Columbus Day

I have taken the posting of these lyrics from my dear friend Heather's blog, words that come timely as many in the US will celebrate Columbus Day on Monday. Many will also refuse to celebrate for countless reasons. I choose to use it as an opportunity to honor those we should truly be remembering on this day: Native Americans.

These are some lyrics from one of her favorite bands, show of hands

COLUMBUS DIDN’T FIND AMERICA
santa maria sailed out of the sun
warrior priests with crosses and guns
on a thousand tides and a million waves
they came carrying sickness, cattle and slaves

columbus didn’t find america
it wasn’t lost
it was always there
i won’t celebrate 500 years
of plundering wealth and scattering tears

alvarado and cortez,
amalgro, pizarro and all the rest
they raped the land and stole the sun
thieves and butchers everyone

columbus didn’t find america
it wasn’t lost
it was always there
i won’t celebrate 500 years
of plundering wealth and scattering tears

far a stretch from shore to shore
the water was clean and the air was pure
now driven from the land and living in slums
without names and without tongues

1492 columbus didn’t find america
columbus sailed the ocean blue
it wasn’t lost it was always there
now the new world sickens
and the old world grows fast
i won’t celebrate 500 years
might have been much better if the world was flat
plundering wealth and scattering tears

columbus didn’t find america
it wasn’t lost it was always there
i won’t celebrate 500 years
plundering wealth and scattering tears…

(Heather's blog can be found at http://holymischiefmanaged.wordpress.com/)

Watch the Missionary Commissioning Service!

Training is progressing and we are covering our basis as we talked about forms of communication this morning, then safe sanctuaries and theological diversity this afternoon. Over lunch, someone mentioned that we are more than half done with training, which is a bit overwhelming when we think about what that means.

Our commissioning as United Methodist Missionaries will take place in only 6 days: on Tuesday, October 13 at 7pm ET at the Marriott in Stamford, Connecticut. If you are in the area, it is an open event and we would love to have you with us!

As most of you are not in the area, I would still like to take this opportunity to invite you to watch the service. For the first time, this service will be broadcast live over the internet! I am really excited about this opportunity for so many people from so many places to watch, pray and celebrate together! To watch, you can follow this link or visit www.ummissionaries.org

This is the press release offered on the website, and has been prepared as a bulletin insert for anyone wanting to invite their congregations. This insert is available for free download on the website in either color or black and white- please feel free to use it!

The day after the service, we will make our way from this retreat center at which our training is being held and back to New York City. The three of us moving to South Africa will then have one day to wrap up packing and preparations, and will fly out on the 15th. The time is drawing near, friends!

Reflection on Matthew 4:21

Training is going great. We've discussed important topics ranging from diversity and seeking mutuality in service to discussing where our stipends will come from and how our health benefits will work. Its been a busy time from morning to night, but a productive time and one that I am grateful to be going through with my fellow Mission Interns and US-2s. They have proven to provide great company and companionship, and know that lifelong friendships are sure to bloom out of the budding relationships begun here.

Sunday we had the honor of spending the afternoon to study Missiology together. Rather than a traditional lecture, we were each given a verse (or chapter) of Scripture to study independently for about an hour and then came back to share what we learned. It was a great way to study, learn, and spend a day of Sabbath.

The verse I was assigned was Matthew 4:21. This story is a familiar one, the story in which Jesus first calls upon the men who will become his disciples to follow him. It is a story that I have seen, heard and even taught as one that offers to us a vivid example of the immediacy and lack of hesitance we should have when called upon to follow Jesus. When Jesus comes across James and John, they are doing every day tasks, and in verse 22 they "Immediately" follow his call. I was not assigned verse 22 to pray about, though, I was assigned 21. In the NRSV translation, this reads,
As they went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zeb'e-dee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zeb'e-dee, mending their nets, and he called them.

For some reason this time, a few small words jumped out at me for the first time: "and he called them." I kept repeating it, trying to figure out what it meant and why I kept repeating this phrase over and over again until I finally realized the incredible significance of those four small words I had previously thought of as unassuming. As one who has struggled with my call to ministry and mission, its hard to believe and perhaps even embarrassing to admit how many times I have passed over this, but today nothing in the whole of that chapter seemed more important. "...and he called them." I kept repeating this phrase. My meditation on this verse has stuck with me, and so I have decided to share the reflections I wrote here...

James and John were busy and had important work to do. Its not like they were sitting around, looking for something to do. Quite the opposite, really. They were hard at work, focusing on the task of mending nets, preparing for the next time they would go out looking for fish.

"...and he called them"

If James and John were working so hard with their father alongside them, it sure seems like an inconvenient time for Jesus to walk by and pull them away. Yet that didn't stop Jesus from calling upon them and interrupting their lives or from pulling them away from their father who was sitting with them, but who was not called to follow with them. Jesus knew the timing was right, and James and John, though unexpecting, were ready. They trusted that Jesus had a plan greater than any they could understand, so they followed (immediately!). I couldn't help but squirm in my chair as I read it again,

"... he called them."

God doesn't always call us at a convenient time, but God's time is the right time.

"...and he called them."

But who will take care of our families? James and John were with their father, working toward perfecting his profession so they may take over and someday care for him. Yet Jesus called them away from their family and on to something more. Our stories are often the same - I know mine is. What if when I first heard God calling, I refused the call answering in honesty, "I cannot go now, for if I do, I may well give my poor mother a heart attack! I wouldn't want to put her through the stress and anxieties of so many unknowns that I call 'adventure'!"

"...and he called them."
"...and he called me."

The reality is, if we listen, we will hear that God is calling all of us to serve in some way. As we prepare to do so, we must remember that our active acceptance and obedience to follow Christ in response to our call is not something we have completed because we have accepted that call to serve. Especially for those of us preparing to work full time in our mission sites, it will be far too easy to go forth and become comfortable in our new homes. Soon, we will again have a routine we are following, we will be going on with our daily lives in these new places. It is then that we must remember again the words spoken to us here,

"...and he called them."
"...and he called me."

We will be called upon again and again, and as we seek to more fully live out that call, we shall seek to let go of the urgency of "fixing our nets" and to leave behind us our daily work to allow ourselves to be called, to be re-directed and re-shaped and re-formed into the kinds of servants that Christ is calling us to be in the here and the now.

"...and he called them."
"...and he called me."
"...and he called YOU."

What is Christ calling you to today? What is the net that you are focusing on while Jesus is calling us to move on, to follow him? There will always be a "net" that is easy to get caught up in. Are we willing to let God untangle us from it, that we might move beyond that which is comfortable and into a realm of the unknown service yet familiar (albeit intimidating) covenant of Christ?

A New Journey Begins

Mission Intern Update!

The planned site I was to be working at in Johannesburg ended up not working out, and at the last minute (the day before I was set to fly to NYC for training - I was already almost done packing, even!), I received a phone call telling me such. It came as a huge surprise to me - and certainly not a welcome one. I was informed my site would change, but that I would remain in South Africa. Instead, I would be working with an organization called SHADE (Sojourners: Health, Advocacy, Development, Education) alongside two other Mission Interns. We would will be roommates, travel and work together. Quite a change!

That was eight days ago, and I am already feeling significantly better about this change. It has certainly taken some adjustment for while it may not seem significant, this is indeed quite a change for me to take in. I am shifting from what would have been a role on pastoral staff serving Zimbabwean Refugees in the areas of community development and pastoral care, into a role that will mostly be fulfilled through an office.

My new position will be to work for SHADE as the "Health and Spirituality Facilitator for Satellite Projects in Mozambique, Lesotho, and Namibia." Quite a title, huh? I am not quite sure exactly what this will entail, but I do know our office base will be in Cape Town through January, at which time all of SHADE's offices are moving to Johannesburg, and so we will to. I also know this position will involve some traveling, including a conference in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in November and a visit to each of the satellite projects I will be working with.

I have been simultaneously grieving the loss of the position I was so excited about in Johannesburg, and growing in excitement over the great potential this new position with SHADE holds. While this process is not yet through, I am pleased to say that the overwhelming excitement is taking over, especially as I get to know the two girls with whom I will be living and working. We're very different, and oh-so-alike, all at the same time. I think it will prove for a lot of adventures and laughs in our time as roommates, and I'm really looking forward to it!

Before we know it, our training will conclude and on the 16th, we will arrive in Cape Town (though on different flights, as I had already booked a flight to Johannesburg).

I intend to keep updating this blog throughout the next three years as a missionary, effective immediately. Perhaps there will even be further updates from training in the next few days!

Mission Placement Update

I sent this email out last week, and suppose it is past time I also update here. I was hoping to have more details to share before doing so, but I am realizing that at this rate, I may be boarding an international flight before I know much more! So here is what I do know...

It is with great joy and celebration that I write and am able to share an update today! After months of waiting, I finally have received a definitive placement through The United Methodist Church’s Mission Intern program. Following two weeks of training in September and October, I will be moving to Johannesburg, South Africa, where I will be serving at Central Methodist Church for the next year and a half. The details about what my duties will entail while serving at Central Methodist are still being worked out, but as the ministry opportunities there are so vast, I am more excited than anything to learn of the ways I will be invited to serve.

If you are reading this, it is likely that you have played a role in my life that has helped to make me who I am - Thank you! I have felt called to go and serve in the mission field for years, and today I am working out the final details of that coming to be. There are many preparations yet to be made, many changes about to be undergone, and many prayers that will continue to be needed in the years to come. As I prepare to enter into this new chapter of my life, I do so with joy and excitement, knowing that this is truly the place to which only God could have led me. The journey to this place has certainly been an adventurous one, and I hope you will join me in the adventures yet to follow.

Coming "Home"

This summer, as it turns out, flew by.

I cannot begin to describe it. I have only begun to process it. There are a few things I know for sure, a lot of questions that remain heavy in the air, and even more things that I will surely continue to learn as I process over the next weeks, months, perhaps even years. This is a pattern I have been blessed with in my life. A pattern of incredible opportunities and experiences I have seized, to return from them a changed and more whole person, yet also broken with questions unresolved, relationships I yearn to dive deeper into, lifestyles I struggle to integrate into my own upon arriving home to “normal” life. As I write this, though, I realize perhaps these things only feel like brokenness, but are rather means to wholeness, occasions to be vulnerable and grow in new and unexpected ways, opportunities to grow closer to each other and more importantly to God.

This summer I rode my bicycle 3400 miles from Long Beach, California to Cape Henlopen, Delaware in an effort to provide funds and awareness for Blood:Water Mission. Together, we partnered to provide clean water projects, sanitation education, and a health clinic to the community of Marsabit, Kenya. I do not know how to describe this journey except as an incredible feat that would absolutely not have been possible without the friendship, prayers, and faithfulness of my teammates. Yet the bike ride itself is far from what has changed me.

Do not get me wrong – this was by far the most physically challenging thing I have ever put myself up against. Yet the physical challenges were not what made me want to get off of my bike on so very many days. It was the mental battle. The mental endurance, fighting against my own thoughts, my own fears, my own stubborn struggles – that is what made this journey both incredibly difficult and remarkably rewarding.

I could say that many things I learned this summer were similar to last year, that they were great reminders of lessons learned. Truth be told, though, these were more than reminders – I learned them all over again in new and unexpected ways. I was of the generosity of people across the United States – that no matter the differences we have, we have more things in common. When we allow those commonalities to come together for good, a piece of us is shared, and I know I am more whole because of the many pieces of others that are now integrated parts of who I am.

I learned of the importance of taking time to get to know people – of really getting to know people – who we may otherwise know as strangers. There were 18 other people on this team this summer, and had it not been for the Ride:Well Tour, they would likely have remained strangers to me. They are far from that now, and as I have grown to love and care for them as family, I cannot imagine my life without them. I wonder how many people pass us by in our daily lives that this could also be true for? I hope to be more intentional about allowing strangers into my life, inviting them to play a greater role than this. This is not easy, and requires intentionality. It was not easy this summer, either (in fact, it took me most of the summer to be okay with it) – but it will be worth it.

I learned of the great joy I’ve been missing out on by not taking risks. I risked a lot to attempt this ride I was not sure I could do. We took risks to do crazy things like jump off a bridge or climb up into a giant dish at the VLA even if we were afraid of heights. We risked pieces of ourselves every time we shared with one another on the team, with those who hosted us, with the many congregations who listened to us speak and share our stories. I saw no negative results of such risks. In fact, I was even surprised and blessed by the unexpected friendships that resulted from this sharing within the team. It taught me again about how much we all need each other: even those who we think we are so very different from.

I learned the many different ways that communities here can join together to make a real difference in other communities far, far away. We forged a community of cyclists to raise money and awareness for Marsabit, Kenya. Communities all along the way joined in our efforts, and are changed because of it. We have tangible stories about churches beginning new partnerships because of their joint efforts in supporting Ride:Well and Blood:Water. We met and had lunch with a homeless community who has together raised $6000 because they believe it is of utmost importance that everyone around the world has the basic things even they do: clean water. The stories of these communities making a difference are endless, and yet their stories have only just begun.

So too is this only the beginning of a new chapter of my life. This is only the beginning of a long list of things I have begun to process in the one week since I returned to the Chicago area. It is mind-boggling for me to think that only ten days ago, we rode 140 miles into the ocean. It simultaneously feels like a lifetime away, and like we began in Long Beach just yesterday. It is both incredibly difficult to come down off of the high of joy and excitement from this epic journey, and an unbelievably rich blessing to know that the people, places, and shared experiences I miss so much will continue to be a blessing for a lifetime. I greatly miss those people who were strangers to me only 9 weeks ago, and I cannot help but to get excited when I think about the incredible paths their lives are taking.

These paths remind me of one final great thing we learned this summer. I already mentioned the power and strength a community can have when they pull together to make a difference. Yet many individuals I met this summer – including but not limited to the Ride:Well Team – served as reminders that individuals do not have to wait for a large group to make a difference. Each time a teammate spoke of what brought them on this journey, of how they understood our “typical” day, of what they are learning or how God is speaking to them through this journey, I was reminded of something more. I was reminded of how important each individual that made up our community was. Our Ride:Well community could not have had the identity we did without every single person on our team. Every individual in our community contributed to our identity, our impact, and our opportunity to bring change and new life to other communities.

This emphasized for me the importance of endurance even when we think we have nothing to offer. If we are willing and open to the Spirit working in and through us, God will bring us surprise after surprise. Just like God used Moses who thought he had nothing to give, so too can (and will) God use each of us. My hope and prayer, then, is that we will not be too quick to underestimate what we are capable of, but that we will instead, “lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Choices

Sometimes, its the "easy" days that are so incredibly difficult.

We've come nearly 1300 miles on our bikes over the last 3 weeks - that is, in 16 days of actual cycling (we've had a few days off). We've been through a lot in that time. Many of us have taken small falls, one even resulted in an ER visit and a few days off, but nothing too serious (in hindsight). We've had broken bikes, mysterious allergy problems, injuries, and sicknesses. We've been exhausted every day and grateful for those supporting us - whether from the van (Mother Falcon) or those who stop along the way to offer water or support, or the churches and communities who host us and encourage us and offer us food, hospitality, and places to stay. The long, sometimes treacherous days on the road have certainly brought us close together, and more and more each day I realize how much I need my team to make it through.

Wednesday was one of the hardest days of the tour. Our longest day yet at 111 miles, we began by climbing to the top of an 8,650-foot mountain - in 16 miles! Which meant it was one long, long, climb. In hindsight, I'd say it wasn't that bad, but I'm not sure if I'd be lying or not? Fortunately, the rest of the day did bring with it a lot of downhill (though they definitely lied when they said it was all downhill from there!), and it was great to ride with Brian for the first time and get to know him a bit better.

The fact that this was a long day is important because every thing is relative. We were excited to get up the next day and have a "short" ride - only 65 miles! The best part - it was two days in a row - today was only 70! 70 miles, by now, is an easy, short, fun and sometimes even relaxing day. See? Its important to know context, because my longest training ride before this journey was 50miles, and that was one tough (all flat) ride!

After experiencing some knee pain yesterday in the climb, I volunteered to be "sweep" today so that I would be forced to take it easy (sweep = last person riding for the day so we can all stay together, sweep carries extra tubes, tools in case of flats, etc). Fortunately, I discovered it was an absolutely PERFECT day to do so! Riding with Lisa Ralph, we took our time on this amazing route with no headwind and paced around 19-20mph to the first stop - the Texas State line! The day continued much like this, full of story-telling, question-asking, song-singing, riddle-telling great times. Really, truly, this was one of my favorite rides of the tour. It was great to ride because I wanted to ride, to enjoy the company of a friend along the way on an open (smooth) road, and to remember how much I really do like my bike, and that is party of why I signed up to do this.

Why, then, was today hard? Everything I just stated was true, so it shouldn't have been.

Unfortunately, I am guilty of thinking and analyzing. I am easily frustrated by important factors that were missing to keep the day so perfect. I found myself impatiently struggling with things beyond control of those I encountered. When 5 gallons of gatorade were spilled, for example, it was clearly not intentional, but that did not keep me from getting upset when the crew offering us support ran out of water, and had none to offer when I had run out with just over 15miles to go. Likewise, I struggled to recognize the sacrifice the support team made when they sat outside under a tree waiting for us, to encourage us a few miles out...offering ice in hopes it would melt to hydrate us. I was frustrated instead because I hadn't seen the van for 22 miles instead of the 15 I thought it would be... I could only focus on my own needs - water, food/a banana (I was hungry & cramping up!), a first aid kit for my silly finger that was bleeding all over (I cut it this morning... nothing serious, but it wouldn't stop bleeding as I continued putting pressure on it over the bike all day).

Despite the amazingness of the company that I was blessed with to make this day great, I allowed myself to be burdened by these factors working against us, which we had no control over.

This "easy" day proved to be one of the hardest yet, because I was fighting with myself. I was fighting against what I was feeling, what I was thinking, and what I wanted to be thinking and feeling. I had to fight and finish regardless of the pain, the hunger, the thirst- even the mild dehydration. I had to fight because I had to remember why I was doing this to begin with.

I'm not riding my bike because I ever dreamt of cycling across the US for fun. I'm riding because it is a tangible way I can work for awareness, seek support, and raise funds for people who don't have the liberty to make such choices. I am cycling because people in Marsibit, Kenya who are thirsty have to walk for longer than I cycled today to get water that is dirty and disease-ridden to drink. I am cycling because while I complain of cramping or sore knees or bloody fingers, they are struggling with real diseases and illnesses that they can't see a doctor for... because there are no clinics around. I am cycling because I am blessed to live a life of choice, and most of the time, if I choose to go hours without having a cold, refreshing beverage, it is a personal chioce. I am cycling because I desire for others to have that choice, too.

I hope I can remember this more, so that frustration may not overcome me, but compassion, love, purpose and intentionality will.

Recapping Ride:Well Week 1 - Part 2

Here is the second half of my promised - ridiculously long - update.

Wednesday we started sore, but I was still on a high from the previous day’s crazy adventure – though I have to admit it was a little discouraging when 15 miles in we hit a hill with a 10%grade and we’d been told it was going to be “all flat all day.” We knocked it out, though, and the rest of the day was pretty flat. Unfortunately, I paid for the previous day’s climbs, and my back wouldn’t forgive me for it. I made it through, but it was even harder than the previous day of mountains – bodies certainly can be unforgiving. I took time and care, a couple pain pills, and a good night’s rest to try and sort it out. When I woke up Thursday I still couldn’t even stand up completely straight, but I decided to give it a shot and see if I could stretch it out on the bike – there’s no shame in being in the van, I told myself, but I certainly wasn’t going to end up there without at least beginning with a strong effort in the morning.

Feeling as I did, my goal on Thursday was a mere 20 miles (or the first van stop, wherever that led me). Of course I am too stubborn for that, so I just took it easy and rode at a more mild pace for the day, and slowly but sure, we got in! It felt great to have started the day with such lack of confidence, but incredible to have fought the second day of intense heat and safely rolled into the church in Yuma, AZ. It was certainly a result of good teamwork that day – and Lyzz was our faithful leader that got us through. Couldn’t have done it without her!

Friday. Long, hot, and the team was really spread out. That made it really hard on the Mother Falcon, who was trying her best to get us shade and more water in adequate time. Breaks with the van were at 28 and 52 miles, and by the time we got half way (67miles) to the third break (78miles), I was hot, out of water, and suffering from some heat exhaustion that literally took my breath away. I had dealt with physical pain for several days previous on the trip, but this whole thing about not breathing was new to me – and scared me! So I made the decision I dreaded, and REALLY didn’t want to – we thought we had 30miles to go – so I got in the van. 5 minutes in the shade, and I felt 200% better, but since I had already confessed to having issues breathing, my teammates kind of made me make the safe decision, and I still took the ride. This was a huge disappointment, and even more so when we drove 11miles to the next water break and discovered the directions were wrong – we were then only 2 (not 17) miles from camp. I know I could have made that, but also know there were right, and better safe than sorry – heat exhaustion wasn’t something I should be taking chances with.

The coming sandstorm at the campground in Dateland, AZ made for a first for many of us R:Wers. We got all of our bikes, etc safely inside and sat outside to feel the cool wind and watch the storm roll in. It ended up missing us, but not before we were generously offered a place to stay inside by the owner of the campground. She had a lovely home, and the 5 of us girls who stayed with here were REALLY grateful for the great night’s rest we got before being up at 3am so we could leave at the first peak of dawn.

Yep, we really got up at 3am. Crazy, right? The first group of cyclists were out by 4:30am, when the sun had barely begun to rise and we could only see about 100 yards in front of us. It was cool, though (78degrees), so it was totally worth it. A smaller group of 5 of us girls – those of us who had ridden in the van at all during the week – were asked not to ride this morning, but to instead stay in the van to get shuttled the first 40miles b/c they didn’t want the group to spread out on such a long day. We weren’t excited about it, but it worked out. We finally hit the road about 6:15 and enjoyed one of the best days to ride so far. It was hot, but not nearly as hot as it had been days previous. There was an incredible gift of cloud cover on occasion, and every 20 miles or so there were actually even gas stations to stop in! Our pace was great, and by the end of the day (we got in 83 miles, those who got to start early had ridden 123), the small but mighty group of us girls were pacing around 19mph. It was a great day – so great that we were sad it ended, as we thought we were going to get in our first century ride, but (again) our directions were off, and we had 20less miles! A great surprise, but a disappointing one when we realized we would miss the extra miles we thought we would get.

Fortunately, our greeting by Desert Springs Church could not have been better – they greeted us with ice cold wet towels, cold drinks, and a crew of youth to wash and wax our filthy bikes! Everyone stayed in host homes, and the families are all incredible. By 6 my family came, and I got to spend the next 20 or so hours with them. It was a great opportunity to visit and catch up, and as always great to see the babies and how big they’re getting! Until last year, I had never made it to visit them, so it was a great blessing to get to visit for the third time in 12 months! It was a great bonus to have Lyzz join me – I love it when my worlds collide, and love that a friend on this journey has gotten a glimpse into my life outside of the Ride:Well Tour.

Sunday evening was our benefit concert at Desert Springs Church in Chandler. Sara Groves played and did an amazing job, the crowd filled the church about half way, and of course as always I cried when she sang “I saw what I saw.” Perhaps when they are more processed, I will offer further reflections on the many things going through my mind during the show. It was a big night for me with lots of thoughts running through my mind – I would have done anything to have a journal with me! I love stuff like that – when God moves us in unexpected ways in unexpected places, with unexpected people.

In hindsight, these moments are the ones that make the puzzle of life fit together so clearly, while I know that if I had planned the journey or cut the pieces myself, it would look entirely different. I am thankful for the way it is, for the way it fits, for the ways I am growing, and for this new family that is challenging and loving me in so many different ways.

All of this… and its only been one week. I can’t wait to see how the next seven unfold.