Overload

How do I begin?  The past few weeks have been full to overflowing with classes, ministries, and hands-on learning opportunities.  First, our group ministered to individuals living in an apartment complex in Atlanta.  We spent the night in a host church before putting on a block party for the whole neighborhood.  We offered face painting, snow cones, cotton candy, popcorn, music, bracelet making, and free lunch.  In addition, we told bible stories, and I as well as a couple other students had the opportunity to share our testimonies.

Another weekend we worked with "City of Refuge", a homeless shelter in Atlanta.  We prepared for their upcoming fall festival, handing out fliers in the neighborhood and setting up the room.  We also helped fix up a house, and spent time with the people there.

This past week, our group traveled to SIFAT (Servants In Faith And Technology).  We were taken to an area filled with reproductions of houses from countries like Nigeria, Nepal, Bolivia, and the Philippines.  Taking only our sleeping bags, we stayed in these "countries" for the night, cooking our beans and rice over a fire.  The next day we learned about basic technologies that are transforming third world countries, such as bio-sand filters and fuel-efficient cook stoves.

One unforgettable memory from SIFAT was our "Slums Experience".  Around 8:00 the second night, we were divided into families, given roles to play, and led into a reproduction of a slum.  As missionaries, my family's role was to find food, water, and shelter while helping others as much as possible.  We were offered many opportunities to make money, including selling drugs[don't worry, they were fake ;) ], prostitution [and once again, don't worry, this would have been fake :P ], and stealing, however, as missionaries, my family tended fires for many of the locals... an easy job, but many never paid us for our work.  We finally earned enough money to buy a house and, through a dishonest business dealing, lost not only our shelter, but our money.  Discouragingly, our attention was shifted to finding food.  We were given a bowl of soup by a kind family, and finally began to focus on helping others.

Towards the end of the night, I was standing in line to buy soup, when the individuals in front of me began to share Christ with the store owner.  I joined them, and the woman called for the police.  The three of us spent the rest of our time in jail, where at least we had a roof over our head.

While this wasn't a real slum, we experienced many of the same emotions of rejection, anxiety, and hopelessness as people who live there daily.  Through this trip, we gained a deeper understanding of life in third-world countries, and learned about appropriate technology that can change lives.

Needless to say, my head is swimming.  In between these adventures, we have taken classes, read books, and written papers, and although it has been tough, I have learned so much.  God is showing me more about Himself, myself, and the people around me, and I know I will be able to use these experiences for many years to come... not only to help others live daily, but to give them eternal life.