HOPE.
Which is kinda awkward for me to write because 1) that's my own name and 2) that is one heck of a word to use, filled with such great power and meaning. However, I truly believe this is the word God has placed on my heart for Rocky Ford, the kind of hope only He can bring.
From the start of this little trip with my youth group, the Lord was clearly placing signs of hope in my path. When you travel 12 hours through barren plains and ghost towns, you learn a lot more about hope than you ever thought you knew. When the entire duration of your drive through the Oklahoma panhandle provides you with no phone service, you learn a lot about hope. And when you venture through a town called Happy, Texas and can't even find an open building to use the restroom in, I can assure you, you learn a lot about hope! It was in these little moments I first felt God truly opening my heart to this idea of hope.
We arrived in Rocky Ford around 6:30 in the evening, and though the sun was setting, I could already see some of the character of the little town. Rocky Ford is a tiny city located in southeastern Colorado, and unlike much of the remaining and better-known areas of Colorado, it has no mountain views and no timber woods. In fact, Rocky Ford looks a lot like a town in West Texas or Oklahoma or Nebraska: just a plain, rural farming community. Rocky Ford is not the prettiest of places, and it's not a hopping tourist destination...but it's one of the most beautiful, hope-inspiring, Jesus-shining cities I've ever been to.
The town has only one high school, one movie theater, and no malls. The closest thing they have to a shopping strip is the little line of shops found on Main Street, and even there many businesses have closed their doors due to lack of business. When I first saw Rocky Ford in the daylight, it was kinda hard to grasp coming from my booming hometown. I have seen plenty of small towns before, but Rocky Ford was different; Rocky Ford had little hope.
Our first day in the city confirmed the vibe I got just from seeing the downtown strip. After hearing from the city manager, we learned that the people of Rocky Ford needed God's hope in more ways than we knew. A heroine epidemic, plentiful poverty, and an empty tax base were all hitting Rocky Ford...and hard. As we continued through the week, doing things like prayer walks and meeting with community leaders, we learned even further the depth of the need in the city. I had no idea. It was so much more than my eye could see. God showed me that even Rocky Ford hid brokenness and pain. It hurt, shocked, and puzzled me.
But He didn't end there.
As God showed me the need in the community, He also showed an abundance of His hope and provision. He showed me hope at the First United Methodist Church of Rocky Ford, where church members served and ate chili with us and little old ladies came up to kiss my cheeks and give me giant love-filled hugs. In meeting local farmers and hearing about their migrant workers, He whispered ideas into my brain to bring hope to them. Hearing the giggles and squeals from the church preschool when our students came to visit them...that brought me hope. CHRIST showed me HOPE in Rocky Ford, and it was so, so beautiful.
We spent only three days in Rocky Ford, but I felt like I learned so much about this precious city within that short time frame. More than that, I learned about God and His love for ALL people. The meek and the strong. The big and the small. His love is there with them. His love is everywhere, in all places, and it fills all things. What a JOY that is to witness.
I won't be back in Rocky Ford until our mission trip there this June, and that pains and excites my heart all at the same time! For right now, I am focusing on praying for my sweet new brothers and sisters in Rocky Ford as well as praising God--in advance--for the work I know He will do with our mission this summer. Would you please consider praying with me also, starting now, for this beautiful city? Even though you might not have been there yet, I can guarantee you that God has AMAZING things in store for this place, and I long for you to see the same hope I saw this past week lived out in Rocky Ford. Because HOPE is exactly what is happening here.
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