I interviewed my pastor, Matthew Colwell. He is a part of teams in Knox's community that fight against injustice, bringing the world a little closer to how God wants it. There are so many instances of people hurting, but with people, with people, things can change. He participated with a group of other pastors outside of Knox to organize a faith-based protest after the George Floyd incident, and as an upstander, he helps to push for positive change with many forms injustice. In doing so, he lights a spark in others as well, and I think that’s something we always need.
Ideas
I think the toughest thing for me was coming up with ideas. For my exhibit, I had thought that maybe I could make a pillow, but after contacting Ms. Bizar, I realized that wasn’t what I wanted to do. There needs to be a reason why I made my exhibit the way it is. But then it clicked. In the church, everyone has a voice. I chose the puzzle to represent community, a community that everyone is a part of. It extends further than just Knox - everyone is connected in some way.
And then there was writing. I knew that I felt some way that I wanted to let people know something, but figuring out how I was going to put that into words was tough. Even now, as I write, I hope that what I want to say comes across how I plan. I hope you can understand and hear these words.
Exhibit
A Short Video With A Few Words On My Exhibit
Stories Mentioned Above (short summaries)
Ruth and Naomi - Naomi is a Judean who settles in Moab with her husband and two sons. However, both her children and her husband die. She tells her two daughters-in-law to leave and one of them, Orpah, does, but Ruth stays and supports her and they make their way to Bethlehem.
Mary and Joseph - Mary, who is pregnant, along with Joseph, are heading to Bethlehem. Everywhere is full, and they have no place to go, until finally, an innkeeper allows them to stay the night.
Jonah and the whale - God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh, but he runs away at sea. God sends a storm, and Jonah is thrown overboard. He is swallowed by a sea creature of sorts for three days and three nights until he's spit out onto shore to fulfill his duty.
Now
After the interview, I felt a sense of joy. It left me with the sense that I had done something. When the opportunity comes, I want to go down to Mexico with others from the church to the casa orphanage. It’s harder, to try and do things during this pandemic, but I want to see what I can do, I want to get more involved with Knox. I want to see where I can take myself, with the help of those around me.
Pastor Matt said that if you want to get involved, you should "pick some arena that touches your heart or that interests you, and try to dig in deep, try to hold onto it for a while so you can wrap your head around it". This was around the time when there were a lot of fires, and it got me thinking about the climate, about what I can do for it. Nothing's certain, but I want to head in that direction, so as to make things certain, so as to figure me out.
"But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." - Amos 5:24 ESV