I Came To G.U.P.Y. With A Prayer In My Heart
I came into GUPY (Greensboro Urban Project, Y’all) with a prayer in my heart. That prayer was that God would stretch me in whatever way He saw fit. I told him that I was open to minister and serve Him however He wanted me to. Then I actually arrived at Marshall’s house (The fearless GUPY leader).
We went on a prayer walk that night around the neighborhood and prayed for God’s heart and His will. That’s was when I saw her. A woman, a Christian woman, suffering and struggling with an addiction to drugs that I did not understand. It’s very different seeing people from a distance, and actually standing with them on the porch of a known crack house in the neighborhood, praying for them and their strength.
Though I told God to use me as He saw fit to minister, I realized that statement was not entirely true. I actually wanted to do big exploits for God such as that every day. I wanted to reach out to the unreachable and be stretched, but also be seen. That’s when God really started to stretch me, and showed me the main ministry assignment that He had in mind for me. It was to minister to my heart. After all, I wasn’t bringing light to Glenwood and saving the masses. God had been there way before I came. I mean, this wasn’t some remote place in the farthest reaches of the earth. This was a neighborhood that was trying to live, and doing the best they knew how to make it. Actually, it wasn’t that much unlike my neighborhood I grew up in.
So, most of my GUPY stories aren’t of grand exploits, or anything like that. I was fed on his word daily, by reading on my own and sharing in bible study. I listened to the godly wisdom of sisters and brothers in Christ who provided pieces of the story of why I was there. I learned about racial reconciliation, and came to the conclusion that I still have a lot to learn. I discovered more about the power of prayer, and seeking God’s wisdom before moving. Which actually brings me to a funny story.
We were all sitting in Marshall’s basement one night talking about what we wanted to “do for Glenwood.” The financial resources were there, the people power was there, and the ideas definitely were there. We were actually thinking about doing something either that night or the next day. After the discussion, we split into groups and took a prayer walk to seek God for some direction and answers. God’s answer was rain, and lots of it! We got soaked! And as we went running back to the cover of Marshall and Diane’s porch, we realized the one key thing we were missing, which was relationship with the people there.
Had we done something that night, the event would not have gotten much attendance or been that effective. So that’s what we built upon in Glenwood, relationship. Relationship by spending time just playing with the children in the park, talking to the neighbors, and going to church in the community. Every once in a while we were able to bless our friends that we had grown to know with an ice cream party, or by tie-dying t-shirts in the park, or sharing a skit about the love of Jesus. But the difference was that we weren’t just coming into the area for a day. The people knew who we were. They knew our faces and our names, and they knew that they could find us on Silver Ave if they ever needed us.
So, going back to how God ministered to me. I never realized how much living in a community was going to teach me. I lived in a room with four other girls, and shared many of my waking hours with 12 other GUPIES, Marshall, Diane, Eliza, Baby #2 (Diane was pregnant at the time), and Joe (the family dog). I learned that I wasn’t always as patient as I once thought I was. I also learned how vital it was to take out time to just be alone and quiet with God. Otherwise, you will lose your mind!
Lastly, I had the privilege of interning at Greensboro Urban Ministry right down the street from where I lived. To talk about all that God showed me there would take pages and pages, but the main thing he showed me is more of how much I love to serve him by listening to others. I heard many stories of woe, and how people had come onto financial and emotional hard times. And I was able to pray for/with them, and speak hope and encouragement into their situations. I was able to console those who couldn’t see a way out. And I was also able to spend time getting to know some of the children living in temporary housing.
So, am I the same person that went into GUPY this summer? I can’t be. He opened my eyes and my heart too much. He showed me a side of Greensboro that I would have never known about just going to school here. And he also showed me more of myself that I would have never seen had I not been obedient to be stretched.