Meredith Blough
"What are you doing next year?" you ask...
Hello everyone! I am almost half way done with my senior year at Ohio University and a lot of people have been asking this question “What are you doing next year?” the answer: Mission Year. The Lord showed me a little bit about inner city ministry last summer in Chicago and that has really had an impact on me. I have decided to spend next year serving and growing through Mission Year and I am excited to start getting ready :)
Here is my hope for the next year: To serve the Lord, trust Him, and give my all to LOVE GOD and LOVE PEOPLE.
“We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.”
~1 Thess. 2:8
I will try to keep you up to date on my life through the next year on this blog.
Thanks for reading!
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…
Meredith Blough's Blog
our friend T / Aug 11, 01:02 PM
So it’s a week after the end of my Mission Year in Chicago. WIERD. I want to share the story of our friend T, because I think it represents our year well and gives a small picture of what God is doing in the city.
T is our friend who happens to be a drug dealer on the corner of our street. We first met him because he reached out to us. Normally, we would walk to the bus stop saying hello to people we pass by but also being very aware of our surroundings. T not only said hello, but he asked us if we were church people. We said yes. Kind of a strange question. He asked us to pray for him because he wanted to change, he wanted something different for his life. We all introduced ourselves and went on our way. T is one of the most welcoming people we came in contact with this year.
Over time, we would run into T, he would shout across the street at us, give us hugs, and 98% of the time he remembered all of our names. That is impressive! His boys often gave him strange looks for talking to the white people of the neighborhood. He would respond to them with “These are my people!” He wasn’t ashamed, and he saw something different in us.
At one point he had a discussion with one of my teammates that usually white people are afraid of him, that we were the first white people to be polite and willing to hang out and talk with him. Our conversations were often about nothing really. Just catching up. He would remind us to pray for him, and we would be on our way.
We invited T to our house several times, but we knew he wouldn’t show because people on our block would call the cops on him.
Honest. Unashamed. Loving. Protector. These are words that describe T. I never would have thought EVER that I would befriend a drug dealer, or that he would be my advocate. This is a way that God has opened my eyes to see even the small ways that the Kingdom of God is coming to earth.T told us a couple days before we left that in the fall he had followed us home to make sure we weren’t cops before talking to us. News to us!
T didn’t turn his whole life around, stop selling, or become a believer. But he did get to see how Christ-followers are different from the rest of the world. He gained at least 5 more people who are petitioning heaven for him. I hope he saw a glimpse of Jesus’ welcoming, loving, life-changing presence.
He wants to live with a family in the country one day. He has dreams, but is currently stuck in an unforgiving poverty cycle with no way out.
God can change all of it. God loves T just as he is and is drawing him to the cross. Pray for T. Pray for East Garfield Park. Pray for those who are bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth in the city and walking with Jesus daily.
Thank you for joining me on my journey this year. As it turns out, I will be heading on a new journey with Mission Year on the south side of Chicago this coming fall as an Alumni-Mentor. New team. New neighborhood (Roseland). New church. New job. Same mission, to love God and love people. Stay tuned…
Zephaniah 3:17
The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing
God is redeeming all things. / May 11, 05:45 PM
First of all, sorry for not writing a blog for a LONG time. Things are going really well and I do a lot more with kids these days. Life is busy and beautiful and good.
A theme in my life currently is God redeeming many situations and relationships. I have also been realizing that redemption is often a process that can be a little painful or awkward or uncomfortable on the way to being better.
My team (Pedro, Jeff, Ashleigh, Carrie and I) have been learning what REAL intentional community looks like. It took us about 6 months to get to the point of being able to talk out the things that annoy or frustrate us with each other. I learned it is not good to store up those feelings for a long time and not say anything. I often become quieter when I notice conflict instead of pointing it out. I don’t like being the one to rock the boat, or to bring up not-fun topics to the group. Jeff encouraged us all to do 1 on 1 conversations with each other to intentionally lift each other up, and express our frustrations or things that we think could be better. Once those were done, it was AMAZING the transformation that took place in our house. We are more willing (I know I am) to go through the hard/awkward situations to make our community better. We want to glorify God and be a body of Christ in all we do. It is hard, but we are closer because of it.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their posessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
Acts 2:42-47
People always wonder how we are related or if we are married to each other or if we are dating. There are barely any good examples of good friendships between men and women that are not sexual or abusive. In this way we get to shine the love of Christ wherever we go. The security guy at Aldi is always trying to figure it out, we tell him we are all friends, and he usually just laughs. The kids at Breakthrough don’t understand how people could hang out together and not be dating or married. We get to be an example. It is an opportunity. I don’t often remember that. God will be glorified.
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Ephesians 5:1
At Breakthrough, at our apartment, at Aldi, with the difficult women that we come across, on our block, in our neighborhood, and at church. He is making all things new.
Pastor Cy is the pastor of our church. He is unquestionably in love with God, and he has a HUGE heart for our church. He isn’t scared to bring up the hard things that need to be said. He reminds us that we need to be one body in Christ, that division is going to tear us down. He is convicted by the Word of God and shares with all who will listen. He inspires me to be a better Christ-follower. To not be afraid of what people will say when I speak truth.
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:5
When I think I am too tired to go work in the kitchen, or help with pre-school, God reminds me of his grace in the little things. A hug from my 1st grade buddy Mo on his way to school, a conversation with our drug dealer friend T, a smile and laugh from Ms. P at the Joshua Center as soon as we walk in the door, a hug from several pre-schoolers at once, His word and truth, my grace-filled roommates, laughter that makes me cry. He is always good, even when I am not. I love him and he continues to show me his love through things in the inner-city I never would have dreamed of.
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
1 Peter 1:13
Mission Year has the opportunity to shine Christ in 7 inner-cities of the United States. We are currently working on our fund-raising goal in the next couple of weeks so that Kingdom work can continue being done in these places. If you haven’t had a chance to support me and my team financially yet, this is a great time. You can give here on my blog site! Just press the donate now button :) Please continue praying and I will continue praying for you.
“Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Psalm 100:3-5
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On the bus / Feb 16, 11:44 AM
We see a lot on the bus. Now that the CTA cut back on routes, we see many many more people squished on the bus. There are cute little babies, elderly folks, and everyone in between.
It seems that not many people are ashamed to talk about interesting topics on the bus. I have heard conversations about drug deals, cheating on spouses, fights about nothing, pets, and much more! One day this weekend we even saw a baby puppy tucked away in a bag.
When we go downtown from East Garfield we watch as the bus turns from all black folks (and us) to almost completely white folks. When you experience this passing through different neighborhoods you can’t deny that segregation is still alive and active today.
In our neighborhood it seems that a lot of people know each other and they catch up on the bus. It is very exciting when we see neighbors, people from Breakthrough, or people from church on the bus and get to talk to them. We feel more connected and a part of what is going on. One day we saw three of our neighbors who are kids and they shared their report cards with us! It was random and wonderful at the same time.
Sometimes a stranger will strike up conversation. I sat down next to a lady on the way home from Aldi’s and she immediately started asking for advice on how to take care of her cat. I tried telling her that I don’t have a cat and that I don’t know much about cats, but she kept asking questions. Things like that make my day.
Every once and a while, we will have a disturbing experience on the bus. There are a few neighborhood drunks that everyone knows. When they get on the bus they often stumble around and everyone laughs. It breaks my heart to see it. Clearly the person is in a world of some kind of hurt, pain, depression, or other situation. They may need someone just to recognize that they are a person just like everyone else and they have needs. Whether we think they deserve it or not.
This last weekend, a man got on the bus who could barely walk, was wearing very dirty clothing, and may have been intoxicated. The bus driver asked him for bus fare and he said that he had it, then sat down. The driver continued to wait and yell at him to bring up his money. It was pretty clear that he didn’t have money, and she was trying to kick him off the bus. We waited for about 5 minutes until a generous gentleman paid for the other man’s fare. Again, an instance where he may not have deserved to stay on the bus, since he couldn’t pay, but he needed a warm place to be.
No one deserves the gifts that God gives us. Eternal life, love, grace, and forgiveness. He gives them to us so that we can now overflow his love and grace to others, whether they “deserve” it or not.
God in the everyday / Jan 28, 06:52 PM
We are reading the book The Ragamuffin Gospel right now and I am reminded that God is all over the earth that he created. I have asked for my eyes to be opened to his mercy and presence in all things.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
~James 1:17
Every morning before serving breakfast at the Joshua Center, one of the ladies blesses the food. God is in the silence during the prayer, he is respected in that moment whether everyone believes in him or not. God is glorified in the words of the pray-er. Beautiful prayers thanking God for what we have, blessing me, asking for wisdom and guidance.
I see him in… the relationships that we have made here, familiar faces we see at the bus stop and greet each morning. Our bus driver Andre. The children that come into Breakthrough full of energy and longing for attention, love and hugs. My teammates grace and love to me. The sun shining. The skyline. A letter from a friend.
Lord help me to see more of you.
The Lord is here in the smiles, laughter, tears, and even arguments. He is always longing for his children to draw close to himself. I see him when one of the ladies reminds me in the midst of craziness that there is more to the picture.
We live in a broken world, but God is coming back to make it right again!
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
We hear some awesome gospel songs each day at work. They are a wonderful reminder of truths that get lost sometimes. Here are a few lyrics…
He never said it would be easy, but you’re a winner in the end.
The impossible is God’s chance to work a miracle.
It ain’t over until God says it’s over.
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Do not lose heart / Nov 30, 11:10 AM
Yesterday was Thanksgiving. It was an not my normal Thanksgiving, but it was WONDERFUL! We did find a way to listen to Christmas music in our apartment, which was awesome and reminded me of home. Then we began our Mission Year-style holiday…
Carrie, Ashleigh and I went to the Joshua Center to spend the holiday with ladies who do not have family to spend it with. We had a wonderful lunch made by volunteers and then got ready for the crazy fashion show. The three of us dressed up first in outrageous outfits and wigs to set an example :) Then we set up the runway in the common area and waited for the ladies to get ready. We were the judges, so we had the honor of sitting at the end of the runway and watching the fun. The ladies came out ready to work it and were joyful and sillier than we have seen. It was great to have some laughs together and cheer up some of the women who were not happy to be here on Thanksgiving. I never expected to have so much FUN!
All day people were calling to see if they could come and volunteer that day. It is interesting to me that all the sudden on holidays people think to serve others. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but what about the rest of the year? We have plenty of volunteers lined up to serve and provide on holidays, we have not been forgotten. Almost every church was open and serving meals to the community. Several people brought us leftovers until our fridge was full at Breakthrough. It was great to see that there were so many places serving those that did not have their own meals. God cares for each person and is our ultimate provider and friend.
Later last night our team went over to our friend Sarah’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. Her roommates JJ and Coretta were also there with JJ’s nephew Douggie. Her dog was so excited that it peed on Pedro. We did not eat at a big fancy table or watch football, we were not with our biological families, but the night was full of love, music, good food, and UNO with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It was awesome to be able to share this holiday and our bond in what God has done for us. I guess the point is that this Thanksgiving was unexpected, joyful, fulfilling, and just as good or greater than my normal Thanksgiving. God is good. In the inner city. On Thanksgiving. To the poor. To the homeless. To the wealthy. He provides, loves, and draws us closer to himself.
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” 2 Corinthians 4:18
Also, I made a mistake in my newsletter. Our friend Teresa’s website for the bags she makes is
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ILuvMyBag
Thank God. Amen.
