The Changes I've Already Seen.

Sorry for the delay folks. This one has been written for a couple of weeks and I simply didn't post it.

I've been in Philly for less than a month, and I can already feel and see God moving in ways that I've never seen before. Those of you who have seen me over the past 3 years know that I can get wrapped up in my work.  I would say wrapped up in it to a fault. Most of my entire world focused around getting the next assignment done. While there is a definite pleasure in that, completing assignments is not what makes life worth living.

All that being said, I was looking forward to moving as a fresh start. Granted, I was not entirely excited for it-I hate leaving my comfort zone-but I was still looking forward to the chance to depend on God a whole lot more than myself again. That's the way I started at Grove City, but I don't think that's how I ended.

So now that I'm here, I've been trying to integrate myself into the community. Fortunately, Andy is very good at getting involved quickly in a community, and I've been tagging along with him to a bunch of different things. The first thing I got involved with was a homeless Bible study. The group meets at a church just around the corner from us and also has a soup kitchen dinner beforehand. Going to either was definitely different for me. For the past 4 years I been surrounded by a fairly homogeneous group of people.  However, even though I was uncomfortable, it was at that dinner that I met a man named Jesse.  He was very open about his life and the pain he was going through. It was a very moving experience for me; listening and talking with this man I just met. I'd like to say more on it, but for now, I'll leave it at that.

When I was returning from a jog (1.4 miles!) this past Tuesday, I was stopped by a man I could hardly understand (see side note below). From what I could gather, he was from South Africa, but had relocated to Brooklyn and was now in Philly. Unfortunately, he was unable to find work here in Philly, and he had a wife and two daughters he was trying to support. I don't usually carry money on me, but as it happened, I had a dollar in my pocket, so I gave it to him.

All that is great and all, but the most wonderful part was that I go the opportunity to pray with him. This is not something I do, not something I even suggest. I tend not to talk much with strangers at all, let alone pray to God before them. However, Christ is bigger than my inhibitions. He's called us all to evangelize, no matter how much it may fly in the face of cultural norms or our own feelings.

God is working in Philadelphia, just as He is everywhere else.

SIDE NOTE:
As a general rule of thumb, if anyone stops you on the streets in Philly, they are asking for money. This is an interesting situation for a Christian. For years I have harden myself and become cynical to these people, but I am constantly trying to tear down those walls. The question then is whether or not to give money to the person. I am not going to try and answer this question in any large or general way, but I know that it is something that continually bothers me.