Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

     I don't know about you, but if I were suprised by a huge winter storm where I was trapped at the house for a week or more I would not starve; I wouldn't even get hungry. I may have to eat a lot of quinoa and couscous, but I wouldn't starve. I don't know what it is like to ask for my food to be provided daily. For much of the world, this part of the Lord's prayer means something -- even for people in our own cities.

     The church that meets at Fairfax Church of Christ has a ministry called The Least of These. On Thursday nights they meet downtown, divide up to go to different parts of the city, and hand out food to the homeless. This past Thursday was my first time to join them.

     Just 18 miles from where I live is this building, also known as the United States Capitol. This was about what I could see of the Capitol as I handed Al a baggie with a ham sandwich, apple, bag of chips (sour cream and onion because he doesn't like Doritos), and a cookie (thanks Jay and Ellyn for making up such wonderful bags). Al's home is a bench outside of a Starbucks with a great view. We talked with Al and he told us about losing his keys to his bike lock and how he fixes bikes from March through October. He told us of how he doesn't fix any on credit because then word would get around and he'd never make any money. He armed me with my new favorite quote, "I feel for ya, but I can't reach ya."  (I am so going to use that on my kids at school when they say something is too hard.) We spent a little time with him praying, talking, and joking, stopping only long enough for him to make a business transaction (selling 4 cigarettes for a dollar. That seemed cheap to me). This was my first time meeting Al, but it likely won't be my last. I am looking forward to seeing him again this coming Thursday night.

     I met Gigi, Charles, Henry, and Hank. (Well, I didn't really meet Hank, I saw the top of his head. He was laying on a grate, completely covered in wool blankets, and only peeked out when Sam asked if he was hungry.) The Least of These is known by many of the homeless in D.C. I guess we're the only group that roams D.C. in groups carrying reusable grocery bags on a Thursday night. One guy saw us from a distance and came to us. He asked if we had enough for a few of his friends and took us to a city bus that several homeless were camped out in. (On cold nights, it was in the 20s and windy that night, the city of D.C. opens up buses to help the homeless escape the elements.) When we were on the corner near the shelter there were a lot of people. News traveled fast as we handed out sandwiches, burgers, and socks. We were quickly out of food. I found it interesting that no one took more than two and most only wanted one. No one was upset that we were out of food, just disappointed. Daily bread...when would their next real meal be?
   
     Practical application... Do something. That's right, go and do something. While it's easier to find homeless people in big cities, they are in pretty much every town. Go serve in a shelter, soup kitchen, donate blankets and clothes, go to McDonalds and buy $20 worth of $1 burgers and go hand them out. It doesn't have to be your calling or your ministry. You may only do it every once in a while, but do it, not for them, but for you.


Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.  James 1:27
               

"There just aren't many nice people up here."

     People in Northern Virginia that know me the best know that I love California Tortilla. It first opened in Fair Lakes last time I lived here. Let me just tell you how much I love it.... I was gone for FIVE YEARS and two of the ladies that still work there remembered me and wondered what had happened to me. Now when I go in I don't even have to order. Oh, and don't expect your burrito to be as good as mine. I know I get double the meat (I only get chicken and cheese to start with.) I also always get my chicken freshly cooked so it's nice and hot and melts all the cheese they put on my burrito. There is something disappointing about biting into a nice hot burrito with clumps of cold cheese...but I digress. I always ask them how their day is going and things, and make sure I smile. (I think one of them is pregnant but I think I'll wait a few weeks before I ask about that.)
    
     Anyway, I was eating dinner there tonight and reading The Irresistible Revolution when a lady came in with two boys, probably 6 and 3. Did I mention this lady was on crutches? Yeah, with two little boys. The oldest one was putting his lid on his very full kiddie cup and SLIP>>>>> Cherry Hi-C EVERYWHERE! She was frustrated, but held it together quite nicely (I would have given up and been in tears most likely.) Another lady in the restaurant and I jumped up and got napkins and started cleaning it up. She was in total shock. I got another set of wet napkins so it wouldn't be sticky. She said thank you and we both said it was no problem at all, to which she replied, "There just aren't many nice people up here." I think that is the saddest thing I have heard in a long time.

     It doesn't take much to be nice. For me it took no money and about two minutes of my day. I don't think she meant that the people up here are mean. Mean is not the automatic default of not nice. A mean person would have knocked the kids drink over or yelled at the lady for letting her kid spill his drink. No, not being nice is more just being selfish, pretending not to notice, or deciding someone else will take care of it. But it's not just the greater society that isn't always nice, it's also the church.

     That's right, I said it. A lot of times people that claim to be disciples of Christ aren't nice. I'll admit it, sometimes I am not nice. Shame on me! Some of us can't even be nice when we are in the building! How can Christians expect non-believers to even take a look at our Savior if we can't even be nice? God wants more than for us to be nice though! He wants us to go waaaaay beyond nice. He literally wants us to become a servant to others! In I Corinthians 9:19 Paul says, "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible." Slavery by choice, now that's a backward concept that makes no sense to us, save Jesus.

    Practical application... this one is hard now..... BE NICE! Even though it is just skimming the surface of what we are commanded to do, it goes a long way, not just for those we are being nice to, but also to those that witness it.



Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.  James 1:27

All Consuming Thoughts

     We all think. Rarely, if ever, are our minds empty of thought. Most of my day at work my thoughts consist of "how in the world am I going to get these kids to pass the SOL test at the end of the year" and "were these kids raised by wolves?" To tell you the truth, most of my thoughts are reactions to immediate events. I get to work 2 hours before I have to so I can have some time to think ahead. When I go home I try very hard not to think about work. When I began watching the TV show, The Walking Dead, I watched 3-4 episodes at a time so I could catch up before season 4 started. I thought of how I would survive, ways to stay quiet, and of zombies in the woods of the neighborhood. It seriously took up quite a bit of my thoughts. When I read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire I thought of the world now and how easily it could become that world and again, what would I do. And when I read the Twilight series, don't judge, I am not ashamed, I thought long hours of what it would be like to be immortal and gifted and why that is so appealing to us as mere humans. Needless to say, what I read and watch dictates the majority of my free thinking time. Is this the same for others?

     The last two months or so I have been thinking of what should I be doing with my life? Should I be doing more? What is missing? It's not that these thoughts consumed me, it started as little nudges. After the women's conference with Jen Hatmaker and reading her book Interrupted they are a little more consuming. Okay, I go to sleep thinking about it, I wake up thinking about it, I shower thinking about it, I drive thinking about it. When I'm not thinking about it, I am thinking that I may be over thinking about it. You may think, good grief, why are you thinking the same thing all the time. Let me tell you, I'm not! There are plenty of things to think about in this context. Things to think, imagine, dream, freak yourself out about.... The more I dive in the more things there are to think about. And I am diving in. I am reading, contacting, researching, and praying for direction. I should be praying for more, but my mom always said to be careful what I pray for, I just might get it. I'll get there.

     I finished Interrupted. I want to call Jen Hatmaker up and declare my desire to move next door to her and be her best friend so she can step on my toes some more. Perhaps that's why she doesn't include her phone number in her books. Really though, I want her to speak to the leaders of where I go to church (but she just announced she's taking two years off from traveling and speaking, sigh). I have always thought the church wasn't all it could/should be. I just couldn't put my finger on it. Now I see why. I am a post-modern that grew up in a modern church. Read Interrupted, the chapters titled A Modern Mess, "Turn and Face the Strain, Ch-Ch-Changes," and Mission Possible for a wonderful take on why this modern/post modern thing makes such a big difference. (Read the rest of the book, too.)

     I have just started Shane Claiborne's book The Irresistible Revolution. I can already tell this book is going to challenge me even more. He talks a little politics, and I am passionate about my politics! I have a feeling a few of my coming posts will have some sort of discussion about the book.

     I leave you with a quote from Interrupted and a question.

"I've met Jesus at the bottom far more than I ever communed with him at the top."  ~ Jen Hatmaker

     What consumes your thoughts right now?



Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.  James 1:27

Looping

     A couple of Saturdays ago I was blessed to go to a conference featuring Jen Hatmaker. I had never heard of this woman before in my life. I only got to go because someone else wasn't able to make it. I thought it would be interesting and maybe fun, women's conferences usually are. I was not expecting it to be life changing. I was not expecting this woman, whom I had never heard of, to change my entire outlook on life. Actually, I had been on this journey for a few months, so I guess she really just pushed me over the edge. But it was the push I desperately needed!

     Jen Hatmaker is the author of 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess which is rather popular right now. (I still haven't read it. I am currently reading her book Interrupted.)  She is funny, real, and has a way of stepping on your toes and still making you want to be her best friend. That, my friends, is what you call a gift! You will be hearing a lot of her through me, I am sure.



     I could go on and on today, but I really want to focus on something she said about looping. Have you ever had a thought, idea, opportunity, etc., keep coming back? It's like you can't get rid of it. Maybe you aren't supposed to "get rid of it!" Wow, there's a thought! Maybe there is a reason it keeps getting thrown in your path. So, why am I suddenly posting to this blog when I haven't since the summer of 2012?  LOOPING!

     The fact that I even went to Swaziland in the first place was due to looping. Once there, I fell in love with it. I knew I wanted to go back someday. But, the timing seemed wrong. Maybe, I shouldn't go back, at least not for a while. There were several things that played into that, some I am not dragging into a blog right now (and if I ever do it will be carefully.) Got you curious, don't I?

     Fast forward a year.... I have gone to grad school, received certification to teach K-6 general education, and moved back to Northern Virginia on faith and prayer. One of my first Sundays back I went to a teen ministry meeting and was talking with a new acquaintance, Catalina.  We were discussing world travels and I mentioned Swaziland. She stopped me and said, "There is a lady here from Swaziland!" To which I quickly replied, "No, not Switzerland, Swaziland." Sure enough though, she introduced me to Rita....from Swaziland. SWAZILAND! A country I had never even heard of until the Dudley's gave a mission report that Wednesday evening just a couple of years before. ......   Looping. Since then, I have new contacts in Swaziland and new ideas as to ways to serve there (and a job teaching 6th grade here in Fairfax County.)

So, is Swaziland still in my future? I am fairly certain it is, or somewhere is. I think I'll use this blog to record the journey....to wherever God sends me, before God sends me. So many people look back and think of what happened on their way. I have the faith that I am on the journey right now. Maybe a few people will read this. It will be a lot of thinking "out loud" so be patient. What I say one day, may go out the window the next, and come back through the front door a week later. It helps me to write, but I hate writing just for the sake of writing. I don't mind if someone might read it though. Don't you feel useful now?


Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.  James 1:27

Catching up...

Sanibonini!

We were without internet for a couple of days at the house so I have a lot of catching up to do. Today is my last day in Swaziland this trip. It went by too fast. 

July 4th went by with, obviously, no sign of the American holiday. We had a prayer meeting that morning and after Moses helped Annette and I with some SiSwati phrases. Basic words are difficult because they contain sounds we don't have in the English language. "No," "goodbye," and "sorry" are some of the hardest words to say. 

We went into the neighborhood again to do surveys. The kids here are pretty shy. They will smile and wave but not much more.(I thought this on July 4th, but found not all of the kids here are shy) I did make one friend. She is full of personality and a real cuddler. (I'll post her picture when I get home.) 

One lady we met today was 22 years and her oldest child was 10. This doesn't seem to be uncommon here. Statistics also say that about 1 in every 3 people we meet here has HIV. You can't pick them out usually. I try not to wonder which ones. 

I also got to see the church feed the children. There were 160 children there. (Pictures and maybe even a video when I get back to the States.)

The 1st Wednesday night of the month is singing with tea and biscuits nights at Matsapha Church of Christ. After an hour of singing, hot tea and a variety of muffins and cookies (biscuits) are brought out and everyone talks and eats. 

I had grilled warthog this week.  It was delicious! I branched out a bit this week.... impala, warthog, avocados, roasted squash... This is big for me. 

Thursday we had a meeting in Mbabane with the Registrar of the Nursing Council. We all crammed into a tiny conference room and told her the plans. All was fine until it was said that the clinic was attached to the church....okay, now for plan B. The classrooms that were being built in place of the current classrooms (which were going to be the clinic), will now be the clinic. This was acceptable to her. Dr. Whittaker asked her if there were any approved clinics that we could see the plans of so we would know we were planning correctly.  No. It is all a guessing game in a way. There are no written guidelines that they can give you even though they know what they want. It's very frustrating.  We told her we didn't want to waste time, money, and resources building something that wouldn't be approved. She said as long as it wasn't attached, what she saw we had should be okay.  Should be, that's comforting.

On Friday we took the day off and went to a game park here in Swaziland. We saw 3 of the "Big 5." We were fortunate to spot some lions. I have some good photos of them. We also saw Elephants and Rhinos. Other animals we got to see were warthogs, 2 zebras, impala, and a giraffe. We didn't go into South Africa to go to Kruger because there were no accommodations available. It is definitely a plan way ahead trip.

Saturday we met several members at the church, paired up and went out to do more surveys. More people are off of work on Saturdays so we could get more done. I was paired with Siboniso, a 27 year old who lost his job. His mother passed away and he and his father are landlords of a small area in the neighborhood. We went to his community to do surveys and this is where I found the kids to be very personable. We started out with about 4 kids following us. He did all the surveying while I entertained the kids. They are learning English and they must be going over body parts. They had me quizzing them. They also had me quiz them in Math. As we went along, more kids joined. By the time we were done we had about 15-20 kids tagging along with us, all fighting to hold my hand as we walked. Some places we stopped they would play games like keep away, or a game with bottle caps. Other places they would want me to quiz them again. About 1:30 we had to leave them and all the teams met back at the church to turn out surveys in and to discuss the reception we received. There is no doubt the people are excited about a clinic opening so close to them. The number one question was when! That is a hard question to answer. Building is underway but then there is the government.

Sunday worship was wonderful.  The singing is amazing. We did Father Abraham with the kids. That is the ONLY time we stood. I actually started to miss Curry Dudley making me stand every other song! Oh, I should mention that Bible class and church have no break between and lasts from 10:00 to about 1:00...sometimes later. Sunday night we went to the African Christian College again and had soup and sandwiches with Dr. Bruce and Beth Smith. They gave me loads of useful information about health education resources. 

Monday was spent running around trying to do all the things we hadn't done yet. I went to the Post Office, then to Swazi Candles. Amazing candles! We also went around to price cars. Ruth, a nurse with her doctorate at the church, told me I'd need a 4 wheel drive. I can get a 2003 for around 60,000E (less than $8,000). My budget is coming together. A few blanks to fill in. 

Today we are going to do a few more surveys and then I head to the airport! I'm all packed up, excited to get back and get started getting things together for coming back here again!

Impala, It's What's For Dinner

Tuesday July 3rd

It was a little bit cooler today, still warm, highs in the 70s, but people were walking around in coats and hats. Annette and I did 2 loads of laundry. This is blogworthy. First, because of how it all has to be hooked up. Second, because one load takes about 2 hours to go through the whole cycle. Third, there is no dryer. I am not very fast with clothes pins.

The biggest part of our day was spent with Moses in the neighborhood. We did some surveying of people there to see what hours they would want the clinic open, what medical services they were most interested in, and educational needs. Those we spoke with were so excited that a clinic would be close by. It is hard for them to get to the other clinics and most of them close before they get off of work anyway. If their children are sick they have to wait until they are off work also. One lady told us that the Chinese, who own the garment factories here, say they employ them, not their children. So they risk losing their job if they take time off to take their children to a clinic during work hours.

Most invited us into their homes which was usually one, sometimes two rooms. Bathrooms are separate and shared with other houses. Most have electricity. One light in the middle of the room, maybe a radio or TV. The "kitchen" is a small 2-burner gas unit, like we take camping in the US.  They were very hospitable, offering us seats on their beds.  No one rejected us.

Moses sitting in one of the houses

Dr. Whittaker was at the Nazarene Mission Hospital today so we went to change a leg bandage on one of his patients in the neighborhood. She is a typical "AIDS grandmother." Her children have died of AIDS and she is now left to care for their children. She heated water, took a sponge (that looked dirty), added some soap and cleaned her wound. She then sat in the sun to let it dry. I applied the ointment to the bandage and put it on her. (Nurses I work with, don't get any ideas. I am NOT doing your dressing changes for you!) I kept wishing I could run to Sumner Regional's supply closet and get some things that would help her even more.

 The woman washing her wound

Drying in the sun

We also went to visit a lady from church who had been hit by a car the day before. She said she just woke up in the hospital.  Thankfully the man that hit her took her there. Nothing major it seems, just really sore. They asked me to pray before we left the house. The need is so great here it is really overwhelming. I want to rescue them all.

On a lighter note, I had impala for dinner tonight. It was really good, much like our deer. I also finally got Melynda signed up on Skype!

Monday

Slept in till almost 8:00 this morning! Once up and ready I ran some errands with Annette and we all had a meeting with the leaders of Matsapha church of Christ concerning the clinic. Some government red tape has to be maneuvered through, but we are prayerful all will go smoothly. They called a prayer meeting for 5:00pm. They are firm believers in prayer and fasting here. Fasting isn't something the majority of Christians practice in the States. Here it is a very common practice when a problem is encountered.

I have been trying to learn some of the language, SiSwati. It has clicks in it. The word for "no" is almost impossible for me to say as is "I'm sorry." I can do the click but incorporating it in a word is not easy.  Almost everyone I've encountered speaks English but they all speak SiSwati to each other. All the signs are in English also, it I think it is important to learn the language.

Tomorrow we are supposed to go into the neighborhoods that are next to the church. Some say they are very bad, but the people that live there say they are not as bad as their reputation. Regardless, this is the area the church ministers.