Overcoming Giants in Jackson

Who would have thought that a bus full of Intercultural Studies & Church Planting students spending a weekend in Jackson, Mississippi would have so much impact? 

I didn't. 

The only information we were given prior to the trip was that ONE church was getting ready to celebrate their 1st birthday & we would be there to see how planting a multi cultural church in Jackson looks like. Hang out with kids, & maybe meet Dr. John Perkins, who just happens to be my hero. I was obviously excited to go & see a place I had never been before, learn what I could about urban ministry through someone else's perspective etc. but honestly I was pretty skeptical with the lack of information, & the group that was going. Story of my life constantly looking at great opportunities & feeling the fire in my heart to be a part of them, & silencing the crackle of the fire inside. All I can say is Praise God that I ignored my doubts & got on that bus to Jackson. 

We played more mafia this weekend then I have ever played in my entire life. It was a blast. 

We stayed in a house I've seen in my dreams. It was huge - like it sleeps over 50 huge. There we stayed up way too late playing apple to apples, having deep conversations about our creator, & just getting to know each other.The house was smack in the middle of a very low income neighborhood with more pot holes in the streets than I remember in Santa Cruz. It was just a few blocks away from Dr. Perkins own home, was surrounded but a huge, locked, chain link fence. Bars covered the windows, & both nights spent there we woke up to over a dozen gun shots. But when we arrived, the first thing Matt said was, "Welcome Home" & with that, I knew we were meant to be there. 

On Saturday we met in the parking lot of the cinema, where ONE church hosts their Sunday morning services, & introduced ourselves to a few members of their church who would be passing out promotion flyers to 7 of the 22 apartment complexes in the Jackson area. So the 11 of us on the trip divided up and set out with these beautiful peopl & heard their stories, shared our own, & caught a glimpse of what their vision for a multi cultural church looks like. Matt told us around 7,000 were reached Saturday morning. All it took was 2 hours on a Saturday morning & willing hands & feet... crazy huh? 

Matt & Sara opened up their own apartment for us to rest, eat lunch provided by their partnership with the Fresh Market there, watch some basketball, & get to hear their story and how ONE church came into existence. But much like those involved with a new church plant, & community workers, there is never too much rest or a dull moment, so we headed back to the apartments with HOPE truck - one of their ministries they have for the 

We were given the opportunity to go to a local High School game that night for free and got to watch some highly recruited kids win and go to their championship game!! To say I was hype would be an understatement. Their coach invited us into the locker room to celebrate, congratulate, & pray with them. To have that opportunity in a public school these days is huge. I won't forget those young men and their 23-3 record. Their positivism, & their hard work was so encouraging. 

 Getting to know this awesome group was another blessing in Mississippi. Over 14 hours in a bus over a weekend kind of forces you to get to know people! I am very confident in these kids & what they plan to do in the world one day. Not to mention how Mr. Brewer is seriously the coolest professor out there - sorry not sorry. Being silly with this crew, & being serious with this crew was just another highlight. #buckets

Spending the day with the kids in the appartments, seeing how Matt & ONE church engages the community, worshiping on Sunday, & hearing Donavon's message about over coming Giants are just a few other snapshots of what caused my heart to flood over with Joy & ignite my passion for intentional community & urban work even more. I believe in raising up children so they can be leaders in their community, I believe that we should love our neighbors no matter their skin color, education, place of birth, religious background, sexual orientation, past mistakes, economic status, etc. The Kingdom looks like this: diverse, multicultural, beautiful. I am so blessed to have been able to see other people currently living this out. 

                 

And here is a picture of a bunch of Kingdom Builders in the making & my hero John Perkins. Hands down the most epic night of my life. I am without words. I can only feel in my heart what that meant for where I plan to go in life. Thank you sir for all you have done, and continue to do for the Lord, His people, and the forever battle to bring people together in the name of the Lord. You inspire me to be loving, seek education in places other than school, read scripture and encourage others to do the same. You told us to never fear mourning those we have lost, but to always, always forgive those who have done us wrong. You were revolutionary 60 years ago, you are radical now. May we strive to see like you see - in the way of Jesus Christ.