Urban Term has ended

Continued from the last entry............Above is our last class for Life of Holiness and our professor got us breakfast while we were at Balboa Park! What a treat!

What even just happened? I'm sitting in the only chair left in the Chamoune House where five others joined mutually together with me in this program called Urban term but only Cassie is here now while everyone else has left. Kids are yelling in the street, quite different from the fist fights and gun shots heard over the drowning out of the helicopter noise upon calling the police last night and still I sit trying to figure this whole thing out. We packed a lot today and within the last 24 hours tears were shed in the midst of prayers, hugging, and saying good-byes to the one's we've grown to deeply love. Living with five others in a house while six others live in a nearby house under a community that tries to mimic Acts 2 of the beginning of the Church in the new testament has been utterly draining for my mind and body. I literally don't have room for everything I should be trying to process in my head right now and honestly don't want to for much of what has been called to my attention over the last two months. Yet, I know I'd be doing a disservice to the people who educated me and a disservice to the people who's voices have been silenced, drowned out by others, or just need someone to stick up for them. So, I really feel as though it is God's will for me to try and think about things such as what the church should look like in the modern world, what true justice looks like, why isn't the church a true community as Paul and Jesus talk about in the new testament, what does a real Christian community look like, how come the church stops serving its brothers and sisters at the border because God didn't put that line there, how is there so many deaths at the border and it continues to happen as people are funneled like sheep through the most deadly places, what does it mean to gather in Christ around a meal, how come Jesus is always portrayed as floating along the ground with a halo and bright light all around him while he lived on the earth, wasn't Jesus fully human and bent down to the ground (yes that means his knees got dirty and the rocks might not of felt good as he made mud pies for another's eyes) repeatedly to serve or heal others, and there is still more. I feel like I can somewhat answer quite a few of these questions which is good but other times I can be indecisive in thinking about possible solutions God would want.

Half way through Urban Term

I decided to write this for anyone who wants to know how I'm doing but really for family first and friends as well. Anyways I started this program called Urban Term about 5 weeks ago and I'm on the half way point right now. This program can be described as amazing and completely worthwhile but at the same time extremely exhausting more so mentally and emotionally. What makes it amazing is how we came together under the thought of being a community under God living together with a purpose for serving the community of City Heights while taking an Urban Issues class, Life of Holiness class, and an internship. Living in an intentional community can be very self sacrificing if done in a way where everyone is on the same level of communication and people are comfortable with sharing especially when issues pop up which can be hard to talk about. Still, the house we have put together on Chamoune Ave in City Heights has been great honestly. Right now we are at a point where our household is in a good standing with all six people residing in it so that when issues such as inviting people over, letting the neighborhood kids come in as well, cleaning, dishes, quiet time, family time, and others which including the ones stated above have been discussed in weekly family meetings on Thursday nights. Yet, it seems we are always eating dinner on average with each other 6 nights out of the week and many of are other meals are spent around each other depending on who is home from their internships usually. Although we are more than just people living together now and rather we are friends I'd say and realize brothers and sisters under Christ as well most importantly. My housemates and I are on the bottom floor of a duplex which has two bathrooms and three rooms with a small living and dining room and a small kitchen as well. We are comprised of a married couple which share a room and one bathroom with me while I'm the only person in Urban term not sharing a room and the biggest room has a bathroom which is shared by three girls. I'm also the only single guy out of 12 in Urban term despite one other married guy (Justin) as noted above and the ten girls. So, yes there's another house which has 6 girls in it about a mile and a half away and they all share rooms. Anyways on the top of our duplex there is a large family and the kids from up there always spend time with us which is awesome but sometimes they can be one of the exhausting parts of staying involved and present with the community of City Heights. Yet, this is very important and at the end of Urban term we might throw a block party for our neighbors. Even though we have cars and funds at the tips of our fingers really between all of us we try and always stay and spend time, money, and all of our efforts in City Heights.
We've been really diving into Paul's theology in his letters to churches lately in my Life of Holiness class and have really focused on Paul's true intention with these churches which revolves around community in Christ. Trying to modernize this and see what this community should like in our modern world today has been very hard. Although lately I've been coming to a greater understanding of what the outline of a community under Christ should somewhat look like today in contrast to the society its around but I admit there is much more to learn as usual for me. One thing I've been focusing on is being intentional with the community I'm in and realize this is very important especially to the community I'm involved in currently. Being intentional I've found should take part in baring one an other's burdens as Galatians 6:2 said and caring for others in love as well. In my Urban Issues class there has been a large focus on learning about the people who don't have a voice many times in communities whether it be undocumented people in jobs who take advantage of them and pay them nothing. Also, in this class we see the inhumane conditions the poor have to work under let alone in the United States its ridiculous especially with how they treat them. We have learned about City Heights and the gentrification which is going on here as we speak. Seeing people get pushed out of City Heights since 80% of City Heights is made up of renters has been shocking. Especially, since many of these people getting pushed out are because of Price Charities, a non-profit organization! We've been learning about more as well with homeless and other things too but the things noted above makes up much of our discussions.
My internship has been with a church called United Methodist at Metro and their Bridge Builders program. For the first four weeks I've been spending much of my time at Johnson elementary with an after school program there, go figure through this church! Talk about a break through but still we have to follow the school's guidelines while in the classroom but when inviting kids to church events which happens often, can be places of introducing them to the church. Yet, I still see just about any situation including the after school one as a way of speaking and acting in Christ likeness by showing them my ways are ones which go along with Jesus' community. I'm supposed to be another adult figure in these kids lives, not a parent but another person they can get a good influence from which for these kids might not even be there since most come from incarcerated parents, a drug background, heavily influenced by gangs, and not just good circumstances overall. Except for the next four weeks I'm going to be much more involved in the office work with their social services sector of the church. I'll be helping with creating lesson plans for others in positions down the line who manage kids in the after school program. Ababa (my housemate/friend/intern alongside me at Metro) and I have been doing some great office work this week with helping our supervisor with the Bride Builders program he basically runs. We've been learning a lot with Mentors and Mentees in pairing them together and also creating flyers to reach them as well. There are even more things I'm truly excited about doing but maybe I'll mention them later or just feel free to text or call me. Anyways until next time, God bless, and look forward to giving more info to those who want it. Also, if you want me to write about a certain thing let me know and I'll probably do it when I have time (which right now is hard to find). Talk to you later. -Jeremy