In light of Valentine's Day and all that it means or doesn't mean for each of us, I thought it appropriate to look at relationships. And our readings for this course revolve around building relationships with the people within the community.
Relationships require an investment of desire, time and commitment. Some of us are better than others at building and maintaining a network of friends, family, coworkers and colleagues. They also require patience. It can be frustrating when we try to accomplish something in our own way and time and see other's views or ideas as an obstacle to the goal. I think of the saying "all roads lead to nowhere." By not allowing others to have input into a project or goal, I have lost sight of the true meaning of my service. The project may be complete but the relationships are annihilated.
I attended a community meeting @ Martin Middle School this week. As I watched a very unique and diverse group of faculty, police, parents and community members, I sat in awe at the amount of respect they had for each other and their opinions. Each person listened intently and allowed others the right to speak about their concerns, dreams, and goals for the schools and the neighborhood of Holly Street. They came together working toward a common goal...the belief that improvement in the school and neighborhood was essential.
I, being the outsider, recognize that these people live in community and understand each other and have probably worked toward building relationships. I also found the people of Holly Street to be encouraging and warm and engaging and inviting me, the foreigner, to step inside the halls of Martin Middle School and build relationships. It excites me to see the desire they have to provide an environment that will allow students to be the best they can be. I look forward to being a part of something that hopefully will continue in the years to come. Moreover, I am thankful for the opportunity I have to learn from a culture that is drastically different from my own.
Greta, I felt that same awe back in Summer 2011 when I attended my first community meeting in Dove Springs. I remember we all broke up into groups to discuss the issue facing the community. They asked me what my opinions were on the issues as if I were one of their own. I have not had any experiences with the Holly Street area, but I am glad that Project will again be in an open family/community-oriented neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteGreta, I too have been thinking a lot about relationships and how they are developed. These past couple of volunteer trainings that we have attended have had community leaders there to speak to us, and I notice how they truly listen to each other and respect each others opinions. It sounds like you have had an awesome experience and I think that is so awesome, Good luck on your project!
ReplyDeleteI really agree that the relationship requires the investment of desire, time, commitment, and patience. When I think of love, the key element to it is love. Pastor at my church a few weeks ago preached about love in his sermon. He defined the characteristics of love as "not an emotion, but will." In his definition of love, all the elements you mentioned above as requirement of building relationship belong to love because certainly those are not temporary, but time-consuming as a sign of will.
ReplyDeleteI could really empathize with you the joy of being welcomed as a foreigner. When I first came to North America with bare English, a lot of people did not approach or welcomed me, but a few people helped me improve English and invited me to their culture. One of the worst feelings that humans can get might be feeling left out alone, but they did not let me be alone. I still remember those people and am grateful for them. The experience of being welcomed was like I found an oasis in the desert.