maxon
Why We Are Doing Mission Year
Margareta:
I want to be a Mission Year team member because I love what their mission is: to advance the Kingdom of God by loving God through loving our neighbors. I believe that loving God and loving his people is our highest calling. Our actions should be the result of loving as best we can.
I’m excited to live in a community of believers and take on the challenges of a communal living situation. I grew up as the middle child in a family of five under a very small roof, and I’ve known no different living situation since! Every community living experience brings on its own difficulties, but I’ve been so positively affected by the blessings of living with other people—sharing everything, from our joys and concerns to our meals and entertainment. Because I am planning to be involved in Married Mission Year, I am really looking forward to the growth my husband and I will experience as a couple—living in community and reaching out, selflessly, toward the larger community. I think that the disciplines we learn in the Mission Year community would be a great start to our marriage. So, not only do I hope to come away from the experience as a renewed individual, but also as a stronger couple with a bond that can transform the lives of those around us and radiate the love of God.
Zach:
I want to be a Mission Year Team Member because I believe that the organization and the people involved in it are living a life that seeks to follow in the footsteps of Christ more than any other group or organization I’ve seen or had the opportunity to be a part of. I’ve heard Dr. Campollo speak and enjoy listening to his podcasts. Once he said that the call of Christ is one that demands our entire life, so I should at least try to give one year. I can’t argue with that. I know that Shane Claiborne, whom I admire, was and is also involved in Mission Year. I’ve read his books and long to start living a life as sacrificial and redemptive as his, so I figured Mission Year would be a good place to start.
I am sensitive to the needs and emotions of others and have a love of learning. I hope to become more conscious and knowledgeable about the issues involved in the lives of urban people and to develop personal relationships with them. I don’t want to be the white missionary trying to convert the inner city to Christianity. I want to live the love of Christ in whatever form I can alongside broken and impoverished people, not because they need my help, but because hopefully we can heal our pains together through Jesus.
I will be married to a wonderful woman and be doing Mission Year alongside her. We are both from rural farming towns and are not particularly experienced in what it means to understand and live in a huge city. My hope is that after a year of being immersed in the cities systems, habits, unique places and distinct people groups we will better understand what the spirit of the city is and have compassion and understanding for the poor who live there and are so frequently judged or ignored instead of loved and invested in. I understand that the first year of marriage is supposed to be the most difficult, which is why I think that Mission Year will hopefully be good for us. It will help us to start our marriage, what should be a symbol of Christ’s sacrificial love, with good habits in a supportive community with those who seek to live redemptive and sacrificial lives, learning and loving together with other married couples.
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…
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The Maxons' Mission Year Newsletter - January/Febuary 2010 / Feb 28, 06:35 PM
CHRISTMAS
The Christmas season was quite eventful for us here in LaGrange. We had a few Christmas celebrations: one with the community kids, another with Zach’s coworkers from Habitat, one with the teen mothers and their kids at Twin Cedars and the last one with our friends at the Jenny Jack Sun Farm the night before we flew back to Iowa.
We were so thankful to spend time with our family and friends in Iowa over the holidays. It energized us for our next seven months in Georgia! We drove back safely in Zach’s 1984 Caprice Classic. We’ve received numerous offers to buy the car down here! That big, old “hoopty,” as we’ve heard it called, is a hot commodity with the young African American men who add new rims, bright paint and chrome. We’ve been told to keep an eye on the old Caprice!
After a couple days back, we had a light snow here. It melted immediately, but most schools started two hours late the next day. Recently, we had a heavier snow, and everybody was outside playing in it!
JUBILEE PARTNERS & THE MLK, JR. MARCH
In mid-January, we were very fortunate to visit Jubilee Partners, a community in Georgia that practices sustainable agriculture and takes in refugees from all over the world, helping them more easily adapt and adjust to life in the United States. We spent three days learning about the structure of their community, spending time with its diverse members and eating with the whole community for every lunch and dinner.
We also went to the historic Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration in downtown Atlanta that weekend. We participated in the march and met many passionate people there.
SSAWG
In late January we attended the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Conference in Tennessee with our farm friends. We attended numerous sessions and workshops on sustainable agriculture and were inspired by farmers of all ages and from all places, working to bring responsible, healthy food to their communities, like we’re trying to do.
GARDENS & CHICKEN COOOPS
Over the last month, we’ve worked hard to plan garden projects and chicken coop buildings in local immigrant communities. Zach is building a coop prototype with one of our immigrant neighbors, Arturo.
Margareta is slowly translating gardening information into Spanish with Arturo’s wife, Norma. We hope to create community gardens in two immigrant neighborhoods by spring and provide a few families with coops and chickens.
ZACH AT HABITAT
Work at Habitat is going wonderfully! We’re almost done with our first house and I’m getting the hang of this “volunteer coordinator” thing. With our busy Mission Year schedules, I haven’t been around every weekend to help build, but I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to put up a house. We will be building another house that I’ll be in charge of coordinating soon!
LATINO PERSON OF THE YEAR
Anton Flores, our Mission Year and Alterna director, received the Person of the Year award from the Atlanta Latino newspaper. “Atlanta Latino is the largest independent Hispanic newspaper in Atlanta. The paper, which also runs a Hispanic television station, serves the Spanish-speaking community living in the Atlanta metro area. Each year readers submit names for the Person of the Year award. A panel chooses finalists and the winner” (LaGrange Daily News, 9 Feb. 2010). We’re thankful to be working alongside and learning from him.
VOLUNTEERS TEACH SEWING TO SINGLE MOMS
by Sherri Brown, staff writer for LaGrange Daily News
Dec. 31, 2009
Seams, hems, armholes, facings and even darts. Seam gauges, straight pins and tracing paper. Chauncy Austin is learning to sew, and it’s a lot more complicated than she expected.
“I wanted to learn to sew so I could make my own clothes. I started with making clothes for my daughter,” she said. “It’s not as easy or as fast as I thought it would be.”
The 20-year-old single mom is sticking with the project, though. She was the first to request sewing lessons through Circle of Care, a program that works with teen mothers with the goal to prevent a repeat pregnancy in the teen years.
“We want to empower our moms,” said Circle of Care coordinator Dedtria Jackson. “We teach independent living skills to help them graduate from high school or get a GED and get a job.”
Along with tutoring and other independent skills, Jackson has implemented a program for volunteers to teach the young mothers cooking, nutrition, sewing, parenting and other practical skills.
Margareta Maxon is a volunteer two days a week with Circle of Care, teaching sewing classes one afternoon a week. Maxon, an Iowa native, has been sewing all her life, beginning as a child by making clothes for her Barbie dolls. She gradually picked up skills for sewing clothes for herself and others, and is passing along that knowledge to the teen mothers.
It’s proving to be an unexpected challenge for the moms.
“It’s harder than I thought,” admitted Teresa Staples, who is making a dress for her 2-year-old daughter, Kionna. “But it’s fun.”
Circle of Care is funded through a grant from “Promoting Safe and Stable Families,” but there are no funds for sewing supplies. Donated supplies and a sewing machine got the girls started, but Jackson hopes that more donations will come in.
“We’d love to have a sewing center. Right now we have to share the few items we have,” said Jackson, who also is recruiting more volunteers to teach sewing and cooking skills.
(* Thanks to the readers of this newspaper article, Circle of Care now has its own sewing room stocked with donated machines, fabric and supplies. So far, the mothers have been working on clothes for their children and tote bags. One pregnant teen is happy to have a diaper bag just in time; she’s due in 2 weeks!)
THANK YOU!
We want to thank everybody who graciously donated towards our year of service over the past six months, especially in December when the funds were doubled. We could not be here, doing what we’re doing, if the people we know and love (and some people we don’t know, but still love!) were not supporting us. Thank you for blessing us with your gifts and helping us do good work here.
Stay in touch!
zachmaxon@gmail.com / 712.348.4025
margaretamaxon@gmail.com / 712.348.2333
1712 Jackson Street, LaGrange, GA 30240
www.missionyear.org/blog/maxon
http://picasaweb.google.com/margaretamaxon/MissionYear0910#
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The Maxons' Mission Year - November/December 2009 / Dec 29, 12:25 PM
The Peace Walk
In the middle of November we were privileged to take part in a weeklong peace walk. We walked 85 miles alongside Catholic Peace Workers, Mennonites, Quakers, Veterans for Peace, activists, Prisoners of Conscience and Buddhist monks.
We walked for peace in the world and justice for immigrants. Hours of deep conversation and the cathartic drumming and chanting of the Buddhists accompanied us on our journey. We arrived at the Stewart Detention Center for a rally and funeral procession for a man who wrongly died behind the bars of the prison for non-criminal immigrants.
We then arrived at the School of Americas (now known as WINSEC) on Fort Benning, a notorious military training facility for Latin American soldiers synonymous with torture and military repression around the world. We took part in a vigil and nonviolent direct action outside the gates of the Fort with thousands of other concerned people of the Americas in an attempt to reform or close the school.
Our journey was transforming. We connected with many radical people who dedicated their lives to justice and peace. Their passion and energy inspired us to continue on the path we’re on, trying to live out our faith as equals to the forgotten and oppressed.
Meeting the Needs
The Jenny Jack Farm butchered a hog in November and cooked it in a coal pit underground! They wanted to donate some of the meat to immigrant families, so we ventured out to the farm to pick it up with our neighbor, Arturo. He was so thankful to take the trip and so helpful in conversing with the families to which we delivered the meat. He and Zach even hunted some of their own meat out there—squirrel!
Later that month, Margareta and Chris Jackson delivered live chickens to the families! Sixteen chickens were split between three families. In one household, both parents had been injured badly at work and were unable to receive workman’s compensation because of their immigration status. They have five children. Hopefully the seven chickens they took will feed them for a while! Chicken coop construction is our next project.
We’ve also been working in the community garden, hoeing up the weeds in one area and sowing crimson clover as a cover crop. A couple neighborhood kids had a lot of fun helping us.
Thanksgiving
We ate chicken feet on Thanksgiving! Well, Zach ate chicken feet, and he ate enough for the both of us—5 chickens’ worth! In the morning, we volunteered to prepare take-home Thanksgiving meals for our neighborhood, and that afternoon we ate the authentic Mexican meal with our neighbors. Earlier that week, we had two more neighborhood Thanksgiving meals with our Mexican and Iraqi neighbors including a smoked turkey sent to us from Texas and a fish-fry by friends from Florida. We are very grateful for our generous guests who visited over
the holiday!
Zach at Habitat
Work is going well! I was content at the ReStore but my function has changed at Habitat. I’m now the “Volunteer Coordinator” for the current build in Wedowee, Alabama. It involves a lot of e-mailing/phone calling/organization which I’m not used to and don’t necessarily understand. Nevertheless, it will be a good experience and I still get to go to the site and pound some nails, which is my favorite part.
DOUBLE YOUR DONATION!
Mission Year has received a grant to MATCH ALL DONATIONS MADE TO OUR MINISTRY IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER! If you have ever thought about giving to us or plan on giving to us any time this year, even if it’s just once, please give this month. We have a lot of fundraising to go to even come close to meeting our goal. We need all of your help, emotionally, physically, spiritually and yes, financially. An on-line donation can be made at www.missionyear.org/launch/maxon, or checks can be sent to Mission Year, P.O. Box 17628, Atlanta, GA 30316. All gifts are tax deductible. Write our ID# 09-0075 in the memo line of your check.
Stay in touch!
1712 Jackson Street, LaGrange, GA 30240
margaretamaxon@gmail.com / 712.348.2333
zachmaxon@gmail.com / 712.348.4025
www.missionyear.org/blog/maxon
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The Maxons' Mission Year - October/November 2009 / Dec 29, 12:25 PM
Hello all!
This month, much like the last two, has been extremely busy. When our time is not scheduled with Mission Year, Alterna and community events, it’s filled with other time-consuming obligations (like writing this newsletter ☺). Needless to say, we’re tired – emotionally, physically, and mentally. The familiar faces, rhythms, and natural peace of home and the country are missed immensely.
Despite the business, we have tried to make time to have fun as a community. Early this month we went to Atlanta to see the band U2, which was exciting. Our housemates and our director pitched in together to buy our tickets as a wedding gift!
The most inspiring, intimate and energizing event of the month was our weekend trip to Waco, Texas for a conference with other intentional Christian communities. Most of them are Mennonites (whom Zach is in love with) and belong to the Shalom Missions Communities. During our stay we took part in numerous workshops including community economics, contemplative prayer, soap making, bike repair and other community/spiritual sessions. We also visited the World Hunger Relief Inc., a Christian organization that trains and educates individuals about sustainable farming techniques that can be used in local and international communities. For the first time since we left home, we felt at home. The farm was beautiful, the people inspiring and loving, and the food, oh the glorious food! We would be fortunate to live in such a beautiful community in our future.
We met with the other Mission Year teams in Georgia and South Carolina in the middle of the month, catching up and sharing stories of our experiences. Afterwards, Anton, our director, drove us around to see a little bit of historic Atlanta as well as the bohemian downtown scene –cool, but not at cool as the rural Midwest that we miss so much!
We have been working in the community garden weekly. This has given us the opportunity to distribute the fresh produce to needy immigrant families around LaGrange. Two weeks ago, we all gathered to plant strawberries and garlic. This crazy Georgia weather gives us numerous growing seasons! The Jenny Jack Farm donates the plants and seeds for this project. We also plan to help some families build their own chicken coops! Soon, we hope to trade Spanish lessons for English lessons with our immigrant neighbors.
One of our housemates serves as our community liaison. One of his responsibilities is to reboot the neighborhood watch in our area that had fallen to the wayside. Our first meeting pulled many dedicated and fantastic neighbors out of the woodwork. We hope to empower them and the rest of the community to continue the watch even after we’ve left.
The other two women in our house worked hard all month planning a neighborhood Halloween party at a local food joint a couple blocks from our house. We expected about 20 people to show up and were blown away by the 130 people who participated in the festivities that night!
We spent last Saturday in the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. After hours of waiting, we were allowed to visit with some of the immigrant detainees. It helped us better understand the deportation process and learn about how the men are treated at the facility.
Leroy Barber, the president of Mission Year, visited yesterday with his wife, Donna. They, with our director, Anton, visited most of our service sites, dined with our community and offered much encouragement for our efforts. He perceived things that we don’t notice in the midst of it. During a visit with Margareta’s boss at Twin Cedars, Margareta and one of the teen moms had just started a baking project in the next room. Later, they all said that the best part of their day was hearing our laughter next door. With tears in his eyes, Leroy thanked us for giving him a reason to keep doing what he’s doing. That alone was enough reason to keep going. Additionally, Margareta had a wonderful time teaching the young woman how to make cinnamon rolls from scratch and introducing her to the miracle of yeast! Everyone tried the rolls and Leroy’s wife said they were the best she’d ever had in her life. Hopefully, the recipe will be posted on our blog soon, along with some other past journal entries.
Thank you for your financial support. We know times are hard and we have a long way to go, but we’d love it if you would be a part of helping us meet our goal. To make a secure, easy donation on-line, please visit http://www.missionyear.org/launch/maxon, or consider sending in a donation by mail to Mission Year, PO Box 17628, Atlanta, GA 30316. Please remember to write 09-0075, our ID#, on the memo line of your check for tax deduction purposes.
Also, Mission Year has received a grant to match any funds we raise in the month of December. Please, consider a gift towards our goal during this next month! Thank you!
We will be visiting home over Christmastime. While we’re there, we would love to share more about our experiences with you in person. Please contact us to speak at your church, holiday event or family gathering! Thank you for your love and support!
Love,
Margareta and Zach
The Best Cinnamon Rolls Donna Barber Has Ever Had in Her Life / Dec 2, 06:15 PM
Leroy and Donna Barber visited our Mission Year team in LaGrange a few weeks ago. When they visited Twin Cedars, I was in the kitchen baking cinnamon rolls with one of the teen moms in our Circle of Care program. They had a meeting with my boss in the next room and said that the best part of their day was hearing our laughter next door. Later, with tears in his eyes, Leroy thanked me for giving him a reason to keep doing what he’s doing. (Thank you, Leroy, for also giving me a reason to keep doing what I’m doing.) Additionally, I had a wonderful time teaching the young woman how to make cinnamon rolls from scratch and introducing her to the miracle of yeast! Everyone tried the rolls and Donna said they were the best she’d ever had in her life! The week had been rough, so the visit, the compliments, the learning and the laughing really lifted my spirits. As requested from some of our supporters, here’s the recipe!
The Best Cinnamon Rolls Donna Barber Has Ever Had in Her Life
created by Margareta and Chauncey in the Twin Cedars demo-kitchen
1 c. warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1 package or 1 Tbsp. yeast
¼ c. sugar
½ tsp. salt
1 egg
¼ c. butter, softened
1/3 c. dry milk
1 ½ c. whole wheat flour
1 ½ c. all-purpose flour
1 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
Glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp. milk
½ tsp. vanilla
Dissolve yeast and water in a bowl. Add sugar, salt, egg, butter and dry milk. Mix well. Add flours gradually, stirring well until the dough pulls together. Add more flour as necessary. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes.
Grease a 9×13” pan and set aside. Grease a countertop and pat dough into a 15”x10” rectangle. Spread brown sugar evenly over dough and sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll up dough starting on the long edge and pinch seam to seal. Cut* into 15 equal size rolls and place cut side up in greased pan. Preheat oven to 170°F (or the lowest setting on your oven) and place rolls in oven to rise until double. While rolls rise, mix powdered sugar, vanilla and milk in small bowl for glaze. Turn oven up to 375°F and bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool slightly, drizzle with glaze and serve warm.
*A neat way to cut the slices is to slide a piece of dental floss or heavy thread under the roll, bring ends of floss up and crisscross at top of roll, then pull ends in opposite directions.
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