When you grow up in a town like Islip, NY in the middle of suburbia Long Island, you come away from life with pre-conceived notions. Essentially, you are a victim of your circumstance. And this is not to hate on Islip or to bash it, it was a wonderful place to grow up and given the choice I'd do it again. But, what I mean by being a victim of circumstance is when you grow up in a mostly homogenous town you miss out on all the glorious wonders of God's creation.
The first week in Brooklyn I was a psychological wreck. Satan (yes post modern scoffers of the evil one) was coming at me full force telling me the differences were too great and I could not handle it. Yet then an amazing thing happened. Each week went by and the more and more comfortable I became. From a social standpoint, the best moment for me was walking into the home of a Puerto Rican lady in her early 80's. Why you ask? Was it the delicious empanadas she had made for us for lunch? Certainly that was part of it, but the greater reason was because as this white bread boy from Islip, Long Island walked through her doors in THE PROJECTS I was introduced to a world I otherwise never knew and was quite frankly scared of.
The projects were a place where bullets flew and all sorts of crime and horror ran rampant in my mind. The hollywood portrayals, if you will, of the projects had fueled this ignorant mind. But then I walked into one of the homes and got to see it for what it was--a home. And then even more than that, over the course of the next ten weeks I got to know THE PEOPLE. And the people are what makes the projects what they are, namely a community. I got to know so many people who live there and it destroyed every single pre conceived notion and smashed every stereotype I had coming in. The projects are not some scary crime ridden place. No, the projects are home.
This week was a whirlwind with Vacation Bible School and having a sweet group of teens and adults in from Owatonna, Minnesota. My favorite day/night was Thursday. We were outside all day with the service project group from Minnesota and there was a real buzz about the neighborhood concerning Vacation Bible School. The kids from the Williamsburg Houses across the street were just waiting to pounce for VBS to begin. They came, they sang, they ate, they had fun, they learned about God, and they went home. And as we were standing there saying goodbye to the Minnesota group for the evening we looked across the street and saw the kids of the neighborhood, the kids of the big bad projects, playing manhunt with each other. This only furthered the new stereotype in my mind. The stereotype that shows the projects are not a scary place but a loving community. Because of this experience that is the only way I can approach each new set of housing projects. This is a place of love and community, not a place of crime.
More thoughts to come....
1 comment:
Amen! Look how far you have come and how much God has taught you! I appreciate your honesty here. Many people would not be willing to admit to stereotypes they once held. That takes guts.
May you continue to have an open heart and mind for God to work in as you go to seminary.
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