Walking With God

Alief Middle School teachers and TMO leaders prepare to walk community

Last night 8 teachers from Alief Middle School, 7 Memorial Drive UMC members and my good friend Pastor Obiri from Four Square  Fellowship walked apartment neighborhoods to invite parents of fifth graders to an orientation about what to expect from their new school in the fall.  Many of the apartment homes had peeling paint, broken concrete drives and late rent due notices on doors.  For some of us, going into these locked and gated communities  was like going into a hostile country where there is often the reality of crime, poverty, and being unwelcome.   We paired up AMS faculty and church folk to do the visiting.  In those massive projects it was often difficult to find the apartment number which added to the anxiety of the walk.  But as we walked and talked we began to build relationships with our fellow walkers.  What was even more fun was that in a number of homes we visited, we were met by children who already attended AMS and knew the teacher who came to see them.  And because many of the parents did not speak English the children had to translate.  And in every apartment where someone was home, we were welcomed with interest and attentiveness to what we had to say.

The more we walked the more I felt this strange presence.  Here were teachers who were willing to take their personal time to walk the community.  They did not get paid extra to do the walk.  I don’t know whether they walked out of duty or love, but they were there and all of us had a good time.  The same motivation might be extended to our church folk who could have easily opted out.   Parents could have chosen not to open the door, thinking we were either trying to sell something or that we were JW’s trying to make new converts.  We made contact with about 60% of the families and were welcomed by most.  As I was experiencing all of this, I thought about some of the prejudices that we confront on a daily basis.  Such enmity as “they don’t belong here”, “they’re illegal”,  “the problem with out schools is….bad and uncaring parenting….poor teachers, bad administration….poor discipline in the schools…and on and on….”  As we walked all of these issues moved out of my consciousness.  The more we walked the more I realized that the presence I felt was the presence of God.  I don’t know whether the others felt the same way, but to me this coming together, this sacrificing of time and attention, the families who welcomed us, and how the walk helped begin the process of beginning new relationships.  Even though small, the evening pointed us towards our faith commitment that not only is embodied in the phrase God is Love, but also that Love is God.  I don’t know about the others, but I felt we were walking with God.

But the moment I got home I was hit with another more brutal reality.  My wife Gail told me that over 100 undocumented men, women and children had just been freed from being held hostage in a small south Houston house, waiting for relatives to pay their ransom.  It again drove home the point that justice is a long way from reality.  My feeling of elation quickly turned from hopefulness to anger.  Over time as I have come to know myself better,  I go deeper to my core  and realize my anger is really about sadness.  Sadness that is expressed in my concern that in spite of those almost mystical events of that evenings walk with God, where a sense of caring, acceptance and hope existed, that I cannot forget the way we humans treat one another.

Then I thought, what if I had not shared that evening with all those wonderful people.  I would never have known the possibility of the Grace that we shared, nor as I reflect on it now, would I have become even more resolute  to do  justice, knowing that we can come together for change and believe that we can overcome the evil that exists all around us.  Otherwise, I would probably have stayed at home watching some stupid cop show and upon hearing about the hostages would have said to myself, “ain’t it a shame”, not thought twice about it, and gone to bed feeling safe and secure.