The place to which God calls you is where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet

My deep gladness, not necessarily meet the world's deep hunger, lately, was a priceless experience to engage in SOS mural project. It's been a trip, an amazing journey within me to push myself outward. I share what Steve Sjogren said about himself,"I am who I am no matter if you like it/me or not. Life is far too short to live for the applause and approval of people." Enough said.

To me, the purpose, motivation, and how to do the project is the most important and what's count in my dictionary. When we're there, there was no one else from the community, but I know guests have been excited to see the murals, and to them, whom sometimes spent their time in jail, this room, the outlet, is like heaven...even if it's in the basement, and the fact that we're there to beautify the place for them, is just blew their minds. Kirk and Debbie told me these...they've been asking, when is it going to be done so that they could enjoy the work.

Mural can be just a mural, but the fact that God places us down there with an account that the guests could enjoy the place and spend more time down there to build relationship with one another, takes this mural into a different account. To me, it is an honor to serve the guests who come here, and I will come here more often on Saturdays when I don't have to work...

Among the hard work, the failures, the time alone, time together, the not-so-perfect days, and the green SOS shirt that I don't have because it was too big on me, there were:

• First and foremost, to get lost in my drawing, having fun with the paints
• A paycheck, a payoff, when I saw the faces of the students light up when I told them they had a chance to be creative, to tell a message to the people who eat in the diner about what God wants them to know, when I heard them saying "I had fun".
  
• A paycheck, a payoff, when I listened to the comments from CGM guests that they liked the mural, ah, it feels good.
• A payoff, today, especially, when I heard people said, "Could we go out and pick up trash in the neighborhood?" I was almost in shock, but I am just in awe for what God had put calling in these servants' heart. I told them to give me a call if they got lost and just to stay in three blocks radius. A group leader and about ten students came back and told me, "We've got to meet a pastor at the Lutheran Church, telling us about new developments and what's going on in the neighborhood, and listened to his conversations.." For me, this what the real outreach was...
• A relief, when I saw students responded when I asked them to volunteer, to clean brushes, and just to help...today, I feel that I can work with students...
  
• These new friends I made along the way, with Kirk, Harmony, Jillian, Denika, Bethany, Pastor Bready, Calvin the facility person at Tryed Stone, Bugger (that's just what we call him, no one knows his real name), Dave, Teresa and Bill, and Scott and Andy from Sherwin Williams and Porter Paints, the generous paint suppliers...and the students, Nicole, Any...
• A new found knowledge on how to start and to fund my own ministry!
  

I feel blessed, so blessed, to have this opportunity. I am sure I can finish this journey well, with God! This is the best birthday gift ever from God, this is my renewed, found, ministry.

On pic: Nicole, who has been helping me with joy for the last two days, and gave unbelievable support to what I am doing...
Quote is by FrederickBuechner.