Kellee and I arrived in Waco around noon on Wednesday and walked to Nancy and Joe’s house, hoping Barbara lived there or whoever did live there knew where she was. Joe’s mom answered and directed us a block down to the Bridgewater’s House. Barbara was a little surprised, but instantly welcomed us in and introduced us to her daughters Hannah and Clare. Then halfway through lunch Philip came home and ate with us. They may be the coolest family I have ever met. All of them were witty and sharp, keeping Kellee and I on our toes while busting us up. It felt as if we were instant members of the family. But in addition to that invaluable gift, Barbara gave me a lot of information about Hope Fellowship and other communities she has been apart of as well. Some things that stand out about Hope Fellowship is that most family’s live in separate houses (most in close proximity to one another) and do not share income. They have a loosely united work spit between World Hunger Relief Farm and Habitat for Humanity. (Although, not everyone is invested in one of the two.) They are also fundamentally bilingual, and not out of necessity but out of desire. Barbara herself speaks pretty well and has passed that down to her daughters, but probably not Philip. This bilingual approach was evident at the common meal we were invited to later that night. Nearly every poster or bulletin on the wall included an English and Spanish translation. Both Spanish and English conversations were even present at most tables. It was like Kellee and I were back in Mrs. Weiler’s class. (Only no one yelled at us when we spoke English)
Thursday included a lot of quality time with the Bridgewater’s, especially the girls. The four of us played a card game called Fluxx, which of course I won. (Clare and Kellee also won a game each, but that’s not really important.) They are a blast. Then Kellee and I went to dinner at Nancy and Joe’s and focused our topic on the beginnings of Hope Fellowship. One thing that came up in that conversation is another thing that sets Hope Fellowship apart: the pastors (Joe and Fernando) do not receive a salary for that position and have jobs. Joe works for Habitat International and Fernando Works for Waco Habitat. Their philosophy is that God calls us all to different roles in the church and that pastors are not more important than the others, and also that the work should never fall on one individual, but should be divided throughout the community. I am continually surprised at how similar and united SMCs can be, while at the same time so diverse and unique. That has been one of my favorite parts about this trip.
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