Meredith Shuppy's Blog
The place I'm calling home / 02.03.10, 06:10 PM
I have been in New Orleans for two weeks now and it’s still an adjustment. Every day I am learning something new and being stretched.
A little about the house and the neighborhood: I’m living with three other peeps and we are living in a really poor area (Upper 9th Ward) that still has fresh wounds from Katrina devastation. It’s incredible how the rest of the country has pretty much forgotten about it while New Orleans lives with the reminders right across the street every single day. My heart is being pulled in many different directions in terms of justice and renewal for this city every time my roommate and I walk to our service site, which is about a 2 mile walk through this depressed area, and meet our neighbors who are thirsty for a hope.
Service site: We’ve only been able to start at one of our assigned areas because my roommate and I are awaiting clearances to begin working in the local high school. So right now we are working with Desire Street Ministries at their after-school program. We are two of three white people who work there. It’s been something to get used to being in the minority here. And race is such an upfront issue here that I find it refreshing how easily people point it out and talk about it. But the program is here to give inner city and at-risk kids a chance to find positive reinforcement and structure in their hectic lives. The first week has been hard, but every day was an improvement and each day I’m finding more of a place there. The staff is great and they are truly in love with the kids they teach every day. It’s so encouraging to be with people who are motivated by their love for God to help make a difference here.
Church: We are going to Carve Desire Baptist and I love it! We will be helping on Saturday to set up for their neighborhood outreach program. Home-cooked meals to be had by all! Praise Jesus! We are finding a home there with everyone’s joy and love pouring out over us. We’ve made friends with the lady who comes to pick us up on Sundays- Sister Clara – and her husband – Alfred. They have been so kind to us!
Other stuff: It’s been a major learning experience on so many levels here. We don’t have a lot of food left from the first time we got groceries, and although we’ve been able to buy a loaf of bread here and a dozen eggs there, they don’t get us very far with four people eating three meals a day. But I feel like God really wants us to realize the truth that we can’t live on bread alone. We await our monthly grocery money with growling bellies, but I praise God for the struggle because that’s when we are most hungry for Him. I pray that our team can continue to rally together and face the pain, the discomfort, and rough stuff with joy and excitement to not be at our best, so Jesus can be at His fullest. We may not like it, but God is always teaching us something, and I just pray for the resilience to be obedient and the LOVE for Him to be obedient in anything he asks of me. And I pray that our team continues to come together as one, with one purpose, and one desire for Jesus. I’m looking forward to seeing how God manifests His dreams through us this year. Please pray that we’d each be open to what HE wants, not what we want. That we’d shed our worldly, self-focused identity, and begin to desire what He wants above all things. Pray for this definitely, please! And pray for our service sites and our neighborhood.
God be with you all! Thank you for joining with me in prayer! God is good :)
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Hey Meredith….. you don’t know me :) but I was one of the NOLA Mission Year team members from last year. I want you to know that I’m praying for you and your team…… and I’m gonna be reading your blogs, excited to see what God is teaching you through this awesome year! Oh, and if you ever want to talk, or swap stories or anything……. send me an email (loveisamovement20@gmail.com) or find me on facebook (Anna Beth Vollema). I would love to talk with you!! :D
By Anna Vollema / Feb 6, 11:53 PM / #
Same with Anna, I was a part of Mission Year NOLA last year as well. (I actually stayed for another 3 month’s… but had to leave… for reasons I won’t discuss on here.) Still LOVE all my friends and people in Desire though! (I actually LIVED at DSM… tell Mr. Stevens and the crew hey!… as well as all my peeps as Carver Desire… they are good people) But yeah, hang in there! You’re gonna learn a lot. Lean on your teammates… but a word of advice… LEAN ON GOD MORE! The slogan goes “Love God, Love People” for a reason. You gotta go to Him first. And our love for our teammates and others come FROM that. :D God bless, and peace!
By Zachery Sminkey / Feb 11, 11:30 PM / #
Mer,
Sharing your journey is helping us to stay focused on what is really important in our lives. I hope you are keeping a journal! We love you and pray for you and your team daily!!
Love Aj & Ub
By AJ & UB / Feb 12, 10:55 AM / #