Formspring: How was SUP? (Sacramento Urban Plunge)
Hello Friends. Answering the question: How was SUP?
I would go ahead and sum up my experiences in Sacramento over Spring Break with a sweet simple word: Shalom (more on what shalom is at the end)
Now I know some of my fellow SUPers are giggling at the cliche use of this word over the last few days, but let me explain myself to my other 4 readers(sigh) who weren’t at SUP.
The Sacramento Urban Plunge is an annual Mission trip/Retreat hosted by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship that attempts to “plunge” students into an atmosphere stricken by poverty.
Some of the main points our specific SUP trip went over were:
- Restoring Shalom through restoring and preserving the environment.
- Restoring Shalom through living on less and giving more.
- Restoring Shalom through balancing the systems of society to promote equality
Before I begin, let me say that I write to you in a state of great desperation with much inner turmoil. Even as I write this blog, I beat my breast to God and ask Him for his stability and restoration in my life.
Here are a couple things God has taught/reinforced in me over Spring Break:
God and God alone is the only way we change. I am a carnal wicked sinner, and there is nothing I can do to change myself.
Going to SUP, I had high expectations for myself to experience difficult situations, harsh realities, and extreme displacement that would snap the wood foundations of the La-Z-Boy recliner my walk had seemingly become. Prior to this, school and IV had become increasingly demanding of my time and energy leaving me in a state of deep fatigue. It was as if I was asking God for something new to ignite my faith and passion.
My plan was foiled by a God who loves me.
Throughout all 7 days of the trip, I could NOT find myself in a situation where I had Christ-like compassion extended towards any homeless people. I was just another volunteer, serving with whatever evanescent grace my morning mood would give me. There was no Christ-like desire to spend my whole day with these people, but instead, I did only what my carnal flesh could do; give to them what wasn’t mine to begin with and leave. After all, I was pretty sure they didn’t want to talk with me in the first place. Similarly, I had not developed an overwhelming burden on my heart for using more solar energy or buying fair-trade products. Even in the moments where we had to clean suburban streets tainted with garbage, I could not pull my heart to a position where I cared as much for the preservation of the environment as God does.
Instead of giving me something else to juice my faith, God gave me simply what I needed: More Jesus.
God, in His Spirit, was all up in that small church structure located in central Sacramento. Every Cal Bear and Merced Bobcat felt the unity and love birthed solely by His presence. It was neither the homeless and hungry people on the street, nor the piles of filled garbage bags that warp my paradigm, it was the peace and unity my fellow SUPers and I developed over the 7 day period.
It was seemingly perfect Shalom (Cheesy, I know)
Even in the midst of our last moments sharing and reflecting with each other in a circle, there was no division between the two bodies. There were no clumps of Merced kids sitting with each other whispering cute little jokes into each others ears as everyone shared. There were no Cal kids off in the corner taking pictures with each other leaving outsiders without company. In those seven days, we had become one body.
—————————————————————-
(above section of blog was written 3 days ago)
Of course there is much more I learned, but that will do as a decent summary of my Sacramento Urban Plunge experience.
Man, what a bunch of thugs eh? Looking back on spring break with all the darn term papers and midterms I have, there is still a little comfort in the last seconds of my sighs as I think about stress-free shlome (shalom home?). How do you not miss that?
Work hard, play hard.
Thats how we do it.
See ya’lls in Paradise.
