Old Paths. New Paths. Our Ever-Evolving Journey!
In late 1996, I hopped on a plane in Aotearoa New Zealand and ended up in Chicago. I was scared, anxious and excited. I didn't know where it would lead, but I knew it was the beginning of a new adventure.
I had decided to travel to Chicago the year before while studying at the Bible College of NZ (Laidlaw College). I'd read about an intentional community called Jesus People USA and their work with those experiencing homelessness. After graduating and driving taxicabs for a stint, I got a visa for a year and took a leap of faith into the unknown.
My original intention was to go and learn, and then return to Aotearoa to start a similar ministry here in Tāmaki (Auckland). I arrived in JPUSA in November 1996 and began working for JPUSA's homeless shelter Cornerstone Community Outreach (CCO) in January 1997. I felt at home. I felt I was using my gifts and talents. I made lifelong friends. I felt I was discovering who I was. I remained there until August 1997.
The following year and a half was challenging. I drove taxis all over Waitākere again. I worked the graveyard shift. I never fulfilled my dream of starting a ministry here. Cab driving opened my eyes to the pain, suffering and needs in the city, but I didn't know how or where to start. I felt alone. I sunk into a deep depression, so I decided I needed to return to Chicago, where I could sink into something that not only saw the need but could do something about it while being surrounded by people who shared the same vision and mission! I arrived back home in Chicago in January 1999.
For the next 22-23 years I poured my heart and soul into my life in the Windy City. "I" became "We". Beth and I started our journey together, and over the next few years, 2 became 4. As a whānau, we lived in JPUSA and worked at CCO the whole time. (Beth's Chicago life started years before mine, in 1989!)
I will summarise the busy complicated life we lived in Chicago, as briefly as possible. We lived in an intentional community, which meant we lived in private rooms in an old 10-storey hotel with like-minded folks. In an attempt to follow the example of the early church (Acts 2 and 4), we shared meals, responsibilities, finances, and cars. JPUSA sustains itself with its money-making businesses (Lakefront Roofing Supplies etc.), internal workers (plumbers, cooks etc.) and those, like Beth and myself, who work in one of the ministries (CCO).
Community living is an unusual lifestyle that challenges capitalistic norms. We didn't pay rent. We didn't receive an income. Intentionally living in such close proximity to others isn't always easy, the stresses are different, but overall, for our family, living this way was a beautiful reality. We were a small family connected and sharing lives in a bigger family! We grieved together. We celebrated together. We fought systems of injustice together. We shovelled snow together. We worshipped together. We played volleyball together. We got on one another's nerves. We lifted each other up and we let each other down. We made lifelong friends and memories.
Our life in Chicago encompassed so much more than JPUSA. Our work encompassed so much more than just work, many would call it a "calling". Beth and I had the absolute honour of working with and walking alongside thousands of people experiencing homelessness. We dedicated our time and effort to house the unhoused and stomp out all forms of injustice. It challenged us. It grew us. It emptied us. It consumed us. It fulfilled us. It blessed us. It made us who we are today!
We both worked for Cornerstone Community Outreach, a large homeless shelter in Uptown. At its peak, CCO housed over 350 people a night. I won't bore you with all our jobs and responsibilities, because our journey ebbed and flowed like we were floating down an ever-changing river. We were constantly taken into new and exciting and occasionally frightening destinations. It has been and continues to be a beautiful adventure.
As followers of Jesus, we have attempted to follow his example by taking seriously and living out his wishes that we "love our neighbours as ourselves", proclaim good news to the poor, bring liberation to those oppressed and captured, and not walk on by "the least of these". Our drive, calling, and vision led us to work not only within CCO but also beyond those walls. We also had the honour of helping those who were rough sleeping and living in tent cities. I had the privilege to preach at The Bridge and Cook County Jail frequently. We constantly advocated and marched for those marginalised and oppressed.
For more context on our life in Chicago, my blog Setting Prisoners Free is full of stories and posts of the victories, the heartbreak, the protests, the sermons, the struggles, our day-to-day adventures, and the love that embraced us!
Every 3 or so years, our whānau travelled down to Aotearoa for a couple of months to see our people and have a little sabbatical. These times were both needed and very special. They helped re-energise and rejuvenate us for our next season. Being a family without income or assets, these trips wouldn't have been possible without support. We would like to primarily thank the kind and generous people of Titirangi Baptist Church for making this possible.
In 2020, COVID-19 hit the world with an unprecedented force. Life at JPUSA, and especially at CCO, changed radically. When many slowed down, we sped up, that's what happens when you work with vulnerable populations. To add to the chaos, our whānau had its own personal hardships we were trying to cope with. It had been 3 years since we'd been down under, and the world was preventing travel. We had to wait and pray that a door would eventually open.
That door did open. Miracles happen. At that time, New Zealand was incredibly strict in who they allowed into the country and everyone had to apply to go through Mandatory Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ). We submitted our requests. It was all about timing, getting permission and having enough money. It was like we were playing Tetris! One weekend, in early 2021, the stars all aligned because Beth got her visa, we got our MIQ rooms, we booked our flights and we were gifted with money toward the trip. We were coming for 3 months! I still look back and marvel at how miraculous this time was!
On June 1st, 2021, we landed in Auckland and stayed in one of the MIQ Hotels for 2 weeks. We had successfully not brought COVID-19 into a then COVID-free Aotearoa. Mum and Dad picked us up from the hotel, and we strangely didn't need to wear a mask after having worn them for well over a year. It was a strange feeling and a new reality!
It was like a breath of fresh air! It was so different. We were lent a car to use and given a cute little house to live in. We were by the ocean, with only a few neighbours, on the edge of a rainforest. We were in Little Huia, with the Waitākere Ranges looking over us! It was just what we needed, what all 4 of us needed!
As our return to Chicago loomed, I remember the heaviness I felt. I went to the back of the yard, and with tears in my eyes, I cried out to God. We all felt refreshed, but we all had a long way to go. Were we ready to return? Beth and the kids saw me back there battling myself, battling God, questioning our future, and they, one by one, came out to check on me! As all 4 of us stood under the Puriri tree, we made a united decision, we needed to stay longer, so we all decided to stay in Aotearoa for a year. The kids both said, "We feel we can breathe again."
This was not planned. We'd come into the country with 4 backpacks. We needed income. We needed our own car. We needed a place to stay. We had no assets. We'd been living on the goodness, kindness and generosity of fellow Kiwis, but now that we'd made this decision, we needed to start hiking on this new path and create a new chapter to our story.
The first week in October 2021 was significant. We started renting a little house in Titirangi, got a car, and were gifted with an abundance of household items, and I started working for Visionwest Waka Whakakitenga. Around that time Beth shifted from being an unpaid employee of CCO to being paid and working remotely. As for our kids, April started a new job and Muriwai began attending school here in Aotearoa.
We were in the process of transitioning from vacation mode to regular life here in Tāmaki. We were also adjusting from having no income to having incomes come in, from having hardly any assets to gaining some assets, from having no bills to paying bills, from dealing with countless responsibilities in community life to dealing with numerous duties in a more individualistic setting. Chicago and Auckland are both big cities, but they're very different! It was a time of mixed emotions. We love having our own car, money and the ability to choose what we want to cook and eat. We miss seeing our friends down the hallway and having meals provided for us. It was a strange unusual time full of surprises, worry, intrigue, disappointment and blessings.
Our vision, mission, drive, and calling haven't changed! Our location has! We're here in Aotearoa doing what we did in Chicago. We're trying to house the unhoused and stomp out all forms of injustice! The need is here, the struggle is real, New Zealand has over 100,000 people experiencing homelessness and too many children are going to bed hungry every night! We are here, trying to assist those who are rough sleeping. We are here, protesting and marching against systems of oppression. We are here, visiting the sick and imprisoned. We are here, advocating for change. We are here, preaching a gospel that brings good news to the poor and liberation to the captives. We are here! We are here to stay!
Very shortly, we're flying back to Chicago for a brief visit! We are heading to our old stomping ground to pack up and say our goodbyes, something we didn't get to do 3 years ago! Even though we have a new home, Uptown Chicago was and will forever be our home. Chicago, you grew us! Chicago, you made us who we are today. Chicago, you prepared us for our current lives. Chicago, we are eternally grateful for the years you gave us and will continue to give us. Chicago, we'll see you soon!
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