Called to Serve

It started as a “normal” Wednesday at the Central OAC. I use “normal” because most folks would not consider any of my days here in Atlanta normal. We are open from 9:00AM to 12:30PM Monday through Friday serving guests. At around 12:35 Chuck (the Executive Director) called me into his office and explained to me a situation that had come up. A guest has walked in off the streets to our center that had recently been released from prison. He was released on Tuesday from Augusta, GA with a bus ticket to Atlanta and a $25 debit card. For the confidentiality of our guest I will call him D while explaining my story. D had just finished a 17 year sentence and was told that he had 48 hours to report to his Probation Officer in Griffin, GA or he would violate his probation and be thrown back into prison. Let’s think about this for a second… 17 years in prison, no family contacts, bus ticket to Atlanta, ( an hour north of Griffin) and $25 ( when using an ATM the fee is $5, so now he is left with $20) and the task of reporting to his probation, sounds almost impossible to me.

Chuck asked me if I would take and drop off D in Griffin so he would be able to check into probation. I agreed that I would be willing to drive. Another volunteer at the OAC agreed to ride to Griffin with us. So we set out, to an unknown place, with unfamiliar people, and an undefined task ahead. On the hour trip to Griffin D expressed his gratitude towards me and the OAC for being able to help him. He was sure that he was not going to make it to his probation and feared that going back into the place he was just released from after 17 years was imminent. D explained that he had done wrong 17 years before, something that he will never be able to take back. He also explained how he had served his time and was a very different person today. Chuck gave me $20 to buy lunch for everyone in the car, and after along days work at the OAC I was ready for something to eat. As we passed a Burger King I asked D what he wanted to eat, he explained to me that he was too nervous to eat. “Funny you should ask that though, that Burger King that we just passed was the last place I had a meal before I went into prison.” 17 years ago, I was 7 years old, D was on his way to Griffin, GA to turn himself in, stopped to enjoy one more meal before life as he knew it would change drastically. My stomach was rumbling, but I respected D’s decision so we headed straight to the probation office.

We pull into an empty parking space at the probation office in Griffin. I explained to D that I would make sure that he got signed in before I would leave to head back to Atlanta. I had completed my assigned task of transporting D to his probation before 3:00PM, we got there before 2:00PM! D headed into the building as I opened the trunk to retrieve his belonging, as I carried his things up the stairs D was walking out of the building with a defeated look on his face. “The lady at the check-in window told me that I could not check into probation until I have a permanent address, she called my probation officer and he is giving me two hours to find one.”

This is where I had a decision, I could explain to D that I was sorry but I needed to get back to Atlanta with my bosses car, I was following the rules, I could blame it on someone else, I would feel bad but I had done all that I could. Or I could stay with D and try my best to walk with him, to be his advocate, when no one else in the world would. We are called as Christians, but also as human beings, to be many things in our lives, that Wednesday I was called to serve. I had absolutely no idea what I was going to be able to do, but I looked D in the eye with confidence and told him “We are going to get you through this.”

As I worked with D that day I learned firsthand how incredibly unjust our current prison system really is. The barriers that are placed on people recently released make it an almost impossible task to complete all requirements. It is a miracle that anyone is able to fulfill the requirements of parole and probation and keep from being thrown right back into prison. But that is for another day so let me get back into my story.

My first attempt was to talk to the lady at the probation check-in desk to see why she sent D away. The lady informed me that D needed a permanent address before he was able to check into probation. She handed D a post-it note with two places that she thought might be able to take him. One rooming house in Griffin and one in Thomaston, GA. Oh yea, she did not include the phone number to get in touch with either place.

The cell phone service in Griffin was not the best, I found one spot to make calls, in the middle of the parking lot, no shade, temperature was 98 degrees but felt like 120 in the middle of that probation office parking lot. I got in contact with Kimberly, my boss and Director of the OAC, to let her know what was going on. I explained the situation that had come up about D needing a permanent address. She informed me that she and Rene, the Director of Advocacy and Public Policy, would call around Atlanta to see if any shelters would be able to take D in. Two hours, permanent address, foreign city, still very hungry!

I decided to call his probation officer to see if I could get any additional information. His secretary answered, “The Officer is off in the field, he will not be back today.” I asked if maybe she would be able to answer some questions I had. I spouted off about 10 questions ranging from “Does D need a permanent address today, or can he use a temporary?” to “I am looking for a shelter in Griffin, would you be familiar with any?” I am not sure if it was out of caring for the man I was working with or if she was just annoyed with all my questions but she transferred me to the Officer’s cell phone. When the Officer picked up, I explained who I was and the organization I was working for. I explained to him that I was working with D, and what I was trying to accomplish that day. The Officer was a very nice man, was more than happy to work with us. He explained that he was having a very busy day between two different cities, and he would do his best to get to Griffin by 4:30PM when the office closed. He told me that if we were able to find D a permanent address in Atlanta that he would be willing to transfer his probation to Fulton County.

I called Kimberly and Rene with the new information from the Officer but realized that I still had a lot of unanswered questions. So I went back into the probation office and realized that there was a new front desk lady. She was slightly more helpful, as I asked question after question. She eventually called his probation officer talked for awhile; when she hung up the phone she said that someone from the back would start working with D to complete some of his paper work. I continued to ask questions like, “Can D use a shelter as his address?” At this point she was done with me and told me to sit down and if I had any more questions I could ask the Officer. So then I asked another question, and she was serious about no more questions, with a raised voice she asked if I would sit down!

Throughout the day I had been in contact with Kimberly and Rene, I knew the addresses that we were going to try and use when they called D back. I had been in contact with his Probation Officer, so he knew where we were coming from. D really did not know anything at this point. So when the new Officer called D back and would not allow me to accompany him I felt very defeated. At this point it was around 3:45PM, I had been working nonstop on the phone and in person trying to figure out what I could do for D. After all that now D is in the back without any vital information that is going to help him from violating probation.

At around 4:00PM I called Kimberly and explained what had happened. I let her know that I was going to ask one more time if they would allow me to give D information but if not we were going to head back to Atlanta. So when I walked back into the office the first front desk lady that we had worked with was back. I explained that I had been in contact with my organization in Atlanta all day and that I was the only one who knew that information that D needed. The response is what really got me, “There is nothing that you can do, your job does not allow you to do much, and there is nothing that you can do! This is all Mr. D’s fault, he knew a month ago when we sent him an e-mail in prison everything that he was going to need to satisfy his probation requirements. The office closes in 30 minutes and Mr. D will not have completed his paperwork by then and you are going to have to leave. You have to realize that there is not much else you can do.”

This is where I had another decision to make. I could tell this lady how I really felt about her and most likely get kicked out of the probation office and leave D stranded alone in Griffin. Or I could practice a non-violent protest, what at Mercy we call starting the Revolution of Love. What that would look like is to sit there in the lobby and show that I was not going to give up on this man when “there is nothing else that I could do.” That’s exactly what I did!

My only hope now was that D’s Probation Officer who I had been in contact with would get there before I was kicked out at 4:30PM. The clock on the wall read 4:25PM and D was still filling out paperwork in the back, the Officer nowhere to be seen. As I waited in the lobby I met a young lady who I had a conversation with. She was very moved not only by what we were doing for D but for the way I handled the situation at the front desk. She informed me that “You can be sure that she would not talk to me like that and get away with it!” But then she said that all we can do is pray, which was absolutely right.

As the computers at the front desk were being shut down and the blinds were being closed on the windows it seemed like all hope was lost. But then through the back door walked D’s Officer at 4:28PM! He greeted me with a hand shake and led me into the back. There he completed the needed paper work with me and D. The only catch was that he needed D to return the next day to his office in Thomaston, GA to complete additional paper work and testing. But D had completed everything that he needed for probation that day; he was still a free man! On the way out the Officer said something that made everything we went through that day worth it. “D you should feel very lucky that you have these people here with you, not many people are lucky enough to have people care about them like these folks have cared for you.” I had only known this man for a couple of hours, but the Officer could see the way we cared for him was real. We all need an advocate, I am honored that I was able to stand by D that day!

On the way home, now close to 6:00PM, we stopped at a Wendy’s for dinner. At this point not having eaten all day I was getting slightly delirious. Here is the beautiful thing: We are all called to gather around the table, there is room for everyone. At the end of one of the craziest days of my life, we gathered around a table! Around the table was me, a recent college grad, left corporate business to spend a year serving other. Next to me was the other OAC volunteer a man here in the United States from Congo seeking Asylum. His story is one full of pain, suffering, rejection, but in the end full of God’s love. Then we have D, a man recently released from prison after 17 years, spent the day thinking he was on his way back. That day the three of us broke bread together, we came together from the north, south, east, and west to sit around that table. The bread was in the form of three Wendy burgers, extra greasy fries, and enough soda to fill a bathtub. We did not say much during the meal but D reminded us something very powerful, “This is the first meal that I have had outside of prison and it tastes great!” It had been 17 years since he was able to sit around a table outside of the prison walls and enjoy the gift of food. What a special moment it was to be enjoying that meal with him! I guess the moral of the story is you never know when you will be asked to Serve!

This has been a very special year for me. I have grown in many ways that I did not think were possible. I owe it all to the people I work with everyday! This is a very special story, but each and every day I hear all types of stories. So I want to thank all the people that have encountered this year!

Drum Off!

They say a picture tells a thousand words, what does a video tell? I am excited to share with you today some Sunday morning Mercy Music! Myself and Claude are teaming up on the Djembe in an old fashion drum off! Chad is providing the guitar and lyrics and Muletta is on the tambourine! Enjoy!

I was very lucky to spend fathers day in Tallahassee with my family and friends. It was great catching up with my church family at First Presbyterian on Sunday morning. Love You All!

"I Am At My End and Need Help"

Kimberly Parker, the Director of the Central Outreach and Advocacy Center writes a blog each day and ends with a prayer. She writes about stories and situations that occur at the OAC. On Tuesday I spent over three hours with a guest who had come to the end of her road. It was day full of emotion, frustration, anger (at those organizations who say that are "trying to help") and joy. Dealing with this situation showed me how much I have learned but also changed throughout this year of service. Below is the blog that she wrote about the guest I worked with:


May 29, 2012 … “I Am At My End and Need Help”

As I worked the front desk this morning, a lady came to the window and said, “I really need help to get off drugs. I am in a bad situation. I just watched my best friend overdose on drugs and die. In fact we were supposed to commit suicide together. She jumped off of a bridge. I am at my end and need help.”

We were well into adding names to the waiting list when she walked in. I created a space for her and asked Thomas to work with her. They called the Georgia Crisis Line and the guest was told that they could not work with her until she called the police about her friend. The guest did not want to call the police.

Thomas and I talked throughout the morning as he worked with this guest trying to help her find the assistance that she needed. We agreed that it was not our place to judge her situation, to doubt the story she told us. It was our place to try and assist her in getting the help that she needs. Thomas was persistent and called the Crisis Line back and spoke to a supervisor. They said they would send the Crisis Team to our site to evaluate the guest.

They came, evaluated, and transported her for help. Thank goodness!

We hear all kinds of stories each day. There are times when it is right to judge the situation and make decisions accordingly. Today was not a time to judge whether we were hearing the whole story or not. Bottom line for us was to meet the guest where she was today and to try and help her find the best possible help.

God, be with this guest. I know that she will not leave my mind for quite some time and I pray that she is on the road to recovery and healing. Amen.

Mercy Community Band

I want everyone to get a look into the opening part of a Sunday Worship at Mercy Community Church. In the video below I am playing guitar and on vocals, Pastor Chad is on the right of the screen playing acoustic guitar, Rick is playing electric guitar, and Steve is on saxophone. The song is "Woke Up This Morning" my personal favorite. Special thanks to Jimmy, the man behind the camera. I had fun adding some special effects on Windows Movie Maker. Hope you enjoy!!! Watch it full screen!

Valentines Day

Valentine’s Day:

A day filled with love, flowers, hearts, candy, stuffed animals, jewelry, fancy dinners, a significant other or maybe a new date.

Valentine’s Day is a special day for many people here in America, and why would it not be. The grocery stores is packed full of bright red flowers, heart shaped candy boxes, life sized stuffed bears, and enough helium balloons to lift a small child. Fresh cut roses are sold on every street corner. Reservations to any fancy restaurant are almost impossible to make. Elementary school kids share Valentine cards with a favorite cartoon character or movie star to each classmate. There is enough love in the air to fill a football stadium, the only worry we have on such a special day is, WHO WILL BE MY VALENTINE! The people in relationships this is an easy task. Those of us who need to find a date, Valentines is that perfect excuse to ask that special someone out on a date! It has always been a special day for me....

February 14, 2012:

This morning I awoke at 8:00am like any other day. The temperature was 38 degrees and it was raining. During the night the temp dropped below freezing and Atlanta experienced freezing rain. As I walked into work today the only thing that I could think about is how members of the Atlanta community had to sleep in these elements the night before. It was not until I sat down at my desk that I realized that today was Valentine’s Day. Today was much like any other day at Central Outreach and Advocacy Center. I worked with guests that were in need of transportation to work, clothing, emergency food, and Georgia ID’s. I helped one younger man today that was released from prison yesterday; he was in need of a GA ID. We talked for awhile about the struggles the State puts on him and others after being released into society. He was eager to obtain the proper State ID so he could get started in the reconstruction of his adult life. There was no balloons or hearts dangling from the ceiling today, really there was no mention of Valentine’s Day at all in our center. Today we passed out “gifts” that hopefully will continue to give, like we try and do each day we are open.

Today has helped me to put some of what I have learned and felt this year into context. As the outside world spends huge amounts of money on this holiday we have friends sleeping under freezing cold rain. When before I thought that not having a date on this day was the worst thing that could ever happen, I listened to the stories of men and women trying everything to get back on their feet but can’t because of the struggles to obtain proper ID. Or of a qualified man that can’t find any work because of his criminal record. Today Valentine’s Day was just another day for many people that are struggling on the margins. I feel truly blessed that I was able to spend this holiday with them.

Vocation

"Vocation is where our greatest joy meets the world's greatest need."

-Frederick Buechner 

Last weekend I went to the Volunteers Exploring Vocation Conference in Norcross, Georgia. It was a three day, two night conference hosted by The Fund for Theological Education. There were around 50 volunteers from the Southeast region attending the conference. The event took place at the Simpsonwood Retreat Center located on the Chattahoochee River. 

Still to this day I am not sure how I got signed up for the conference, neither does my roommate Emily. Randomly we received e-mails about two weeks before the event giving us details on the conference. On Friday two weeks later we headed north for the weekend. 

One of the main reasons I decided to do a YAV year was the chance at living more "intentionally." The reason I put quotations around intentionally is because that word can have lots of different meanings. What I imagined when I signed up to live in an intentional Christian community was lots of discussions both deep and surface level, a tight community feel, bible study/readings, simple living, and community living. As a house I think that we were accomplishing only some of these things. So starting about a month ago I decided to find some ways of living more intentionally on my own. I started by meeting with Chad the pastor at Mercy Church at least once a week, usually we will meet twice. It was in that space that I verbalized the frustrations I was having with my year. As we continued to talk we decided that we would study a book together, the book Chad picked out was ‘Lifesigns’ by Henri Nouwen. That weekend I went to the VEV conference. 

At the VEV conference nothing life altering happened, I couldn’t even tell you much that we talked about that weekend. Not saying that in a bad way, I enjoyed the small group discussions and playing spades with other mission volunteers from the area. It is now when I look back on the weekend and see that it was the start to the shift in my year. It was during that weekend when I started to truly see that my search for vocation was not going to be easy. It was going to take some thinking outside of the box and challenging myself with different, uncomfortable things. Before taking part in the VEV conference I read ‘Let Your Life Speak’ by Parker J. Palmer and in that book it talks about vocation being a lifelong process. I get that; I know that I not close to finding my true vocation. I do know that things are changing inside and out, so I am happy for that. 

The things that I was hoping for in the beginning of the year finally started taking place. Our house community each Tuesday during our meeting is now studying a book; this month we are reading ‘St. Francis and the Foolishness of God.’ I personally don’t think that the book is great but each week it sparks group conversations where we can share, listen and learn from each other. Also last week I asked if our house could meet and talk about what was not going so good from the first part of the year. The meeting ended up lasting almost three hours but at the end I felt so renewed because as a community we discussed the hard stuff and came out better because of it. As a community we took a step to becoming more intentional and I hope that those discussions continue. 

We now have Megan who is a spiritual director come and meet with our community twice a month as a group and once a month individually. We have only had a few meeting with her at the house but each time it has been a very good experience. I believe that continually engaging in community activities like these are going to be very beneficial in creating a much close nit house community. During our first individual session we talked a lot about vocation and how I have been struggling to find mine. Megan helped me talk myself through some situations; I am very excited to continue to work with her throughout the rest of my time in Atlanta. 

My meetings with Chad have continued, recently we have been meeting two times a week. We meet after we close down Mercy on Thursday and then again before church on Sunday. We have now started reading and discussing the book ‘Lifesigns’ which has sparked some great conversations. I truly value Chad as a friend but also as a follower of Jesus in his work at Mercy. He helps me put certain parts of my life in perspective with the work I am doing now to the work that I came from. I always end my meetings with Chad feeling hopeful. I look forward to learn all I can from Chad and the community members that make up Mercy Church. 

I asked for change and I got it. I was looking for more and now as you can see I have a lot on my plate. My hope is that I now don’t take for granted the resources that are in front of me. I am excited to see where the rest of my year takes me! Nouwen talks a lot about moving from the house of fear to the house of love in the book Lifesigns. So this is the start of me being intentional about moving myself out of the house of fear and into the house of love! 

I look forward to getting to see the mission trip group from First Presbyterian Church who are coming to Atlanta to work with Chad and Mercy Church!!

The Little Things and Coffee

I want to start by wishing everyone a Happy New Year as we begin 2012! I am excited to get back to writing new blog entries after taking a few weeks off for the Christmas holiday. My Blog has reached 1000 reads so thank you all so much for taking the time to read and comment on my posts!

6AM Thursday morning I awake to the screams of my rooster alarm going off. It is quite possibly the worst sound in the world. After arriving in Atlanta from Tallahassee what seemed like just hours earlier I knew that my Christmas break was officially over. I received a call on my way up I-85 from Chad (pastor at Mercy) letting me know that Mercy during the cold months opens at 7AM rather than 8AM. The last time my alarm was set for those horrible morning hours was during my time working at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota when I had to do it every day. The temperature when I woke up was 32 degrees, not very used to that coming from Florida. I gathered up my coat, guitar, and a cup of coffee and headed out the door.

7AM I arrive at Mercy Community Church and as I walk through the gates I feel a sense of being home. I was greeted with a warm welcome by some of my friends from the community. The 100 cup coffee maker that runs on a timer had already brewed up some hot fresh coffee. I poured a cup for myself and got a chance to catch up with the friends I had not seen in almost three weeks. Jesus was already hard at work in the kitchen making hot grits to be served for breakfast. The day was young but the feeling I got was, it was going to be a special day!

8AM the fresh grits are served as more folks come from the outside to warm their insides from the cold night before. I enjoy a hot bowl of grits as I have a conversation with Jesus about how everything he makes just tastes so good. I always try to throw in the few Spanish words I know; he usually just has to laugh at how bad I butcher them.

11AM after prayer and bible study have finished starts the time of the different activities. On tap for the day is either Investigative Reporting with an actual reporter for those in the writing class. A chance for anyone wanting or needing to to sit down and talk with Megan who is a trained Spiritual Director one on one. Or the music/instrumental time with Chad and me. This was when I witnessed a transformation like none I had ever seen. A younger female somewhere in her 20's had joined the community earlier in the day, it was her first time to Mercy. She walked in late morning carrying a guitar on her back supporting a very alternative look. When it came time for music she sat down and joined the circle. Chad told me to start the playing because he had to go get a few things done. After pouring yet another cup of coffee I was ready to begin. Not exactly sure what to do I started by playing and singing "This Little Light of Mine" and by no means was it a hit. This is when I invited our new friend to see if she wanted to play a song. She got the guitar out of her case and played us all a tune. She appeared very nervous by the shakiness in her hand and voice while playing and singing her song. Before she finished playing she got up and left for the bathroom obviously emotional and frustrated. The transformation I am talking about started when me and the other members of the community genuinely asked her six words "Come on back and join us!" She decided not to leave and sat back down in the circle. About this time Chad had come back so we played some community favorites like "Woke up this morning" and "Revolution." As our new friend played along she continued to gain confidence, after the song finished she played us one of her original tunes. This time smiling and proud to be singing her original piece. As the hour ended it seemed as though she was a completely different person.

Noon time arrived and our new friend decided to join us on our walk out to the streets to serve lunch. On the way to the first stop she explained to me how she had spent most of her life as a freight train jumper and been all over the country. The next thing she said came as a sudden surprise, "I have wanted to be a part of a church family for many years and I think I have finally found that church." What a powerful thing to hear, something I had never experienced. Growing up in the Presbyterian Church I have never been the one looking for the next person to convert. So to be a witness to our new friend verbalizing that she wanted to be a part of the church was amazing.

2PM we walk back to Mercy to clean up and close for the day and our friend is still tagging along. "I have not had this much fun in a long time" or "This has been a great start to the day" are some of the positive quotes that continued to flow out of her mouth as we cleaned. At one point she even did a full on cartwheel and almost took one of the other community members out she was so excited. Chad sat down with her and taught her some more of his music that she had loved earlier in the day. He even let her have some copies of his songs because she really wanted to learn the chords. Then after a smile and a hug she was off. The gates at Mercy were closing for the day but the love that left out into the Atlanta streets was still shining.

To wrap it all up. It might have taken 6 cups of coffee and a simple sentence by a total stranger for me to see, but today I truly felt the power of God here in Atlanta. Simple genuine hospitality to a girl that might have had nothing became everything. The little things in life do make the biggest differences. "Come on back and join us!" Six words is all it took to see a sudden transformation. What little things can you do today?