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One Life, One Mission

MAY 2013 VOL. 1 ISSUE 1

Running with Purpose

Once upon a time in high school, I was sharing with a principal the extra-curricular activities in which I participated. He promptly corrected me, saying that those were co-curricular, not extra-curricular. He said that extra things get cut due to budgeting issues, but these activities were essential to the education of a young person. I loved my sports and clubs dearly, but not even I considered them essential. I wanted to share a revelation with you, so that you understand why these things actually are essential to youth, and how they factor into my current work and mission. Maybe you can draw a parallel between the group of Jesus closest followers, the Twelve Disciples, and other types of interest groups. But on a more basic level, we all need to fit in somewhere. In the fall, our recreation director told the kids that if they wanted to start a club, they needed to find at least 10 interested people and a staff sponsor. One of the residents closest to me asked if I would sponsor her track team. As someone who has recently found enjoyment in running, I thought why not? The track team has continued to grow in popularity on campus and we have achieved much in the past few months. In February, we took seven kids to run their first 5K, which they all completed in less than thirtyfive minutes. In March, we took five others, which resulted in one boy winning his first medal, silver. (Continued on page 3)

What is a Missionary?
Lets make it easy. A missionary shares God. But how, you may ask. I strive to meet people in the same way God meets us: with love, acceptance, and grace. Spread the gospel; use words when necessary. This is a true model of mission, and I guarantee that it manifests itself in millions of ways. I am one life, one mission, and this is how it looks to me.

Dont you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. -1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (NLT)

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Being With vs. Doing For

Lesson 1

While Im here at Murphy-Harpst to teach and be a mentor for these children, Im amazed by the multitudes of lessons I learn from them daily. In the past five years, I have spent extensive amounts of time learning about being with people who are on the margins and part of at-risk communities. In theory, I understood what they were saying. I understood it enough that I used the model to preach my very first chapel service at Murphy-Harpst. I wanted the children to understand that my purpose here was not to fix them or their problems but to be a presence in the community and struggle with them. It sounds so idealistic, but who wouldve known that the following day, God would use one of the children in that service to teach me what being with actually looks like.

Many have proposed the being with model, but I found a very helpful explanation in a book by Marcia Owen and Sam Wells, entitled Living Without Enemies. Being present in the midst of violence is easier said than done as I learned during the following interaction.

The first day of school had been good, for the most part, and everyone filed back into the cottage for quiet time before dinner. It was obvious that *Danielle had not had such a great day and was dealing with the frustration by listening to some music. She marched right into isolation, attempting to calm herself. But the pain of the news that her mom was losing her parental rights was more pain than she could bear. As staff tried to comfort her, she became aggressive, returning to a method of coping that she has been eager to change since she arrived at Murphy-Harpst.

love of those around her and be blessed by Your presence. The pain didnt subside, and the screaming in agony only paused for a moment, but in that moment, I felt Gods presence. I felt her pain, and felt present with her, but most importantly I felt God present with me, and I knew He was present with her.

God was with her, with me, and I finally understood the power of presence.
In First Corinthians, Paul writes: If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Sometimes, we cant heal the wounds, and we cant find the words to say, but we can be present. As members of the Body of Christ, we are called to suffer together and be with when its not happy. God is present in our times of suffering and even when it cant be happy, God makes it beautiful (Living Without Enemies).

As a bystander, uncertain of my role, I sat down, out of her sight, and began praying: Lord, wrap your arms around her. Help her find peace and rest in you. Let her feel the

Where is God?
Why did God let this happen?

One of the realities Ive been faced with serving a population of abused children is the limitation of our middle-class suburb Gospel. Im not saying the Gospel is false, but for too long, we have been interpreting the Gospel so that it fits our lives and makes each of us feel a little better about our situation. My biggest challenge since arriving has been to mediate how Everything happens for a reason, but our loving God doesnt wish evil upon us. Its very easy to look at someone elses situation and say there is a divine plan behind the pain, but its much harder to see Gods plan when a childs innocence is ripped away before he or she learns to speak. I have been blessed by the knowledge gained in college, in Sunday School classes, and from fantastic books. Thanks to Asbury UMC in Durham, I experienced Adam Hamilton for the first time and found answers to some of these tough questions that I had no answer. I think everyone dealing with the questions about Gods presence in the midst of pain should read Pastor Hamiltons book Why?. It gave me insight I had never considered. We all rejoice in the free will that God gifted us, but sometimes we forget that God gave that gift to everyone with no stipulations. God doesnt take away ones free will, because its not used for Gods good and perfect will. If that were the case, no one would have free will. We discuss this topic frequently, as we try to understand why God allows evil in the world. Many of these children believe in evil, because they have experienced it firsthand. As Gods children, it is our duty to show them love and grace, so that they can experience God firsthand and come to believe in the power and redemption of the one Sovereign God.

Running with Purpose (continued) In addition to the health benefits and fun we have during practice, there is a necessary element for this co-curricular activity. One of the worries for our kids after they have completed treatment is their return to a similar environment. Whatever troubles a child found that led him or her to Murphy-Harpst is still waiting when he or she returns. In order to promote the success of treatment, we need to alter lifestyles and find positive activities to replace the negative activities. When I arrived, I viewed recreation as a reward program for the kids, not a part of the treatment, but now I see it much more clearly. The girl who started the track team returned home recently, and I was so blessed to receive a phone call, updating me on how shes doing. She made the high school track team, and her coach was so impressed that she could already run three miles! Shes currently a long-distance runner, but she has the potential to be a sprinter. Her new source of enjoyment is positive, and shes found a place that she fits in. I can only hope that we could continue this type of success with the others.

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. -Matthew 25:40 (NLT)

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Jerrica Becker 740 Fletcher St Cedartown, GA 30125