Becky Zerr
Why I'm Doing Mission Year...
When I graduated from college in May, I had absolutely no future plans. I had looked for full-time jobs, and although I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, I knew I hadn’t found it yet. I was frustrated but knew that God would make His plan clear to me in His timing. Shortly after moving home, I stumbled across Mission Year’s website. The more I read, the more I knew that this is what I wanted to be doing for the upcoming year. The program combined my educational background in human services with my heart for missions. How perfect! I prayed about it and felt that God was leading me to apply for Mission Year. Now, here I am a few months later getting ready to serve in New Orleans for the year. I can’t wait to meet my teammates, get acquainted with my new neighborhood, and serve the Lord with all I’ve got. Buckle up. It’s sure to be a wild ride!
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…
Becky Zerr's Blog
Your New Orleans, My New Orleans / Mar 31, 11:48 AM
To many, New Orleans is just a place,
A city known for its beignets, red beans, and the best jambalaya around,
Where there’s a laidback style and the livin’ is easy,
Where sitting on the porch is the neighborhood social event,
A place where the good times roll,
A city ravaged by Katrina’s wrath.
Why even rebuild? It could happen again.
Well, you don’t know my New Orleans.
You don’t know…
Tigger’s squeeze-ya-til-you can’t-breathe hugs,
Darrien’s smile after finally understanding a new math concept,
Brother Carlton’s generosity- declaring that we’re a part of his family,
Noodles’ carefree laughter as he runs around the gym,
Betty’s welcome song that makes you feel right at home,
Sister Theodore’s love of this place- fighting with all she has to move back.
It’s not just a place.
People are my New Orleans.
Simply unforgettable.
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Cheers, Tears, and Everything in Between / Jan 21, 12:06 AM
I’ll admit that this is going to sound pretty cheesy, but I’ll say it anyways. Today was one of those days in which I was really proud to be an American. I don’t always agree with everything our country and its leaders stand for, and that certainly won’t change overnight, but I saw hope restored among the people in my neighborhood today. Political affiliations and ideologies aside, it was a day to celebrate a dream that had come true for the black community in our nation.
The local schools were closed today so I had the opportunity to attend our church’s inaugural celebration. After living here in New Orleans and building relationships with my neighbors for a few months, I have never felt more connected to them than I did today. With glistened eyes, I watched the joy and tears on the faces of my church family as they celebrated this momentous occasion. Time was set aside for members of the congregation to share what this inauguration meant to them. One woman shared that as a child, she witnessed people being lynched for the color of their skin. Another woman shared about her experiences sitting in the back of the bus and how as a young child, she didn’t understand why she was treated differently than the white children. I had read about these things in history books but had never considered that my fellow church members, these people whom I now consider family, had experienced such injustices. All of them stated that they never thought that they would see a black President in their lifetimes. It was truly a dream come true. Hearing these personal accounts gave me a greater context in which to place the significance of today’s events. It made me realize how far our nation has come.
The election of President Obama signals progress, but the journey toward greater equality for all people is not over. Pray for our President as he assumes this office. He has a challenging road ahead of him.
Just a Number / Dec 1, 11:31 AM
When we first arrived in New Orleans, part of our orientation to the city involved finding the police station, fire station, and medical facility that was closest to our house. At the time, we discovered that there was not a medical facility even remotely close to where we live. Where was the justice in that? How were the people in our neighborhood supposed to get the medical care that they needed? I hadn’t given the situation more thought until this week…
On Sunday night, I became aware of a pain on the back of my right heel. By Monday morning, it was clear that I had an infection on the back of my foot that was getting bigger and bigger. I’ll spare you the details, but believe me when I say that it was absolutely disgusting! My teammates were joking with me that it was gangrene.
After searching the internet for doctors in the city, I came across one that was on a familiar busline. As far as I could tell, the rest of the doctors could only be reached by car. I called first thing in the morning on Tuesday and was told that they don’t do appointments. You just show up and wait to be helped. Perfect. I needed antibiotics before this infection got any bigger.
I took the bus to the medical clinic on Broad Street. My foot was really painful at this point so I was anxious to see a doctor. I opened the door to the clinic and saw a room full of people who were waiting to be seen. All eyes were on me as I signed in at the desk. Everything about the place felt sterile. The chairs were all full so I sat on the floor against the wall. There was no guarantee that I’d even get to see the doctor. The clinic closed in 2 hours and there were about 20 people ahead of me. All I could do was wait. I sat there for a few minutes feeling really uncomfortable because everyone was still staring at me- wondering why I, a white girl, would be going to a medical clinic in that part of the city. Then, I saw a sign on the wall that read: “Cash Only- No Exceptions.” My heart sank. I only had $20 in my pocket, and $20 wasn’t enough to see the doctor. I had planned to pay with credit card. There was no budging on their policy. The receptionist refused to even hear what I had to say. I was totally at the mercy of “the system” and had no rights. That’s a frustrating place to be and it was unfamiliar to me. Disheartened, I took the bus back home and would try again somewhere else on Wednesday.
I’ve seen a lot of injustices since I’ve been here in New Orleans, but I had never personally experienced anything like what happened at the clinic. The woman at the desk treated the patients like dogs. It was dehumanizing. Their level of pain didn’t matter. Their own schedule didn’t matter. At the end of the day, the payment was what mattered. It’s crazy to me that this is the kind of healthcare that is available to the Poor in this city. I was only able to see a good doctor in a nice part of the city on Wednesday because I had a friend who was able to drive me there. [Praise the Lord that my foot is doing MUCH better!] Many people in Desire don’t have cars or don’t know how to drive. Aside from the transportation problem, you have to have cash to pay for the medical services. The sheer cost of medical care keeps many people from seeking it. A place like the clinic that I went to on Tuesday is all that is available to them. Something needs to change.
As frustrating as going to the medical clinic was, that experience gave me such a greater understanding of the barriers that my neighbors face. It breaks my heart to know that healthcare is only one example of the injustice that abounds in New Orleans. I want to be an agent of change. I have been given much, so much is required of me.
Looking For: Understanding / Nov 18, 12:07 PM
I’m realizing more and more that I’m someone that likes to have the answers. I like to understand why things are the way they are. I am usually pretty good at clinging to truth in the midst of hard times, but this past week has been pretty tough. It’s beyond my understanding. There’s a song that we used to sing with ACF at Penn State called “You Are Still Holy”. I love the words of that song. The lyrics are:
Holy, You are still holy
Even when the darkness surrounds my life
Sovereign, You are still sovereign
Even when confusion has blinded my eyes
It’s easy to say those words and mean it when everything is going well. How much harder it is to believe that God is holy and sovereign when you’re surrounded by injustice, poverty, and suffering. I’ve really been struggling to understand why God allows these things to happen. Just when I come to a place of beginning to understand, my eyes are opened to more suffering. It hurts. I know that God is at work, but it’s hard to understand. Perhaps I don’t need to get it. His Word says that the peace of God transcends understanding. I just need to seek the Lord and trust that He is in control even when things are hard.
Please keep our neighbors and our team in your prayers. We need it.
High School 101 / Oct 23, 07:35 AM
It’s hard to know where to begin in my description of yesterday. Chaotic. Exciting. Overwhelming. Intimidating.
After submitting paperwork, waiting, making phone calls, re-submitting paperwork, leaving countless voicemails at the district office, and waiting some more, I finally started volunteering at Carver High School yesterday! I had planned to volunteer with the Counseling Department, but after talking with the head counselor, it became clear that the teachers are in greater need of help than she is. I obviously want to be volunteering where there is need, so I was okay with being assigned to a classroom. In fact, I’m probably more excited to work in the classroom because it will give me the opportunity to see the same students over and over.
I spent part of the morning with the head counselor. I helped her administer a state assessment to some of the students. There were approximately 25 kids in the classroom and I can honestly say that only 5 of them put forth their best effort. Some “finished” the whole test in 3 minutes while others refused to even open the test booklet. It was a little disheartening to see how little the students cared or were willing to put forth the effort to do the exam. After the assessment, I went to Ms. Erman’s classroom.
On Tuesdays, I’m going to be working in Ms. Erman’s math classes. She is fresh out of college and is at Carver High School with Teach for America. The year has been very challenging for her in that she’s found it nearly impossible to teach when there are so many behavioral problems that need to be addressed. Despite her best efforst, she faces a lot of disrespect. All of the teachers do. Students will get up and just leave in the middle of class. They are constantly talking and it’s all she can do to get them to face forward in their seats much less listen to the math lessons. Ms. Erman expressed how relieved she was to just have another set of hands and eyes in the classroom. I hope to be able to be an encouragement to her- a light in the midst of the chaos swirling around her.
As someone who has been to high school, I foolishly assumed that I knew what to expect. After only one day at the school, all expectations and preconceived ideas have been thrown out the window. I can already tell that it’s going to be challenging. I don’t totally know how to interact with the students or gain their respect, but I do know that I’m called to love them. It’s easy to throw around that word. I need to remind myself of what that truly means before I go back to the school again on Thursday.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. Love never fails.” 1 Cor. 13:5-8
I pray for the strength to love like this.
