Those who came by here last week
will recall that after God provided me with communication and transportation,
He and I had turned our collective Attention to accommodation, and that I had
what looked like a promising possible place to live (though I also had a
backup). The promising possibility was South House, 
a home on the southwest edge of downtown Flint, maintained by a Christian couple for people God brings to them, and it is from South House that I write. The main problem at South House is deciding where to perch for reading or writing or lunch, whether in the sun-soaked dining room, as I did today, or in one of the living room’s ample seats, or on the enclosed patio,
or the sunny terrace surrounded by sumptuous flower pots, or in the swinging love seat beneath the trees in the shady
backyard, 
or in the privacy of my own room, where I must choose between desk, sofa,
lazy-boy and bed. When you throw in the company of my three housemates (though
they may go unseen for days) the contrast with my monkish dwelling in Lisbon is
stark. I’ll adjust.
The last item on my Flint
Arrival To-do List is to find employment, and towards that end I’ve been
networking aggressively, meeting lots of helpful, prayerful people who have
been very encouraging. The big question for me at this point is whether UnderOne rooF (UFO), the project we are hoping to launch in Lisbon,
will be my full-time job here, or just something I work on in my spare time. Would
you please ask God to make it clear to me what He’d like me to do?
Speaking of prayer, I’ve spent time this week with a little healing prayer group from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Flint. Along with praying for lots of other people, they anointed me with oil, laid hands on me, and prayed for me, too (twice). I think God loves to demonstrate His power and love in response to the prayers of His kids, and I don’t think we ask Him nearly enough. I hope to continue to be involved with this little group. Please let me know how we can pray for you, and you see if it doesn’t make a difference in your life!
One of the most striking things about Flint is the vast distances. In Lisbon I walk to the corner grocer for bread and greet a handful of neighbors on the way. To get anywhere here I get in my car, my private bubble, and drive for miles and miles. The car is just the thing to keep those pesky neighbors from bothering me. This has profound effects. It has often been observed that we’re different in our cars, but have you noticed the resemblance between who you are in your car and Donald Trump? Is your SUV a rolling wall along your border with Mexico?
Speaking of bread, we knew about the Flint Water Crisis, we knew it’s a food desert, where fresh produce is scarce and expensive, but what we didn’t know is there’s no bread! What is sold as bread is a spongy bread-like product baked during the Bush administration. Nobody’s baking fresh bread. I emailed A Padaria Portuguesa (The Portuguese Bakery) a company that’s putting cute little coffee shop bakeries on every block in Lisbon, each with the signature bicycle with basket, but they said they’re not ready to expand to Flint. Would it be cheaper to fly Flintstones to Lisbon for bakery training, or to fly Alfacinhos (Little Lettuces, natives of Lisbon) who bake, here?
Speaking of prayer, I’ve spent time this week with a little healing prayer group from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Flint. Along with praying for lots of other people, they anointed me with oil, laid hands on me, and prayed for me, too (twice). I think God loves to demonstrate His power and love in response to the prayers of His kids, and I don’t think we ask Him nearly enough. I hope to continue to be involved with this little group. Please let me know how we can pray for you, and you see if it doesn’t make a difference in your life!
One of the most striking things about Flint is the vast distances. In Lisbon I walk to the corner grocer for bread and greet a handful of neighbors on the way. To get anywhere here I get in my car, my private bubble, and drive for miles and miles. The car is just the thing to keep those pesky neighbors from bothering me. This has profound effects. It has often been observed that we’re different in our cars, but have you noticed the resemblance between who you are in your car and Donald Trump? Is your SUV a rolling wall along your border with Mexico?
Speaking of bread, we knew about the Flint Water Crisis, we knew it’s a food desert, where fresh produce is scarce and expensive, but what we didn’t know is there’s no bread! What is sold as bread is a spongy bread-like product baked during the Bush administration. Nobody’s baking fresh bread. I emailed A Padaria Portuguesa (The Portuguese Bakery) a company that’s putting cute little coffee shop bakeries on every block in Lisbon, each with the signature bicycle with basket, but they said they’re not ready to expand to Flint. Would it be cheaper to fly Flintstones to Lisbon for bakery training, or to fly Alfacinhos (Little Lettuces, natives of Lisbon) who bake, here?
No comments:
Post a Comment