Hawkeye

There is a ton of excitement about the movie The Avengers.  I got a chance to see it and it was a ton of fun.  You may think this sad, but one of the biggest things I got out of the movie was a passing quote not five minutes into the movie.  Hawkeye is introduced as a man of moral character, sitting high up and watching.  As he comes down from his perch, he is asked why he was up so high.  "I see better from far away."  A short sentence, probably just a quote to describe his hawk-likeness.  For some reason, I dwelled on that statement for awhile during the movie.  Normally, things get blurry the farther away you get.  There's even a point when an object can be too close to your eyeballs that it gets too difficult to focus.

Working at the after school program and volunteering at North Shore Elementary all year, being there day after day, I admit that sometimes I get lost in it all and my purpose gets out of focus.  I think too small, mostly no further than that day, much less that particular moment of tutoring or disciplining or instructing.  I can too easily lose track of the whole reason for this ministry and my whole purpose, as a Christian, in life.  If you read my blog from March 18th titled Not A Circus, you might recall that 2nd Mile Ministries is going for the cathedral approach in restoring and developing the people in this Brentwood community brick by brick by brick.  This cathedral may take decades to build and focusing on the big picture, or seeing the vision from a distance, will, in a sense, make each moment we interact with the kids and people in the community a little clearer.

Last week Monday, I returned from a conference in Atlanta after missing three days of two:fiftytwo.  It was a cool feeling to be missed by the kids.  They seemed to be behaving extra nice that day (may or may not have had anything to do with my return).  While I was absent the week before, Diallo (whose job is to set up whatever recreation equipment I ask him to) got the chance to pick the games all by himself, a job he enjoyed so much.  Even this small "promotion" is just a glimpse of the kind of leadership development we want the community to take ownership of.  Next week, I hope to share with you the basic premise of the book When Helping Hurts which is a very important read for those who are interested in "helping" the poor.  I will probably miss Diallo the most this summer as I go to Wisconsin to find the support team God's preparing.  At the beginning of the school year, he was still doing addition by counting on his fingers, he could barely read multi-syllabic words, and he often showed no respect.  Now, he multiplies decimals and fractions, can almost read at his grade-level (he's in 4th grade), and he is the biggest stickler to the rules and structure of the program.  He even started to read the Bible during reading time on his own, something I would've never done at his age.  God is working through us but on his agenda.  There are now a handful of kids that read the Bible just for fun.  For fun!!  Kids!!  Who am I to tell them that its too hard for them to read and understand?  I pray for discernment in when I should step in and when I should just back off and let God do His thing.

If I get the opportunity to meet with you this summer, I hope that I can communicate clearly the big picture.  Wisconsin, in national terms, is far away from Jacksonville geographically as well as culturally.  I hope I will be able to see more clearly the vision God has called 2nd Mile Ministries to pursue.  The first year of the after school program, I hope, will be only the first of many many years of fruitful relationships between families and neighbors.  Please pray that in years to come, when a stranger enters Brentwood, they would just sense God's glory through the people and the way people welcome and love their neighbors because Jesus Christ first loved them.  Only Jesus can change people, not me.  I'm blessed to be someone God, by His grace alone, chooses to use.  This is my last blog typed in Jacksonville.  I will be back in Badger-land Thursday night around 11:30pm.  I'm excited to go home but also sad to be leaving.  It is very important to these kids (and me) that I come back and continue to build these relationships so that the kids can have a little consistancy in lives that, so often in poverty, are marked with so many surprises and changes beyond their control.

I'm near-sighted.  I've worn glasses since 3rd grade, contacts since sophomore year of college.  I'm choosing to be far-sighted.  Can you see what I see?