Triangle Transition 

Pam Seale

December marked our first anniversary living in the Triangle in Indianapolis.   When we first arrived, I was invited to write a sharing about the story of my discernment to move here. I have a list written of thoughts to include in such a sharing, but life around the Triangle is busy and I haven’t gotten to it.

Robin Gonzalez and Pam Seale

 What strikes me most at the end of a year is our use of the term “sent out”. For twelve years I lived as a member of POP with all my heart, mind, and soul. I was “sent out” everyday to work as a nurse and did my best to bring Christ and the vision of community to that setting. We had different household settings at home, but as Charlie Fraga said in his explanation of city-building, no one could carry a pot of soup to our house. There was real sense of isolation and, in fact, a sense of being sent out. In many ways it was a harder life than I have now. In a way, I was called home.

Last December we arrived in Indianapolis to work at city-building as Walt took the lead for our campus team here. The transition hasn’t always been easy. I found I was more attached to some things than I realized. Looking at those things and deciding that I’d prefer to live without them in order to be here has been a life giving exercise. Life among brethren is better than having a garage, a fireplace, and a title at work. In exchange, I got the thing I asked for most of my life. I have more of the Lord. I have an hour more daily to spend in personal prayer. I have more time to read spiritual books. I am built up by morning prayers with my household without organizing it among community members. I have the blessing of engaging in deep conversations at every dinner about the Lord and anything in his creation that is on a brother’s mind without inviting anyone over. I have the opportunity to grow in loving kindness as I see loving kindness in others. I get to grow in patience as I experience the differences in personalities that we all have in the household.  In a very real sense, I have more of the Lord.

So while others in my state in life may choose more golf, more leisure, more warm weather, or more vacations, I am happier than all of them. I have more of the Lord. I thank God for Paul DeCelles’ and his openness to the Spirit that ultimately started what we now call city-building. I thank God for the generosity of Dave Porter and the Indy Branch who support our life so selflessly. I thank God for Nick Holovaty and all the city-builders who came before us and made our home a better place to live. Most of all I thank God for the invitation to be “sent out”. It still feels like more of a coming home, but whatever you want to call it, it’s a wonderful life and I only hope I can serve our Lord well here as long as he so desires.