Rewind, Pt. 1

I’m very tempted to just post a video of me explaining the past couple months but I think there’s something to diving back into what’s taken place lately, not to mention having some written documentation of what’s transpired.  I’m sure I’ll forget some things & leave some things out, intentionally & unintentionally.

Not really sure of where to start but I guess where I left off works.  I spent all of one evening at my home before returning to my nomadic ways again.  My good friend (& insanely talented) friend Blake was incredibly generous to me & offered up his guest bed to me for 2 weeks.  For me it was good to not be isolated but at the same time have some stillness & quiet to begin processing & readjust back to life here.

Another friend Christi lent me her car while she was traveling around with the Daraja Choir for the 410 Bridge.  I was so blown away that someone would let me use their car for a month!  It was a huge help & I need to publicly thank Christi & Blake for how much they blessed me & served me.  It all has been a continuation of the community we should be experiencing with one another.

At the same time, what I experienced showed me that I have to grow so much in my understanding of community & even more in showing that community to others.  All of the places I visited enforced this idea of community into me, but none so strongly as Cornerstone church in Simi Valley, CA.

My time there just opened my eyes to Americans really loving one another, sometimes in tough ways.  This means doing what we don’t want to sometimes & also having tough conversations, something the Church in the West is not known for, “speaking truth in love”.  I’ve never really seen it done well in my experiences.  The leaders at Cornerstone are some of the best I’ve known & they exemplify what leadership is.  They serve, sacrifice & lead so well, & spoke into my life in massive ways, spoken & unspoken.

Just the blessings of being able to watch their lives, see how they interact with their families, how they process through & view ministry, etc. showed me something to strive after.  It was a beautiful glimpse of the Church I believe we are called to be & the kind of examples of leadership we’re called to, those of us in leadership.

Either way, part of my community is being in fellowship with God & He provided in such astounding & unexpected ways.  I’ll dive into my first couple of weeks back next time & reveal some of those provisions.

Oh, & btw, tonight, I’m going to see U2 (with Muse as the opening act).  Yes.

My Bad

I feel like a shamed dog when he knows he’s done something wrong as I type this.  I’ve struggled for a while now with the idea of continuing this blog now that my trip is over.  Partly b/c I’ve needed to process through so much while so much has been going on in my life since I came back home to Atlanta.

A couple of my friends have encouraged me & rebuked me for not sticking with it; and while I don’t have any delusions that I’m adding so much by posting, I do think the power of testimony is huge & can spur each other on & affect us.

That said, I’m going to attempt to try this thing again. I won’t promise regular posts, but can hope to adequately relay the work of God I’ve been seeing in & around me for the past couple months.  God, I even cringe at thinking about doing this sometimes b/c I think it won’t amount to anything, but I could be horribly wrong.  I hope I am.

If any of what I share hits you, let me or other readers on here know, b/c together we have an incredible story to share about our God.  The next couple weeks will catch up on what’s been happening with me since I’ve been back & relaying what’s currently happening, so please bear with me.

Lastly, today is my big sister’s birthday (pictured below) & I want to publicly tell her  ”Happy Birthday Jenn!!  I love you!”

Jenn & Dale

I haven’t used this platform to officially let people know that my sister is engaged!!!  I’m so happy for the both of them.  They asked me to take a couple pics for their “Save the Date”.  Here’s one:

Atlanta Union Mission

I friend of mine, Joshua Harrelson recently started working at Atlanta Union Mission as their Community Relations manager & is already doing some great things in his first 3 weeks on the job.  AUM is an incredible ministry with a goal to eradicate homelessness in Atlanta in very strategic & effective ways.  It’s a Christian ministry that brings Christ’s healing power to any person in crisis through programs of rescue and recovery. The Mission serves as many as 1,070 men, women and children every day of the year with emergency shelter, residential recovery and transitional housing.  They do an amazing job of humanizing the people rather than defining them by their circumstance.

There is so much to tell, but those of you in Atlanta I encourage you to just go check it out.  They have a great need for volunteers, financial donations, & many other needs.

Here some info about the ministry:

“Atlanta Union Mission provides residential recovery and transitional housing programs to as many as 716 men, women and women with children.

The residential recovery program offers a six to 12-month Christian curriculum with individual and group counseling, life skills training, work therapy and spiritual guidance.

The 18-month transitional housing program continues the healing process. Clients live in a supportive, drug-free environment while working or pursuing further education as they transition to independent living.”

Chan Clan

I was asked to take some pictures for a birthday party during my time in Simi Valley, CA.  The Chans were throwing a birthday party for a woman who has been living with the Chans for the past few months.  She had previously been living in a shelter with her newborn infant & 3 other children before moving in with Francis, Lisa, their 4 children & the 2 girls living with them, Rochelle & Susan.  If you’re counting, that’s 13 people under 1 roof!

Every time I would go the their house I was so happy.  This home is filled with joy & the love of God.  You soak up watching how everyone in this house lives & the birthday party was a prime example.  I thought, “When was the last time this woman had a party thrown for her?”  You could see how affected she was & all it took was ordering some food, baking a cake, a getting a candy-filled piñata.  The Chans have loved this family & sacrificed to put them up, in order to show them the love of God & fulfill the call to care for others.  This is Gospel living folks, & everyone in their family profoundly impacted me.  They are so much fun to be around, they love well, & they are a model for others to the life we’re all called to live.

I can’t show you all the pics, but I’ll share this one.  It’s 3 of the 4 Chan kids with Susan while they were hitting the piñata.  Her & Rochelle are like daughters to Francis & Lisa & the kids call them their sister.  It is a beautiful family & I’m blessed to know each of them. Being with these kids was some of the best times I had while I was in California.  Please keep the Chans & the family living with them in your prayers.

Fla Update

Nathan Gallentine- www.ngallentine.wordpress.com

Aaron Coury- www.aaroncoury.wordpress.com

Matt Swaney

I wish you all knew this guy so you could see the life him & his wife live, but you’ll just have to take my word for it.  Matt has been on staff with Cornerstone Community Church for the past year & leaves in a few weeks from Simi Valley to go down to Long Beach, CA to start a church plant.  Matt & his wife Laurel will be living in a 5 bedroom house & have invited a number of people to come live with their family & share lives & possessions with one another.  Their hope is to train up people who would make their lives about the mission of the Gospel of Christ & them strategically place them in different areas around Long Beach to be “in” their communities, sharing their lives & hope with others.  This is the missional communities I referred to earlier on the blog.

I’ve seen the way Matt & his family live up close & I’m amazed at it.  He is the guy who lent me his car for the duration of my time in California.  I went down to Long Beach with Matt one night on a whim & came back the next morning & I have to say I fell in love with the city.  It’s buzzing with life & there are NO churches there doing what Matt & his wife are hoping to accomplish.  I saw him come alive while we were there & could feel his heart for this city & it was contagious.  Please pray for Matt, Laurel, their kids & the people who join them in this church planting.  Even if it’s right now after you read this, they could use our prayers.  Matt is really stepping out in faith, leaving a paid salary to find a job in the city so he can build relationships with unbelievers in order to engage them in the Gospel.  I’m blessed to know these people & excited for what is in store.

Momma I’m coming home. Sort of.

So this trip is finally done.  After too many changes & detours to recount, in 5 different countries, meeting countless people who have impacted me, I’m returning back to the South.  But before I go home, I’m meeting up with my family in Florida while they’re vacationing for the next week.

I’ve been really slacking on keeping this thing updated, but it’s been so much stirring in the past couple weeks & every time I have the time to sit down here I don’t feel like I have my thoughts gathered enough to convey anything.  This week will give me the time to begin the task of processing.  There have been some incredible possibilities that have come from my time away that would not have there had I not trusted the Lord enough to step out & step away.  I know that is nothing in me on my own but God who works in me that leads me to where I find myself now.

I’ll be updating this during the week & catching you up on the past couple weeks here in L.A.  For now, I can’t say what the step is.  Nor can I really talk about what could come of this trip, but I know just as I have been asking God in these past 4 months to reveal the next step, I need to continue to lean hard into trusting that it will come as it needs to.

For now, I’m going to enjoy getting to see most of my family & really soak in their company.  I’m gonna sleep, eat, read on the beach, play guitar & eat.

I’d ask for those of you praying that you would join with me to ask God what’s next & where I can be used most.  For now, I know I’ll be in Atlanta.  For how long?  Unsure as of now.

Immediate needs are a place to live temporarily & work.  Trusting that the Lord, Jehovah Jireh, will provide.

Thanks to all who have been tracking with me on this journey.  It has meant so much to have your support & prayers & I am indebted to you for it.  This is not over yet, so please continue to stay with me for now.

This is where it gets interesting.

God bless. Peace.

MV

Don’t bother reading this, but…

Go here to this blog instead.  My friend Aaron is an incredible guy & a very good friends.  He leaves for China with Youth With A Mission for a month. The day he leaves the country is the day I come back to the east coast (Florida!).  

Aaron, wish I could be there to send you off but myself & loads of others are praying for you, believing in you & so proud of what you’re doing.

Request

Not for me, for my friend Nathan.  Go to his latest blog here & you’ll know why.  Huge opportunity for him & his team in Turkey right now.  This is where we intercede!