What to do now?

When I first saw the flier for the community service trip to Atlanta, it seemed perfect;I would  meet new people, help others, and learn the spirit of a city I've always wanted to explore. But staying in the homeless shelter with women who have experienced the downs of life not only allowed me to see through the eyes of someone else, but it also opened my eyes to the spiritual journey that I embarking on. 

My brain was tired and stressed when I left Wilmington and although I helped move furniture, raked lives, cleaned part of a warehouse, and things of that nature when I was at the homeless shelter, I have never experienced such internal contentment in passing out breakfast to homeless men, tutoring energetic children and listening to the stories and advice from women who have witnessed that darker side of life. Their disposition was shockingly positive and has helped me in the oddest of ways. Conversing with a woman for close to two hours gave me understanding of how we can be so different, socioeconomically and also in religious beliefs, but manage to meet each other at the same level of love and respect for one another. Engaging with the children showed me how important it is to spend time with children and encourage them with their schooling. These children were a surprising gift to me. They were open to our presence there and just wanted us to be with them. They were the nicest group of kids I have ever met and were extremely perceptive to their living conditions and lifestyle, but still managed to be open to others. 

The week spent at the City of Refuge was life changing and I am so glad that I decided to spend my time with the women and children staying there. But now that I am home, it is easy to become comfortable in my previous way of thinking and living. My solution is to continue going on trips that help others. It will keep me grounded and remind me that giving gifts or spending money does not make me feel good as a person. It is through giving myself and spending time with people who need it that I experience peace and understanding of my own purpose because I am not only helping them, but they are also helping me. Maybe one day I will be a part of or create my own non-profit organization. 

What Atlanta has taught me.

For my Spring Break I decided to go on a community service trip with people I didn't know to a city I knew next to nothing about. The reason? It wasn't until about the third day into the trip that I was able to answer this question.

When I initially signed up I had no idea what to expect. All I really knew was that I would be helping people in need. I was looking forward to do something I had never done before. To keep your attention I will simply say that week was full of helping people that TRULY needed it, connecting with the residents and their children, and learning and seeing things I thought I would never see. We happen to be in the part of Atlanta that had the highest rate of violent crimes. (Surprisingly enough this didn't affect our sleep, but rather a blaring train horn throughout the night, Random much? Tell me about it) I thought I knew what a tough life was, I also thought I understood poverty. There are just some things that a textbook cannot not adequately convey. I am fortunate enough to have not lived a life of poverty but I got to see several real life examples of it. It is one thing to lose your job, but to lose your job and not have any family to lean on is a whole new level of poverty. Poverty is more than just not having money. A person can also experience poverty in the emotional and spiritual sense. These are concepts we discussed throughout the week in ATL.

You may ask yourself, "why should this matter to me?" That is normal. Most of us are not affect by poverty or homelessness. But after hearing the stories of some of women that lived in the shelter it can happen to anyone. It can surprise you at the last minute when you realize you can't pay your rent. "One paycheck from being homeless." I heard this phrase from a few of the women and you have to spend some time imagining yourself in a situation like that to even comprehend the fear and anxiety one must feel if this situation becomes reality. The people I met are normal people like you and I. Some of them are put in life situations where they have no choice but to live on the streets. A small number of the residents were even college educated including one with a master's degree. Others are escaping domestic abuse relationships. Keeping the resident anonymous; I was told verbatim, "I am either getting punched in the face or living at a shelter." That really stuck to me. Domestic violence is usually never something you can see on the surface. It is also very difficult to resolve once it begins. Some of these women are driven out of their homes and sometimes are forced to assume responsibility of their children. As a child a full mental recovery from this must takes years and in some cases might never occur. This is a life I am not sure I will ever comprehend.

In retrospect I feel honored to have been able to be a light for these women and a positive male role model for their kids. Now when I see a homeless person on the street I feel empathy for them. Next time I see a homeless person on the street in Wilmington I want to buy them some fruit or a sandwich, assuming the situation allows it. As for the problem of poverty... well that is problem that calls for effective government leadership and a prospering economy. Treating the symptoms is fairly simple but the entire disease will likely take many years to rid. I also wanted to mention the amazing staff members that tirelessly work for these woman. Pastor Jim and Andy are two people I will remember for years to come. To anyone and everyone I recommend Restoration Atlanta (RATL). If you want a genuine experience of volunteering for those in need, I don't know of a better organization to work with. I have a whole new perspective on Atlanta an the homeless.

http://restorationatl.org/

Friday March 7

"Not lost, just temporarily misplaced"

We shared thoughtful reflection last night after a powerful and impactful week.  This morning we exchanged hugs, phone numbers, and tears.  We give thanks to the women and children sharing their stories, space, and vulnerability with us.  We all have used many words to describe the week, but I think we can all agree that "CHANGE" is one of them; we have all been changed for the better because of this experience.  #RATL

"I made a difference to that one"

Thursday March 6

It is with mixed emotions that we begin our last full day here in Atlanta.  We spent quite a bit of time last night talking about the many children and women that have made an impact on us this week and how it will be hard to say goodbye.  We are hopeful that we have been able to return the favor - if we made a difference to just one person, it will be a week well spent.

Soccer Field and MLK Historic Site

We spent the morning cleaning a local soccer field that the City of Refuge youth group recently acquired - they are planning to start a soccer league soon for kids!  We picked up trash, cut the grass, cleaned and painted the goal posts, and raked leaves.  It just needs a net, some white lines and a soccer ball and it is ready to go!

We spent the afternoon exploring the historic fourth ward area of Atlanta, as well as the MLK national historic site.

And tonight we will spend our third evening in a row helping the kids with homework after dinner.  Sharing all meals with the residents, staying at the center, helping with homework, and just listening have helped us to to "be with" rather than "do for".  It has helped us to better understand and empathize with others, as well as realize our own vulnerabilities.

What assumptions do you make about the homeless?  In what ways are you vulnerable?  How are we all alike?

  

Ash Wednesday

Our Morning Devotional:

Noble Saint Vincent de Paul,
beloved servant of the poor,
may we follow your example and do good works
among those whom society has abandoned,
enslaved, or forgotten.
Inspire us to feed the hungry,
to love a child,
to provide comfort and medicine to the sick,
to clothe those whose garments are threadbare,
and to offer hope and our Lord's words
to all who need respite.
Pray for us to our beloved God
that we may commit ourselves selflessly
to doing the same charitable acts
that you did all your life,
and intercede with him
that we may have the favor of his guidance
and strength and love upon this important and meaningful work.
Amen.

Wednesday March 5

A special shout out to Restoration ATL for facilitating our volunteer projects at the City of Refuge this week.  To learn more check out their webpage: http://restorationatl.org and for additional posts and pics of our work this week go to their facebook page "Restoration ATL".

Tuesday March 4

This morning we are helping to clean up the warehouse!

And we spent the afternoon checking out the CNN studios:

Monday March 3

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

Sharing our love with the City of Refuge and Restoration ATL this morning, as we help move furniture and other belongings into storage for someone staying at the shelter, and from storage into an apartment for someone moving into permanent housing!

What'll y'all have?

Fun at the Varsity!

Sunday March 2

This morning we served breakfast to the residents of the shelters (there is an emergency shelter and two longer term shelters - all for women and children only) and then we ate with them.  After breakfast we went out and helped serve meals and spent time "being with" folks who came off the street needing a hot meal.  There was music, food and fellowship.  Then we joined the City of Refuge community for their Sunday church service.  It was a busy morning!  We had some free time in the afternoon so we ate lunch at the infamous Atlanta restaurant "The Varsity" and then we enjoyed the warm, sunny afternoon outdoors at Stone Mountain Park.  We joined the residents for dinner, then spent some time with the kids singing karaoke and having a dance party.  In the last 30 hours we have been welcomed quickly into the City of Refuge community - there have been lots of smiles, hugs and stories shared.

This evening our reflection focused on poverty.

What is poverty?  Lack of freedom and disempowerment?  Entanglement in a cluster of disadvantage?  There are several types of poverty:  material (few assets), physical (illness/poor health), social (no access to services and information), political (lack of knowledge and influence), and spiritual (broken relationships).

What causes poverty?  The nature of poverty is RELATIONAL...poverty is the result of relationships that do not work, that are not just.  This may include relationships with others, or relationships between societal systems and individuals.  Brokenness (being dishonest, hurtful, intentionally marginalizing, etc.) causes relationships that do not work and in turn, broken relationships cause poverty.

Being the non-poor does not mean we do not have poverty.  You may have material wealth, but may experience spiritual poverty.  An overabundance of material goods or power can mirror the lack of those things that the poor experience; too much OR too little can cause broken relationships.  We all may experience poverty, it is just be differently expressed.

Things to think about:
*The different types of poverty
*The relational nature of poverty
*Our own experiences with different types of poverty
*We are engaging with the homeless to learn about their relationships, our own poverty and how this can transform both them and us

We may not be able to fix the relationships that are broken, but we hope that by establishing trust with those we meet this week we can create new relationships as well as a sense of hope and optimism for each of us.

Saturday March 1

This is the story of 11 strangers brought together by one common purpose: to serve others, learn about themselves and have fun!  We are working with City of Refuge www.cityofrefugeatl.org from March 1, 2014- March 7, 2014.

Steven, a Junior from Indian Trail NC

Jenna, a Freshman from Chapel Hill NC

Bailey, a Sophomore from Jersey

Mireya, a Junior from L.A.

Hayley, a Freshman from Raleigh NC

Janessa, a Junior from Fayetteville NC

Zeinab, a Senior from Jersey

Thomas, a Junior from Jersey

Katheen, a Freshman from Florida

Elise, a Freshman from Virginia

and Jaime, the UNCW employee from Pennsylvania

And here are our expectations for the week:

*What I expect out of this week is to gain an experience worth more than any all-inclusive retreat in the carribean.  I can't wait to help out in this community and learn from the residents who stay here.  I expect this experience to be truly humbling and leave me with a sense of gratefulness and fulfillment.

*I'm hoping to meet people who help me change my perspectives and motivate me.  I want to hear new stories and hopefully make some awesome memories and friends.

*To be able to gain knowledge from the community and help change my perspective!

*I expect to learn about the homeless community and what their needs are.  I hope to be able to use this information to help enact change in the Wilmington community.

*1) I would like to learn more about the community here.  2) I would like to serve this community this week.  3) Grow closer to this group!

*Learning how to deal with the emotional responses to peoples stories and community environment.  Tools to take back to implement in our own communities and future volunteer experiences.

*To become a better person and try to learn something from the many women and children I come into contact with while having a great time doing it.

*Learn new strategies that can be implemented in the building of the upcoming Wilmington community garden.

*I hope to meet and make new friends.  I hope to make an impact in this community.  I want to be used by God to touch the lives of others.

*To be able to give without regret for lost time or money - selflessness.  To appreciate people's stories of hardships.  Gratefulness. True definition of happiness.

*I hope to learn about Atlanta, good and bad.  And also to learn something new about myself.

*To grow from this experience, and to reach out to others and to let them know that someone is here to listen to their stories.