Anna and I got breakfast this morning at a cafe beside St. Vincent's Hospital. On our way back to the house we stumbled upon a little corner called "Tiles of the World" which were put up to remember 9/11:
I have felt so lost today with what God is calling me to do. I talked to my dad and told him how I'm not sure if I'm being called to be a missionary, but then I went to the Bronx. While riding the subway, I was taken from an upscale, artsy area to a low class, rundown neighborhood. As I saw the projects today for the first time in my life, I felt almost disgusted as to how people can just turn a blind eye to this area. I learned a jaw dropping statistic: 70% of students in the local schools do not graduate from high school. There are so many beautiful children of God in the Bronx and for them to get overlooked is just continuing this awful cycle.
Our purpose for visiting the Bronx was to learn about the Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice (YMPJ). After journeying through the Bronx by subway and bus, we arrived at an older house with metal bars that seemed to be like a cage around it. As we walked inside we were greeted with smiles from the people sitting around a table and were led down stairs to a basement area. Upon entering the room I was in my own world just thinking about random things and when I sat down I was so incredibly moved by this image that faced me from across the room:
A local artist spray painted the life of Jesus around the room as if He lived during the current time in the Bronx. Jesus was born outside a famous house in the Bronx, He was baptized in the Bronx river, He spoke to His people from a fire escape, He led his disciples under the 6 train subway bridge, He had a barbecue as the last supper, He was arrested by NYPD, He was put to death by lethal injection, and He was resurrected when someone spray painted his face on a building—which is considered a sign of respect.
Getting to see Christ's life in this context was so moving and powerful. I was very inspired to work somewhere like YMPJ--which made me somewhat question why God is sending me to Cookson, Ok. when I feel more moved to work in the city, but I know that God has a plan though. So, that's reassuring I guess.
Contemplatively,
Meredith
