Listen, be patient, and love

It was a beautiful scene returning home to East End Avenue after a full day of making house calls to refugees brand new to Lancaster and the U.S. Some neighbors were relaxing on porches and others were walking along the sidewalk enjoying the summer sun. Nick and I were returning with a bag of towels for the refugees we will be teaching ESL to in Harrisburg tomorrow. Two little girls approached us, asking if we needed help. Nick gladly accepted (we are both learning that receiving help and hospitality is a wonderful gift) and walked along with the girls.

Meanwhile, there was an elderly man strolling slowly along near the house. "How are you all enjoying the neighborhood so far?" he asked smiling. I told him it has been great getting to know the stories of the people in the city, and soon he was telling me his. Wesley, age 68, was diagnosed with bladder cancer two years ago. After a recent surgery, he now walks down East End Avenue everyday for physical therapy, training his body back up because he knows he can. His story was beautiful, and I wanted him to keep talking, but all he wanted to do was hear my story and talk to me about my future. We talked news, health, medicine, nutrition, history, racism, creativity, and future generations. He even told me he wants me to invest in youth and write a childrens' book with vegetables! Everything he said was thoughtful, and I received much encouragement from him.

Time flew by as we conversed, and I realized the sun was falling lower in the sky. When I looked up, I saw that Nick was playing foursquare with the two girls, Doralis and Patricia, and others were joining in. The evening in front of the house became full of foursquare, collages, Fathers' Day cards being made on the porch, and new dance moves being learned from six-year-old Amanda. It's nearly 11:00 pm now, school is officially out for the summer, and the sounds of laughter, harmonicas, bouncing foursquare balls, and kids' voices are still filling the sidewalk.

After a restless night thinking and praying about big issues of Jesus' mission and mine, God gave me so much joy and peace today. Living in this city is richly rewarding and God is revealing himself in the most unexpected of ways, through 6-year-olds and 68-year-olds. "Listen, be patient, and love," He quietly whispers.