saving grace

This is Donkey. And I won't lie... he's my favorite.

This is Jessie. And today we helped him obtain his very first ID.

This is TeShayla, Donkey, Rob and Zee. Wednesday night is the highlight of my week as all the little ones come and eat pizza, sing songs, and generally make my heart melt.

Today was such a breath of fresh air after the last few days of constant going and going... and going. The man who I helped apply for disability has 9 children. Today I spent the morning with his youngest son Jessie tracking down all sorts of paperwork and forms for him to be able to apply to a job corp in MS. Jessie has no ID, no SS card, and only obtained his birth certificate last week after we helped him fill out the forms and mail them to Wisconsin where he was born. I have never been so grateful for my mom and dad having kept all our essentials in a safe place. 

These basic necessities that we use so frequently are often lost, never kept, or misplaced in the homes of the children we work with. Things change frequently -- like address, phone number, location... and life seems to be a constant toss up. So today was somewhat of a rat race tracking down his information from the social security office, then the high school he dropped out of, then the dmv, and so on and so forth. But his precious smile made it all worthwhile as he was practically giddy about his new, and only, ID.

I keep smiling at the precious children the Lord is allowing me to minister to because they make everything seem worthwhile. What is not to love about those little faces and bright smiles with gold-capped teeth? I can't think of a thing.

Social Work Day

Although this internship is not always "social work" focused, yesterday was like a lesson in all the things I've learned the last four years. It was overwhelming to be honest.

There's a gentlemen who has grown up at Calvary and lived in the inner city of Jackson his whole life. He is 56 years old and has had quite a life. He has 9 children, his wife left their family years ago for crack and prostitution, and he stuck around. His family life is crazy- children in prison, others on the street, some who stick around for money or help. He cannot read or write, he was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer in 2010, and his life has been falling apart for years. But in the midst of this, he is absolutely precious and has a heart of gold. He smiles and laughs, loves to come sit and share stories, and just listening to him can brighten my day.

However, because of his cancer, he can't do much work. I had the privilege of working with him to set up an appointment at the social security office and help him apply for disability. But yesterday I was saddened at the weight of his struggle and his look of defeat. As we sat down with the SS Employee, I could instantly tell this would be a struggle. She was hardened, had the attitude like she had seen plenty of folks cheat the system, and how would she know that this man was any different? As politely, yet determinedly as possible, we began to explain his situation and advocate his need for disability.

She listened, but barely. She spoke harsh words and asked questions loaded with doubt. I watched this sweet man start to feel defeat, with tears in his eyes, his spirit sunk. I started praying eagerly for the Lord to first strengthen him, but to soften her. I asked for God's blessing on the situation, to give us the words to say and give this employee the desire to listen. Afterall, she would set the pace for the process and advocate for his application once we left.

Eventually, she came around, thanks to the Lord. I watched her start to actually listen, to soften, to speak more kindly to him. He began to share truthfully his feelings and his situation, and I think she began to see the pressing need on his life -- the pain he experiences daily was clearly conveyed. At the end of our time, we were not denied, but the process was sent on through the forms stage which could lead to a potential hearing, and with the right advocates and many many prayers, he could receive disability in the next 60-90 days.

What hit me so hard in the middle of this was just how broken our system is and how hard it makes advocating for those who deserve and need help. The ones who take advantage create walls for the ones in pain to climb, even though they've been climbing through hoops already. It's devastating to see the humanity of the system and know there is not much to do for change other than persist prayerfully that some light would be shed on how to offer hope and help efficiently and effectively.

My little social work world was blown yesterday. But I couldn't help but thinking the Lord had put me in that situation for a reason. I went with this man and was able to see the world through his eyes for just a minute, and it broke my heart. But that's the exact place the Lord can begin to move and change us if we let him!

all the small things

This is Tamaya. As I rode the church bus around downtown Jackson to the different communities before Wednesday church, this little sweetheart hopped on at one of the apartment complexes. She kind of stole my heart as soon as she sat next to me. Throughout the night little moments like this made me smile over and over, and I was encouraged that I get to love on her all semester.

The first thing I've noticed in working with HIS Heart, an urban ministry in the heart of downtown Jackson, is the closeness of the poverty to where I am located. In actuality, it takes 16 minutes to get to Calvary Baptist from the home I'm staying in. But the irony is, Calvary is on the same street I am living in currently. If I turn right out of my driveway and go straight for ten miles, Calvary is there, in the midst of all this poverty, on the left side of the road.

It struck me the first day I planned the route how direct the path from my little safety net to the poorest of inner city living was, and how I can't really pretend like it doesn't exist. Straight shot into downtown, and everywhere you look is broken. My heart naturally longs to offer hope and light from the Lord when I see this type of need, and honestly as we made visits and met people this week, it was the closest thing I've seen to true need and poverty since Cape Town. I'm not naive enough to think that it only exists outside of our country, but I guess I'm selfish enough to live like that's the truth. And the Lord boldly reminded me this week why it is not right to go on living as if our neighbors aren't in just as much need and pain as those precious children I met in South Africa.

I've always said "I don't want to be a 'social worker', I just want to work in the church." But I think the Lord has already begun to show me that the work of the church is to love those in need--those who the social workers are often helping.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

I pray that the Lord uses this semester to soften my heart and blur the lines of that calling in a way--I've always separated what a social worker does from what my call to ministry looks like. But sometimes my hard lines have prevented me from seeing the extreme need right before me, and often those needs--physical, emotional, mental, etc...--must be addressed before spiritual counsel is heard. I have always recognized the need for Christ in any sort of help and healing, apart from Him we can do nothing. But as Christ almost always met physical needs, I know those are realistically a part of ministry that cannot be overlooked.

"If one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?" James 2:16

This truth hit me hard this week, and it's only the beginning!