It's hard to believe that the last time I wrote was only 2 weeks ago and yet so much has happened since then! Time seems to literally fly here and I still haven't figured out how to slow it down.
Last I wrote, we were preparing to help with a program called Justice for All (JFA) at the University of Colorado in Greeley, CO. It was quite an amazing experience as well as a growing one. I ended up talking to at least 16 people, which is…15 more than I expected to talk to. I've attached/copied below the reflection paper we had to write about the experience so that you can get a better idea of what happened. I have included my pictures from JFA in my Facebook photo albums. However, a word of warning, the JFA exhibit contains graphic images, some of which are in the photos. The images on the exhibit are real, but may make some people uncomfortable. Feel free to skip those if you feel so inclined.
The weekend before JFA we actually had the opportunity to go to Six Flags Elitich Gardens in Denver. We had a blast! The lines were nice and short which unfortunately led to overdoing it in the first 2 hours, but we had a great time and got some great pictures (also on Facebook). We've had a great time as an apartment as well as in and around FFI. Classes have been amazing and intense. We read about 120 pages each day for class but it's all really great stuff that I wish I had found before (such as "How Now Shall We Live?" by Charles Colson and "Sacred Marriage" by Gary Thomas). Doc Leland, our Christian Worldview teacher, holds open forum discussions during lunch whenever we have Worldview class and at Panera on Tuesday mornings before classes, which is a lot of fun.
We had the opportunity to attend an Air Force Academy Football game this past weekend which was a ton of fun. One of the guys here, Jeromy, is from New Zealand and had never been to an American football game so it was neat to watch his reactions and enthusiasm. One of the best parts was that the stadium was buzzed by 3 Air Force jets right before the game which was really cool. Pictures for that are pending. :)
Our apartment hosted our first social function on Saturday when we planned a pancake breakfast. We had a really good turn out. Bethany made her mom's pancakes, Alisha made wheat pancakes, Danielle made scrambled eggs, and I made biscuits. Our Resident Supervisor, Elena, and her family came over and brought bacon. We had about 30 people come hang out in our apartment and help us eat all the food we made. Pictures of this event are also pending. ;)
Prayer Requests:
The weather is becoming colder here so prayers for health are much appreciated. We'll be entering cold season and with 4 girls in close quarters, it would be all to easy for it to spread. Pray also for our focus and concentration as we get further into the semester, that we would be able to keep up with the intensity of the program while still having time to bond and have fun with our fellow students.
Well, I think that's about it for this update! :) I've been having a great time and we've really bonded as an apartment. The links below are so that you can check out some pictures from our (semi) recent escapades. Just a note: the JFA photos are split between the 2nd and 3rd links. I've tried to post a "NOTE" whenever the next picture will contain a view of the exhibit that might contain graphic images.
I hope things have been going well in your part of the country! I'd love to hear from you either by e-mail (Meghan.orr@gmail.com) or mail (840 Robbie View #328, Colorado Springs, CO 80920). Until then, God bless!
Meghan Orr
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JFA Outreach Reflections
Before arriving at the JFA exhibit on Wednesday, I was very anxious. I am not the kind of person that likes to get into theological or controversial conversations with my friends much less total strangers. I did not feel equipped to be talking to people at UNC-Greeley and felt intimidated, as if I was younger and more naïve even if I was older than most of the people I talked to. After Monday's training, I felt better equipped but it only took a day for the anxiousness to return despite the training.
When we arrived on Wednesday morning, the butterflies were still very active. Our briefing in the morning helped a little bit as they oriented us to what was already going on and who had already been by the exhibit. Ann's story brought tears to my eyes and I'm very glad that she was willing to share with us her journey. I was glad that I got to spend some time with her, setting up the Pregnancy Resource Table. I hung back for awhile, simply watching some of the JFA staff interact with students and listening to some conversations. There weren't too many UNC students around so I didn't feel forced to jump right in.
For my first conversation, I decided to choose a girl since I thought I would be more comfortable speaking to a young woman than with a young man at first. Brittney and I had a good 10-15 minute discussion before she had to leave for class. Brittney was one of many I would talk to that day that felt, while the unborn is human and they would never have an abortion, others should still have the choice to do so. To me, this position does not logically make sense and I tried to bring up questions to these people that would help point out the discrepancy. Two other girls, Holly and Stephanie, felt about the same way and went further in saying they felt that abortion should be limited to only the first trimester, even though both of them felt that the unborn was human, because it was the mother's "responsibility" to have the "procedure" done that early instead of letting the child develop. This confused me even more and we talked a good while. I was also able to speak with a young woman whose sorority sister had been raped which was heartbreaking. I asked and she said that the rapist had been convicted and that her friend had not had to deal with a pregnancy because of it, but it had still shaken their sorority. I asked her if she would allow me to pray for her sorority sister (she didn't want me to pray with her there but said that I could pray for her sister). One of the most touching conversations I had was with Heather, a young woman who was 5 months pregnant. She had been on birth control when she got pregnant and said that, now that she was pregnant, she would never recommend that anyone get an abortion. Each of the stories I learned helped to drive home the need for us to be there that day.
At one point, I spent some time sitting in the shade praying and allowing my heart to be broken because of the exhibit. I was also praying for Ann as she talked with a young, black, lesbian woman, majoring in psychology that had been asking questions about Post Abortion Syndrome. Ann really encouraged me at the end of the day when I asked her about that young woman. She said that the young lady would probably be stopping by during the second day of the exhibit to ask more questions.
I will never forget this exhibit and for that I'm thankful. I thought I would come into the day, hang out on the sidelines listening, and maybe talk to one person. God multiplied that expectation and had at least 16 different divine appointments lined up for me that day. It was amazing to find out how many people were praying for us as we ministered to the UNC-Greeley campus that day. I hope I was able to plant a "pebble" in several shoes that day and that God would use that to bring Him glory.
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