11.10.12 and 11.11.12-Deeply Thankful

In the spirit of Matthew 6:16-18, the youth I lead at Bridgewater Church of the Brethren and myself participated in a weekend to learn about Overcoming Hunger and Childhood Poverty.  As I contemplated how to begin this blog post, overwhelmed with positive emotion about what was accomplished, I just couldn’t find a good starting point.  It’s like a little child that just spent the day doing something so exciting, you know?  They just cannot stop to breathe because they are so excited and keep rambling about their perception of the excitement!  That’s how my thoughts are right now—overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude for opportunities to lead and humbled by experiences in which I can participate.  The poster beside me at Panera today said, “Grinning and Singing: gathering together as one”, and that’s what we did. The first photo is of the sunset that greeted us as we began this journey together.

I had never participated in a Fast before, so I was nervous to be participating, nevertheless, leading a group of teenagers that also had not participated in a Fast before.  The weekend was definitely awesome, but going in to it, I think there were more questions than answers, and more concern than excitement.  This was a nice reassuring moment, for myself, that the weekend wasn't really in my control.

 

Sunset over Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Virginia from Bridgewater Church of the Brethren

So our game plan was to Fast for 30 hours, beginning at 1230pm.  We met at the church at 530pm to kick-off the weekend.  We spent the evening learning about reasons why we Fast and we learned about Hunger and Poverty in our communities all around the world. Chelsea Goss, Intern at New Community Project of Harrisonburg, joined us to discuss the cause and to bring ways we can overcome these social issues. 

I challenged the youth to take their eyes of the things of this world to more successfully turn attention to Christ.  As a reminder to myself and to them, I encouraged them that fasting was not a way to get God to do what we wanted, but that Fasting changes us.  Fasting is to be done in a spirit of humility and joy.    I challenged youth to be encouraged by their weakness and their vulnerability.  Every time they were hungry?  Pray.  Everytime they felt weak and not strong?  Pray.  I challenged all of us to use those times to be in conversation with God about whatever was on our mind.

We chose to participate in a Juice Fast, meaning we could still take in calories through Juice.  We were able to take in juice, non-caffeinated, and non-carbonated beverages.  A few of us did take in the "coffee-bean juice", however, as my pastor put it.  We took frequent juice breaks and even made a fun game of drinking juice.  There was 'welcome juice' when youth and parents arrived, as well as opportunities to create smoothies and juice concoctions for everyone to share.  We even had a 'juice breakfast', consisting of OJ, and 'juice lunch', consisting of Gatorade, the next day.

With my upcoming trip to Burma, I used this weekend not only as an opportunity to lead youth and teach them about what it is that God calls us to do, but also to really dwell in the things that God is calling me to do as well.  My focus has been distracted.  My focus has been all over the place, but certainly not on the important things.  I have used the past weeks, as well as this fast, to redirect my focus.  I haven't even left for Burma, but my heart feels unsettled to the things I will see.  I'm not a stranger to poverty, homelessness, or destruction, but it still doesn't make each new encounter with it easier.  Every time I felt hunger, which surprisingly wasn't that much, I prayed for Burma.  I found myself more susceptible to weakness and lack of energy more than anything.  So, in those moments, I challenged myself to think of Burma and to take my focus off of the things of this world and redirect my attention.

This is a game my youth and I like to play.  I think they came up with a name for it, but I don't recall what it is anymore.  Someone taking a picture screams out an emotion, or an "act like this" saying.  Then the photographer captures our initial reaction of it on camera.  It allows for endless hours of fun.  This one?  "Act like a T-Rex".  We owned this one. 

One of the things we worked on during our lock-fast was sharing our reflections for the morning church services.  The youth, after spending time learning about unequal resources in our world, created and wrote the script for our morning church service.  Then they shared those reflections with the church at both services.  Still fasting.  They did so with such strength, it amazed me.  Even I slurred my words during the early service while talking about Lock-Fast and Love Feast, and somehow my words came out as "Love Fest".  God and I laughed together, as well as a few others that were really listening, and then I just carried on.


After taking our Juice Lunch, we traveled to New Community Project in Harrisonburg to complete a service project at some of their sites.  We painted one of the houses they were renovating.  Let me just tell you that this was the most difficult part of the entire weekend.  I think it was most challenging, because, at what I thought was my weakest moment-24 hours into the fast, fatigued from little sleep the night before, and gradually becoming weaker due to little sleep and food, I was challenged to find strength and push through an afternoon of service.  Vulnerable and weak, I was dedicating energy I didn't really have into a project.  I found this most humbling, because I knew that I wouldn't directly reap the benefits of this project, but I had to reach into the deepest parts of my soul and push forward.  I also had to find the strength to not only encourage myself, but to encourage the youth participating as well. 

Preparing for painting at the Stone House.

I'm really excited about the things that New Community Project Harrisonburg are accomplishing.  They are working on the Northend Greenway, a bike path, as well as a sustainable solutions center just up the street from the Little Grill.  I'm so glad that this is not just happening, but happening in my back yard.

After our service project we traveled back to the church where we prepared for Love Feast.  Based on John 13:1-7,

"Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that the time had come to leave this world to go to the Father.  Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end.  It was suppertime.  Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God.  So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron.  Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron.  When he got to Simon Peter, Peter said, "Master, YOU wash my feet?".  Jesus answered, "You don't understand now what I'm doing, but it will be clear enough to you later." 

We broke our Fast by sharing a simple meal of rice, beans, and bread.   I have never enjoyed rice and beans more so than in this moment, before I dug into my plate below.  The spirit of appreciation surrounded us.  I was so proud to see my youth so excited about food, but not just because they were hungry, but because they knew and now understood being hungry and going without.  But, what I enjoyed more?  Washing my youth's feet.  Sharing this time together as a family, just like Jesus shared with His family, was beyond humbling.  

 "Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end."

 This weekend, I said 'no' to something, in order to say 'yes' to God.  From the sermon that morning, "  While we have been asked not to eat for one day, we consider and reflect on those that cannot eat every day.  Food illustrates the brokenness of our world-fighting obesity, fighting malnourishment, those with and those without.  What are we doing to combat this brokeness?"  I have always encouraged finding a new perspective to view and always finding a new way of approaching things.  The photo of the light fixture below is the same light fixture in the above picture.  They illustrate the importance of finding new perspective.  Although the lamp fixture above is beautiful in its own way, the light wasn't on.  The fixture above doesn't catch one's eye, it doesn't make you stop and ponder.  It's there and is passed by daily without even a care.  When the light is turned on, however, there is a whole new way of seeing.  Changing only one thing, the flip of a switch, changed everything.  The fixture below, illuminated by light, fascinates; mesmerizes.  That is what this weekend did for me.  I'm not a stranger to poverty, homelessness, or destruction, but it still doesn't make each new encounter with it easier.  Being appreciative and grateful for hunger, having, consuming; those were the things that were missing; Fasting was what really illuminated hunger for me; allowing me to really connect with suffering in a new light.

Again from the sermon, "What if our eating reminds us both of God's provision and of life in a world that is not as God intends?  Saying no to injustice to say yes to a world of God's Shalom?"  

Thoughts to ponder as we approach the season of turkey, stuffing, meals aplenty, gift-giving, spending, warmth, and abundance of things.   Only in America would we be so bold to, spend a whole day sharing ways we are thankful for the things we already have, and then turn around and on the next day spend frivolously on things we do not yet have?  Have our standards of living risen so high, that we have forgotten the basics of survival?  As you approach this Thanksgiving and Christmas season, what is it that makes you so deeply thankful?