"Knowing that people out there are doing good things won't bring you joy. You have to be part of the story yourself."

It's taken me a while, but I've been meaning to write down some thoughts about our trip to Bayou LaBatre, Alabama a few weeks ago. I think most of us that went down there left a little bit of ourselves with them and brought a little bit of them back home with us.

I kept hearing the same thing over and over again from the people I talked to and from others in our group that talked to people they met. They feel forgotten. Many of them are still living in FEMA trailers, there are still shrimp boats rotting in the middle of town and condemned houses waiting to be torn down - most of them haven't seen a dime of federal money yet. It's caught up in some local bureaucracy somewhere. But what I heard the most was "We've been so blessed by help from churches...we wouldn't have anything if it hadn't been for churches." What a great thing it is, to be a part of the solution. What a great thing it is to see that the Church has left the building. When it comes right down to it, what we're asked to do is BE Jesus to other people. Jesus fed the poor, Jesus healed the sick, Jesus counseled the down hearted, Jesus comforted the sorrowful, Jesus encouraged the distressed.

That's what our youth group did. They encouraged and they comforted. They sweated and painted and cleaned and hammered and swept and hauled. They smiled most of the time, too. It's hard to frown when you know you are helping someone.

"... we are to continue the mission Jesus began."

Disciples of Jesus need to be on mission with Jesus.  Do you agree?  But, what does it mean to be on mission with Jesus?  The best way for followers of Jesus to understand their mission is to focus on the life of the one they are following.  Simply, we are to continue the mission Jesus began.  We are to take our cues from Jesus (Lk 4:16-20)!  As we focus on the life Jesus, we see him breaking down barriers (walls that divided and alienated people) by taking time for children, affirming the dignity of women, and embracing people others avoided.  He even touched the lepers!  Jesus received Gentiles and made a Samaritan the hero of one of his best-known stories.  He rescued a woman about to be stoned for committing adultery.  Many are shocked when they initially read the account of Jesus permitting a woman who was a “notorious sinner” to wash his feet.  Finally, we are amazed to see Jesus frequently eating and socializing with all the “wrong people” (tax-collectors and sinners).  Do you see this picture?