Katie Rice
November 13, 2008
God has been making a habit of finishing my sentences.
I start to tell Him that I'm worried we won't have a place for 80+ people to eat lunch Tuesday morning at 6:15 am and at 6:17 am I get a phone call telling me that a basement will be open for us, complete with a stage, all the tables and chairs we need for those people.
I start to tell Him that we'll need more food too and then a woman in a station wagon shows up with more bread than 80+ people can eat in a week!
I start to tell Him I am willing to talk to my co-workers about following Him, and He has one of them start telling me about her spiritual journey.
And so on Sunday when we were talking about my mom's possible tumors. I just told Him that that I knew my mom's MRI was going to come out clear, no tumors. And yesterday, do you know what we found out, it's all clear! For once I got to finish His sentence.
Thanks and praise to our Lord, Christ Jesus. He knows us better than we know ourselves and incredibly makes it possible to know Him, the Ruler of Heaven and Earth.
October 20, 2008
I am grinning ear to ear. I was just looking at pictures on our website of Saturday's Community Build. Check them out!
Two sentence history: Neighbors on Elmhurst Street have been working to see three vacant lots on our street turn into a playground/park since 1998. After much fundraising, designing, planning, and going to the city to change this deed into this groups name or that groups name last week construction began!
Back to October 18. What an incredible day. We were celebrating the long, faithful work of neighbors, the terrific support of The Trust for Public Land, The Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation, the Codman Square Health Center, The Boston Project Ministries and the funds from Citizen's Bank. This project is a testimony of cooperation at it's best. And I think why I love the pictures from the day so much, because the cooperation that has been happening for years was totally reflected in them. This is exactly what we work for in Christian Community Development.
All I can say is, I am so grateful to have seen the day with my own eyes, and to have heard the excitement of neighbors with my own ears. I feel really privileged to have been a small part of a huge process and to know the people that have labored over the long haul.
October 1, 2008
"I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God ... Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will... " Romans 12: 1 -
Paul goes on to tell the followers of Jesus to be humble, work as a ONE body with many different parts, to love sincerely, pray faithfully, be joyful in hope, patient when you are being afflicted, share with whomever is in need, practice hospitality (PRACTICE... meaning you won't get it right the first time necessarily), bless the people who are mean to you, don't curse them (even the people that drive ridiculously on the highway or the Shaw's parking lot), and as much as you can, to live at peace with everyone (everyone meaning, everyone... even people that don't like you and try to hurt you...). God says then that He will avenge wrongs done to people, it is not up to us. Instead we are supposed to feed our enemies (interesting to think about what that would mean if we actually fed those we call our "evil" enemies on the other side of the world) and to give them drinks when they are thirsty!
... God have mercy on me! Your love is so much bigger than I can wrap my mind around!
This is what the early Christians taught. This is what they meant when they said they followed Jesus! The more I read this the more I realize how much my mind needs to be renewed not to mention my heart and my actions.
I am the furthest thing from a reflection of Jesus' love. All I can say is He's got a lot of work to do in my heart, but I am pumped to know that when He is able to love people through me like THAT it's going to transform the people around me, whole communities even because no human can love like that on their own!
Thank you God for your mercy, grace, love and hope that is ours through the life and death and life again of Jesus Christ of Nazareth!
September 16, 2008
I got engaged!
For some of you it may be news that I am even dating someone. For others of you, this does not come as a shock.
My Fiancee is Ryan David Ozolins. He and I have been best friends since the summer after our junior year in high school. We began dating this May after many years of thinking and praying about it. The timing was finally right.
As we began dating I have not stopped being amazed at how good God is. Each day I realize how God has answered my prayers (or the prayers of my family and friends) through giving me Ryan.
Our prayer has been that God's Kingdom will be advanced further here on this earth through us being together than it would be with us apart. We are constantly asking God to speak to us about where He wants us to live, what He has created each of us to do and why He has put us together as a couple.
It has been a wonderful four months so far, full of fun, some tears and lots of surprises! Now that we are engaged I am looking forward to seeing how God continues to shape us and use us in the years to come.
Please pray with us and for us in these upcoming months.
July 18, 2008
All I can say is that summer at The Boston Project always draws me to my knees.
This summer, in particular, I am reminded that God's peace is a peace that passes ALL understanding. It is easy to be busy here where the work/ministry just never seems to end. To be honest I have a hard time sitting down and just enjoying life when I know there are "things to do."
But God really put it on my heart to be peaceful this summer. Let me tell you, it has taken a lot of prayer, but I am learning what it means to take every thought captive, to enjoy my time with people even when it seems like things are "out of my control," and I have even been taking time off on the weekends! (It is a huge step for me)
And here we are, with three and a half weeks of programming left and I am thrilled to see that each week goes more and more smoothly (even without my worrying... imagine that!) and is filled with stories of how God is at work in young people's lives as well as my staff!
His peace is definitely beyond my understanding but it is something that I never want to let go of.
June 16, 2008
Within youth ministry there are small victories that we celebrate daily like children getting excited about praying or choosing to sing worship songs over the latest R&B single.
This past week we had some "large" victories! One of our girls graduated high school! Another one of our girls that has been a peer leader and chief community volunteer joined our staff officially! It is exciting to see God at work in each of their lives and know that this is just the beginning of what He plans for them.
June 10, 2008
The heat has been slightly oppressive.
Yesterday our new staff went out on a three hour "Urban Dip" in the midst of a 90+ degree afternoon. Honestly on my way to the church for debriefing at the end of their three hours I was certain I was coming into bad moods and people falling asleep. I mean, come on how could they have had a good time?
I was shocked to find a group of people upbeat and still energetic. Not only did most people share several things that they had learned about the neighborhoods they had explored but they described things that they had learned about each other in the process. AND everyone stayed awake during the conversation!
I was so impressed.
Today I continued to be impressed. These people clearly have come together because God has called them to sacrificial living, to use their individual talents and gifts to worship Him, as well as to further His Kingdom here on this earth.
I am encouraged. God is good.
June 5, 2008
Well, God answers prayers.
If I couldn't acknowledge that before, I most certainly can now. We have been praying for male staff (of which our small staff is usually devoid) for months, maybe even over a year. And not just any male staff... we have been specific. And when some men came and interviewed earlier this year, we held onto those specifics believing God had put them on our hearts and minds.
To make a long story short, yesterday (four days before staff training started) I received calls from SIX men, all of which fit our very particular prayers! Today we interview and have to make a decision tomorrow which is a little stressful, but isn't God Great?!
Lord - You are Jehovah Jira, truly our Provider. Thank You.
May 29, 2008
"When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad... I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad!"
One of my favorite things is neighborhood meetings.
Recently I counted the different meetings that I generally go to in the community in a month, I think it was 12. One of my roommate's favorite quotes of mine is: "It's my day off Friday. If it's nice I might come down to visit you, but I will be so tempted to go to the city budget hearing."
So that might have been a little weird. But in my defense it's just so fun to see people (sometimes the same people, sometimes different), talk about things that we care about and hear what's going on in different political realms.
Last night was one of my favorite neighborhood meetings so far. It was a warm but not oppressive night, everyone was in a good mood, we got a surprise delivery of beef patties from Ada's Tropical Foods and we got to hear a passionate and interactive history of Dorchester. Then I was actually able to sit with some of the neighborhood ladies for 20 minutes to chat about summer plans, foster care and buying properties in Boston. It was so enjoyable. This is community at it's best.
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