Jesus is in the details.

There's so much to say and not much time to say it, but I imagine I best just bite the bullet and get it out there, so here it goes!

First of all, hello!  This is my first post on the Beekman Notes and going on my fourth week in the house (wow--I can't believe its only my fourth week).  My life has been completely consumed these past few weeks and has quite honestly, been turned on its head.  I am in continual amazement at the works my roommates and sisters-in-Christ have already accomplished on this block.  I see Christ in their every interaction and their hearts vying for the love of Jesus to be shown to our neighbors.  I admire their undeniable passion for life and intense love of the one and only King.  I am excited to be joining in their mission to serve and love the people of the South Bronx.

Let me give you a quick update as to the happenings of the house, our dreams and vision for the nearby future.  As some of you may know, and as others of you may not, there is a vacant church that sits at the end of Beekman--Iglesia Evangelica Metodista Unida.  Both as a house and amongst friends we have been discussing the possibility of such a piece of property, excited about the ventures we could accomplish within the infrastructure and eager to start some type of community project for the summer.   We have spoken of and prayed about implementing such things as a structured tutoring program for individuals of all ages, providing food for the hungry, healthcare services and provision for young mothers.  

Since these initial discussions, we have met with various groups of authority over the church and it looks like this just might be a possibility! While all the stages are intermediate at best, we hope and pray to see the community re-build itself, through infrastructure and through services and most importantly through Jesus Christ.  Thus far, we have met a wide variety of individuals, all passionate about what the Lord is doing/promises to do in the South Bronx.  Pray with us that individuals will continue to see and understand the vast potential of this neighborhood and the urgency of its cry for help.  

In the next few weeks we will continue to go through the bureaucracy of renovating a building and of helping to provide the community with the agency they deserve. We will simultaneously be working to find and write grants appropriate to this type of aid and trying our best to encourage our neighbors to take part in the project and to express their personal needs.

I ask that you pray for our humility, in that what we are doing is to no esteem of our own.  Pray that the ventures both within the project of the church and outside of, are only to His will and testament.  We know that the Lord is present here and now are trying our best to listen intently to His call.