A (new) lifestyle of service

Hello!

I never thought it would be this challenging to sit down and write about my two weeks here in Houston. It definitely was easier to update friends and family when I went to Rwanda – probably because I knew that we would be there for a limited amount of time with a day-to-day plan. Knowing that I’ll be working in Houston for the year makes it more challenging to write about because this year is about living, working, and investing my time into my community. It is a lifestyle in the making that requires me to go through a lot of changes in my actions, desires, and dreams – all of this requires F L E X I B I L I T Y (think gumby).

Week one was focused on providing us with a lot of information to help us be effective in our neighborhood, service sites, and churches. It was challenging because we wanted to just go into the community and build relationships and start serving out our service sites. But at the same time we understood the importance of being equipped with information from Leroy Barber (president of Mission Year), our city directors, and other leaders from the community and organization. Although we don’t remember every detail of the quality information we received, we know we have great resources to glean effective information from.

This week (our second week in Houston) was challenging and rewarding in different ways. The best thing about this week is that I am surrounded with roommates who are passionate about serving people. We are all adjusting to something new & we are being challenged in different ways. I’ve been blessed in so many ways by my housemates. They are challenging me to be clearer in the way I express my emotions and thoughts, be a genuine and intentional friend, and have shown me the importance to strive for growth in all aspects – spiritually, mentally, and physically - of my life.

James and I started work this week at our service site - Change Happens. Luckily it is two blocks down our house in Third Ward. Change Happens is a 22 year old grassroots organization that offers different services addressing issues within the at-risk neighborhoods of Houston. Both James and I are working primarily with the HYPE (Helping Youth Prevent Engaging in Risky Behavior) which is a teen pregnancy prevention program in an after school setting for 5^th – 8^th graders. Harris County youth are taught an 8-hour curriculum (often spread out throughout the week) and also are engaging in community service activities to help them focus on having a positive impact on their communities instead of engaging in activities that put them at-risk. This is a very challenging position for me, but I know that there is a greater purpose in this. My heart breaks over the statistics with how many kids are engaging in sexual behavior at such a young age, but my hope is reaffirmed with seeing the organizations committed to building a better future for the youth.

I am so excited to update you more about Change Happens and our interactions with our community & one another. Week three will consist of working Monday-Thursday at Change Happens, Friday is our Sabbath day, Saturday is community outreach, and Sunday is church at Holman Baptist Church. Please continue to pray for my team (Shealy, Paul, Eric, Lauren, and James) and myself.

Please pray for:

• that we strive to grow spiritually as individuals and as a team
• unique opportunities to seek out relationships with our neighbors
• for the HYPE program at Change Happens and for an increased opportunity to present the material to middle schools around Harris County
• for our neighbors living in Third Ward
• for our ability to stand with Holman Baptist Church in serving our community
• for our amazing City Directors – Jason & Jason Shaeffer as they continue to support us as individuals and teams (there are about 28 interns in Houston!)

Thank you so much for being a part of this year. Your support is confirmation that I am in God’s will this year. As many of you know, I am also fundraising in order to support myself this year. Currently, I have $1,500 raised of the $12,000 for this year which is AMAZING. Thank you so much for your generous donations. Although I am doing an on-going fundraising by asking you to consider financially supporting me – I wanted to let you know that my goal is to meet the $7,000 mark by the end of November. I’m not just asking you to financially support me but I am asking you to walk and grow with me wherever you may be living and working.

Will you consider in donating to my Mission Year fund?

As a step of faith, I also ask that you consider sharing my blog and stories that I am sharing here that have impacted or challenged you with your friends, family, and co-workers. In any way that God chooses to use my experience to make a difference in anyone’s life even outside of my circle of friends would be a blessing to witness.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Ephesians 4:16   

 





This is our new home in Third Ward. The garden to the left is in the works. We hope to plant some vegetables and flowers with our neighbors so that we can all benefit from getting fresh veggies as we pursue ways in which we can engage with one another.