Foundations

Dear Friends,

With summer winding down I find myself in a reflective mood, and I am reminded of the path that God has me on…to become more like Christ…to pursue (and bring) His Kingdom…to follow His voice. With this reflection comes a realization, again, of the blessing of people (you!) who have journeyed with me thus far: through friendship, encouragement, over lunch, in prayer, through financial support, by hospitality, a challenge, in a letter, a trip, through forgiveness offered, or grace extended.

I have not written in a very long time, mostly because I don’t have “amazing” stories of God working “dramatically” in my sphere of life. However, there has been a slow and powerful work of God in my own heart and mind—and that, I know without a shadow of a doubt, has been far more life-altering than anything I could imagine.

**

A year ago I began looking for a house in the inner-city to move into. This came about from a number of different influences, but mostly the working of the Holy Spirit in my heart, calling disciples of Christ to bring the Kingdom of God to the poor, abandoned and broken places of Milwaukee. It is an overwhelming task; one that is impossible without the collective and intentional workings of Jesus-lovers and the Holy Spirit.

I have learned so much in these past months of praying, studying, talking, walking, praying, listening, reading, asking, experimenting, and praying. Largely, two areas have emerged in my heart. One of hope, and another of heartache.

Hope because we have seen the Kingdom. We know the God who is working to restore all of creation back to Himself. We have seen glimpses of God stirring below the surface of the Church in Milwaukee, and are confident in our good Savior.

And heartache. Lots of heartache; because we see even more the brokenness in ourselves, in the Church, and in our neighborhood. Heartache because what we hope for doesn’t often happen, and because it’s a lonely road.

May this only bring us closer to the Father’s heart.

**

I am impressed with the knowledge that God is explicitly working to form and prepare my foundation for what He has next. He has reawakened some dreams in me, and I am excited to see where He will bring me in the next few years; but also humbled that He is committed to me, now, in this season.

May I be faithful.

In recognition, in gratitude, and in debt to all of you who have in so many ways brought me thus far, I just wanted to say: thank you.

All Creation Waits...

"For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from it's bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.”

It has been almost seven months since my return from Bolivia.

And as I write this, I hardly know how the time went so fast. Truly, it seems such a short time ago that I was tearfully saying farewell to the people and places that I came to know and love.

These months have indeed held their own share of joys and heartache, and the time and perspective to reflect on my time in South America.

Let me first say that it has forever changed me. The ways in which God and the Church were awakened in my heart has made an imprint on my soul in such a way that even now I am living a life shaped by those experiences and relationships.

It is easy, however, to remember Bolivia in a way similar to nostalgia, and let the memories create in me only a bittersweet yearning for what was. My prayer is that—as I remember the glimpses of Truth and Beauty and Simplicity and Community—I let it become a lived reality that gives contour and context for now, and into the future.

And mirrored in this remembrance I have discovered a deeper and Truer remembrance. As a citizen in the Kingdom of God, with the Spirit testifying to my own spirit, and my heart thirsting for things that cannot be satisfied, I am realizing in life-altering ways the reality that I am not made to live a natural life. And here again I am torn. “Life will never be what it should be!” I could cry in despair; or, hopefully, I can let the echoes of the Kingdom shape my life lived now—knowing that God brings “glory and freedom” from “bondage and decay”.

What more can I say? When words really cannot express what I mean to convey?

So it is here that I find myself in life (I promise that all this somewhat ethereal thought DOES have a root in practical living!)

Now for the physical details: I am working as a full-time teachers aid at a charter school on the north side of Milwaukee—and loving it!! Then, after months of praying and searching; talking, asking, and visiting different parts of the city, God provided a roommate and opened up a beautiful little unit in the inner-city of Milwaukee.

If you are the praying type, please pray that I would be discerning of the opportunities to minister as they arise, and that I can boldly serve humbly, always learning what it truly means to love my neighbor. Just last night, I had the beautiful opportunity of offering hospitality and a Word from the Lord to a man, out-of work, living in a shelter. He shoveled my sidewalk, I paid him a bit and offered him some soup (ah! so simple), I listened to his story and answered his question: what is so different about you? and he looked into my own soul and encouraged me in such a profound way.

To my young friends I say this: be purposeful about where you choose to live. Our cities are hurting and needy, and too many Christians, who can offer the hope and healing and hospitality that is desperately needed, have defaulted into the comfortable and private lifestyles that we see around us, instead of putting themselves into the places where we can actually BE the hands and feet of Jesus, that He calls us to.

A few photos of recent months:

:: moving sister to college: we are READY! (for something...)









:: sara (roommate) and i visiting Chicago.











:: my Student Council kids :)












:: me visiting the Great Wall of China! (just kidding-photoshop)













:: winter in Milwaukee (mom, me, Andrea)

amigos, la paz, y el fin

10 June - Flight 721 from Cochabamba, Bolivia (depart 4:20pm) to LaPaz, Bolivia (arrive 4:55pm)

The capital city of Bolivia, La Paz, seems to fall off the edge of the Altiplano (high plains) into a ragged gorge. Houses cascade down too-steep cliffs and streets ascend and descend at crazy angles. And here I am.

It’s been three days since I said goodbye to Cochabamba and its beautiful weather, delicious food, and incredible friends.

Meanwhile I have had some adventures here in LaPaz:

Eating – I know I shouldn’t count the chicks before they hatch, but with less than 24 hours left in Bolivia I hope I can say that I haven’t been sick at all this year! I did eat at the most unsafe place I have yet…and then yesterday, to cut the onions, the boys sharpened our knife on a shovel laying in the yard. But… what can I say?

Shoeshining – My main purpose for visiting LaPaz was to visit a ministry to shoeshiners. The city of LaPaz has over a thousand young shoeshiners working on the streets for about 15 cents a shine. So I dressed up as a shoeshiner, had a lesson, and went out on the streets to try my skills and take a peek into the lives of shoeshiners in LaPaz. It was an incredible experience, and I came away with a respect and gratitude for those working among these boys to bring hope and true life into their midst. Check out this site: www.kayuparu.org

Working – I had a tour of LaPaz from the back of a cargo truck full of cement blocks that we took up to repair the wall of a young man’s house. This young man, a former shoeshiner, had been beaten by a gang and left partly paralyzed. Without their older brother’s work and leadership, his younger brothers began to fall into drinking and bad behavior. Several members of the church have generously loaned time, money, and materials to help this young man and his brothers.

This picture is me giving my testimony to the guys

Thinking – Having some down time in LaPaz has given me time to think about this past year, and all that it has held. Uppermost in my mind has been the relationships formed between myself and my students, missionaries, co-workers, neighbors, and church-members.

I read this recently: “Even [our] most original thoughts or imaginative creations are indelibly shaped by a lifetime of encounters with artists, theologians, family, and community. We do not interpret the world alone nor do we live without influencing one another profoundly.”

How true. And again, how thankful I am for the people that God placed in my life this year to encourage, challenge, and teach me about Himself or myself or the world around me. From my 7-year-old students who taught me compassion and patience and to love more deeply; to Bolivian young people committed to reach their world for Christ; to deep friendships that caused me to laugh and pray and think, and challenged me to serve and not to be so stubborn J, and gave encouragement and insight and perseverance.

What a privilege and what a duty we have as people in relationship.

14 June – Flight 922 from LaPaz, Bolivia (depart 6:30am) to Charlotte, NC (via Miami, arrive 9:20pm)

Debrief – I spend two nights in Charlotte, NC at the SIM offices for debrief and a short reunion with two friends from Bolivia; and then…

16 June – Flight 3730 from Charlotte, NC (depart 12:55pm) to Milwaukee, WI (arrive 1:57pm)

Home.

And yet not completely. Part of my heart will always be with the friends and country of Bolivia.