[Disclaimer: This post is not intended as a "gripe session". I am merely trying to express how God used this amazing opportunity to stretch and grow each of us!]
This will be the most difficult vacation post for me to write. It's complicated and yet thrilling to think of just how much I, Dale and our four children were all pushed beyond our normal limits by this trip to Philadelphia.
The trip actually started an afternoon early. Dale and I both came home from church on the 9th of June and had individually "thought" we could leave and head for a hotel about half-way in Triadelphia, West Virginia. When something like this occurs, I've learned to recognize it as the Spirit's prompting that for whatever reason...He wants us to move and do whatever He's leading us to do. I may never know why, but the following day when our trip that should have taken about five hours, stretched into seven because of a tropical storm we were driving through...I had a good notion as to why He asked us to go a day early.
I had attempted to prepare the kids for what the neighborhood might look like. But how do you prepare someone for that which they have no frame of reference? Actually, the Kensington area of North Philly looks a lot like the areas we drive through to get to the Cincinnati Zoo. Except that this is where we would be staying...not just driving through to another destination.
We parked our rental van on this very street, although the park is much greener and looks far better than this now. but we were just a few doors down from the building in this photo. Potholes in the sidewalks, trash on the streets and curbs are not something our kids see everyday. I could tell they were nervous, but we all managed to get the van unloaded, met Coe, who showed us around the Hospitality House and then attempted to go out to get something local to eat.
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| The living room of The Hospitality House |
But that same Tropical Storm that we'd driven through now hit Philly mercilessly. Yes...we were walking to Walgreens when the heavens poured forth their bounty. Evidently, it was the night before trash collection and everyone's bags where on the edge of the sidewalk as we passed. Pretty soon, water...at least 6 inches deep was flowing swiftly down the street. Sewers weren't backing up...but they weren't handling the deluge either. We had to purchase two small umbrellas in Walgreens and made our way back to our "home" for the week. I kept telling the kids, "At least you'll never forget this!" Stepping into rain water mixed with trash and street-dirt up past your ankles as your clothes are getting drenched is something that will stick with you for awhile. But I loved every minute of it!
Our first night and each subsequent one, we may have heard gunfire...but we chose to tell the kids it was just firecrackers. Who knows? Maybe it was a car backfire?
My comfort zone was pushed beyond my norm when I attended 8 a.m. prayer with the people of The Simple Way. I was ecstatic to attend, but had no clue what to expect. I was greeted out the front door by an amazingly hot and sticky morning and by the time I walked a block to get the the Village House and went in the wrong door (!) I was sweaty and embarrassed and then during prayer I had to read the longest passage of Scripture. But it was absolutely fantastic! Love is not a big enough word to describe that feeling of sitting with brothers and sisters in Christ, whom you have never met before and sharing faith and prayer with each other!
That same day pushed the kids' limits again, as we rode the train from the Allegheny Station down to the Old City area to look at the historical sites. The train starts out elevated above ground and then goes under as you approach the Old City...so they got to experience both. I don't think they ever liked the train...but we definitely grew accustomed to it. Dale and I actually like public transportation and wish Northern Kentucky had a better system for getting around.
I had been uncertain if there would be laundry facilities or not. There weren't and that was fine, but I didn't want to spend a day at a laundromat either since we were short on time to begin with. So on our second day, I began washing out clothes in the bathroom sink and hanging them to dry in the small closet we had in one of the bedrooms.
All seven of us (our family and Coe) shared a small bathroom. Believe it or not, there was never anyone standing outside the door banging on it for the occupant to hurry up. Everyone was kind and considerate, worked out showering schedules and all went smoothly. Coe was by far the one that had to give up the most and he was always gracious, flexible and laid back about it all! I guess communal living can work!
Apparently, I had terrified the two youngest girls with my descriptions of the crowds in New York City. I don't think I over-exaggerated...I think they were just more confident than they thought they would be. Our recent experience at Taste of Cincinnati may have been fantastic preparation for what they would encounter in Manhattan. The Megabus trip was awesome...proving that I can let go of some control and let someone else drive!
The last test of some of our "comfort" was when Thursday morning, Dale, Noah and Leah attended 8 a.m. prayer with me at the Village House. I was so proud of the kids for getting up after an exhausting day in New York City and thrilled that Noah even participated in the readings we shared as a group.
The rest of the trip which included driving and a stop over at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, were no stretch beyond us. But what I just can't let go of is how God can continue to use this trip for the rest of our lives to remind us not only of poverty and its effects, but also how He has chosen to compel His children to respond with love, compassion and mercy. And lest you think our children are perfect and never complained about any of the inconveniences they had to endure...like no TV or WiFi (except in a few public places for very limited periods of time)...at one point I responded to them and said, "You know what...even if you hate absolutely every moment of this trip (which they didn't) at least you will see that the rest of the world doesn't live like us and the conditions some have to live in." I know God will grow His seed of mercy for the poor in their hearts for His glory! [And they actually got along fabulously without any media to fight over. We played lots of card games. Thanks to the Bulars for teaching us "President"!]
So yes, it was quite the experience for all of us. You might get six differing opinions about the trip if you were to ask each of us the pros and the cons...but this is my blog and my conclusion is that this was just the beginning of another chapter of God calling us out of our comfort zones! I can't wait to see where He leads us next!
Amen!
**End note: All of the photos in this post where obtained online from either The Simple Way's website or Google Images**
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