Spring Community Outreach 2010

Hello!
I want to tell you about Good Friday - 4/2. More than twenty adults from More than more, and many more kids, took time away from work and home to give some of the love that we have been experiencing in our lives at More than more on 4/2 at Howarth Center, here in Lafayette.

We saw 25 patients in the clinic and were able to give lots of free medicines and we gave out more than 400 pairs of shoes to those who had no good shoes. Plus we fed 3 meals to our friends who don't happen to currently have homes at Lafayette Transitional Housing. It was an amazing day! We talk a lot at More than more about noticing. We try to notice the wonder and amazingness of God in the life around us and celebrate that, rather than having our lives trapped in the do more, get more, buy more, achieve more, become more, more sex, more escape, more entertainment of our society. We realize that the more of American life is empty and even many times hurtful and we choose a different way - to connect with the One who made all this and so longs to be a part of our world. We also focus our minds and hearts on noticing each other and the people around us.

The amazing thing about all this ideal belief stuff is that it is really changing the people that we are. As we involve God in the moments of our lives and dare to notice the life around us, our lives become more full and meaningful and joy filled. So, out of all that came our desire to share this amazing life with other people...and an intense frustration with the "business as usual" that we find around us day after day in the world around us. We are frustrated by the way that the "system" puts people down, uses people, steals away their dignity and meaning and makes them feel like the things that are really important to all of us are not really important. In short, we are angry at the injustice and we see all these people around us, every day, who we want to see that they are important and that they matter and that there is hope for them - this motivates us to do something about all that injustice - and that is why we take time out to spend giving away shoes and medical care! You see, we really do believe that people matter and each of the people that we were able to share shoes or medical care with heard from us the same message - "no matter what society may say, no matter where your life is, you matter to us!"
It was an amazing thing to watch the responses of the people we told that. In fact, the group was asked beforehand to "notice" all day and write down their notes in a note book. We saw people who were part of the "broken" system we are all a part of who took advantage of us - some who took maybe even a dozen of pairs of shoes - for what purpose we do not know - other who tried to manipulate the system to suit their selfish needs the best they could. But some who brought back shoes that they could not use and some who refused to take any more than they absolutely needed - like the parents who would only take shoes for their children. Then there was the little girl who just wanted to hug the lady who gave her the shoes and the family who only had winter boots to wear for their kids in the heat of the near 80 degree temps and whose children literally danced in their wonderful new shoes - much to our delight! There were the people, when told that they really mattered, just because, that responded that they had never been told that before in their lives (what a tragedy!)

It was also amazing to watch the people of More than more - these are people who have struggled with all that life can dish out, many all of the same kinds of pain and loss and heartbreak that the people they were serving were going through - and there they were, loving each other - part of a community of people who care for each other not because of what the others provide to them, or what skills they have or how socially able they are or how they dress or where they live or even how they act, but just because they noticed that all the people are wonderfully made by God. And, even past that, that these same people were caring for every single person who came for help - without any hesitation - opening their hearts to be hurt by those who would take advantage and to be loved by those who were grateful, but putting it out there nevertheless. And you should have seen them shine - their faces shined (and not just with sweat - although it was hot) - they shined with love - and joy - it was amazing!

You see, we are a group of people who are tired of the way things work- we believe in something more. Yet, we are not content to sit around and talk about it - we are determined to make a difference in the world - we choose to experience life differently than other people and it is changing our lives in the process.

If you are tired of living "business as usual" in this country and would like to begin living life with more meaning and purpose and joy and if you long to be cared for and loved for who you are instead of what you offer, you should join us - we will be getting together this thursday night - 4/15/10 6:45-8:00PM at McAllister Recreation Center, just off 20th and Schuyler Ave, in Lafayette. there will be free child care as always and you can bet on a good time! We hope to have a chance to share the time with you!