Dear Friends,
No big long story this time, just four important little shorties (Bobbie Williams, a little jobbing, a ‘come and see’ weekend, and the return of my killer blog)…
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Remember Bobbie Williams, the tough but hopeful friend we sent to truck driving school back in May?
Well, the bad news is that Bobbie washed out of the course a few months later, after her adult daughter suffered complications in childbirth and Bobbie had to take the newborn home for a few weeks herself to keep it out of foster care. It was truly painful to watch Bobbie’s dream (and her family’s best chance at a steady income) derailed by a bunch of typical ghetto nonsense (an unhealthy diet, an invisible baby-daddy, and an insanely unsupportive extended family). For a long time, she avoided us altogether, out of a sad mixture of embarrassment, anger, and despair. In the end, however, she had nowhere else to go.
The good news is that last Friday, after all kinds of obstacles (Bobbie’s school-based loans had fallen behind, so we had to risk even more of our money, the school itself moved so far away that we had to find a host family – an amazing host family at that - in the far suburbs for three weeks, and for the first two of those weeks, Bobbie just couldn’t figure out double clutching on the downshift) and all kinds of doubts and fears…Bobbie Williams of Walnut Hills passed all three parts of her Ohio Class B Commercial Driver’s License test!
Now I know better than to think we’re out of the woods on this thing yet. The Class B license made sense for Bobbie, but it makes it harder for her to get a job. We’ll have to offer a lot more support in that process, and more still once she starts actually working. After all, knowing how to drive a big truck and knowing how to keep a career-type job when you’ve never had one are two different things. Still, even if none of that stuff ever happens, it means something big to Bobbie, to her family, and to all of us who love her, just knowing that she passed the course and passed the test. In a place where very little of what gets started ever finishes in the right way, that Class B CDL is a huge victory we can celebrate, and a happy milestone in a hard life. Thanks for asking, and praying, and giving to help make it happen.
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Speaking of jobs, I need one here in Cincinnati. Actually, I need three or four…but not for me. Right now, within our inner circle of neighborhood friends, we have some wonderful friends looking hard for work, and we also have a work-support specialist named Mark Leeman who is ready and willing to work with good-hearted employers to help them succeed once they find it. Now all we need are those good-hearted employers. If you are one, or know somebody who might be one, please let me know. Better yet, let Mark know at marklingua@yahoo.com or 513 324 5483.
Ever since we got things rolling here in Walnut Hills, people near and far away have asked about coming over for a visit. Some are urban ministry folks, interested in the practical ways we love our inner-city neighbors. Others are not-so-churchy folks, more curious about the way we live together as a community. Some are financial supporters who want to better understand what they are supporting. Others are seekers who want to talk about what comes next in their own lives. The rest are just dear friends who want to see where and with whom we landed.
Up until now we’ve held everyone off, fearful that hosting guest after guest might throw off the very lifestyle all those guests were coming to experience in the first place, and mindful that we could have a much better conversation if they all showed up at the same time. Now, happily, the time has come
So then, consider yourself invited to a Walnut Hills Fellowship Weekend, October 31 - November 2, 2008. It won’t be fancy at all, of course, but it will be a great opportunity for anyone who wants to hang out, see the sights, ask questions, talk shop, eat chili, and maybe make a few new friends.
As an extrovert among introverts, I’ll be your main host, but the others will join us for some meals and conversation. We’ll figure out accommodations for the non-Cincy folks and all the other details once we know if we’ll have closer to 5 or 50 guests, but you can be pretty sure we’ll gather for dinner on Friday evening and disperse after lunch on Sunday afternoon. You can also be pretty sure that it will be a loose, casual time together with some really good people, and that it won’t cost much to participate.
If you are even a little bit interested in joining us, just drop a note to our new administrative pal, Leigha Mackin at Leigha.whf@gmail.com or call our office at 513-221-1488.
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A while ago I essentially abandoned my blog, partly because it muddled up my speaking website (www.bartcampolo.com) but mainly because I stopped thinking that it made any difference in the world.
Since that time, however, evidence to the contrary has convinced me to revamp and re-launch my blog as a separate entity, with more frequent, timely, concise, and funny posts than before, easier interfaces, and more links to other content I think you’ll enjoy. It may still be too edgy for some, of course, but then again so am I. You can see for yourself at www.bartcampolosblog.com.
Of course, if you’re not into blogs, don’t worry. We’ll just stay in touch the old-fashioned way…via emails and cell phones.
If, on the other hand, you enjoy what you read at www.bartcampolosblog.com please spread the word. Remember, right now Britney Spears is the most searched name on the Internet. Together, we can change that…or maybe something else.
Next month, I promise I’ll send a real letter. In the meantime, keep the faith!
Keep the faith,
Bart