Happy Thanksgiving! I was talking to my dad a few days ago and he reminded me that I’ve now been in Miami for nearly 3 months. So much has happened in the past three months. Let me try to give you the short version or some type of summary of the highlights. I moved to Miami, Florida as a Global Mission Fellow for the United Methodist Church in August of 2020. This was my first time setting out on my own so far away from home. I was mostly excited and very nervous, however, I felt extremely ready and excited as well. I was thankful for the past year off of school spent at home with my family learning and growing in my my faith and redeveloping my confidence after college. I knew God had prepared me for two years of service. I knew this would be a formative and positive experience, but really nothing can completely prepare a person for the feelings of experiencing something new, especially something new and different during a global pandemic when everything is extra hard and scary and confusing. As I’ve began to reflect, I am beginning to see how God uses every season in our lives to test us, teach us, and transform us.
Even from the very beginning of this journey, the day I moved into my new home here in Miami, God tested me with a terribly dirty house that needed lots of repairs and a lot of love. The last renters had left it sitting awhile and in the stresses and changes of leadership within the YAMM program, the house did not get the attention it needed. So thankfully my organizing and moving and cleaning expert mother had graciously come with me to help, and she saved the day like always by helping me clean and organize and prepare a house to become a home. Shorty after my mom left, my housemate, Diamond Johnson showed up! And what a blessing she has been. My life would be so boring without her. Even from the beginning, when our house was still a mess, things needed to be done, we hadn’t even begun to decorate, on top of starting new jobs, and figuring out how we were going to make our time in Miami work for both of us, we were constantly making the most of each and everyday. We love going on walks together around our neighborhood where we have some of the most insightful and meaningful conversations. She gives me new insights into the world. She is patient with me. She explains new ideas to me, and she helps me see the world in ways that I never knew were possible. We are always having fun, cooking together, watching movies, and thinking up new ways to explore Miami. Our friendship and time living in community hasn’t always been easy though. It took us time to get to know each other. We have both experienced feelings of loneness and isolation. We have been homesick, sad, and even depressed. We’ve shared deeply emotional and trying times together in conversation, in tears, in difficult situations and decisions especially around figuring out how to live well together working from home, sharing a space, and staying healthy during a pandemic. We have had encounters with Covid-19 and had to figure out where to get testing. We sometimes disagree on issues, but we respect each other enough to work through our differences and come to a healthy conclusion to respect each other and even celebrate that we both see the world differently and what a gift that is to our friendship and to our roles in our jobs or with our friends or families. I am extremely grateful that God gifted me with such an amazing, faithful, brilliant, and hard working housemate to share in this time in my life.
The past couple of months have also meant learning a lot of new skills and refreshing old skills to begin to wrap my head around my new role as a Coordinator for the Fill the Table initiative in the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. The Fill the Table Initiative is a year long mission initiative that Bishop Ken Carter began in the summer of 2020 when he recognized that the economic impact of the pandemic was having major effects on the people of Florida. The number of people who were experiencing food insecurity began its increase, and the churches in the Florida Conference were called upon to be at the frontline of combatting food insecurity by increasing food distributions, food pantries, and other forms of creative partnerships with donors and outreach ministries in their communities. My role is to come alongside churches to build relationships, encourage their efforts, tell their stories, and be a resource for them as they grow into their feeding ministries. This role has been one of most enlightening positions that I have ever had the honor to receive. I have been given the chance to work along side some of the most inspiring, talented, and faithful people who have given me grace and patience while I learn and grow. I am absolutely blown away daily by the people of Florida and their faith in me, Fill the Table, and most importantly God. I have been able to build relationships with pastors, lay people, and community leaders all over the state of Florida who are doing such amazing work to feed hungry people physically and spiritually. I am learning so much from them each and every day. This job has given me so much hope. It has shed a light on my own privilege. I am reminded daily that I have more than enough, and I have been graciously gifted by God. I think one of the best ways to show God's love is by recognizing that I, too, am loved by God and have been sent by God to share what I have been given with others - my time, service, gifts, smile, and heart.
Friends and family, supporters, strangers, seekers, critics, and whoever else might be reading this, I encourage you to do the hard work of digging deep within yourself to find what sets your soul on fire. Find what God has so graciously gifted you. Sit in your sadness, confusion, pain, heartache, and anger. Allow God to use you. Be open to the tests that life will bring you. Turn your fear, anger, and lack of understanding into curiosity. Ask questions about yourself and others? Be open to learn new things. In the end, I promise that you will be transformed. I really do not want to imagine what my life would have been like if I did not apply to be a Global Mission Fellow a year ago today. Since beginning this journey in service, my life has turned upside down for the good. I have found my true smile for life again and a deep rooted joy that does not dim. I have found peace. I have found love. I have found gratitude. Mostly, I have found hope. I have hope that the God of the universe, the God that loves me and you and every single person in this world, will overcome and provide and heal and strengthen me and all of us. There is a light. There is goodness. There is patience. There is kindness. There is generosity. I have learned that when you go into the world expecting God to show up, God shows up. God always shows up. I am so thankful for each of you for being on this journey with me as I continue to engage with my community, connect with each of you in this time, and grow in my faith and calling. This would not be possible without each of you. I am asking you to please continue to pray for me and all the other young adults that are serving during this time. We miss our families and our friends. The holidays are tough, and they will be even more trying this year due to the pandemic as we all do our part to not be super-spreaders. Please prayer for those that are discerning a call to serve, writing application essays, and hitting submit. This is very important, life-changing work that every young adult should have the opportunity to experience at least for a short time in their lives. This program would not be possible for myself or others without those that give. Together, we really can make the world a more hopeful, peaceful, and joyful place. May God bless you all this Thanksgiving and I'm sending so much love to you!
For those that would like to give: Advance # 3022615
P.S. If you would like to receive a Christmas card from me, please send me a private message with your address! Love you all!