Dear CLDI Family and Friends,
This months blog is written by Jackie Patten, our Youth Works Director. In her monthly updates, Jackie shares her heart for remembering the truth of God in the face of suffering. Her words are a powerful reminder of the brokenness in our community and the trust we can have in the Gospel.
As someone who has worked in the neighborhood for many years, Jackie’s experiences and emotions are relatable to many of us. Her vulnerability and honesty in sharing her thoughts and feelings are truly inspiring.
I highly recommend that you take the time to read Jackie’s blog and reflect on the impact of her words. Her insights and perspective are a valuable resource for all of us who are committed to making a positive difference in our community,
Currently Reading & Listening
Vulnerability – by Jackie Patten
“In light of valentines day, our office has a “heart attack” game going around where we have to essentially ‘bomb’ each other’s work desks with goodies, candy, and words of affirmation. The individual who chose me wrote words of encouragement that I really needed in this season. They reminded me that the work we do is incredibly HARD. For someone who masks emotion with “it’s not that hard, just do it,” I needed the reminder that it is okay and necessary to feel deeply for what I see on the South Side.
Many days of this month were spent talking through the wounds my husband brings home from teaching on the South Side. What do you do when students stand up in the middle of class and scream that they hate you every day? Or parents unload all of their own trauma on you? Other days are spent responding to emergency phone calls and texts from parents because their kids were in crisis. Or fi?nding help for someone relapsing or driving a student to school because they’re living in a hotel to escape a violent household. The list goes on.
Pete Scazzero says, “It’s impossible to be spiritually mature while remaining “emotionally immature.” In that, I am attempting to pursue vulnerability over transparency more.
I love my work deeply, but I have caught myself being consumed by this brokenness we are constantly exposed to. Youth Works is truly on the frontlines of the South Side, and sometimes walking into your “office” feels like walking through the gates of hell. I feel so angry at the suffering, injustice, and abuse of children that surrounds us on a daily basis. I feel so angry that I am, for the most part, helpless in these situations. This is typically defined as Secondary Trauma- “The emotional duress that results when an individual hears about the firsthand trauma experiences of another person.” It is commonly experienced by hospital workers, teachers, law enforcement officers, social workers/case managers, etc.
I know all of the right answers to these problems:
We are called to share the hope that we have in Jesus.
God is God, and we are not.
God is sovereign.
But to be completely candid, when it gets this heavy, it can feel like God is silent. As we continue to process through all of it, I am asking for prayer over Riverside Middle School Staff, Orchard Elementary Staff, our interns, our students, and Layne and I. Thank you for being a community that we can be honest with and call on for support through the storm.”
CLDI Monthly Snapshot
- We are continuing to make progress on Tapestry in spite of wintry conditions.
- We are looking to hire 5-7 interns for the coming year; please pray for discernment as those applications come in.
- One of our Youth Workers, Layne, has kicked off two high school Bible studies this month, one in partnership with YoungLife. We pray that God will use him to speak truth and wisdom into the young men’s lives.
- Our interns have officially booked their exposure trip. They will spend two weeks In Central Asia in May.
- We have had two Rail//Line apprenticeship students graduate in the last month.
Scripture to Meditate On
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
James 1:2-3
In this passage, James is teaching us that enduring trials produces a quality of character that he calls “perseverance” or “endurance.”
It is important to understand that the purpose of the trials is not necessarily to make us stronger or wiser in order to overcome future trials but rather to produce in us the endurance to keep the faith until the end. This endurance comes from a deep trust and reliance on the Lord, who is the source of our strength and wisdom.
In other words, the strength and wisdom to navigate the trials do not come from our own efforts or abilities but from the Lord, who provides us with the necessary resources to endure the trials. The testing of our faith through trials is what builds our endurance, which in turn produces a steadfastness and trust in God that allows us to persevere through future challenges.
Therefore, we should consider it pure joy when we face trials because they are opportunities for us to grow in faith and become more like Christ, who endured trials and suffered for us.
