Being an Answer to Our Own Prayers
Today starts my last week of working with a Mennonite Property Management Company. I have been working some extra hours during the holiday season to gather a little travel cash for Christmas and the New Year. The job itself has been another opportunity to witness Christian community at work, as well as a chance to serve and love the tenants.
I’ve never been much of a fixer-up’er, I find that once I take something apart, I usually leave it apart till I find various other uses for the pieces (like, a lot of paper weights). But this was a good chance for me to construct – to work with my hands, to bleed a little at times, and to learn a lot about the practicalities of construction, plumbing, and electrical work. This little part time job didn’t pay much, but it will hopefully save tons later down the road when I can fix something on my own rather than calling it in to the “professionals.”
But I wasn’t totally in it for the pay anyway. Since moving to Chicago, Trina and I have been in conversation with Reba Place Fellowship, an intentional Christian community just a quarter mile or so from where we currently live. RPF has a two block “village” of sorts where Christians have lived together for over 50 years, sharing resources, bank accounts, and dreams. This is one of the few Christian community experiments that has remained healthy and centered on Christ (though, plenty of hiccups along the way, like any human endeavor). We’ve taken a liking to their commitment in peace, community, and social justice. I hear stories from David, a guy in his 60′s who’s spent his life shuttling Colombian refugees from Mexico to Canada, adopting an at-risk child of another race, and developing affordable housing for the poor in Chicago. That’s the kind of guy I want to be when I’m 60. Seems this community really helps foster a life of engagement with the world – rather than isolation, and I dig that.
Their property management business they have employs mostly Reba Place Fellowship apprentices and interns, (once again, I’m the odd man out,) and gets them out into their tenants’ apartments, fixing leaky faucets or heating problems. Each morning before we head out to our jobs, we pray aloud for some of the tenants by name – then we go out and put our hands to being God’s answer to our prayers. God answered our prayers when a building’s heating was fixed before the cold weekend began.
My first day on the job, they asked me to put on knee-high boots, and hop into an elevator shaft that was full of muck, trash, and black water. Even thinking about the smell now is enough to make my stomach turn. As I worked in that cramped shaft, thinking about my graduate education, about how others with my skills, etc were well into a higher pay grade by now, I began to think about my life in a new way. It would be easy for me to get down on myself – thinking I had stumbled into the wrong profession as a missionary; or maybe I was just too stupid to land a decent job that didn’t include scooping poop and hypodermic needles. Or maybe, just maybe, God was taking my hands off my own dreams, and putting me in the lowest place he could find, only to never let me forget that he is present with me in the muck, and what a grace it is each day to even rise from bed, and to put my hands to the plow, planting organic communities of faith. That is not something I deserve after years of education, or moral achievement, its a profound gift from a gracious God who has a mighty plan to bring low the proud and raise up the humbled.
It’s also been tough recently as snow removal has become a major part of the job. Ron, the boss and former rural Mennonite, optimistically regards snow removal as the only urban reminder that we are not in total control of our own schedules (whereas the city seems to say that we can control daylight, temperature, etc). Being part of a snow removal team means we are always on call – waiting for the next snow to fall – and to hit the streets at all ungodly hours of the day and night to shovel away the pristine snow none of the busied urbanites ever get to see.
While this job has been a blessing to us financially and has taught me a few things, I’m anxious to see a few more hours open up in my schedule again. Several working with me have admitted to wanting to start new faith communities in their apartments, so I’ll be praying that they follow through on their dreams and that new churches are born to reach out to the lost in circle of friends. Even if nothing else, its been a great chance to see what it can look like when Christians committed to change can do when they work together.
millertalbot 9:57 am on December 8, 2008 Permalink
great post man,
your definitely going to be that kind of 60 yr old!
peace
Sean 10:00 am on December 8, 2008 Permalink
Thanks for the post man your a serious encouragment to those of us sitting on the side of the road waiting. Sometimes you have to get out there and engage people. I’m wondering myself as I go throug interviews with youth ministry how I can communicate my desire for time to search out a city for opportunities like you have found in Chicago.
Hey, miller as a post on his blog that takes you to an article on American Consumerism. Its an interesting conversation, you might check it out.
Sean 10:01 am on December 8, 2008 Permalink
thanks again man your a serious encouragment!
Chadd 10:27 am on December 8, 2008 Permalink
Thanks for the good post Mark
katrina 5:47 pm on December 8, 2008 Permalink
nice work stud face
Agent B 10:26 pm on December 8, 2008 Permalink
Yeah, I’ve been in a few bottom-of-the-elevator, mud & muck-type jobs. It’s a great place to be.
Because really after that, the only direction is up.
rob horton 6:42 am on December 9, 2008 Permalink
excellent post mark – i rejoice in your congruency with your heart.