Saturday, June 17, 2006

The 2nd time...

Well, it was raining last night...hard, big time hard! Which is great here in Abilene, as you know. I think the last time it rained was March 1999. Well, maybe not, but it seemed like it. I was writing this cool post when the dang electricity went out. Needless to say, I am writing this now for the second time, yuk....

Yesterday was an interesting day for me. I was outside with Sofia working on a small "project," as I like to say, when a neighbor came by and started up a conversation. I had met Mo (that's not his real name) a few months earlier but hadn't spoken with him in a while. Oddly, Mo starting talking about all the bad things he had to deal with. How this person had done him wrong, how he had to deal with this, and so on....The conversation lasted about 30 minutes (that is a conservative guess as it felt much longer). I mention Mo because this is what we encounter here in the Friendship House neighborhood (as with many). While I think Mo has some "negativity" issues to deal with (duh!), we are finding that many of our neighbors live a little more weathered life than we have had. Most work blue-collared jobs, most don't make a lot of money. They are the typical stereotype.

What is cool, however, is that these folks are open. They have been so receptive to us. When Steph walks the neighborhood and when all three of us walk around in the evenings, we are always recieved warmly with a seemingly genuine interest in what the Friendship House is all about. What a blessing! Hopefully the love we are trying to live here will find its way into these open hearts and the Lord will be seen. That is really what we are here for...at least we think so.

The house is coming along. Some more painting needs to be done and a little more roofing. But all in all, this place looks world's better than when we first found it. We have moved away from the "haunted house" motif. An older couple that used to live here comes by from time to time. They are so pleased with all that is going on. While they were living here they had a pet turtle. Well, the turtle eventually died and was buried in the back yard. Not too long ago this sweet little family came by to check on the status of things and decided they wanted to dig up this turtle. Yikes! Well, this is what they did. They had their grown up kids and a grandchild with them so they barrowed a shovel and went to work. I lit some candles inside and said some Hail Mary's because I am sure there is something weird about this. However, they really enjoyed themselves and we now have some freshly turned earth in our backyard.

Oddly enough, I think this is what the Friendship House is for. Things may seem weird and we may have some odd visitors (I assure you we have) come by, but we want people to lose their inabitions here and open themselves up. Only then, I think, can we start to help them.

Changing thoughts...

We are having a parenting seminar here on Tuesday. Come on by if you want! We are teaching this because our daughter is absolutely perfect and we have it all figured out when it comes to raising children (lightning just flashed outside!!!!). Truthfully, we are not teaching this...someone from a government agency is coming. So, we will open up our home and hopefully the neighbors will come. Hopefully they will learn something they didn't know, but, at the very least, with any luck, we will make some new friends.

On that note, I need to start cleaning the house. Sofia is asleep and Steph is taking a Body Jam seminar all weekend. So that leaves me. I need to let you go....I will be back soon. The house will be clean if any of you want to drop bye.

Lots of love.....

No comments: