Why are we here?

Sometimes its hard to put into words what we are actually doing out here. Most of the time our newsletters and this blog is filled with events. Over the past month it has been more about dealing with everyday events and people. There is no typical day out here although we have tried to create more of a schedule lately. This week, for example, we are putting a lot of focus on planning for the summer especially since Josh and Divine are leaving in April. We will have several groups come out from various churches. We have to decide what they will do, when they will do it, and how we get the members of our church invovled. Another strong effort is hiring an intern for the summer. Nick has contacted several Christian colleges to look for an intern this summer. We are making plans to first of all find the best candidate and then get the money to support this person.

Now to go back to the title of this blog. As I said before, we don't have a typical day and I don't think God opened doors for us here to do one specific event or routine. We are here to shine light in this community. I know this sounds cliche, but there is a lot of darkness here, meaning struggles in every aspect. I think we are here to show joy, which isn't always recognizable. Part of that is just trying to be a faithful Christian. We are also here to show people that we care about them and want the best for them. Sometimes this means giving some one a ride to the store who doesn't have a car. This might mean listening to them talk about the worries of their day. Sometimes it means serving them a meal and getting to know them better inside our home. Maybe it's a phone call to let them know we missed them at church on Sunday. All of these things are a part of our purpose here. I pray that we don't lose sight of this purpose. I know sometimes we get sick of being a taxi cab and doing people favors, but we have to remind ourselves why we are here.

I included a picture of me with my Sunday night Bible class. I am actually starting to enjoy the kids a little bit, which is a far stretch from where I started.