Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places (The South Carolina slogan if you will)*

T.S. Eliot: “The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”

I’m working late-ish tonight, so I ran home for a quick break this afternoon. I made a smoothie and watched 30 minutes of an Oprah rerun, one where they discuss problems in our school system today.

South Carolina held a dubious “top” honor. Good ole S.C. has the worst high school drop-out rate in the nation, with just 54% of kids earning their diploma.

That is so telling when I think in terms of Warren Village. Here at the Village, we accept people into our program who are in the worst shape of their life. They have made mistakes. They’ve had addictions. They’ve had bad relationships. They’ve been abused. They are homeless. But, as a low-income transitional housing facility, even we don’t accept residents who lack a high school diploma or GED.

That criteria seems harsh, but we and organizations that seek to replicate our program have learned that it is one of the most deciding factors in a person’s success. We have little hope for helping a high school dropout make minimum wage, much less a living wage. Luckily, GED courses are always available and would-be residents have added incentive to achieve that high school education so they can move into our community.

Hearing the statistic about South Carolina’s education problems reminded me of Selena, a young woman I met at the Deaconess Conference in NYC. Selena is in her late twenties and resides in Mayesville, SC. At first, I think she wrote us off as having nothing in common, but we soon bonded over our shared residency and upbringing. Selena is brilliant, beautiful, articulate and a leader in her church. She is even more amazing when you learn that for two years, she and her parents were homeless and lived in their car. Selena overcame the obstacles of poverty and graduated from a South Carolina high school. Still, she never went to college, and neither did most of her peers, she said. She longs to go, and is now diligently looking for ways to fund her education.

Selena told me not to forget South Carolina. I made a note in my journal of what she told me. She said, “People like you always leave, and go make other places better. Don’t forget to make our home better.”

Perhaps at the end of all my exploring, I’ll find my way back to my home state.

*The South Dakota slogan is "Great Faces. Great Places." What a rip off.

Quote of the Day

Solidarity not Charity...


"If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us struggle together." -Lila Watson, Aboriginal Australian activist

Ryan

In the midst of enjoying my vacation with my mom, I was horrified to watch the nightly news of the violence in the Middle East. Two of my fellow young adult missionaries, Ryan and Ashley, have been stationed in the area as mission interns. Fortunately, Ashley was in Greece and not in Bethlehem, her placement site, when the bombings began. Sadly, Ryan was still in Beirut, Lebanon, where he has been serving at the World Student Christian Federation. Ryan has had a harrowing few days, literally running for his life. We praise God that he has safely made it into Turkey, but prayers are still needed for his safe return home. You can read an article about Ryan here. Please continue to pray for peace, for those still caught in the fray, and for Ryan's peace of mind following such a horrific journey. Below are excerpts from his e-mails that are so powerful and tragic:

Let me just say that this has been like a dream, well, a nightmare. I haven't slept much since Wednesday. I am, more or less, safe as I made it (barely) to Aleppo, Syria. When things calm down, I will write a longer email and share the whole story. But, basically, I made it up the coast as cities were being bombed behind me. I came here with a Muslim friend. If it weren't for him, I would still be in Lebanon, probably taking refuge in the mountain town of Bcharre…

…It took about three hours to get through the border and five hours to Aleppo. When we arrived, all the hotels were full and we spent almost three hours driving from place to place. Nobody would take us. Then, we got the only room available, a suite, for $150 a night….We turned on the news, CNN was reporting from the border station that we had crossed and there was a bombing on that road sometime after we had been there.I think all exits are closed now. US embassy still sending me emails saying they are trying to think of ways to get out American citizens, ha. Nobody can get through to them and they haven't helped us at all. Ahmad and I don't feel safe here and most Syrians severely dislike both Lebanese and Americans. I am also a target for kidnapping in this country. Everyone sticking it to us in terms of price and taking advantage of the war. Ahmad risked his life and saved mine. His family lives in a dangerous southern suburb. The apartment building in front of his has been destroyed. He is my brother now and I have to take care of him until he can go back to Lebanon. Steve wanted me to take first flight to USA but I said I can't move anywhere without Ahmad. What am I supposed to do "thanks for saving me, here's some money, good luck!" ? No way. We are going to the Turkish consulate in Aleppo tomorrow. We should be able to get him a visa there and then take a taxi, two hours,to Ankara and then another taxi, three hours, to Istanbul. I won't feel like I can breathe until we are in Turkey. Even then, the war is still with us until it stops. Ahmad's family is there, my heart is there.... I can't believe this is happening to Lebanon.

From 2nd e-mail:

i am still in aleppo. nervous, barely sleeping. ahmad and i are about to jump out of our skin. we want/need to get out of here as quick as possible. everyone is telling me to leave ahmad behind, drop him at a refugee camp or something and that i should make a run for the turkish border or take a flight out of aleppo. i can't leave him as he saved me and it would not be the right thing to do. we all took an oath when we got this job and i have to remain true to my principles and not desert a true brother at the first sign of danger….

…ahmad's family is staying in my apartment as their neighborhood has been destroyed. we can't get through. we watch the country falling apart on the news. we can't believe.sorry if this message is not as clear as my last one. i need to be sharp, prepared and i am upset at myself for not trying harder to sleep, rest, relax so that i can be at my best in every moment. i feel alert but not as fresh as i did before.please say prayers for us and for all the people involved in this conflict. again, if you know anyone who can help get ahmad a visa to the USA then PLEASE help me. he saved my life and i will stay here as long as necessary to make sure that he is safe even if it
means that i need to take some risks. my parents are willing to pay for all his expenses and vouch for him so that he wouldn't need to work. he can take classes
at the community college in my town and live with my parents until it is possible to safely return to lebanon.

Momma

Mom got to come see me in Denver this past week! I hadn't seen her since Christmas, so it was a really nice visit. I was sad to take her to the airport on Wednesday, but we had a great time and got to explore Colorado together. Here are some pics from our trip to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.

Jokes

So I guess I'm just a blogging fiend today. Maybe I've had too much caffeine. My last post reminded me of these lightbulb jokes, so I decided to post a few. I tried to pick on as many people as I could, just to be fair. Cue the laugh track please...

How many United Methodists does it take to change a light bulb?
Twenty-two: One to hold the ladder, One to climb the ladder, Ten to form a committee to evaluate the effectiveness of the old light bulb, and Ten to form a committee for a pot-luck to welcome in the new light bulb.
After all committee meetings were held, this statement was issued:
"We neither affirm nor reject the use of a lightbulb. If you have found a lightbulb helpful in your journey, that is good. If one would wish, they could submit an original poem or interpretive dance about their lightbulb, or light source, or non-dark resource, for the annual lightbulb celebration, where a variety of light bulb traditions will be explored, including long-life, incandescent, three-way, and tinted, all of which are valid paths to luminescence."

How many Episcopalians does it take to change a light bulb?
What? Change the lightbulb? My grandmother donated that lightbulb.

How many Lutherans does it take?
We read that we are to so fear and love God that we cannot by our own effort or understanding comprehend the replacement of an electromagnetic photon source. It is, rather by faith, NOT by our efforts (effected toward the failed worldly incandescence), that we truly see, and that our own works cannot fully justify us in the presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Of course, it is still dark.

How many Charismatics?
The one with his hands in the air already can change the bulb, while nine others pray against the spirit of darkness.

How many Calvinists?
None. God has predestined when the light will be on.

How many Baptists?

CHANGE??????? Well, if we must, it will take at least 15. One to change the light bulb, and three committees to approve the change and decide who brings the potato salad.

How many Southern Baptists?
One to change the bulb, and 16 million to boycott the maker of the old bulb for bringing darkness into the Church.

How many Catholics?
"Nun." They always use candles.

How many Amish?
What's a light bulb?

How many TV evangelists?
Just one. But for the message of light to continue, send in your donation today.

Thank you google, and goodnight.

Issues

I got an e-mail this morning that summarized many of the happenings at UMC Annual Conferences this year. Here are two statements that I wanted to share:

"In his opening address, Bishop Robert Schnase called on the Missouri Conference to face the reality that during the past 40 years, the population of Missouri had increased 29 percent while membership in the United Methodist Church had dropped 32 percent. A task force was commissioned to evaluate every aspect of ministry in the annual conference in the coming year with an eye to aligning mission, ministry and money. The goal is to boost worship attendance in the conference by 5,000 within six years."

"Southwest Texas adopted a bishop's initiative on new church development, designed to reverse three straight years of membership losses in a region with major population growth. The plan includes authorization for a capital fund-raising campaign for starting new congregations and ministries and revitalizing existing congregations."

Now, these quotes seem all well and good on one hand. Increasing church membership is not a bad goal in some ways. Yet, both these statements speak to my issues with the United Methodist Church as a whole. Do task forces and capital campaigns really carry out the church's mission? You know, numbers don't mean success in faith-based standards. Do we need to overanalyze everything with boards and bureaus, committees and studies to the point that we forget why we want to increase church membership in the first place?

I don't know, but here's an idea. Why don't we talk about God? Or Jesus? Or we could get downright radical and mention the Holy Spirit. And maybe, if we get some free time in between all those committee meetings, we could pray. I just wish we would focus on the unexplainable and transformative power of a relationship with our Creator more than we talked about the Church as if it were a business. The United Methodist Church is struggling in many parts of the U.S., but I really don't think acting just like non-profits and businesses is going to change that. I don't want to be extreme, but part of me feels like task forces and capital campaigns without prayer are just a bad imitations of what the world around us is doing.

I grew up in a United Methodist Church that I believe gets it right most of the time. Hey, our little church isn't perfect, but most of the members seem to act out Jesus's mission in a humble and powerful way. Since I've been serving as a UMC missionary, having more interaction with struggling conferences, dealing more with the church's General Board agencies, I see less and less reminders of why I love Methodism. The UMC does a great deal of social justice ministry with no strings attached, which I love. But if we begin severing ties with the One who calls us to those ministries, we will be no different than any other secular social service agency. Without centering ourselves on God, we will have nothing to offer anyone that the world doesn't already give.

It's a Plane! It's a Bird! It's Warren Village?!?

My cousin Bill put the Warren Village logo on his cool racecar, a.k.a. the Purple People Eater. I was looking through my pictures and realized I hadn't shared this on my blog yet, so here you go! I really have the coolest, most supportive family. Look out for O'Cain Motorsports at a track near you!

The Big Apple

Ahh, the other Village I love...

I went to New York City at the end of June for the United Methodist Deaconess Living Justice Event. Wow, that's a mouthful. Our topic for the week was Refugee and Immigration justice, so I came back with lots more facts and insights on the issue, which I'm sure I'll be posting along the way. As for Warren Village, we have lots of mission teams and youth groups this summer. It reminds me of my youth group days at Salkehatchie, which paved the way to becoming a US-2. The teens are keeping me busy with projects, and they're fantastic at fixing up the Village!

And while I'm definitely enjoying living in the present and in Denver, God has been putting some thoughts in my head about what's next. Come September, I'll have a year left at my placement, so please pray about where God will lead me then. I'm definitely still in the discernment process, but I have been seriously checking out seminaries and divinity schools...which is very scary. I still feel like writing and journalism are my callings, but God frequently tells me to do things that don't really make sense to me--so please pray!