Email: Mary Hartman

Hello dear Friends,

It has been quite a month. Since I last wrote, as a house we have hosted Thanksgiving, movie night, and celebrated Christmas. Thanksgiving was graciously prepared by the family of one of my roommates who drove from Arizona to celebrate with us. In addition, we invited two neighborhood families and had a member of Hollywood Presbyterian join us. It was a time of celebrating the idea of family in a larger sense.

In traditional DOOR house fashion our Christmas dinner found us eating Chinese food. It was a time of laughter and silliness as well as good food.

In conversations, the idea of family is often brought forward, particularly at the agency I serve. Recently, I had a conversation with a client (Nick) who has emigrated from Finland. Nick came chasing the Hollywood ideal and has found the entertainment industry harsh. Life with his family was less than ideal, creating the circumstances that encouraged him to leave Finland. We talked about the things he loved about his homeland and identified ways he could connect with them here in the United States. We also discussed the family that he feels he has here in the United States through close friends. Our stereotype of a homeless person is usually a loner. Through Nick and other people, I am learning how much support exists within the homeless community. I am continually challenged as I see youth who struggle to survive offer their material goods to one another.

As part of our Christmas celebration, we hosted a neighborhood posada. The posada is a remembrance and celebration of Joseph and Mary seeking room at the inn. At the end there is a celebration of Christ’s birth. We hosted a neighborhood posada. It was highly amusing but became a great experience. One of our community goals this year is to find ways to be served by the community as well as to serve the community. An idea that came up is knitting. My roommates would like to learn to knit, and a couple of women are willing to teach us. This will enable mutual sharing of knowledge and hopefully provide some opportunities to build relationships.

I continue to be challenged in relationships with the neighborhood kids. Even today, I spent about two hours with five kids. We played ball tag, and board games. In that short time, I realized how much most of the kids simply want someone to give them undivided attention, to give proper praise. One place where we have been able to see some of the life stories of these children is by providing opportunities for them to draw pictures. One student draws hearts using bright colors and pictures of his life. Another student drew pictures of mild violence that he saw on TV using dark colors. The first student receives a lot of attention from parents and other significant elders. The second often is from a single parent home where mom works two jobs. He spends significant amounts of time at home alone. I am unsure how best to reach him. He is pretty quiet, but talkative in a one-on-one situation. It is difficult to nearly impossible to talk with kids one-on-one. I covet your prayers for wisdom.

From a wonderful breakfast with our local board, to multiple parties, to movie night, cookies and posada, December was a whirlwind. We enjoyed Christmas as a day to rest and just be still.

Thank you for your support through this year.

Note: I began this letter shortly after Thanksgiving and am now finishing it shortly after Christmas. Please forgive the lack of flow.

In Christ,

Mary