Whitnee's journey with Christ

Ephesians 4:11-16
11 He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

The work day had gone by rather quickly. Before I knew it, it was 5pm and the family and I were walking into Koinonia. When we pulled up I saw Raekwon, he was standing alongside his significant other and her children. We greeted one another and did a formal introduction and headed inside.

As we walked through the halls the aroma of fried chicken, collard greens, and black eyed peas filled the air. The big, bright smiles from Mr. Henry and Dave were very welcoming- it was the perfect pair to the meal we would soon be consuming. We laughed, we ate, we shared, and we fellowshipped. Couldn’t have asked for a better time together before the Koinonia scholars would soon be leaving for the Fireflies Stadium.

During dinner Mr. Richard was talking to the scholars about Juneteenth. He provided facts about the significance of the day and it was remarkable how attentive the young folks for. The beautiful thing about what he was talking about was that on June 19, 1865 there were speeches, sermons, meals, etc. being held in black churches.

We may not have had a sermon or been sitting in a predominantly black church, but we sure had a speech, shared a meal, and gathered together to celebrate freedom. We were able to celebrate unity, freedom, and much more.

Another beautiful thing about our time together was our dessert! We had watermelon! Fun fact: watermelon was eaten on Juneteenth by blacks as it served as key to freedom for many freed slaves.

Originally we had planned to attend the baseball game as a family- we’d never sat down and watched a baseball game together (we are basketball fans) so we were excited about it BUT God had other plans.

Out of the blue Rico asked if I wanted to see a movie. I hesitantly said “yes” but the events that took place after the movie left me with happy tears. We went to see the new Planet of the Apes movie and I must say, it was a very insightful movie with lots of subliminal messages and thought provoking emotions erupted from watching this movie.

After the movie Rico and I walked to the car. As we talked about how relevant the movie was there was a young man who appeared out of nowhere- he had been barefoot and maybe like he had been having some hard times. As I looked at the man I wished I had some shoes for him and before I know it, Rico said “a man what size shoes do you wear?” The man looked puzzled but then quickly replied, “size 12.” Rico told him “these are a size 10 (pointing at his feet).”

Rico then proceeded to take off his shoes before the young man could reply and handed them to him. Stunned by this kind gesture the nice young man thanked Rico and placed the shoes on his feet. It was a little struggle at first but he got them on.

Thinking this was something that Ralph or Willia Davis would have done my heart was so happy!

Simultaneously as I had just witnessed a true act of kindness; Kelly, Dave and others shared special moments with the precious scholars of Koinonia. To see such a beautiful group of young people come together on Juneteenth when they could have been any place else was simply amazing. Thanks to Mr. Richard Hammond and his community partners, 41 people got to attend the game as a beloved family.

I was so excited to come home and write that I could barely hold my composure. But when I got home the enemy just knew he had to do something- I was locked out. The automated door lock would not work no matter how many things I tried. For the first time I was locked out, phone was not fully charged, the security alarm company was not answering or responding to my online chat message and on top of it I was due to pick my boys up from Kelly at any minute.

Rico came over and tried to get in but was unsuccessful. Almost an hour went by and as Kelly brought the boys home, the AD&T representative said I would need to contact a locksmith. Defeat was almost evident at this point but we didn’t give up that easily. Malachi and William headed to the backyard and were moments away from trying to get it but God did a beautiful thing and gave Rico the courage and wisdom to get in.

You see one of the messages I took away from Planet of the Apes is, we are stronger together! Noah asked the question can humans and apes truly live side by side? The book of Ephesians came to mind (re-read todays scripture above). Here we are over 150 years later and we as a people act like we still can’t function where blacks and whites are equal. One will always feel inferior to the other but if we realize we are all created equal and each are a part of the body of Christ- things would be better.

Just as the blacks in Texas in 1865 discovered their freedom, I pray we continue to grow in spiritual knowledge and psychological freedom. Many of us are imprisoned because of our way of thinking. Truth be told some of our mindsets still have us enslaved or in captivity.

It is my prayer just as we strive each day to be more like Christ, I pray we will learn unity is God’s design and that we strive to empower one another verses tearing one another down. It’s folks like Kelly, Rico, Dave, Mr. Henry, D’Asia, Raekwon, Mr. Richard and Mrs. Carolyn, Ms. Marcella, Mr. Henry, Julia, Mr. Hammond, and Morgan that the continued fight for equality, freedom, peace and Justice worth fighting alongside them daily.

Special shout-out to Koinonia of Columbia for the gift of empowerment for our youth. Though the program serves the Eau Claire community, the love, talents, and mission goes well beyond the 29203 zip code.

Lastly, like Mr. Raekwon says S/O to God who is the Head of my life- thank you Lord for showing beauty in everything and for allowing us to have such a meaningful day in observance for those who paved the way for each of us.