What's going on in the neighborhoods?

Neighborhood Community Development Department

This is the second department that I am working with while serving with the Dallas Leadership Foundation. Right now, we are in the middle of trying to wrap up a veteran home repair project and I have been able to go along and do some house visits with the veterans. I would say that this experience has made me aware of struggles in Dallas. A man named Mr. Jackson owned one of the houses we looked at a few weeks ago and he served in the Army.  While doing the home visit with Mr. Jackson he showed told us that he has had numerous cataract surgeries and still is not able to see well yet he was in good spirit. Now when it came to his house, he showed us 3 broken windows, a broken water heater, a gas leak, and 2 torn up doors. With all of the problems with the house, he was still in good spirit and thankful for us coming out. It’s good to be able to get someone’s story rather than just serving them since a story is powerful and as Veterans Day is coming up, we are trying to give back and serve some veterans and thank them for serving our country. That’s just one of many stories of the people that we come into contact with at the Dallas Leadership Foundation and it’s stories like these that make me thankful for what God has given me and the opportunity that I have to be in ministry and serve with others.

Along with doing the veteran home repair project, we also serve in 9 neighborhoods and help support the neighborhood leaders. The leaders are people just like you and me yet many of them live in areas that have crime issues. The leaders amaze me though since they are serving their neighborhoods and trying to reduce the crime rates and improve their neighborhood. They are trying to reach out to their neighbors and revitalize the neighborhoods. Many people in these neighborhoods know each other and that alone amazes me since it seems like now a days, we don’t take the time to get to know those around us, we may live in one place our entire lives yet know very few to nobody in our neighborhood. So, again I will say, that God is starting to get me to realize that there is a need for Him to be brought into the areas of the United States, including Dallas and there is a need for missionaries here in the United States. And, I am glad that God called me to Dallas rather than overseas for the time being.

The above are just a few things that have been taking place since I have been in Dallas and I pray that God will continue allowing me to see the world as it truly is and take the time to get to know those we are serving. As I stated earlier, a story is powerful and it’s great to get to know people rather than just serve them. That’s partially what I am realizing while serving at the Dallas Leadership Foundation, that it’s a lot about building relationships rather than the project itself. Without the relationships, then what progress and impact are we truly making? “Break my heart for what breaks yours.”

The entire US-2 program is about ministry with and ministry with is not easy. It means building the relationships and taking time rather to get to know others. It’s not a project or an assignment and it’s not always easy but God build relationships with those that He served and He did ministry with so shouldn’t we be doing the same and shouldn’t we be looking to Him for strength when it’s hard? I pray that God helps me to slow down and truly utilize what He wants me to get out of these next 2 years rather than have an agenda and schedule. So, I ask that you pray for me as I continue serving with the Dallas Leadership Foundation and that God continues to work through me and those that I work with. That we would build relationships and do ministry with rather than be caught up in an agenda and the busyness of this world that we end up only seeing numbers rather than people and stories.