Guns

Last night as I was in my room I heard several loud bangs (the picture above is of our block. Our house is the 2nd from the left, and my apartment is the upper left one; my window in the picture is mostly obscured by the tree). It was about 8:30 at night - not yet dark outside. I am still learning how to distinguish between firecrackers and gunshots (the former of which are much more common these days, thank goodness), so I wasn't sure what I was hearing. I peeked out my window and didn't see anyone running or hear anyone yelling, so I figured it was some kids setting off fireworks and went back to what I had been doing.

Later on, however, there was a large group of policemen outside. I came to find out that the bangs had indeed been gunshots, and that a couple of stray bullets had gone through our next-door neighbor's window and lodged in her wall. This is the room that her young children usually play and watch TV in. Thankfully, however, they were somewhere else at the time.

When I first moved into Anacostia, I was a little bit scared. That only lasted a very short time, however, and soon I felt very comfortable. I haven't been at all worried about hanging out outside, going into my neighbors' apartments, walking around, etc. I do encounter a few unique individuals as I go about my business, but at the worst I feel uncomfortable - not in danger.

The recent shooting activity has, however, made me feel a little less safe. I really, really, really don't want to be afraid to be an active neighbor in the place where I live. It is EXTREMELY important to me that I be able to interact with those who live around me, forming meaningful relationships and being involved in their lives. I do not want things like gun violence to scare me into hiding indoors, and by doing so let the potential to love my neighbors and be loved by them go to waste.

I realize that most of my posts on this blog have turned out to be prayer requests, and this one is no different. Please join your prayers with mine - pray for Anacostia. Pray especially for those young men who feel they need to carry and use guns to be taken seriously. Pray people will come into their lives and help them realize a way to become men that doesn't involve violence or scare tactics.

Also, pray for protection for the innocent. The vast majority of people in Anacostia are not involved in this violence, but are unfortunate bystanders who can't get completely away from it. Mothers have to raise their children around this - I cannot imagine how difficult that is. Not only do they have to guard them physically, but they have to keep them from buying into the idea that the only way to gain respect and earn money is to be involved in illegal and violent activities.

And lastly, please pray for me and my housemates. We all need God to show us how He wants us to engage our neighbors. We truly need Him to guide us as we endeavor to be true neighbors, as it can often be a very delicate situation.