Last Sunday, some volunteers from Continuum Church helped to serve breakfast at New Life United Methodist Church. The pastor, Jennifer Castor, is a Curves member, and several months ago, she took the time to have breakfast with me and give me some very valuable information about our neighborhood.

Each Sunday, her church serves breakfast to 150+ neighbors, many of whom are currently experiencing homelessness. They start serving cereal and pastries at 6:30 a.m., and are ready to serve hot breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Each guest also has the opportunity to get a new outfit from the clothing room, and take a lunch with him or her. This is a well-oiled operation, managed beautifully by an articulate gentleman named Chuck. He made us feel very welcome and put us right to work.

It was fantastic to see volunteers from several different churches work together in the very early morning in a very un-air-conditioned kitchen to provide for our neighbors in need. The guys at the stove scrambling hundreds of eggs were from Hilltop Lutheran, the lady buttering toast was a friend of Chuck’s from the business sector, and the young teenage girls in the clothing room were from yet another congregation. Our opening prayer was lead by Brian, who was once a guest for breakfast. He has since found Jesus, employment, and housing and is back each week to serve. “New Life” indeed.

We’re serving there again this week, since they were short-handed because of the holiday weekend. I can’t think of a better reason to get up three hours early on a Sunday morning.

Thank you all for your concern and interest in the prayer walk we had on May 31. I appreciated so much hearing from so many of you who said that you were praying for us that week and with us on Saturday morning. I believe those prayers were, and will be, answered.

I’m very pleased with how it turned out. We sent 25 people along four different routes in our neighborhood. We prayed for the items in our guide, and then also prayed for other issues as they came to mind. The preceding week was very difficult for both me and Adam, which I think means that what we did on that day was very significant. We know that as we walked and asked for God to help us bring more of His Kingdom to our neighborhood, we were doing the most important work possible. As Adam said years ago, “Prayer is the first ditch effort!” (as opposed to the “last ditch”).

Everyone who participated gave great feedback on their experience, as well as providing constructive ideas on how to improve our future walks. We will definitely do this again, continuing to ask God for creativity and wisdom and new relationships.

As for my own personal fear … I made it. I admit it was a little intimidating to walk right through the intersection mentioned in the newspaper article. But I reminded myself that every gang member is also created in the image of God and that I need to see that first. And nobody else seemed to be afraid, so, as the leader, I really didn’t have the option of chickening out!

As I promised, here’s the list of the things we’ll be praying for tomorrow. I am comforted/disturbed to know that what we are doing tomorrow must be important. I didn’t sleep well last night, I felt exhausted and overwhelmed all day today, I had a monstrous headache, and now, as I’m trying to go to bed, I get a nosebleed. Weird, huh? So all that to say that I appreciate your prayers. And if you want to pray along with us tomorrow at 11 a.m. Eastern (10 a.m. Central) here’s the list …

1. Homeless People: that God will bring immediate relief, shelter, food and health care; that Christ will restore hope for the future; for wise counsel and trustworthy friendships; for physical protection; for employment, housing and restored family life
2. Teachers: that they will impart godly character in their students; for needed tools and proper facilities; wisdom in handling difficult situations; encouragement; patience
3. Families: that God will sustain good marriages; that God will bring hope and help to relationships that are strained; for single moms; for righteous father-figures
4. Prisoners and Their Families: for prisoners to be protected from violence and the forces of evil; for the gospel to be proclaimed clearly in prison; for families to be sustained, protected, provided for and honored; for released prisoners to live restored abundant lives.
5. People who are socially weak or marginalized - specifically the elderly, physically handicapped and mentally ill: for supportive relationships; for the money to pay for medications; for the comfort and friendship of the Holy Spirit to encourage them
6. Substance Abusers: that God will break every form of bondage; for physical healing of their bodies; for wise counselors to bring intervention and help; for clarity of mind; that God would frustrate the plans of drug dealers in the neighborhood
7. Unemployed People: that God will miraculously meet their needs and that they will recognize his provision; that they will find work quickly; that God will prosper businesses that contribute to his kingdom
8. Children and Youth: that they would make wise choices; for strong friendships with Christian peers; for godly mentors; for good relationships with their parents; for laughter and joy; for safe and constructive summer activities
9. Law Enforcement: for righteous wisdom, principled patience, and gentle authority; for physical and emotional protection; for good relationships with neighborhood citizens
10. Gang Members: that God will satisfy their deep desires for significance and belonging; for Christians to welcome them into God’s family; for a way out for those who want one
11. Affordable Housing: for families to be able to pay their rent or mortgage; that those who want to stay wouldn’t be forced out by new housing developments

And for those of you late sleepers, feel free to pray whenever you want, since Marta and Jill both assure me that the Lord operates outside the time-space continuum. It will still matter.

(Note: several of the prayer items above are from a church member who lives in the neighborhood, and the others are from a really great prayer guide called “Seek God for the City 2008,” published by Way Makers. Many thanks to whoever left it in the up-for-grabs pile on the break room table at Convoy of Hope! I had a feeling it would come in handy.)

Mom pointed out to me yesterday that each problem I’ve faced, related to being in Columbus, has resulted in my having something better than what I lost. That’s very true, and I don’t believe that kind of stuff happens by chance. And since I also don’t believe that my own positive thinking can cause the universe to align to bring me good things, there must be some other explanation. I hope that seeing all these events together will help to build your faith as it has mine. And I hope that you are encouraged to take hope in your current circumstances …

Renting My House - Before I even could decide to leave, I knew I would have to make provisions for my house for a year. Now, if you know me at all, you know how much I love my house. The thought of leaving it behind was hard enough, not to mention leaving it in the hands of strangers. The thought of packing it all up was daunting, but the thought of renting it furnished was frightening. However, Jill and Lucas decided that they were going to sell (turns out “rent”) their own home so that they could rent mine for a year. Having my best friends living there was a better solution that I even thought to pray for.

Part-time Job - I knew that what the amount of support I had raised would not cover all my living expenses, so I really needed a part-time job. I filled out an application at a coffee shop in our church’s neighborhood, but what I really wanted was to work at Curves. At the very first one I visited, I really hit it off with the assistant manager. I had to wait more than a week, but they finally called me for an interview. A few days later they offered the position, and I accepted. Bonus: the job pays about $2 more per hour than I had expected to make!

House Fire - On Valentine’s Day, I woke to phone call from Jill telling me that my home in Springfield had caught fire the night before. (See previous post) That was horrifying enough, and the prospect of trying to manage the reconstruction project from here was overwhelming. However, God continues to redeem this situation. Here’s the list so far:

• Jill and Luke are able to handle much of the project for me.
• The company hired to clean things up is also contracting the entire reconstruction project, so I’m only dealing with a few people (who have been wonderful).
• That company has an agreement with State Farm such that whatever they quote is what is paid. No quibbling about money.
• When the ruined flooring downstairs was pulled up, they found the original hardwood floors in brilliant condition. Yup, think I’ll take those instead.
• The entire house is being rewired and brought up to code. They are making sure every wall has an outlet. And they are getting rid of the ugly institutional fluorescent light in Stephanie’s room.
• The roof has been completely replaced. Like, they took the top off my house and put it back on. (Thank you to those of you who prayed for good weather that day!)
• I am getting a new furnace.
• AND they are going to paint color on my ceilings, which I did not have before.

It’s going to be just like my house … but nicer. And it’s supposed to be done before I’m home for the weekend in June.

Housing in Columbus - I was hoping to find a family who would rent a room, or an elderly couple who could use a companion/housekeeper. Adam and Jenna tried for months before I arrived to find something, but to no avail. Finally, Adam’s aunt and uncle graciously allowed me stay in their home while they vacationed in Florida in February. Then I went to stay with my cousins, who I had only met a couple weeks before. They invited me to stay for two weeks longer than any of us expected. At this point, I was getting desperate, and was starting to really feel discouraged. I even interviewed with a home-sharing program in Columbus, where I would live with a total stranger and either pay very high rent, or do a lot of personal care. But then, one of our generous Curves members offered to rent me the third floor of her home, which her family wasn’t using. We agreed on a one-month trial and what I felt was a very fair rent. After only a week, she told me she’d decided that we didn’t need to go for a whole month: she knew she wanted me to stay. And recently she’s told me that she doesn’t want me to pay rent because I’m helping her by watching her daughters a few times a month. AND her house is in a beautiful safe neighborhood and a five-minute walk from my Curves club.

Cell Phone - When Jill and Luke came at Easter, I picked them up at the airport. I pulled up in the crazy passenger pick-up lane and jumped out of the car to get their stuff. I thought I heard something fall, but didn’t see anything when I looked down. After we were already on the road, I realized that I didn’t have my cell phone. We went back to look for it, but it was nowhere to be found, having probably been pulverized by about 70 SUVs already. I knew I could not be here without a cell phone, and there’s no Alltel store in Columbus. So, Jill and Luke decided that, if I could buy myself out of my current contract (and I managed to), they were going to add me to their family plan. And they were going to pay the nominal monthly fee. So now I have a nicer phone (even though I lost all my numbers) and no cell phone payment.

Car - See below post. Long story short, I have an infinitely nicer car and I got an amazingly, divinely-arranged deal on it.

“We are assured and know that, God being a partner in their labor, all things work together and are fitting into a plan for good, to and for those who love God and are called according to His design and purpose.” (Romans 8:28, Amplified Bible)

I guess I really shouldn’t be surprised anymore, but I must admit that I do get a little disturbed when faced with what could be a major problem in my life (disclaimer: I realize that nothing I face is tragic compared to what is happening to others in our world, but still …) However, since I decided to move to Columbus, God has taken every crisis and resolved it better than I would have even dared to pray for. Case in point …

For several weeks now, my car has been making me nervous. I was pretty sure that it needs new tires, and there was just something not quite right about how it was driving sometimes. But then, about two weeks ago, it started slipping out of gear. While I was on the highway. Driving 65 miles per hour. Of course, I had no idea what’s going on, and immediately imagined myself careening out of control and … well … you get the idea.

So I took it a mechanic (trusted, Adam’s cousin), and they couldn’t replicate the problem. Of course, as soon as I drove the car again, it was acting up. So I drove it for another few days, and it continued to scare me. I decided that as long as I was driving less than 40 mph, I was OK, so I just tried to avoid the highways. But that’s not particularly easy to do in Columbus. Finally, after much prompting from Jill who talked me through a couple scary drives, I took it back to the mechanic again.

This time, I rode along with the technician, Jerry, and for 40 minutes there were no problems. But, finally, (and I’ve never prayed for my car to malfunction before!) as we were on our way back to the shop, it started slipping out of gear. Jerry recognized that problem, and immediately exited the highway as well. He assured me that we were safe and weren’t going to lose control of the car, but it’s very bad for (what’s left of) the engine.

Diagnosis: transmission is shot. It could be repaired, for around $1,800. Now, friends, my car has served me well, but it’s not even worth that as a trade-in. Not to mention that, as a missionary, I don’t have $1,800 burning a hole in my pocket. So after consulting with Lucas and Jack (Adam’s dad), I decided that the best course of action is to try to buy a new car and believe that God is going to provide for the monthly payments.

I continued to drive the car a few more times last week, but on Wednesday when the transmission started slipping at 25 mph, I made peace with the fact that it was time to stop driving it entirely.

I have $500 in an emergency savings account, and am expecting another $500 from those lovely “economic shot in the arm” checks. I figured that with $1,000 down payment, I could get into something that will at least get me through the rest of the year. Jack agreed to help me shop, which was fantastic because he’s so good with cars and with negotiating, and I’m thoroughly intimidated by this whole process.

This past Saturday dawned rainy and chilly, but I couldn’t really afford to wait around on this, so I got ready to head out anyway. Before I left, Adam called and told me that the church was going to take up an offering to help me pay for my car. So I could count on some additional money for the down payment. Apparently my new reaction to unexpected blessings is to start laughing, because I did. I guess that’s a natural reaction to joy and surprise. Thank you, my amazing Continuum Church family.

Jack and I literally drove all over the city of Columbus, and even a little ways outside it. Over the course of the day we visited seven different dealerships, got our feet wet, saw some really awful cars, and had some interesting encounters. The worst of which was with a very un-funny-even-though-he-thought-he-WAS-funny, high-pressure-sales British man, who tried to have me working on loan paperwork without even really asking me if I liked the car I’d driven. He basically admitted that he’d been completely untruthful with us when we arrived. Our clue to that was that he told us that a 2003 Jetta was entirely within my price range. In the end, we basically had to politely walk out the door while he was still talking to us. He even called my cell phone later in the day (shame on me for giving him the number) to tell me how we were wrong about something we’d said and if we could just tell him the “magic number” he could work with us. And he served bad tea. THAT is why I hate shopping for used cars.

Finally, at around 4 p.m., we stopped at one last spot. The whole spiel started over, with a new sales guy. We told him what we want. He told us he doesn’t have much (if anything) like that, BUT he can show us something else we might like … Except that in this case, he’s right. It was a 2002 Chevy Impala (3.8 L V6 engine, if you care). I didn’t think I would care for it, since it was the complete opposite of what I was looking for. But I was surprised by how much I liked driving it. Maybe, first, just because it actually ran as it should. But in addition I felt very safe in it, since it’s a heavier car with all sorts of safety features. And, in Jack’s words, “It rides like a Cadillac.” It really does.

I drove another car that was closer to what I was looking for, and realized that what I really wanted to drive for the next however-many-years was the Impala. Jack assured me that the engine will run for another 100,000 miles at least and finally admitted that he likes it maybe even a little better than what he’s currently driving. That was the endorsement I’d been waiting for.

It was already priced well below what we expected, but the history was totally clean. The dealer came down another $500, and gave me $700 as trade-in for the Contour, knowing full well what was wrong with it. Between those discounts and my down payment, my actual loan amount is less than the minimum I’d been planning on, even after the additional cost of tax and tags.

So, once again, crisis averted. And, not just averted. As Mom pointed out to me yesterday, each time I’ve encountered a problem, the solution has actually given me something better than what I had before. See above post that highlights all those stories. Crazy to me that this difficult year away from everything I’m used to may actually bring some of the biggest blessings …

I’m stranded.

Well, OK, so it’s really not as dramatic as all that. This morning I left Columbiana earlier than I had planned in an attempt to get back to Columbus before the big storm hit.

I was not successful. I am my mother’s daughter: I will not drive in the snow. I felt a little silly, because there were still so many people on the roads when I pulled off, but I just couldn’t do it.

So I’m comfortably settled at the Hawthorn Suites in Seville, Ohio (that’s just outside of Akron). I don’t have any responsibilities until Sunday morning (although, if the Weather Channel is right, I’m might not be dug out by then). So for now, I’m happy to be catching up on LOST, reading, napping, and maybe checking out that new movie rental feature on iTunes.

Mailing Address:
PO Box 8069
Columbus OH 43201

My e-mail and cell phone numbers haven’t changed, but it’s really not a good idea to publish those on the internet!

For those of you who have already contributed financially to my adventure with Continuum Church, you have my deepest gratitude. I literally would not be here without your generosity.

If you would like to contribute once or on a regular basis, here is the information:

By directing support through the Assemblies of God Ohio District, your gift will be tax-deductible as allowed by law.

Checks payable to The Assemblies of God - Ohio. Please include “Continuum Church Support” in the memo line.

Mail to Ohio District Council, 8405 Pulsar Place, Columbus OH 43240

Thank you so very much to everyone who has been so wonderful to me during these last several months, and especially in the last week. Despite a terrible weather forecast, I arrived safely and am getting settled. But I think that without all of your love and encouragement and support, I couldn’t have done it.

So thanks for letting me go. Thanks for praying and giving. Thanks for believing in me.

“When Joy shows up at the party, Fear has to exit by the back door.” - Rob Bell

I have a lot of fears. I’m afraid of walking anywhere at night. I’m afraid of noises in the house. I’m afraid of knocking on the doors of strangers’ homes, even if I have a good reason to be there. I’m afraid of something not working right when I’m using the self-checkout lane at the grocery store. Sometimes I’m even afraid of making phone calls. I like to follow the rules. I have no need for adventure. And getting lost by myself is horrifying. I think that basically I’m afraid of The Unknown.

But this whole transition is The Unknown. Everything is new; I have no idea what’s going to happen next. And sometimes is scares me a lot and makes me feel alone. But …

It’s the strangest sensation to be crying out of sadness, but knowing, somewhere deeper than the sadness, that it’s going to be, not just OK, but the best thing that’s ever happened to you. That is joy, and it comes from the depth of your soul, the place where you know things. And I know for certain that this is right.

So I remind myself that “perfect love drives out fear,” (1 John 4:18). And it’s Perfect Love that has led me here.