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I have to be honest, I am uncomfortable. I typically find myself on the side of contemplation and reflection that involves listening and empathizing with others thoughts instead of pursuing my own. I thoroughly enjoy being with the people who take the time to dwell in their thoughts and end up understanding their emotions somehow. I must say that I often need help to even get near my own story or emotions, lest I could end up understanding it or even be able to humbly accept that God could have yet used me to make a difference in this vastly small world. Give me grace as I learn and dwell on the idea of how small intentional actions and the care of individuals has led me to believe that social change is occurring in the very places in which I stand.
The Beginnings
I grew up in Holtwood, a rural town located in Southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Holtwood has only recently become well known for their hiking trails and overlook of the River. My two hour bus rides to and from school everyday as a child gave me time to… actually do nothing really except learn what bitterness and motion sickness felt like. I grew up going to a Mennonite School, which I have no idea how my parents afforded, and am coincidentally now living at the same location, Lancaster Mennonite school with my husband, Luke, who works as an International Dorm Advisor.
Before you assume I have lived in a Mennonite school my whole life, I can thankfully tell you that I spent 7 life-altering years away from the Mennonite bubble of Lancaster before returning to it this past year. My bubble, or otherwise known as worldview, expanded dramatically following a year-long excursion to Indonesia. There, I lived in a Muslim-boarding school and pretended to teach English to a group of 35 high-school boys at 4am everyday. I honestly believe I learned more from them than they could have possibly learned from me. Nevertheless, I am a Jesus follower today because of the realness I experienced from a living God during my time there. My only hope there and my only friend was the Jesus I knew growing up from church and from distant Bible stories. After I left, my only hope in life was from a living God who made skin grow back on wounds when I asked the Divine to do so, and who filled me with joy and peace when there was absolutely no reason for it.
After my life was changed from my experiences in Indonesia, I moved to Ohio to earn a Bachelor’s degree from Bluffton University in Sociology with minors in Photography, Psychology and Peace and Conflict studies. If you know Matt, the founder of rainonrocks, this may lead you to understand why I am here. I could give Matt many different titles, professor, mentor, friend, but no matter what his title is, one life-lesson I will hold onto from Matt’s teaching and example is that listening comes first. Listening must be the first step if there is any chance of defeating some of the darkest ills we can find within our society. When we stop listening, nothing changes. I thank Matt and other opportunities from my college career for informing me of the importance of the social justice and social change I would later work to be a part of for the rest of my life. In my current status, I am learning that giving what you have and making small changes is the lifeblood to the social justice and social change that I wish to see take place around me. In the following stories, I wish to highlight how individuals and organizations have used two simple “ingredients” that have become the catalysts for change.
The Two Key Ingredients
One of my favorite recipes to make is halushka. It is a simple recipe that only calls for a few ingredients, but those ingredients by themselves are not nearly as wonderful as when they are all mixed together. In the recipe for social justice and social change, I would add the ingredients of intentional listening and an authentically compassionate heart. Both of these ingredients stem from a Divine source in my life. Tattooed on my left ankle you will find the words “Isa Al Masih” which translated from the Quran is the name Jesus Christ the Messiah. This prophet led with an authority that showed a radically compassionate heart and is now a source of peace and patience in my life, which empowers me to demonstrate the same love towards others; which often involves listening.
The Importance of Listening
HOPE International has a team of paid staff whose job primarily focuses on “Listening, monitoring, and evaluating.” They often partner with the Spiritual Integration group that I was a part of. Our main goal was to listen and support when necessary. Overall, HOPE International has actually impacted the world because they began by listening and they still do very intentionally. They genuinely believe that the basic needs of a person are not only practical, but are spiritual as well. They want to hear each client’s story and ignite their passions, which results in a cycle of hope that ultimately reduces poverty in under-served nations.
Listening means that full attention and empathy is given to the one speaking despite one’s own culture or views. An organization that actively seeks to listen is Hope International; a non-profit organization whose work primarily seeks to empower. I had the opportunity to do an extended Internship with this organization during one of the most unhealthy times in my life; you could certainly describe this as a time of liminality. I learned at HOPE that it is actually possible to have an organization that beams hope and compassion from every nook and cranny. HOPE International’s mission is to, “invest in the dreams of families in the world’s under-served communities as we proclaim and live the Gospel.” The two focuses of this non-profit are microfinance loans and savings group programs. HOPE International saw the practical and the spiritual need of individuals and formed their work around that. The organization began with a young Lancaster county farmer who visited Ukraine, saw intense need, and began a charity which gave handouts to the families starving there. Thankfully the people in Ukraine eventually told them that charity is hurting their community, they had no way to produce their own products or independence. The young farmer listened to them and then asked them a question, “What do you need?” Over the years HOPE developed a way for people to save money in safe bank accounts so that they could be given loans to build their own businesses and ultimately influence their communities with their own passions and resources, not someone else’s. Now, HOPE International is continually listening and asking questions to the people they serve and are developing new ways to support them holistically.
Listening is Learned
Focusing more locally now, while my part of the country was experiencing primarily peaceful protests, local military troops were deployed to control them. A close friend of my Husband, who we will call JC, was one of the deployed to the streets of Philadelphia, it was his first “mission.” JC holds some radically conservative opinions, and has now finished multiple trainings in the military, one of which includes being a certified mortar specialist. Now employed by the National guard, JC went with his unit to Philadelphia following the groupthink of “give me a reason to pull my weapon,” assuming that they were going to be diluting violence.
After the first day the unit was involved, they realized that the peaceful protestors walking the streets were disowning the rebel’s stirring up the violence and that they really just wanted to be heard. Day after day, the unit made the choice to reduce the amount of weaponry and equipment they brought out with them.
JC called Luke on the phone during his time there to reflect on some experiences that had begun to change his mind on some issues. JC discussed how he learned that the best thing he could possibly do to “control” the protests was to start listening to the people; they just wanted to be respected and heard. JC said he saw the most change in others when he positioned himself to hear, not realizing that he too was changing from the experience. He said that he understood more about the systematic racism that needed to be addressed after hearing first hand how people experienced it today. JC entered Philadelphia with orders to control a crowd from a war perspective and left learning from the protesters that change truly does need to happen within our society. This situation exemplifies that we should be willing to take action and speak out at the right times, but also shows that listening can bring positive changes to our own journeys as well.
Compassion in Action
Like the peaceful protestors demonstrated in Philadelphia, I too have found that taking action from a heart of compassion is absolutely necessary in order to bring good change. This concept goes deeper than being a mandated reporter, it means caring about an alcoholic who is unconscious in the park in Washington D.C, while others pass by not knowing if he is breathing. Likewise, it can mean being the Samaritan who stops and shows mercy to their enemy who is wounded while those of the same culture are too busy to stop (Luke 10:25-37, NIV). Jesus begins this radical parable essentially saying that the simplicity to heaven on earth is “loving your neighbor as yourself.” Found in the book of Luke, Jesus goes on to say that there were two people from very opposing cultures and one of them was found beaten, robbed and left for dead, some people passed by, but the only one who showed compassion and helped the bleeding man was the one who was supposed to be his nemesis. As Jesus spoke and also demonstrated, an authentically compassionate heart can overweigh the sanctions of whom one is supposed to interact with and whom one shouldn’t.
When the Dalai Lama greets you, he takes your hand and then rubs it tenderly, as a grandparent might. He looks into your eyes, feels deeply what you’re feeling, and touches his forehead to yours. Whatever feeling, elation or anguish, is in your heart and reflected on your face, it is mirrored in his. But then when he meets the next person, those emotions are gone and he is wholly available for the next encounter and the next moment. Perhaps that is what it means to be fully present, available for each moment and each person we encounter, unteathered by the ruminating memories of the past and not lured by the anticipatory worry about the future
Douglas Abrams, the Book of Joy (2016)
Ingredient Two in the Making
I moved into New Hope after my time with HOPE International, which is ridiculously ironic. I currently serve as the manager of a thrift store called New Hope Community Closet which is 25 minutes east of where I grew up in Holtwood. New Hope is a non-profit thrift store that financially sustains organizations that serve the under-served in the town of Quarryville and beyond. In addition, my store directly provides free clothing and other necessities to families in need. God has been continually filling my heart with compassion for these individuals who are willing to come to us in their vulnerability and ask for help.
As a manager at the Community Closet, I also have the privilege to honor about 40 volunteers who come from all walks of life and talk to me about it. Within this group of people, three of them have experienced the painful loss of a child, five of them are open about their recent addictions, three of them have a child in prison for serious crimes, and half of them have either lost their spouse or have been divorced two to three times, but one thing they all have in common is that they have inspired me more than I could have asked for. I felt loved when a volunteer 40 years older than me pulled me aside with tears in her eyes and said, “I want you to pray for me, my child didn’t tell me they were in the hospital and now they have been throwing up blood for a week and they have a 4 month old baby at home.” The people I work with inspire my heart to be filled with compassion. My volunteers show me that we must spread light and we must listen to one another. It is in the little moments that we care for one another and soften our hearts that we can see the beginnings of the social justice and social change in our very own communities.
Compassion and Intentionality in the Everyday Goes a Long Way
Having compassion in the seemingly insignificant moments that happen daily, can begin a life-force for the local social change we wish to see. When I arrived at New Hope Community Closet, implicit bias towards people who speak Spanish was one of the first things I noticed. A town of traditionally all white farmers has now been seeing an increase of diversity, especially in the Hispanic population.
It is in the little moments that we care for one another and soften our hearts that we can see the beginnings of the social justice and social change in our very own communities.
My time working as a pro-bono immigration law intern equipped me to have a little understanding of the very real challenges people who are trying to obtain citizenship to the United States face. It is a joy to make these people comfortable in a town that could be hard to adapt to. I am pleased to say that New Hope Community Closet is now one of the first stores in Quarryville to have translated signage and a playlist that includes spanish songs. It seems minimal so far, but sometimes the subtle details help to align the larger picture.
A Sign of Change
Recently, a woman with a dissonant disposition came into the store and wanted to fulfill her clothing voucher. To be honest, she was rude and talked our ears off; it was a challenge to love her. I watched as a volunteer followed her around the store, not in suspicion of her, but rather to try to listen to what she was saying and to show her care. The woman, still upset about her situation, left in a huff with her new clothes and was seemingly unaware of the compassionate volunteer yearning to understand her story. The next day we saw her again. We were surprised that we couldn’t hear her, in fact it wasn’t until she was halfway out the door that she said this simple statement, “I like this place, I feel loved here.” Perhaps that simple statement was enough to show that our little store in Quarryville may just be inspiring something right and good; it seems to have begun with listening and showing compassion one individual at a time.
The No-No Impact of our Little Store
Social justice and social change begins one individual at a time and we try to see that at New Hope, but what about the bigger picture? The environmental impact of the thrift industry is excellent. We are reusing clothing, reducing waste, and profiting the community, but it has a long way to go. Over half of the clothing we receive at our store is soiled, stained, or so outdated it would never leave our very small building. So where does the unwanted clothing go? I wish I had a good answer, if only there was an organization willing to pick up these fabric items and reuse them for good. The problem is that every two weeks my little store sends away nearly 3,000 pounds of unsellable clothing and fabric. When I arrived at New Hope they already had a for-profit organization set up to come retrieve the 200 bags that were stuffed in our shed awaiting pick up day. I was terrified to ask where it all went, knowing already that Goodwill sends ship loads overseas. I almost didn’t take the job when I asked them this question in my interview and to my disgust found out that my little store is no different; the unwanted items eventually arrive in desperate communities overseas. Sure, thrift stores are not encouraging the child labor that often happens in the making of new brand name clothing, but instead we are reducing the ability for many African countries and families to produce their own industries. The mass amount of clothing they receive costs just enough to keep people in poverty, yet little enough that it makes for a reliable job for the individuals who resell the clothing that no one in the United States desires.
Despite my sadness with the weakness of the thrift industry, my goal as a leader at New Hope Community Closet is to build an atmosphere that is good, accepting, peaceful, and begins to make an impact one individual at a time.
It is devastating for me to consider that I am adding to this incredible first world problem. I am actively seeking a solution that makes sense and am eager to hear any suggestions. Despite my sadness with the weakness of the thrift industry, my goal as a leader at New Hope Community Closet is to build an atmosphere that is good, accepting, peaceful, and begins to make an impact one individual at a time.
It Makes More Sense Looking Backwards
What I learned in the process, in my liminality, is that our experiences should change our lives and that the first step towards making a positive impact is to begin by listening and learning. Second, it has been a challenge to remain compassionate and authentic, but it is one of the most important characteristics we can develop. Because of compassionate leaders supporting me in college, I felt more empowered than ever before in my life. I was confident that I was going to leave college and immediately work in an organization that was clearly advancing social justice and social change, because that was my passion. That didn’t happen. Within the first year after leaving college I became depressed, stuck in a toxic work environment, and made very little money, resulting in me filing for unemployment at the end of the year. Would I have changed it if I could? Well yeah, probably, but now I am using just as much knowledge from that sour experience as I am from my college courses. Additionally, it was within the most challenging situations in my life that I had enough humility to be able to see God at work in the world and in me. The connection of the Divine to social justice on earth are immutable, I can see that now since seeing evidence of God. If I could give the college student two cents, it would be to think outside the box. Social justice and social change do not have to be on a billboard or within the title of your job for you to be a large part of it. The good that we desire to see in the world can begin right where we are, and yes it does require a godly amount of hope; go on, seek the source of that hope, the One who provides has proven to be loyal in sustaining goodness to this one.
If I could give the college student two cents, it would be to think outside the box. Social justice and social change do not have to be on a billboard or within the title of your job for you to be a large part of it. The good that we desire to see in the world can begin right where we are…
To conclude, this story sums up the point I am trying to land on, found in the NIV Bible in Mark 12:41-44, it explains, “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
I don’t always feel like I have much to offer to help the world’s poverty, abuse, and racism, but what I do have are two very small copper coins. I have two listening ears and I am working with God to maintain an authentic and compassionate heart. I pray that the sustenance of the Divine can lead me to love my neighbor as myself and that maybe one day as a result we will see a glimpse of the world that was designed to be just and good.
rainonrocks.com explores the connection between spirituality and social justice and inspires readers to reach deep and get involved. Matt blogs about spiritual meanderings, social action, and courageous voices who think creating a better world is worth the effort. Contact Matt about speaking or workshop opportunities. See the Services section for more information. Subscribe, share with your friends, and suggest topics or people you’d like to get to know.
