monday monday...
Today Bruce & Helen gave us a ride to the church. Our first day alone at the church, just Jacob and I and the kids. I'm not sure what route we took to get there exactly - but it wasn't the route John takes when we go with him. Today we avoided the run-down stores and buildings and stuck to residential streets instead. I guess it's easier to pretend the poverty and hardship don't exist when you can't see it. However, I know that I am guilty of ignoring those problems in my own city too. At least by driving alongs Hastings in Vancouver, one can't ignore the problems that are there. Isn't that supposed to be an important step in recovery - admitting there is a problem?

Today I found myself withing that I could promise these kids a bright future... there are a lot of things I wish I could promise them - like food and clothes and safety. I know too well, though, that many of them are headed for a future filled with institutions that will continue to take advantage of them. What I can do now is minister to them and with them through an institution that won't take advantage of them.

We played 'Trouble' for awhile today, me and some of the kids. We have no pieces for the game, though, so we used lego pieces instead. Thankfully the die is built into that bubble thing in the middle, so we didn't need to go looking for that. My favourite line was from the boy who kept talking about getting his pieces back to his "crib" - i.e. the home safe area. It was pretty funny.

The neighbourhood around the church is called "Hope Park", so John is thinking of calling the congregation "Living Hope Community of Christ" (or something close to that) which I think is a great name. If the church can provide children and adults at least with a sense of hope, then that is great. True, other needs must be met as well. Churches should not only cater to the spiritual needs of members, but to the physical needs as well. How is someone supposed to sit through a church service if they didn't have any breakfast and know they won't have any lunch? Churches also need to be prophetic - challenging the institutions that oppress the people the church works with. It is easy to identify these roles... it is much harder to fulfill them.

By the way, you can leave comments on here if you like, and you can email me... I noticed that homesickness was tapping me on the shoulder the other night, and I'm trying to ignore it by keeping in touch with some familiar souls.