Interested? You can go the entire distance with us or choose a leg of the journey. Registration will begin March 1. If you can’t bike but would like to donate you can do this as well. We have a goal of $60,000. Just go to cycleofservice.arm-al.org to register or give. Thanks and we’ll see you on the ride!

“Treasures in Heaven”!

There was the gift of firewood this morning! I was running low on Duraflame logs which are great for starting fires…but you can’t beat the real thing. The “wood” fire was very warm, comforting, and somewhat relaxing. Breakfast came about 6:30 AM and hit the spot plus it was a great visit. I was then greeted by Paul Grisham who sat with me for an hour and talked about all types of ministry opportunities from food ministry to what’s happening in Afghanistan. As time drew closer to 12:00 PM, I began to prepare to have lunch with the United Methodist Women’s group from Auburn UMC. This was their monthly missions luncheon and I was their speaker.  What a great time with them! I was able to talk about life in the box and put that into context of what families face. Their generosity and care was so obvious when this group of about 35 women took up a collection of $866. Wow! I was a bit overwhelmed and touched to say the least. As I arrived back at the box, who did I see but my friend Page, ready to share lunch and some quality time.  More visitors arrived throughout the afternoon…kids bringing me snacks, board members stopping by to check in, coworkers coming to see if I needed anything. It is very rare that we can experience such a pouring out of love and generosity. Then, I was greeted by the missions chair from AUMC who is very active in helping us do repairs in the community. In fact, their group is one of about four working this Saturday. Anyway, after some brief conversation he handed me a slip of paper and said he felt they were good for that-meaning their Mission’s Work Area. The amount was $3555.82. I blinked a few times, tried to pick up my jaw, stuttered a few moments and then realized I might get out of this box early…. That took our amount up to about $8000. Amazing!

As darkness settled in, I was served dinner and visited by many more friends, the Massey’s, the Fulgrum’s, and several Wesley Foundation students.  As I close this night…I’m just in awe of God’s provision and more in touch with the responsibility we now have to serve others. There is so much to do-to release those captive in their own boxes, to work tirelessly at serving with others…what else is life for?

But I must leave you with the ditzy deal of the day. I am a latent pyro…be careful with me and fire. My fire pit was pretty inactive for most of the day so I didn’t think much when I went to dump the ashes into the Auburn UMC dumpster-the same church that just gave us $4000. But as a great pile of ashes poured into a dumpster filled with overstuffed plastic bags of trash, to include old ceiling tiles, boxes, and loose paper-I realized all the ashes from the bottom were still basically coals….and paper began smoldering very quickly…I tried to stamp it out…. Water was very much needed and that sent me on a trek to find a bucket. By the time I got back to the dumpster with water -what started as smolder and smoke was now wild, flames licking out from the edge! Oh, no! Twenty minutes later and several bucket fulls of water…I had it under control. It took nearly an hour to finally put that fire out mainly because I just had small buckets. I can say I did get my work out for the day. So, it was a little bit of action-more than I bargained for but I love great stories especially ones at my expense…

All is good, two more nights and can’t wait to see what the next days entail! Blessings!

 For the most part yesterday I sat in the shack. Equipped with a light and a small heater it was pretty cozy and not quite claustrophobic. I had enough room to sit in my folding chair and one extra for visiting guests.  I would like to think we redefined “shacking up” in a more Christian community based context. I was reminded of some of the Peanuts cartoons and considered putting a sign on the door with “Doctor $.05” The conversations were great-some were catch up with visiting college students, a few old stories, and discussions about Christian Community which then became a discussion starter for our Bible Study/Community Group later that evening. Despite the rain and damp-there was a feeling of warmth and friendship throughout the day. It reminded me of days when people would sit on their front porch and chat or when everyone had an open door policy just to drop by and say hello. Thanks to air conditioners and garages, we’ve lost this art. We’ve sacrificed being personal with now being private.  People in poverty-they haven’t lost this. It is something maybe we should relearn and reclaim. In poverty, neighborhoods are called ghettos. In middle class or wealth they are called subdivisions or gated communities…why is that? Why have we lost the art of families from different economic backgrounds living around each other, learning, and supporting one another? By doing that and becoming more privatized-we have a difficult time forming community and establishing solid relationships and friendships. As much as I hate to say it, take a look at our churches…they most likely are organized the same way…what does that say about our ability to connect and create Christian community with everyone?  We have  a great challenge before us.

 Trust me-I’m working on this too…praying about my role…wondering how I might be more effective and consistent building relationships with people from many backgrounds. I solicit your prayers for that as well. We are excited about the many visitors and people stopping by. Some are using technology to make donations. So, a few more days to go and a little less than $7000. We can do it!

Blessings!

Here’s how it went down. I got to bed early after securing the box with a heavy tarp thanks to Carla’s help. We would be dry and snug as a bug. I wasn’t sure how the wind would affect me but had positive thoughts. As I turned in, I was so excited about sleeping-nice rain, little traffic-perfect! I even had a late night visit with a gift of some cookies! Everything seemed ideal.

Somewhere around midnight I woke up to a weird realization-don’t ask me how. But it seemed that as the flatbed trailer got wetter and wetter, which is actually the “floor” of the box…my mattress might be soaking up water. I did have a small piece of plastic and a sheet down but nothing to really keep water out. I was correct. The bottom of my mattress was working as a sponge and water was seeping in. Now what? I immediately took out my sleeping bag, blanket, and pillow and put them in the small chapel next to the box. I was considering sleeping in there for the night but then thought otherwise. I  propped up the mattress to see where water was coming in…then began to figure out the next step. What would someone in poverty do? Would they be able to leave? Maybe…but most likely they would improvise.

That is what seemed best to me. I found a bunch of large trash bags and lined the floor where the most seepage was occurring. This is when I discovered I had a few more “friends” with me as a large roach scampered up the wall to stay dry…that was the least of my concern. The trash bags seemed as though they would suffice for now. I flipped the mattress back down, reorganized the wall space, killed my friend, and went back to grab my bedding materials. This process took about ½ an hour. Seemingly satisfied and thinking about how many other families in Alabama were doing the exact same thing, I began to pray. I prayed for the families who would not be dry tonight. I thought about the ridge cap we still need to finish. I thought about my warm, dry bed. Then I tried to sleep.

As the night progressed, the winds became stronger and stronger. The loose flap of my tarp flailed against my door at each band of wind gusts. The roof of the building next to me had metal on top and would clang and sounded as if it was coming apart. Occasionally a strong gust would come through and rock the trailer-not like a gentle “hammock rock” -but like a boat about to be flipped. I wondered how Jesus really slept through that storm-I wasn’t doing so hot. I think I would have been like those disciples-freaked out thinking they were going to capsize and drown. I never fully fell asleep for any length of time. Five thirty finally came around and although I couldn’t really move-I couldn’t sleep either.

The rain is still coming and will be here throughout the day. I have now evacuated into the chapel and reinforced my box floor with more plastic. Against one side of the box, the mattress is propped up with the hopes it will dry a bit before tonight.

I will still be thinking about all I have learned the past few days. People in poverty are industrious. They work hard, complain little, and see every gift as God’s providence. They find it difficult to grasp things like the tax system-they just know they pay a lot. They may not understand why minimum wage is low and maybe the concept of what a “living wage” is-they just know that despite two jobs or living on social security-its just not enough. That’s what this box is all about-that is what my life and vocation are dedicated to. To God be the glory.

And why? Because we believe with every ounce of who we are that part of living in God’s kingdom-to bring about His will here on this earth- is to serve our neighbors. It is the direct commandment woven throughout the Old and New Testaments to care for the poor. We are a link in the chain to end poverty if we but only have the courage to do it.

The box is long and wide enough to fit a twin size mattress and then have a little space on each side. Maybe just wide enough for a shoe. I am able to hook a clamp light up for light to read by. My windows are covered with plastic at night to keep out the weather and other things mother nature or pranksters might throw at me. The weather has been very cooperative for November. Of course I speak hesitantly-we just covered the shack up with a tarp as it seems a tropical storm is making its way up our state potentially. I think Ida is still a cat. 1 Hurricane but most likely will hit with just heavy wind and rain. No, I will not be overly stupid or courageous-we have an evac plan into the Wesley Foundation. However, I am committed to not going to my own home until we’ve raised our $10,000. That’s about it for now!

I’ll keep the posts coming! Blessings!