Making an Impact

Wow, yesterday was awesome!! It was one of those days where my heart felt so filled with the Holy Spirit! It started by walking to church. Walking is something that I have really learned to enjoy more and more, especially since I've come to Texas. I like to walk while I'm talking on the phone. Keeping up with all the happenings in California takes some time so I've gotten lots of walking in! Walking is also just a great way to slow down, soak things in, and think.

Anyway, I got to church early and met some of the youth there. It was graduation Sunday so the graduating high school seniors were very involved in the service, including one of the girls giving the sermon. Really great kids! It brought back memories of high school graduation for me . . . which was 5 years ago!! Wow, that makes me feel old!!

After the service, the church provided a delicious lunch for us (as they always do, such a great ministry!) and I got to catch up with my good friend Chris (in the picture with me). Chris has been such a blessing to me. He welcomed me the first day I went to Grace church and we've been great friends ever since! We even went for a bike ride together a few weeks ago and he told me all about Galveston. Another added bonus: He's a UNL alumni and Husker fan!!


While I was walking home afterward, a woman called out to me and chased me down. She wanted money for some food. I offered to walk to KFC (that's what she wanted) with her and she agreed. What she wanted was more than just food though, she wanted money so she could play the slot machines. I learned that she was single, 38 years old, a high school dropout and jobless. This was a woman who needed more than just a meal, more than I could give her in the brief time I was going to be with her. I so badly wanted to fix everything, give her a job and show her that gambling was not going to solve her problems . . . but I couldn't. What I did give her was a meal and some words of encouragement. I told her that I believed God had us cross paths for a reason and asked her if she had anything she wanted to tell me or that I could help her with. The words that came out of her mouth were simple but so powerful: "Thank you". That's all she wanted to tell me. Did I fix all her problems? Not even close. In fact, I think she took her meal and went over to the place where she played the slots. I came to realize that it wasn't about me solving her problems. The fact is, I can't do that. That is between her and God. But I had an amazing feeling of purpose after that. I believe that is our purpose here on earth: to love one another . . . not fix what we think are others problems. I think showing her that I cared enough to buy her some food and talk to her was all I could do. I really hope she changes her ways and finds direction in her life, but that is in God's hands. God's two primary commandments are: Love God with everything you've got and love your neighbor as yourself. I think that sums up our purpose in life, whether we are in California, Texas, Bolivia, or any part of the world. People just need to be loved!!

I don't know how much of an impact I made on that woman (I invited her to come to church next Sunday but I don't know whether she will come or not), but I know she made a huge impact on me. She helped to remind me of why we're here and for that I'm so thankful!

Erik comes to Town

Sorry it's been so long since I've blogged again . . . let's just say the time has flown by. One of my closest friends, Erik Brockman, came and visited me!! We had a great time, old roommates reunited once again!! Erik quickly got introduced to the whole crew . . . the first morning Gary gave him his nickname . . . Guns (because Erik said he brought his "guns" to Texas to help do some heavy lifting). Pretty cool nickname if I may say so myself! The week was filled with a lot of hard work, but a lot of fun too! On Thursday we were treated to lunch at the Mosquito, our favorite restaurant, by the Diocese of Texas to thank our long-term, hardworking volunteers Larry and Stew. Going around the table in a clockwise direction starting at the bottom, we have: Jim, Maggie, Stew, Gary, Nikki, Allison, Carolyn, Larry, and Erik.


On Friday night we decided to go up to watch the Astros play. It happened to work out that they were playing my favorite team, the Padres!! I was quite happy as the Padres rolled to a 7-0 victory. Afterword, we saw one of the best fireworks shows I've ever seen! Minute-Maid ballpark was a nice facility and the indoor AC provided a nice break from the summer heat!


So the next day I got to lead a crew of high school choir members from Houston tearing out drywall at St. Augustine's Episcopal Church fellowship hall. What a great group of students. I really got a taste of what it takes to lead a crew all by myself. It was a completely different mentality than I'm used to but working with a great group like this made it easy!


On Sunday, Erik and I spent the whole day up in Houston with my family. We went to church with Fred and Mary and then had lunch with them. Fred taught me all about my family history. It was really interesting for me . . . I don't don't know about Erik though . . . haha, he was a good sport about it though. We had dinner with JoAnne and Bishop Andy's house. It was a great way to spend Mother's day since we couldn't be home to spend them with our mamas.

On Tuesday, Erik and I took the day off and went to Brazoria Preserve and checked out the birds and alligators (that's right, alligators!!!)

What a week we had!! Thanks to Erik for coming out to visit!!

More of what I did the week of April 26-30

St. Matthews from Austin, Texas (Longhorn territory) volunteered with us. They were a great group of people and I got to spend the first couple days working with them at the house on Avenue M 1/2 (yes, this avenue is between M and N because they had too many streets and not enough letters!) We actually finished the house this week so the Cummins family will be moving in soon! Take a look at the pictures: http://www.facebook.com/ikerelief?ref=ts#!/album.php?aid=111928&id=135769573374&ref=mf

I really got to know Jill, Susan, Dike, and Jim. They were all very caring people. They are a true testament to what Jesus said: "They will know that you are my followers by your love for one another."




And the same goes for all of the people at Grace Episcopal church (the one I've been attending on Sunday.) They cooked for all the volunteers this past Thursday!! Such nice people! The man in the black shirt is Paul, the priest.


I also got to do some little things to finish up Ms. Charlotte's house. (Mainly taping and mudding and painting a closet that hadn't been finished.) Ms. Charlotte is in the blue shirt and her new housemate is Elizabeth. I had an opportunity to talk in depth with Elizabeth and we shared our faith stories. The past few years for her have been rough. Her husband was killed in a tragic accident and she has been struggling mentally and financially. It was amazing to talk to her and hear how much she still has her faith! We prayed together and it was a really powerful experience! God bless you Elizabeth!

Learning and Growing

Hi ya'll! Sorry it's been so long since I've written on here. No news is good news sometimes I guess. The time is beginning to go by a lot faster now. I feel like I am getting settled into my routine and really enjoying my time here more and more. I like the work that I'm doing. Getting to meet some of the homeowners and see how appreciative they are for our work is very gratifying. It helps me to see the purpose behind what I'm doing. It's really about the relationships!! It's about touching people's lives in a tangible way. It's about allowing God to be real in our lives by putting into practice what the Word says. For me, just going to church isn't enough for me. I love to hear a good sermon just as much as the next person, or sing hymns, or say prayers. That is all great and I know I need that to feel restored and empowered. But I believe there is more to it than that . . . my faith has not grown solely by me just going to church and thinking about God. Rather it has grown in my day-to-day life and work where I can see God's hand at work in people caring for each other and prayers being answered. I don't believe in having blind faith and don't believe God expects us to have blind faith in Him either. God is faithful and won't just leave us hanging; we just gotta ask! "Seek and you will find." God is answering prayers every day and this is where I see God and where God is no longer just an idea but reality.

So what exactly have I've been doing the past few weeks? Well 2 weeks ago there wasn't any volunteers so I got to do some projects on my own like build a railing for Ms. Marsha's house. Sometimes I like to have my own little projects like that.


I also got to do some tool organizing in the basement. It was a challenge but I drew from my knowledge of the past two years, living with one of the best organizers I know, Cameron!! Thanks buddy!