The journey to Miami continues.  From Miami to San Francisco to Chicago to Virginia, and next stop … Miami!  Elaina and I carefully laid out the plan of how and when we would arrive in Miami, but God had other plans.

 

Change of Art 2009 Closes in Success:  I witnessed the fruit of an entire summer coming to life at the “Change of Art Showcase”.  Throughout the summer, BEATS (the youth development entity of Urban Resurrection) ran “Change of Art”, a series of art classes with an entrepreneurial perspective for community youth.  The classes included Threads (tee shirt design), Street Art (mural and graffiti art), Soul View (photography), and Hip Hopology (Hip Hop writing/producing).  On this final evening, the youth who so diligently dedicated their time and creative energy to these art forms all summer long were able to display the fruits of their labor before the whole neighborhood.  It was such a treat to see the youth ushering their friends and family through the URez art studio (our office transformed into a studio for this special night) pointing out all the things they did and learned.  One thing they learned was that their art is valuable as guest after guest purchased the tee shirts and photos they made. What a night!

 

San Francisco Debrief:  Our Miami SummerXchange team boarded a plane headed to San Francisco for a few days of debrief.  On this trip back to San Francisco, I was no longer in a cast, but Sekajipo (another URez summer intern) was.  We decided that URez would be a healing ministry for broken people.  In any case, debrief was a great time to hear the stories of how God was working at the other three SummerXchange sites.  Before long it was time to say good bye.  My ride to the airport was the perfect end to my time in San Francisco because Lyndey and Esther shared great insight with me and were very encouraging.

 

Back to Chicago:  I returned to Chicago briefly to prepare for this more permanent move to Miami.  I’m not really sure what I expected my visit would yield.  Almost from the moment I arrived in town, I had divine appointment after divine appointment with friends who totally blessed my heart.  I was able to help a friend move from a single room that she shared with her daughter into a very nice house in a lovely Chicago neighborhood.  She was continuously thanking me for my help, but truly I was thankful to be there to witness the fruit of a long season of trial and patience.  Next, I attended the wedding of two of my friends.  It was a sweet time to share in their celebration and connect with so many good friends.  That evening I was telling one of my professors, Dr. J, that I found a job that was the ideal place for me to use my gifts, and he said something to the effect that the key now was leaving Moody and not returning.  Luke 9:62 came to mind as I realized that he was right.  I had been trained and now it was time to go and serve.

 

The rest of my time in Chicago was filled morning, noon, and night.  The day I planned to visit my teens wound up being a hectic day, and I missed my window.  However, I was able to see many of them later that night.  It was such a treat to see them and to hear how they were doing and I think some of them even got taller over the summer (Alex).  I spent a few days visiting at New Life Centers and it really made my heart smile to see that my ladies (Tia, Conyae, Ash, and Antoinette) were handling business, literally.  They were creating, marketing, and selling their own hand-made jewelry.  A few of my recent graduates (Vontae, Monte, and Marlon) were preparing for their first year of college and one of my 8^th grade graduates (MJ) was headed to one of Chicago’s top high schools.  I’m so proud of them all.

 

There were many people that I didn’t get a chance to meet with, but we had to move on.  Next stop … Virginia.

 

Extended Stay in VA:  Elaina and I hit the road leaving Chicago, headed to VA.  We were able to drive straight through arriving in VA the very next morning.  Our three day stop in VA turned into a two week stay.  Although I was anxious to get back to Miami, God used our time there well.  During the first week, I was actually a little bummed about being in town for so long, but I think that was because I was so spiritually dry. For over a week, I had been going and going and pouring out without taking time to be refreshed.  It was also in VA where I heard bad news from Miami.  Some friends in our neighborhood were arrested in a big police raid.  After this news, I really needed some refreshing, so I rose early one morning, hopped in the car, and drove until I reached the beach.  I’m not sure how long I was there just sitting and reading, but it was a good time.

 

When I came back from my mini retreat, I was able to think clearly.  I realized that it’s rare that I’m actually in VA to visit and have transportation, so I took the opportunity to meet with a number of friends I hadn’t seen in a while.  I connected with friends from Baltimore to Virginia Beach and was totally blessed by our times together.  I was invited by my friend Theresa to share with her Bible study at work.  It was a small group, but it was perfect because they asked me a lot of great questions that helped me to communicate to them the work of URez and even more specifically, the work I’ll be doing in Miami.  They were also incredibly encouraging to me.

 

I opened my eyes early (3am) Monday morning ready to head to the next destination … Florida.

 

In Conclusion…for now: 

“So … what will you be doing in Miami?”

I’d like to invite you to gain a deeper understanding of my philosophy of ministry.  A number of people have approached me truly wanting to understand the work I’ll be doing in Miami.  Even after I give an overview, it seems that there’s not a clear understanding.  Each month, I’m going to be reading/rereading specific books that have influenced my philosophy of ministry, and I would love it if you would join me in that.  For the month of September, I’m going to be reading and discussing through e-mail a book called Restoring at Risk Communities by John Perkins.  This book gives a very detailed explanation of Christian Community Development which is very much in line with my philosophy of ministry.

 

Please pray that God would:

·         help Elaina and I find a place to live in Miami

·         continue to protect us as we travel these last few hours to Miami

·         allow integration back into the West Grove in Miami to be seamless

·         build my confidence when it comes to support raising

·         help our team with URez to have a great start to this Fall season

·         allow the legal authorities to extend grace to our friends who were arrested recently

 

Thank you to all who have been lifting up prayers on my behalf.  I am confident that I am in the place that God would have me be in this season of life.  If you feel led to partner with me financially as I serve the Lord here in Miami, please see below.

 

Financial Report:

SummerXchange – I still need to raise $257.20 to cover my costs for the summer.  This cost covers the cost of my round trip plane ticket to San Francisco.

 

Monthly Support – Praise the Lord!!  A few people have committed to partner with me monthly for financial support, but I’m still a long way from the goal.  My goal has been to raise $2500 monthly which would cover my monthly expenses, so what that looks like is

            1 person giving $2500/mo OR

            5 people giving $500/mo OR

            10 people giving $250/mo OR

            20 people giving $125/mo OR

            30 people giving $84/mo OR

            50 people giving $50/mo OR

            100 people giving $25/mo OR

Any amount given/mo or one-time support would be a blessing and encouragement to me!  You can visit the URez website (www.urbanresurrection.org) if you would like to partner with me.  You can also mail donations payable to Faith & Learning International, P.O. Box 480, Wheaton, IL 60189.  Be sure to indicate that the donation is for Kristy Wallace.

 

Thank you for all the prayers and encouragement you have sent my way.  Also, thank you for reading this really long e-mail.  I’ll keep you posted on how things are progressing here in Miami.  Blessings!

 

In Christ,

Kristy Wallace, Intern/Apprentice

– 
Kristy N. Wallace

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  — Jeremiah 29:11

Posted on August 26th, 2009 by Michael
Filed under: Community Development, News, Ujima Initative