Living in Community

Shevet Achim is a community of people living together to serve the Lord. The faces of the community change, for example I am here for 3 weeks, my daughter 2 months, another gal has been here 2 years. Volunteers come and go so organization and communication are vital for the smooth operation as responsibilities change from person to person. Currently, nine of us live at the location and three more come most days to serve who live in Jerusalem.

A few things I am appreciating...

1. Morning meetings- We gather almost everyday at 8am for worship, Bible study and prayer. Without remembering first that we are doing this work unto the Lord, it would just be a humanitarian work. At the end of this time, we receive our assignments for what needs to be done on that given day. Trips to the hospital, shopping, writing blogs, preparing dinner, working with the children and mothers, housecleaning, and so on are all divided out among the staff. The gifts of the body of Christ are put to work for His glory.

2. The "Book of Fun", as Natalie calls it. This notebook has listed out the areas of the house that need to be cleaned each day with specific tasks noted. For example, today's jobs included cleaning out the refrigerator, cleaning the tea pot, filling the tea station, cleaning the stove top, scrubbing the bathrooms and cleaning the living room, dining room and entry. With that the everyday jobs included washing dishes, drying and putting away, wiping appliances, sweeping and mopping, picking up liter in the garden, washing laundry, hanging on line, folding and putting away, and emptying trashes. The organization of these tasks helps keep the place looking spiffy and guides those who come to serve in this capacity.

3. Shared basic responsibilities. On the pantry door is a list of nine basic jobs that rotate week to week. Cooking dinner (this is a daily signup), setting the table, clearing the table (everyone), washing dishes, drying dishes (after dinner), cleaning the counter tops, taking out the trash, mopping the floor, preparing Gaza lunches. One rule seems to be stated most every night, if you cook, you don't wash dishes, but it is appreciated if you clean them as you can as you prepare. From my point of view, this adds to the fun of life together... "many hands make light work."

4. The open communication. I am trying to find my footing here, but a couple different times I have had a team member apologize to me for something that was done, or not communicated. Because I don't know what the "expectation" is for many things, I am appreciating their proactive openness in communication.

5. Grace. Where things don't go perfectly, their is no condemnation.