The partners, volunteers and refugees before a family leaves for Atlanta. Minus me, taking the picture.

I’m writing this on my laptop during a mostly silent, spiritual retreat at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Ga. It isn’t that there isn’t time for me to blog at Jubilee, there is, and I feel nagging guilt every time I do something else besides blog.. read, sew, hang out, etc. But, I know my “readers” aren’t really expecting me to write much, and so maybe my guilt is just coming from myself. I think a month and a half of not writing has probably been the longest I’ve gone since I was in middle school, at least.

Anyway, so maybe getting the blog ball rolling again will help me to update more. There are lots of interesting things going on here. A brief outline that might help me fill in the blanks later:

These are two of my first students, Mu Cris and Neh Reh, and two of their children, Pray Meh and Nga Meh.

Since I came to Jubilee Partners at the end of August, I’ve started teaching English to Karenni refugees and learned more about Burma, the struggle of refugees and other displaced people, understood better the dilemmas that come along with refugee resettlement in America, realized how much harder it is to learn a language if you can’t read it (so, I really feel as though I have no excuse not to learn Spanish now, and feel very humbled by my students who learn so quickly compared with me, who has only learned about four Karenni words).

Leslie and Amber, two other volunteers, with kids in childcare.

I’ve also had the joy of learning about other social issues while here, such as the moral questions surrounding the death penalty during discussions here and a death penalty forum at the Open Door Community in Atlanta, Ga. The worship aspect of Jubilee is structured in some ways, but is very open and non-traditional in others. We have time for devotions almost every day before lunch, but that can mean time for reflection, time to talk to your “partner pair,” a half-hour of singing different songs by request, traditional services and also time to discuss issues as they are related to Christianity.

I think the last one, along with other sessions that we have each week, is probably my favorite because it gives me time and space to think about things that I think I’ve always cared about, but never spent much time thinking about, issues like social justice, what peace really means, how to be nonviolent, immigration issues and Latin America, development in other countries, etc. It has also confirmed my feelings of what the teachings of Jesus mean for us today. (Hint: It’s about love, love, love and more love. The answer is almost always love.)

This is the K-House where some of the volunteers live, and everyone has common meals and devotions.

Not only have my students shown me a different culture, but also the partners (permanent Jubilee residents) and other volunteers have opened my eyes to different ways to live. The group ranges in age from 20 to almost 90, and from all over the country and world. Each week, someone tells basically the story of their life to the group. I was one of the first to go, and I’m not sure how interesting or exciting my story was, but I have really enjoyed hearing everyone else’s. It kind of makes you want some kind of version from everyone you meet, because these have shown me that you really can’t know where most people are coming from unless they tell you.

Giant sweet potato attacks baby sweet potatoes.

While here I’ve also… worked some in the garden, which I thought I would be much better at, but after a few fire ant encounters, I’ve realized it was more of a idealized view of gardening I had in mind than one based in reality. Like, in my perfect garden.. there are no fire ants and no spiders waiting on tomatoes to jump out and scare me.

I still like the idea of the garden, and have a deep respect for the people who work in it, especially those who love working in it. The farming here is based on sustainable methods and using the plants/animals to make the system work. (I’ve been reading the Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and Pollan talks at length about agriculture, good and bad. The farming at Jubilee falls into the “good” category.) The community works in the garden together once a week, so I do it. I’m just not very good at it.

Ina stirs a pot of veggie chili to take to the Welcome Center.

For all those who thought I would be going away to eat rice and beans each meal (including myself), you are mistaken. There is so much food here, and it is good tasting and mostly healthy. I’ve been warned as winter approaches that sweet potatoes will become a prominent feature of every meal, but I like sweet potatoes and I probably should be eating less anyway. I guess I didn’t do a very good job of describing the community here before I came, but living at Jubilee isn’t about living in poverty by any means. Living here means opting out of the “Shiny-New” culture, but when you learn about real poverty, you realize this doesn’t come close.

Happy donkeys protect the happy goats in the field.

And actually, I feel so blessed to be able to stay here. It is really beautiful, and there is space and time and people to listen and good food to eat and new things to learn. I miss lots of people, and I’m always excited for visitors (My mom visited a few weeks ago, and I think she really liked it.), but I don’t miss many other things. Life is very full here. I would encourage anyone interested in farming, processing food, social justice issues, refugees, Christianity, living in community, peace keeping or service work to come visit.

Babies!!

Ok, that is long enough for my first foray back into the blogging world. I’ve had lots of people asking how they can help, and so here is a list of the things Jubilee asks for new donations of: One-subject spiral bound notebooks, simple ball point pens, pencils, umbrellas, flashlights with batteries, socks, underwear, winter hats and gloves and walking shoes . Here are things that are OK gently used:  pillows, wallets, dish towels, dish cloths, backpacks, bicycles and bicyle parts.

Links/Resources:

More pictures at my facebook.

Jubilee Partners

With Our Own Eyes, by Don Mosely, a book about the founding of Jubilee 30 years ago

Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals

Deadline, a dvd examining the death penalty in one state, but good for brining up a lot of different issues.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michal Pollan, a book about the real cost of cheap food

The Burmese Come to Houston, an article from the Houston Press about the lives of refugees much like the ones who come to Atlanta from Burma

Ok, and now that I’ve started, I’d like to keep updating so that I don’t feel too overwhelmed once I leave and forget things. So, if you have any questions or suggestions that you want answered and addressed, you can leave me a comment here or facebook or wherever.