Building Relationships of Holy Smoke

Yesterday was our ninth Getting Ahead class.  At some point a few weeks ago a beautiful thing happened. The group morphed from individuals who met together once a week to talk about poverty in our community to a group of friends, who are willing to share personal stories of triumph and hurt, who eat together, clean up the dishes, care for one another’s children, and laugh…hard.

Church members are going to GA Investigators homes and welcoming GA investigators to their homes.  I knew we had made it when I noticed one of the saints of the church walking in from break.  She had been outside on a smoke break, not because she herself smokes but because she and the GA Investigators have created friendships that make her want to continue the conversations outside in the summer air surrounded by the Holy smoke of the spirit.

Each night at the begin of our time together we have a ritual of sharing our “New and Good”  this is a way to break the ice for the week and get us ready to tackle the material.  It often leads to lots of tangents about the concrete issues that affect people who are living in poverty.  While sharing, one Investigator mentioned seeing a comment on Facebook by her state representative.  She read the comment to the group.

“After filing up my slightly rusted Dodge Durango this morning at the Speedway I decided to buy a cup of coffee.  While in line I witnessed the women in front of me buy a Minute Maid juice and a Dasani bottled water with her EBT card.  She then, with cash, purchased an instant lottery ticket and some gas.  The most insulting part was when I watched her walk up to her late model Cadillac CTS.  I get warm fuzzies knowing that my tax dollars go to support the indigent of our state.”

“I voted for this man!” was the comment made by the Investigator that brought the information to the group and the sentiment around the table was just as offended.

You see, we have spent nine weeks learning about the dynamics of class, the Hidden Rules, the language, the causes of poverty, and so much more.  We have read and discussed how there is valid research that shows that poverty is more than just the choices of the poor.  In fact Community Conditions, Exploitation, and Political/ Economic structures play just as important a role to that environment.  One Investigator knows exactly what it feels like to drive a nice car to receive benefits.  She shared with us weeks ago that she was awarded her car in her divorce and it was one of the few things she had.

The group decided to write letters to the Representative to share some of the information we have learned in class.  We may even invite him to a class to witness for himself the strengths of our group. Getting Ahead is more than half way finished at this point.  Knowledge is being shared, friendships are formed and continue to form, and support systems are growing. 

Getting Ahead is helping us to create an environment where people are much more likely to build on friendships over a smoke than judge one another for buying water, juice, a lottery ticket, gas. Thank God!