All giggling and galavanting aside...
It's time to get serious.
A few of the crew, including myself, were sitting in the living room of the mission house. We had been sitting there for a good while. We get the knock on the door, and it is our mission director Stan, coming in to review the past week.
We all dialogue for a little, and Stan interjects, "Hey did you guys know there is a shootout going on."
I question, "Where?"
"Outside," Stan replies nonchalantly.
"With Guns," I ask.
"Real Ones," Stan says.
Literally right after this diatribe, I hear the rattle of gun fire after gun fire. The moment turns so surreal. Stan slowly goes into the facts of urban ministry. He lays down the do's and don'ts of this tough journey. He tells what the summer will hold for the kids in the hood. These are the kids I will be trying to influence this summer.
Guys, it really crushes me. This is no movie for me. This is now, my reality. I don't fear for my safety. I don't fear for the safety of the house. I fear for the lost lives of the kids. I fear that one day I will be working with some young men, and then the next day one or two of them won't come back alive. I fear that some kids will be caught in the struggle between the good of the church and the evil of the hood. I fear for the young girls who feel, that the values of their lives is set on the sex they can give. I fear for the little ones, who are birthed into this environment, and will not know how to get out of it. I fear for the adults, who I know want their world to dramatically change, but do not know how to go about it.
Please pray for the hearts of the lost. Please pray...
Be Relentless,
Peace
Remoy
A few of the crew, including myself, were sitting in the living room of the mission house. We had been sitting there for a good while. We get the knock on the door, and it is our mission director Stan, coming in to review the past week.
We all dialogue for a little, and Stan interjects, "Hey did you guys know there is a shootout going on."
I question, "Where?"
"Outside," Stan replies nonchalantly.
"With Guns," I ask.
"Real Ones," Stan says.
Literally right after this diatribe, I hear the rattle of gun fire after gun fire. The moment turns so surreal. Stan slowly goes into the facts of urban ministry. He lays down the do's and don'ts of this tough journey. He tells what the summer will hold for the kids in the hood. These are the kids I will be trying to influence this summer.
Guys, it really crushes me. This is no movie for me. This is now, my reality. I don't fear for my safety. I don't fear for the safety of the house. I fear for the lost lives of the kids. I fear that one day I will be working with some young men, and then the next day one or two of them won't come back alive. I fear that some kids will be caught in the struggle between the good of the church and the evil of the hood. I fear for the young girls who feel, that the values of their lives is set on the sex they can give. I fear for the little ones, who are birthed into this environment, and will not know how to get out of it. I fear for the adults, who I know want their world to dramatically change, but do not know how to go about it.
Please pray for the hearts of the lost. Please pray...
Be Relentless,
Peace
Remoy