Hospitality: A few reflections

“Welcome is one of the signs that a community is alive. To invite others to live with us is a sign that we aren't afraid, that we have a treasure of truth and of peace to share.” (Jean Vanier)

Hospitality is a central component to the way of life at Koinonia., and, in retrospect, was a greater aspect of Mission Year than I had realized. As we've studied and lived out hospitality, I've been reflecting on hospitality in the context of both Mission Year and Koinonia.

I believe that recognizing common humanity in one another is the essence of hospitality:

“Besides sharing food and drink with someone, which is central to almost every act of hospitality, the most important part of welcome is giving a person our full attention...It means we view individuals as human beings rather than as embodied needs or interruptions.” (Christine Pohl, “Hospitality, a practice and a way of life”)

In Mission Year, it didn't occur to us until the end of the year to encourage people to bring food to our community dinners, although they often did. Offering a place for people to contribute creates a space for relationships to develop. My favorite evenings were when our neighbors taught us how to make something. It wasn't about us serving them; it was about all of us coming together to share fellowship and food as equals. I've seen how seeking to serve others can ironically cultivate pride. If my service stems from privilege – cultural, financial, social, etc. - it is crippled. The greatest service we can do for others places us both on equal ground, which I think begins to get to the heart of humility; recognizing and responding to the image of God we see in others. Sometimes it takes humility to offer service, and sometimes it takes humility to receive service from others.

Koinonia takes hospitality seriously. The Dining Hall is appropriately located at the center of campus, and care is taken to prepare delicious, hearty meals, good for the body and soul, for anyone and everyone on campus that day. And Sunday night potlucks offer a chance for people to literally bring their own contribution to the table. These are my favorite moments because there is something deeply spiritual about coming together to have our physical needs met. Plus, at each meal we read Scripture and pray together. At Koinonia, hospitality also means giving people a place to stay, which we could not do during Mission Year. And visitors are encouraged to step into our daily rhythm of life and prayer, and to work alongside us, which is also beautiful. More often than not, visitors jump at opportunities to contribute and participate, which allows us to get to know each other on a deeper level.

Hospitality as a way of life: Faithfulness“Because hospitality is a way of life, it must be cultivated over a lifetime. We do not become good at hospitality in an instant; we learn it in small increments of daily faithfulness.” (Christine Pohl)

In retrospect, I see how much hospitality during Mission Year challenged and grew me. The size of our campus and the number of communities we were invested in meant BIG community dinners for our Mission Year team. There were times when I reached my social capacity and had to bow out for the night. It was often my favorite night of the week, but I could only handle it for so long. Hospitality doesn't have to take the form of huge community dinners and gatherings, but the image of the Kingdom was so evident during those times: people of all backgrounds, ages, and faiths coming together to share food, music, and soccer at our very own home! I treasure those memories. I deeply value that hospitality was something established in our schedule; a habit we practiced every week; not just on Saturday nights but in our daily interactions with people as well, especially kids. And now I value that hospitality is at the heart of daily life at Koinonia. I believe cultivating hospitality over a lifetime means developing an attitude of welcome toward people, whether that's in the context of a literal home or simply in everyday interactions; “creating space for someone to feel seen and heard and loved,” as Shauna Niequist puts it.

To be continued :)

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Ora et Labora: A glimpse of the morning

6:42am. Alarm goes off. It's still dark out. Hit snooze. 6:46am. Alarm goes off again. Turn on the light and wake myself up with a shower. Put on some water for tea and make a breakfast of oatmeal with fresh milk and pecans that fell at our door. Reach for my Bible to read today's devotion passages. The tea kettle whistles and soon I am walking through the dew-drenched grass into the rising sun, steaming mug in hand. Red clay clings to my boots. Fresh light cuts through the majestic pecan orchards. My heart swells and I slow my pace to take it in. I enter into the sacred silence of the chapel. Two candles burn at the front and the community gradually fills the pews. We sit facing one another, as in a Quaker meeting I once attended. To me it's a reminder that we're all in this together. Readings aloud from the Old Testament prophets and Elizabeth starts us on a hymn or spiritual. Voices join in as we recognize or learn the song, most in unison, some in harmony. I love the harmonies. We stand for a reading from the Gospel and someone shares some thoughts and words of encouragement from the readings. We sing again and file out into a circle on the grass. The sun is now even brighter, illuminating the beautiful faces around the circle, and I stand where I can face it even though I must shield my eyes. Who can help but smile in the presence of such beauty?
I step into the day with a heart full of gratitude.

“The unity of prayer and work, the unity of the day, is found because finding [God] behind the day’s work is what Paul means by his admonition to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17). The prayer of the Christian reaches, therefore, beyond the time allocated to it and extends into the midst of the work. It surrounds the whole day, and in so doing, it does not hinder the work; it promotes work, affirms work, gives work great significance and joyfulness. Thus every word, every deed, every piece of work of the Christian becomes a prayer... “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col 3:17).” Bonhoeffer, Life Together

(Ora et labora = Latin, "pray and work")

Guest Post: Vanessa

Had to share this poem by my fellow intern, Lindsay, about the day we went to the Prisoner Family Lunch:

http://thegrandfarmventure.wordpress.com/2013/11/30/vanessa/

Enjoy your weekend, friends

“A tree brings glory to God by being a tree.” - Thomas Merton

The Glory of the Garden - Rudyard Kipling

Then seek your job with thankfulness and work til further orders,
If it's only netting strawberries or killing slugs on borders;
And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden,
You will find yourself a partner in the Glory of the Garden.
Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees
That half a proper garden's work is done upon his knees,
So when your wok is finished, you can wash your hands and pray
For the Glory of the Garden, that it may not pass away!
And the Glory of the Garden, it shall not pass away!

“In the West we have a tendency to be profit-oriented, where everything is measured according to the results and we get caught up in being more and more active to generate results. In the East – especially in India – I find that people are more content to just be, to just sit around under a banyan tree for half a day chatting to each other. We Westerners would probably call that wasting time. But there is value to it. Being with someone, listening without a clock and without anticipation of results, teaches us about love. The success of love is in the loving – it is not in the result of loving.” - Mother Teresa

“Behold a tree. Does it not speak to us thusly: 'Don't you see that God is not working Himself into a frenzy in me? I am calmly, quietly, silently pouring forth my life and bringing forth fruit. Do thou likewise.'” - Clarence Jordan

23
A prime number; indivisible, red-orange and blue,
No longer palandrome, no longer even.
Impatient, eager to make it to 24, purple-ish-blue,
divisible by 8 and 4 and 3 and 6 and 12 and 2...
a satisfying measurement for the rhythm of our days.
Until then I'm 23, an awkward leap,
caught between 22 and 24.
22, the most transformative year of my life.
...23 has a lot to live up to.
People jokingly ask, do you feel older?
Well, actually, this time I do.


Transition from Mission Year is hard. Honestly, I'm not used to missing things so much. And I've been hard on myself for missing it as much as I do sometimes, because I fear it will keep me from being present where I am. And I've hesitated to write about it or talk about it at times because I don't want to sound whiny and wistful. But missing Mission Year doesn't mean I can't be (or am not) content where I am. And when I pause and think through what it is I miss about Mission Year, it helps.

Abi wrote in the post I posted last post:

"It’s hard to explain why such a beautiful, wonderful experience can still feel so much like a war we survived. I guess it’s just the classic story of growth–there’s the painful pruning that precedes new growth. But we experienced spiritual grooming and growth at an unnatural rate. Under such strange and unique circumstances, we went through more of a blender than a gentle pruning. The result was huge transformation with a great deal of pain alongside it. My time in Houston was an emotional workout and my muscles are still very sore from it."

My fellow intern Carmen and I recently compared our Mission Year and Americorps experiences. We noticed how, in both of our experiences, what made such an impact on us was the type of bonds we formed with our teammates in going through something so intense together. We formed strong bonds very quickly, not just because we were living in community, but because of what we were learning and experiencing and seeking together daily.

That's why Abi compares our experience to a war - not to sound dramatic, but because what we went through together was hard and is also difficult to communicate to those who didn't experience it with us. In the midst of Mission Year, when everyone else seemed to be saying "Yes, this is hard!" I heard myself saying, "Well, I don't think of it as hard most of the time. In fact, I really love it." And I did love it. So much. But I think it was also harder sometimes than I even realized at the time. What we did was hard! I look back now and wonder how we made it. All the demands on our time, physical energy, emotional energy, social energy...the irony of Mission Year is that we learn about sustainability in the context of a lifestyle that, in itself, is ultimately unsustainable. It is unrealistic to think I could live a program like that my whole life, as much as I deeply regret its ending. It was right and beautiful for a season.

When people ask me what is was about Mission Year that touched me so much, I think of my teammates first because they were alongside me through it all. So many tears, laughter, and sweat. What my heart aches for most now is those daily relationships - we saw the best and worst of each other and were committed to loving each other through it. Here at Koinonia, community has a different flavor. Relationships develop more gradually. There's more space to choose which people I want to get to know more. There's not the same push for intentional relationships. Granted, we seem to do a great job at intentionally hanging out together, and I love that. But it's still different. I wonder what that means for my life. I wonder if relationships like that are truly possible again, and what the cost might be for such beauty.

A couple days ago I received a letter...from myself. In the final week of Mission Year we wrote to ourselves 3 months into the future. I've decided to share what I wrote:

7/24/13
Hey there, Tracy Lou
You've done a lot this year. Don't forget that the Father is proud of you. He has so carefully carried you this far and He is surely guiding your steps now. I wonder where you are...Koinonia, Rochester, Houston, somewhere totally unexpected...Remember you never saw Houston coming, but it has been so good. You have a clearer picture now of what you desire in life – intentional community, art – are you living out those things? Do you have too much on your plate? Are you saying yes only to what the Lord has in mind for you? Remember that it's okay to say no. This year you've learned a lot about your limits. I pray that you'll be sensitive to what those are and practice confidence in communicating those limits to those around you when necessary. Remember that you are beloved. Your worth is not measured by how much you can accomplish. You are so beautiful just as you are! He delights in you, His child, Daughter of the Most High King, who has done nothing to earn His love. Remember to keep in touch with your teammates and encourage them. You are always family now, and they are there to support you and want to hear from you. Remember to stay in touch with the kids at Fletcher. They miss you. You'll never know in this life the impact you had on their lives. Someone will think of you every day when they see that mural. Remember the symbolism that inspired that mural. Re-read your blog post on Sergio. Send him another box of crayons. Are you practicing the Sabbath? I hope you are. You need to find space for rest in your weekly rhythm, at any rate. Space for the Examen. Don't let life rush by. Take it steady. Is life too fast-paced? Be honest with yourself and redirect your course if needed. Remember that God is faithful to answer prayer. Dare to be specific in how you desire Him to answer you. Be in the Word. How are you practicing justice in your daily life? I fear that maybe some weeds of cynicism have sprung up in your heart, so check with the Lord to see how that's going. Wow, you'll be an aunt by the time you get this. Well, we're getting ready to head out. Don't forget to take iron and calcium, and I'll see you in a bit :P
Grace and peace,
Tracy

And here's a link to my latest newsletter:
http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=abce379ebb&id=7313e17907

Guest Post: It happened.

My dear Mission Year teammate Abi wrote a post that "sums up" our Mission Year experience and transition in a way that resonates with me deeply. I am so thankful for her gift of articulating things! Had to share this:

http://abigailyork.wordpress.com/2013/11/08/it-happened/

Eggs bring people together.

Inspired by a recent plethora of eggs, a bunch of us decided to make breakfast together this morning. I am so struck today by the blessing of fellowship and food as a way to start the morning, in the form of scrambled eggs, grits, coffee, and homemade jams. As we finished our meal, Daniel read aloud to us a chapter from Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril. It is a compilation of works by a variety of authors, and it has become a tradition over the past few weeks for someone to select a passage and then we discuss it together. Today we read a passage by Barbara Kingsolver, How to be Hopeful. I looked it up online to discover that it's an excerpt from a 2008 Commencement speech she gave. So if you're looking for a good read, I highly recommend it: http://today.duke.edu/2008/05/kingsolver.html.

Enjoy your weekend, friends.

Guest Post: Koy-nohn-ee-ah

One month ago today I was on my way to Georgia.
Two months ago we welcomed my nephew into the world.
Three months ago I didn't even know if I was really coming here.


Anyway, here's another great post by my North Carolina friends:


http://thegrandfarmventure.wordpress.com/2013/10/20/koy-nohn-ee-ah/

Art and Abundance in Community

There is something really beautiful about Koinonia's attitude toward work. It is not an individualistic attitude of “I'm earning my paycheck,” but working with the joy of knowing that our work is sustaining the community, and meanwhile we enjoy each other's company. There's an adage around the farm that “work is just an excuse to hang out together.” Moreover, income is distributed according to need. It becomes less about me and more about us.

There's a beautiful article one of my art professors shared with my class in college that takes on more meaning for me every time I read it:

There is an old story of how the cathedral of Chartres was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. Then thousands of people came from all points of the compass, like a giant procession of ants, and together they began to rebuild the cathedral on its old site. They worked until the building was completed—master builders, artists, laborers, clowns, noblemen, priests, burghers. But they all remained anonymous, and no one knows to this day who built the cathedral of Chartres...

In former days the artist remained unknown and his work was to the glory of God. He lived and died without being more or less important than other artisans: ‘eternal values’, ‘immortality’ and ‘masterpiece’ were terms not applicable in his case. The ability to create was a gift. In such a world flourished invulnerable assurance of natural humility.

Today the individual has become the highest form and the greatest bane of artistic creation...The artist considers his isolation, his subjectivity, his individualism almost holy...

Thus if I am asked what I would like the general purpose of my films to be, I would reply that I want to be one of the artists in the cathedral on the great plain...I would play my part in the collective building of the cathedral.

Excerpts from Art as Worship by Ingmar Bergman

As I continue to explore the practice of intentional community, I have become intrigued by the idea of art for the purpose of sustaining a community, not as a way to support myself alone. The struggle I tend to have with art is that it so often seems to put the focus on me. Well-meaning family and friends would like to see me use it as a way to make lots of money and become famous. But I relate more to Van Gogh's perspective. Van Gogh did not become world famous during his lifetime (he only sold one piece, as far as I know), and I think he would cringe to think that people would pay millions of dollars for his work and hang it up in lofty places. He believed in making art for the poor, of the poor, and in fact being poor himself. He didn't make art for the purposes of making a living; he made art because he was an artist, and an artist needs to make art! In the words of Rilke, “A work of art is good if it has sprung from necessity.”

“In the human world, abundance does not happen automatically. It is created when we have the sense to choose community, to come together to celebrate and share our common store. Whether the scarce resource is money or love or power or words, the true law of life is that we generate more of whatever seems scarce by trusting its supply and passing it around. Authentic abundance does not lie in secured stockpiles of food or cash or influence or affection but in belonging to a community where we can give those goods to others who need them – and receive them from others when we are in need.” (Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak)

“Jesus loved the feast and feast means abundance. I think he loved abundance...He said the Father is full of abundance. And he said trust Him for it so you can be free to seek the God Movement.” (Clarence Jordan)

“Abundance is a communal act, the joint creation of an incredibly complex ecology in which each part functions on behalf of the whole and, in return, is sustained by the whole. Community doesn't just create abundance – community is abundance. If we could learn that equation from the world nature, the human world might be transformed.” (Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak)

“The Old Testament required a tithe, but in every instance in the New Testament where the Lord asked for anything, it was for all. Examples of this are: James and John, Peter and Andrew, Matthew, Zacchaeus, the poor widow, parable of the talents (all returned), rich young ruler, etc. Then after Pentecost they all sold their possessions, had all things common, and no one counted that he owned anything. Then when one had paid all into the Lord's treasury, a portion was returned to him 'according as he had need.' Thus, the basis of 'pay' was not what responsibilities one had, nor what he knew, but what he needed. It was certainly possible for the janitor, if his need were greater, to be paid more than the pastor. Is this not the right way? What right has the pastor, for example, to wax fat on the leanness of the janitor? Should the man with one mouth to feed take bread from the man with five or six mouths? Surely our need should determine our income. But who is to be the judge of our need? This will not be a great problem with those who love their neighbors as themselves, for everyone will not seek the things for himself but for his neighbor.” (Clarence Jordan)

Guest Post: Poetry

From my dear fellow intern Lindsay:
http://thegrandfarmventure.wordpress.com/2013/10/11/more-poetry-yall/

The dusty red-clay soil
of Southern Georgia
has a way of sticking to you,
hanging on,
weighing you down
as if to persuade you
that this is where you belong.
It calls you back to itself here,
louder than I’ve felt before.
The soil embeds itself
in the soles of your feet,
the creases of your palms,
the bends of your elbows and knees
until you begin to believe
it is part of you.

But we are not so different,

humans and humus.

We have become arrogant
to believe we only live above it.
The soil here is persistent,
it won’t let you forget it, try as you might.
It wants to draw you back into itself,
it remembers what we don’t.
The soil in our chests
aches to meet the soil
of the land in which we live.

To be in constant contact is heaven:
fingers in the soil
can bring you back home.

–Lindsay

Van Gogh and I are kindred spirits.

"The combination of life in the country, Something on High, and one's service to others constituted for Vincent the best of lives. One of the unresolved struggles in Vincent's life was his concern for the oppressed of the newly industrialized cities, yet his love and need for the rural countryside of his childhood memories. Would he choose the new city or the old countryside? Would he paint the cities of Dickens and the Goncourt brothers or become a peasant painter like Millet? Perhaps his life was too brief to reach resolution, but most often he maintained a suspicion of the city as an environment unsuited for profound thought, and chose the countryside for recuperation and labor."


One of my favorite books is Van Gogh and God: A Creative Spiritual Quest by Cliff Edwards. Every time I read it, I notice more correlations between myself and Van Gogh. This may trouble those of you who know nothing about this great artist apart from his mutilated ear - if this is true for you, I do indeed recommend this book!

Living in the city this past year brought a new kind of flavor to my life. Houston has often been on my mind these past several weeks. And yet I can't help wondering if, as an artist, I will continue to find myself seeking out a quieter environment. It is mostly in retrospect that I see how hard it was for me to think well and listen well in the city. I crave the countryside; broad green spaces, orchards, organic forms...I think it is no coincidence that part of the etymology of my first name is "late summer" (my favorite time of year) and "harvester" (I seem to reap a whole lot more than I sow), that my middle name means "meadow," and that my surname means "new town" (I always seem to be going someplace new).

The truth is that I feel very much alive here at Koinonia, only two weeks in. The sunshine, dirt, and wildlife are breaths of fresh air to my soul. But like Van Gogh, I'm feeling torn between the city and the country. Maybe it's that my experiences of the city are wrapped up in beautiful memories of Mission Year, and memories here are only beginning to grow.

Today as I dug around in the garden dirt, Van Gogh's words came to mind: "If we study Japanese art, we see a man who is undoubtedly wise, philosophic and intelligent, who spends his time doing what? In studying the distance between the earth and the moon? No. In studying Bismark's policy? No. He studies a single blade of grass...we must return to nature in spite of our education and our work in a world of convention." (Letter 542)

And here's some closing food for thought by Parker Palmer, in celebration of community, nature, and late summer: "Here is a summertime truth: abundance is a communal act, the joint creation of an incredibly complex ecology in which each part functions on behalf of the whole and, in return, is sustained by the whole. Community doesn't just create abundance - community is abundance. If we could learn that equation from the world of nature, the human world might be transformed." (Let Your Life Speak)

A prayer for this season of life:

Loving Father, thank you for today.
I recall and confess that you are faithful and good.

Help me to recognize my belovedness.
You desire faithfulness, not success.
I am valued apart from performance.

Help me to recognize my limits,
to do only what you have called me to today,
and to exercise grace with myself.

Help me to actively seek out imago dei in my brothers and sisters,
to acknowledge openly the good I see in them,
to help them see their own potential,
and to build them up with my words.

Our battle is not against flesh and blood, so help me to recognize the forces of darkness at work in the world around me. Protect me from them, and shine your light through me. May I tirelessly protest the darkness and fearlessly declare with my life the immediate and ultimate victory of life over death.

I step into this day with a heart full of gratitude.


Latest newsletter: http://us6.campaign-archive1.com/?u=abce379ebb&id=e29cfb8681


"I know that joining Mission Year is going to mess with how I live the rest of my life, and that’s why I’m here..." (from my first blog)

"Let him thank God on his knees and declare: It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren." Bonhoeffer, Life Together

So what is it you're doing again?

(The most commonly asked question since I applied for Mission Year...)

Just wanted to share a helpful handful of podcasts published over the past couple years on "Emerging Communities - Ancient Roots: A Christian Exploration of Contemporary Intentional Communities:
http://emerging-communities.com/category/podcast/

There are three podcasts on Koinonia (Episodes 22-24)

I would also recommend:

Episode 26, an interview with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, one of the major spokespersons for what people are calling "new monasticism." (He clarifies that "If new monasticism is a movement, it's much more like a river that we fell into than a march that we helped organize...this is not a movement in which any of us are heroic organizers. It is, instead, something bigger than all of us - a movement that is moving us toward the kingdom of our God.) I've been avoiding using the term "new monasticism" because it seems to be misleading. It is, in it's most basic description, a phrase used to describe Jesus followers who are committed to a new way of life in community (http://www.newmonasticism.org/). Please see the "12 Marks" of new monasticism below for a fuller outline. This isn't some wild new fad that I can use to point to myself and say, "Hey, look at me and what I'm doing!" I hope not, at least. If you'd like to borrow Jonathan's book, New Monasticism: What It Has to Say to Today's Church, let me know. There's a rich history behind what's happening today in places like Koinonia and Mission Year.

Episode 29, an interview with Scott Bessenecker of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. He touches on the difference between new friars and new monastics, and speaks about his hopes and concerns about younger generations.

I'm still listening to them myself, so I'll keep you posted...

12 Marks of a New Monasticism
(Discerned as articulations of shared values and practices at the June 2004 New Monasticism gathering.)

1. Relocation to the abandoned places of Empire.
2. Sharing economic resources with fellow community members and the needy among us.
3. Hospitality to the stranger
4. Lament for racial divisions within the church and our communities combined with the active pursuit of a just reconciliation.
5. Humble submission to Christ’s body, the church.
6. Intentional formation in the way of Christ and the rule of the community along the lines of the old novitiate.
7. Nurturing common life among members of intentional community.
8. Support for celibate singles alongside monogamous married couples and their children.
9. Geographical proximity to community members who share a common rule of life.
10. Care for the plot of God’s earth given to us along with support of our local economies.
11. Peacemaking in the midst of violence and conflict resolution within communities along the lines of Matthew 18.
12. Commitment to a disciplined contemplative life.

A few Mission Year newsletter archives...

...because I forgot to post them as I went along:

March: http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=abce379ebb&id=e4a7a76469
April: http://us6.campaign-archive1.com/?u=abce379ebb&id=11112e978a
May: http://us6.campaign-archive1.com/?u=abce379ebb&id=c228fadf75
June: http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=abce379ebb&id=3503250263
July: http://us6.campaign-archive1.com/?u=abce379ebb&id=38b74ff074&e=44f124d8f5

First Koinonia Newsletter!

Right here:

http://eepurl.com/DNtk1

:)

Assorted Reflections

I hate good-byes. Physical uprooting is hard. So hard. And so in some sense it is ironic that I have left home to come home, only to look for a new home. During Mission Year we talked about the wisdom of stability, of investing in a community for the long run. As much as I enjoy traveling and meeting new people, it is my prayer that God will soon lead me to a place where I can put the wisdom of stability into practice. A place where I can confidently put down roots. Maybe that's Koinonia, maybe it's not. Lately I feel like a puzzle piece that doesn't fit, and I sincerely wish to minimize good-byes in my life.

During my application process for World Vision this past spring, I realized that yes, I care about justice...but I would rather live a life that reflects justice than pursue a career of justice (not that both couldn't happen)...I would rather be painting beautiful things while establishing habits of advocacy, prayer, research, and lifestyle application. Perhaps in the future a part-time job will open up where I can exercise that passion. But there is no obligation just because I care and because people know that I care. It's about pleasing God, not people, thank goodness. I applied to World Vision because 1) they led me to believe that I was guaranteed the position and 2) because the job offered the illusion of security. I could gain experience in the "real world," add something to my resume, make money for a change...not because I was actually concerned about achieving these things, or because I actually wanted the position, but because I knew it would please people. Maybe I could convince them that I'm being responsible with my life...I firmly believe that God closed that door, not because I wasn't qualified, but because He knows me better than I do, and I am so thankful.

I'm realizing in a new way that personal success is something I hold onto too tightly. We don't come to the end of our life and hand God a list of our achievements – paychecks, completed projects, lives we've touched, jobs, diplomas, how many friends we made...Life is not a race to success, and our value is not measured by success. I strove all through college to bring social justice to the attention of my campus, but did I leave any tangible impact? If not, does that negate the value of what I did? Something to which God has called my attention this year is that He does not desire success and impact from me, but faithfulness.


I am significantly more comfortable with me, and I am becoming myself:

"Not long ago a nineteen-year-old assistant from a l’Arche community came to see me. I asked him how he was getting on. He told me he was doing all right, but that it was hard. I asked him to tell me something good that was happening. He said, “I am becoming myself.” Through all the stages of growth, is it not the real aim of life to become ourselves, to allow the barriers to come down so that the deepest “I” can emerge? Not to become what others want us to be, not to cry out to get their attention at any price. Not to refuse life, or to try to be someone else, but to grow from the seed of life within each of us, rooted in our earth and history. Is this not our journey home?"
– Jean Vanier


And here's a few words from Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton, that resonate with me deeply:

"Therefore I shall devote myself, my time, my energy, my talents, to the service of South Africa. I shall no longer ask myself if this or that is expedient, but only if it is right. I shall do this, not because I am noble or unselfish, but because life slips away, and because I need for the rest of my journey a star that will not play false to me, a compass that will not lie. I shall do this, not because I am a negrophile and a hater of my own, but because I cannot find it in me to do anything else. I am lost when I balance this against that, I am lost when I ask if this is safe, I am lost when I ask if men, white men or black men, Englishmen or Afrikaners, Gentiles or Jews, will approve. Therefore I shall try to do what is right, and to speak what is true. I do this not because I am courageous and honest, but because it is the only way to end the conflict of my deepest soul. I do it because I am no longer able to aspire to the highest with one part of myself, and to deny it with another. I do not wish to live like that, I would rather die than live like that. I understand better those who have died for their convictions, and have not thought it was wonderful or brave or noble to die. They died rather than live, that was all. Yet it would not be honest to pretend that it is solely an inverted selfishness that moves me. I am moved by something that is not my own, that moves me to do what is right, at whatever cost it may be..."

Grace and peace,

Tracy

The incredible journey gives way to a new season...

What is Koinonia?

Koinonia is an intentional Christian community that seeks to be a demonstration plot for the Kingdom of God. We strive to love our neighbor and our enemies, share what we have, and be an active peacemaker. Founded in 1942 by Clarence & Florence Jordan and Martin & Mabel England, Koinonia is home of the Cotton Patch Gospel, birthplace of Habitat for Humanity, Jubilee Partners, Prison Jail Project, Fuller Center for Housing and other ministries.

www.koinoniapartners.org

Koinonia – from the ancient Greek, meaning loving fellowship or community.

The first “layer” of internship is three months. I'll be there September-December. Interns may apply for a second layer of a year-long internship afterward.

The three major components of the internship are:
Educational: Interns meet each day for study session, where we look at specific characteristics of the Kingdom of God (i.e. prayer, work, study, service, fellowship, love, joy, hospitality, peace and reconciliation) and explore groups who have actively sought to demonstrate these characteristics, paying attention to how our own lives can be shaped by these examples.

We study the history of Koinonia Farm, other intentional communities, individuals, and social movements which have had a major impact around the world. Interns learn about the movements and organizations Koinonia has given birth to such as Habitat for Humanity, the Fuller Center for Housing, Jubilee Partners, the Prison and Jail Project as well as others. There is a fair amount of material covered during these classes, and interns participate in weekly journaling activities as well. Outside of these sessions, interns learn about a variety of topics from our community members, ranging from Permaculture, local African-American history, Non-violent communication, etc.

Spiritual: We at Koinonia have chosen to live as a house church similar to the early Christians described in the book of Acts. We have daily chapel and devotion times, scripture reading, prayer times, and a great deal of fellowship and breaking of bread. We invite interns as guests in our house church, and expect them to participate in our daily services and gatherings. In addition to the common gatherings, interns spend one morning each week in group spiritual direction. We share in a practice called “Examen,” created by St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Manual Labor: The third major component is what you would expect of a typical internship. However, this is not the main purpose of our internship program. The internship is a more holistic experience. It is an invitation into our way of life, not just the work of our life. Interns participate in a wide variety of manual labor opportunities, depending on the season.

In brief, we manage a working farm, with 90 acres of pecan orchards, an on-site pecan processing facility, grass-fed cattle and other livestock, and a variety of other farming enterprises. We offer a ministry of hospitality, welcoming thousands of people each year from all around the globe. We also manage a non-profit organization, a mail-order business including an on-site bakery, an Educational Cooperative, and a variety of other small ministries. All of this is done by our small fellowship with the help of a few seasonal workers. Koinonia provides shared housing, the common meal at noon on weekdays and four common dinners, and a small subsidy for other meals.

Why Koinonia?

The hints of why I'm doing this are scattered in my previous posts. It's funny to me that I stumbled upon Koinonia the same way that I stumbled upon Mission Year: A friend mentioned it in passing, and something stirred in my soul enough to move me to apply that same day. At the time the idea seemed nearly irrational, and yet crazy enough to transpire. Lo and behold, here I am.

During my final year of college, as I began the long process of figuring out what came next, I distinctly recall God saying to me: “Go south.” Since coming to Houston, I find myself falling in love with the South. I also recall a sense of peace as I entered Mission Year that God would show me sometime during the year what was next, that I should not worry, but focus on what was in front of me. My primary hope over the past several months in my search for "what's next" has been to find an intentional community modeled after the values of Acts 2:

“They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued meeting together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

This is the model of the early church. Community. Hospitality. Having all things in common. Life together.

So...why a farm? Because it sounds awesome! When home has sprung to mind this year, some of the most common images have been memories of the fruit farm where I've worked over the past several summers. Something about working in the orchards is the Kingdom of Heaven to me. Farming was in the back of my mind long before I even heard of Koinonia. Furthermore, I am drawn by Koinonia's commitment to a sustainable lifestyle and their variety of active ministries, which you can learn more about on their website.

My ultimate hope for life is to actively make art in the context of community. I don't know yet how that will come together, but as I mentioned in my last post, I am learning to let the process inform the work. I know I am an artist. I am excited to be an artist. And I am thankful that I have so many people in my life to hold me accountable to living that out. But art also permeates everything I do. Mission Year has revealed to me in new ways how I am an artist, and I am amazed in retrospect by just how many opportunities God provided this year for me to live art out. I guess this is me letting y'all know that you don't have to worry about me leaving art of this. :) It will all come together.

In short, I am STOKED. My teammates (whom I am missing tremendously today!!!) can testify to my tears of joy upon finding out I was accepted. It has been a long, painful, and humbling waiting season, and I believe that this is specifically what God had in mind for me all along.

Mission Year: A Recap

I've learned more and experienced more beauty this year than I can list. Nevertheless, this is my attempt to break a few things down – concepts, experiences, changes. Even now I'm sure there are things I'm blind to because I'm still in the midst of it...different is what hits us. But these are some things I've been trying to notice and grasp from this year, and a few developing thoughts....

Ways we have connected with our neighbors this year:

• Community dinners! And one-on-one family dinners.
• Soccer at the park!
• Supporting local businesses
• Music together
• Our Justice Project! (see previous posts)
• Lending a hand with projects, like spring cleaning
• Bubbles, chalk, frisbee, jump rope
• Baking them cookies
• They teach US how to cook
• Starting a community garden and sharing the harvest!
• Visiting local churches
• Going to garage sales (which happen to take place all the time in our neighborhood)

Community:

• Intentional. Starting and ending with unity through active commitment. Openness.
• Pseudo community = avoiding conflict. Community = conflict resolution
• Taking off our veils. Veils allow us to see but to not be seen, giving us a false sense of power and control. What we truly desire is to see AND to be seen.

Justice:

• Pursuing God's heart for the world
• Overcoming entitlement
• The command for right relationships – God & man, Man & man, Man & nature
• Loving the person right in front of you...and more
• “What love looks like in public” - Cornel West

Prayer: 

Expressed attitude of our dependency on God in all things.
“To pray is to descend with the mind into the heart, and there to stand before the face of the Lord, ever-present, all-seeing, within you.” (Theophan the Recluse)

Sustainability:

“What would happen if I lived a slower-paced existence?” (Serve God, Save the Planet)

• Helping to build and cultivate a community garden.
• Doing laundry by hand.
• Limited technology usage!
• Making art from trash/recycled materials.
• Using public transportation to get around the 4th-largest city in the country.
• Learning where our food and other products come from. Supporting local business and committing to purchasing only Fair Trade coffee and chocolate in the beginning steps of understanding our roles as consumers.
• Budgeting (Mission Year budget: $17.50/week/person for groceries, $70 stipend)

Reconciliation:

...Ask me about this one if you're curious.

Spiritual Disciplines:

Have you ever heard of the “Examen,” by Ignatius Loyola? If not, you MUST check it out: http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen/

"The unexamined life is not worth living" - Socrates

Poverty, an illustration:

On Sunday afternoons, we go to a local park for Simple Feast, a ministry where we serve and share a meal with the people at the park, play volleyball, and just hang out. One day another church drove in to pass out Lunchables and, well, preach. I can see how people think they're doing something good when they do this. But multiple people have come up to us afterward and say, “I appreciate what y'all do. You just come and hang out with us and get to know us. You don't try to cram crap down our throats like they do.” People assume they don't know Jesus. They assume homelessness is purely the result of poor choices. But let's be real: I'm sure a lot of those guys at the park know Jesus better than I do. At any rate, I've learned more about Jesus from them than I have from drive-by churches.

“Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” (St. Francis of Assisi)

A few of my favorite memories:

- One night three of us hung out at our neighbor's house. Maya, 10 years old, wanted to give us pedicures. We sang songs together in her room, as one by one she washed our feet and painted our nails. My feet are super ticklish, so I was laughing uncontrollably through the whole experience, which made everyone else laugh too.

- For my experience with Sergio, see a previous blog post.

- Translating “Are You My Mother?” on the spot to a couple Hispanic girls in the nursery. They asked me to read it again and again until they had it memorized and were reading to ME in Spanish, pointing to the words as if they were in Spanish.

Things I've been learning in Mission Year....

How to affirm people well and receive affirmation well. Compliments are based on actions and superficial elements. Affirmation highlights the truth of someone's character. Both are good, the latter has made the biggest impact on me this year. We, like children, are desperate for affirmation, but we are not quick to admit our desire for affirmation. I am learning not only to share good thoughts as soon as they come to mind, but to actively search for goodness and imago dei in my brothers and sisters.

To flow. And I thought college life had taught me to be spontaneous...HA! One of my art professors used to tell me all the time: “Let the process inform the work.” I have a whole new concept of what that means in life, not just my artwork.

How to trust God with my future. He will grow me wherever I am, and use me to grow others because that is who He is.

To hope in people. The hardest people to love this year were some of the most unexpected. This is not about getting what I want; it's about serving others. I can let go of my judgments and anxieties of others because it is God who does the fixing. God said, “I'll deal with their hearts. You LOVE.”

To let go of controlling things to be the way I wish them to be. This means letting other people write the grocery list and do the dishes. We all have different standards of what life together should look like...who knew?

Forming new habits, breaking old ones. Habits of response. Habits of staying updated. Habits of affirmation. Habits of revisiting dreams and who I am.

Generosity.

Drawing close to those who are suffering, not running away.

A healthy transparency that invites people in, not revealing all at once.

Sensativity.

My faith doesn't mean anything until it costs me something.

Things I'm learning about myself:

I want to live in community.

I am a professional artist, and I want more art in my life.

I am valued, beautiful, and wanted – not just for my talents, but for my heart.

I want to live in a warm climate, with Spanish-speaking neighbors. That has been such a GIFT this year!

I want more silence, and a steady, deliberate rhythm to life.

God's dreams for my life have never been so much at the forefront of my mind, and I am learning to embrace them without fear. I have confidence that as long as I keep those dreams fresh in my mind and commit myself to prayer, the Lord will be faithful to guide me to where I ultimately hope to be. And in the mean time, I will unapologetically savor the journey.

I've heard someone refer to Mission Year as the ultimate “you had to be there” experience. And that's not a cop-out, but a challenge: Wherever God places you, be there.

Upcoming post: The latest news on my future! It only took me til the last day of Mission Year to figure it out...

Grace and peace, friends

One more video...at least for now :)

Mission Year 2012-13: Bauman Road

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meTquyzIcRU&feature=youtu.be

miscellaneous

GUIDE TO HOUSTON

If you ever come to Houston, here are a few places I've enjoyed...

Hermann Park (includes Miller Theatre, Japanese gardens, etc.)

Discovery Green

Villa de Matel (where we had our Silence Retreat)

Kaboom Bookstore

On my Mission Year budget, I haven't been out to eat very often, nor do I consider myself a connoisseur of food, but for what it's worth, here are a few of my favorite food stops:

Georgia's Market

The Hobbit Café

Niko Niko's

Chipotle (My first experience, thanks to Josh)

And of course, the ever-popular taquerías (taco trucks), panaderías (bakeries), and Raspas (snow cone joints) in our neighborhood!

Free Art Museums!

The Menil Collection

Rothko Chapel

Art League of Houston

Museum of Fine Arts (free Thursdays)

BOOKS

In case you missed it, here's a list of the curriculum reading we did this year. Bolded are the ones I especially liked:

Restoring At-Risk Communities John M. Perkins, Editor

The Way of the Heart By Henri Nouwen

Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? By Beverly Daniel Tatum

Serve God Save the Planet By Matthew Sleeth

The Ragamuffin Gospel By Brennan Manning

Jesus and the Disinherited By Howard Thurman

Jesus for President By Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw

Wisdom of Stability By Jonathan Wilson Hartgrove

Flat Broke: Women in an Age of Welfare Reform By Sharon Hays

The House on Mango St By Sandra Cisneros
Simple Spirituality: By Chris Heurtz
Welcoming the Stranger By Mathew Soerens and Ginny Hwang

A couple videos...

So, back in January, I won this pretty snazzy camera from a contest at World Vision Youth (http://acts.worldvisionyouth.org/). And it came with a hilarious function which allows me to take a photo and a 2-second slow-mo at the same time. With the help of my dear teammate Kristin and her Mac, we were able to put together the following videos:

Justice Project
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaSfL8md1tQ

...Someone asked me if I was going to post any photos of the final products of our Justice Project...and it occurred to me that I didn't make a conscious effort to get photos of the final pieces. It was all about the process to me, the joy of those moments with our neighbors.

Fletcher 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69ay9MLHOsk&feature=youtu.be

...Another example about the value of the process. It was cool to experience how the mural evolved from my original conception, with the help of the kids, and to experience the process with them. My favorite quote from our time together: Neftali telling another one of the kids what we did that day: "We were painting the mural, and then it started raining so hard, and we got so wet, and we ran around and were so wet, and we were superstars, right, Tracy?" Yes, Neftali, you are all superstars.

Coming soon: A final video montage of life in our lovely neighborhood ♥

Orange Birds and Rainbow Leaves

At Kids Club last week, there was a group of volunteers that came in from a local church to help us out. I was sitting at the craft table with a couple of them as kids starting coming in. The craft that day was a coloring page about the parable of the sower. Images of a farmer, soil, plants, seeds, and birds covered the page. Little Sergio soon came to sit between me and one of the church volunteers to color. He reached for some "colors" and began coloring the sky purple and the plants pink. When he started scribbling orange over the birds, the woman on the other side of him took notice and said, "Hmm...I've never seen an orange bird before. Here, why don't you color the birds blue? Don't you think birds are blue?"

Here's a short back story before I continue:
When I was Sergio's age, a teacher once looked over my shoulder when I was coloring a person's face orange (Peach-colored markers are hard to come by). She said, "Hmm...I've never seen an orange person before," and walked away. I was devastated. She didn't like my orange person.

It's a rare occasion that I feel physically angry. Livid is probably an accurate adjective for how I felt. My first reaction was to want to cover Sergio's ears and scold her. But I took a breath and calmly said, "Well, I've seen orange finches..." She shrugged off my words: "Oh? Well here, let's color the plants green, not pink. And this dirt should be a nice brown. And a blue sky. I like blue skies."

I felt paralyzed. What could I say? This is not your drawing how dare you crush his imagination leave him alone and by the way what planet do you live on where birds are only blue? I sat there with my hands shaking, searching for an appropriate way to redeem the situation. Finally he finished and she said, "That's much better. You can go play now," and little Sergio made a beeline for the legos.

I comforted myself with the fact that this woman will not, Lord-willing, be coming back to Fletcher very soon. I prayed and waited for the right moment to talk to Sergio. It came yesterday morning when he was playing by himself. I sat beside him and said, "Hey Sergio, remember last week at Kids Club? We were coloring and that woman was telling you how to color your birds?" He thought for a moment. "Uh...yup." "Well, I just want you to know that when you color, you can use whatever colors you want. It doesn't matter what anyone says. You can color your birds orange, okay?" He smiled and was silent. Finally he said, "Will you play with me?"

Playing with Sergio yesterday was one of my favorite moments all year. We built an awesome boat together and it was priceless to see just how rich his imagination is. Sergio comes from an especially rough family situation. His skies are not always so blue. To see him come alive in the act of play is hope beyond hope to me.

Eventually we sat down to color. He reached for a coloring page of a girl. Hesitating for a moment, he reached for a violet-red crayon. As he began scribbling her all violet-red, he glanced up at me with a smile, and I'm pretty sure he winked at me.

 
The topic of imagination also came up a few prior at Kids Club. We were talking about the Kingdom of Heaven.

We had a half-hour before Kids Club and I still had to come up with a craft. As one who is wary of Christianese imagery of puffy clouds and angel babies with harps, I opened up to the book of Revelation for help. In chapter 22 I read: "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations."

"On each side of the river stood the tree of life..." That phrase caught my attention. I drew the image above and made copies for the kids to color.

The kids were really excited to color this page, and began coloring away in unusual silence. Little Natalia climbed up on my lap and began to carefully color each leaf a different color. Mercedes, who had carefully begun her tree in brown and green, glanced across the table skeptically. In Spanish she said, "But leaves are neither blue nor purple nor pink." All of the children's faces around the table looked up at me to see what I would say. I replied, "But this is a special tree, the Tree of Life, in the New Jerusalem. Do you think perhaps the trees in heaven have leaves of all kinds of colors?" She thought for a moment. "Really? Like a rainbow?"  "A que sí! I bet so!" someone said. A few minutes later Mercedes reached for another page and began to carefully color each leaf a different color...

May God open our eyes and help us to dream again. In every color. Like a child.
Enjoy your day, friends.

Guest Post: "It's a good thing you're doing."

My lovely friend/teammate/worksite partner Abi York is great with words. Here are some of her latest:

http://abigailyork.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/its-a-good-thing-youre-doing/

It's cram time! But I'll try to write again soon...

Tracy

Keep dreaming!

A quick note on my future:

I've been mildly overwhelmed lately that my life could go in any direction from here. Never has it seemed so open-ended. When I dream about what I want to do with my life, it's not one, clear-cut answer. I cannot cram everything I would love to do into my daily rhythm. There's no magic formula that would allow me to be everything I would love to be on a weekly basis, although this is probably the closest I've ever come – an artist, volunteer, student, social activist, writer, farmer, musician, translator, missionary, athlete, community developer, etc. To an extent, I am all of these things right now. But eventually I wish to select one or two areas in which to really focus and invest myself. In order to make truly good art, I must invest hours in the studio each week. In order to be a truly effective social activist, I must do thorough research. I try to imagine the ideal set-up, the maximization of my gifts, talents, and dreams...but it seems that there will always be a deficiency somewhere. And I've realized that that's okay. I am free to live out God's dreams for my life in seasons. I'm living one right now. Right now! And the focus is service. And it's beautiful and good for this season, and right to embrace it. I cannot pursue every path I want to at once. But whichever path I choose can be good. As C. S. Lewis describes it, we must accept and embrace each new wave that comes to us, and not pine after the ones that have already come and gone.

That being said, I'm going to let my inner social activist steal the stage for the next few paragraphs...

This month, the House of Representatives PASSED the Trafficking Victims Protections Reauthorization Act! I do not know how to express to you how significant I believe this is.

...Let me back up a second:

I believe that we should not rely on a broken political system to fix problems. I believe, to quote Shane Claiborne, that “another kingdom is coming – one that you can participate in but cannot build, a seed you can plant and water but cannot make grow.” BUT...I also believe that we have a responsibility to act, even when we don't see results or experience tangible success. Whether or not you believe our government is good, the fact remains that our government officials have a responsibilty to listen to us. There is no excuse for us to not voice our concerns (and/or thanks) to our officials. Their job is to govern according to what the people demand. We hold a veritable influence in our own political system that many people in the world do not have. Let's take up that responsibility.

So, anyway, the TVPRA....

This is a foundational piece of legislation established in 2000; the first comprehensive federal law to address human trafficking, focusing on prevention, protection, and prosecution. As the crime evolves, the law must also evolve, which is why it must be renewed every few years. In 2011 it was not reauthorized, so one of the major focuses of our Act:s team my senior year of college was to push people to hold Congress accountable to reauthorizing it. Over a year later, it has been passed. To learn more about this bill, visit: http://www.ijm.org/docs/justice_campaigns/TVPA-Summary.pdf

Alright, now let's break this down into real life and take a look at Houston.

Some of us had the privelege of volunteering at a Free the Captives conference this past weekend (www.freethecaptiveshouston.com). It was encouraging to connect with people who desire to learn more about the injustice of human-trafficking and how we can combat it. In fact, Houston appears to be taking great strides in their fight, as is certainly necessary. Houston is estimated to be in the top six cities where trafficking takes place, due to its proximity to the Mexican border and the Gulf and its international airport, among other things.

Much of the information that was shared was not new to me. However, for the first time, I'm hearing this information and specific people and places are coming to mind. I know about houses in our communities where trafficking has taken place. I recognize the massage parlors and nail salons where it undoubtedly takes place. I know young girls whose moms encourage them to go out to the clubs. Our directors have the anti-trafficking hotline taped on their desks (1-888-373-7888). I have looked into the eyes of traffickers themselves and have seen their humanity. It has occurred to me recently that it has become normal for me to have conversations on a weekly basis with prostitutes, ex-convicts, and drug-dealers. There is a sweatshop down the street from where I work. We can all too quickly get caught up in statistics about justice issues and allow numbers to dehumanize the people behind them. Now, after having done some research over the past few years, I've found myself suddenly surrounded by the reality of it. On one hand, these people are becoming real to me. On the other hand, I now live in the danger of injustice becoming normalized.
...I must newly ask myself: What can I do?

So, let me close with a few cursory action items...

Human trafficking is a complex system; there is no simple solution to eradicating it because there are many layers. But that also means that there are so many ways to get involved:

Getting to the root of the problem: Porn. A key point to remember here is that human-trafficking is a system of supply and demand, and the demand is largely fueled by pornography. Learn more about reducing the demand: www.PornHarms.org

Rescue and Prosecution: Learn how to recognize suspicious activity and ask your government officials to DO something. And thank them for what they have done. Thank your Congressmen for passing the TVPRA!

Restoration: Girls who have been rescued need a safe place to go. Learn how to start a safe home for trafficked teens or how to help them rebuild lfe after the trauma. Support businesses like http://www.freethecaptiveshouston.com/new-creations.php that sells jewelry and soap handcrafted by teenaged trafficking victims and at risk girls.

Prevention: It is estimated that a runaway girl will be approached by a pimp within her first 48 hours on the street. Get involved in your community. Become a mentor or tutor at your local school or community center. Build relationships. Relationships are the best prevention.

Some featured resources from the conference this past weekend: http://www.freethecaptiveshouston.com/get-involved.php

And a couple of my favorite resources:
http://www.callandresponse.com/
http://www.polarisproject.org/

Until next time!
Tracy