I know some of you have already read my support letter, but for those of you who haven't this is for you.
Family and Friends,
What is life like on Sunset Ave? What does my English Avenue neighborhood look like? Who are the people I’m building relationships with? These are things I want to share with you. Life here is completely different from anything I’ve known. Hopefully through this letter you will have a better understanding of my time here in Atlanta.
I’ve been so blessed by the people in my neighborhood, my church especially. My team and I attend New Life Covenant. It is a small multicultural church of about 40 people. Pastor Tim and the congregation have done so much for the people here. They formed a community garden, which is filled with different herbs, flowers, and vegetables. Picnic tables are decorated with children’s hand-prints, a barbecue and fire pit draws neighbors in and a painted sign that says, “We have dreams too” displays the vision our church has for English Avenue. This is one way Pastor Tim and our church advocate for the people here. New Life Covenant brings hope and change to my neighbors one small step at a time. I’m richly blessed to be partnering with such a church.
Already I have been encouraged, challenged, and uplifted by my relationships here in Atlanta. One of these friendships is with an 85 year old woman named Mama Liz. I first saw Mama Liz as I waited with my team at a bus stop. She was sitting outside her apartment complex on her small porch. I caught her eye, smiled, and waved. Later two teammates of mine and I decided to visit her. As we knocked on her door she greeted us with her frail body through hugs and her loving heart. Her radiant smile showed her missing teeth. Immediately she expressed her gratitude of our company (which she later called a miracle) and started to share her life. As I listened to Mama Liz’s story I was moved and convicted by her awareness of the blessings she has in life.
Every other sentence Mama Liz spoke to us was, “I am blessed.” Mama Liz is blessed because she can get up in the morning and make breakfast without being burned. She repeatedly told Colyn, Janelle, and I she was blessed by our visit. Mama Liz expressed how she is blessed with good health. Her arthritis in her foot and missing teeth do not matter to her. She is blessed to live a life where people love her. Even though Mama Liz has no living family; visits by us and by her “Jewish children” mean the world to her. She spoke with such authority – with such belief. As I listened to these stories and as Mama Liz brought us into her small dim lighted home with an AC that barely worked I found myself in tears.
I say I’m blessed because I live in a two story house, with four bedrooms and three baths. I’m blessed, because the home I’m living in is nicer than I envisioned. It is nicer than any other Mission Year team’s. Would I say I’m blessed if cockroaches lived in my home, or if I went without air conditioning? No. I would complain, but Mama Liz would share how blessed she is because she has a roof over her head.
I come from a place of such privilege. My interaction with Mama Liz made me see this more clearly than before. As I live a simple lifestyle this year I still have more privileges than some of my neighbors. How am I going to share my privileges with those around me? What am I going to consider a blessing? How do I turn those things I would normally complain about into blessings? I think these are important questions to ask ourselves. I want to live a life of adoration and praise like Mama Liz.
I have entered into my Mission Year on a technology fast. For the first six weeks of our time here my team members and I fast from our cell phones, the Internet, and other forms of communication (but not letter writing, hint hint). This fast helps create an environment where we can focus our attention on God, our community, and the neighborhood. This fast has been a freeing experience for me. I want to invite and challenge you to fast alongside me for the next month. You could fast from coffee, movies, or restaurants. I ask that you will donate the money you save from fasting (if you choose to do so) to my Mission Year. I still have $8,390 to raise. I am so thankful for all your prayers and financial support. I need it. You are affirming the call God has placed on my life.
All my love,
Katherine-
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