A Balancing Act

In lieu of the Olympic starting up, I title this blog “A BalancingAct”. Not because as a City Host we do back flips off a 4 inch beam, but becausewe are forced to balance our life here as hosts making hard decisions on thefly, as well as our personal lives back at home. And as many have probably heard,my great state of Colorado has not been doing so well this summer.

June 25^th:The Waldo Canyon Fire was started about 15 minutes from my family’s house inSouthern Colorado Springs. I heard this news while spending a weekend with mygrandparents in Lancaster, PA just before starting my fourth week of groups atCSM Philly. Beginning a week not knowing what was going to be happening to myfamily, my home, my city, or my life back home was frightening. It was so vitalto completely trust in God through this. The power of prayer was utilized tothe maximum capacity here at CSM. We had groups pray for Colorado Springs andthe families there. As the fire began to take route, it was comforting to knowthat it was moving north, away from my house, yet devastating to know that inan instant my city could be burned to the ground. However, it was suchcomforting news to ease my mind, and to get me focused on the group that washere and still help them have the very best week possible in the amazing cityof Philadelphia.  For the next few weeks,I would still hear the stories of neighborhoods being engulfed by flame andpeople missing, that that stayed on the backburner of my mind. Thank the Lord,July 10^th the fire had been completely contained.

July 20^th:Friday morning I woke up to hear the devastating news that a man in Aurora,Colorado set off a canister of tear gas and open fired in a movie theater inthe early hours of the morning at the new Batman Movie Dark Night Rises, killing 15 innocent people and injuring 58others. This happened only an hour from my home, and only a few minutes fromColumbine High School, which had encountered a similar experience 13 years ago.

For awhile there, I was ashamed to say I was from Colorado. People came to me andtold me, “It’s so nice to meet someone who isn’t evil from Colorado”. Through that, however, God taught me a HUGElesson. Colorado isn’t evil, GOD isn’tevil--man is evil. Because Eve took that forbidden fruit thousands of yearsago, sin entered the heart of man, and that has affected the entire outcome ofthe world thus far. God is almighty and victorious. He has ultimate control andpower over all situations. It is devastating what has happened in Colorado, andits heart-wrenching that I am unable to be there and comfort those who havelost everything, but life is a balancing act, and only through the power of JesusChrist, can we win the Gold medal. My prayer continues to go out to all of thevictims that have lost something in Colorado this summer, whether it was theirhouse or a loved one. I also pray for the CSM Denver staff as they are forcedto deal with these issues so close to their ministry-- that them being in thecity will offer a light and bring hope to a city that may seem disillusioned towhat has taken place.