Lawndale

I stepped off of the pink line and gazed around me. Where was I? In Lawndale, a neighborhood notoriously known by surrounding Chicago neighborhoods as an area ridden with crime and gang violence. A neighborhood also known for its community, and the Gospel. Certainly, I wasn't in Wheaton anymore. The minute I stepped off of the line and started walking to the Lawndale Christian Health Clinic, the Lord spoke to me: "Grace, you're in my territory now. This is sacred ground; this is my community." I was in Lawndale because I had applied to a yearlong paid internship as a Medical Operations Assistant at the clinic and had been offered an interview. I felt humbled and amazed as I peered down Ogden street and saw the impressive and beautiful facilities and buildings that have been spearheaded by people  in love with Jesus and passionate about their community. The air in Lawndale is saturated with hope; it is behind the smiles and hearts of the people who make up the community. Hope is displayed in the health clinic, in the Lawndale church, in the Green Tomato Cafe and the state-of-the-art gym facility. As current interns gave me a tour of the health clinic and the surrounding buildings, my heart began thumping and something in me came alive.

I sat in the room in front of three of the clinic's leadership. As they asked me question after question, I felt like the conversation was more of a spiritual conversation rather than an interview. Maritza, one of the interviewers, gazed at me and said,

"Grace, I have one final question for you. What are you most proud of?" 

When she asked me that question, I choked up and looked at her, answering:

"My past. I am proud of my past. I'm here sitting before you today because of the ways in which God has encountered me in the brokenness of a father who walked out on his family when I was only one. Despite the tumultuous years and the pain behind those years, the Lord saved me and ministered to me and found me in my brokenness. I am only able to minister because I have been personally ministered to."

Holistic healing. Healing that starts with physical wellbeing and emanates into other areas - psychological, emotional, spiritual. I am here to learn. I am here to grow. I am here to be a part of the vision that is the backbone of this community.

I'm going back to Lawndale to shadow the complex care coordinator. I should be finding out whether I got the internship in two weeks. God, I have faith. I have faith that there is a reason why you have led me to apply to be a member of this community.