We're here!

After a very long night of driving we made it to Texas!!!! Hooray! Christmas break how I love thee!!!!

Give You.

It's hard coming to terms with the reality that I can't be and we can't do everything for everyone. The reality is that many people live in crappy situations. There are any number of reasons that cause people and families to end up in broken homes, literally. There are families on my street and children at my school that have lives I will never understand. It breaks my heart when I think about what Christmas is for those in need. Christmas is a time for some fathers and mothers to see that they in fact cannot provide for their families. Christmas is a time to have well meaning families buy your kids Christmas presents and make you feel two feet tall because you can't afford to. Christmas is time for immigrant families to watch others travel to see loved ones when they cannot because it's too dangerous. Christmas is a time for families who can barely get by as it is to sink into debt just to prove they aren't poor like other people.

This Christmas, don't just give a monetary gift to a child or a family in need, that doesn't really cost you anything. Give something that costs you everything. Give you. Invite someone who can't be with their family over on Christmas. Become friends with someone who isn't like you at all. If you are serving meals at the Salvation Army, actually pursue a conversation with a dinner guest. You never know where it might lead. This Christmas give the gift of dignity. It's something that everyone deserves, and most will never get.

Cookie Cookies and more Cookies!

On Sunday we had a neighborhood cookie decorating party! The purpose of the party was to build community within our neighborhood. I would say over the past few months we have initiated conversations and started building relationships with those in our neighborhood. I know many of the kids because they attend Unity. Children are typically the vehicle that relationships are formed through. I love being able to walk through the neighborhood and not only recognize faces, but actually know the faces. Our house has been intentional about making ourself a visible presence in our neighborhood. The cookie party was another vehicle for us to build trust and credibilty with our neighbors.

Jamie and spent about 8 or so hours in the kitchen Saturday baking sugar cookies, chocolate truffles, mint truffles, buckeyes, and almond biscotti. Both of us love to bake and baking is so much more fun when you do it together.

The kids decorated cookies and made gift baskets to deliver to the elderly in the neighborhood. The gift baskets were just wrapping paper and an empty yogurt container. Super cute!

Delivering the baskets was the highlight for many the kids, esp the older boys that were there.

Javion and Ian, they are absolutely precious and have the sweetest family.

My favorite thing about the party was that most of the people that came were kids and adults with which we had already had a prior connection. We hand delievered invitations to the whole neighborhood, but the majority of the people who came were those that already knew us. It important that we didn't just have the big Halloween party and then stop. We are using the Halloween party as a catalyst for other events and other more personal connections.

Another great thing about our the events in our neighborhood is that the Mission Year house is not the only group in the neighborhood interested in creating community. We have made some great friends who have lived in the neighborhood for several years and have been intentional about reaching out to the community. The great thing about having us there is that we have brought many of the these individuals together and now we have several families and households planning events and activities together. Neighbors working together are so much more effective than doing it alone. Working together is also a great way to pull your resources. Our church New Community Church once again donated supplies for our party. Some of us have time to donate some of us have resources, both are necessary.

But parties and events aren't enough. They are definitely a good way to begin to establish initial connections but they are only the first step. After we come back from the Christmas holidays I want to continue to develop my friendships with some of the people I have met. That's where it can be hard, you really have to step out of your comfort zone. But through relationships you can begin to see God transform your life and maybe even someone else's in the process.

Double Double Your Donation!!!!

Double your Donation ???? How you probably are wondering! During the month of December Mission Year will double ANY money raised! How can this be???? Donors and past team members have pledged to 100% match all funds raised this month. What an AWESOME way to help us meet our goal of $24,000 ( and what a fantastic way to get a last minute end of the year tax deduction!!!!)) We are thinking about YOU!!!!!!

Mission Year has been such a transformative year in my life already. We are sent out to transform our neighborhood but we are being changed and challenged in the process. Joining the married team in LaGrange has been one of the best decisions Ben and I have made as a couple. We are exploring our gifts not only as individuals, but as a couple as well.

Mission Year can only continue to love people and transform lives with the help of you. Please consider a gift donation to us this Christmas season. It doesn't matter how BIG or how small. Every penny will go towards advancing the kingdom of God!

Click on this link to securely donate online.

https://www.missionyear.org/donate/?name=Wheeler&support_id=09-0052

Or if your prefer you may send a check to
Mission Year
PO BOX 17628
Atlanta, GA 30316

Put the number 09-0052 in the memo section of your check.
As I mentioned ALL donations are tax deductible, so DON'T put our name anywhere on the check.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support this year.

http://www.missionyear.org/

Advent

We are now in the second week of advent. I really didn't know much about this liturgical season until I started working at St. Gregory in 2006. Advent was one of my favorite times of the year at St. Gregory. Every morning we would gather around our advent wreath and listen to scripture of the day. Every Monday we would gather as a student body to reflect on the symbolism of the candles, Hope, Peace, and Joy. Advent means coming or arrival. The focus of the advent season is on the arrival of Jesus. It's unfortunate that in today's world we only focus on the coming of company, parties, gifts, and Santa. For most of us, even Christians, advent is rarely our focus during this holiday season. I know I have taken Jesus' birth for granted far too many times. Of course I know "Jesus is the reason for the season" but I'm not sure I can actually say I thought much more about it than that. But which season are we referring to? I had heard of advent but I just thought it was another word for Christmas. Christmas is kind of like the culminating event during Advent, it's the celebration we were waiting for! But I think Advent itself is the joyful anticipation of Christmas or the birth of the Messiah. This year I want to truly reflect on the true meaning of Advent and not just the busyness of the Christmas holidays. More to come on this later.

Kerosene and Christmas Lights.

Zechariah 7: 9-11
This is what the LORD Almighty said: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.' "But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears.

I've been thinking alot lately about what it means to truly care for the poor and oppressed. I've gone on a mission trip, volunteered at the Salvation Army, delievered groceries to the poor, elderly homebound, bought a present from the Angel Tree... These are good things but is this really caring for the poor, or is it easing my conscience and making myself think I have cared for the poor. I think that voluntering your time occasionaly is a good start and a good thing to do, but I think there is much more to caring for the poor than that. It's much easier to deliever cans to a canned food drive than invite a hungry person over for dinner. It's easy to help those in need when it doesn't interfere with your schedule or your life.

We live by several people who do not have cars. Our neighbors will often ask us for rides sometimes for legitmate reasons, others for not so legitmate reasons aka the beer store! We do not want to become the neighborhood taxi service, but discerning when you are enabling versus when you are being Christ is tough. If you don't have a car in LaGrange, like most small towns you are extremely limited in your mobility. LaGrange doesn't have public transporation so a kind neighbor or a taxi are really your only transportation options. Last night on our way to community dinner, Nu Nu, our loud obnoxious neighbor, came over needing a ride. Nu Nu is a hard neighbor to deal with most of the time. He thinks since we are the neighborhood "missionaries" we are required to "help" him with whatever he needs whenever he wants. It's really frustrating. It's easy to help those who are thankful and appreciative, it's not so easy when the recipient of your generousity is obnoxious.

Nu Nu came over and said he need to get kerosene for the heater. It was freezing outside. How could we not help. Nu Nu and Ethel live in a house that doesn't have electricity. They can't afford it. It Christmas. People everywhere are decking their houses with lights.
I love Christmas lights. They make me happy. But somehow it doesn't seem at all right that one house can spend hundreds of extra dollars on lights, decorations, and electricity, while others in the same city maybe even the same street can't afford heat. As a Christian what do I do with this? We took Ethel to filled up her kerosene jug last night. We had to wait for the guy in front of us. The guy in front of us took a taxi --- to get keresone. I guess he didn't have a neighbor that would take him. We didn't do much. I wish we could do more. But we did humaninze her situation. Ever since I haven't stop thinking about all the people that I don't know about that don't have heat.

It's hard to understand the struggles of someone living in poverty but it's even harder to not immediately judge and make assumptions as to the causes of their poverty. Sometime we may be correct in our assumptions but what good is it to be right if we don't to anything to help allievate the problem. I am beginning to understand I will never truly understand the situations of my neighbors. I was born into a completely different lifestyle. I have lived an entirely different life than most of my neighbors. However, even though I may never really understand how they got into their current situation I can humanize them and their situation by simply just being with them. Jesus was constantly surrounded by needy people. But it seems like when he was approached by someone with a need he met it. The sick he healed. The blind he restored sight. I can't do that but I can be a friend. I can be a free taxi cab. I can be a listening ear. I can be nice. It may not be much. But it's what I can do.