So, we find ourselves once again over due in our venture of blogging. We have no, real or good excuse for not doing it, except that we really haven’t taken the time to sit down and try to put in to words what our life has been like in the last three months. :) So, here are a couple of thoughts since we last wrote…
Often times it still feels surreal that we live in Nashville, TN. Never would we have thought that we would be here, doing what we are doing, but it truly is a beautiful part of our story; God continues to change our hearts and lives daily. We have been GREATLY challenged to… live simply, not worry about money, be a part of change, provide for those in need, be a part of community, be uncomfortable, show grace to those when its hard and BE LOVE with our lives.
One of our favorite parts of being in the city is the opportunity we have had to get involved with the rescue mission and homeless community in town. Our hearts continue to be broken, not only to provide for our friends in their physical needs, but to truly desire a relationship with them. After working for so long in Haiti, which is considered a fifth world country, you see the reality of poverty and hunger. When we first began volunteering at the rescue mission we were very taken back by what we experienced. As people filtered through the line in the cafeteria we heard statements like, “I don’t want that kind of bread,” “There aren’t any more desserts?!?” The complaining went on and on as they passed through the line and smiles were far to come by… We also noticed how much food they threw away at the end of their meal. Was this really hunger? We were so confused. An image of children sharing a plate of rice in Haiti haunted my mind as I watched this devastation. We were convicted. What really are these people lacking? What are WE as a society actually giving them? Are we throwing all these “things” at them and not giving them what they actually need? Yes, people need to eat, but are the volunteers, humanitarians, missionaries… actually missing an element of this equation? We have been challenged. One of Tim’s favorite quotes from Mother Teresa is, "There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread." LOVE. Again, yes, people who are hungry need to have food, but here in American that is not the problem. What are they really hungry for?? One of our homeless friends showed us a menu one night that displayed all the places that he could choose from on a daily basis to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. We were shocked. VERY comfortably a hungry or homeless person could eat three meals a day here in Nashville. We sat with a couple under the bridge while an organization fed them one night and asked them how many people and organizations actually take the time to emotionally invest in their lives; they quickly answered, NO ONE. We realized, they really do want love; they are hungry for love. We looked up to see a very evident segregation of volunteers and a crowd of the homeless. I don’t doubt their efforts, but again we feel an overwhelming sense of failure. Humans need love, we need attention, we crave compassion, conversation…
We want to be better. We are challenged to build relationships in the world. To be better at being this LOVE that Jesus proclaimed and was. We desire to play our part in bridging the gap, the segregation that we have created; to bring it back to where it was made to be, without one.
