a while back i had a conversation with a bunch of friends about how we've lost the art of the 'stop-by'. somewhere in growing up we have felt the need to schedule in all of our hang-outs and on a daily basis drive or bike past friends houses without ever 'stopping by'. i know some people who do live like this back home and battle against the isolation and neatness of only ever seeing people when its convenient, but even then it seems like they actively have to choose to go against what has become normal in north america.
dave and jen (not us... but another couple we met. the similarities beyond the names made it even freakier!) are one of those couples. after meeting dave and jen at nehemiah house, they offered to have us over to their house in compton and show us around. they seemed awesome, and well we were living day-to-day with accomodations at that point so we gladly went.
i dont know what it is about lower-income areas, but they tend to have been able to overcome the typical north american isolation problem. compton, a city notorious for its terrible gang violence, had the 'stop-by' down! as dave showed us around, we didn't just walk around as he pointed out sights, we stopped to see his previous next-door neighbor, we went into the salvation army and showed off dave and jenn's new-born to the ladies there and we went to visit dave's friend who runs the best taco truck.
after, we talked to dave about how awesome it was that he seemed to know people around there so well and how open people were to having him stop-by. he told us how it was difficult at the start, having grown up in a middle-class neighborhood, but he said that in compton, you cannot remain outside of it. after you meet people, they will just stop-by. it might be inconvenient, but he said that he has never felt so much a part of a community ever before.
it made me think about the day after we moved in to our house. i was rushing out the door, and rocco, the next-door neighbor, stopped me for a conversation. i was getting late for work, so i quickly ended to conversation and went on my way. what i saw in dave and jenn was an openness to allow the neighborhood around you to change the way you live. i am praying that God will make dave and i humble and open in the same way.
dave and jen (not us... but another couple we met. the similarities beyond the names made it even freakier!) are one of those couples. after meeting dave and jen at nehemiah house, they offered to have us over to their house in compton and show us around. they seemed awesome, and well we were living day-to-day with accomodations at that point so we gladly went.
after, we talked to dave about how awesome it was that he seemed to know people around there so well and how open people were to having him stop-by. he told us how it was difficult at the start, having grown up in a middle-class neighborhood, but he said that in compton, you cannot remain outside of it. after you meet people, they will just stop-by. it might be inconvenient, but he said that he has never felt so much a part of a community ever before.
it made me think about the day after we moved in to our house. i was rushing out the door, and rocco, the next-door neighbor, stopped me for a conversation. i was getting late for work, so i quickly ended to conversation and went on my way. what i saw in dave and jenn was an openness to allow the neighborhood around you to change the way you live. i am praying that God will make dave and i humble and open in the same way.
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