what do i do?

It has occurred to me that over both last summer and this one I talked very little about what I was actually doing here at Rising Hope.

So, I guess I'll share a little...

This summer we've been out a children's coordinator - which is primarily where I worked last summer - so I've been doing that again. Currently we are doing "Camp Rising Hope" which is a week long day camp for kids from our church and those we minister to. Another UM church in the area puts this program on. For the past fourteen years we've had this partnership going. From our end, we just coordinate and organize the children and take care of some transportation. But it's still great to see how much the kids - who usually wouldn't have such an opportunity - get out of it.
Today I was talking to the mother of Miguel and Stephanie while they were being picked up. I asked her how they had enjoyed their first day. She lit up when she told me how much fun her children had the day before. They'd never been to any type of camp before and coming home they were asking, "When do we get to go again? Can we go back next year?"

We also are getting ready for Vacation Bible School - like every church. We have probably forty kids signed up so far, and we'll surely get more! We average between 4 and 6 children in Sunday School each week at church - so to get so many children signed up for the program is amazing! It's a lot to put together, but it'll be great!
Speaking of Sunday School, I teach that each week, too!

Sometimes, a little lift me up is just what I need when I'm feeling stressed out with work. Well leave it to one of the characters at Rising Hope to encourage me... he said, "I like you. You're my buddy. Them kids, they like you, too. Kids are innocent. They know a good people when they see one. And they crazy about you!"

Working with the children is such a joy! But they're just a part of my job...

For the second year in a row we're having a big benefit concert for Rising Hope. Jeff Majors, a gospel/jazz artist is doing a National Tour for the Homeless, and he's doing a concert for us! It's a huge fundraiser for our church. The tickets are free with a donation of one can of food, and then we'll take a love offering at the performance to raise money. We also have a number of churches, businesses, and individuals who sponsor it. It's a chance for the community to come out and support our ministry, but it's also a chance to honor those whom we serve. The homeless and sponsors alike receive reserved seating. In the hustle and bustle of concert season, I get to be in charge of handing out tickets, contacting the sponsors, and putting together the program... it's a lot of work. But it'll be great.

One thing I love participating in at Rising Hope is the choir. It's not like any choir I've ever sung in, but we have a blast! Every Tuesday night is rehearsal, and although it makes Tuesday a 12 to 13 hour day at the church, it's well worth it. Our choir is actually opening for Jeff Majors at the concert! :)

So, that's a lot of what I'm up to. And, being the intern... And being a 20-year-old... I do a lot of errand running and copy making and random task performing. There's never a lack for something to fill my time!

My favorite part of the week is noon prayer service. I'm sure you remember me talking about it last year. Everyday at noon we hold a service. We usually have a song and a small lesson or a devotional, and then we share and pray together. I have the joy of leading this service once a week or so - usually on Fridays. This is one of the ways I really get to know our people. This is where they share their struggles and their heartaches. This is where they bring their triumphs and their praises. This is where we worship together, pray together, visit together... it's our family time.
Last Friday was humbling... I was taking prayer requests... for death in families, a young couple had a miscarriage, an older couple's health wasn't doing well, someone couldn't get the medication they needed, a nephew was lying to try to get a job, someone was injured and couldn't work, someone was dealing with depression, people are locked up or in drug situations, people are struggling with homelessness and addictions, people are searching for jobs and praying for interviews, people are seeking to be closer to God - and these were just Friday's prayers. As I'm finishing up writing these all down, one more hand raised...

"...And I'd like to say a prayer for you. You know, God's using you. I'd like to pray that you continue to allow Him to use you and work in your life..."

...these people are at Rising Hope because they need some extra support, they need a hot lunch, or some clothes on their back, food for the week, financial support, recovery from addiction, or spiritual restitution... yet in the midst of all of their problems they lift me up.

Today in prayer, I witnessed something beautiful. A recovering crack cocaine addict, who suffers from depression, mental illness and permanent damage from drug use, and who seeks restored relationships with her family members... she felt led to pray for another woman there who is still consumed in alcoholism to the point that she previously chose imprisonment over a half-way house... That prayer was powerful. It was real and heartfelt, filled with understanding and hope...

What do I do at Rising Hope?
Sure, a little office work and coordinating... a little praying and singing, too...
mostly, I get to witness God working through his people - broken though they may be - as they seek to minister to each other.

Welcomed Home

After one year away, I've been back at Rising Hope United Methodist Mission Church for a week now... it feels like I never left.
There are changes, sure. Many improvements in the church itself, new faces, old faces (that I had never encountered) resurfacing... but the mission is the same, and the love and heart of these people is the same.

Some of the friends I told you about last summer aren't around now... one has gone home to Jesus, another is incarcerated, others - well, who knows? Some are the same as always...

Remember my good friend who spent most of his time loitering on the corner drunk? You know, the one who 'gots my back?' He's still around and still drunk - but boy was he ecstatic to see me! I got to talk to him yesterday, and although his eyes were bloodshot, his speech a little slurred, and he reaked of alcohol, he shared his heart. He told me, "Now, Bekah... I don't have much. But what I have, I give you. I give you my best. I give you my love... Anybody ever mess with you? They come through me. Anybody ever try to hurt you, they come through me. You get me, Bekah? I give you my best. I give you my love." He may be a poor alcoholic... but he's a baptized believer and brother in Christ. He may not be worthy of the world's attention, but he's worthy of God's love.

Tears were brought to my eyes a handful of times this week as I was greeted again and again by old friends. Each surprised, excited look of recognition and following warm embrace was a confirmation of God's placing me here. I was told that it was great to have me back... wonderful to have me home... it's so good to see me again... "God is so awesome to bless us with you again..." It's humbling, because I know that these people are impacting me far more than I can do for them...

What can I do for the man who came here from another country with his family? He is educated, and was successful, had his own company... one day he was driving an employee and was pulled over. His employee was carrying drugs, but because he was driving the car, he was arrested, too. When he was released from prison, he had lost everything. His wife and family were gone, his house had foreclosed, his degrees stripped from him, his company no longer...

What can I do for the man with a PhD. and an M.D. who is now a homeless alcoholic? He has two broken feet. He was picked up by an ambulance twice this week because he almost died laying outside in the 100 degree weather...

What can I do for my good friend who was abused by the police? Racially profiled and suspected of using drugs, so he was unjustly arrested and beat up to the point he was hospitalized, when he was innocently out for a walk and didn't have an ounce of illegal substance on him...

I learned last summer that I can't fix their greatest physical struggles or deepest hurts, but God has called me to love them. That's what we do at Rising Hope, and that's why God has called me back. We accept them as they are, and help however we can... and sometimes all we can do is share the love of Jesus - yet that is the most powerful thing.

"This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:10-12