One week of MA

It has been one week now since my arrival to Waltham MA, and I can tell you it has been quite interesting. Hope International Church is very small, but very involved. The first day I spent with Pastor Reid we talked about the primary goals of the Church. He emphasized Evangelism so much he had me on the edge of my seat wanting to actually do it! The best part is I will get to in the next week or so.

I have spent a good portion of my first week becoming acquainted with the area. I've gone to two of the three museums in town and walked the more storied streets of Waltham. A little information about this place for you all. Waltham is considered the "poor cousin" of all the small towns surrounding Boston. Keep this in mind as I give you a briefing on its history. In the time fo the American Revolution Waltham was a farming community with a few large estates owning most of the land the town currently resides on. These farms would grow everything and at one point a large portion of the fruit sold in Boston was actually grown here in Waltham. There is a fruit company in the Cambridge area I believe that maintains its title "Waltham Fruit Company" even though the fruit industry here has come and gone. In the 19th century Waltham became an industrial town first with textile mills and then eventually more tedious industries like bicycle and watch making on large scales. The affordability and work found in Waltham has always attracted immigrant communities. French Canadians, Irish, Italians, Greeks, Russians, Vietnamese, Guatemalans, and most recently Ugandans have all made Waltham a very diverse community. Unlike my Midwestern home though Waltham's community is not very stable community. The immigrant community comes and might stay for about a generation, but very few people who are born in Waltham can actually be found in Waltham later in life. The quality of the schools is also low which reduces the chances of young families staying around for very long. Only 8% of Waltham's community is under 18. Try and imagine that. So how does the Church serve this storied transient community?

First the Church becomes a constant in the presence of transience. Pastor Reid has served in the area for 26 years! He knows this place better than most people know their own home. I was getting ready to post a flyer in a Laundromat and he told that if the owner was in I'd probably be escorted out of the place before I got a chance to explain myself much, and it always happens with this guy (thankfully he was not in). The Church can also be a place for initial interaction with American culture. Hope International Church has offered English courses to the community for 23 years running. What better way to fulfill a relevant need to this community than through language courses? In what other way could a Japanese woman, Ugandan man, and a Midwestern kid work together in the same place for a common goal except through the Church?

I have been developing a lesson plan for the first week of classes which starts up in two weeks or so. I am excited to interact with all the student I might have. I know I'll learn jsut as much as they will. God is good and has the grace to include us in his plans.

Blessings!