It must be quite frustrating for the few of those following our blog online to see so little posted about our lives here in
So, over the past few months a lot has transpired in our personal lives. Carrie is now engaged to be married, Nikki is now a proud aunt, and I am now employed with the government – just a short term position with The Census, but with the government nonetheless! (By the way, make sure you send in your Census information folks! We can’t move forward until you mail it in! *wink*) Just outside our door our neighbors are getting more and more comfortable with us as time passes. I have had several conversations with one particular neighbor next door and his children. I’ve volunteered to tutor his kids. Jacob’s in 8th grade and needs help with his math. He and I have gotten together once already and he’s doing great so far. His daughter (haven’t learned her name yet) may be attending Nikki’s afterschool program soon, God willing! And though every step forward towards deeper relationships in the neighborhood is encouraging, it also becomes more heartbreaking and emotional to watch my neighbors subject themselves to sinful behavior that tears down their souls and their family. Just a couple nights ago, for example, I came home from work and found almost every young person from the 2-flat apartment next door on their porch yelling, smoking, cursing…basically “chillin’” as they would say. There was an argument going on and it was quickly escalating. As I got in my apartment and sat down my purse I heard screaming and crying and realized the young couple on the porch were going at it on the front porch with their young child, in a stroller on the porch, being subjected to every shriek and curse word. I ran outside onto the porch…no shoes on…just socks…trying to diffuse the situation. I manager to help calm the girl down and reminded her that there were a lot of kids in our neighborhood and she should be mindful of the volume and language she was using. I invited her in to talk if she needed to just get away from her man whom she was arguing with (my neighbor’s older son). The guy’s sister told her, “Yeah she’s a church person…talk to her…” The young man started yelling again saying, “Yeah go talk to her…you can try talking to God too…I tried, and man…I think I’m a ‘A-thing’…what you call them people? (I SAID ‘AN ATHEIST) …YEAH! Man…cause the more I try to pray the worst things get for me!”
I said to him, “Come on man, you know God is real…” He said, “I don’t know…why it keep getting worse then?” This is when I reminded my young neighbor that just as real as God is, Satan is real too. I said, “You think he (Satan) is just gon’ sit by and chill while you try to get closer to God? …of course it’s gonna be hard. Satan’s making it hard for you man.” He threw his car keys at his [still] crying girlfriend/baby’s mother and told her to leave. She left…loudly…never looking at me during the time I was out there. My neighbor apologized for the disturbance and continued to talk with his ‘people’ on the porch. I went back into my apartment, physically shaking from the adrenaline stirred up during the whole fiasco. INTENSE…
I realize after 9 months here in this neighborhood this was only the beginning of interactions yet to unfold. To the average eye reconciliation, peace, and renewed minds and spirits may seem impossible where I live…but I’m reminded of Christ’s philosophy found in Matthew 19; NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD! I am also consistently encouraged by these two wonderful women of God that I am privileged to live with during this season of my life. Nikki's diligence and perseverence at the center that she works at here in the neighborhood is beyond commendable. She loves those children and takes WAAAAY too much from them! Carrie has pressed through the hardships of incarnational living; joining New Life Community Church and attending regularly, tutoring at Nikki's place of work and ministry, and building relationships with those she has met here in our neighborhood. It is not easy living where we live and keeping smiles on our faces and encouragement in our hearts...but we are here...and we are LOVING IT!
Please keep us in your prayers!
~Mona P.
