My Fun Discovery

My friend Anna from high school turned Raleigh friend randomly Facebook messaged me last week. She included a friend of hers in the message - a friend who had lived in Raleigh for 5 years then moved to NYC two weeks after I did. She suggested we connect - and we did! Winter and I met at Gallery Church and decided we should be friends. We also have several friends in common, as well as a mutual Raleigh bond, so we hit it off. After exploring Chinatown together (and helping her score a great bag - I do love bargaining. Reminds me of being in a foreign country) we decided the next step in our bonding process should be: Target. Winter has a car, so getting there would be much easier and I could buy the heavy necessities like laundry detergent and milk. I was looking up directions for the closest Target and that is when I found it, lighting up the dark like a text message late at night; there's a Target in the Bronx. And it is only a mile and a half from my house. I could have fainted. Here I was thinking East Harlem was the closest, and venturing to Brooklyn would be safest and there was one a mile and a half away. Now granted, without the car that would be a good 3-mile walk round trip, but I was unfazed.*
As we returned to my house, a guy standing in the street around the corner from my house flagged us down. My instinct was - "don't stop! It's dark!" but Winter's kind heart slowed down and rolled down her window. His car was dead and his pregnant girlfriend was with her sister on their way to the hospital because she started having contractions. He said he'd been trying to get someone to stop for a good 30 minutes and no one had. We got to talk to him as we charged his car (yes, I do know how to do that. Blame having driven really old cars for years) and I saw my neighborhood with new eyes. There has been a softening towards towards the Bronx in the last month of living there, and connecting with a neighbor finally made it feel more familiar. Winter asked if we could pray for him and for his girlfriend before we drove off - and he gave us his number because he wants us to meet the baby when he is born. I actually texted him this morning - the baby did not come that night but he will keep us posted. What a blessing to get to meet him and serve him in that way. Thank you Winter for your servant's heart and for taking time to stop and help someone in need.
I write this from my house in Raleigh - it's strange being here as a guest and not as a resident. I realize how much I've missed everyone and the familiarity that is born through years of deeply cultivating friendships and community. But I also feel refreshed and know that I can go back to NYC carrying their love and friendship back with me as I start pouring into new people.
I also think this video is hilarious. Examining how ridiculous our societal use of hashtags is. #hashtag:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57dzaMaouXA

*Now I really feel the need to examine why there's such a relief at finding a Target so close to me. I grew up without one. Went to undergrad without one. It's only been in the last 5 years in Raleigh that this addiction has started and grown. I just see that red and white bullseye and I salivate like the dog they use in Beggin' Strips commercials. Perhaps this is an analysis for another day.