Saturday, June 26

Love Modesto


So today is Love Modesto day! When I first saw signs for it, I thought it was some kind of sentimental gimmick to get people to do unrealistic recreational activities like community softball and group picnics. But that's not what it turned out to be at all! Today is a day of community participation in service projects (totally neat, right?) Several churches in the area partnered with community leaders and organizations to kick-start this soon-to-be-annual event. About 1200 people gathered at Big Valley Grace Community Church this morning for a little worship and prayer for the day before splitting into the groups they had signed up for. Habitat for Humanity, the Gospel Mission, World Vision, Second Hand Harvest Food Bank, Delta Blood Bank, and Teen Challenge Ranch were among the the organizations participating in the Love Modesto service day. My home church committed to partner with World Vision in creating relief kits for certified caregivers in Haiti. The United States gave immensely to the Haitians after the earthquake that devastated their nation. But we know all too well that once the disaster lost its hype on the news, we forgot that Haiti still was still in need. World Vision has been in Haiti for 30 years. Much of their mission now is focused on relief efforts. Today we put together 170 relief kits to be distributed to caregivers in Haiti. The drawstring bags were filled with items including latex gloves, soap, washcloths, acetaminophen, bandages, vaseline, bags of cotton balls, and personally written notes of encouragement to the recipient of the package. The items will be distributed by caregivers to others in need. Putting these kits together went so quickly and smoothly that the reps from World Vision agreed to do another event like this, but double (if not triple) the amount of supplies and bags! The kits we put together will be shipped on Monday- wah hoo!

Please continue to pray for Haiti and for the individuals and organizations that are focusing their energy and finances on this country :)

Monday, June 21

Bobby Pins

I remember when bobby pins were really uncool. When I was in elementary school, it was all about scrunchies and clips and barrettes. No bobby pins. We thought of bobby pins as being outdated and for old ladies- but I have no idea why. Being in ballet classes, I couldn't really escape using bobby pins to secure my slicked back, hairsprayed bun, and that was okay since everyone in ballet class also wore bobby pins. I guess I kind of realized that bobby pins were accepted in the ballet world. But what was awful was when my two worlds crossed- like when I saw friends from school after a dance show, or when our dance classes would do performances at other elementary schools. I was so embarrassed about having bobby pins in my hair! How strange. I also remember how weird it felt to move out of that bobby pin shunning age. For the most part, I only avoided bobby pins because they were socially "uncool," even though I knew how useful they were after having to wear them since I was 4. It was in junior high school that I began to wear bobby pins to school if I needed to. At first I was afraid, but I kind of just embraced it. And now girls of all ages wear bobby pins all the time! Bobby pins are cool now- (or at least accepted)- and they come in all different colors, designs, sizes, some even have little decorations on them like beads or flowers or rhinestones. I'm boggled by how groups develop unspoken rules about things like bobby pins.. Needless to say, I'm glad I no longer think bobby pins are uncool. I use them all the time. And if you don't believe me, you can come look at my bedroom or my dorm- there's always like 50 of them on the floor.

Saturday, June 5

He must become greater; I must become less.

Not long ago two friends and I traveled into West Modesto with a newly purchased camera and a particular interest sunsets. Eager to find the perfect setting, we drove somewhat aimlessly on the larger country roads before happening upon two stables- overgrown with weeds, disintegrating with age. Without much hesitation, we claimed the uncultivated plot for the evening and began to explore- documenting our journey with Dani's new toy- and being eaten alive by fiery red ants along the way.

It was captivating how much beauty could be held within the soggy wood planks of buildings that had seen much better days. There was yet sturdy life in the rusting, corrugated steel that roofed those boards. And as the sun-dried hills drank the light of the day, color spilled like wine across the forgotten walls of the stables; and it was as if 'admiration' had always been their purpose.

After the sun sank, and the response-time of the camera lagged in the darkness, our adventuresome hearts took over and we wandered from the stables. Not far out into the field was a well, and as my friends climbed up on it I couldn't help but stand back- in awe of their stark and brilliant black silhouettes against the expansive, radiant sky. I quickly fumbled with buttons and settings to capture this magnificent scene. Soon the three of us were conducting an extensive photo shoot where each captured snapshot was greeted with a gasp or sigh. It was almost too much to behold.

Up on the well, I could hardly help but drink in my existence. Rising above my accustomed perspective, I let my senses absorb their life. The smell of the farms- fertilizer, dirt, earth. The taste of the warm and weightless summertime air. The sight of the sunset and all it poured its light on. The grittiness of the concrete beneath my bare feet. The silence of the country.

During a moment when I was on the ground and my friends atop the structure, I looked up and there I saw it all: two people, dwarfed and darkened by a giant and magnificent sky, dancing, playing, being within this majestic creation. The royal blue and orange that pulsed throughout the atmosphere spoke of something greater than mankind- and my Creator did not go un-praised.

There before me was a picture of the living God, and an image so utterly tangible and true to the work He is doing in my heart.

John 3:30 says, regarding Jesus, "He must become greater; I must become less."

And there we were, these small yet intimate creations, 3 in 6.7 billion, not consumed by night but rather overcome and illuminated by a backdrop of brilliance, by an entity immeasurable, by the joy of Christ, by the living God. And so much greater is He than we! There, in that evening glimpse, He was greater, and we were less, and it was the most beautiful thing I've ever beheld.

"The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joys is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater, I must become less." John 3:29-30