Update

Hey all, things have been going to busy here that I hardly have time to update you, but I will try to punch out brief updates more often and not make them real long.

A few things I wanted to let you know is that my hair is returning, I had a one week "head face race" between my head hair and my facial hair, the longer hair gets a Twinkie (I was obviously pulling for the face). The face won, so I was sporting a beard for a while, but that is no longer the case - reason being on Saturday the guys in training planned a "Grand Banquet" for the ladies in training. Things went great and us guys are on the girls good side (we'll see if we ruin that or not ;-)

At HDC, there are many community children that come into the yard during our free time for games and shoulder rides and to be swung around, basically, just to be loved. This is a great ministry at HDC, but a challenging one. Several nights ago was the worse thus far as far as damage to property and disrespect. Most of these kids have no respect for others property - basically, they will make your kids look saintlike. We have had to ask them to leave after they continue to jump from peoples personal vehicles and HDC's vans roofs. We have had a windshield get cracked and hoods get carved into and scratched from rocks and bricks being thrown. The reason we have no power is because we cannot physically escort a child from the property unless a dire circumstance calls for it - when fights break out, the police are called the kids continue as our hands are tied behind our back (if something series does happen where someone is seriously getting hurt, I will intervene, but we have to be very careful with the law - and the families of these kids and the mentality of revenge). That has been the toughest aspect for me as I hate to have to tell kids to leave (and then threats do abound from these 8-12 year olds), but I guess someone has to be the bad guy - so that is my role.

Otherwise, things are good here. The speakers and sessions are good and I enjoy them and learn a lot daily. Most of the speakers are very passionate about what they speak about, but make sure to tell us to create our own opinions and not just take things at face value.

Well, it's time for community outreach in which my group will be bagging some of the trash that is laying around the community - it is filthy and out of control.

Thanks to all of you who keep me updated on life at home and for your prayers. Blessings.

Haircut

Yea, I got a haircut... completely.

Week one in the books - completely oriented? maybe, maybe not.

Week one is done, week two is at hand. Here's a little about the life here at HDC. Their are seven outreach groups in training each consisting of five to six people. In the mornings, we take turns preparing breakfast and my first turn was Saturday, but there isn't much to talk about with that - because cold breakfast was on the schedule (I made coffee and that was about it). We generally have a session in the morning followed by lunch. After lunch and about a half hour of free time (I generally throw the Frisbee or baseball) we have some sort of team activity and then either a session or work duties (cleaning and maintenance of the 100 year old house in which we live). Dinner follows and then an evening session followed by about an hour of free time before bedtime. Intermixed in the days are three short quiet times. We are asked to do our devotions, pray, or journal two of the three times and to do something quiet the other time. There is a brief day, now onto more important things.

I have really enjoyed living with a group of guys dorm style again, it is a very encouraging and binding experience. As mentioned in the last post, our house is in a bad part off town. Just three nights ago we heard what we counted as six gunshots and I heard someone in the community died last year in a shooting. But as was stated by a leader at the beginning, unless you are a drug user, drug dealers, prostitute, prostitute user, or in a gang (none of which apply to me) you will be fine. Though I could be mistaking with the guys I live with as a gang, but that will come later - see interested fact at the bottom.

Several areas I have been challenged are:

• ATL - Ask the Lord time - this is a style of prayer that involves much waiting and is very abstract. I struggle with this because I tend to think much more concrete - which is good and I have had that affirmed. But even though I prefer and find a concrete approach to prayer and worship very effective for me and feel I can worship the Lord best that way, this has really challenged my ability to sit and listen to the Lord. It is tough enough to sit and not do anything for fifteen minutes or a half and hour - but sit and listen to a voice you know you won't hear audibly - that seems nearly impossible for me. Even though I won't take ATL up as a new daily prayer method for myself, I definitely see the value of it and will strive to worship the Lord in this manner as well.
• Living with fifty different personalities - I know I am still a kid in many ways, but college and the "real world" has changed my thinking a lot the past several years and made me thing through why I believe what I do. I really enjoy many of the people I live with, but many are just out of high school and sometimes I can get irritated with them, mostly in not thinking before speaking. I just have to remember how I was as a kid, at that age, and still am sometimes - then, it's easy to work with the younger ones and many times I can be a good example and leader for them.
• Another note on the fact that many of the participants are just out of high school - many times I feel like the staff treats us as if we are all that way. A basic example of this is that when we walk around or head downtown, we have to have a certain number of people in a group and at least one guy (there is always at least one guy in a group I am with - obviously!) for safety reasons. Though this rule is good, a reason for it was, "We are responsible to return you safely back to your parents." Though I have recently moved most of my things back home and lived there briefly, I still have a full sense of independence and SELF-responsibility. I am okay with this for the most part, but it is different and takes a lot of getting used too.
• Food - though the food prepared isn't bad, we keep running out of everything every meal it seems - at breakfast this morning, we had cold cereal, but ran out of milk before half the people got through. This frustrates me as a significant portion of the funds I raised went to HDC and some of that towards their budget for our food. I just don't see how we can run out time after time, especially milk for cold cereal! But that's just me talking, pray that I can have more patience since this is the largest group they have ever had at one training - and that is a blessing.
  
• Lights out - this is the last thing my room has issues with. We have gotten very good at following that rule by now, but the guys in my room all really enjoy talking at night and it seems that we all get good rest (thus far at least) and don't mind others talking at night - but I am learning to understand and accept this policy - it just takes some getting used too.

I am began working on my "SP" (spiritual pilgrimage) which is a fancy word for "testimony" in my estimation. I don't present until November 13, but I realized how much I could miss if I didn't start thinking about it until then. I think I will learn a lot about my life when I think about what has impacted me spiritually - if you have any ideas, let me know for sure, but I think I have a lot of it covered thus far.

I have really enjoyed getting to know my STEP team and how our personalities will work together, but I will write about that later. I have put pieces of this together when I had a chance (yea, it's short but still took three time periods because we keep busy otherwise). I will list some prayer requests below and then a final interesting fact about myself this week.

• I sold my Jeep!! Pray the title transfer will be smooth.
• Pray that I continue to find quiet time with God, and when I do (it's in the schedule), I won't be distracted by other things - even other prayer requests. I need to value my devotion time.
• Pray that I have patience with other as I know others have and have had patience with me growing up.

Interesting fact: pictures will follow later, but as of Monday, September 17 at night, I'm bald.

First day at HDC

My first full day at HDC (Harrisburg Discipleship Center) is complete. I am writing this from my house approximately 5 blocks from the training center (I don’t have internet so you will notice the post time isn’t 11:20p on 9/10 – but that is when I am writing). I also will not be posting anywhere close to every night because I WILL BE needing ALL the rest I can get at night. Aside from the obvious reason for needed to sleep well every night is the fact that I will not have time for naps. The house I am staying at is about a 10 minute walk from the center, and only two leaders have keys and are not at the house except in the morning and evening and for a brief while in the afternoon. Therefore, when we have free time, I stay at the center while other people reside to there rooms for an enjoyable afternoon hiatus. HDC had so many participants that they could house them all on campus – and that is why myself along with eight other guys have been moved.

Let me tell you a little more about my sleeping quarters. It is in the “Hood”. When I say that, I’m not saying that because I grew up in farmland and when I lived in the city, I lived in a clean city and in the nice part – it really is the hood. When talking to people in downtown that heard we were going to "S Allison Hill" in Harrisburg (they didn't know we lived there), we were told several times to "be really careful". We have been instructed to “drive the walk” from the training center to the house we live in as much as possible because of the neighborhood – I really don’t think we would have had problems walking as a group, but this was the request of the authorities so we will comply (and now we get to drive the distance so who’s complaining?). The house is three stories with a living room, kitchen, three bedrooms (my room has four guys living in it) and one bathroom – 1!! We have gotten used to it because it is a very small bathroom at that, but when we woke up this morning, the water was running from the bathroom through the floor into the first story kitchen (and we’re talking another shower down there, not a trickle). Thankfully that is fixed, but gives you an idea of what we are working with.

The best part is that the guys I am living with are wonderful brothers in Christ. I have discovered many personalities that really seem to compliment each other. And one last thing, since this is an all guys house, it has been given a very manly name – so when you hear me refer to the “Beef House” in the future, that this home.

As for the training itself, today was orientation so I cannot gauge lessons, but I am sure things will be great after a smooth orientation today. Let me go over a few highlights of the day.

- My STEP team met together (the are about six or sever different teams training together at HDC) and things really have clicked personality wise and in our ability to relate (I like to call that “relatability”).

- The food isn’t bad, it may not be as balanced of a diet as I would prefer, but I have found ways to maintain a proper diet through this

- I had several opportunities to play Frisbee with some of the other guys and God blessed me with a group of guys that love many of the same things I do – I have my baseball glove out tomorrow, hopefully I get the same results

- And – “The Cat”

I am sure you are wondering about that last one – well, it really isn’t anything special, but was pure entertainment for me and several other guys today. This morning while breakfast was being prepared, I eyed a small cat (gray as a squirrel) crouching down and trying to pounce on one of the many squirrels in the lawn. The cat was very unsuccessful but provided great guy entertainment for about a half dozen of us. But the best part was during an afternoon break when I stepped outside with a Frisbee. I eyed a “large squirrel” across the lawn (a decent distance I must say) and took aim. The disc flew in line and took the intended slight bend to the left as it descended and dropped directly on the squirrel, which turned out to be the cat crouched and ready to pounce. I have not seen a cat jump like this one except on cartoons. I’m talking fully sprawled over a foot in the air, running before it landed on all fours to dart being a fence. This truly was a great moment in my life and has the focal point of some laughs on this first day.

In the future, I will hopefully have more substance to my blogs, but I wanted to share this first day and some of the experiences with you.

If you are interested in "snail mailing"me: send that to: Joshua Hershberger
333 S 13th St.
Harrisburg, PA 17104

You may also call me at 717-232-4224; ask for me; if I am not available they will send you to my mail box (423) and you may leave a message!

You can

Support Letter

This may not be formatted that well (I just copied it from Word), - and yea I know, I didn't have anything to really post yet and this is a lame excuse for a first post... but deal with it - haha.

8/10/2007

Dear blogreader,

Thank you for taking the time to read this as I tell you what the Lord has in store for me in the next months. I will be participating in the STEP program with the Brethren in Christ World Missions (BICWM). STEP stands for Service, Training, Evangelism, and Promoting spiritual growth and you can feel free to learn more about it at:

www.bic-church.org/wm/step and www.step-bicwm.net.

As defined by BICWM, STEP is a program for young adults of the Brethren in Christ Church who sense a calling to overseas ministry. This eight and a half month experience will include two months of discipleship and language training in Harrisburg, PA. Then I will travel to Honduras to continue studying Spanish and the Latino culture while living with a Honduran host family. During this time I will also begin to relate to the local Brethren in Christ Church. After eight weeks of language and cultural study my time will be focused on working along side the local Church leaders or a community organization in Honduras. I will also spend some time serving in a rural community in a variety of ways.

I will be commissioned on September 9 and begin training the following day. I am asking you to pray for me as I prepare for this experience. It will be a stretching time for me and I ask that you please remember me in prayer during this time. In the process of making this decision, I have told my family that I have noticed and felt the power of prayer more than I can remember in my life. If you can help me in this manner, please complete the form below and return it as directed. I want to have as many prayer partners as I can.

I am also in the process of raising the finances that are needed for me to participate in this program. I must raise $11,700 in donations for the program. This amount includes living costs and travel to Honduras and my training as defined by the Brethren in Christ World Missions office as well as a few personal costs that have been approved by the BICWM office as legitimate costs for a trip of this nature. All donations received will ultimately be directed through the BICWM office which covers the costs of the STEP program. ALL donations are fully tax deductible as permitted by law. Please prayerfully consider supporting me for these months through your regular prayers and finances. This amount can seem daunting both to me and to potential donors, but I have figured that it will easily be covered if fifty people are willing to donate $30 a month for eight months (please note that all commitments must be paid in full by the end of March 2008). Obviously, everyone will be impressed to give different amounts, but I think that breakdown makes the task seem much more manageable. My local church (Amherst Community Brethren in Christ) mission’s committee has reviewed my commitment and is very supportive in this venture of mine. BICWM has agreed that my funding should be collected through my home church. The committee will provide the congregation and donors with updates as my trips progresses. All monies donated will be transferred in their entirety towards my trip. Also, please note that BICWM has informed me that I need to have $3,750 in by September 7, 2007.

As you consider supporting me in a financial manner and with prayer, please feel free to email or call me personally with any questions or comments!

joshua.hershberger@gmail.com

330.234.3150 (mobile)

Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever I do, I must work at it with all my heart. I am working for the Lord, not for men. I know that I will receive an inheritance from the Lord as my reward. It is the Lord Christ I am serving.

Thank you so much for your prayers, encouragement and financial support.

In His Service,

Joshua Hershberger

Please return to Amherst Community Brethren in Christ Church by 8/31/07.

Check all that apply

_______ With the Lord’s help, I will be regularly praying for you while you are in STEP.

_______ I am enclosing a one time gift of $____________ toward your financial support for the STEP program.

_______ As the Lord provides, it is my intention to give $____________ toward your financial support for the STEP program by the end of March, 2008. I have enclosed $____________ of this commitment in this response.

_______ Please keep me updated through email as your trip progresses.

NAME: ________________________________________ PHONE:________________

ADDRESS: _____________________________________________________________

EMAIL: ________________________________________________________________

Contributions:

*Make checks payable to “Amherst Community Church”

*Designate clearly on the memo line for STEP program and my name

*Mail form to: Amherst Community Church

Attn: Ministry and Missions Team

8650 Beatty St NW

Massillon, OH 44646