I got a phone call this week. In an of itself a phone call isn't a big deal, but what was a big deal was who made the call. I got a call from a woman in the community who had some theological type questions. I had met her and she kept my card, which is how she got my number. To me this was really awesome because it demonstrates to me that I was able to make some sort of impact, and a pastoral impact, on the neighborhood. No, I suppose a phone call isn't a big deal, but this was a little victory for me.With the cold weather I haven't been in the streets too much. I have been able to visit people in their homes. This is another little victory. People invite me in and ask me to stay. I've had some pretty bad coffee, but I've had some pretty deep conversations with people. This is really fantastic as I haven't been at this too terrible long and I've been able to make these relationships.
The community development organization that I've been working with is starting to come together. I spent some time researching this vacant and abandoned housing situation, contacting code enforcement and looking at options. I met last night with the president of TAP and he asked me to head up this initiative. We both thing this issue will provide a rallying point for the group and stimulate the organization. This will be a quick and easy victory upon which we can capitalize to build momentum for larger and longer term issues like education.
God is using me in this ministry. I was pretty impatient in the beginning, but I'm beginning to see fruit from my labors and that is fulfilling. I'm also looking ahead to see how this effort can be sustained.
