"A man's heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps". (Proverbs 16:9)

 

I had lots of plans for my life but none of them were what God had planned for me. My plans were good plans, I had just left God out when I made them. I had been raised in an anti-Christian/anti-religious home and therefore God had never even entered the picture when I thought about my future.

 

On February 16, 1985 God finally got a hold of my heart. He had been wooing me for several years and I finally surrendered my heart, soul, and life to Jesus and made Him Lord of my life. This was not a causal decision and my life has never been the same since.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105)

When God directed my steps He did it one step at a time. I did not get a flood lamp worth of direction, I only got a spotlight worth. As His lamp shown on each step I was to take, the plans for my life slowly changed. Today I no longer live for myself. Instead I live for God. Alpha Omega Christian Communities For The Chemically Injured, Inc. (AOCCCI) is where it is today one step at a time lighted by God’s lamp.

History

1985 was a year full of changes. Not only did I become a Christian, but less then three months later I received my BA in Environmental Studies and Planning from Sonoma State University, which is located fifty miles north of San Francisco in beautiful Sonoma County. When I was in high school I had decided to become a special education teacher and had never wavered. When I graduated from college I only needed to complete a yearlong certificate program and then I would be qualified to teach in an elementary school. I never got that certificate.

After becoming a Christian, for the first time in my life, I started questioning my decision to become a teacher. In the years to follow I would become convinced God had a different calling on my life.

In 1987 I started developing some health problems.  (Click on 'Testimonies' above to read my story).

While many people become angry with God when suffering the kinds of problems I faced during the next decade, illness only brought me closer to God. I always believed God would heal me and so decided to spend my time growing in the Lord. Even when I was so sick I could not concentrate on the written word: I would listen to books, sermons, Bible Studies and even the Bible itself on tape. I also started working on myself. I was determined to heal from all my past emotional wounds and to grow in the Lord. I wanted to be ready to do whatever God had planned for me when He did physically heal me. I was completely healed November of 1996.

Before meeting Lee Grover, co-founder of AOCCCI, I had never heard of intentional communities. Our meeting was a God ordained event. God told Lee to move to New Brunsfel. He moved to a smaller nearby town instead. Both towns are less then an hour drive from San Antonio Texas. We both just happened to have a mutual pen pal with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS). She wrote both of us, providing contact information. We immediately developed a platonic friendship as we had so much in common. Lee was a retired wild life biologist. I had majored in Environmental Studies and Planning. We were both Bible believing Christians, both had MCS, along with other common interests. But intentional communities and AOCCCI was not one of them. I was happy to provide him a little female perspective on some issues but that was it. Four years of college dorm living had been enough community living for me.

Then in 1996 God reached into my heart and everything changed. On April 1^st I had no interest in AOCCCI. By the end of the month God had changed my attitude and heart towards AOCCCI and intentional communities. I knew God had called me into this ministry. It was like He had done a spiritual heart transplant.

For the next few months Lee and I worked together. I was basically his part-time secretary, as I knew how to type. The first order of business was to pray about a name and become incorporated. Texas officially certified AOCCCI on September 17, 1996.

Though there had been some strife between Lee and I after God healed me in part because I suddenly had more energy and ability to function, I never expected to receive a letter from Lee in February of 1997 stating that God had told him to resign from AOCCCI. Suddenly I was president by default. Not having any experience in forming or even running a non-profit organization I momentarily panicked. Through prayer God calmed me and provided the direction I needed.

The IRS officially incorporated AOCCCI in 1998.

When God called me into ministry I thought I would never have to worry about getting a Master’s degree. I assumed I would always be part of AOCCCI and therefore an advanced degree would be unnecessary. But again my plans and God’s plans were not the same. God called me to enroll in Seminary, which I did in the fall of 1999. I attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary until 2004 when an injury forced me to drop out. I completed half of my Master’s of Divinity degree.

During the last few years I have been spending my time writing newsletter articles for my online newsletter, "Healing God’s Way". I have also spent my time working on and updating AOCCCI's web site, and web sites for others. I have attended Seminary on a part-time basis. I have made multiple attempts to locate board members, without much success. I have tried to form a small core group to help run this ministry, again without success. I have attended many seminars provided by the Nonprofit Resource Center of Texas. I have attended several Christian conferences and conventions and one Fellowship for Intentional Communities conference. I have tried to learn everything I can to do the job God called me to do. And of course, I have prayed and prayed and prayed…

On June 15, 2004 some potholes in the sidewalk caused me to trip. I was severally injured. Most of my injuries would heal but months later my right hand continued to be very swollen and in a lot of pain. X-rays showed nothing had broken or torn. It took months of therapy (September to May) but today I have some use of my right hand. The swelling is gone. I haven’t needed a pain pill in months. Thanks to a wonderful occupational hand therapist I can once again do many things with my right hand. Unfortunately I have not regained full use of the hand. The joints of my fingers remain very stiff. I continue to do my hand exercises and I will never give up praying for a complete healing.  (2007 update: My hand has continued to improve and is about 95%.   I only have occasional stiffness.)

Because of my injury much of the work of AOCCCI was put on hold. I did manage to get Healing God’s Way newsletters out on time and complete other mandatory tasks. But work that was not 100% necessary I simply could not cope with for months. I am now trying to catch up. I hope also to return to seminary someday as soon as the money is available.

Obstacles

Forming an intentional community is very challenging. It can take years of planning and lots of money to succeed. Many do not. Some of the more successful communities started out small. Just a group sharing a large house. This method has especially worked well when the members do not have a lot of money for buying property.

One major obstacle AOCCCI has endured is a lack or donations. The few donations that have come in have been used for operating expenses, leaving nothing for buying property.

Another obstacle AOCCCI has run into are people with MCS wanting to volunteer but not having the ability to do so because they lived so far away.

In the past I have tried to gather a group together to form a house community. I established an Internet mailing list group where we could all get to know each other. People signed up but then would not participate. I tried everything I could think of to engage them but nothing seemed to work. I often wondered what they expected? I asked personal questions but rarely got an answer. It seemed they would join and then drop off the earth. Did they expect me to just go out and buy a house and do everything? I have no idea what they expected, but I do know I can not afford to buy a house and I do NOT want to be a spiritual dictator.

 Solution

One way to solve both of these problems is to form a group of us to communally live together in a large house or several homes near each other. We would probably have to rent. I am not talking about sharing a house like roommates do. I am talking about creating a small intentional community where we would share meals and other activities together.

Some members may be healthy but have a heart to help individuals with MCS. Other members may have MCS.

Some members may have a paid job somewhere and only volunteer a little of their time towards the community. Other members may be ill, on disability, but able to volunteer part-time.

All communities are made up of folks with all sorts of skills and talents. The same would be true for our little community. Some will have computer skills and can help in the office. Others may not even know how to turn a computer on. That is okay. God has given us all different talents and skills. All parts of the body are needed: hands, feet, eyes, ears, etc. The same is true for an intentional community.

Our little community will be a religious community. AOCCCI is a Christian non-denominational ministry based on the teachings of the Bible. I may have attended a Baptist Seminary, but that does not mean AOCCCI is a Baptist organization. I have also attended a Lutheran Church, a Covenant Church, an Assembly of God Church, a non-denominational Church, a Messianic Church, and even regularly went to a Catholic Church with a friend. Denomination means nothing to me. I worship God, not a denomination. My faith is based on the Bible, not man made teachings.

I envision our community worshiping, studying the Bible, and praying together. Maybe we will be a home church: maybe not. Maybe we will each attend a different local church in town and only worship and pray together a few times a week. The members will make that decision.

Our little community will be an environmentally conscious group. AOCCCI was founded to help individuals with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. Many chemicals are hurting people and the planet. It should not matter whether or not our community is made up of healthy folks, folks with MCS, or half and half. I suffered from MCS for almost a decade before God healed me. I also majored in Environmental Studies and Planning before I even heard of this disease. I believe respecting all of God’s creation is part of my Christian duty. I imagine us having an organic garden.

As I write this I live in a HUD supported apartment complex on the second floor in San Antonio Texas. I believe God is leading me to move out to a small Texas town. Where that town is I have no idea.

Members

Some who read this will immediately know this is not the community they are looking for. Some will be excited by what they read. Others will be uncertain.

If after reading this introduction you know you belong someplace else, God bless you. I pray God leads you to the community where you can feel at home.

If you fall into one of the other categories, lets get to know each other. Please share yourself with me. We may be living together communally someday, so be honest. Ask questions. Tell me about yourself. If appropriate I can gladly set up a mailing list where we can all share with each other. If several responding do not have a computer then maybe we could each write a letter once a month, I can make copies of the letters and distribute them to all the members. Somehow we will communicate with each other.

If at any time you decide this community is not for you, great. That insight needs to be made before we uproot ourselves and move in together.

I believe God is behind this community. He knows who He wants to be members of AOCCCI’s first community. I am confident He will bring us all together and that a little community will be formed