Hello Friends,
I hope this letter finds you all well, safe, and sound wherever you may be. This last week in Portland was in a nutshell…eventful. I am a native Portlandian and so this winter storm was rather impressive for us here in the PacNW and one of the biggest I've seen in my lifetime. I imagine those of you from places that see big winter storms thought this one here was the equivalent of a sniffle…but for us who are accustomed to mild winters, this definitely was a reminder that something greater than us is in control.
And that's kind of the whole point…something greater than us is in control, and for that reason Scarlet Cord continued despite the snow drifts and icy roads. God wasn't about to let her snowy blanket get in the way, and so this last Friday Muna, Carrie, Emily, and I (Carol) were able to make it in safely. It wasn't without some struggle: Emily's husband in an attempt to get up that little hill on 116th to the church to drop her off had to put on chains just for that one block…dear Melanie texted from La Center, Washington saying they were desperately trying to make it in after a million obstacles but it was slow, slow going. We reassured her just to be safe and just try and make it home, we were planning on shutting down early that night anyway.
We had a wonderful green bean casserole made from home canned green beans (compliments of Emily's mom or mom-in-law) made by Emily, Carrie brought a spinach salad with carrot and mango, and Muna brought drinks and a big tray of desserts she made that included banana bread, cream cheese/chocolate bars, cookies, and this insane caramel, oat, chocolate chip bar.
We didn't expect any visitors that night…the streets were dead. There wasn't much point to taking a street team out since we were just a small group and because there were no sidewalks and no side streets safe enough to walk/drive on (hmmm, could the 3-5ft plowed snow drifts have anything to do with that?). We stayed in and me being the anal compulsive freak that I am, took one look at that closet and felt the calling to clean up…and so I roped the others into my madness. We re-organized boxes and hygiene supplies, put together packs to hand out to the ladies, etc, etc. And now it looks so pretty! We then ate together, and decided to wrap it up for the night…it was about 8pm.
We were just beginning to pack everything up when…….D arrived! We didn't think she was coming back since she got her new job, but there she was. She had just come from a training and was so proud to show us her picture ID for her new job! We sat with her while she was able to finished the last little bit of food and she talked about her Christmas with her daughters, and her new job. And then here's where the tables turned…D brought us gifts! She had printed out an excerpt from a book she was reading, and made just enough copies for those of us that were there. The copies were too light on the 2nd page, so she hand wrote (!) part of page 2 on each of our copies. The excerpt was about developing a year-end ritual by writing answers to questions such as: what has inspired you this year, what are you grateful for this year, etc, etc. After answering the questions in a journal or whatever format, you're supposed to put it away until next year at this time.
D then shared with us that she had 2 goals for this last year: 1) to get a new job, and 2) to make some new friends. And when she said this last one, she looked right at us with a smile on her face…..
So, I'm thinking about some of those questions. What has inspired me this year and what am I grateful for? Literally the first thing that comes to my mind is all of you volunteers. Amanda, Jen, Tiff, and I keep saying that you have all been hand picked by God…you have all brought so much to the ministry. I'm so glad God brought all you amazing women (and 2 men!) who have SO MUCH to give. But also to answer those questions I can't help think some of our "regular women" who come to SC like D, S, and R. Just think about how much has happened to them in just a few short months…I wonder what God will bring in the next year? Where will they be one year from now? Where will we be? One thing for sure, I know that God is going to bring many more women into our lives like "our girls", and that this is only the beginning.
You all have got down in the pit with the least of these…literally. You all saw into the empty eyes of those walking the streets. You all have been walking alongside S as she developed trust and friendship with females for the first time in her life…answering her seeking questions, praying for her, loving and accepting her just as she is…broken and beautiful. You all have supported D during this hard time of the past creeping into her present keeping her from self-sufficiency, and showing love to her when her family seems to disregard her. You all were there listening to R as she began to open up her painful past, one sad story after another slowly unfolding…but there's grace and joy waiting for her, and we were there to share that with her. There are many others…you all know who I'm talking about…some have names, some don't (at least not yet!).
So, whatever ritual you practice if any at the end of a year, at least in the next few days take some time to thank God (if that is something you practice) for the last 6 mos. For those who have served directly on Friday nights, remember the faces you've seen…pray for them. Think of each other…the friends you've made, the new sisters you have…and pray for each other. Think about this next year…and pray that our hearts will continue to break, pray for continued direction, pray for even stronger connections with one another. And more than anything for all us whether serving directly or indirectly, pray that love turns this city upside down, that light illuminates the darkness, that all can know true freedom.
I love you all…Happy New Year…
Carol
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