Bournagain

Our house is full of teenagers again - well, pre-teens really. Maria is having a girls night to say goodbye to school friends before leaving for distant shores for a few months. We were encouraged that one of the Dads that didn’t know us at all called to find out who we are and wanted to meet us before deciding whether his daughter could come or not - we’re not so weird after all wanting to know the parents of the girls that invite her to their homes! They are still 12 after all, but there’s such pressure on kids to be independent.

He stayed for a drink. Interesting guy - a former social worker very familiar with the kinds of “hard cases” Heather meets at La Maison on Monday mornings. He defined himself as a “catho de gauche” - a left-wing Catholic, which he also defined as a humanist (super handlebar moustache!) He burnt out in his work with street people, and this meeting comes at an interesting point in a discussion Heather and I have been having about what motivates people to care for the unwanted, and to stick at it, when God isn’t in the picture. He spoke of several colleagues who had blown fuses doing this kind of work and given up. These people must be motivated by love - something that God has put there even though they don’t recognise it. But the missing ingredient is hope.

Bit tired to elaborate on this right now, but thinking a lot about the hope dimension in mission at the moment. Our faith is reflected in what we believe, our hope in what we do, and love holds the whole thing together. Better go and start my packing…