38 students and staff from Kent State (Ohio) Navigators came and served some huge labors of love last week. Their energy, excitement, and willingness to glorify the Lord pumped me up, gave me strength and drive I'd been lacking and ignoring in the longevity of the entire school-year. Monday. Tuesday. Thursday. Friday. Working from 9:30am to 5:30pm with a lunch break. Groups of between 8 and 10 working different areas. Groups switched every day which brought each individual more variety in serving but also allowed for new teams and new relationships to be built and grown among these brothers and sisters in Christ. I loved just watching how these Ohioans experienced a new culture.
One group did some massive clean-up in our potential after-school program building. They ripped out curtains, partitions (see picture), chalkboards, some bathroom fixtures, and some gross-looking tiles in the entrance doorway. Work we planned to take the bulk of the week this group completed in approxiately two hours the first day! These guys were ready to work! Many enjoyed destroying old wooden chairs, smashing smashable things, and laying down the big 16lb. hammer on some old doors.
Another group helped an old 73 year-old man named Ron (white t-shirt in picture) with his community garden. Mr. Ron works for a company that helps rebuild and renovate old houses to be affordable for those with low income. I've seen some of the houses and they do some beautiful work. Ron has a big heart for his neighborhood but has a bad view of the church. He sees it as just a place people go to meet and then ignore the people and community around them. It's sad, but this is true of many churches. His heart for his garden, instead of planting a bunch of seeds, he has kids from the neighborhood plant one single seed and take care of it. He believes each individual is important. Please pray for him. He is greatly encouraged when Spring break groups come because it's his only positive view of Christianity.
My task for the week was to drive around in a truck and help supply the street-cleanup crew with water, tools, and garbage bags. The first day, I gave instructions on the basics of cleaning the streets. Pick up trash, one person on mower, one on weed-eater, couple on broomsand shovels, couple on raking, baggers and leaf blower at the end. Each successive day, instructions were passed on to the point where every person knew what to do. There were so many garbage bags full of trash and leaves and weeds and dead grass. Probably somewhere close to 300 bags, give or take. These guys got dirty! Dirt lines at the wrists and ankles. Many also got sunburned.
If people were out of their houses, we'd ask them if they wanted any yardwork done. Many accepted and it was cool to just joyfully serve a neighborhood that is often neglected by the city. Empty lots that should be kept clean just aren't. There were a handful of people that offered us water or orange juice. Even if we weren't thirsty (we were), it's best to accept anything offered. Knowing these people are poor, if I, with good intentions, say "No thanks. I'm good." To them, I'm saying, "You have nothing to offer me. Only I can serve you." One lady, who is a cake-decorator, offered us a cake that one of her customers never came to pick up. We gladly accepted and chatted with her. The cake was in the shape of a Bud Light bottle. It was delicious. One young adult saw us work and said, "Man, I've lived here for 15 years and never did any of this stuff." Probably some of the coolest things I saw as I drove the truck from group to group were the people out cleaning their yards, taking pride in how "swept" their sidewalk is, how leafless their yard is. Many neighbors in cars drove by asking us who we were and why we were doing what we were doing. So much encouragement and general attitudes uplifted. There was definitely and mutual edification going on between us and the neighborhood.This is all just on-the-surface stuff. "Good works." 1 John 3:18 says, "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." Thank you Lord for filling me with a love for these neighbors this past week. I haven't even mentioned all the community just among the Kent State students and 2nd Mile Ministries. I got to know a bunch of these guys pretty well in just a week. There were many more opportunities to have good conversations one-on-one with these college-aged men and women. What's your major? What's been your favorite part of the week so far? How has God challenged you this week? What's your story? Do you play disc-golf? Wanna play disc-golf? Wasn't it fun playing disc-golf? I even went to the beach with the whole group on our day off. They were very inclusive which I really appreciated.
So I guess my two cents on life. Doing good and joyfully serving is contagious. Even the people most different from you understand a kind word, a good conversation, attention. We are all created in God's image. I am no more important to life than the next person. My purpose is different from yours. Not better, not worse. I'm not perfect. Neither are you. God has lavished His love on us in the human form of His son, Jesus Christ. Will you love others with your actions and truth? I'd like to gently challenge you with 1 John 3:17. There are people out there that don't have your clean water, your soft bed, your security system, your countless outfits, your vehicle, your access to food. If you want to take up the challenge, ask God to reveal opportunities for you to serve for His purposes. There's nothing you can do that God can't do. It's amazing how raking leaves can be used by God to bring His people to Himself.
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