Aaron Hibbard
I can't wait to be there!
Hi my name is Aaron Hibbard. I am going to be going with Mission Year to Camden, NJ on Friday (Sept. 5). I am so excited! When I first heard about Mission Year it was very out of the blue because I heard about from a friend that I went to church camp with in 7th grade. It was really cool. She was telling me about what she was doing and sent me a link to Mission Year and i could not stop looking at the website for a couple of hours. It sounded so awesome and it seemed like something that God could really use to mold me into somebody that looks more like Him. I just am so ecstatic when I think about getting there. Now the leaving home and friends behind, not so much fun but I know God has plans for me in Camden. I’m really excited to meet my team and everything. That’s all for now. If you’re reading this please feel free to read this any time you want because it’s like you’re joining in the journey with me and as the Body of Christ we all need each other in whatever capacity. Thank you so much for everything!
About Mission Year
Mission Year is a year long urban ministry program focused on Christian service and discipleship. We take teams of young people, place them in an area of need, and help them to serve people and create community. We are committed to the command of Jesus to “love God and love people,” by placing the needs of our neighbors first and developing committed disciples of Christ with a heart for the poor. Learn more about our first year program…
Aaron Hibbard's Blog
A Breath of Fresh Internet... / Oct 30, 10:13 AM
Oh my goodness…I just want to apologize for how long it has taken me to write my first entry. It has been crazy here, but great all at the same time. Unfortunately with no internet access at the house, camp, and no time to get on the internet at Hopeworks there has not been an opportunity for me to write this wonderful tool that we like to call the “blog.” Alright so we’re coming upon two months of being here and what a two months it has been.
Great friends have been made, great times have been had, but we’ve also shared some tough times as well.
Let’s talk about some good times, every single one of us in the house has our own little quirks and I love it. One of those quirks that some of us share in common three of us have very distinct laughs. There is me with the “seal” laugh, Faith with the “sss…sss…sss” laugh, and Ryan with the “wheezing” laugh. So as you might be sharing in laughter right now it is pretty safe to assume that our laughs are contagious and it is so great. Some more good times are the fact that we all have a heart for this we realize we are here for a purpose. We actually just got done writing a sort of mission statement/covenant for the year. We are all sharing in this year and to see the unity that is being infused within our community is so encouraging. We are all from different parts of the country, with different pasts, and have different things we are interested in; but God has brought us all here together for His purpose and with such a diverse group I have faith that God knows what He is doing.
As far as service and neighborhood outreach go, I am noticing a lot more smiles than I thought I would have. However I have asked people if they think there is any hope for Camden and I get a resounding “no.” Which makes me really sad when I think about it. There is so much pain and suffering in this community that it is what they have come to expect and they have gotten used to it. But then I run into my neighbor and he is one of the few who thinks there is hope for this city and helps me keep going. I would say that he is committed to this city because he feels like he is failing following God, and he wants such an intimate relationship with Him, so much so that even though he feels like he is failing he still tries to move closer to God and keeps on hoping for this city. Then I go to my service sites, Urban Promise and Hopeworks. These people are investing in the youth of the city. One, Urban Promise, in younger youth giving them a place to be instead of on the streets. We try to encourage and empower these kids so they can live lives of change. These kids can be the catalyst to initiate change in our world for the better. Then there is Hopeworks who give people a second chance in their education. Most of the people who I work with, something happened where they did not graduate high school and we want them to know that they could and even now still succeed in furthering their education and achieving their dreams and goals. In the midst of hopelessness there agent of hope that are trying to change this place.
I kind of about it like this Camden might a desert of hopelessness but there are are oases of hope. I see these people and organizations as the oases but the burning question in my mind is can a desert be turned into a rainforest. Can hopelessness be drenched in hope so much so that hope thrives and get all over everything?
I realize I’m not here to make huge changes and God is the only one who can restore this city fully but I want to think as if change can actually happen. I want to think Hope.
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