Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Detroit

I arrived in Detroit yesterday evening after about five and a half hours in the car, a shorter drive than I expected. The drive through Canada was boring: very flat and straight. Talking with the customs officials was interesting, though. No one expects a guy with everything he owns in his car, particularly when he says he's moving to Detroit. What's in Detroit? Well, Detroit is there, and God told me to go.

I should say that I'm very glad God made that decision clear to me a few months ago. If I had to make the decision again in the last few weeks I'm not sure I would have ended up deciding the same way.

I found downtown on my bike with a little help from Nate, one of five people I'm living with for this week (Matt, Bev, their baby Isaiah, and Shacha are the others -- Matt's the leader of the urban project I'm doing with Navigators for the summer). Next week I move to Hamtramck with a different intentional community. Then I'm finally back to the place I'll be living for the summer. The team arrives by the 21st. I moved some of my stuff there yesterday, some into Matt and Bev's house, and some is hiding in my trunk.

I have yet to really get started on the job search. The little bit that I've talked to the people I'm living with isn't encouraging. In the last five years Detroit has closed something like 80 schools, so teachers are being laid off left and right. There still is that one opening for a math teacher and one for a science teacher with the public school system. I hope to go to their office within the next two days and do my best to talk to someone with actual hiring power.

I'll be able to keep you a little more up to date over the next two weeks. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post once "Motor City Summer" actually begins.

2 comments:

R N W said...

cool stuff matt, I'm prayin for you. I'm sure God will work out that whole job thing since he told you to go. Never doubt what you knew that you knew.
love you,
-Ryan Wilson

Luke said...

Yeeeah Matt! It's cool to hear about you actually making the move! Mike and I are meeting today to do some praying.. we'll be sure to mention you to God a bit :)
-Luke