Inspire, Winter 2003

20 Winter 2003 interesting to say the least. We laughed at the creative ways we managed to make things fit in our tiny apartment. (Picture the size of a Willetts or Brock dorm room times two.) We learned really quickly that getting our car ticketed and towed wasn’t all that unusual. We learned, by trial and error, how to navigate the city using buses, trains, and cabs. We found jobs. We found a church. And slowly but surely, we found friends. Fast forward to today. Grady and I have been married almost three years and can’t imagine life apart from downtown Chicago. Why? Because we have seen again and again how God has blessed us and used us in ways we couldn’t have dreamed about. We are confident that for this moment right now, we are exactly where we need to be. Remember the confused girl in college who dreamed of moving overseas to touch another culture with the gospel? Well, she’s now dreaming of the many unique ways she can touch other cultures right in her own neighborhood. Remember the guy in college who was bold enough to follow his dream — and God’s call — to the city at the risk of ending a relationship? He’s now dreaming of the many unique ways he can touch the co- workers in his firm with the gospel. Remember the couple that wanted to get married but knew that meant taking unusual faith that God did in fact have their best interests — their dreams — in mind? Well, now they are enjoying the thrill of inner-city living and inner-city ministry. So, why the city? Why downtown? People in the suburbs and rural areas need Jesus, too. Why not move close to family? Family support is important, you know. Why not move to the suburbs where cost of living is cheaper? Why put up with the busyness and dirtiness and the noise and the crime of the city? People ask Grady and me questions like these all the time. We have four words for them: God’s plan; our dream. Because we live on the 30th floor, we enjoy an amazing view of the city. If we look to the left, we see Cabrini Green — the poorest government housing project in the country. If we look to the right, we see multi-million dollar condos and elite boutiques and restaurants. How can people who live on such opposite ends of the spectrum exist in such close proximity to each other? Because that’s city life. Every income level, every education level, every different race, every different language, every different religion exists there … but all with one very common need: a Savior. And that, foundationally, is what motivates Grady and me to live in an unconventional place and dare to act on the dream we have to turn our sphere of influence upside down with the power of the gospel. Many of you probably remember reading the book Portrait of Obedience: The Biography of Robert T. Ketchum for one of Cedarville’s Bible classes. In it, Ketchum is quoted as saying, “As His children, we are responsible for only one thing in relation to God, and that is obedience. Give Him that, and that always, and what happens must be all of Him. There will be no room, no place, no desire for boasting.” Somehow, though my intentions to minister overseas were good, I had undermined the need to yield those dreams and obey the plans God had for me. God, in his goodness and grace, has brought me to Chicago and has provided countless ways for me to do all of the teaching and mentoring that I’d always dreamt of doing. Grady and I have enjoyed the opportunity to plug into children’s ministry opportunities through our church. For the past couple years we’ve been serving in the Awana program with third through sixth graders, but as we soon learned, this wasn’t the average Awana program. This Awana program was targeted at the kids in Cabrini Green and was intended as an outreach to that community. As such, the needs, culture, and dynamic of these kids were far removed from what we’d anticipated. These kids have no concept of family, relationships, authority, or security. Most kids don’t know who their