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
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.
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thoughts on trash / Nov 14, 04:05 PM
Last Saturday was outreach day as usual for our team in East Garfield Park. The girls went with our friend Judy from church to go to a thrift store. It was great to spend time with her and check out things we could afford on our $60 a month stipend. Ashleigh found candles for $1 and was VERY excited. She then invited our whole team over for early dinner at her house. Her heart and openness to us, after knowing us only a couple months, is amazing to me.
We arrived back at our apartment around 3 and it was a nice day, so we decided to try and do something on our block. There is always trash blowing around our street, so we decided just to clean up our block. Ashleigh and I geared up with gloves and garbage bags and headed out. It is amazing some of the things we found. A lot of the trash was candy wrappers and chip bags, but there was an overwhelming amount of little drug bags and glass bottles. Our block is not known as a huge drug block, so we did not expect to find so many.
So we went on down the street picking up trash while children were playing and neighbors sitting on their stoops enjoying the day. We definitely worked up a sweat and even became a little discouraged as we went down both sides of our block at the massive amounts of trash. When we finished a lot of our neighbors thanked us several times.
We did not want this to be a one time project or to do it for praise from our neighbors. We DO want to enforce that everyone deserves a beautiful place to live. We want to treat our block the best we can to spur on hope. One thing we knew when starting was that there would be trash on our street again the next day. We have decided to commit a couple of days a month to trash pick up because it can seem very overwhelming and after a while, you can lose hope.
To kids, trash can be a toy. I was walking with my neighbor who is 4 years old and he picked up a liquor box and started to open it. It was hard to convince him that there was nothing inside for him and that he should put it down.
During the week, the kids had Veteran’s Day off and spent the day raking leaves and jumping in the pile. When we walked by I heard the sound of scraping grass. Immediately I thought of the safety issues involved in jumping in a pile of leaves and glass. Children should not have to worry about getting cut by glass. They should only worry about playing, having fun, learning, and being loved. I am reminded that we live in a fallen world and that Christ came to bring life and life to the full. We get to be a part of bringing life and love to our block because Christ lives in us.
These things are not new to the people living on our block, but they have become a norm. My prayer is that our block would be inspired to take care of not only the land and houses, but also to love each other better.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.~ Jesus in John 10:10
A day in MY life... / Nov 1, 09:28 PM
God has called me to be here at this particular time, with these particular people for his purposes. (“And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14). Here is a look at what I do and the people I come in contact with during the week (tues-fri). Enjoy the ride!
5:57 am-Wake up and wander out into the living room for team devotions. No matter who is working in the morning at Breakthrough, everyone wakes up and joins in for devotions and prayer. Pedro, Jeff, Ashleigh, and Carrie are all pretty pleasant morning people and all wake up before me. We take turns leading devotions with a passage from the Bible and praying before we finish getting ready. We ask God to guide us in our day, to give us wisdom, and for love and patience to give to the people we will see at work.
6:30am-Whoever is working (usually 4 of us) leaves the apartment to walk to the bus stop. It is still pitch black outside, but the skyline is a beautiful site as we stand and wait for the bus. Sometimes we meet new people, sometimes we get splashed by a passing car, and sometimes we are just quiet (rarely). We get off and transfer to another bus, we hope for the “Homey Homan” bus, because it is extra comfy. We pass a man who pretends to be a police officer and likes to tweet his whistle and direct traffic. It makes us laugh every time!
7:00am-3pm-Carrie, Ashleigh and I arrive at the Joshua Center and are greeted by some of the women. I report to the kitchen to make breakfast and the other girls station themselves for a crazy day at the front desk or running around the center.
After breakfast, I usually walk down to the men’s center to get lunch ready. Pedro or Jeff are the one’s sitting at the desk there and they let me in, or make weird faces at me and then let me in It is fun to have them around during the day.
I have made some friends in the kitchen and I enjoy spending time talking to them. Learning about their families, classes they are taking, chatting, or just being silly as we make food for 100 people. I am growing to love them and learn how to be a better friend.
Adventures are always had in the kitchen. I have learned how to make many new dishes, pluck chickens, and make mass quantities of mac n’ cheese.
I am usually back at the Joshua Center to serve lunch, which I enjoy. The ladies tease and ask how I am and are always extremely grateful for the food that we work to make. It is the small conversations with ladies at the center that make my day.
In the afternoon, I help to answer phones, lead Bible study, help with supplies, run errands for the ladies, and enjoy wonderful wisdom and laughs with them. When three o’clock hits we are headed out the door, feeling like we have just been in a whirlwind of activity ( the good kind). A sign posted on a tree outside says “ we are all good people” . It’s not completely true, but it is a reminder of God’s love for us no matter what we do.
3pm-We meet up with the guys at the bus stop for the journey home and share stories of our days and what God is teaching us.
3:30-When we get home the after work, the afternoon is spent reading curriculum, having personal devotions, napping, playing with neighbor kids and getting ready for dinner.
Around 6pm-My team makes actual meals for dinner everyday! I haven’t eaten this well since I started college. We work together to make meals and clean up as well.
Nighttime- After dinner around our house is church activities, fun and ridiculousness. Depending on the day, there is Bible study or choir at church. It is really great to connect with people from church during the week in a more informal setting and learn from pastor Cy at Bible study.
When we are all home on work nights, there is football throwing, lots of laughing, playing games and being silly. It is a great stress reliever to laugh together. We also like to discuss our curriculum books or what we are reading in the Bible. God has truly blessed me with an awesome group of believers who challenge each other to grow and love each other.
9:30pm-BEDTIME!!
God willing-Then we start again.
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