The picture is from my trip to the Grand Canyon in July.
It has been a while since I have posted. My 4 days away were great. It was fantastic to see friends, celebrate and revel in the intimacy of my cohort peers. There is a real connection that binds the men and women of the SOT (school of theology). It was great. Interestingly enough, my first couple of days spent I felt alarmingly drawn to what I was missing in Phoenix. I knew that there were several aspects of our current plan and agenda that needed to be dealt with. I certainly knew that they would be worked on (I am just an intern after all), but nonetheless, I did wonder what was happening. As time passed, I felt my life in Phoenix not placing such a level of prominence in my mind anymore. My level of enthusiasm in explaining what I had done certainly waned. By the time Sunday came around, there was not really anything left to say, my level of energy had been drained.
Monday, I went to the B-TOP to work, and when I pulled the jeep into the parking lot there was a HUGE mobile Phoenix police unit parked with a couple of police cars as well. People were milling around the parking lot. My first thought-“Did something happen to one of the workers?” At that point, several of the men came around the corner. They were walking to their cars, and I asked JM what had happened. His response, “They found a body over in the corner of the parking lot, there was a murder.” My heart stopped. The area where the office is located is certainly not the worst location, but there is a lot of activity that could be viewed as sketchy. I asked where F. was (my supervisor from the Union). He was in his truck and I hurried over. “Is it safe for me to stay here and work by myself?” I asked. “Yes,” was the hesitant response, “Why wouldn’t it be?” “Because of the murder!” F. looked around and saw the vehicles and began to laugh. I was ready to go into a tyrad about every person’s human dignity and it finally dawned on me what happened. I turned to look for JM and he was in his car, watching this interplay. I saw the smile on his face, the glee at finally having played a joke on me! I pretended to run after him and he just sped away.
I went into the offices feeling much lighter than when I first started my day out. J (my other supervisor) came in and gave me a hug, with huge statements of how much he missed me. I started a bit of reflection at that point. My enthusiasm had been affected as my time in Minnesota wore on simply because I recognized that my time in Phoenix was closing in on me. To say that I had been affected by my time in Arizona would be an understatement. Transformation is not a word bandied about in the B-Top offices. I have been greatly affected by my time here.
So I have a question, What does transformation look like in your life experiences? How do we as men and women of Christ encounter transformation in the ordinary?
My final week in Phoenix has begun. I anticipate that we will not be doing our final action on Thursday. There seems to be a lot of clergy men and women who are still out of town, and in our letter we stated 10 people would be attending the meeting, and to show up with less would be to discredit the seriousness of this action, the campaign, and the workers issues with this company. It may be done more effectively in September or October.
2 comments:
For me, transformation has come in two different ways. First are the radical life experiences that immediately affect me and in some ways assault my previous ways of thinking - mission trips, service-learning experiences, etc. These encounters with others outside my comfort zone have marked me profoundly and I can pinpoint exactly when and how these transformations occurred. I felt that I was directly encountering Christ in the other - in the face of the poor or the disabled or the suffering or those who minister to them.
The second kind of transformation is much more gradual, but ultimately no less radical. This is what this summer has been for me: a series of slow, gradual encounters, a longer period of discernment, perhaps more of a strain to see the face of Christ clearly but to know nonetheless that the Spirit is pulling me somewhere. It is more unsure and hesitant, but it is a sense inside that things are shifting. When I look back to the ways I thought a year or 6 months ago, I am surprised to see radical changes in my mindset or perspective. So I know the transformation is taking place, even though I cannot pinpoint exactly when or how this is taking place.
Great question for reflection!
What a wonderful thought for reflection! As I look back on life, there were many periods where I was a "net taker" from life. One or two people made the observation that I tended to suck the life right out of a room of people and leave nothing in my wake but rubble. I try not to do that anymore and try to be of service and help when I can be. As you have found out on this leg of your journey in life, it's all about giving back. But, you already knew that. Keep up the good work, keep smiling, and pray for peace. Dr. Smoke
Post a Comment