Aaron and I recently visited home in Charlotte, NC for a wedding and for the week of Thanksgiving. While home, our Hickory Grove church family was so good to continually check on us. “How is Boston?!” was the prevailing question. Every time I gave the simple truth: Boston is a ton of fun, Aaron and I love the city and its people, and we are learning a lot in this new culture!
Over the past four months of living in this new-to-us city, Aaron and I have indeed learned a lot. A lot about ourselves, a lot about dependency on God, a lot about our marriage, a lot about people and how to reach them with the gospel.
And in the past 4 months, I have learned several big things about Boston:
1. People are willing to have a spiritual conversation.
Everyone believes something and while Protestant Christianity is not the claimed religion by the majority here in Boston, many are willing to speak about where they stand spiritually. Aaron went to a local museum in our neighborhood a few weeks ago and struck up a conversation with his volunteer guide, a woman who had lived in Brighton for 70 years. She knew the people of Brighton and the many changes over the decades, including how open or closed the culture is to spiritual things. Aaron was able to speak with her for a couple of hours, share the gospel explicitly, and made a time to continue the conversation again in the future. We plan to see her this Friday to further build the relationship.
So, whether you are in Boston or in North Carolina, take a chance, share the gospel, be bold for Christ. Trust the Spirit to work in any and all situations.
2. People are sometimes reserved, but always friendly and kind.
People in Boston would say that New Yorkers give them a bad name for being rude and unfriendly because everyone lumps New Englanders into the same category. Aaron and I have found the opposite to be true. We walk our dog regularly and, without fail, we strike up a conversation on the street with someone in our neighborhood. One afternoon in the fall we took our dog Charlie to the park and spoke for 30 minutes with one of the local neighbors who currently lives in the house he grew up in. And any time we call for a ride somewhere via Uber or Lyft, almost every single driver openly talks with us about their lives and where they are at spiritually.
"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." - John 13:35
3. City living is nothing like I expected it to be.
Brighton is just one of 23 “neighborhoods”/towns within Boston’s city limits. Within each of these neighborhoods are thousands upon thousands of people. In Brighton alone are 44,000 people in less than 4 square miles. Even so, we love this neighborhood! It feels like a small town within the big city. There’s Brighton Common for local concerts held in the open square. There’s Jim’s Deli where local firemen and police officers eat lunch during the week. There’s Abbott’s ice cream on the corner of Washington and Chestnut Hill that makes fresh ice cream every day. There’s Business Trick or Treat where small businesses on Brighton’s main streets open their doors to families and pass out candy. In this city life, there are a ton of people, but also an unending source of potential for community, unity, and love for others.
The North American Mission Board says this about cities on their website: "It's been said if you reach the cities, you'll reach the nations. With 83% of the population now living in metropolitan areas, the major population centers in North America are vital mission fields for kingdom growth and influence."
We look forward to the many months and years ahead as we learn more about this wonderful city we are in and as we grow more in love with this place and its people. We are certainly praying for gospel revival here and are eager to see how the Lord will move!