#joyfullyflexible Day 3

Our last day of service has us in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood - midway between Minneapolis and St. Paul. There's another "mix up" on the schedule and our host is delayed in arriving. It’s all good – we take a fun #joyfullyflexible photo and the team leaves to explore the neighborhood.

John Hutton is great when we finally get to meet him and hear his story. The building (formerly Knox Presbyterian Church, now Knox International Center) is a blessing from God – literally because someone paid for it in cash for him to steward for God's purposes. The vision is tremendous – international student dorms, Christian Montessori school, international student piano lessons, another church renter, New City of Nations Church (5 countries elder board, 12 country congregation including some Somalis). 

Then another change of plans. Painting/landscaping turns into demolition. Everyone is excited cause demo is cool! But wait, demo is hard. Demo is dirty. Demo is labor intensive. Demo is a disaster to clean up when you are done. And we are starting 1 1/2 hours later than expected. 

The dust is FLYING and before long, the room is a disaster. Looking around at the debris it is difficult to consider how we can complete this job by the time we are supposed to leave. Admittedly - I had a panic moment and started considering who I could call to come back tomorrow to help me finish. 

In the middle of the mess we have to stop for a lunch break. John shares more and answers questions. By now it is 1:15 and we have 1 hour to clean up all the mess the kids have made and there appears to be NO way to complete this task! Absolutely no way. Plus, the work outside needs completed in the same timeframe.

Somehow in the tired, post-lunch lethargy, the team dug deep and God provided them the ability to keep at it with the goal in sight. Check back in - the debris is about half cleaned up and we have 15 minutes left. Not the best, but at least we are not a total loss for John. Back outside to help and encourage the girls to keep at it.

Check back in at 2:20 and WHAT!? The place is immaculate! No debris anywhere! We give them a standing O. How in the world did they do that? It had to be divine intervention.

We closed our first Speed BUMP at the High Street Bridge, praying over the city of St. Paul with Pastor Bryan, hopefully returning home with new "eyes to see and ears to hear."

Speed BUMP 2014 is in the books. 

#joyfullyflexible Day 2

8:05am Call from Jeff. Just wanted to let us know that the schedule changed and there was a BBQ/field trip to Como Park planned for today. The day 2 Speed BUMP "schedule" had half of us serving and learning with Jeff Ansorge, the Salvation Army Eastside's resident chef, and the other half working with the day camp kids. We moved the service day so that the group could remain at the building, but the trip followed us. Well if we tried to reschedule it and God put it back on the day we were there then we better go with that flow because He has something in mind. Remember #joyfullyflexible? This was going to be a good time to practice that.

We divide up the group, which was difficult since ALL the kids want to go to Como Park. Ridiculous. The day camp kids are overwhelming so additional leaders go along with the group. Most of them are anxious and withdrawn. By the time they return hours later, the girls are saying everything was awesome. The kids were the same as any other kids – actually opened up to them more. They had much in common from names to food to sports to doing hair and breaking rules. Yay – go God! We all grew in the stretching.

Meanwhile, back at the kitchen we work hard together to prepare the noon meal for 120+ people, learning tricks to making food healthier and tastier. Impressions from the serving line - surprised at how friendly the people were – didn’t expect that. Serving didn't seem like work. (Isn't that how it is when we are doing what God has called us to do?)

Ending our time at the Salvation Army, Jeff shared his journey from executive chef at the Capital Grille to Payne Avenue. And in the process he has imparted dignity to those who many would consider the least among us. He knows the clients by name, by story and remembers who they are - image bearers of our great God.

                                                     
Today was National Night Out. Our host homes invited us to help out (to include eating and having some fun) at their neighborhood block party. #joyfullyflexible - we are learning to love you and find God in the redirects.                                                                                                          

#joyfullyflexible Day 1

So you know in America we like to have a plan, a schedule. But you know how God does things - His own time, His own way. And that's just what He did this week. It can be kind of unnerving. We expect it when we travel overseas but our expectations of urban ministry are different - still American. Maybe the trick is learning what we can in waiting... He gave us many opportunities to practice that.

Today the team served the City of Minneapolis by cleaning graffiti along University Avenue near the University of Minnesota campus - a great way to help with the "renewal of all things." Some of the students were annoyed wondering why people did this and how much extra work it created. Good lesson.

After lunch on the corner of 18th and University (literally) we traveled the new Green Line to Target Field where we debriefed the day and the devotional with Michael Johnson, TCC's resident church planter.

Our last mission for the day was to pray together over the city of Minneapolis. From the Prospect Park water town, we had a great view of the city and asked God to restore it for His glory.

A fitting end to the day was enjoying "Blucy's"from the Blue Door Pub. Pastor Bryan loves the city, especially burgers stuffed with cheese. The Blue Door didn't invent the juicy lucy (check it out - it's in Wikipedia) but Pastor Bryan believes they have perfected it. It's subjective but hard to disagree. 

A Speed BUMP is Born

The vision for BUMP's first Speed BUMP, a shortened experience designed to provide students with the opportunity to learn about what God is doing in the city while serving the city, became a reality in 2014! A team from  Calvary EFC, Rochester, MN, were the first to partner with Trinity City Church in St. Paul for the four-day mission.

The trip began like most BUMPs - worship with the TCC family, followed by lunch and an opportunity to learn about origins (and history, albeit brief) of TCC and vision for the week – 80% of us will likely live in a city so being here to learn is important now.

John Mayer, executive directory of City Vision, came to give us a guided tour, teaching us about the changing demographics of the Twin Cities. By 2050 there will be no majority culture in the US. There are more witches in our city than Catholics. Did you know the Cathedral of St. Paul was deliberately built just a few feet higher than the capitol building? We explored Rondo, Frogtown and a Hmong market.

We traveled the highway to the Phillips neighborhood, stopping in a Somali mall for some tea, where we are the minority and feel out of place, like intruders, but are invited to sit, stop by and talk and people are hospitable.

The trend of the white flight coming back to the city brings us to the Electric Fetus and discussion on the lofts and condos going up in place of more affordable housing. Millionaires living next to houses with 9 – yes, 9 – satellite dishes next to a crazy house with a ferris wheel and bikes on the side next to Somali people in Project for Pride in Living housing. Census takers said 40 people lived in the 9 satellite house while the massive house next door had a single family. The lines blur in the Twin Cities and the neighborhoods shift.

Off to Midtown Global Market for dinner, meeting Safari owner, trying samples, exploring new foods but disappointed to find the last camel burger JUST sold.  Burger/fries/malt for the less adventurous taste buds.

Debrief on the drive home – come to the cities for events – drive by on the highway but never explore the neighborhoods. No idea of the cultural diversity to be found and how friendly other cultures can be. Some were worried about a 3-hour tour (it didn’t go so well for Gilligan) and all are pleasantly surprised. Exploring/learning in the lab can be fun.We shop at Cub on Lake St. for breakfast foods and see more of the diversity John opened our eyes to. 

Today helped us gain an understanding of the "reverse great comission" - we don't necessarily have to go because the nations are here. Tomorrow we test it out further in the lab as we head to Prospect Park (site of TCC’s 2015 church plant) and the Witch’s Hat Water Tower to clean up litter and graffiti for the City of Minneapolis.

The directory at Midtown Global Market - in four languages

Boys with swords in a small Asian market