I've been working at Christian Service Mission since I got home from school. I love it! If you are in the Birmingham area and are looking for ways to help with tornado relief efforts, please check out CSM! (facebook.com/christianservicemission, christianservicemission.blogspot.com, twitter.com/csmission) You can come down to volunteer Mon-Friday from 9-2:30, and Saturdays 9-3. The address is 3600 3rd Ave S, Birmingham AL 35222. I cannot say enough good things about what God is doing here! I've seen Him provide in ways I never would have expected, change hearts that I didn't think could be moved, work miracle after miracle, and be glorified in all the work going on among these churches! I have hundreds of stories I could share, but really you just need to check it out for yourself. Also, CSM does accept donations financially, so if you are out of state and want to help, you can call (205-252-9906).
Ok, that is my plug. :)
Now, in regards to Hungary! I started a separate blog for my summer internship. If you want to keep up with what God is doing while I'm in Diosd, please check out my Hungary blog here. I'm so excited about what He is doing, how He has provided, and what He has ahead! This is my last post on Life in the Slow Lane for a while, but don't worry - I'll be back!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
I Won't Let Go
On April 27, a series of tornadoes swept across Alabama and devastated entire towns in a matter of minutes. Thousands of people lost loved ones, their homes, and their possessions. While I was at school, I had this very strange "torn" sort of feeling where some part of my mind was always with home, what was going on in Alabama, and how I could help. Mama and Roecker started working with Christian Service Mission in the first days after the storm. The day I got home, Mama called me down to CSM for the afternoon, and that is where I've spent most of my time ever since.
Driving out looking at the damage is mind blowing. I cannot begin to describe to devastation. The pictures cannot do it justice. In one area, you turn into a neighborhood and suddenly all you can see is debris, destroyed homes, smashed cars. I saw a mattress folded up and stuck on a tree, with the branches poking through the other side. I saw the few remaining boards of the frames of houses barely standing on their foundations. I saw the things that make up peoples' day-to-day lives, those little things we take for granted like toys and pictures and nick-knacks and furniture and baby blankets, all scattered across yards and streets. It takes your breath away. All I could do was stare. I close my eyes and I still see some of that devastation. And I wasn't even in the hardest hit area. Its shocking, and as we drove around the neighborhood, I was entirely speechless.
I'd already loved working at CSM, but actually witnessing some of the devastation over two weeks after the tornado gave me new energy. I am so thankful for CSM and what they do. Basically, CSM is a warehouse where people drop off supplies. Volunteers sort the items, and when an order comes in, they fill the order, load it on a volunteer's truck, and then the volunteer drives it out to the site that requested those supplies. We've emptied and refilled the warehouse over 30 times since the tornado.
On my first day at CSM, I was doing some sorting. The next day, I did some filing and then I started calling the churches and organizations we distribute to in order to see what they need for the day. I love it. I've gotten to meet so many people through this, many of whom I will never see in person. I have, oddly enough, developed relationships with a lot of the people I talk to on the phone. Pastor Wren, who I did get to meet, is so sweet, and I believe he genuinely wants to serve his community. There's David, who is pretty stick-to-the-facts. Ms. Kellie is so sweet and accommodating. Carrie genuinely wants to help people. Renee recognizes that more important even than supplies is our prayers for the people affected by the tornado. There's Sylvia, who shared how the community responded to the supplies they received, telling me how one little boy said it was better than Christmas.There are countless other people and churches who genuinely care about their community, who love them and want to serve.
CSM relied entirely upon their volunteers, and we have the best volunteers! There are many people who show up day after day. Gwen is a grandmother who decided that serving at CSM is what she needs to do, and she shows up every day. Her daughter, Kristina, comes and provides snacks and coordinates lunches for the volunteers. Noel came all last week, and when he found out I was a vegetarian, he brought me lunch! Then of course there are the drivers. Mama runs the loading dock, and I run orders out there all day, so I see those volunteers the most. There's Ms. Louise and her husband Nat, who have driven supplies all over the state! We had volunteers from New Jersey who drove all the way down with a truck load of supplies and then stayed and made deliveries for us! We've had volunteers from Michigan, South Carolina, Florida, Ohio, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Indiana, and many other states! Steve, Crystal, Cameron, Clint, Hansell...I can't name all of the wonderful volunteers because we have way to many for me to keep up with, and plus it would take pages and pages to write down all their names. They won't get recognition for doing what they do right now, but I know that someday when these people run through Heaven's Gates, all of Heaven will be applauding them for the work they have done!
Driving out looking at the damage is mind blowing. I cannot begin to describe to devastation. The pictures cannot do it justice. In one area, you turn into a neighborhood and suddenly all you can see is debris, destroyed homes, smashed cars. I saw a mattress folded up and stuck on a tree, with the branches poking through the other side. I saw the few remaining boards of the frames of houses barely standing on their foundations. I saw the things that make up peoples' day-to-day lives, those little things we take for granted like toys and pictures and nick-knacks and furniture and baby blankets, all scattered across yards and streets. It takes your breath away. All I could do was stare. I close my eyes and I still see some of that devastation. And I wasn't even in the hardest hit area. Its shocking, and as we drove around the neighborhood, I was entirely speechless.
I'd already loved working at CSM, but actually witnessing some of the devastation over two weeks after the tornado gave me new energy. I am so thankful for CSM and what they do. Basically, CSM is a warehouse where people drop off supplies. Volunteers sort the items, and when an order comes in, they fill the order, load it on a volunteer's truck, and then the volunteer drives it out to the site that requested those supplies. We've emptied and refilled the warehouse over 30 times since the tornado.
On my first day at CSM, I was doing some sorting. The next day, I did some filing and then I started calling the churches and organizations we distribute to in order to see what they need for the day. I love it. I've gotten to meet so many people through this, many of whom I will never see in person. I have, oddly enough, developed relationships with a lot of the people I talk to on the phone. Pastor Wren, who I did get to meet, is so sweet, and I believe he genuinely wants to serve his community. There's David, who is pretty stick-to-the-facts. Ms. Kellie is so sweet and accommodating. Carrie genuinely wants to help people. Renee recognizes that more important even than supplies is our prayers for the people affected by the tornado. There's Sylvia, who shared how the community responded to the supplies they received, telling me how one little boy said it was better than Christmas.There are countless other people and churches who genuinely care about their community, who love them and want to serve.
CSM relied entirely upon their volunteers, and we have the best volunteers! There are many people who show up day after day. Gwen is a grandmother who decided that serving at CSM is what she needs to do, and she shows up every day. Her daughter, Kristina, comes and provides snacks and coordinates lunches for the volunteers. Noel came all last week, and when he found out I was a vegetarian, he brought me lunch! Then of course there are the drivers. Mama runs the loading dock, and I run orders out there all day, so I see those volunteers the most. There's Ms. Louise and her husband Nat, who have driven supplies all over the state! We had volunteers from New Jersey who drove all the way down with a truck load of supplies and then stayed and made deliveries for us! We've had volunteers from Michigan, South Carolina, Florida, Ohio, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Indiana, and many other states! Steve, Crystal, Cameron, Clint, Hansell...I can't name all of the wonderful volunteers because we have way to many for me to keep up with, and plus it would take pages and pages to write down all their names. They won't get recognition for doing what they do right now, but I know that someday when these people run through Heaven's Gates, all of Heaven will be applauding them for the work they have done!
The things that go on at CSM would blow your mind. I’ve seen God’s hand orchestrating this entire mission. He gives us supplies before we know that we need it. He clears out space in order for another order to come in. I remember one day I had walked back with Mama to the freezer (it was really hot and that’s a surefire way to cool off!). We were headed back to the loading dock when in the food area we saw the volunteers gathered around the table holding hands. We jumped in the circle and the lady in charge of the area started praying. “God,” she said, “this table in front of us is empty. You know that. And You know that we have 5 orders for canned food that need to go out to these people. We ask You to fill this table again, and we thank You in advance for how You are going to provide.” I walked back a little later, and the table was full again. And that is just one story – that sort of thing happens literally constantly. I have countless stories, as do Mama and Roecker, about how God has provided exactly what we needed. CSM is truly where miracles happen every day.
It has been amazing to see the response of people. We have volunteers come in from different churches across Birmingham to help out. One girl came in, and she brought a few bags of peanut butter, jelly, and bread. “I saw on facebook that this is what y’all needed, so I stopped by Publix on my way here!” she said. And that happens all the time.
One man stopped by on his way home from work. He came in to put in an order that he could take back to Sipsey. I asked if he lived there, and he said yes. I asked if he had been affected by the tornadoes, and he said matter-of-factly, “Oh yeah. I lost everything. But I had to come out here for some work with the union, and I decided to stop by CSM to take back a load to help out my community.” He didn’t take a thing for himself, instead he wanted to help out others however he could.
I wish I could share every single story. These people are so selfless in their response. I’ve seen God work in hearts in ways that I never could have imagined. I would expect people to be discouraged and hopeless, but instead I’ve seen people set their own struggles aside to do what they can. In Pratt City, a man literally opened his home up as a distribution site. When Mama asked him how much room he had left to live in, he said, “Well, I have my bed and my bathroom. That’s really all I need.” I could go on and on about these people, the volunteers and the affected Alabamians. I cannot say enough.
But the heart of it all is truly the Gospel. The only reason we function as we do, the only way these people are stepping beyond themselves, is because they know the love that God has for them, the sacrifice Jesus made because of His great love for them, and the soul-driven need to respond in loving others. I have learned in a new way what it means to love my neighbor, as my pastor spoke about on Sunday. It is truly an experience that I wouldn't trade for the world. I'm so thankful that God has given me the opportunity to do this even for a little while!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Tomorrow
I'm home!
After suffering continual and underlying homesickness for the past week, I am finally home.
My last few days at school were wonderful. Well, the not-so-wonderful part was saying goodbye to Karen, my wonderful roommate, who I already miss like crazy, and lots of other friends. The wonderful part was hanging out with my RA friends, some of my very favorite people! On Thursday night, we had an RA banquet, and I sat with Julie, Mary Grace, Robert, Cole, SJ, Stephen, and James (I think that was everyone...). Afterwards, a bunch of us decided to swing dance in Harper Hall, the usual locale. It was really fun, and probably my last time to swing dance for a while. Then we all headed to Wendy's for frosties and fries. One car was packed full of people, and they decided that since so many people needed to pay and since it was Cinco de Mayo, they would go through the drive through five times. It was literally hilarious. The lady at the window was cracking up apparently, and on their last go-round, when they started ordering, she said, "Sorry, we are out of food." Then when they pulled up to get their food, David ran past the window and snatched the food out of the lady's hands. The people in the car burst out laughing and assured the aldy that they knew him. It was so funny. We all just laughed and ate and joked. It was great. Then Katie came and spent the night in my room! Slumber party! :) Just a taste of next year.
Friday we had to do some closing stuff, but I was with Luis, so that was great, and it was over pretty quickly. Owen, our Delta Dad, took Katie, Julie, Mary Grace, and I out to lunch, which was so fun! I love Owen. Then Katie and I hung out for a little while, went for a walk, and then went to the PAC. While we were there, we ran into Cole, Lex, and Robert. We played Knock Out (I think that's the name, its the game where you try to make the basket before the person in front of you makes it so that they are out of the game. The last one left with the basket ball wins). It was Cole's birthday that day, so we decided to go out to dinner. We called some friends and left at seven for Flat Rock. That meal was so fun. I was sitting next to SJ and accross from Robert, my cousin. Two of my favorite people. We laughed so much. And we happened to be sitting next two two birthday tables, so every time the wait staff brought out the cake, we sang to the guests! The manager said she wanted us to come every time there was a birthday! It was really funny, because we ended up singing Happy Birthday three times, since it was Cole's birthday too. Anyway, after dinner, we hung out for a little while, and then Katie came over and we had another slumber party. Haha. So fun.
Saturday was pretty quiet. I watched the Sound of Music, my all-time favorite movie, with my friend Emily. Then I just relaxed and read for the rest of the day. It was really needed and really restful.
On Sunday, we had more closing! Yay! It was actually really fun. We finished going through rooms pretty quickly. Then my job was to clean the office, which was perfect. I really enjoyed it (yes, Mama, I am your daughter). Other RAs were typing up RICs, so I grabbed my computer and started helping. We ordered in Greek food for dinner - so delicious! We finished up at about 8:30. I checked my phone and had lots of missed calls and text messages. My brother was on his way to pick me up! I hurried to go finish packing. Katie came by for a bit. Then Roecker got there and started loading the car (I had a lot of stuff). My friend Stephen came and helped, which was really nice. And then Julie, Mary Grace, and Robbie came and helped too. I really appreciated their help. Finally, we were set to go.
Roecker and I hit the road. He drove for a long way. I dozed off for a while, and then when I woke up, we were in Atlanta. Roeck asked me to drive for a bit (understandably - he had already driven the whole way to pick me up and then half of the way back!). I was rejuvenated by my nap, so we stopped and switched places, and I got us the rest of the way home. I may or may not have been speeding. Which is bad, but considering that I haven't been home since Christmas break, I couldn't really help myself. We finally got in around 2 (3 to my body). We went straight to our rooms and fell asleep. This morning, Mama came in to say goodbye before she left for work, and then Daddy came to say goodbye before he left for MS. I wish I'd been more awake and could have actually talked to him, because I haven't seen him since January 8, but well, I was still half asleep.
Now I've started unpacking, but my brother took the car that has a lot of my stuff in it. So I'm washing clothes, and I decided that blogging would be a good way to pass the time while I wait to move the clothes into the dryer!
I have lots to write about, such as Hungary and home and the fall and that sort of thing, so I'll write again soon!
After suffering continual and underlying homesickness for the past week, I am finally home.
My last few days at school were wonderful. Well, the not-so-wonderful part was saying goodbye to Karen, my wonderful roommate, who I already miss like crazy, and lots of other friends. The wonderful part was hanging out with my RA friends, some of my very favorite people! On Thursday night, we had an RA banquet, and I sat with Julie, Mary Grace, Robert, Cole, SJ, Stephen, and James (I think that was everyone...). Afterwards, a bunch of us decided to swing dance in Harper Hall, the usual locale. It was really fun, and probably my last time to swing dance for a while. Then we all headed to Wendy's for frosties and fries. One car was packed full of people, and they decided that since so many people needed to pay and since it was Cinco de Mayo, they would go through the drive through five times. It was literally hilarious. The lady at the window was cracking up apparently, and on their last go-round, when they started ordering, she said, "Sorry, we are out of food." Then when they pulled up to get their food, David ran past the window and snatched the food out of the lady's hands. The people in the car burst out laughing and assured the aldy that they knew him. It was so funny. We all just laughed and ate and joked. It was great. Then Katie came and spent the night in my room! Slumber party! :) Just a taste of next year.
Friday we had to do some closing stuff, but I was with Luis, so that was great, and it was over pretty quickly. Owen, our Delta Dad, took Katie, Julie, Mary Grace, and I out to lunch, which was so fun! I love Owen. Then Katie and I hung out for a little while, went for a walk, and then went to the PAC. While we were there, we ran into Cole, Lex, and Robert. We played Knock Out (I think that's the name, its the game where you try to make the basket before the person in front of you makes it so that they are out of the game. The last one left with the basket ball wins). It was Cole's birthday that day, so we decided to go out to dinner. We called some friends and left at seven for Flat Rock. That meal was so fun. I was sitting next to SJ and accross from Robert, my cousin. Two of my favorite people. We laughed so much. And we happened to be sitting next two two birthday tables, so every time the wait staff brought out the cake, we sang to the guests! The manager said she wanted us to come every time there was a birthday! It was really funny, because we ended up singing Happy Birthday three times, since it was Cole's birthday too. Anyway, after dinner, we hung out for a little while, and then Katie came over and we had another slumber party. Haha. So fun.
Saturday was pretty quiet. I watched the Sound of Music, my all-time favorite movie, with my friend Emily. Then I just relaxed and read for the rest of the day. It was really needed and really restful.
On Sunday, we had more closing! Yay! It was actually really fun. We finished going through rooms pretty quickly. Then my job was to clean the office, which was perfect. I really enjoyed it (yes, Mama, I am your daughter). Other RAs were typing up RICs, so I grabbed my computer and started helping. We ordered in Greek food for dinner - so delicious! We finished up at about 8:30. I checked my phone and had lots of missed calls and text messages. My brother was on his way to pick me up! I hurried to go finish packing. Katie came by for a bit. Then Roecker got there and started loading the car (I had a lot of stuff). My friend Stephen came and helped, which was really nice. And then Julie, Mary Grace, and Robbie came and helped too. I really appreciated their help. Finally, we were set to go.
Roecker and I hit the road. He drove for a long way. I dozed off for a while, and then when I woke up, we were in Atlanta. Roeck asked me to drive for a bit (understandably - he had already driven the whole way to pick me up and then half of the way back!). I was rejuvenated by my nap, so we stopped and switched places, and I got us the rest of the way home. I may or may not have been speeding. Which is bad, but considering that I haven't been home since Christmas break, I couldn't really help myself. We finally got in around 2 (3 to my body). We went straight to our rooms and fell asleep. This morning, Mama came in to say goodbye before she left for work, and then Daddy came to say goodbye before he left for MS. I wish I'd been more awake and could have actually talked to him, because I haven't seen him since January 8, but well, I was still half asleep.
Now I've started unpacking, but my brother took the car that has a lot of my stuff in it. So I'm washing clothes, and I decided that blogging would be a good way to pass the time while I wait to move the clothes into the dryer!
I have lots to write about, such as Hungary and home and the fall and that sort of thing, so I'll write again soon!
Monday, May 2, 2011
The Walk
Osama bin Laden is dead.
I have really mixed emotions. I feel asleep Sunday night praying for his family, praying for a "last minute" conversion, praying for the people of Islam all over the world, that they would know the Truth and that the Truth would set them free (this is particularly on my mind because I've taken an Islam course both semesters this year). I don't rejoice that bin Laden is dead, but what I do rejoice in is justice being done.
God Himself promises justice to His people. It is a very scriptural concept, one that we must all face. The fact that the justice bin Laden received was begun by American soldiers is, I think, justice for the families of the people killed on 9/11. All throughout the Bible, God talks about justice. He talks about bringing judgment upon sinners, justice to those who have been wounded, betrayed, killed, etc. Our God is a God of justice, His very nature requires it.
While I don't rejoice that a man died most likely not knowing the Lord, I do rejoice that justice has been done. I am proud to be an American, but I am even more proud of the God I follow. I am thankful for His justice, even as I rejoice in His mercy.
I have really mixed emotions. I feel asleep Sunday night praying for his family, praying for a "last minute" conversion, praying for the people of Islam all over the world, that they would know the Truth and that the Truth would set them free (this is particularly on my mind because I've taken an Islam course both semesters this year). I don't rejoice that bin Laden is dead, but what I do rejoice in is justice being done.
God Himself promises justice to His people. It is a very scriptural concept, one that we must all face. The fact that the justice bin Laden received was begun by American soldiers is, I think, justice for the families of the people killed on 9/11. All throughout the Bible, God talks about justice. He talks about bringing judgment upon sinners, justice to those who have been wounded, betrayed, killed, etc. Our God is a God of justice, His very nature requires it.
While I don't rejoice that a man died most likely not knowing the Lord, I do rejoice that justice has been done. I am proud to be an American, but I am even more proud of the God I follow. I am thankful for His justice, even as I rejoice in His mercy.
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