Kicking Around New Ideas

This week has been another busy and exciting adventure with Heart Support. As we continue forward for the month of May and the platform of spreading and instilling community, I have been blown away by the response of our followers. Many have written in explaining what community means to them or, what it is that they look for in a community. Many have thanked us for the dedication and time that we give to the organization but many more have also explained that they want to find ways to implement Heart Support in their own communities.

I’m excited to speak to Jake on this and see if there’s something we can do to actually make it a reality. Many of the people we’re reaching and talking with are college students going through some major changes in their lives, and if we can be a part of that discussion I think it might be another way to extend the idea of faith. There’s a number of organizations that have begun to set up chapter programs, both at the high school and college levels, in order to bring their causes to a new spectrum and a newer community. A chapter is much like a club on campus, and while the group may do their own things to spread knowledge and awareness, they’re also upholding the mission statement and goals of the organization they are representing. In this case, schools and organizations would be aiming to support and portray the message of “Restore. Reclaim. Rise Above” to the communities in which they are a part.

I know that this may be a large endeavor but it’s something I’m very interested in sharing with Jake and other members of the team. I know the biggest challenge we’re facing right now is that sometimes the community, and the response from those we follow, seems stagnant. This is a particular issue with the social media sites although, the idea of have pictures and banners be represented to show support for our mission has been a big help this month. Like I said, it requires quite a bit of work for a new organization, and for someone with Jake’s touring schedule, but I’d at least like to present the idea, have the discussion, and go from there. This could potentially be an idea that gets Heart Support on the map as a group dealing with mental health issues and questions of spirituality.

My time with Heart Support has been wonderful. I’ve learned a lot about the upkeep of a website, the functioning and processing of materials, and I love the fact that I get to interact with people and hear their stories everyday. However, I’ve noticed a particular challenge this month as my own studies come to a close; I’ve realized that I struggle with time and wondering whether or not I’m doing enough to contribute to the organization and their specific needs. Of course, I follow up and dedicate time to each project that Jake and the team shares with me but sometimes I wonder if there is more I should be doing. More of an active and forward role I should be taking for the team. I know that my work ethic is 100% to this team and all that it stands for- it’s just a matter of keeping up that steam and trusting that I am worthy and necessary for this position. I’m still learning- each day is a new experience for that- but through Heart Support, and through my weekly updates with Jake, God has begun to equip me with more skills and more opportunities for conversation than I could have every imagined.

While May is still very much an active month, we’ve all begun looking forward to June and the topics to discuss. After speaking with and presenting my thoughts to Jake and his wife, I think we’re going to tackle the idea of forgiveness. It’s always a rough pill to swallow, but we’ll be attempting to deal with situations like, “Who do you still need to forgive? What does forgiveness actually look like? How can we know that Jesus has forgiven us? What if we need to forgive ourselves?” So, it’s going to be a challenging month for all of us, I think. Hopefully, there will be a lot of good discussion and conversation as we attempt to think of ways to revamp our social media outlets.

Restore. Reclaim. Rise Above.