12/29/10…She had the same look I had when I first went down, and
when my son Avery first went down. Her night started with a hug from Miss
Dorothy, an encounter she readily admits was one of the highlights of the
evening. At the end of the night, there was a glow. I think she said it best
when she said,
“I felt a sparkle inside me that made me want to do so much more, for those people who have needs. I guess I did not know that desire was there, or maybe it still was and it just had not come out in a while.”
Her memory takes her back; in High School, she went on two separate mission trips to Sonoyta, Mexico. Their purpose was to help build an addition to an orphanage. The experience was eye opening because she had never been around people who had absolutely nothing. Even though she grew up poor, her family was rich compared to those in Mexico she came across. Those in this part of Mexico did not know where their next meal was coming from. Although there was a language barrier, they were able to connect through volleyball and nightly revival that went on for hours into the night. Remembrance of a family that smelled so bad and were covered in flies in the revival service is burned in her memory. At that time, her sheltered life suddenly became unsheltered.
“I felt a sparkle inside me that made me want to do so much more, for those people who have needs. I guess I did not know that desire was there, or maybe it still was and it just had not come out in a while.”
Her memory takes her back; in High School, she went on two separate mission trips to Sonoyta, Mexico. Their purpose was to help build an addition to an orphanage. The experience was eye opening because she had never been around people who had absolutely nothing. Even though she grew up poor, her family was rich compared to those in Mexico she came across. Those in this part of Mexico did not know where their next meal was coming from. Although there was a language barrier, they were able to connect through volleyball and nightly revival that went on for hours into the night. Remembrance of a family that smelled so bad and were covered in flies in the revival service is burned in her memory. At that time, her sheltered life suddenly became unsheltered.
And then life continued…And now after all those years, she hops
out of a van at the Opportunity Center. Hours before she did not know what to
expect. She readily admits her nervousness before coming and even says she was
a little afraid. After all, the inner city of Jackson after nightfall has a
dark reputation. Murders are not optional, just expected, and the question is
not if murders will happen but how many by the end of the year. Drugs are
prevalent. Even street prostitutes at times are seen emerging from the shadows.
After the night ended, she said she felt like she had been reintroduced
to something that she experienced on her mission trips to Mexico, and it had
been a long time. And yet the streets we visited tonight were only two hours
from Sumrall, Mississippi, her home town. Seeing what she saw in Jackson tonight
made her realize there are people with needs and they are everywhere, not just
in Mexico. Her silence speaks volumes as we drive back to the delta. A distant
look out the side of the window, somehow trying to process emotions, somehow
feeling a glow once again…
“What I marvel at were the people who were willing to visit with
us and tell us what was going on in their lives, telling us a little bit about
their life, their art, and just sharing of themselves. Even though we came from
different socio-economic backgrounds, it felt like we were all the same for a
little while.”
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