In July 2011, I started a project as a VISTA. My assignment is to develop an adult literacy program targeting the South Side of Billings where statistically, the needs are the highest. As I’ve learned by assessing, comparing, computing, and picking people’s brains for...
My Community Pt. 4
My community is an open one. It continues to surprise me how open the people are with what goes on in their lives. Well-to-do neighbors and friends of the suburban culture are uneasy with vulnerability. They hide the embarrassing problems in their relationships with...
Our Big News (No, I’m not pregnant)
*The following is a blog from some dear friends of CLDI, co-laborers with us in seeking His Kingdom here in the South Side. I trust that you will be greatly encouraged by their story. Please note that we have changed the names in the blog. At the beginning of this...
A HUGE Praise
This is too big to not mention… how awesome is our God? On a regular basis I make it a priority to spend time either walking or running (quite literally) the streets of my community, the South Side. It does a few things for me… 1) provides time to “view” the...
2010-2011 Fellowship House Reflections
Nine months. When I first moved to Billings back in August, I remember thinking that nine months was going to feel like an eternity. Sitting here now on May 26th, all I can think of is, “Where did the time go?” It simply flew by, and trust me when I say this, I wish...
The Way of Discipleship
I wonder how many of us professing Christians truly think about discipleship? I believe it is fair to say that we live in a time and place where it is quite easy to be a follower of Jesus. We can meet freely and publically, we can download a plethora of sermons from...
John Deere Mowers
Repairing ‘punch holes’ in walls is a skill I never imagined I would need to learn. I also never thought I would be driving a pick-up truck, pulling a trailer, and spending more time on a John Deere mower than in my own car. Leading youth in lawn and landscape...
Will I Love My Neighbor Now?
It all began several months ago in the spring, just as the weather took a turn for the better and neighbors began to emerge from their homes after a long cold winter. Walking down the back alley on my way to work I saw her, my six-year-old neighbor. Walking by and...
The Woes of Being a Landlord
As I begin writing this post it is the 1st of the month. For companies like ours, where we provide affordable housing to many people in South Billings, this day marks the day that rent is due. Have any of you ever been a landlord? Well, I have to tell you that this...
Reflections of Bangladesh: God’s Grace and Kingdom
It’s hard to explain my experiences in Bangladesh. Probably because I feel words don’t do it justice and pictures cannot seem to capture all there is to witness. Simply finding three phrases to encompass all the sights, sounds, feelings, and intensity seems absolutely...