Thursday, March 19, 2009

Zion

This week, Hubbie and I were able to help out with a project in a local cemetery called Zion Cemetery.  There was a college spring break conference for people here in Memphis this week called The Rising.  Hubbie's office mate is the leader/director of The Rising.  For more about The Rising and its vision click here.  The basic concept is to get people to talk about/discuss how to live out the gospel where there is division.  This division can be caused by socio-economic lines, classism, racism, etc.  During their week, one of the things they were apart of was restoring an abandoned cemetery. Sounds kind of weird, I know.  That was kind of what I thought when Hubbie and I were asked to help out with it.  But after serving that day raking, tearing stubborn vines, clearing dead trees, and picking up random trash (we found an old bed frame and an old carpet while we were clearing), there was something very redeeming about the day.  The day before we did a little research to find out what this Zion Cemetery really was.  It was interesting and even inspiring.  Here is a little video about Zion Cemetery.  An interesting fact is the first African American female physician is buried there and yet the cemetery itself looks like a jungle...well not the first 4 acres, but the last part of it does.  The little team I led was in charge of clearing a section.  I felt like I was in a jungle with all the vines and brush.   Hubbie also led a team and of course we were next to one another and of course we joked it was a competition to see who could clear the most, but you know in all jest there is a bit of seriousness...okay maybe a little more than a little.  We did have a great time getting to know some college students and talking with them about all kinds of things under the sun.  

It was a day well spent!

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