On Monday, I began moving my belongings into my Urban Homeworks Home in South Minneapolis. Here, I will be living in community with four other girls, committed to investing into our neighbors for the year. How blessed to live with like-minded women!

Pulling into the back lot, I was greeted by 6 Somali boys under the age of 9. “Who are you?” shouted one as I opened my car door, followed by, “Do you like basketball?” I knew this would be a great home right away. I learned their names and they continued with questions of curiosity. I then opened my trunk and they began grabbing all of my boxes, filled with books I might add.

These sweet little boys carried all of my stuff up to my new room for me. They boasted about their strength, including the 4-year-old who kept loosing his pants as he carried a box.

Once done, I promised to move my car so they could play basketball with the hoop I was parked under. One of the mothers shouted to her child as we walked down from my apartment; as soon as she saw me, her face softened. I’m assuming she thought her boy had just walked in. I explained that he was “a very strong young man” and that he helped me move in. She rubbed his head and introduced herself. My heart was full at this point. This woman, Loki, in full Islamic head dress, welcomed me into the neighborhood. She lives just across my back lot.

God has loved Loki and these six boys very deeply since before their birth, how exciting to show them.

A Time to Start

After the millionth person asked, "So, do you have a blog?" I decided that the bandwagon already left and if I were to start 'blogging' now it would be from my own decision-making. So, with reluctant joy, I'm blogging. But I refuse to 'tweet', 'chirp' or 'moo' or make any other ridiculous animal noises or use obnoxious acronyms that seek to destroy the English language.

My purposes behind this blog are simple, to let you know how God is moving in the Twin Cities!

I'm about to embark, beginning my internship with Here's Life Inner City, in T-Minus 28 days! That is, if I'm fully supported at that time. This is almost completely confirmed by faith. I was walking along Gooseberry Park in Moorhead a few weeks ago, tears were brimming in my eyes, that physical feeling of your heart dropping within your chest, and tingling of emotion surfacing, when I cried inside "Am I going to make it by September?"

God's soft whisper affirmed, "I have the 30%."

Scripture's truth rushed to mind in loud confidence. God will meet all of your needs. He has set a time for everything. With just His voice He created the mountains. He would not call you unless He would provide for you.

Friends, God does promise and He is faithful!

I'm currently at 74% of my monthly support raised and, amazingly, in just a week God raised my one time gift goal from 50% to 70%!

My thoughts have begun to move away from support raising and have taken camp with the peoples of the Twin Cities. I walked around Lake Calhoun the other day, looking into the eyes of the people I passed, searching for the Spirit of the Lord. Their iris' stopped short, lacked the depth of when deep calls out to deep. The poor, the brokenhearted, the captive, the prisoners: the men, women, and children of this place. This place long devastated.