kurt and Norman, two friends of Cherith Brook that live in the community. I quickly realized how different it is to share a meal with people who are homeless instead of the usual ways I interact with them at food banks and soup kitchens. Sitting down and eating together, sharing conversation, made me more vulnerable and forced me to see Kurt and Norman as brothers. It was a neat experience!
Friday morning we started the day at 6:30 with morning prayers. After breakfast, we headed to the "Shower House" to help with their shower ministry. Cherith Brook owns two buildings, the main house and the shower house. At the Shower House, folks can come in, get a clean change of clothes and shower in one of the two showers. They can also get coffee, a warm breakfast, make and receive phone calls, receive mail, and enjoy fellowship with others. Cherith Brook offers showers on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. It is a great way to meet and interact with their neighbors in the community who are homeless.
Friday afternoon we assembled 30 sack lunches and then divided into two groups. My group went with Eric to pass out lunches to people living on the street. We went to a "tent town" hidden in the brush near the Paseo exit ramp and met Diane. Diane is 59 years old and used to be a teacher. She has three grown children who live in Overland Park. Her husband left her, she started drinking, and is now living in a friend's tent by the side of the highway. It was heartbreaking to hear her story. She told us she was angry at God, but she didn't want to be. She wondered why God wouldn't help her. We spent over an hour sitting in front of Diane's tent, listening to and talking with her.
After Diane, we went to an alley way near Cherith Brook where a lot of folks who come to showers hang out. We passed out lunches, chatted a bit, and then I realized what Eric already knew, that they were standing around waiting to buy drugs. Eric told us later that we were in front of a known crack house. When we asked him about it, he told us that a couple of people from Cherith Brook had gone to the crack house and met the elderly couple who owns the house. (They're not the ones selling the drugs but they probably know it's happening) The husband is in a wheel chair and can't get in and out of the house very easily, so Eric and a few others at Cherith Brook are in the process of constructing a wheel chair ramp for the crack house. Yes, that's right. They are a group of crazy Christians who believe in the power of love to transform and renew, and they believe that maybe building a wheel chair ramp for the old man who owns the crack house just might make a difference. It feels crazy to me, but then again, I think the gospel is supposed to sound and feel a little crazy if we're "doing" the gospel right.
Saturday we worked in the garden at Cherith Brook. Over the last couple of years, with the help from some knowledgeable interns, they have been able to grow their garden to a pretty impressive size! We helped get the beds ready for planting.
Saturday evening we celebrated our service and learning with a BBQ dinner and time in downtown KC. It was an amazing trip!
We left Denver early Thursday morning and arrived at Cherith Brook just in time for their community meal. The kitchen at Cherith Brook was packed full with tables and chairs and over 30 people sat down for a meal together. I ate dinner with Kurt and Norman, two friends of Cherith Brook that live in the community. I quickly realized how different it is to share a meal with people who are homeless instead of the usual ways I interact with them at food banks and soup kitchens. Sitting down and eating together, sharing conversation, made me more vulnerable and forced me to see Kurt and Norman as brothers. It was a neat experience!
Friday morning we started the day at 6:30 with morning prayers. After breakfast, we headed to the "Shower House" to help with their shower ministry. Cherith Brook owns two buildings, the main house and the shower house. At the Shower House, folks can come in, get a clean change of clothes and shower in one of the two showers. They can also get coffee, a warm breakfast, make and receive phone calls, receive mail, and enjoy fellowship with others. Cherith Brook offers showers on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. It is a great way to meet and interact with their neighbors in the community who are homeless.
Friday afternoon we assembled 30 sack lunches and then divided into two groups. My group went with Eric to pass out lunches to people living on the street. We went to a "tent town" hidden in the brush near the Paseo exit ramp and met Diane. Diane is 59 years old and used to be a teacher. She has three grown children who live in Overland Park. Her husband left her, she started drinking, and is now living in a friend's tent by the side of the highway. It was heartbreaking to hear her story. She told us she was angry at God, but she didn't want to be. She wondered why God wouldn't help her. We spent over an hour sitting in front of Diane's tent, listening to and talking with her.
After Diane, we went to an alley way near Cherith Brook where a lot of folks who come to showers hang out. We passed out lunches, chatted a bit, and then I realized what Eric already knew, that they were standing around waiting to buy drugs. Eric told us later that we were in front of a known crack house. When we asked him about it, he told us that a couple of people from Cherith Brook had gone to the crack house and met the elderly couple who owns the house. (They're not the ones selling the drugs but they probably know it's happening) The husband is in a wheel chair and can't get in and out of the house very easily, so Eric and a few others at Cherith Brook are in the process of constructing a wheel chair ramp for the crack house. Yes, that's right. They are a group of crazy Christians who believe in the power of love to transform and renew, and they believe that maybe building a wheel chair ramp for the old man who owns the crack house just might make a difference. It feels crazy to me, but then again, I think the gospel is supposed to sound and feel a little crazy if we're "doing" the gospel right.
Saturday we worked in the garden at Cherith Brook. Over the last couple of years, with the help from some knowledgeable interns, they have been able to grow their garden to a pretty impressive size! We helped get the beds ready for planting.
Saturday evening we celebrated our service and learning with a BBQ dinner and time in downtown KC. It was an amazing trip!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Matt and Emily's Wedding
This past weekend we were in Topeka for Matt and Emily's wedding. It was such a joy to be with Matt and Emily to help them celebrate the beginning of their life together! It was a whirlwind visit--but we got to see a lot of family. The wedding was beautiful and Emily and Matt looked SO happy. We wish them a lifetime of blessings and joy!
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