The DTS Students have arrived! 10 young women and 1 young man have decided to join the DTS in Minneapolis. After Christmas, they will go on outreach to Romania to work with Ukrainians who have fled the conflict. There is a lot more life here at the base. We welcomed the students last Sunday and the first week is already over. There was a lot of teaching, worship, mentoring, and fun. Ray gets to teach in one week. I will be teaching about attachment this Friday in the "Women at Risk" DTS elective group. That is so exciting. I joined that group last Friday and there are young people wanting to help women in need. We want to talk about different situations a woman can be in and how we can actively help. I love the topic of attachment because I think it is such a fundamental experience in a human's life. There is a big role in how one is attached to their mom or dad. (Back in the day they always talked about the mother but these days we can talk about the father as well since he is just as important).
The homelessness situation in Minneapolis bothers me a lot. Today we had the chance to give one (actually two) of the snack bags I've prepared to a homeless woman, sitting by the street. She was so grateful and told me how hungry she was. Then she asked for water, and I could bite my butt (a german saying, but you get the idea) that we didn't have water in the car. Now we do! For some reason, I had to hold back a few tears when we kept driving. She was so happy about the snacks. But I wish we could have done more for her. She is a precious and loved creation of God and does not deserve this kind of life. No one does!
I grew up in such a judgmental environment. Homeless people were always "alcoholics", "crazy", "dangerous", etc. And I think this is just how our society often thinks. When we grow up in a good family and have access to good education and are able to find good-paying jobs, it is often hard to understand how someone could possibly have gotten there. "They must have messed up" or?
What if we dig deeper? What if they experienced the death of their parents, rape, physical or mental abuse, or other horrible things? What if they didn't have access to a good education? What if alcohol is their "only friend"? And what if most people walking or driving by are judging them? What if people say hurtful things? How much lower can a person fall?
It just moves my heart so strongly. I just wish I could have talked more to the lady but it was in the middle of an intersection, and I was sitting next to our child in the back of our car. (Just saying that makes me feel so rich...)
In a couple of weeks, Ray will be joining a meeting about a ministry here in Minneapolis that is working with people who are coming from other countries seeking refuge. From there we will see how we can be more involved in this area. Inclusion is a big topic, and we want to help people who had to flee their country to get settled here.
Other than that, fall is slowly coming, and we love it so much after 3 years of Florida heat. And since I just mentioned Florida: Please pray for the areas affected by hurricane Ian last week. There is a lot of damage and unfortunately, quite a few people have lost their lives. If you are from Florida: We are praying for you!
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