One of the coolest privileges of living in a community is getting the opportunity to see the Lord work through different groups and individuals year round. During the summer months we are surely blessed to have Him use mission groups to impact our city and the cool thing is that even though our trips stop in August, He doesn’t! Today I would love to share just one way He is working through local residents and community initiatives during the ‘off-season’ for mission trips.
Back in November I sat in a room with some of the most impressive movers and shakers in the city of Lorain. The gathering was designed as a space for group brainstorming around 5 different areas of investment for our city: Active Transportation, Waterfront Development, Youth Investment, Arts History & Culture, and Downtown Development. We were separated into teams, choosing which of the 5 categories we were most passionate about, given $1000 of monopoly money, and tasked to brainstorm what we would do with it to invest in that specific area.
As I sat around our discussion table and listened to my 7 group-mates share their ideas of how to invest in the youth of Lorain I was blown away. Each person with their unique skills, perspectives, and passions was able to contribute a different idea to reach young people in our city. I began to consider the idea flow that was likely taking place in the groups around me as well, and suddenly felt overwhelmingly encouraged. Lorain often has a negative stigma attached to it, one that its residents work hard to combat everyday. But on that day in November it was so plainly evident that God is working in big ways in Lorain. He has gifted us with incredibly brilliant, creative, and motivated residents to contribute to reaching our community’s potential. Within that meeting alone existed 4 other groups like mine, each full of people with their own ideas, strengths and gifts to use in bettering our community. If we then consider the ideas, strengths, and gifts of those not represented in that meeting (which is a large number in a city of 63,000) we can clearly see the abundance of assets we have been blessed with here in Lorain.
To catch you up in how the Lord has continued to bless this process, as of mid-December we received word that a donation had been made to our brainstorming groups. That $1000 of monopoly money had been transformed into authentic dollars for each group to breathe life into 1 idea produced during that time. As of now, each group is meeting to develop and implement their idea. Please join me in prayer as groups consider how to utilize this gift as well as in praise for the many talents and passions represented in the community of Lorain.
