“I’ve been amazed on this trip by the stubborn capacity of Americans to help a stranger, even when it seems to run contrary to their own best interests. I think of all the families who take me in. I arrive with nothing but my pack, while they expose their homes, their possessions, their children. As scared as I am to trust them, they must be doubly afraid to trust me. Then again, what might truly frighten them is the idea of not trusting anybody.”

Reading: Read chapters 17 – 19.

Kind Action: Contact an old friend (someone with whom you’ve lost contact but with whom you’d like to re-connect). This should be a person who, essentially, has become a stranger to your life. After connecting and if it seems appropriate (ideally, it does), tell this person at least three important changes that have happened in your life since you last connected. Do this by phone, email, letter, whatever.

Reflection Exercise: Consider how, at some point in your life, you were either trusted as a stranger or how you trusted someone who was a stranger to you. If you write about this, which I strongly recommend, be as detailed as you can be.