Alabama Rural Ministry

We have a MATCH and are close to $11,000 raised! For the next two days your donation is doubled! Give $20, it means $40. Give $100 it means $200. Some wonderful friends and supporters of ARM not only have given $2000 but are also pledging up to an additional $2000. That means up to a $4000 match! But, it has to be for gifts and pledges in the next two days. Please consider passing this onto your friends, coworkers, or even local businesses and help us! Or consider another donation. We can get to $20,000! The shack has been great and I’ve learned a lot about “fasting from comfort”! You can help too! We are blessed to be a blessing! You can give online at www.arm-al.org , come to the shack or Buildmore Store, or email me lisa@arm-al.org with a pledge. All gifts are tax deductible!

Grace and peace-lisa

Nov. 2^nd Wednesday

This day is about to close and has been fun. I’ve been blessed by many donations and great conversations. It truly keeps me going. But…I’m also tired…very tired.

The love and generosity continues to pour in. Whatever frustrations I had about the fire pit being stolen was turned by so many others wanting to help. What I have not mentioned are the workshops. Each day since this past Monday, a different organization has presented a seminar on aspects of poverty.

Alabama Arise grapples with the public policy side and literally advocates and “lobbies” for the poor and low income families. They help us see what laws and structures exist that continue to perpetuate poverty or hold people back. Their work is to encourage everyone to become more active and educated about the legislative process. They spoke on Monday at Auburn UMC.

Tuesday was the Hale Empowerment Organization (HERO). I was impressed by O’Neil who has been serving with HERO for three years and graduated from Auburn in landscape architecture. She was extremely articulate discussing the facets of HERO-housing, children, and social entrepreneurship. The building projects and micro businesses they have established have blown me away. From Youth Build projects, to bamboo bicycles, to Pie-labs and so much more! Wow! Greensboro, Alabama has been completely transformed! Inspiring! Wesley Foundation hosted this workshop.

Today was Alabama Possible and Kristina Scott also at Wesley Foundation. This was designed as a listening session and brainstorming. My friends David Bryson from SIFAT, and Art Pearce with Habitat shared some great insights! We talked about the problem-how do we achieve economic success. From there we discussed the resources, roadblocks, and what we could do as a community and individually. It was a great conversation. The next two sessions are from Habitat of Hale County and Dr. Norbert Wilson in AU Rural Sociology.

Overall, I was thankful for the healthy breakfast with Heath and a fellowship dinner with the AU Wesley students. And here is the final story. Today, we completed a roof for Mr. Niguel Andrews. Niguel is a gospel singer who has had several health problems including seven strokes. Sometimes he is in a wheelchair or uses a walker and must use oxygen. Niguel is in his late 40’s. He has sung with Amy Grant, CiCi and BiBi Winen and more. Over the course of three years we have built him a ramp, deck, and now replaced his roof. He in turn has given us musical CD’s and sang at various locations. I was elated when he called today to say thank you for his roof and tell me how excited he is. Then he asked if he could be a spokesperson for ARM and accompany us to churches and other events. I was deeply humbled. This man never quits serving and never quits giving. Of course I said “yes” and how we would love to have him. What a great testimony and a wonderful reminder of how God will continue to use us even in our weakness. That was really the highlight of my day and what sticks the most.

And I enjoyed visits from Meredith and Harper, Riley, Isis, Heath, Emma and Helen and so many more! Thanks!

The unofficial total is $8787 but I know we have some more in.

Grace and peace,

lisa

Remember-we have noon workshops each day. Wednesday at Wesley is Alabama Possible and Thursday is Hale County Habitat at St. Dunstans Episcopal Church. See the Poverty Awareness Page for more info. And, kids can come paint on the box!

This blog is actually covering two days…time does seem to escape me. First a shout out to all the meals-yet again, very blessed! Last night was Veggies To Go with Angie and it was amazing! I love that place. Jennifer and Evan brought Hardees biscuits which really hit the spot! Lunch with the students always a blessing-and then came the crème de le crème-the Stevens! Randy, Patrick, and Emma brought a table and picnic dinner with roast beef, veggies, rice, and bread! Wow-we topped the night with some smores by the fire! Talk about hospitality!

Our big excitement was Halloween night getting to hand out candy to all the trick-or-treaters! They were so much fun with their costumes. I was tickled at the very little ones not sure how this “trick or treat” thing really worked. But, to see their big smiles and laughter dance in their eyes was enough. They melted my heart and it was just a pleasure to be with them all-by far one of the best Halloween’s ever!

But, there are always the tricks and the pranks that may come. I went to sleep warm in my heart, warm in my sleeping bag, having enjoyed a big fire and lots of fun. I made the mistake of not moving my fire pit and leaving it in front of the shack somewhat exposed to the road. When I awoke this morning-my fire pit had grown legs and walked away. I sort of just looked at the area where it was supposed to be thinking-that was my source of heat…how will I get warm this morning? Forty degrees is not exactly warm…I was disappointed and perplexed all at the same time.

So, begs the question…why would anyone steal my fire pit? Was it a prank and maybe will return? Was it to “scrap” as metal in a tough economy? Or maybe someone has been cold and thought it might warm them as well? Whatever the answer… it still frustrated me. And…did they not know that that was really my only way I was getting warm? Did they know the conversations held around that fire? The smores I had promised to make? Did they know and did they care?

It does not matter. What I can say is that this is not new to us. We find poor families ripped off and taken advantage of all the time. They are easy targets for someone taking their last possession or preying on their trust that people will do the right thing. Ms. Betty lives on her Social Security of $700/month. She saved up enough money to pay for repairs for her roof to be done. The “contractor” said she would need to pay him up front so that he could purchase the materials. This seemed fair to her so she gave him all of it. He did go and purchase several bundles of shingles. But after laying all the felt and about 5 courses of uneven and improperly placed shingles, he left and never came back. He left Ms. Betty in a worse situation than she was already in. We hear about these unscrupulous contractors and builders exploiting the poor and elderly in nearly every case we run across.

I have been reading through the prophet Micah over the past week. Micah has a scathing warning to the Israelite community for taking advantage of the poor and exploiting the weak-that was their downfall! They forgot their God and they forgot their neighbor! We would do well to reread these passages from the perspective of our community, church, and even country. Our tendency is to read and apply them at purely an individual level. The danger is that it is easy for us to dismiss any idea that “individually” we exploit the poor yet when we look at what we do as society-these scriptures are a scathing reminder of where we fall short. We are responsible for the laws in our land so when unjust laws are passed and enforced, who’s at fault? We are. We should hold those accountable who use people to line their pockets and justify their business. And as business owners, we are called to insure we are not practicing forms of oppression. For God hears the cry of the needy as much now as He did when the Israelites were oppressed by the Egyptians.

There is my soap box. And it was reinforced as we listened to the presenters from HERO (Hale Empowerment Organization) today discuss the continued “aristocracy” of “old money” in the South that refuses to allow for progression-at least progression for minorities. Yes, it still exists and many of these same people sit in church every Sunday justifying themselves…judgmental on my part…possibly…prophetic on Micah’s part-no shame there…It’s time to take a litmus test of our community, church, and country and see where we stand in light of God’s ideal of justice and righteousness. All that because my fire pit was stolen. Not really-more because of Ms. Dozier who does not have the options that I have and any injustice done to her spirals her down further into poverty. Fortunately, she has a wonderful spirit and heart and believes in the love and mercy of Jesus…if we can only get to her home fast enough…you can help!

Thanks for your love-we are above $5500 and I’ll have a new total in the morning.
Blessings!

lisa

Sunday’s rest

The last 24 hours (From Sunday till Monday) has shifted dramatically. We topped $5Kwhich is better than where we were this time last year.  But here are a few thoughts from the last 24 hours.

It was great to worship with the Wesley students on Sunday night. After Sunday morning, the church crowd had died down and Auburn went sleepily peaceful. After three nights of preparation and then celebration for the AU/Ole Miss game, all slowed down to a quiet hum as people napped and returned to college studies. I was even able to a catch a few minutes of nap time early that afternoon.  A few “Picassos” came by adding color to the shack. They were fun and rambunctious. Hearing their family story touched my heart and I was reminded that everyone has struggles. We can appear so together on the outside and be filled with pain and brokenness on the inside. The Good News is that the family had found a home and community at a local church and gaining the needed support and encouragement.

It was a slow donation day but ok. Dinner was brought by Andi and we had a great conversation. Two students, Nikki and Kristan, came and sat by the fire for awhile. The students shared their summer experiences in Uganda and spoke of their heart and passion to return and serve more long term after completing their degrees.

Quite honestly, the best part of this fundraiser is the people. I have the best discussions and learn the most intriguing things from them. My heart is touched as they speak from their pain and struggle. I am inspired when they share their dreams and visions Christ has given them.

Finally the night ended being able to worship with the AU Wesley college students. I always appreciate their authenticity and heart. I love their leadership capacity and potential being put to God’s use. They talked about their mission experiences from last year; what it meant to them and used it to encourage others to listen to God about how they would be used. I remember being in their shoes 20 years ago, in that same room, trying to “figure it out”. It’s neat sitting on this side…although I still find myself at moments trying to figure it out…still…

Sleep came fast and easy. Getting up the challenge-I was literally paralyzed by the warmth of my sleeping bag and had no desire to get out. But work and ministry beckoned. A cold day to start would warm quickly. More blessings to come.