starting today, for the next 3 months, TJ and i will be doing what we call
The Hamtramck Challenge. basically, we will live like the average citizen of our city. what does that look like?
- doing all of our shopping, hanging out, & entertainment within our city
- walking everywhere we go (only using our car for ministry reasons & to serve others)
- only leaving our city if we catch a ride with someone else
hamtramck is a 2x2 mile city with hardly any big name business or chain stores, so groceries are more expensive, and entertainment options are very limited. (that's probably why bars, drugs, and violence are so prevalent.) most people we have met from real church don't own cars so they walk or ride bikes everywhere. they have push carts to transport groceries, laundry, etc. from place to home. (our neighbor just gave us one for free!) most of them never leave our city, unless someone else gives them a ride. most of the teenagers we work with have never been farther from hamtramck than just detroit.
why on earth do we wanna do this?
- to identify with and understand the people of our city
- to discover and appreciate all that our city has to offer
- to meet and love more of the people in our city
- to know ourselves and show others God's love, and that it is possible to be holy & JOYFUL in all circumstances!
this is not some kind of social experiment or amusement. i'm sure i'm gonna find it really difficult to do at times. but it's something we believe God's told us to do in order to change us and to change others thru us. it's been marinating in my heart for a couple of months now, and i'm really excited about it!
Chatboard (1)