Go!

I'm really bad at keeping up with this blog.
Well, since the last blog I've been discouraged and encouraged in so many ways. I have 3 bags of coats and jackets in my garage. So, I'm ready to go to New Orleans with those. The yardsale was a huge fail and only made $20...BUT that day I got a check in the mail from a friend from summer project. And the next week I got another check from a girl I've only met once in New Orleans. God never fails to amaze me. I'm still wondering how I'm going to do this in New Orleans by myself. I wanted it to be a every-other week thing, but I haven't even gone once. My heart hasn't changed, but I guess I've been in this state of confusion and discouragement. I pray that God keeps using people around here and that we start loving the people in New Orleans that have no one and nothing.

On another note, I just got back from winter conference. The theme was "Revolution" so of course I went being really excited...but it wasn't what I expected. Don't get me wrong, I learned a lot and the speakers and worship was GREAT! But, not once did they mention anything other than campus ministry...I know I know...it IS Campus Crusade for Christ, but there is ministry outside of campus, especially with a name like Revolution. Last year at winter conference is when I learned about the inner city summer projects and they had a big meeting about it...this year, the meeting wasn't listed in the book and the announcement was lame. I went to the meeting and there were 2 girls there. So, Sam and I took a bunch of fliers and asked the people in charge if we could put them on the chairs along with other fliers. They said they would call Sam and let them know...they never called. So, we sat on a chair in the hotel and Sam yelled about the summer project and no one was interested. I'm not biased to New York inner city Summer Project, but "they" wouldn't even give it a shot. On a good note, the worship was awesome. I always get the most out of worship...I feel closest to God. The last night I broke down during worship. I am a crier, but I hadn't cried in a while and I had a lot on my mind this week. I knew I needed to make decisions in a couple things and it hurt. I'm so thankful for Sam and how much she comforted me. At conference God taught me a lot about the power of prayer. He taught me how His love is more than enough...it's the only love I need.

During that meeting I did get a chance to talk to a woman I briefly met while I was in New York (she started the art track)...When she found out that I do photography, she started getting really excited and told me about different intern opportunities there are in New York..one being an internship with a professional photographer who teaches photography to dominican kids in the inner city. THAT sounds amazing to me. Part of me was more excited than ever, and another part of me thought "oh boy just another 'option' I have." So, I'm going to be in contact with her.

I'm currently filling out my summer project application and I'm stuck on where to go. Last year I knew God wanted me in New York, but this year I have NO IDEA where He wants me. I've been learning that God isn't always going to be so clear as to where He wants me, and I just have to GO and He will use me. In that case, there are so many things I want to do. My heart is still in New York so I could student staff (I'm applying for that) or any other inner city project I could student staff. Then there is New Orleans and working. A huge part of me wants to go overseas, but I don't know where. Whatever I do I know God is going to use me and teach me great things, it's just a matter of me surrendering and stop being so indecisive.

I was reading Jesus for President and it was so hard for me to read on a daily basis...so I bought 8 books this week. I don't read much, but one thing I want to do in 2010 is start reading more. One book I got was "When God Writes Your Love Story" and I'm ready for it to change my life like it changed Sam's. I need it to in that area. I'm ready to learn so much about God having the pen in my love life.

If you know me and you are reading this...(I don't even know if anyone reads this) you can probably tell that I'm tired, stressed, confused, and pretty down...my words are different and I don't sounds excited. It's because I am. So, if anyone is reading this...I just ask that you pray for me and with me. That I will allow God to use me and send me someplace great. And that no matter where my heart is that I let Him use me on my college campus.

Love. Live. Act.

Since I posted last about what God has placed on my heart (Meals at J Square) I've been in the praying stage of it all. Praying that God provides and guides! That he would point me in the right direction of people who hold the same passions in their hearts that I do. Praying for the people in New Orleans that I will be meeting. growing close to. and loving on. And also praying/preparing for the yardsale and anything else I can do.

I'm getting super excited about what God's doing and how he's using me. And I'm adding something to it...a coat drive. I recently read Luke 3:11 and then I thought about all the jackets I have that I don't wear and about all the people on the streets that are not only hungry, but cold. I know it's Louisiana, but it still gets cold (hey, it snowed last night) 

I know a lot of people say "that's cool, I'll pray for you" while others say "that's dangerous, why do you want to do that?" Well, I challenge you to read these scriptures (at the bottom) and pray about it. I need your help with this. Whether it be you praying for me and the people involved, donating stuff for the yardsale (all money will pay for food for Meals at J Sqaure), giving up a coat or two, donating any kind of food that can be used, donating money, or even your time. I just ask you pray. and pray hard.

(if you would like to help email me at chelsea.broughton@selu.edu, shoot me a message or give me a call 985-768-2362)

Luke 3:11 "Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise" 

Luke 12:33 "Sell your possessions, and give to the needy" 

Matthew 25:31-40 "....I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me...Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."

James 1:22 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

James 1:27 "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained form the world."

I also want to take this time to tell you about something my friend Brandt Russo is doing...Operation Starvation. He is going to be the voice to the 30,000 estimated invisible children who die every day of hunger. How is he doing that? He's going on a hunger strike to raise awareness and the funds that are needed for these children. Today (sunday) he will start until he raises $15,500. A lot of people probably think he's crazy after seeing that number, but we easily forget about the starving children that we don't personally know...but as soon as someone you may know or know of (who otherwise would not be starving) goes hungry we actually stop and think/act. I ask you to pray for him. pray for the kids. pray for Not Fashionable. And donate.  

Meals at J Square

Ever since I got home from New York I’ve been praying for guidance on what God wants me to do here, and everything He has thrown in my face, I have ignored using every excuse in the book. Recently, I’ve been spending more time with God, and He has been teaching me how to be more obedient and live a surrendered life. Teaching me what it really means to love like he has called for us to love. Living like Jesus.

This past week I hosted two screenings of the documentary “Adopt-A-Jesus” hoping to share it with many students on campus…to get them thinking…to give them an opportunity to question if we are all really living the way God wants for us to live. When only a handful of people came to watch the film, and many people at the football game, I saw what is really important to us“Christians” but I know that God sent the people he wanted to be there and I thank him for that. Through the film, hearing Brandt’s stories (and many conversations with him), and lots of time with God…He revealed so much more to me.

God has layed something on my heart and I’m ready to act on it. (I’m not waiting until I graduate. I’m not making anymore excuses.) I want to spend time building relationships with homeless and poor folks in New Orleans. What better way of doing this then having picnics with them in Jackson Square?...Meals at J Square.

I’m doing this by selling a bunch of my “junk” to pay for the food and I’m hoping you will join me. I’m going to have a yard sale within the next few weeks and I ask that you go through your stuff and help out. If not, you can help with the yard sale. And if you feel lead to, come hangout with the people with me. Pray about it. Seek God about it. I want to make a trip down there the week of Christmas and that is only the beginning.

Luke 12:33-34 “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”



Facts About The Homeless
In New Orleans Approximately:
• 33% are families; most being women with children
• 30% have jobs: part time; seasonal; minimum wage
• 23% have a chronic mental illness
• 50% have substance abuse problems
• 85% are natives of Louisiana, 15% are non-natives
• Less than 10% of the homeless population is homeless by choice or "hard core" homeless.

Homeless in New York City

Hey,
I know I never update this and I'm going to start because even though I'm back from New York (and have been for 3 months) I'm still learning from this summer.
I had the opportunity to write an editorial for my schools newspaper and I wrote about being homeless...so, here it is.
and I'm in the process of writing another one titled "Revolution" which I'll post soon.

Chelsea Broughton
“Homeless in New York City”

Imagine sleeping on a cold concrete floor, without a blanket. Awakened at 6 a.m., you’re kicked out of the shelter for the day. You discover that the sweatshirt you hid away the night before was stolen. Walking the streets of New York in the rain without an umbrella, your only meal for the day is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and forget about brushing your teeth or showering. That became reality for me and several other college students this summer.

This past summer I spent five weeks in New York City on a mission trip with Campus Crusade for Christ, and was part of the inner city track. Each week, teams of students worked at different ministry sites around the city ranging from preparing meals in soup kitchens, to conducting Bible studies and sharing testimonies, to spending time with the homeless. Little did I know I would experience being homeless first hand.

It was a Wednesday night only a week after arriving in New York. We were all gathered for a prayer meeting when the staff said those seven dreaded words; “You are now entering the poverty simulation.” They told us we had 15 minutes to run to our rooms and get three items. After grabbing a blanket, bottle of water, and a bag of pretzels I joined the other eighteen students and left our comfortable Manhattan apartments and headed to a warehouse in Queens. We had no money, no cell phone, no form of identification, and no idea what was in store for us or how long it would actually last.

So there we were nineteen college students, who barely knew each other, homeless in New York City. We spent that first sleepless night on the cold concrete ground of the warehouse huddled together to keep warm. The staff warned us that our belongings could be stolen at any point as if we were in a real homeless shelter, so everyone was clutched onto their items. Throughout the night there were disturbing noises, flashing of lights, and sounds of people crying. It was the longest night of my life, and finally at 6 a.m. we were kicked out onto the streets where we slept until we had to leave for our ministry sites.

That morning I slept on the subway while we made our way to Coney Island where we would be serving the working poor and homeless of the city. That’s when I realized the significance of the simulation: to gain compassion for them and understand how it feels to be homeless. That is exactly what happened. That first day, I looked at the people we were serving in a whole different way: Knowing how they felt after only one night of being “homeless.”

After a long day of working and walking through the rain, we got back on the subway where I truly felt homeless for a second time. Sitting there wet, hungry, and carrying a blanket I noticed the looks people were giving me. They looked at us as if we were homeless and some people even moved seats to avoid us. Little did they know, in real life, I am just like them, an educated middle-class college student.

At the time we did not know, but Saturday was the last day we would be homeless. That day was the best day of the entire experience. Two other girls and I sat in the rain in Bryant Park with my blanket over our heads begging for money. It was the only way we would be able to eat that day. With everyone avoiding eye contact, I then understood how it felt to be ignored when all we needed was a few dollars to eat. After the simulation was over the staff treated us to dinner at a nice restaurant. From then I could have went on living the way I did before, but instead I chose to live my life in a different way.

Growing up in a middle class family, I was never exposed to this kind of life, but that has changed. What did I learn from this experience? I learned to break my stereotypes of the working poor and homeless and instead of looking down on them, see and love them as people. Having gone through this experience has changed my life forever. Now that I can identify with being homeless, I feel a strong calling to working in the inner city. I recently read that 80 percent of the world has 20 percent of the “stuff,” and 20 percent of the world is hoarding 80 percent of the “stuff.” Think about that next time you walk past a homeless person and you avoid them completely.

missing

So, before leaving New York everyone wrote each other letters to read on the plane. It was sad just writing them let alone reading all the encouraging words everyone wrote to me. I found myself teary eyed writing Dayne's letter as I sat in the apartment alone. He had become one of my best friends and I hated thinking about not having him around. That whole week Nichole and I kept getting sad about leaving even knowing we will see each other again....we WILL make it happen. So, in the airport I began reading them....crying and laughing...all the encouraging things people said I was so sad to leave that community that I grew to love. I found myself crying reading every letter...saving a few for the plane rid where I thought I could cry more without being seen. However, on the plane I sat between two men, not next to Sam. I read Nichole's letter...she had become like my sister...and even reading about all our memories made me cry...wiping away the tears I began reading Dayne's and had to stop reading it twice because it made me cry too much. His words were so encouraging in different ways...knowing my heart and my past hurts. I'm so blessed to have all these brothers and sisters in my life. I love them all and I will miss them way too much.
The plane ride sucked being so tired and emotional. Being home makes the past 5 weeks feel like it was just a dream...like none of it ever even happened. I don't want that. I don't want to feel sad or lonely. Everything the staff told us will happen when we get home feels like it already happened in the past 24 hours.
I know I just need to stay in the word and need to keep busy...keep myself surrounded by people...not just sitting on my bed all day.

last two weeks in NYC

I know I didn't write about my last two weeks in New York, so I'm doing it now...sitting on my bed in Louisiana.
Our 3rd ministry site was at Love Gospel Church...they have a soup kitchen so we were able to actually serve the needy. They came in and sat at a table that had flowers in the center. We served them a nice meal...and it made me smile the entire time. That's how things should be...they saw us showing them Christ's love. We were able to see familiar faces through out the week which was really cool. I found it so crazy how ungrateful some people can be...getting mad about what we served them. One young woman even left before getting food saying "I'm bigger than this" that was probably the hardest thing to here. However, on the other end people were extremely thankful...smiling the whole time, saying "God bless you" singing along with the worship music, and one man got up and sang a song for everyone. It was my favorite week of ministry. That friday they weren't open so we had a homeless outreach...it was really weird because we had a hard time finding people to talk to and give food to, while every other day we would see a lot of people on the streets. So, about 20 minutes until we had to get ready for POD we saw a couple guys standing against a fence. Dayne ended up sitting on the ground with a drunk man from Puerto Rico...the man went from laughing to crying to punching Dayne and flexing. Nichole and I ended up talking to his friend Samuel that we would have just passed by. He was dressed in new clean clothes and just got out of jail that morning for fake checks. He didn't want to talk about God, but HE asked if we could pray together and he started! Nichole ended up pretty much sharing the gospel through her prayer which was amazing. He kept saying that he felt so good after we prayed. It was a great conversation and I just pray that he is doing ok.
The last monday night meeting it was the inner city's turn to lead it. We did a homeless outreach allowing the other tracks to see what we did this summer. I didn't realize how much I grew in that area until we took them into the city. Most of the other tracks were pretty nervous about it, but seeing that I wasn't made me realize the heart God has given me for the homeless. He allowed me to be strong with my faith and see how much He loves them just as much as He loves me.
That Sunday we went to the church where we would be working our last week of ministry...Rehoboth Open Bible Church...a Caribbean church that lasted 3 hours. Their community was amazing...spending all day together praising God through everything they did. During church we stood up to introduce ourselves and since I was sitting on the end, the pastor asked me to "testify"...I had no idea what was going on, but I stood there and told me shortened testimony. After church, a lot of the people told me how encouraging it was. That right there was super encouraging to me! So, that week at Rehoboth we worked at their summer camp with about 30 kids ranging from ages 4 to 15. I worked with the preschoolers who were just adorable. Even though a few kids gave us all a hard time the entire week, we had a hard time saying goodbye to them. It was the saddest goodbye since we had been there.

We still had 4 days in New York for debriefing, site seeing, spending time together, and parties. It didn't hit me that we were leaving until Saturday night at the 80s party. The staff made a slide show from the summer and I couldn't help but cry. I had spent 5 weeks with these 18 people and we became a family...a very unique family haha. Sunday and Monday night was spent staying up super late with my project family...playing games and talking. We ever took a late night trip to McDonald's which was super cool to see the city empty. Tuesday night we had our banquet which was a very nice dinner, a closing meeting with slide shows, and a dance party. The whole time I was just sad thinking that time Wednesday we would all be home. That night a group of us pulled an all nighter...not wanting to waste our last night together sleeping. We went to time square at 330am acting crazy...just to say goodbye to my roomie Kelly in just an hour. It was really weird. We watched the sun rise on the roof, layed around trying to stay awake, and played games. It was so hard to say goodbye to everyone...especially the few that I got super close with. Dayne and Nichole became like my brother and sister and I hated saying bye to them.

learning about myself

Things have been a lot slower since the poverty simulation. This week at our new ministry site (Salt and Sea) things were a lot different. The woman who run the ministry (pastor Debbie) is so encouraging. She used to be homeless herself, living under the board walk in Coney Island and 20 some years ago she started Salt and Sea doing food pantries and having church services. We got to lead the bible study for the people in the city that wanted to come. It was very different since half of the people didn't speak english but when we sang they had so much fun. We all got to share our testimonies which was really encouraging to hear everyones story in our ministry group.
I've been learning a lot about myself. Growing in ways that I wasn't expecting. I have so much compassion for the needy now...and I'm learning how to communicate with them better. It's hard being able to relate to them, but talking to them is so encouraging....and I wish they knew that. I find that the needy people in Coney Island have so much faith...more than you could imagine...and it's just so great.
I've been seeing new things in myself that I never knew were there...mostly in my personality. It's been a struggle accepting who I am...my personality...and I want to see myself the way God made me...the way He designed me.
There are 19 days left and I am so excited to see what else God has for me in this big City.