our week off

Fredericksburg, VA

We had a great visit with Nate and Angela and their new housemates Eric, Alissa, Kieran, and Milosz. Gathered around pizza the night before we left, it felt just like being with friends back at home. And there were good conversations in the kitchen the next morning, about grace and Jesus' "gift economy," the challenges of community living, and the beginnings of a marriage. They all were very welcoming friends to us.

Then we visited the Street Church in a park downtown—very much like it's Boston counterpart—and got to hear Anne-Marie's understanding of her work and the importance of the Eucharist as part of it. Leaving there, we walked through Chinatown, and were accosted by a young man recruiting for Greenpeace. We didn't sign up, but we ended up talking with him quite a while. He went to U of M like me, used to live in Chicago and was familiar with Evanston and Reba Place church, and is a pretty enthusiastic about Jesus. And he was very enthusiastic about our walk. "It was a blessing meeting you!" he said. We didn't have a chance to discuss whether or not Jesus would join Greenpeace...

Now we're staying with Dan and Hannah, Heather's friends from college. We plan to be in town here for the rest of the week, before taking a bus to North Carolina (to make sure the winter doesn't catch us later). We'll continue our walk from there.