Joel's Place: Live and Unplugged: Waiting

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Waiting

     Last night I stood in front of 250 people as I introduced myself as the Executive Director and held up my cell phone, "My wife is pregnant. Very pregnant. 9 months and 10 days pregnant. The baby could come any moment. So I am keeping my cell available so I can dash out of here if need be. Ideally the labor would start at 9:30 so that I can be here for the entire event and then leave before clean up starts." The room laughed; the event went great; my wife did not go into labor. 9 months and 11 days.

     We are waiting for baby at the Menaker household. Just waiting. We clean or reorganize or pay bills, but every major obligation has either been removed, rescheduled or completed for this week. The first words out of everyone's mouths when they see me are, "Have you had that baby yet?" I shake my head and then they mutter something like "That Poor Woman," "Bless her heart," or they begin to tell me their horror pregnancy/delivery story. One friend actually told me that her husband knew when the baby was about to come because she had a gleam in her eyes that suggested that she would take a sharp knife and cut the child out herself.   These stories are meant to be encouraging...I guess.

     Waiting is hard. It reminds us that we do not have control of our lives. It reminds us that life continues, and can even be good, even when our plans fail. Waiting taunts us with the promise of good things to come and can fill us with an ache of not having those things yet.

     Waiting builds patience. Waiting builds hope. Waiting builds peacefulness. Waiting builds community as others share in the experience with you. Waiting allows us to grow as God puts the finishing touches on the remaining pieces of His plan. Waiting allows the unexpected to fall upon our lives. Waiting is a gift if we are willing to enter into it without filling our time and our attention with superficial entertainment and distraction (that would be video games for me).

     I am waiting for youth and donors and volunteers to pour into Joel's Place. I am waiting for the young people in this place to reject the negative voices in their heads and become everything that God made them to be. I am waiting to see healing fall on our community and state.

     But mostly I am waiting for my baby girl to arrive.

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Giving

If you would like to become a financial partner with us and support the work of Joel's Place, here's how:

1.) To make an online donation:

2.)Mail us a check at P.O. Box 83584, Fairbanks, AK 99708

Or

3.)Call our front desk at 452-2621 with your credit card information. Our official hours are Mon- Fri, 12pm-6pm , but there is usually someone by the phones from 8am on.

And

4.) You can link your Fred Meyer Rewards card to Joel's Place at this link. Every purchase on your card increases the Fred Meyer Foundation's annual donations to our organization.

Thank you for your encouragement and support.

From the Staff

Leah Byam, Program Assistant

On Sunday after Church a group of us went to Subway to eat lunch. When we get in line it's very busy, so we wait patiently in line. As I'm waiting in line I see CS, a young man who has been coming to Joel's Place for a very long time. He's working behind the counter. He's assertive, polite, taking peoples orders, and going on to the next costumer giving them kindness and the same professional service. As I watch him from afar my eye's tear up. I know his past. I've walked with him on so many journeys. I love this kid so much, I am so so so proud of him. As I get closer he see's me and his face lights up. We were able to talk. He tells me that he just graduated with his high school degree, that he's still saving up, he will be going to Hawaii as planned in September to work. I was able to tell him, How proud I am of Him, and I meant it in every sense of the word.