Pearl's Before Mine: November/December 2022

No frosty grass, no falling white, but plenty of lights, anticipation, and joy have filled these past couple months in Jacksonville, Florida. We've experienced moments of generosity, wonders, and inexplicable joy and I'd like to share a few of them with you.

As We Gather Program - This virtual program for seniors meets a few times each week and does activities together to combat loneliness and a lack of technological knowledge. Occasionally, they will go on field trips. In November, a group of about a dozen members came to our nutritional garden and were given a demonstration on healthy eating (a chef made oatmeal with fruits and low sugar), a nurse came and talked about how to reduce risk of strokes, and a demonstration of some simple tai chi exercises helped target the physical, mental, and emotional health that sometimes gets neglected in our lives. There was much enthusiasm at how simple the recipe was, how accessible the tai chi movements were, regardless of ability or mobility, and the general beauty of God's creation in the garden. Members were given different bags of seeds to take home and start their own tiny gardens if they wanted. I've learned and experienced just how healing it can be to the hustle and bustle of life to just stop. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Exhale slowly. Taking in mindfulness of the moment, and pushing out the stress and worries of life and letting God carry it. He's strong enough.

Outdoor Family Movie Night - This was perhaps my favorite event of the year, but not just because of what it was, but because of how it came to be. A few months prior to this event, a class from JU (Jacksonville University) came to 2nd Mile to hear our Director talk about poverty, making a difference, showing up in communities like ours. After the talk, a student (Blake) and I got to talking. He was clearly enthused by this talk and even bought one of our 2nd Mile t-shirts. He said he worked at Texas Roadhouse and said they sometimes sponsor different kind of fundraisers or events. He gave me his card and little did I know at the time, but he got a call to provide hot chocolate and snacks (pretzels) to the movie night. Texas Roadhouse, thank you.

One of the pastors in our neighborhood works at Zaxby's (a chicken fast food restaurant for you non-southerners) and they've been generous with 2nd Mile in the past with meals, sports equipment, etc. They offered to provide chicken meals to everyone who came out to the movie night. They also provided some much coveted sweat tea. And sidenote, just a few days ago, the pastor contacted us and said they were coming to provide presents for the kids again and their team came decked out in Christmas gear and delivered their generosity with big smiles. Zaxby's, thank you. For the movie night, another local church donated two boxes of Christmas lights for the event to give it a little more flair. The Ville Church, thank you.

We had about 45 people show up to watch Home Alone (most we've had), and they sat and enjoyed the hot chocolate, pretzels, three types of popcorn, candy canes, sweat tea, and chicken meals. Thankfully, it stayed relatively warm in the upper 50s. When the movie was over, we had some good conversations with members of the community about ways they'd like to see the neighborhood improved and fun events they'd like to be a part of in the future. Having a loving and tangible presence in the neighborhood is something that 2nd Mile has been about since the beginning in 2003 and listening to the neighborhood is a huge part of this effectively. I'd assume that having a loving tangible presence in anyone's life would include a lot of listening and serving as well.

North Pearl Baptist Street Church - I've heard it said in a sermon that sometimes true humility is hard to find because it won't be easily seen, unless you look for it. Or, once you become aware of your own humility, it sneaks into becoming pride. 4003 N Pearl St. has been the location of 2nd Mile's programs since Summer Day Camp 2010. Thank you Jamison for attended their church services that summer to convince them to trust us with their building. The church members there are on the older side, lots of wisdom, experience, and love emanate from their members. I remember when they used to come together on Wednesday nights for Bible study, and not open in a circle of prayer, but in a circle of song, singing an old school hymn in three part harmony. When the members see me, they always asked about my wife, and now my son. They cooked their famous-in-my-mind ribs and collared greens for our wedding rehearsal dinner. They've held clothing drives, community fish fries, and they sure know how to bless people with anything extra they may have. You can truly see how they put God and others first in their service and I wanted to take time right now to just acknowledge their importance, not only in my own life, but in the life of the community. They recently had their annual fish fry (after a couple years hiatus) and the neighborhood showed up. I so appreciate their trust in having us use their building throughout the week for the past 12 years and hopefully many more. They are a great representation for the word, humility. Their church truly feels like a second home to me, the place filled with memories of kids passing through, coming back. Although I don't know exactly what heaven will be like, but sometimes I imagine that these "mansions" in John 14 that are being prepared for us by God will incorporate different pieces of meaningful places from our lives, except so much more perfect and meaningful.

Anyways, I hope God blesses you this Christmas with family and friends. It's been a joy to celebrate Advent each night with my little family and anticipate God's active part in reaching out to us through his son Jesus being born on the earth. See the lights, and be reminded of the light of the world lighting up the darkness (John 1:5). See the star on top of the tree, and be reminded of the star that was followed to that manger. When you open your gifts, be reminded of the love of the giver more so than the actual gift. Cherish any memories you can make. Cement them into your hearts and minds. If you're alone these holidays, extend a hand to someone and let them know you're thinking about them. As I type this, I have some cozy jazzy cheesy Christmas piano music on, so it feels very right to say this. Merry Christmas, God bless you, and may he fill your next few weeks with joy, warm hearts, and peace.