Day 3 Reflection by Pastor Jon: Growing Hope through Christ-like Service

Today was our day for service. This is a big reason we came here—not to come just to make new friends and eat beneighs (sp?) and take this experience in for ourselves, but to also give back and “empty ourselves” for others as Christ did I did not see Christ in any big way during our project today, but I did in small ways. Looking back, I myself was expecting to see Christ in big ways during our service today. We have been building to this moment since last September! But at the k-8 400 student charter school in central New Orleans where we were at today, it was the little things that needed to be done where I saw Christ most. Our small acts today were acts that planted seeds of change, seeds that we planted in hope of what God will grow in this broken and cracked pot called New Orleans.

Our overall goal was to prepare the school for their August 10th start date. Jonathan, the school’s business manager, helped to coordinate our day. Before we began, he spoke of the long school day this particular school has during the school lyear: from 7:30am-5pm every day. He said the kids in this area needed such attention in order to reach the school’s goal of every graduate going to college. Jonathan said many students’ learning was severely disrupted by hurricane Katrina, since it created huge blocks of time when students were not in school. The hurricane put 2 feet of water into the school, requiring $12 million in repairs. Our role today was to do the little things to get read for this school’s start. When that new year begins, the school will start a new year again carrying out their important mission of building up the lives of these students so they can hopefully return to become leaders for changing the climate of poverty and violence in their neighborhoods. Doing the things we did today did not seem to have a big impact: raking the wood chips in a playground area; weeding a garden; cleaning donated tricycles for kids to have fun on; cleaning desks; organizing office supplies; moving boxes… We will not get to see the impact our work had on the lives of the students, but we know that because of our work today, teachers and staff will better teach and empower their students as the new year begins. But, because we hope in Christ , because we do the service we did today in his strong name, we can walk away having hope. We can hope that the same Christ who walked with us today, who inspired us today as we used our hands in service to God, we hope that the same Christ will also walk with the these teachers and students when school reconvenes. One thing I thought about as I weeded was how having a clean and well-kept school environment can go a long way towards helping students take their task of learning and developing seriously and responsibly.

We have hope because Christ will be with the teachers and students at this school, even if we might not see that interaction happen. We have hope in Christ who will bless them and feeding them with inexhaustible mercy and who will also challenging them to strive for excellence as their gifts and skills are grown and developed for the greater good.

United's youth are exhausted tonight, and so we give thanks for some down time we will have tomorrow morning to sleep in and explore the city. We ask for your prayers as we begin to look towards the conclusion of our time here, that God would give us a a passion and a vision for what we will take with us from this gathering and serving experience.

Lord, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Good night, and peace be with you from New Orleans!

Pastor Jon