Finally a New Update

Hey everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to write another post...I'm really bad with keeping up with my blog, but there is a lot that has happened since the last time I wrote.
This has been my 7th week living in South Atlanta. I am really enjoying my time with the interns. All of the interns are somehow connected with FCS, either working for FCS or like me, is connected with someone from FCS. I’ve been living in a house with 4 other girls who are all interested in helping and living among the poor. There is another house with 4 guy interns. We all get along well and it has been a lot of fun hanging out with them. But I have noticed that the more I am in the neighborhood the easier it is, for me, to just stay in my comfort zone or just hang out with the interns or others that are just like us. I’ve also realized that even though we are intentionally living in a low-income neighborhood we still have to be really intentional with getting to know our neighbors.
I am also learning more and more that the only reason I like to do community development is because I am a Christian. For most of my life, even as a Christian, I always thought that the good I wanted to do for people, came from myself. I knew that God was a part of that desire but I also thought that most of it came from my own desires. But God is continuing to show me (as of this summer) that that is not the case and that I really must depend on Him for strength and for that desire to keep going. It’s hard for me to fully grasp why non-believers want to do good and even intentionally live in lower-income neighborhood because knowing that God calls me to die to myself, which is allowing Christ to work through me, is really the only reason I do it. I do understand that doing good to others does feel good but it is so empty unless you are following Christ. I mean honestly if I was not a Christian I would not be doing what I am doing now because it is much easier to be selfish and intentionally be unaware of the poverty in this world. I mean living selflessly is very hard and a constant struggle but I know that God is the only one who can help me do so.
One major thing that I experience again and again is that God is truly working in a community and it is all about looking to find exactly where God is moving. I have met several people that have community development mindsets and who are trying to get their own community involved. One example is someone from the Reef House, who started a community asset mapping program for the youth in East Point to get involved in their own community. There are about fourteen teens, mainly sophomores and juniors, who wrote their own survey and handed out 500 surveys for other teens to fill out, throughout East Point and other areas in South Fulton. The teens then analyzed the data and had several focus groups to address more of the needs and assets in the community. Later in the year they are going to create a website for all of their data so that other people can have access to the resources in East Point and South Fulton. Overall God has really blessed me during my time here so far. I have seen God put people in my way who I would not have met if it was not without God’s providence. I can say that all of the work I have done so far is only because of God’s work in and through me.

God's Blessing

God really blessed me this week. I had two great conversations with people and they were both very encouraging and insightful. God really blessed me, especially with the second person I talked to.

The first conversation was with one of members at East Point Church, who has lived in East Point for over 30 years with her husband. I had orginally thought that we would talk for maybe an hour or so...wrong. We, meaning her (mainly) talked for four straight hours! BUT it was great! I still have a lot to learn about East Point. It was also helpful that she loves to talk ;) When I told some of the other church members that I met with her they were like, "Yeah we're not surprised." She filled me about the history of East Point, her experiences in East Point, as well as her perspectives on wide variety of issues such as the racial tensions, living as the minority in the "black community", struggles of African American pastors and churches, "becoming white", education, and the list continues. She has a lot of wisdom and it was really helpful to get more personal stories and experiences.

The other great conversation I had was with the coordinator of East Point Main Street Association (EPMSA). She has lived in East Point for 9 years with her husband. She loves East Point and loves to talk about East Point, which was great for me :) She talked about a lot of different things--history of EPMSA and their events throughout the year, organizations and people to get in touch with,restaurants to try out and so on. She was very aware of what is going on in the community of East Point. Afterwards we talked about getting together again and she was interested in keeping up with my progress with the resource manual.