Nepal Nation Celebration

One of the key ministries of Refugee Arts is to provide opportunities for relationships between local churches and the immigrant/refugee populations.

We hosted a "Nation Celebration" at Open Table Community to relate with our Nepali neighbors. Several Bhutanese/Nepali refugees came out to tell their stories, share a meal, and sing songs with us.

Their words and presence helped open our eyes to a God that works beyond and through cultural boundaries to show His love.

Here are a few pictures of the event:

Creek Kids Photo Round-Up

Here are some recent photos of the kids at the afterschool program, along with a few of our star volunteers:

Mr. Muscles on the Court

Tuesday nights are basketball night. A burglar broke into the bike shop where we normally go and stole the tools, so we asked the same group of kids if they wanted to shoot hoops during that time instead. While it started as a way to fill time until the new tools came in, basketball night has become a ministry of its own, with a unique tone and set of opportunities.

Luis and Edgar are brothers who I've been spending a lot of time with. Both aspiring rappers, we've been working on their storytelling style, and Josh Feit has been helping them record some material. Although I can't remember what we were talking about at the time this photo was taken, it looks like I'm telling Edgar, Luis, and their friend Eric to "hang loose."

My nickname in the bike shop was "Mr. Muscles" due to my "leave no bolt unturned" approach to mechanics. Edgar, my sidekick, is "Muscles Jr." Here we are strutting our stuff.

Girls Bible Study

Ruthie has been working with some other women to teach a girls bible study for teenagers in our neighborhood. Here are some photos and a video from a dinner they had at our house. I can't comment on the goings-on due to the fact that I was out running through the woods when all this happened:

Afterschool Program Photo Round-up

Easter Eggstravaganza

Easter always seems to roll around right when we need it. When we begin to feel death creeping around us, that its victory is imminent, that the body of Christ has been bled dry and all is lost.

Then resurrection Sunday arrives, and we are reminded again what exactly we are doing here.

On Easter morning, we did not have any plans for the afternoon, aside from catching up on sleep after a draining week of seminars and services at NAMB, followed by a busy-as-all-get-out week full of meetings, logistics, taxes, errands, and busy work.

We picked Karina up, then rolled over to the Sosa family's house to pick up Lesly and Jennifer. It turned out that Melvin and their mom wanted to join us as well, so we all went to Church together. After Church, we all decided to have a picnic together in the park. What followed was an affirming time of fellowship and ministry.

I had a long conversation with a neighbor who is wrestling with the concept of grace. He spoke very kindly about our presence in the neighborhood and about the impact we've been having on his family. We made plans to spend some time together in the near future.

That's the story. Now see the pictures:

Choose Your Own Blog Adventure

The past two weeks have been almost too eventful for me to handle. When I get behind in blogging, I feel compelled to fill in many of the gaps, so I'm going to do a multiple-choice thing here. Then the following blog will be an elaboration on any one point that my readers want to hear more about.

So first, read the following bullet points, then, if you want to hear more about any given topic, leave a comment specifying which one. I'll count up the votes and elaborate. If no votes come in, I'll move on to something else.

Topics:

1. Ruthie and I went to NAMB training, and, while there were some good relationships established and some good information presented, it was a hard time for us. We felt overwhelmed by the emphasis on numbers and results. I realized through the process that for me, ministry is a sacramental thing, like communion. A God-given way to know and worship Him. Results are encouraging and worth noting, but the relationships are what keep me here.
2. This Easter was a beautiful, unplanned time of ministry for us. We got to bring some people to church, have some powerful conversations, and enjoy the company of many of our international neighbors. As if by narrative design, I returned from the difficult training and commissioning to a vibrant, dynamic time in my neighborhood.
3. The boys in our neighborhood are now looking at porn in public places using borrowed internet, and I'm gonna talk to them about it soon. The last thing I want to do is issue a guilt-based plea, so I've got to speak well about how it can affect them, and be non-judgmental about it. Please pray.
4. We did taxes last night, and they were high enough to undo the last six months of debt repayment, and put us back securely into the hole. I'm having to do some serious work on my attitude toward finances, because it seems like whenever we show discipline and start making progress, God springs some huge setback on us to keep us under our creditors' thumbs. I know that's not the way it works, but that's how it feels.

Hopefully, no one wants to hear about 4, so please take your pick from the first three and influence the future of this blog. Readers, I leave it in your hands. Pictures will be included.