What you bring, you carry.

Last month, I volunteered with Extreme Makeover Home Edition in Joplin, and helped with their project to build seven houses in seven days. Since coming back home from this experience, I have been asked multiple questions such as: what did you do? (move, sort and assemble furniture.), what house did you work on? (house #1, the Howard's) and will you be on TV? (there is probably a 10% chance that I could be spotted during the unloading furniture production shot.); but the question that has most important answer is what did I learn? While I believe that many lessons can be learned from my experience, one of the best lessons comes from some advice that I gave to co-worker of mine that was volunteering a couple of days after I went : what you bring, you carry.

During the seven hours I spent on the work site I noticed that many of the volunteers were carrying large purses or bags and others' pockets were bulging. They were carrying around cameras, cellphones, granola bars, water; and the weight of these things really slowed them down. There was no provided place to put their stuff, and even if they were able to put it down, there was the worry of forgetting it or someone walking off with it. I understood the need of cellphones, medical aids and car keys, but I was baffled by the volunteers that brought along water and food, those who didn't believe that their basic needs would be provided for. Extreme Makeover Home Edition has been in production for over eight years, and within those years they have worked on perfecting the way they create the show, this includes how they treat their volunteers. They knew that we would need to stay hydrated and would probably get hungry as well; and they maintained a constant supply of cold beverages on the work site, and a food tent for the volunteers just down the hill. Another thing that surprise me was how many cameras I saw people bring with them. Every single volunteer allowed onto the work site had signed a form promising not to publish any photographs of any of the houses. They were also warned that with exemption of the press, those whose who became a hindrance by asking for pictures, would be asked to leave. To put it simple, we volunteered to work, not to get behind-the-scenes tours; and the cameras serve not only as added weight, but an extra temptation.

While Extreme Makeover Home Edition: Joplin 7 in 7, may be a once in a lifetime experience, the lessons learned from it can be applied to other missions. Just as the show knew and accommodated for their volunteers' needs, God understands every need His workers have, and can provide for them in ways that are beyond their wildest dreams. And even though bringing your worries, fears, and expectations on your missions won't prohibit you from going, it will slow you down. If you are constantly looking for what you want to get out of your mission experience, you can miss multiple opportunities you didn't know to look for.

So, I warn you that whatever you bring with you, you must carry. Whatever you refuse to leave behind is your burden. God has offered to be the carrier of your needs (Ps.55:22), but in the end, the choice is yours.

Dealing With Disappointment

Last Monday I received a email confirming that I was selected to be on one of the work shifts for Extreme Makeover Home Edition's 200th episode in Joplin Missouri. Up until that point, the volunteer coordinators had been sending out multiple emails thanking everyone for their support, but reminding us that only a selected few (10,000 total) would be given a work shift and the rest were invited to continue showing their support by writing letters to the families or going to the spectator area that would be set up outside of the work  site. In the last of those emails, we were told that on Oct. 10, those who were selected would receive a confirmation email. And so, being the enthusiastic person that I am, I spent most of Monday logging in and out of my email account, hoping to find the long awaited message of acceptance. As the day began to end, I still had not received a email of any kind, and I was beginning to feel really disappointed and sad at the prospect of not being chosen. I'm pretty sure that my family bared the brunt of my feelings, for which I apologize, but I was pretty down. I knew that the day was not over until 11:59pm, yet at 10pm, things were not looking hopeful. I began to wonder how I was going to handle the news of not going; I had been looking forward to this project since I signed-up in early September, I was just too excited to be let down now. If I was told that the number of volunteers needed was already reached, and the ones chosen had more skills that I had, I would have understood; however, I probably would have been in need of a extreme chocolate fix. As I stated earlier, I did get the email (at 11pm), so I did not have to deal with all of the feelings that were starting to rise up. I have to admit that I did not handle the situation very well, and I question how I will deal with disappointments in the future.

In Philippians 4:11, Paul states that he has learned to be content whatever the circumstances. The definition of content is: Desiring no more than what one has;satisfied. So in the verse Paul is saying that in every situation he is completely satisfied, that he found no want for more or for something different.  Can you imagine being 100% happy with every circumstance you found yourself in? It's pretty much impossible for me to understand how that would feel. The answer of how this state of mind was even possible for Paul is found two verses later; in Philippians 4:13 - For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Christ does not promise a life free of disappointments, but He can can help us live a life where disappointments are mere trifles.

And so I wonder, how do you deal with your disappointments?

The Confusion of War

As America launches into celebration, the country decorates itself with colors of Red, White, and Blue... and Gray. That's right,Gray; the Civil War Sesquicentennial is kicking up strong in the Heartland, and I had the privilege of attending the reenactment of the first major battle west of the Mississippi - The Battle of Wilson's Creek. 

Armed with a camera and a gazillion batteries, I set off on my mission. I knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I was going to get as many decent pictures as I could take. Having never been to a battle reenactment, especially one of this size (over 3,000 reenactors), I had no real idea where to point the camera.The plan was to make-up for the missed battle shots with camp photos, which I have a little experience shooting at Ft. Scott. Between the two battle reenactments (one in the morning and a different one in the evening), I found myself spending most of my time in the Confederate camp. This was because of two reasons; First, Ft. Scott was never controlled by the Confederacy, so this was my first chance to shoot the gray uniforms, and second, laziness- the Union camp was at the top of a hill that I had no real desire to climb very often. So due to opportunity and inertia I wondered amidst the Rebels, and although I spent more than an hour roaming around the camp, I was very disappointed with the photos I captured there. In fact, to my amazement, I ended up with better battle photos than camp photos; and I believe that the results were greatly effected by the way I dressed. I've always seen myself as a Yankee, so for me, the natural choice of hat was the blue Union kapi; however, this meant that I was slightly out of fashion to be hanging out in the Confederate States campground. I had entered enemy territory at my own risk, and the outcome was bewildering. As expected, there were jokes that I was wearing the wrong color, and some troops even went as far as dueling over who got to take care of 'them spies' or which old geezer was to marry me as my unhappy punishment. Even without their jokes, I knew that I didn't really belong there and kept my distance, and this seen in most of my pictures. This slight frustration over not getting good shots was no real mystery, I was wearing their opponent's hat and had placed myself on the outside, but what truly surprised me were the soldiers who acted as complete southern gentlemen. They welcomed me into their campfires, answered my questions, and even let me hold their weapons. Up till now I had seen Confederates as the bad guys of the Civil War, rebels who wanted to keep their slaves and throw off their government. I have learned that this thought is grievously wrong, that the soldiers on both sides had stories, passions, and beliefs. There are, and always will be, more than one reason to go to war, yet in the end, the winners become heroes and the losers  are seen as criminals. I'm not saying that the wrong side won, I'm just saying that we have wronged the losers. We should not write off all who wore a gray uniform as traitors or wave their flag around as open defiance of others beliefs or feelings.

I am still a Yankee at  heart, but I have a new respect for the Confederates. To me the color gray can no longer be seen as just black and white.

 

 

 

Different Colors

There is no way to accurately describe Joplin.
Driving in from the north, entering the city it appears fine, normal even.There is the usual hustle and bustle; lives seem to carrying on as they would everyday. But as you head farther south, deeper into the city, the parking lots get fuller; you start to see soldiers standing in the street, either waving cars on or turning them around.

And then it all just stops.

I can't say that the scenery was unworldly, because it was objects that I recognized, but the colors of the city are different. The soft and calm greens, blues, and browns of Joplin are now miles of  reds, oranges, and blacks. The hot colors create an organized chaos. Restlessness and urgency fight the law. Fire engines race through the streets, and although there were no fires, you could feel a smoke of self-defeat. Large spray-painted Xs haunt all the buildings and cars. The mixed feeling of the joy of finding something that survived the storm and the agony of remembering the love ones who didn't. Heat and tiredness. It seem to go on forever.
Slowly hope and determination are starting to uncover the original colors of city, and push back the heated colors of destruction.
Slowly....

Do Not Self-Deploy...

I just finished gathering the gear I will need to bring to Joplin tomorrow. After a week of seeing images of destruction, watching scouts raise money, hearing stories from my cousins (who went to Joplin 13 hours after the storm) I was aching to go; and now I'm going. Truth be told, I was jealous of the first response team. There I was, only 55 miles from the need, and I couldn't really do anything about it. Non-medical volunteers were asked to not 'self-deploy' and then they began to issue permits. So many of my acquaintances had been there and back, and well I just really wanted to go. But now I'm going. I'm going with a warning that I may find a victim, alive-but most likely dead. I'm going knowing that neighbors are stealing from neighbors. I no longer envy the first response workers. It takes amazing endurance to do what they have had to do for the last five days, in severe weather no less.
I'm going, and I will keep going and going and going... Joplin you've had an amazing first response teams (my hat's off to them), but you're going to have a awesome second, third (and so on) response crew!