Back in Wheaton

Being back in Wheaton has been wonderful. In many ways it is truly home for me. Getting back almost two weeks before classes began allowed me to catch up with my friends, adjust to living in a new apartment, and prepare for a new semester. It is hard to believe that by May of next year I will have an M.A. in intercultural studies and truly have finished my studies at Wheaton College.

One of the best parts of being back has been my new living situation. Matt (a friend from church and a Wheaton grad.), Theo (a refugee from Rwanda) and I live in an apartment in a little enclave of immigrants, refugees and poor folk in the midst of suburbia. It is loads of fun. After lunch a friend asked me if it was hard for me to be back here after my adventures in the Middle East this summer. Honestly I replied that I haven’t left adventure behind. In the past two weeks we have had a window in our apartment broken, overheard a couple late-night fights in the apartment below us ("should we call the cops?"), had several people arrested from another apartment (they stole from Wal-Mart and from the gas station where one of my roommates works), and have had Mexicans, Rwandans, Sudanese, and African-American children and adults pop into our apartment at all times of the day and night.

Matt, Theo and I are seeking to live as salt and light in this community. One specific way we are hoping to this is by hosting a weekly gathering in our apartment for worship, prayer, and community organizing to deal with common challenges facing the community. Doing this across the barriers of multiple languages and cultural/ethnic backgrounds will be quite a feat. We are going to need the Spirit’s help. This coming Sunday we are kicking this off with a large community-wide meal. Please be in prayer.

Up to now my plans have been to finish grad school this year and then to head back to Israel/Palestine that summer (of ’09) or soon after. All of a sudden this seems very soon. One hitch in my plans is that I have committed to not going back alone and the person I have been planning to go with can’t now. This leaves me in a bit of a quandary. I would appreciate your prayers for guidance and discernment in all of this.

Also, by the way, my new website is up and running! www.awakeningpeace.net seeks to educate Christians on the situation in Israel/Palestine and to spur Christians to work for justice and peace in the Middle East and in their respective communities. Check it out.