5.30.2012

Night Street Lessons


Tonight I dove deeper into developing my role at Outreach. I went on a hunt of sorts. L, my fellow outreach worker, took me to a camp nestled between the mega-million dollar Lucas Oil Stadium (home of Superbowl XLVI) and the White River. There we encountered a strip of land known to some as "the Jungle".

We hunched down and went under the bridge on one side to see a scattering of used up travel shampoos, burnt plastic spoons, empty sanitizer containers and other evidence of a typical squat location. The array of needles and spoons made it clear that this was a popular place to hide and shoot up. This was a moment where I nodded my head and thought, 'this is it. this is reality.' This is the reality of the life these kids live, and the reality of the lifestyle they are on the verge of slipping into.

Its the reality of who my God is. He is bigger than all of it. He is capable of healing the hurt that leads to the hiding, and the breaking away from society. And, for reasons beyond my comprehension, He has led me into this position where I am reaching out to these image bearing individuals.

As part of my introduction into this position, I am reading a phenomenal book entitled When Helping Hurts. It is incredibly insightful to be meeting the people of this city in line with reading this book. The understanding of what Christ did with us, does with us and will continue to be doing in us helps me to further develop my view of what "working with the homeless" means in Indianapolis.

What is success in homeless ministry? Is it when they confess their need for Christ? When they pass a GED test? Land a job? Get an apartment? The answer lies in looking at our own lives. When am I considered a successful woman? When I graduated college? When I landed a good job? When I buy a house? When I get married? (Gosh I hope not!) Its no different in determining when 'success' is reached with homeless.

Just like me, they are not projects. They are people. People befriend people. They invest in people, they take time to genuinely get to know each other. This is called friendship. It's called living life. Success in ministry isn't in the accomplished projects or number of boxes filled in on a list, but in the process of loving someone. Is a friendship successful when you're close enough to go to their house, go to the mall, go on vacation together? None of that makes sense.


Of course in this 'field of work' there are milestones. Points when you look back and see progress, see progress done by an interactive and powerful God. Glimpses of renewed views of self, God, people and the world. Its a gradual morphing of unhealthy and untrue views of things into an understanding of truth that causes lasting change. An unveiling of how God sees you. It's what made me into who I am. I even spoke to a coworker and said today, "I am not who anyone thought or expected me to be. And that is completely because of God stripping away so many lies I thought about myself and Him and life and replacing those with truth."

So I pray, HARD. I pray for eyes to see the hurts that are rooted in lies. I pray for the nudge that I am learning to feel more and more that guides my into speaking truth in those places. I am in tears as I right this, hoping, yearning, praying with each click of the keyboard, to be a mouthpiece. To be a tool used in the story of some of these youth that I will meet that God uses to breath the fresh air of truth into places where healing has to happen to break chains.

Lord. Use me.


5.28.2012

New Season! New Excitement!



Phew! It has been YEARS since my last post! I have been blessed beyond measure for a season of life in a church where I rested and grew and enjoyed phenomenal fellowship! Calvary Fellowship Church is officially my "home" where I feel rooted and loved. . .

But now. . . I am back out :) With my love, with my heart - in the city! Philly molded me, shaped me, HUMBLED me and brought me to an entirely different place in how I viewed myself in life and in ministry. Take that and add a couple of years of restful and amazing ministry in Chester County and I see how God lined things up in an amazing way to prepare me for this next phase.

I have decided to start the blog up again to share what is going on with everyone back in Pennsylvania. I have taken a job as a street outreach worker (SOW) at a ministry called Outreach, Inc. and I could not be more excited!!!!

As I am telling everyone, its the job I never thought I could get paid for! I will be the initial connection for girls (ages 14-24) that are homeless in Indianapolis. What I love about this ministry is that it is so in line with how Jesus loved us and reached us. Our relationship with Him is a friendship, and through that friendship, He guides us and changes us. The sinful thoughts, lies and misinterpretations of ourselves, our world and God Himself are brought out and cleansed and replaced with truth. This process causes deep change in us, it causes sanctification.

The beauty of Outreach is that it isn't a social service. It is friendship, and connection. We don't come down and 'touch' the homeless then go back to our lives. Each of us has committed to literally link arms with the kids and live life, being friends with them first, then as the Holy Spirit opens doors, we speak truth of who they are as image bearers into those darker places.

I sit here almost in tears of excitement, and anticipation for ways I know my God is going to show up and show that He is Who He says He is. It is extremely overwhelming, and that is exactly where I think every soldier of Christ should be. Overwhelmed, fully aware of the work that is out of our hands and completely  reliant on Him to prove Himself. . . which He seems to be in the business of doing - bringing glory to His own name.

I. AM. SO. EXCITED!

 Click Here To Check Out Outreach