Okay, so here is the
skinny. I have been saying I want to live in Portland, and my opportunity has
come knocking. Most would think that since I am going on a long-term mission
trip, that I would be doing some charity work, building houses, feeding the poor,
etc. That may very well be what I end up doing in Portland, God only knows!
However, my job description mentions nothing of the sort.
You might be thinking, “Why
in the world would a missions organization send students for an entire summer
into another U.S. city just to live?”
That, my friends, is a great question to ponder. Upon first hearing of the
Parachute Project I too was baffled. It seems almost counter-intuitive to allow
students to do whatever they please for an entire summer on someone else’s ticket.
Wouldn’t they just be lazy, mull around, and do practically nothing for the
Kingdom? Well, let me tell you there is a new movement or approach, if you
will, to how Christians are seeing the world. In a post-modern culture, the
church today is struggling to keep up. It is drowning in dogmatic legalism
( <-- redundant?) and is currently doing close to nothing in terms of growing the
Kingdom and making Jesus’ name known in the hearts of Americans. What a sad
thing to admit, yet a humbling thing to acknowledge. Instead of struggling in
the vortex of doing things the old-fashioned way, pockets of Jesus followers
are coming through the woodwork. These are the people who see the problem
clearly and are doing something to change it. A couple of these people are the
authors of a recent read called The Tangible Kingdom. Hugh Halter and Matt Smay
attempt to lay the problems out for everyone to see and offer ideas on how to
make a change for His name’s sake. One point emphasized heavily in the first
fifty pages is tension. This argument resonates within me:
Oftentimes, if you decide
to embrace the tension and move forward, this is your first battle. To move
forward, we can’t keep everything we’ve always had. We have to pick what to
take, what is absolutely necessary, and leave behind some things that have been
important to us. What used to provide comfort may now only take up space or be
a hindrance to getting where we need to go.
Yes, as you can tell, this
new way of living The Way is stirring tension because it often seems to go
against what we know and what the church has been about in the past. But if the
old way of doing things is working against the church, does it not make sense
to change the way we live out the gospel? Just a thought.
All this to say that
this is the new approach to life I am going to practice in Portland (well,
really from here on out). In a way, I think my appointment to this project is
going to be inconceivably more challenging than just building houses and
feeding the poor. It is abstract and there is no handbook or how-to study.
Discovering a new rhythm of life will be my “job” this summer. In fact, the
coordinators of this Portland Parachute Project say that our “mission is
simple: live missionally by building relationships and seeping into the cracks
and crevices of the culture.” Cultivating the spiritual soil and living a missional life in community.
And well there is no easy
transition to this point but I feel it must be shared. It is a huge part of the
whole process. Finances. There, I said it. And I hate bringing it up. It is a
touchy subject for many, including myself. For this part of the journey I am
relying fully on God’s provision, meaning I know I am not capable of following
through with this whole thing if I don’t trust God completely to aide me in
raising support. As I said, I hate it, but He has asked me to do this, so I
will remain faithful. Many of my family and friends know I need to raise $2350
by May 1st. If you did not know, well there you go. Not an easy task
for a college student with no current job. My trust in the Lord here is knowing
that you will all be able to support me, not only with money to go, but also
with encouragement to go and be a doer of the gospel. So what does this support
look like? Well, there are a few ways you can be involved in sending me to
Portland!
1. Buy a t-shirt!
Who doesn’t love a good cotton blend with a quirky design, inspired by yours
truly? The price is to be determined very soon. As soon as I know, you will
know.
2. Come to my grill-out party! This is also
to be determined (end of March, beginning of April?), but the idea is to have a
great time with delicious friends and lovely food. That came out wrong. There
will be delicious food and tons of fun with lovely friends. Again, I will keep
you posted.
3. Make a donation
in my name through Go Now Missions online. It is a simple three-step process on
their website. I would love for all of you to take advantage of the first
two options, but if that is not possible, or if you are just feeling extra
generous, please support me in this way.
Dear friends, I consider you
already a part of my journey to Portland. Through all of my relationships with
you I am encouraged to be a carrier AND a doer of the gospel for Jesus’ name.
Nothing would make me more joyful than to know from each of you I have your
support in this mission. You are loved and cherished by me, and most
importantly by Our Creator.
Peace and Blessinz
P.S.- You all should know
that I could never say anything without a good joke to go along.
