When a circus comes to town, there is a bunch of excitement. The tent gets set up, the animals and performers come in, the concessions begin making popcorn and cotton candy, people come from all over to see acrobats and elephants and clowns and jugglers and tight rope walkers. After a few days, or maybe even a week of the circus, the people leave, the grounds get cleaned up, the animals and performers rest and prepare for the next town, and the tent gets put away. Memories linger but only for a short while and the circus becomes a magical thing of the past.
To constrast, construction on the St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City began under Pope Julius II in 1506 and was completed in 1626 under Pope Urban VIII. If you do the math, that's 120 years of building. The people who started building never even got the chance to see the finished structure. And now, the St. Peter's Basilica is still standing today and is regarding as one of the most impressive feats of architecture in history.
Why tell you about the circus and the St. Peter's Basilica? Glad you asked. This month has been a month of spring break groups. They bring numbers. They bring energy. They bring a burst of willingness to serve and do whatever needs to be done. If 2nd Mile Ministries existed solely on the backs of short-term missions trips to the Brentwood neighborhood, it would be ineffective. The Spring break groups, much like a circus, come with much anticipation of doing a lot in a short amount of time. The vision of this ministry is that of the construction of a much larger and stronger result, like that of a cathedral. The Spring break groups do get many things done because of their numbers and man power (woman power included), but they are just contributing as a part of this grander vision of changing the lives of everyone in this community. Change ultimately happens because the Lord's hand is directing and changing hearts. He has so graciously allowed sinners like myself to be a part of His bigger plan. Being here for one week looks a lot different from being here for an entire summer. This year-long internship looks a lot different from my first summer-internship. And finally, I'm sure living in this community for many many years looks so much different than this year-long internship. Whether someone has contributed by hammering a few nails and mowing some yards, or contributed by living in the community for years and building relationships with the locals, they all contribute to the larger vision.
This is just one neighborhood in a world of hurt, pain, and suffering. Thank you for taking time to read these blogs and for the prayers. Whether you see it or not, you have contributed in some way to the advancement of God's kingdom in Jacksonville. Please continue to pray, please continue to read, and if you are able, come visit sometime. The people here aren't dangerous or scary. I think there is just a general fear in this country of people that are different and we don't interact with as much. I'm not saying everybody, and I'm not even saying a majority, but we need to stop judging people of the opposite race, of the opposite political party, of the opposite gender, of a different age, of a different social standing. Relocate where you live if you can. Change your routine if you will. Ask the Lord for guidance in the decisions you make, not just because they are acceptable to the world, but because they are acceptable to God. Read Galatians 1:10 and ask yourself if you are serving the Lord.
The large Spring break group of 31 last week from Tampa was a lot of fun and very social and outgoing with eachother. I even got to play some soccer (leg got scraped up), some late night basketball (knees scraped, feet blistered), and some disc golf with many of the group. They were very helpful at the various after-school programs, the schools, and with street cleanup. A new group of 38 from Kent State in Ohio arrived last night and are here to help with the building!! (The building that we plan to grow into for the after-school program in years to come). I look forward to a week with rest from our two:fiftytwo kids (they have spring break) and to a week where I get to sweat and flex my muscles and do some manual labor of love for this megihborhood. Please pray for our strength and that God would use our weak human selves to add bricks to a long-lasting structure that will hopefully transform this neighborhood decades in the future with the fragrance of Christ.
Here's an article about how fear and injustice can play itself out when two groups are isolated from eachother.
http://news.yahoo.com/family-florida-boy-killed-neighborhood-watch-seeks-arrest-044537742.html
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