It's been awhile since we've written, three month actually. So much has happened! In May we visited Atlanta and got to work a few days with Communicycle, a bicycle co-op in Chamblee. It was a perfect fit for Jonathan and even I managed to get my hands dirty. The people are great, the community is fantastic, and the church in only one visit already felt like a new home.
After careful consideration we have decided to make the move. We will be working with people on the northeast side of Atlanta in an area called Chamblee. There is a huge influx of immigrants, many being refugees. This felt comforting since we have been working with refugees here in San Antonio. After being torn between living in the same comfort we are used to and living among the people, we have decided to move in to the neighborhood we are serving and fully embrace all the good and hard times with them.
Our move date is July 30th, we will arrive August 1st. We don't have any definite jobs yet, but great prospects. Until we can prove we have jobs we can't move into permanent housing, but I know the Lord will provide. All He asked was for us to follow and so we do with open hearts and no expectations.
We are incredibly sad to leave San Antonio, our friends and our church. We know they fully support us though and will keep up on facebook, skype, blogger and video streaming. We are thankful for the growth we experienced and the desire for missions Grace Point instilled in us.
Sharp,
Kelly
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The best place to be
It's almost been a month since the decision was made not to go to Johannesburg. Finally I can see though the fog that comes with breaking off something so big and life changing. I didn't know what to think, other than I'm not in control, God is and I trust Him with my life. Other than that I was a complete mess for a few weeks, confused and depressed. Not understanding where he wants us to be. As we were figuring out we weren't meant to be in S. Africa at this time, we got an email from Corrymeela. This is the organization in Northern Ireland we applied to two years ago and didn't get into because competition is high. They emailed us asking to reapply. So we did. We will find out this week if we are moving there. I've been trying not to get my hopes up, just in case we don't get in. We also though about moving to Atlanta, a place we'd never thought we'd live. There is a christian bike program there that Jonathan would love to help with. So we are looking at a few option and will have some sort of answer soon. So where am I now? At peace. I still know God is in control, but instead of being confused by it, i am comforted by it. He will put us where we need to be. If Northern Ireland is it, then we will go. If Atlanta is it, then we will go. If San Antonio is it, then we will stay. I'm excited that no matter where we go we will be serving him and that is the best place to be.
Kelly
Kelly
Saturday, April 3, 2010
time for a new perspective
Today we announce publicly, we will not be moving to Johannesburg. We feel God is asking us to either put it on hold or go elsewhere. We are saddened and confused, but following His will instead of forcing our own.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Squatter Camp(out)
When we came back from Johannesburg, I thought i would have this epiphany. I would know if we were meant to go to Joburg or not, but instead it was cloudy. We had too many fears and too many questions. Finally we said, well we enjoyed the work there and love the people there so it can't hurt to go. Still it wasn't that 100% feeling that i expected. But last night in our own squatter camp we created in front of Grace Point. In the cold with only canned goods in my belly, I heard God tell me "Run! Run with every fiber of your being to Joburg, forget all the fears and Go now!" It was clear as day. So we will find a way to get there and soon. Nothing will slow us down, we are chasing after God as he in turn gives us purpose for our lives and propels us further running beside Him. So with no more shuffling of feet, the new chapter in our lives begins now.
Sharp,
Kelly
Sharp,
Kelly
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
what's stopping YOU?
Responsibility lays heavy on my heart. God's justice is waiting to roll like a river through my life and the self gets in the way. I am wearing blinders on my heart, shielding me from the tremendous love that can pour through me to the people. I wonder what it is that I fear, what do I have to loose?
To take a break from my verbose ramblings, I'll say what it is in concrete terms. A few things are keeping me from dropping all that I have and giving my life fully to God for God's purpose. In order of importance, here is my confession:
1. Bicycles. As silly as it sounds, bicycles have been an important part of my life for over 15 years. I have built a lifestyle and a self-image that defines me as a cyclist. I anticipate difficulty and pain in the possibility of separating myself from this. There are a few places where we can go that I can bring a bike and use that passion, but there are also places we could be sent that would be a bad idea. For example, rolling through Joburg on my blingin $2000 bike would be A) difficult as there are few recreational riding spots and scary roads and, B) a great way to get myself shot in the head. People are armed and steal stuff in third world countries. Hell, people will shoot you for your bike if you're in the wrong place and the wrong time in San Antonio! But nothing looks more like a target on your back than being a white guy on a nice bike in a African city.
I have tried to convince myself that my passion for bikes is a gift that I can use for the Kingdom. Bicycling brings people together socially. A working bike (I am a bicycle mechanic as well) is a means of liberation for people who need to get to work several miles away. Bicycles are good for the environment (compared to cars, at least), something that is also important to me. Bicycles are fun and healthy. But looking back on my years of obsession with pedal-powered vehicles, I find that I have done very little deliberately for the Kingdom with my bike. I have been put in situations where I can form relationships that glorify God, and God will do all that God wants to with those situations, but my efforts have been pretty flimsy.
Bicycles for me are mostly about me. The most I can ask for right now is the tranquility to let go of this aspect of my life if it is asked of me. If God sees it fit that I be placed in a situation where I can make and occupation of serving the Kingdom with bicycles as a vehicle, I will humbly accept that this is a gift from God. I remember that the Lord gives and takes away. He could take away my bike, my ability to ride, my body, someone I love, or all that I have and hold dear at any moment and I would thank God for the gift of simplicity that it would bring.
2. Vegetarianism. For reasons that I will not explain in too much detail here, I have chosen a strict vegetarian lifestyle and I have held onto that for nearly ten years now. It is out of my yearning for God's justice on the Earth and love for creation and all the creatures that I have withheld my support from the industries that enslave animals for their edible and wear-able byproducts. I feel that these industries generally waste incredible amounts of land, food, water, and beauty at the cost of immeasurable suffering of animals and God's green Earth in general. I know full well that, to many cultures, my choices will seem like a bourgeois cop-out on my part from participating fully in their culture. It could shut the doors of communication and make my work difficult or impossible.
However, vegetarianism for me is sometimes a witness to my faith. Again, I often waste the opportunities that I might have to tell people about my desire to be a part of God's reconciling work with creation and instead appeal to secular environmentalism instead. My reluctance to give up this part of myself is two-fold: A) I truly believe that vegetarianism is a good way for me to continuing living and that it glorifies God and leaving it would be somehow dishonorable, and B) I do not wish to change my lifestyle as it would inconvenience me to adapt to eating dairy, eggs, and especially meat. After a a few months, let along a decade, of not eating these things, my body will feel quite a shock as it tries to cope with digesting such strange things. I don't know how long or difficult this would be, but I know it will be unpleasant. The first reason is, I feel, noble. The latter is admittedly selfish.
3. Leaving behind stuff, friends, pets. Two years ago, Kelly and I experienced the traumatic loss of a pet. I still bear the burden of a sense of responsibility for this, although I know rationally that it was not my fault. I do not want to burden anyone with my animals (a dog and a cat), and I do not want a repeat of what happened in 2007.
Then there is all our stuff. I would like to do the financially responsible thing and sell all that we have so that we can put the money toward our mission work. I have learned that selling your old used stuff is a lot of WORK. We could also just give it away, which will happen eventually, but I would rather find places that need our "stuff." Again, the notion of selling or giving away my bikes (I have two) is daunting. I have put a lot of time and effort into building up my bicycles just the way I like them and it pains me to let go of something that took so much passion to create.
I do not want to half-ass my service to God. I want to continue to learn and grow close to God in my will and my actions. I want to live in such a way that negates the systems of domination that are responsible for the murder of our Lord. I want to turn the world upside-down.
That is it for now. I can probably think of other things that get in the way, but I should not dwell on that. If you want to help unburden me from all my junk, please let me know. I want to be liberated from it and leave these items and concerns with someone who will be comforted by them and use them for God's glory.
-Jonathan
To take a break from my verbose ramblings, I'll say what it is in concrete terms. A few things are keeping me from dropping all that I have and giving my life fully to God for God's purpose. In order of importance, here is my confession:
1. Bicycles. As silly as it sounds, bicycles have been an important part of my life for over 15 years. I have built a lifestyle and a self-image that defines me as a cyclist. I anticipate difficulty and pain in the possibility of separating myself from this. There are a few places where we can go that I can bring a bike and use that passion, but there are also places we could be sent that would be a bad idea. For example, rolling through Joburg on my blingin $2000 bike would be A) difficult as there are few recreational riding spots and scary roads and, B) a great way to get myself shot in the head. People are armed and steal stuff in third world countries. Hell, people will shoot you for your bike if you're in the wrong place and the wrong time in San Antonio! But nothing looks more like a target on your back than being a white guy on a nice bike in a African city.
I have tried to convince myself that my passion for bikes is a gift that I can use for the Kingdom. Bicycling brings people together socially. A working bike (I am a bicycle mechanic as well) is a means of liberation for people who need to get to work several miles away. Bicycles are good for the environment (compared to cars, at least), something that is also important to me. Bicycles are fun and healthy. But looking back on my years of obsession with pedal-powered vehicles, I find that I have done very little deliberately for the Kingdom with my bike. I have been put in situations where I can form relationships that glorify God, and God will do all that God wants to with those situations, but my efforts have been pretty flimsy.
Bicycles for me are mostly about me. The most I can ask for right now is the tranquility to let go of this aspect of my life if it is asked of me. If God sees it fit that I be placed in a situation where I can make and occupation of serving the Kingdom with bicycles as a vehicle, I will humbly accept that this is a gift from God. I remember that the Lord gives and takes away. He could take away my bike, my ability to ride, my body, someone I love, or all that I have and hold dear at any moment and I would thank God for the gift of simplicity that it would bring.
2. Vegetarianism. For reasons that I will not explain in too much detail here, I have chosen a strict vegetarian lifestyle and I have held onto that for nearly ten years now. It is out of my yearning for God's justice on the Earth and love for creation and all the creatures that I have withheld my support from the industries that enslave animals for their edible and wear-able byproducts. I feel that these industries generally waste incredible amounts of land, food, water, and beauty at the cost of immeasurable suffering of animals and God's green Earth in general. I know full well that, to many cultures, my choices will seem like a bourgeois cop-out on my part from participating fully in their culture. It could shut the doors of communication and make my work difficult or impossible.
However, vegetarianism for me is sometimes a witness to my faith. Again, I often waste the opportunities that I might have to tell people about my desire to be a part of God's reconciling work with creation and instead appeal to secular environmentalism instead. My reluctance to give up this part of myself is two-fold: A) I truly believe that vegetarianism is a good way for me to continuing living and that it glorifies God and leaving it would be somehow dishonorable, and B) I do not wish to change my lifestyle as it would inconvenience me to adapt to eating dairy, eggs, and especially meat. After a a few months, let along a decade, of not eating these things, my body will feel quite a shock as it tries to cope with digesting such strange things. I don't know how long or difficult this would be, but I know it will be unpleasant. The first reason is, I feel, noble. The latter is admittedly selfish.
3. Leaving behind stuff, friends, pets. Two years ago, Kelly and I experienced the traumatic loss of a pet. I still bear the burden of a sense of responsibility for this, although I know rationally that it was not my fault. I do not want to burden anyone with my animals (a dog and a cat), and I do not want a repeat of what happened in 2007.
Then there is all our stuff. I would like to do the financially responsible thing and sell all that we have so that we can put the money toward our mission work. I have learned that selling your old used stuff is a lot of WORK. We could also just give it away, which will happen eventually, but I would rather find places that need our "stuff." Again, the notion of selling or giving away my bikes (I have two) is daunting. I have put a lot of time and effort into building up my bicycles just the way I like them and it pains me to let go of something that took so much passion to create.
I do not want to half-ass my service to God. I want to continue to learn and grow close to God in my will and my actions. I want to live in such a way that negates the systems of domination that are responsible for the murder of our Lord. I want to turn the world upside-down.
That is it for now. I can probably think of other things that get in the way, but I should not dwell on that. If you want to help unburden me from all my junk, please let me know. I want to be liberated from it and leave these items and concerns with someone who will be comforted by them and use them for God's glory.
-Jonathan
Monday, February 8, 2010
Monday, February 8
Two weeks later…
We have had enough time to begin to process all that we saw, heard, and felt in South Africa. We have shared our stories and photos with everyone who will listen and we are trying to draw conclusions about how our lives have been forever changed by this experience. We have a newfound sense of responsibility to the “least of these” in our own community, since that is where we can have the most direct effect on lives for the Kingdom of God. We are now responsible for all that we saw. We have committed to consistently visiting and feeding the homeless who gather under the Commerce Street bridge downtown on Monday nights (come join us!) We are looking into mentoring a refugee family in San Antonio to ease their transition into American culture. We are working with Ryan in Johannesburg to feed and support more children in Joe Slovo on a weekly basis. (Please contact us if you are interested in sending funds to feed children in this impoverished community.)
In the big picture of our lives, our vision of becoming missionaries has been further cemented and we are moving forward with a new sense of purpose. We long to be with God’s children, serving them in whatever way we are called. We are prayerfully seeking and waiting for further guidance to know where we will be sent. We might end up on any continent at this point, but we have it narrowed down to a few places to which we are being called. Please pray for our quest, that we would be given clear direction.
We have had enough time to begin to process all that we saw, heard, and felt in South Africa. We have shared our stories and photos with everyone who will listen and we are trying to draw conclusions about how our lives have been forever changed by this experience. We have a newfound sense of responsibility to the “least of these” in our own community, since that is where we can have the most direct effect on lives for the Kingdom of God. We are now responsible for all that we saw. We have committed to consistently visiting and feeding the homeless who gather under the Commerce Street bridge downtown on Monday nights (come join us!) We are looking into mentoring a refugee family in San Antonio to ease their transition into American culture. We are working with Ryan in Johannesburg to feed and support more children in Joe Slovo on a weekly basis. (Please contact us if you are interested in sending funds to feed children in this impoverished community.)
In the big picture of our lives, our vision of becoming missionaries has been further cemented and we are moving forward with a new sense of purpose. We long to be with God’s children, serving them in whatever way we are called. We are prayerfully seeking and waiting for further guidance to know where we will be sent. We might end up on any continent at this point, but we have it narrowed down to a few places to which we are being called. Please pray for our quest, that we would be given clear direction.
Johannesburg, Day 8
Sunday, January 24
Our last church service at Mayfair Baptist was a blast. We led part of worship in the main service, then left to help organize snacks and activities in the children’s church. There were soooo many children in that room! This Sunday was the day for children in different age groups to graduate into their next class, so there was lots of paperwork to fill out. We had our hands full the whole morning.
We ate lunch and packed for our return trip back to the States. Leaving was a terribly sorrow and we tried our best to take in all the Africa we could on our way out. We said our goodbyes to Juma, our driver, and Ryan as we paraded into the Joburg airport. The flight home was another long, sleepless (for Jonathan at least) journey through the night, but we managed to find our way back to San Antonio.
Our last church service at Mayfair Baptist was a blast. We led part of worship in the main service, then left to help organize snacks and activities in the children’s church. There were soooo many children in that room! This Sunday was the day for children in different age groups to graduate into their next class, so there was lots of paperwork to fill out. We had our hands full the whole morning.
We ate lunch and packed for our return trip back to the States. Leaving was a terribly sorrow and we tried our best to take in all the Africa we could on our way out. We said our goodbyes to Juma, our driver, and Ryan as we paraded into the Joburg airport. The flight home was another long, sleepless (for Jonathan at least) journey through the night, but we managed to find our way back to San Antonio.
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