The Commencement

Since the purpose of this blog is to recount my time spent in Omaha with the church Coram Deo, I might as well explain my reasoning for taking this journey in my first post. This might get a bit lengthy, so bear with me.

It all began in March over spring break. I am a member of Hill Country Bible Church UT one block from the UT campus. There are annual trips conducted by the church during spring break which students are asked to participate in and this past spring break, I was one of them. I was included among the students traveling to Omaha. The purpose of this trip was to visit Coram Deo, see their vision for the structure of their church and for the community around them, and learn how to apply the principles of living missionally to Austin. The idea behind both Coram Deo and HCBCUT is to be a missionary to those around you every single day. We don't have to travel to Africa or China to live on mission. Nowadays, living out the gospel by acting as a missionary to those who are a part of your day-to-day lifestyle is more needed than anything else. And that's what both of these churches strive to do.

Upon arriving in Omaha, we spent the following week discussing faith with the church leaders all the while involving ourselves in their midweek projects. On Sunday afternoons, there is something called Harambe (Swahili for "coming together as one") in which members of the church gather with most of Omaha's Burundi refugees in order to have lunch (community) with them as well as assist them in learning English so that they can become more assimilated to their American surroundings. Similarly, on Wednesday evenings the church helps host Life On The Brick which is a dinner served to the homeless of Omaha. All of these experiences struck me deeply, but proactive efforts like this can be found most anywhere. The one element of this church and the people that make it up that affected me more than any other can be summed up in a simple sentence that one of the leaders told us: "We don't look at the lost as people whom we can turn into a product of Christ. Instead, we live life with them, welcome them as family, and prepare a good context by which God fulfills His glory."

The most important lessons that I learned during that spring break trip hinge from this simple sentence. Far too often, we get caught up in our own circumstances and our own judgments, myself included, that we forget the pain of others. And in our own selfishness, we miss the opportunities God places before us to be a vessel for His love in the lives of others. I cannot honestly admit that I enjoy putting myself in situations outside of my comfort zone. But none of us were ever called to follow God's plan with the promise that it would be comfortable. We were simply called. Above all, my perspective changed greatly in the way that I view people after spending a week in Omaha. The idea of having relationships with others without an agenda is so important to me. And that's one of the main things I am hoping to grow in during my time with Coram Deo this summer.

This trip doesn't make any sense when it comes to applying it to the degree I am studying for or with my career interests, but I'm alright with that. After spring break, I felt God calling me and after nearly a month of fierce prayer over many different summer options I know that I am pursuing the opportunity that will be most productive for both my faith and my future. I am excited to see what these next eight weeks have in store for me and I simply ask that you would pray for me along the way. Pray that God would open my heart to hear what He wants me to hear and learn the lessons that will help me take the steps needed in pursuing the mold of the man that He created me to be. I will arrive in Omaha and begin my time with the church on Sunday, June 7th.

- Collin

"We are more lost and sinful than we ever dared believe, but are more loved and accepted than we ever dared hope."