In July of 2003, 9 teenagers (including me) arrived in Dallas to work at an (unknown to them) inner city ministry. We worked harder than any of us had ever worked. We cleaned, we sorted clothes, we famously sanded a bus, we taped newspaper over bus windows, we worked with kids at the old Frazier Courts, we passed out flyers, we did skits, we prayed with kids and teens... It was quite a week. We slept on the floor, ate Uncrustables with the Frazier kids, and learned more about ourselves than we thought we would. Nine of us went on that trip., 8 of us loved it. One of us thought those people who worked at Metro were out of their dang minds and hoped to never see that place again. God must have fell off his throne laughing at that thought.
Little did I know that only a year later, I would return to that place and have it become my home. 8 years after that unforgettable trip, I'm still here. The one who couldn't wait to go home. The one who thought people like Rickey and Crissy were crazy. Now I am among the ranks of the crazy and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Yesterday, we cleaned 1526 West Fort Worth Avenue for the last time. We hopped in the van and drove away. Forever. That building had been Metro's headquarters since 1997. Many incredible things happened there. Now, it belongs to someone else. Before we got in the van yesterday, we took a couple minutes to reminisce about our favorite memories in that building.
There was the day that Crissy and I played firemen and put out the fire that was burning dangerously under a plastic barrel of oil. There was the day that we hoisted a air conditioner onto the roof, using rope and scaffold (a guy had just joined the staff the day before. That was his last day). There was the period of time we had to park a bus against the chapel doors to prevent the recent serial looters from breaking in again. There was the HOURS of painting that we have done in, around and outside that place. (Trucks, every semester. Hallways/rooms, all the time. Chapel ceiling? Check) Breaking up a myriad of fights in the parking lot. Lock-ins, church services, small groups, the homeless... So many great memories. They will never be forgotten.
As that chapter of Metro's story closes, another opens. Beginning Sunday, our church will be meeting at a church in South Dallas. Our offices have moved to our apartment complex (My office is a converted bathroom) Our warehouse in in Cockrell Hill. All this spread apartedness is of course temporary. We have long term plans for building a center in South Dallas, but until that day, the work continues. We still will do Sidewalk, we will still have church. We will still work to impact the inner city. However, if you are like me, or if you are at least human, you can't help but feel a little nostalgic. That building was our second home. I probably spent WAY more hours there than I did at my actual home. I have seen a lot of faces come and go through those doors. Kids, teens, staff, street people... Life goes on, but a little peice of me will always remain at 1526 Fort Worth Ave. ("No sir, that is in Dallas. Yes, I know I said Fort Worth, the street is called Fort Worth. We are a mile west of Downtown. Downtown Dallas, not Fort Worth. Yes sir. We are right next to the Shady Oaks Motel. I promise, it is in Dallas."- actual conversation I had on the phone with a donor).
Very soon, someone else will work there. It will be a weird feeling to drive past there and not see buses and trucks. I wonder how many homeless people will go in there , only to be greeted with a bewildered receptionist who has no idea why all these dirty people keep coming in asking for food? Soon, someone will paint over my beloved green and blue walls in Kids Church. I managed to stay tear free, but walking out of there one last time almost pushed me over the edge. I was pretty attached to that room. Not the four walls, but the things that happened in there. It will be missed.
Two things will not be missed. The stairs to the loft, and the 60,000 doors. Never will I have the chance of meeting my death while retrieving a hockey table from upstairs, and not for a while will I have to deal with a door every 6 feet. Locking up the building was always such a hassle to make sure all the doors were locked. I won't get too comfortable. The next building I'm sure will be door-tastic. The current office has a million light switches. Some things change, but not much.
Random thought for the day: I was watching the news last night, which is of course nothing but Super Bowl preparation coverage. A rather impolite winter storm hit us last night, causing massive icing of roads. Two things popped into my head. 1. Thank goodness the Super Bowl is providing a distraction to the upcoming weather. It is a gift from the Lord not to have to watch hours of "Winter Blast 2011" coverage. 2. Why is Janet Napolitano discussing what the weather might do to Super Bowl activities? Does the Secretary of Homeland Security not have anything more pressing and nationally vital to do than A. Be in Dallas a WEEK before the Super Bowl (why is she even here anyway?) and B. Comment on canceled events due to winter weather? I was, frankly, embarrassed. Not only is a global event coming here to which will now showcase our absurd reaction to snow and ice, The GREEN BAY Packers and PITTSBURGH Steelers are here. What a better way to welcome them (who are based in a land where ice and snow is a way of life) to Texas than to show them that freezing precipitation brings our city mercilessly to its knees. Good job DFW.
