The end

Sometimes when two people take a journey, their paths must seperate.
This is what has happened to Katie and I. She headed north and is now living in Chigaco. She has a great year a head of her. If you want news about her she is now over here at a worldupsidedown.
As for me, well i have a new roommate and will stay at God's Resort a bit longer. For more info on me, you can find me here.
As for this blog, well its the end. For now!
Thanks for all your prayers and support.

In Christ
Megan A Calderon.

All good things come to an end

Well I have around two weeks left here at God's Resort. I cannot believe we have been here for over a year and now my time is coming to a close. This past year has literally been the most amazing experience of my life and I could not imagine having expected to learn the lessons in life I have over the past year.

I have some updates on where I am heading next. I was chosen to be the team captain of my team of 3 girls and 2 guys. We are from all over the US and I am so excited to meet them soon! We will be living in a neighborhood known as La Villita (Little Village) in Chicago that is apparently 83% Latino. We will be attending both Spanish and English services with New Life Community Church there. I am so excited to be more immersed in Spanish culture and have more opportunities to use my tiny amount of Spanish and hopefully learn more.

Things are still going amazing down at God's Resort. We are moving forward with obtaining our status as a non-profit organization and that should be in place soon. Our church just announced that North Joplin Christian Church, which disbanded a few months ago, has offered College Heights their property in order to create an outreach ministry similar to that at God's Resort on the north side of town! I continue to be amazed at how God works in our community. It is truly amazing how much more incredible His plan is than ours. This new neighborhood faces many of the same problems as our current work at God's Resort and I know God wants to do great things there. Our church is currently meeting in preparation for a vote to determine the congregation's feelings on acquiring the property and then the elders will make the final decision, so we need lots of prayer right now for this decision to match God's will. I'm not too worried, if God wants it He will find a way.

If you want to keep up with my new adventure in Chicago check out my blog for Mission Year at www.missionyear.org/blog/katiehargrove

To much t talk about in one post.

This morning as Katie was driving to drop me off to work we were talking about how we havent really posted much over the summer. But hopefully as school starts and we get into a seady routine things will get better.
As i comment on whats been going on i will start with the newest stuff and work my way back. Instead of just throwing out information.
Last night we had the second city meeting in the backyard. THe first one was great! People showed up and made comments about things that they want done to make the neigborhood better. At the meeting last night the City of Joplin people unveiled the new plans for what will actually happen. It was exiting to stand there and hear them explain it all, and know that i will hopefully be around long enough to see that happen.
One of the things that they mentioned was the increase of police precense, and enforcement of traffic violations. As they were saying this, Katie and i both turned toward each other and giggled, probably because we were both thinking the same thing "good thing to know, i wont be speeding in the neigbothood anymore, or parking in the wrong direction". Traffic violations are a stumbling block for the two of us.
Already this morning we have seen them actually do what they promised, we passed three police cars in our neighbohood as we drove and also saw a group of inmates picking up trash under police supervision. Its great to see things happening!
it rained last nigh during the meeting, but thats ok. People still stayed, which was amazing and shows how much people really want the neigborhood to get better. With the rain its cooled down a lot. With one window unit in our house for the main living areas and two of our bedrooms, things tend to stay pretty warm. But this will be nice, and we can turn off the AC and hopefully get a break on our electric bill, which im thinking will be the hightest so far this summer because weve been running the AC pretty consistently.

Yesterday in the morning Katie, Josh and his family worked on the yard. Things (bushes and grass) had been a little out of control. It looks so great now. Sometimes its hard to keep up with everything. But their work came at the perfect time, just before the city meeting. There are no words to express our appretiation. Thanks Rick, Anna and Dom for helping out.

Camp: this summer some of the GR kids have been able to go to camp. They have had a lot of fun there. but hopefully they have grown in their faith and developed some friendships with kids that will be an encouragement to them.
I remember going to camp growing up, being away (most of the time because dad was sometimes a dean) from parents and bad friends and take a week to be in the word, to listen to great men preach and just have fun. it was at camp that i came foward and accepted Christ as my personal savior. i will always remember sitting in the chapel and holding on to the bench infront of me not wanting to go up, but wanting to soo badly at the same time. Its a crazy emotion.
i was also at College Age camp this last weekend. it was great. my favorite part of college age camp (other than staying up late playing rockband and sleeping in till noon) was the last night college students went up and talked, gave their testimonies, and encouraged one another.
What an amazing moment, it reminded me of why i fell in love with the college age in the first place, this their passion for God, people, service, and comminuty. And to be able to hear how people were affected by these things. it was truly amazing.

No Internet = No Blogging

Well, internet access has been somewhat limited lately after quitting working at the university. It's a lame excuse for letting stuff slide, but it's the only one I have. Life has been interesting for a long while at God's Resort, but summer brings a whole new element to the playing field. No school = lots of kids bored and looking for something to do. We have had a blast swimming, going to church camps and VBS, playing at the parks, and going to movies and the library.

There has been a lot of shifting in the neighborhood. One of the families moved away and that was really hard to see them go, even knowing it may be the best thing for them at this time. Eddie and Emilie moved up to Iowa for the summer to work and we were very sad to see them go, but they have come to visit a lot and that has been wonderful. Josh moved in with our friend Brandon and that has been a great time having them there serving alongside us. Abi moved out this past weekend back to Iowa in order to prepare for leaving for North Africa this Fall as a nanny to missionaries from our church. She is so awesome! We have a new roommate Leah who also plans to do missions in Africa but cannot leave for 2 years and wants to spend those two years at God's Resort. We are so excited to have her. She is an amazing prayer warrior and incredible woman. I move soon. Too soon it feels like sometimes.

I move to Chicago August 29th for team training and then go to Atlanta for a time to do group orientation and then back to Chicago for a year! I am so excited to have the opportunity to work with Mission Year, but it is a bittersweet feeling to be leaving God's Resort. One month left. I cannot believe in just a couple days we will hit our one year mark. I remember a time at the beginning where we had no idea if we would make it and here we are :) It has been one of the greatest experiences of my life, no doubt. Keep us in your prayers! A lot is coming into play down at God's Resort. We are becoming our own stand alone non-profit organization and partnering with the City of Joplin (!) in a neighborhood redevelopment program! Incredible isn't it? Who knew that one year could see so much change. Almost all of the buildings have been remodeled to better standards, we have a brilliant newly landscaped backyard, a music stage where we had our first puppet show last Sunday, and a fully functioning community house. God is good, very good.

May Update

I found out, almost a month ago now, that I am going to Chicago! I cannot believe the path that God has created for me over the past year and leading into this next one. Only He could have taken me from where I was to where I am now and I am so excited to be on this crazy journey walking next to Him. I am truly psyched for Chicago. In all honesty I have wanted to move to Chicago since I was a freshman in college and knowing I am going to be living there in just a few short months is incredible. My friends I think are just as excited, if not more, that I am going to Chicago because it's the closest of MY's destinations to our "home" here in Joplin. It still is like 9 hours away, but it's the closest. I keep telling them that there are only certain times we are allowed visitors and that I can come home, but that doesn't seem to change their excitement. Many of them are from the Chicago land area and therefore I guess feel this new sense of bonding with me now that I am moving to their home turf. Whatever the reasons are for their excitement, all I know is I am so glad they are excited. My community here are my brothers and sisters and transitioning together as a group through changes for our friends has always been key. We want to be in each other's lives enough that no distance will change our commitment to one another. So moving to Chicago is an awesome high this month!
Another high has been the fifteen billion birthdays this month. Literally like 60% of our entire friend group has birthdays in April and May and so the last month and a half has been like one long birthday party, but what better thing to celebrate right? Also, May 1 marked 3 years of following Christ for me and that just rocks in itself!
The final and greatest high has been the birth of Uriah Daniel Gonzalez, the first baby in our group! The parents are my neighbors and dear friends and being beside them through the whole pregnancy has been an incredible journey. It is so exciting to have him here now with us.
This is just a taste of the great things that are going on these days. As the weather warms up, all the kids are coming out to play and biking around town has become our new favorite pastime (I even learned how to ride with a kid on the bike with me yesterday!). We have started taking cookies across the street to our local AA/NA meeting and that has been really cool meeting new people and their kids. There has been a lot to rejoice over this past month and I wanted to share just a little with you all.

a cat under the hood!

Before i start this story, i must mention that the little guy is fine. No harm done. And will be returned to its owner (i think Ashley) when i get off work.

This morning started out completaly normal. I got up, showered, got my lunch together to go to work. The mailman came by (Dan Quade) with a package for Katie and I. Exiting stuff!

I get in my car, drive to work. I take my time, i left a little earlier that usual. On my way to work, i get a call from my oldroommate Bev. She wants to borrow my car to go get lunch. So as im waiting for her, to make the trade...

I start hearing this meowing thats coming from near the car. My first instinct told me it must be a bird flying by. Then as i walk around the car, it got louder. And i figure it out. There must be a cat under the hood of my car.

(you know, you always hear stories like that, most of the times it ends tragically. But katie and i lived at God's Resort, surrounded by cats all winter long, and it hadnt even come close to happening).

so i rush back to my car, pop the hood, and sure enough. There was this little fellow:

we called my boss and asked for special permision for me to keep him with me at work. He was really scared. But really im just glad he survived!

I do believe that for the next few days i will be checking under my hood before i take of driving anywhere.

Sometimes I feel like our house is just one giant extension of the outside yard. Like the walls aren't really there, but are just mere allusions pretending to keep things out. We cleaned and cleaned on Monday and at the end of it, didn't have a lot to show for our work. Things look better, but they just don't look clean.

A significant hole fell out of my closet ceiling the other day during community dinner. Water had been leaking all winter and still hadn't been fixed this past Thursday when it finally just flooded through. My clothes were soaked, boxes wet, and debris was everywhere. Not the most pleasant experience by the end of it. The bugs are back. I killed four this morning getting ready in my room. I have to say I didn't miss them at all over the winter. The basement is flooded again, nothing too bad, but enough to make it stink pretty bad by and in my room and the porch smells like wet cats right now. It's really nothing new though which is why it is so funny that I am feeling it so heavily today.

We have lived at God's Resort now for 8 months and I would not take any of it back, but the house is wearing on me today. I am sure next week I will be a different person and it will be fine, but today my spirit is worn down by the chaos and disfunctional nature of our living environment.

The Past month at God's Resort

This past month has been a blur of emotions and events that my mind has still not wrapped around yet. All of February was so stressful at work because we were recruiting, interviewing, and picking new students for the Honors Program next Fall. It's a lot of work and a lot of emotions in a very small office and to say the least everyday was tiring. Emilie, Eddie, and Abi moved in and that was amazing, but a whole period of transition. I love all three of those people so I didn't expect any problems transitioning to community in a bigger group, but the whole month has just been hard. Reshaping boundaries, letting in new perspectives on your ministry, and sharing life with three extra people in a very close and personal environment has been rougher for me than I thought it would be. No idea why actually, but I do know I have experienced a range of emotions from godly to ungodly this past month and in the end I hope to come out of it a better person. God has really opened my heart to the selfishness that still lurks in its crevices and the ugliness of it all has really defeated me at times. As Megan said there is a difference between having community and having a community that does communal living. When community now means giving up what I considered my personal space it brings a whole new set of challenges. Figuring out how to operate in a Christlike manner communally is something I have got to figure out though if I am going to live on a team with five strangers next year. Having Eddie, Emilie, and Abi down there though has been a huge blessing. I hadn't realized how much I had cut myself off from my community until they all started showing up and I wanted to push them away. I no longer wanted to be transparent or share life honestly with them and that was a pretty fruitless place to be in life honestly. So I guess all of the stress and confusion of reentering my community is God trying to bring me back to a Truth I had pushed away. He has exposed the shallowness I had allowed in my relationships with the people He has given me to love and when I see that sin exposed I cannot help but strive towards eliminating it no matter how ugly the process is. Our good friend Peter and Eric are moving in as I type and it is just incredible to see the little community of close friends God is placing in our greater community at God's Resort. I know these next few months we will see something incredible if we are sensitive to His spirit and continue to strive after His teachings. We can use your prayers for our community that we will trust and love each other to the fullest capacity we can each day.

6 Months Later...

February 1st marked our six month stay at God's Resort. I remember in September there being moments where we definitely didn't think we would make it this far, but we have and quite honestly I think we have been successful in more ways than one. We were hanging out with our mentor last Friday and discussing the ways that we have changed and the things we have learned and I think we surprised ourselves in just how long that list was. I think I can probably speak for both of us on the following things we have learned, but just in case Meg would put it differently here is my list of a few things I have learned:

1. Loving people you don't know can be really hard at first, but the longer you do it and the more unconditional you can make it, the easier it gets.
2. Patience is a virtue for a reason and things all go much more smoothly if you can practice a lot of it.
3. Finding a way to view others as God sees them helps with the above. Once you can see someone for who God has created them to be, without all of the baggage of the flesh and this world, they shine with a holy radiance that cannot help but make you love them.
4. Jesus is real and not only because I see Him alive in the scriptures, but because I see Him alive in our neighborhood. The same stories that we hear of His life on earth are still totally applicable to our world today no matter how different it may look. We just need to be creative enough to see the application for them.
5. Truth may be my foundation to stand upon, but faith and hope are what keep me clinging to it when things get rough.
6. Community is vital to not only a Christian’s growth, but their survival as well. At one point for me that community was a group of peers that challenged me as we grew together, now my community is my neighborhood and even though they may not be well-educated or look like the world wants them to, they have taught me just as much if not more about what it means to be a Christian that is totally reliant on God and completely enthralled with Jesus than the Church or my peers.

How have I changed/what have I learned about myself:

1. I do not need breaks nearly as much as I have been taught I do or taken in the past.
2. I can be a very patient and flexible person with people in my neighborhood, but not so well with those I work alongside.
3. I love living in the middle of such chaotic life, even on the days I seem fed up with it, because no matter how tough it seems, it is more worthwhile and more exciting than any other life I have led.
4. I have finally begun to understand how to marry the Christian walk with what I have pursued in my education.
5. I am more controlled, less sarcastic, and feel in control. I have a newfound confidence in Christ and therefore do not lash out or feel insecure as much in my interactions with others.
6. Everyone needs to be able to process what is going on around them and when they can’t it is usually the start of a lot of life problems. Everyone processes things differently according to their walk and their role in the kingdom and that is okay as long as the outcome mimics Christ. Most of the time when my actions don’t mimic Christ it’s because I never processed them through a Christian frame to begin with.

For fun, how Megan has changed:

1. She has truly excelled at the work at God’s Resort and found her gifting in working with the kids, including crafts, teaching the kids everyday life skills, beautifying things in the neighborhood.
2. She has put herself out there with the families in a far more open way then she used to with our friends, putting herself in their homes and being real with them.
3. She has relaxed a lot about life and become more patient as well.

Well I just thought it would be fun to share some of these things. There are so many just random life lessons that we have learned, but there is not enough time for me to write them down nor do I kid myself in thinking you want to read them all.

I had a wake up call this morning as I drove to work this morning. I am confident today is the coldest day yet in what is shaping up to be a very cold winter in Joplin. It is currently 11 degrees outside with a windchill of zero. Our heat went out I am guessing New Year's eve because that was when we noticed it wasn't quite as warm as we were accustomed to in our house. We weren't home much yesterday until late evening when we realized it was really getting quite cold in our home. We checked the thermostat and it was falling below 65. We went to bed with it nearing 60 and when I woke up this morning it was below that mark. When I think of 57 degree weather I really dont think of it as being that cold but when you put that in a very drafty old house with 11 degree weather outside it is suddenly very very cold. I got ready and as I was heading to work I remembered a couple I met at the emergency shelter last January during last year's snow storm. They had come in to stay the night after sleeping in a field the night before. Temperatures had to have been in the teens that night and they were freezing and wet. Suddenly having a home, no matter, how cold it was became a lot rosier picture. I know that God is with those who are stuck out in this cold, but I pray that the area shelters have abundance to take these people in as the weather continues to stay so cold. I pray that these people would be on the minds of everyone in Joplin, Christian or not, and that the homeless would be clothed, fed, and sheltered.
This has been a particularly hard week for me and humanity. Maybe it was because over the break I had more access to CNN and the local news than usual, but continually report after report jsut cried out how mcuh the world needs our love. Not a distant love, but a love that penetrates homes. A love that pulls us into people's lives because we have no other desire but to be there with the weeping, with the hungry, with the joyful. I think sometimes it is hard to just be there for people in need, whatever that need may be. Often I don't feel like I know how to fix (because I don't) and therefore if I have nothing to offer them to ease their burden I should just pray someone who can ease it will come along. How foolish my heart can be! In the greatest empathy for someone's pain and in fear of not fixing it, I turn away? I don't think it is hard to imagine that even had Jesus not had the power to heal, He would have been there. It is precisely in those moments when we give up and just resolve to be with that person that we allow Christ to move in the situation and His glory really be known.
As the New Year starts, I wanted to make a resolution. I have never been one for resolutions, but as Megan also described in her post earlier, I have reached one of those breaking points where I either choose to follow the cross or I depart down a road that only leads me further from Him. I went through highschool and half of college very disenchanted with the church and have since been very cautious of becoming that way again, but sometimes there is a very real and godly reason. When you get so enchanted by the church that you forget to be enchanted by the Church and its Father, there is a very real reason to become disenchanted. The standard set by Christ far supercedes any standard held by a church and I have set my standards to the church's standards rather than Christ. Therefore my resolve is to spend this year consciously racing towards His standards. Learning as best I can to live of this world but not in it. I want to be radically different and not in a cheap, commercially radical sense, but in a way that shows a genuine concern for Christ's concerns above the worlds. I know this is not a one year process but if I could have even on foot out of the world by the end of the year it would be one foot closer to Christ than where I am now and that is entirely worth the struggle. Please pray for me that I will find accountability and discipleship in this, but more importantly that I would dive into the word to discover what this means for myself from His words and His life. Happy New Year!

The other tenant

So I am the other tenant of 312 W. 14th St. It has indeed been a long journey gettting to God's Resort. One that for me started over six months ago when I first wanted to move here. The timing just wasn't right at that point. No one wanted to live there, the neighborhood was worse then it is now, and the church was still getting things organized. After eight months a lot of that has changed.

I came back from Jamaica ready to be content with where God had me, in Joplin, at the Royal Orleans, working. It had taken forever it seemed to get to that point of contentment and Jamaica had given it to me. Then God called Megan to move to God's Resort and finally I had my partner to finish his call in my life. So we did it. I had come up with every possible obstacle we might face in the eight months preceding this so I was not quite so assured as Megan. It wasn't logical, it wasn't conveniant, and it was exactly the kind of thing God does to bring glory to His kingdom. His timing I have decided is never our timing, sometimes we miss it by minutes, sometimes by months, some wait years, but it always comes if it is truly a desire given by God and we must be patient and faithful until he has set the way.
So we moved! The house was less then clean, but we cleaned it. We had no refrigerator, so we ate a lot of Taco Bell and were blessed by many loving friends. We had no air conditioning, so we stayed with many other loving friends for the first almost two weeks. The house is coming together though. Day by day it becomes home. Having the kids there is such a joy, even in the tough moments you just can't help but love them and be so joyful to have the opportunity to spend so much time investing into them. We are already seeing changes in them which is incredible!

Right now we are setting up boundaries and they are testing them. It is almost like animals when they get new cages and start testing for secret ways in and out or the weakest link. These kids have tried everything. They knock at all hours of the day and night, windows, doors, walls. They yell when knocking doesn't work and all the while you must be patient and kind and explain what correct etiquette might be for that situation. Curfew is 10:00, which to me seems late, but for these kids is early. They haven't quite figured out what curfew is yet I think, if the lights in the house are on they take it as an invite to knock. Neither Megan nor I are getting the greatest amount of rest, but we know its worth it.