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A Lesson in Contrasts

This last week has been fairly strange and eye opening for me.  I started doing a Chaplaincy program at a Hospital here in Dallas that is both one of the largest and the one that reaches out to a clientele of lower economic status. 

You should also know that I do youth ministry at a church smack dab in the middle of one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the United States.  I also live in that neighborhood so it is very much a part of who I am.

I didn't grow up in this neighborhood and I am not always comfortable here.  What I'm finding is that my time at the hospital is incredibly rewarding because it is giving me a greater exposure to the "real" world.  This week I've had to already be with many people going through immense pain.  I've also had to try and express my pastoral care through my own broken spanish and fumbled prayers.  I'm realizing that God has put me in this place to stretch, grow and remind me how much people need him.

Ministering in a wealthy community can  be tough because there can be a much less reliance upon God because problems can be solved in a variety of ways.   Usually there are many more resources.

So I'm going to be living in this contrast for the next bunch of months.  I'm hoping to learn a ton and to never forget the lessons.

I'm not going to Haiti to blog

Someone asked me today if I was going to Haiti to Blog.  It was someone that I really respect so I felt the need to clarify a few things. 

First,  let me say I'm not going to Haiti to blog.  I'm going to Haiti to serve people who have had a horrific situation happen to them and to help provide them with some basic necessities. My desire is to somehow help people who are really hurting. 

At the same time I've been asked to be a a part of a  team of people who are hoping to bring this experience to the rest of the Youth Ministry and Church world in the United States.  For whatever reason God decided to bring this group of people together.  Most of us are very involved in the Youth Ministry world and many of us have a lot of different platforms from where we can speak and many people read or listen.

The internet and social media has changed the way people find out about information today.  One of my closest friends is on the ground in Haiti now and he's been blogging about his experiences.   I have been reading his blog and living his experience in Haiti with him.  One of the ways I will be doing this is by blogging about it and updating my twitter account regularly.  I'm doing this only so that the people who regularly read this blog or check my status updates on facebook or twitter can experience what I'm going through.

As a team of Youth workers we are going to Haiti to serve, to involve many people in our experience and to get the word out that teams of students and young adults can have a big impact in Haiti right now.  Part of the way we will do this is to use all forms of social media to bring people into the experience.  You can follow us on Facebook Here or check out the people involved and follow them.  

• Anne Jackson: blog | twitter | facebook
• Tim Schmoyer: blog | twitter | facebook | youtube
• Adam McLane: blog | twitter | facebook
• Mark Oestreicher: blog
• Seth Barnes: blog | twitter
• Jeremy Zach: blog | twitter
• Lars Rood: blog | twitter | facebook
  
• Ian Robertson: video guy
• Rhett Smith: blog | twitter
• Clint Bokelman: blog

This experience is being put together by a great missions agency called Adventures in Missions.  They came up with the idea with Mark Oestreicher to try and do something different and bring this experience to people.  I'm a huge fan  having done quite a few trips with them in the past. They have had partners in Haiti for a long time and have already sent several teams there since the earthquake. 

So I'm not going to Haiti to blog.  I'm going to Haiti to bring hope to people who need hope.  I'm also going to bring this experience back to people in the US.  It's not traditional. Some people won't like that we're doing it. But, I'm convinced this is a better way to bring people into the experience then the traditional video or sharing after the trip.  We want you to be with us, to experience with us and to feel like you are there.  We want you to read blogs or watch videos and to pray for the people we talk about.  We want you to hurt for the people we are hurting for and to see the needs of the people we are with.

We also want you to come to Haiti.  Don't believe that if you aren't a doctor or if you don't have specific skills you can't serve. The people of Haiti need hope.  They need to be loved. They need to see you come and care for them. 

Compassion and Chaplaincy

 
Today I started a part-time chaplaincy at Parkland Hospital in Dallas.  Parkland is a public, education focused trauma hospital.   What that means is that it's huge, all major injuries in Dallas end up there and it is filled with a melting pot of cultures, ethnicities and economics levels.   My denomination the PCUSA requires a unit of Hospital Chaplaincy (CPE) to be ordained as a pastor. 

This is something I've been excited about doing for a long time but it never seemed to be a good fit in my life.  I know people who have tried to do CPE while also going to seminary and/or working full-time.  My church has blessed me with giving me the flexibility to do this program for the next few months.  

I haven't spent very much time in hospitals. I've also not really been exposed to very much pain, suffering or death.  I know that this experience will be great for me and I'm praying that I am able to get much growth and learning out of it. 

Most of you know that this is starting right at the same time I am going to Haiti which is a bit stressful.  But, I believe God brought both these things into my life at the same time for a purpose.

On another note which is slightly more sad I did learn today that a button down shirt without a tie but with a sports coat is less dressed up than a polo shirt or turtleneck with the same sports coat.  I guess this means I'll be wearing a shirt,  tie and coat  the whole time.  I'm just not a turtleneck kind of guy.

Making Some Changes

  This is a big birthday year for me.  I made a decision in 2009 that I want to makes some changes in my life and one of those changes was that I wanted to become a runner.   Not sure why this one was on my list but it just felt like something I wanted to do.  I had some encouragement early on from my friend Petey Crowder He started running with me in January of 2009.  His advice to me at the time was to purchase a Nike+ sensor and use it to track my running.   I didn't listen to him and pretty much only lasted a couple months of my new phase.  Then in August he gave me a sensor and I started running again.  

I've now been running pretty regularly for the last five months.  So far I've ran 53 times, for 40 hours, 212 miles, burned 40,000 calories and this month of January I ran 64.15 miles.   This month I ran my three longest runs every in my life and my times keep dropping.  I was in a battle with my friend Todd Porter to see who could run the most miles.  He ran 60 which for him was the most he's ever run too. 

I'm planning on running a half marathon in March.  For me though this running thing is more than just miles and times.  For me running brings a clarity and a focus to my life.  I don't have much of a commute (I walk to work) so running for me brings a great separation between my work life and my home life.  

So I invite you to think about joining me.  The first couple months will be tough.  Last year at this time I could barely run 4 miles and even then I was stopping and walking a lot.  Today I ran 10 miles at a great pace without any stops.  This thing is really fun and I find myself thinking about running every day.  It's not quite an obsession yet but it's pretty darn close.  And....if it becomes an obsession it's a pretty good one to have.

Why I’m going to Haiti.

Yesterday I mentioned in a twitter/facebook status update that in just over two weeks I will be going to Haiti.    I need to say at the start that I’m pretty scared to go but not from a safety standpoint.  I got over the “what if” stuff a long time ago in my life and I just assume now that God is in control and don’t worry about those things as much.   I talked this over with my family and my wife and kids are very supportive of me going and being a part of this trip.  For me having my kids see me responding out of my relationship with Jesus is a hugely important thing.  

I’m scared to go for three reasons:   

First, I have mentioned this to a few people and have got a few negative responses.  Everything from the “Haiti doesn’t need you they need money” comments to the “If you go we’re not committing a team right? ” to the “what do you have to offer?”  I should admit that I struggle with insecurities sometimes and these comments were hard to hear.  But, I also know that at their heart the people who shared these things love the Lord and really want to serve the kingdom.  I haven’t tried to verbalize my response to these comments yet because I’m still working all this out for myself.  

The second reason I’m scared to go is that it meant some serious rearranging of my schedule and potentially disappointing some people.   I have been accused before of being involved in to many things and this fall was particularly busy.  This winter I had only a few things on my plate outside of my normal job but they were important things.  In one case I was leading a team of people to an event and I had to replace myself and apologize both to the place we were going and the people that I was taking.  I’ve turned down at least two big things I’ve been invited too this winter in an attempt to not be gone as much.  It took some juggling but I have made it all work.  

The third reason I’m scared to go is totally personal.  I’m scared that I won’t feel enough compassion.  This is a scary thing to admit here on the blog but I feel like I need to be transparent.  I struggle with compassion.  I struggle with not being emotional enough and I often times can come across as cold and not caring.  Probably should say that this is an area that I’m totally focusing on and trying to figure out in my life too.  In February   I was already starting a 4 month long part-time internship as a hospital Chaplain at a hospital here in Dallas.  I’m doing it at the blessing of my Church and denomination.  It’s part of the ordination process but also something that I have been wanting to do for a long time.  My prayer is that what I learn in this area will greatly impact what God can do with me in the future.  

The team I was asked to be a part of will be going down and serving.  The Goal of the trip is to deliver food and water and other supplies those in need in Haiti.  Also, to motivate and activate thousands of Christian teenagers and young adults to come to Haiti in 2010.  Several of us were asked to go and the organization we are partnering with has been involved in Haiti for a long time and has a very specific plan and a huge history in helping in these types of situations.  

I’ll give more details soon about all of this.  I will just ask at the end that you would pray for me, for our team and for the country of Haiti.  There will obviously be needs for years and years.