Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Gomper Stompin'

Bonjour tout le monde!


        It is a foggy Tuesday in the fabled "City of Champions". I drive past that welcoming billboard on 9th St. everyday as I come into work. It reminds me of Jackie Joyner Kersie, the Olympic gold medalist, who came out of East St. Louis. It reminds me of the kids I have seen win championships in the past. It reminds me also of the East St. Louis high school football team that missed the state play offs because of the strike and of athletes who might have picked up scholarships as scouts watched them in their games, perhaps missing out on their shot at success. Most of all, it reminds me of the importance of what is found in this community.

      Within the rubble-filled streets covered in broken booze bottles and massive pot holes(one of which nearly devoured a truck of mine a few years back) crossing through the Samuel Gompers projects there are a lot of people who reflect these images. Here one will see some abandoned homes overgrown by plants across from the public school.  Right next to our community center is an apartment complex that burned down a few years ago. Inside of the habitable spaces broken families are also easy to find. Abuse cases, poverty, drug use, and a general lack of hope run rampant. However, champions don't stay down. I see in many of these kids and their parents a will that won't break. I see God move in them daily. This is the City of Champions.

      My kids are getting ready for their first tournament this Saturday. They have trained hard. They have technique, endurance, strength, and mentality. More imprtantly, they have good character. I know that they will represent their fellow students, their families, and their community with honor. The days get fewer as they make their final preparations for the first of several competitions. It will be a big day indeed, regardless of the outcome.

     I run laps around the community frequently and, I keep seeing this hope in its residents. I am getting ready for a fight of my own, and it reminds of how in competing I am my students' champion. When I fight, I represent them. I represent the Gompers. In my last fight I carried a Nicaraguan flag to the cage because that was the community I represented. I still do. It is pressure, but I must represent them all well. This does not mean always winning the fight, but rather it means showing the outstanding character I see in them.

     It is said that as believers we are ambassadors of Christ to this world. Therefore it is of the utmost imporatance that people see Jesus in our thoughts, words, and actions. An ambassador tries to show the best of their country so that others will see the greatness of their homeland. This is the cause I want these kids to champion most of all. Their competition is awesome, but it is only part of their story. It only impacts parts of their lives. Our walks with Christ are all-encompassing. They involve every aspect of who we are, and it is important for us to understand that whatever we do, we represent Him before others. We are fighting, but we can show kindness, patience, humility, joy, gentleness, self-control, and above all love in any struggle against any circumstances.

     I am reminded of this everytime I step out into the Gompers. God is present even in the midst of the worst looking places. Just yesterday I had a young girl who came tome saying that she almost got kicked out of school on the first day back after the strike. She said her friend got jumped by some other kids. She wanted so badly to get involved. She then said that she realized that if she fought, she wouldn't be allowed back into martial arts class, so she stayed out of it. The other kids were kicked out of school. We must be present in the same way as God wherever we are. We need to be salt and light and keep our eyes peeled for the glimmers that poke through the darkness. You never know who is watching for that light to get out of their tunnels or what they will do once they get to the other side. God bless the City of Champions!

Gott segne dich!

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