I almost forgot! Despite the fact that most of the sidewalks in Chicago were covered in snow, guess who still found money?
Okay, it was only a nickel, but still.
It made me happy.
Then I laughed. I don't think there has been a trip where I haven't found money.
I'm thankful for my sharp eye.
Showing posts with label mission trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mission trip. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Tuesday in Chicago
On Tuesday morning, Sami went out early to pick up an order of Paczki's, a Fat Tuesday tradition. We left earlier for the Ethiopian Community Association and made it there with time to have devotions in the van. We shared the paczki's on the way.
The teacher for the class had called out sick. We had worked with the students who needed special attention the day before while the teacher had taught the "advanced" students. Since the teacher was sick, the director asked for volunteers to help with the advanced class. Tim and I jumped at the chance.
The director gave us their worksheet. This group was working on superlatives and comparatives. Easy!
Or so I thought.
They may have been advanced in that they could speak english. But because we were using words like small, smaller, smallest, they didn't quite comprehend the meaning. We had a marker board and we drew shapes to describe the words. That worked until we got to poor and rich. At that point we moved on. We stopped teaching the class as a whole and handed out new worksheets. The new worksheet had story problems and the students had to write sentences like the example. Here is my example:
Jen went to the grocery store in the morning.
Jen planted flowers in the afternoon.
Jen listened to music in the evening.
Did Jen go to the grocery store in the morning? Yes, she went to the grocery store in the morning.
Did Jen listen to music in the afternoon? No, she listened to music in the evening.
I started helping a woman who reminded me of my mother-in-law. She was very sweet and was taking copious notes. She understood answering the question in the positive but had difficulty understanding the negative. She answered everything with a yes. No matter what. I worked with her until the end of the class. I think by then she got it. She called me teacher and thanked me. All of the students asked if we would be back tomorrow? No, we were going home. They said, you'll come back tomorrow. We kept telling them no, we were going home. But so were they, so they figured we would come back too.
From there, we drove over to Greater Chicago Food Depository. We made a quick stop at the McDonald's drive-thru and we ate our lunches in the car.
The GCFD is very similar to the one in Philadelphia where we volunteered. It was a huge, clean warehouse that receives large donations from all over. Then GCFD goes through and sends out food to different food banks, schools, etc.
At GCFD, we put labels on individual peanut butter packets. Everything that is packaged and goes out has to be labeled. Since these came from the manufacturer, they were not labeled (I think because they were not for individual sale). Each box had 120 packets in it. There were several other groups there. We needed to get 4,000+ labeled. By the end, we had done over 6,000! They had several statistics on food insecurity in the Chicago area. Of course it was too many facts, my brain was on overload and I don't remember. Just know that the numbers are high.
Their mission statement is,
The teacher for the class had called out sick. We had worked with the students who needed special attention the day before while the teacher had taught the "advanced" students. Since the teacher was sick, the director asked for volunteers to help with the advanced class. Tim and I jumped at the chance.
The director gave us their worksheet. This group was working on superlatives and comparatives. Easy!
Or so I thought.
They may have been advanced in that they could speak english. But because we were using words like small, smaller, smallest, they didn't quite comprehend the meaning. We had a marker board and we drew shapes to describe the words. That worked until we got to poor and rich. At that point we moved on. We stopped teaching the class as a whole and handed out new worksheets. The new worksheet had story problems and the students had to write sentences like the example. Here is my example:
Jen went to the grocery store in the morning.
Jen planted flowers in the afternoon.
Jen listened to music in the evening.
Did Jen go to the grocery store in the morning? Yes, she went to the grocery store in the morning.
Did Jen listen to music in the afternoon? No, she listened to music in the evening.
I started helping a woman who reminded me of my mother-in-law. She was very sweet and was taking copious notes. She understood answering the question in the positive but had difficulty understanding the negative. She answered everything with a yes. No matter what. I worked with her until the end of the class. I think by then she got it. She called me teacher and thanked me. All of the students asked if we would be back tomorrow? No, we were going home. They said, you'll come back tomorrow. We kept telling them no, we were going home. But so were they, so they figured we would come back too.
From there, we drove over to Greater Chicago Food Depository. We made a quick stop at the McDonald's drive-thru and we ate our lunches in the car.
The GCFD is very similar to the one in Philadelphia where we volunteered. It was a huge, clean warehouse that receives large donations from all over. Then GCFD goes through and sends out food to different food banks, schools, etc.
At GCFD, we put labels on individual peanut butter packets. Everything that is packaged and goes out has to be labeled. Since these came from the manufacturer, they were not labeled (I think because they were not for individual sale). Each box had 120 packets in it. There were several other groups there. We needed to get 4,000+ labeled. By the end, we had done over 6,000! They had several statistics on food insecurity in the Chicago area. Of course it was too many facts, my brain was on overload and I don't remember. Just know that the numbers are high.
Their mission statement is,
We have 1 goal,
1 mission.
To fight hunger,
1 dollar,
1 meal,
1 person at a time.
Until the day
no 1 goes hungry.
In Grand Rapids, one in five children is food insecure. I've heard the phrase "one is one too many" and I know that hunger is one thing that we can all fight together.
Back to our trip. After we finished at the food depository, we dropped Tricia off at her house. She had a volleyball tournament and needed to change and get her car. We went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner, (where Tricia met up with us before her game).
We headed our separate ways after dinner. The rest of the group went back to the housing site where we bought t-shirts, packed and cleaned. We loaded up the van and were headed home by 7pm (still local time).
Sami dropped me off at 11:50pm (Eastern time). Whew! We made it home.
Just in time! The next morning, Sami went to start the van and it wouldn't start. Big Red got towed to the Ford dealer. I haven't heard what was wrong, but she's back in the church parking lot as of tonight (Sunday) and even had a bath! (Boy was she dirty.)
That was Chicago!
I am thankful that we made it back. I'm also thankful for all of the organizations working to deliver, receive and distribute food to those with food insecurity.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Monday in Chicago
Monday started out a little behind. There is a school near the housing site, plus it snowed. That equaled us being late by forty-five minutes to our first site. That site was the Ethiopian Community Association where we taught ESL to adults from not only Ethiopia but also Nepal, Myanmar and several other countries. The volunteer coordinator explained the process of bring refugees into the U.S. It is quite a process and I had no idea that is how it worked.
In a nutshell, the U.S. allows the most refugees of any country, all of whom are placed on a waiting list once they have moved to the country of refuge and have asked to be relocated. The U.S. allows 70,000 refugees per year to move here. I don't know if he told us how many refugees are waiting at any given point, I feel as though he did give us that number, but it is many times more than that 70,000.
Clarence and I sat at a table with two gentlemen. The man I was working with didn't even have id yet. That was his first day. ESL is not an easy thing to teach. Our language is complicated. The students were given a form with the instructions to, "Fill out the form". It was a typical form with spots for name, address, birthdate, etc. After the students filled out the form, we were to check it against their id.
Shortly after we began, another man joined our table. The first man that I was helping, Ali, could spell. And that was it. He kept spelling every word over and over. The second man, Ibrihim, got much further until we got to the zip code.
He wrote down too many numbers. He wrote down six numbers. The problem with that was that his zip code had sixes in it. It was 60660 and he wrote 606660. How does one explain that there were too many numbers? Then how does one explain that it's only five numbers. I would say five and he would say six. I pointed at the numbers individually at his id and then at his form. It took several times through the zip code before I think he finally caught on. At that point I crossed out the last six. And then class was finished.
Everyone else had a little more success. Their students understood English and they had full conversations. But I had remained patient, and that was good.
From there we went back to the housing site where we could not find any parking. We drove through all of the lots associated with our parking pass. We finally gave up and parked at McDonald's. Sami stayed with the van (and drank coffee while reading a book). At 2:30pm she drove over and met us. We headed out to an area of town known as Devon. It's a mix of middle-eastern and Pakistani. We broke up into different groups and set about with a different set of instructions and money to purchase something that represented the area. I was with Shawn, Tim and Stephanie.
We stopped in a restaurant and questioned the owner. He had been there about twenty years (I think, the facts are starting to slip my mind). He told us that it used to be a Jewish neighborhood but the Indian population slowly took over. We asked how to say hello in his native language, which was Hindi. I couldn't tell you what he said.
From there we walked further down the street. We kept passing dress shops and restaurants. Finally, Stephanie said that she wanted to go in one of the dress shops, she had questions. The one we stopped in was actually known for wedding "dress". I use quotes because they had clothes for men and women.
The man there talked with us for at least twenty minutes. He was kind and full of information. He let us feel how heavy the dresses are (check out all the bead work). He even let Shawn try on the head piece for a man (see below).
In a nutshell, the U.S. allows the most refugees of any country, all of whom are placed on a waiting list once they have moved to the country of refuge and have asked to be relocated. The U.S. allows 70,000 refugees per year to move here. I don't know if he told us how many refugees are waiting at any given point, I feel as though he did give us that number, but it is many times more than that 70,000.
Clarence and I sat at a table with two gentlemen. The man I was working with didn't even have id yet. That was his first day. ESL is not an easy thing to teach. Our language is complicated. The students were given a form with the instructions to, "Fill out the form". It was a typical form with spots for name, address, birthdate, etc. After the students filled out the form, we were to check it against their id.
Shortly after we began, another man joined our table. The first man that I was helping, Ali, could spell. And that was it. He kept spelling every word over and over. The second man, Ibrihim, got much further until we got to the zip code.
He wrote down too many numbers. He wrote down six numbers. The problem with that was that his zip code had sixes in it. It was 60660 and he wrote 606660. How does one explain that there were too many numbers? Then how does one explain that it's only five numbers. I would say five and he would say six. I pointed at the numbers individually at his id and then at his form. It took several times through the zip code before I think he finally caught on. At that point I crossed out the last six. And then class was finished.
Everyone else had a little more success. Their students understood English and they had full conversations. But I had remained patient, and that was good.
From there we went back to the housing site where we could not find any parking. We drove through all of the lots associated with our parking pass. We finally gave up and parked at McDonald's. Sami stayed with the van (and drank coffee while reading a book). At 2:30pm she drove over and met us. We headed out to an area of town known as Devon. It's a mix of middle-eastern and Pakistani. We broke up into different groups and set about with a different set of instructions and money to purchase something that represented the area. I was with Shawn, Tim and Stephanie.
We stopped in a restaurant and questioned the owner. He had been there about twenty years (I think, the facts are starting to slip my mind). He told us that it used to be a Jewish neighborhood but the Indian population slowly took over. We asked how to say hello in his native language, which was Hindi. I couldn't tell you what he said.
From there we walked further down the street. We kept passing dress shops and restaurants. Finally, Stephanie said that she wanted to go in one of the dress shops, she had questions. The one we stopped in was actually known for wedding "dress". I use quotes because they had clothes for men and women.
The man there talked with us for at least twenty minutes. He was kind and full of information. He let us feel how heavy the dresses are (check out all the bead work). He even let Shawn try on the head piece for a man (see below).
One of the heavier beaded dresses.
The couple's outfits will match. The groom and his family come in and shop, then the bride comes with the groom's family to pick out her dress. The groom's family is very involved.
Here, the man wraps the tail (?) around Shawn's arm explaining that it's wrapped around the bride's arm too, binding them together.
Shawn poses (a very rare opportunity).
From there we crossed the street to go in a large grocery store. We bought cookies, after asking patrons for recommendations. This store had everything from Mexican, to Middle-eastern and everything in between.
Check out the "American Style Cream and Onion" chips! Ha.
We had to find taro root and another root, and I can't remember which was which!
We also had to find out what a sari was. We found out it's the shawl, but not a scarf, that women wear. They wear them all the time in their home country, but for here, it's more for special occasions. Some will wear them all the time.
From there, we went to A Just Harvest. A soup kitchen. We worked alongside members from a church and helped serve a few dozen people. They weren't very busy because it was the beginning of the month. Social Security, Disability, Food Stamps, etc. were just renewed/paid out. The people we served were all kind and appreciative. We were actually surprised that there weren't more people because of the cold weather. Eating at a soup kitchen doesn't mean you're homeless.
From there we went to a Peruvian restaurant. The best kept secret in Chicago, according to their sign. No kidding. It was amazing. The best dish was Papa a la Huancaina. Boiled potatoes served with a cream cheese type sauce. I googled it when I got home and found a recipe. After I make it, I'll let you know how close it was and I'll share it. Sarah also prepared us for the rice served with french fries. I'm not sure that's a legit Peruvian dish, or if it's americanized, but it was also amazing. Especially when you spooned the leftover cheese sauce over it. We had a beef dish and a chicken dish too.
We did not want for food on this trip.
After that, we headed back to the house to debrief and go to sleep.
On Monday, I was especially thankful for my patience teaching ESL and definitely for the Peruvian dinner.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Sunday in Chicago
We went to Lawndale Community Church. They were celebrating their 35th anniversary. The church is rebuilding the surrounding community. There were numerous facts about LC3 (as they are affectionately calling themselves) that Sarah shared during our prayer tour. I don't remember them. I do remember the service. It was dynamic. As individuals came up to the "pulpit" (I use that term loosely because their church was in a gymnasium and was in the round) they gave their name and how many years they have been attending. There were several individuals who have been attending since coming to the Hope House (one of their mission sites). A few have been there since 1978, including "Coach" their pastor. The choir sang a testimonial song and we were clapping and moving to the beat. (I couldn't sound more white as I write it, could I?)
After church, we headed over to Auto Zone to get a new battery and new windshield wipers. Thank goodness we had extra time.
We went back to the housing site where we split into two groups. 4S's and ETTC. Since I haven't told you who all went on the trip, I shall share that now; Sami, Stephanie, Shawn, Sean, Emily, Tricia, Tim and Clarence. You can figure out the two groups.
We had our immersion. This is where we are each given two dollars to buy our meal. We may share it if we wish. We have a backstory and are given directions to a neighborhood where we are to explore it and find out core information. Our group was sent to Little Vietnam. We were living as a family from Vietnam who had just moved to the city. We were out of money, except for the $8. (There were other questions, but again, I have forgotten.)
We set out by shopping in the local markets.
This is the market we tried to find food. We ended up at a convenience store where we bought bread, bologna, processed cheese slices, juice and pretzels for $5 and change.
Our group desperately wanted to share our food with someone who needed a meal. But it was so cold out that we could not find anyone. We walked a few blocks, the wind biting, and we finally decided to head to our other neighborhood. From Little Vietnam, we went to Lincoln Park. If you know Chicago, you may know theLincoln Park area has come around in the last few years. It is not the place to find the homeless or hungry individuals. We could not find a place to sit and eat our lunch either. We finally found a church. It was locked, so we sat on the front steps, somewhat out of the cold, and ate. From there we headed back to a coffee shop we had passed near the El. It was 2:45 and the coffee shop closed at 3pm. We bought a hot chocolate and used the restroom. We hung out as long as they let us, until 3:15pm. Our directions told us that the train ride back would take forty minutes. We decided if we got back five minutes early, we did okay.
After church, we headed over to Auto Zone to get a new battery and new windshield wipers. Thank goodness we had extra time.
We went back to the housing site where we split into two groups. 4S's and ETTC. Since I haven't told you who all went on the trip, I shall share that now; Sami, Stephanie, Shawn, Sean, Emily, Tricia, Tim and Clarence. You can figure out the two groups.
We had our immersion. This is where we are each given two dollars to buy our meal. We may share it if we wish. We have a backstory and are given directions to a neighborhood where we are to explore it and find out core information. Our group was sent to Little Vietnam. We were living as a family from Vietnam who had just moved to the city. We were out of money, except for the $8. (There were other questions, but again, I have forgotten.)
We set out by shopping in the local markets.
Tricia and Tim are trying to decide what groceries we could purchase
(we are told to try not to use fast food).
I took a picture of water chestnuts because I've only ever seen them in their prepared form.
I think this is the bag of Prawn chips that we bought to share. I never did try one!
Our group desperately wanted to share our food with someone who needed a meal. But it was so cold out that we could not find anyone. We walked a few blocks, the wind biting, and we finally decided to head to our other neighborhood. From Little Vietnam, we went to Lincoln Park. If you know Chicago, you may know theLincoln Park area has come around in the last few years. It is not the place to find the homeless or hungry individuals. We could not find a place to sit and eat our lunch either. We finally found a church. It was locked, so we sat on the front steps, somewhat out of the cold, and ate. From there we headed back to a coffee shop we had passed near the El. It was 2:45 and the coffee shop closed at 3pm. We bought a hot chocolate and used the restroom. We hung out as long as they let us, until 3:15pm. Our directions told us that the train ride back would take forty minutes. We decided if we got back five minutes early, we did okay.
The other thing I'm thankful for is that there are heat lamps at the stops. Here we are, waiting for the train, as close to the heat lamp as we can get.
Sami sent me a text shortly after we got on the train. Their group was already back. Because it was so cold, there were not many people riding the train so the ride was only twenty minutes. From the station we had a short walk, which we ran because we were pretty cold.
Our two groups shared their experiences and warmed up. Sami's group had gone to Boystown. It's a very colorful neighborhood. They chose not to go in any shops. Not because of the cliental but because of the products. Gay porn isn't quite the college spring break experience. Plus, the focus was buying lunch, not those things. They too had hoped to share food with someone. While they were unable to do that, they did find someone to talk to. We share our experience. All in all, not the best immersion we have ever gone on.
From there, we went to dinner right down the street at a Mediterranean restaurant. The hummus was delicious. Sami, Tricia and I shared our dinner. I had chicken, Sami had falafel and Tricia had the beef. The chicken pita came with a garlic sauce. We had to ask for more, it was so good.
It was only 7:30pm by the time we got back to the housing site, but we were pretty tired. I think the girls were in bed by 9pm.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Fun in Chicago
First we stopped by Jersey Junction. They opened on March 1st, but since Sami's Speedy Shuttle Service picked me up at 6:30am JJ wasn't open yet. No worries, Sami is the best and had ice cream that we ate outside. In the snow. Only a true ice cream lover in Michigan is crazy enough to do that.
That would be me.
We made it to Chicago by 10:30am (local time). We stopped by a donut shop for some gluten free donuts for a friend of Sami. Sami also picked up a dozen donuts for us.
From there we picked up Tricia. We ate lunch at Gino's and then went to the John Hancock building and went up to the observation deck. Here are my photos.
That's Navy Pier and the frozen Lake Michigan.
Looking north up Lake Shore Drive.
My selfie for Instagram. I love heights.
(No, I don't.)
The Sears/Willis Tower in the background.
Chicago!
After we stopped to get coffee, we drove to the CSM site located at North Park University. We checked in and unpacked. We had dinner at a Columbian restaurant then we took our prayer tour. I never knew there were different prayer tours; we took the West Side Prayer tour. I will admit that I didn't get everything out of the prayer tour that I could have because I was driving Big Red (our fifteen passenger church van). It was snowing. The wipers kept freezing up. The defrost only worked with the fan on high. I could see out of 30% of the windshield at any given time. I focused on driving, avoiding potholes (or as we started calling them; "big", "bad", "pot" or "hole"), listening to Sarah, our host, tell me where to turn, stopping at stop signs (many are hidden behind large vehicles parked too close to the corner), and keeping the van shiny side up.
We bought new wipers the next day. It made a world of difference.
I digress, after the prayer tour, we went to bed. That was Saturday.
I was thankful for Shawn who kept jumping out when we would stop to try to knock the ice off the wipers.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
First things first
I will get to our trip tomorrow or Friday. For today, I'm thankful that we made it back.
Sami dropped me off at 11:51pm last night.
This morning she sent me a picture of the fifteen passenger van being towed to the dealer. "Big Red", as we affectionately call her, has died. I don't know what has happened to the ol' girl, but we may not get her back.
I am so thankful that we made it home.
Sami dropped me off at 11:51pm last night.
This morning she sent me a picture of the fifteen passenger van being towed to the dealer. "Big Red", as we affectionately call her, has died. I don't know what has happened to the ol' girl, but we may not get her back.
I am so thankful that we made it home.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Gone Fishin'
No, not really. I don't fish. I don't eat fish. I don't hook worms on fish hooks. I don't fish.
I'm off with the college/young adults on another spring break mission trip. This year we're headed to sunny, tropical, wait for it, Chicago!
After last year's incident, I will not be taking my laptop with me. I will blog about our trip when I return.
We left this morning at 7am. Send us good thoughts or prayers while we're gone. We'll return late (midnight) Tuesday night.
It's a shorter trip because Illinois state law requires TB tests for individuals working with children for more than two days. It's very complicated. Needless to say, we're coming back a day early. I'll be back to blogging Wednesday.
For the time while I'm gone, know that I'll be thankful each night that I crawl into bed for sleep.
I'm off with the college/young adults on another spring break mission trip. This year we're headed to sunny, tropical, wait for it, Chicago!
After last year's incident, I will not be taking my laptop with me. I will blog about our trip when I return.
We left this morning at 7am. Send us good thoughts or prayers while we're gone. We'll return late (midnight) Tuesday night.
It's a shorter trip because Illinois state law requires TB tests for individuals working with children for more than two days. It's very complicated. Needless to say, we're coming back a day early. I'll be back to blogging Wednesday.
For the time while I'm gone, know that I'll be thankful each night that I crawl into bed for sleep.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Two things
The Olympics are in full swing. Bill and I are anxiously awaiting Feb. 10th which will be the beginning of the curling events. We really got into curling four years ago. With all the different ways to view the Olympics, it was pretty easy to find a curling match. Before we knew it, we were hooked. It's fascinating to watch.
The other date that I am anxiously awaiting is March 1st. Skylar will know why. Molly Mo knows why. Bill, who will roll his eyes, knows why.
Jersey Junction opens for the season.
I don't care how cold it is. I will be there, and I will buy an ice cream cone even if I'm wearing my two layers of socks, two layers of tops, long underwear, a scarf, hat and mittens.
Except this year we are supposed to leave for the college/young adult spring break trip. Since we're only going to Chicago, I wonder if I can talk Sami into waiting until after I get my ice cream…?
If I can get her to do that, I know what I'll be thankful for on March 1st. For today I'm thankful that it's only twenty days until then.
The other date that I am anxiously awaiting is March 1st. Skylar will know why. Molly Mo knows why. Bill, who will roll his eyes, knows why.
Jersey Junction opens for the season.
I don't care how cold it is. I will be there, and I will buy an ice cream cone even if I'm wearing my two layers of socks, two layers of tops, long underwear, a scarf, hat and mittens.
Except this year we are supposed to leave for the college/young adult spring break trip. Since we're only going to Chicago, I wonder if I can talk Sami into waiting until after I get my ice cream…?
If I can get her to do that, I know what I'll be thankful for on March 1st. For today I'm thankful that it's only twenty days until then.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
the rest of the 2013 DC spring break trip (sans photos)
Truthfully, I’ve been waiting for pictures before I
finish writing about our DC trip. But I’ve found some time here and there, so
without pictures and further ado:
Tuesday in DC:
We had a late morning, which was nice after the
early morning on Monday. We had breakfast and devotions. Then we split into two
groups. Sami had Clarence, Shawn, Cait, and Brenna. I had Mike, Nick, Precious
and Jen. We had divided into two groups for the “urban plunge”, a hands-on
experience of what it’s like to be homeless in the city. Each person had been
given $2.00. As a group, we were given an area to “explore”. We were to use the
money to buy lunch and share it with someone. This was to be done by pooling
our money together or not (both groups chose to combine their funds). Each
group had questions to answer. The questions were things like; where is the
closest shelter in the designated area, where is the closest soup kitchen, etc.
Sami’s group was given bus tickets, my group had a closer area and we walked.
We were to meet back at the housing site by 1pm.
My group had the area around Union Station. Since we
had already eaten dinner there Saturday night, we were familiar with the food
court. We had an added task of finding a coffee shop (whose name I have
forgotten) and finding out why it was special. After asking several people in
Union Station, we finally found someone who could give us directions to the
coffee shop. We found it about a block and a half away from Union Station. The
group asked the barista a few questions and discovered that a church started
the coffee shop. The church doesn’t use any of the shops proceeds to pay for
the supplies, wages, etc. All of the money made goes back into the neighborhood
and the missions that the church provides.
From there, the group decided to find a store where
we could buy supplies to make sandwiches for lunch. We headed across our
rectangular area in search of a store. We quickly found a convenience store.
Bread was $3,49. We only had $10. Could we afford lunchmeat or peanut butter on
top of the cost of the bread? We decided to keep searching for a grocery store.
Precious asked the person at the counter where was the closest grocery store? A
customer told us that is was only a few miles away. We explained that we were
walking and that was probably outside of our “area”. We left the store and kept
walking. We found a police officer and asked him where could we find a soup
kitchen/shelter. He told us about one, on the very edge of our map. We found a
church and asked them if they had any food or program where we could get food.
They did not. We headed toward the shelter the policeman recommended. When we
got there, I realized we were on the front side of DC Central Kitchen, which is
a shelter. Actually the building houses a couple of shelters as well as the
kitchen. We walked into the shelter and found two women who worked there who
were willing to talk to us. Jen, Nick, Mike and Precious all asked good
questions. The main shelter, which is the biggest with several hundred beds,
allowed people to stay, no questions asked. The only restriction is that after
seven nights if you weren’t there, your bed was given to someone else. But
those did not have to be consecutive nights. The shelter has showers, laundry
facilities, and no “check-out” time.
I’ll admit, it was pretty rough outside. The two
women suggested we go back outside to talk to residents to get better answers
to our questions. We did. We had one young gentleman who came over to us asking
for money. He was high (Precious had seen him smoking a joint before we went in
to the shelter) and wanted money for food. Since we had a limited budget, and
hadn’t yet decided what we would do for lunch, we told him we didn’t have money
to spare. We talked with him for several minutes. I noticed several people who
walked by and (to me) appeared to be making sure this man wasn’t harassing us.
I checked my watch and told the group we needed to go figure out what we were
going to do for lunch. We ended up going back to Union Station. We found the
best deal at Burger King. However, as we were walking around checking prices on
meals, we were offered samples. It seemed like it could be a pretty nice place
to hang out if you were homeless. It had a public bathroom and plenty of food.
While we were walking around accepting free samples,
Nick and Jen thought they had found a good deal; 12 pieces of chicken for $8.
It sounded good, so as the rest of us were walking over to that counter I asked
Precious if she was okay with chicken. Point blank, she looked at me and said,
“Emily, I’m black. Of course chicken is okay.” We busted out laughing. I had
been concerned because her acid reflux had been pretty bad. I wanted to make
sure it wouldn’t upset her stomach/throat. Clearly I was not paying attention
to the color of her skin. That may have been the best line of the trip.
The chicken counter turned out to be false
advertising so that was when we decided Burger King was the way to go.
While Mike and Precious were waiting for the chicken
sandwiches and cheeseburgers, Jen found a man she had met at SOME the day
before. She asked if we could join him, and he said sure. We sat down to eat
and to listen to him share what he knew about organic farming. It turns out, he
knew a lot about organic farming. I glanced at my watch and realized it was
12:45pm. We had fifteen minutes to get back and it was going to take us longer
than that to walk the two + miles. I gave Jen & Precious the
“we-have-to-go” look. We thanked the guy for sharing time with us, excused
ourselves and left him with the extra burgers.
We made it back by ten after one and beat the other
group by several minutes since they were dependent on the bus.
Once everyone was back, we piled into the van and
headed to our afternoon site. It was “The People’s Church”. This church had
left the downtown and moved out to the Maryland suburbs. They had been aiming
to purchase property in a strip mall, but after a year of praying and waiting,
their offer was turned down. However, God had bigger plans and they found a
property that seemed to be a better offer. Not only did it have a church but it
also had a parsonage and a former Christian school. This was way more then the
congregation wanted but decided God was telling them to do more. The pastor,
Mike, and his wife Terri met us at the school. Through CSM they had been able
to strip the school of it’s molding interior (it’s not old, maybe c. 1990’s,
but it had been neglected), and begin the organization process. The church had
been renovated by their sweat equity and has just been open since the autumn of
’12. They still aren’t sure what they will do with the school, but in order to
pass inspections and keep their construction loans, they have to stage the
classrooms. We set to work organizing and moving stuff. A few people headed
over to the parsonage and ripped out the carpet. It was just a few hours that
we were there, but we made significant headway.
From there we went to eat dinner at Thai Orchid.
They served us family style. After the first two plates were served and our
plates were piled high, they brought out another dish. I was sitting across
from Nick. His eyes got really big; more food? I laughed and told him don’t
forget about dessert. The dishes were all delicious. Dessert was an egg
roll-type phyllo dough with honey. It was also delicious.
We stopped at the Jefferson Memorial and held our
debriefing in the basement/museum. It was a little loud since many of the
monuments are open twenty-four hours.
We tried going to Pinkberry for dessert #2 (because
that’s how we roll), but we got there just after 9pm and they were closed.
There was a milkshake & burger joint across the street, so we went over
there instead. Dessert #2 was also delicious.
Wednesday in DC:
Wednesday morning, we woke up to snow and news that
the city was basically shut down. Our morning site was not an option (it was
Seabury Age-in-Place, but I don’t know what that is, perhaps a home for
seniors?) so Sami let the City Coordinator know that we were willing to go back
to “The People’s Church” and by 10am we were headed back there. They were so
grateful for our help that Mike’s mom offered to buy us a “hot lunch” because
our sack lunches weren’t good enough. She bought us Popeye’s chicken.
By the afternoon the snow had melted so we headed to
the originally scheduled site: St. Thomas More. This was a residential facility
for low-income persons with disabilities or medical trauma. We split up into
the same groups from the day before and went from room to room to see if anyone
wanted/needed company. Sami’s group started at the top (which housed the
patients who had the most severe injuries) and my group started on the second
floor (this first floor consisted of the dining room, offices and other public
spaces). We split up into two groups. I was with Nick. Precious, Mike and Cait
went off together.
Nick and I met a man who was waiting on a nurse to
take him away for some tests, but we briefly discussed sports. He was watching
an old football game, and even though we were in DC and he was from New York,
he was a Dallas fan. We met up with the other three and they had quickly burned
through the floor. Doors were closed or people just weren’t in the mood to
talk. We moved on. The next person Nick and I talked to was a nice woman who
was probably in her fifties, Maria. It became clear that she had some head
trauma. Her memory seemed to be good, but she had no idea why she was there.
She used to drive the bus for a University (I have now forgotten which one).
She liked flowers, and she liked to draw. One of the things we were instructed
to do was to ask if we could pray for or with the people we spoke to. Nick and
I prayed with her. Then we moved on to meet someone else. We couldn’t find any
more open doors, or people who were awake, so we found Mike, Cait and Precious.
They were talking with a nice woman who was 98 years old, Ann. We spent
forty-five minutes with her. She shared that travel is very important along
with stories and much laughter. It was about ninety degrees in her room, so I
was making sure no one was about to pass out (including myself). By the time we
finished praying with her, we decided to go find the other group. Instead, they
found us! We put in our dinner orders, (Jamaican) and on the way to the
restaurant we stopped by the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate
Conception.
I was amazed. It reminded me of the cathedrals we saw
in Europe. Every inch of space was covered in mosaics! Kelsey gave us ten
minutes. We took forty-five. I didn’t even make it to the basement! It was more
than breathtaking. Words and pictures will not do it justice. If you are ever
in DC and you appreciate churches/architecture/art, please go see this. You
will not be sorry. Just allow yourself plenty of time to take it all in.
Dinner was actually my least favorite. I had the
curry chicken, which was the blandest choice. Actually, I split my dinner with
Jen and Brenna. Jen had the jerk chicken (the spiciest) and Brenna had the
third (the sweetest). However, after the lunch we’d had earlier, how can you
beat fried chicken?
After dinner, we headed back over to the Lincoln
Memorial to retake our group photo. On the way, we stopped at the White House,
which we had not yet seen up close. Half of the group decided to walk around to
the other side (the East Lawn) but the rest were too cold so we went back to
the van. Sami was with the group walking around and decided to test the
security when they almost cut through the lawn. Security is tight, and they
were told to turn around and go back the other way.
From there we were able to find street parking to
see the Lincoln and Vietnam War memorials. Sami snapped a picture of the Nurses
Vietnam memorial (for Judy). On our way to the Lincoln Memorial, we ran into
another group from CSM. Their host wasn’t sure how to get back and his phone
had died. They did not have a gps either. He asked if he could call Kelsey,
using Sami’s cell phone. He decided to play a prank on her and pretended to be
a security guard. He had Sami and me laughing, apparently he did not fake-out
Kelsey. We all headed back to the site, with the other van following ours. At a
stop light in Chinatown, Kelsey and I held a Chinese fire drill. Up until that
point I didn’t know that had been on my bucket list, but I decided it should
have been and has now been crossed off.
We had our debriefing and did our part to clean up.
Thursday morning we were on the road by 8:25am. We stopped at the Capitol and
took a “re-do” group photo there. We made it back to GR by 8:35pm.
That was our 2013 spring break trip. Hopefully there
will be photos to add... they're out there somewhere!
Friday, March 29, 2013
what happened to Emily?
I'm still here. I had to get my new computer set up. Now, Bill and I are in the midst of re-doing the home office before his parents come visit for his birthday (mid-April).
By re-doing the home office, I mean switching rooms completely.
And taking all the furniture out of what was my office (and Skylar's room), stripping off the wallpaper border, removing the top four or so layers of paint, sanding, priming, painting, cleaning the carpets, and then putting back some of the furniture making it the official home office.
Bill's current (and soon to be former) home office will become just the guest room. Other than moving furniture around, and removing stuff, not much will change in there.
I spent seven hours removing the paint yesterday. We have two and a half weeks left to get 'er done.
The clock is ticking.
I don't have time for blogging.
I have been writing about the rest of the DC trip in a Word document. Once I finish it, I will post it so you can finally read about the rest of the trip. Thank goodness I keep a journal.
This weekend, along with celebrating Easter, we're celebrating Spencer's first birthday! I'll take pictures.
Come back in six weeks, maybe I'll have them posted by then.
Don't hold your breath.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Monday in DC
You may have heard by now, but while in DC we had a small mishap in the form of theft. That is why I didn't blog about the rest of our trip. I kept my journal though, so I will come back to finish writing about the trip when I get my replacement laptop.
In the meantime, here's what happened:
Monday morning we had gone to a soup kitchen called SOME (So Others May Eat). SOME provides breakfast and lunch (and maybe dinner, but I don't remember) seven days a week, 365 days a year. They are open on holidays and never close, the one exception in forty-three years was during Hurricane Sandy. They also provide housing, education programs, work placements programs and many other services.
We worked two breakfast shifts and two shorter lunch shifts. Earlier we were told by our city host and the director not to leave anything at the housing site, which happened to be a church. We had our belongings with us at SOME and they were locked in a closet. Because we had left very early that morning to go to SOME, we had our devotions there, during our break.
I was in charge of devotions and had chosen to use Micah 6:8, "He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does The Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"
I had written my devotion on my laptop, so I had it with me. I had it in a bag.
At SOME, the discussion around the devotion went really well. I was impressed by the questions and encouraged by the sharing.
The staff and patrons were kind and appreciative. SOME was the best experience I have ever had at a soup kitchen.
We had a late lunch at Pollo Granjero, an El Salvadorian restaurant. The best way to explain what we ate is to call them quesadillas. We could choose between bean and cheese or pork. Just like every trip, there was sharing. I split mine with Precious so we had one of each. I think I preferred the bean and cheese.
We left there and stopped at the Capitol building to take pictures. We had enough time to go through the Botanical Garden as well.
Our evening site was the DC Central Kitchen. We had a brief orientation, which included a description of the site. DC Central Kitchen is a commercial kitchen that provides high quantity meals to schools, shelters and other places. They provide culinary training to those coming off the streets to provide them with skills so they can find a job.
The kitchens were high-end and pretty impressive.
Several from our group worked on an assembly line of making trays of rice, beans, and another layer of a sausage bean mixture. Brenna scooped rice into the tray, Jen layered beans over the rice, our new friend Sutan put a row of beans and sausage down the middle, I covered the top with plastic wrap, Mike put the lid on, Clarence wrote the description and carried the trays to a cart, and eventually to the refrigerator. Nick and Cait (and eventually Sarah and Brenna) were opening the packages of sausage and beans for Sutan.
Sutan is from Turkey and came to the U.S. because his mother was here and to go to college. He works for the government in the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Sami was snapping pictures and his back was to her. The joke became that his butt was in all the photos. So next time we see a statistic on the news we can not only say we know someone who may have worked on those numbers but we also know an a$$ in the government (get it? because his backside is in our photos).
We were amused.
Our group filled 107 trays. We went on to fill fifteen more of the sausage and bean mixture (we ran out of rice).
Sami and Sarah had counted milk and oranges for a school. Precious and Shawn cut onions.
By the time we filled our trays, everyone else had finished so we sat down to eat our sack dinners. I had asked to get into the locked cage so I could take some medication. Clarence came over and needed to get something out of his bag. I took my small clutch with me. Then I told him to lock it back up. That was around 7:20pm.
At 7:50pm, Sami got up to use the bathrooms, which were in the same hallway as the cage. She noticed the cage was no longer locked. She came back to the room where we were all eating and told us to go get our stuff. The minute I saw my bag, I knew my laptop was gone. I had put my scarf and hat over it, and then put my coat on top of that. There was no way anyone would have seen my laptop unless they went through my bag. When I walked up to the cage, my bag which had been leaning up against the side, was tipped over and my scarf and hat weren't just laying there as if the bag had been tipped over; they were strewn across the shelf and my coat was bunched up on the other side. Sami had a new Canon in a camera bag, in her zipped purse. The camera bag was gone. Two of our students had money taken from their purses.
We called the police. Sami and I were able to get our serial numbers and the police were able to write a report. Everyone who was working at the kitchen were very upset and kept asking what they could do to help. The night supervisor, Chef Mike, was on the phone immediately with the CEO. While the police were there, Chef Mike had the officer who was not taking our statements go search through the employees lockers. The security officer was also there and was also as helpful as she could be. They have records of all the volunteers, and their addresses.
While it sucks and we really don't know who did it, we are grateful that no one was hurt. It was just stuff. Stuff can be replaced.
Officer Israel took our statements. He also told us, because of the value of what was taken, this is not a misdemeanor charge, this is a class one felony charge. This is serious. What did this person, these persons need so desperately that they needed to steal things. It was a theft of opportunity because the one student had more money in her purse than what was taken.
What I found ironic was the discussion that I was having at the time of the theft. I was talking to a couple of our students about forgiveness and judging. I stand by what I was saying which is that it is not for me to judge others. Yes, we have laws and we should follow them. If you break the law, you pay the price. But as far as what happens to that person when it comes to the pearly gates, I have no say.
I wish the thief had heard that.
Another lesson from this is to back up your files. Everything I had on the computer... none of it was backed up. I feel so foolish for not doing that. I no longer have photos from the last six months, those are gone and lost forever. My hours for work, gone. The library of books I had spent hours scanning for Pastor Tish, gone (unless I really did somehow save it to the church server). All of my stuff for work, gone.
I wish the thief knew that.
The last lesson I am taking with me is the one I am teaching on Sunday to my youth. It sticks out the most. We read the Bible and try to follow it. One of the ten commandments is do not steal. And then we learn from Jesus to forgive and love each other.
I hope the thief knows that I am forgiving them and I'll be working on loving them.
In the meantime, here's what happened:
Monday morning we had gone to a soup kitchen called SOME (So Others May Eat). SOME provides breakfast and lunch (and maybe dinner, but I don't remember) seven days a week, 365 days a year. They are open on holidays and never close, the one exception in forty-three years was during Hurricane Sandy. They also provide housing, education programs, work placements programs and many other services.
We worked two breakfast shifts and two shorter lunch shifts. Earlier we were told by our city host and the director not to leave anything at the housing site, which happened to be a church. We had our belongings with us at SOME and they were locked in a closet. Because we had left very early that morning to go to SOME, we had our devotions there, during our break.
I was in charge of devotions and had chosen to use Micah 6:8, "He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does The Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"
I had written my devotion on my laptop, so I had it with me. I had it in a bag.
At SOME, the discussion around the devotion went really well. I was impressed by the questions and encouraged by the sharing.
The staff and patrons were kind and appreciative. SOME was the best experience I have ever had at a soup kitchen.
We had a late lunch at Pollo Granjero, an El Salvadorian restaurant. The best way to explain what we ate is to call them quesadillas. We could choose between bean and cheese or pork. Just like every trip, there was sharing. I split mine with Precious so we had one of each. I think I preferred the bean and cheese.
We left there and stopped at the Capitol building to take pictures. We had enough time to go through the Botanical Garden as well.
Our evening site was the DC Central Kitchen. We had a brief orientation, which included a description of the site. DC Central Kitchen is a commercial kitchen that provides high quantity meals to schools, shelters and other places. They provide culinary training to those coming off the streets to provide them with skills so they can find a job.
The kitchens were high-end and pretty impressive.
Several from our group worked on an assembly line of making trays of rice, beans, and another layer of a sausage bean mixture. Brenna scooped rice into the tray, Jen layered beans over the rice, our new friend Sutan put a row of beans and sausage down the middle, I covered the top with plastic wrap, Mike put the lid on, Clarence wrote the description and carried the trays to a cart, and eventually to the refrigerator. Nick and Cait (and eventually Sarah and Brenna) were opening the packages of sausage and beans for Sutan.
Sutan is from Turkey and came to the U.S. because his mother was here and to go to college. He works for the government in the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Sami was snapping pictures and his back was to her. The joke became that his butt was in all the photos. So next time we see a statistic on the news we can not only say we know someone who may have worked on those numbers but we also know an a$$ in the government (get it? because his backside is in our photos).
We were amused.
Our group filled 107 trays. We went on to fill fifteen more of the sausage and bean mixture (we ran out of rice).
Sami and Sarah had counted milk and oranges for a school. Precious and Shawn cut onions.
By the time we filled our trays, everyone else had finished so we sat down to eat our sack dinners. I had asked to get into the locked cage so I could take some medication. Clarence came over and needed to get something out of his bag. I took my small clutch with me. Then I told him to lock it back up. That was around 7:20pm.
At 7:50pm, Sami got up to use the bathrooms, which were in the same hallway as the cage. She noticed the cage was no longer locked. She came back to the room where we were all eating and told us to go get our stuff. The minute I saw my bag, I knew my laptop was gone. I had put my scarf and hat over it, and then put my coat on top of that. There was no way anyone would have seen my laptop unless they went through my bag. When I walked up to the cage, my bag which had been leaning up against the side, was tipped over and my scarf and hat weren't just laying there as if the bag had been tipped over; they were strewn across the shelf and my coat was bunched up on the other side. Sami had a new Canon in a camera bag, in her zipped purse. The camera bag was gone. Two of our students had money taken from their purses.
We called the police. Sami and I were able to get our serial numbers and the police were able to write a report. Everyone who was working at the kitchen were very upset and kept asking what they could do to help. The night supervisor, Chef Mike, was on the phone immediately with the CEO. While the police were there, Chef Mike had the officer who was not taking our statements go search through the employees lockers. The security officer was also there and was also as helpful as she could be. They have records of all the volunteers, and their addresses.
While it sucks and we really don't know who did it, we are grateful that no one was hurt. It was just stuff. Stuff can be replaced.
Officer Israel took our statements. He also told us, because of the value of what was taken, this is not a misdemeanor charge, this is a class one felony charge. This is serious. What did this person, these persons need so desperately that they needed to steal things. It was a theft of opportunity because the one student had more money in her purse than what was taken.
What I found ironic was the discussion that I was having at the time of the theft. I was talking to a couple of our students about forgiveness and judging. I stand by what I was saying which is that it is not for me to judge others. Yes, we have laws and we should follow them. If you break the law, you pay the price. But as far as what happens to that person when it comes to the pearly gates, I have no say.
I wish the thief had heard that.
Another lesson from this is to back up your files. Everything I had on the computer... none of it was backed up. I feel so foolish for not doing that. I no longer have photos from the last six months, those are gone and lost forever. My hours for work, gone. The library of books I had spent hours scanning for Pastor Tish, gone (unless I really did somehow save it to the church server). All of my stuff for work, gone.
I wish the thief knew that.
The last lesson I am taking with me is the one I am teaching on Sunday to my youth. It sticks out the most. We read the Bible and try to follow it. One of the ten commandments is do not steal. And then we learn from Jesus to forgive and love each other.
I hope the thief knows that I am forgiving them and I'll be working on loving them.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
2013 Spring Break mission trip to DC
It's that time of year again.
I don't shower, sleep or have any sort of regularity for the next few days.
This year we are in Washington DC, the nation's capitol.
We arrived yesterday after a twelve hour drive through snow.
We ate at Union Station and took a Twilight Trolley Tour.
Sami has pictures, I'll post them next week (I can't promise anything, look at my track record).
Today, we went to Foundry United Methodist church for an early service. Then we went to Busboys and Poets for brunch (Brenna's sister Megan and Taryn from Toms River joined us). After we ate, we walked around the Smithsonian. We saw Michaelangelo's David-Apollo. We went to the American History museum and then the Natural History museum. We saw rocks, bones and the Hope Diamond.
We came back to the site and started our time with CSM (Center for Student Missions in case you forgot). We ate dinner at Old City Cafe. It was Mediterranean and delicious.
This year's group is comprised of:
Sami and me (co-leaders)
Brenna, Cait, Clarence, Jen, Mike, Nick, Precious, Sarah, Shawn
I can't remember what we're doing tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have time to write about it!
I don't shower, sleep or have any sort of regularity for the next few days.
This year we are in Washington DC, the nation's capitol.
We arrived yesterday after a twelve hour drive through snow.
We ate at Union Station and took a Twilight Trolley Tour.
Sami has pictures, I'll post them next week (I can't promise anything, look at my track record).
Today, we went to Foundry United Methodist church for an early service. Then we went to Busboys and Poets for brunch (Brenna's sister Megan and Taryn from Toms River joined us). After we ate, we walked around the Smithsonian. We saw Michaelangelo's David-Apollo. We went to the American History museum and then the Natural History museum. We saw rocks, bones and the Hope Diamond.
We came back to the site and started our time with CSM (Center for Student Missions in case you forgot). We ate dinner at Old City Cafe. It was Mediterranean and delicious.
This year's group is comprised of:
Sami and me (co-leaders)
Brenna, Cait, Clarence, Jen, Mike, Nick, Precious, Sarah, Shawn
I can't remember what we're doing tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have time to write about it!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
photos from Philly
First are the photos from the historic St. George's UMC. We attended church service there Sunday morning.
It was rich in history (check out their website) and records show that John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross and Dolly Madison attended worship there!
After church, we went to lunch at Gigi's (no pictures). Then we headed to the historic downtown. we saw the Liberty Bell...
And Independence Hall.
Sami got us tickets for the tour, so we headed over for our history lesson!
Here is the room where they signed the Constitution (and where the Continental Congress met, for all you history buffs).
This is Walnut Street and these are for my dad. Okay, which building was GA??
I was going to ask the National Park Service Guide, but he had only worked there for one year...
I took a picture of the Corn Exchange because what city is complete without the Corn Exchange building!?
Then we went over to Betsy Ross' house so Iain could check on his tulips. He planted them on a mission trip years ago, they were still there! And almost ready to bloom!!
I kept experimenting with the sepia and black and white settings on the camera. I wanted to make the places we saw look older... since they are.
I don't think this is the original flag that Betsy Ross sewed, but it's a nice replica!
From downtown, we got back in the vans and headed to the Museum of Art, more famously known as the steps Rocky ran up. Here's my view from the top!
And my view as the sun finally peaked out from behind the clouds.
And that's it. Those are all the photos I took.
It was rich in history (check out their website) and records show that John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross and Dolly Madison attended worship there!
After church, we went to lunch at Gigi's (no pictures). Then we headed to the historic downtown. we saw the Liberty Bell...
And Independence Hall.
Sami got us tickets for the tour, so we headed over for our history lesson!
Here is the room where they signed the Constitution (and where the Continental Congress met, for all you history buffs).This is Walnut Street and these are for my dad. Okay, which building was GA??
I was going to ask the National Park Service Guide, but he had only worked there for one year...
I took a picture of the Corn Exchange because what city is complete without the Corn Exchange building!?Then we went over to Betsy Ross' house so Iain could check on his tulips. He planted them on a mission trip years ago, they were still there! And almost ready to bloom!!
I kept experimenting with the sepia and black and white settings on the camera. I wanted to make the places we saw look older... since they are.
I don't think this is the original flag that Betsy Ross sewed, but it's a nice replica!From downtown, we got back in the vans and headed to the Museum of Art, more famously known as the steps Rocky ran up. Here's my view from the top!
And my view as the sun finally peaked out from behind the clouds.
And that's it. Those are all the photos I took.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Love is...
so many things.
I've always known that God is amazing and He works in wondrous and mysterious ways. Today is no different and as I read through my Bible study I find that it is talking about love. Love was our theme in Philly. When I told Bill he asked, "Are you really surprised by that?" Good point.
There are a couple of quotes that I feel are a good way to sum up our trip (and you thought I had summed it up yesterday):
"The choice set before us is therefore the choice of [growth] or withering." -Robin Mass. Admittedly I have struggled with the verses in John (ch. 15:1-5) about the branches and the vine. But the quote helped me realize where I am in my faith. Through many different experiences, my love has grown. I think that I used to believe that eventually my love would become stale and would stop growing. These verses and this quote taught me that through my faith, I will continue to grow. There is no end to God's love, therefore there is no end to how much I can grow in love.
I will probably still continue to be amazed after each trip, and I think that is the awesomeness of God. It is again summed up by another quote, "Faith expressing itself through love" -Gerrit Scott Dawson. For those of you who have experienced this on a mission trip, for those of you who just returned from Philly, for those of you who are searching for this, I hope and pray that you find it. And once you do, know that it cannot be lost. Because Love is great.
- Love Wins
- Love will bring us together
- Faith, Hope and Love... and the greatest of these is Love
I've always known that God is amazing and He works in wondrous and mysterious ways. Today is no different and as I read through my Bible study I find that it is talking about love. Love was our theme in Philly. When I told Bill he asked, "Are you really surprised by that?" Good point.
There are a couple of quotes that I feel are a good way to sum up our trip (and you thought I had summed it up yesterday):
"The choice set before us is therefore the choice of [growth] or withering." -Robin Mass. Admittedly I have struggled with the verses in John (ch. 15:1-5) about the branches and the vine. But the quote helped me realize where I am in my faith. Through many different experiences, my love has grown. I think that I used to believe that eventually my love would become stale and would stop growing. These verses and this quote taught me that through my faith, I will continue to grow. There is no end to God's love, therefore there is no end to how much I can grow in love.
I will probably still continue to be amazed after each trip, and I think that is the awesomeness of God. It is again summed up by another quote, "Faith expressing itself through love" -Gerrit Scott Dawson. For those of you who have experienced this on a mission trip, for those of you who just returned from Philly, for those of you who are searching for this, I hope and pray that you find it. And once you do, know that it cannot be lost. Because Love is great.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Friday, a day of recovery
I should be doing laundry. Instead I am looking at the photos being posted on Facebook from the Philly trip.
I thought I'd let you know how much money I found while I was gone (click here if you don't remember my other post about change). I ended up finding about $0.47! About because I may have found another penny or two. But that's a close estimate.
My apologies to the man who got stuck behind me when I found a penny on my way out of Meijer this morning. I had just gone in to buy yogurt and on my way out I saw the penny halfway under the threshold. I stopped to pick it up, but couldn't pick it up because I had on my gloves. So I had to take a glove off. By this time the man behind me realized what I was doing.
So don't ever get angry with a person if they stop to pick up a penny. You never know when that person might be me!
I thought I'd let you know how much money I found while I was gone (click here if you don't remember my other post about change). I ended up finding about $0.47! About because I may have found another penny or two. But that's a close estimate.
My apologies to the man who got stuck behind me when I found a penny on my way out of Meijer this morning. I had just gone in to buy yogurt and on my way out I saw the penny halfway under the threshold. I stopped to pick it up, but couldn't pick it up because I had on my gloves. So I had to take a glove off. By this time the man behind me realized what I was doing.
So don't ever get angry with a person if they stop to pick up a penny. You never know when that person might be me!
Thursday and the drive home
We packed up the vans at 6:30am. We said goodbye to Nicole (Kelsey had said goodbye the night before) and headed over to the Simple Way (the organization started by Shane Claiborne) Once there, we joined in their morning prayer. They use a book (yup, that's as much as I can remember right now, some kind of devotional book. Sami knows what it's called) and the Bible (that's the more important one to remember). It was sort of a service, there was a call and response, two scripture readings a song and prayers. Neighbors joined us, the sounds of the city were all around us. It was a great way to end our trip. Plus the prayer we read together was about going home. How appropriate!?
We headed west. It was Team Rojo Grande vs. Team Rental. We drove on the Pennsylvania Turnpike for what felt like days. Actually, it didn't feel that long at all. We stopped once for a potty break and then around 1:30-ish we stopped at a plaza for lunch. Team Rental hadn't stopped talking, but Team Rojo Grande had some sleepers; time to switch! Then it became the Girls vs. Guys. \
At the beginning of the trip while we were still at the Vine, Tony had asked where we were going as a joke. My response was, "Isn't this the trip to Florida?" And Sami responded with, "All you packed was a bikini?!" Which was funny because my suitcase was large (not the biggest, the same size as Sami's) and extremely heavy. If all I packed was a bikini... well you get the picture. So on the trip home, in the all-girl van, we decided Girls Rule and it was time to show the bikini. Good thing Sami has done this a time or two. There were sharpies, a pad of paper and tape. I drew my bikini and made a beautiful sign. We taped it to the back window. It amused us. We wonder how many people we amused on the Turnpike!?
We made it into Ohio. Pennsylvania is a long state.
We had to make a gas/potty break. Thank goodness for Service Plazas. It was pouring down rain at this point. And it was much colder. We had left a warm spring day in Philly... We stopped near Sandusky to drop off Brenna. Then we were back in our Team vans. We did Affirmations. If you're not familiar with that, it's when everyone says nice things about everyone else. It's a warm fuzzy and after spending almost an entire week with my group it was a nice way to tell them how proud of them I am. They didn't know each other hardly at all (with the exception of Precious and Shelby) and by this point in the trip they were begging Sami to let them stay in the same van. Switching for Girls vs. Guys was not easy for them. Each one of them showed amazing courage and love. They jumped right in to anything they were asked to do. I didn't hear a single complaint about any of our tasks, even the dusty, dirty day of cleaning! They showed God's love to everyone. They didn't hold back. It was amazing to see how God was working in each of them during this trip. They grew before my eyes. I am so happy that I had each and every one of them in our group. And as I said through tears on Wednesday night, last years' trip was so awesome! I came into this trip wondering how it could match last years?? And while last year remains awesome in its own way, this year did top it! The groups are what make it awesome. What? Can't I have a favorite trip two years in a row?
I can't wait to post pictures.
After we dropped off Brenna at her car, we made it to Ypsilanti for dinner. During Affirmations, we had watched a gorgeous sunset in front of us. Then we saw the moon rise behind clouds and then the skies cleared. We drove through all kinds of weather. As I type this, it is snowing!
We made it back to the church in GR by 10:30pm. It was time to say goodbye. The GVSU van headed out. A few people were picked up, and Sami's Speedy Shuttle Service with a Smile delivered the rest of us home safe and sound.
I hope I did our trip justice in my blogging. If any of the participants are reading and would like to add more (send me a message on FB or leave a comment), please let me know, I would be happy to!
We headed west. It was Team Rojo Grande vs. Team Rental. We drove on the Pennsylvania Turnpike for what felt like days. Actually, it didn't feel that long at all. We stopped once for a potty break and then around 1:30-ish we stopped at a plaza for lunch. Team Rental hadn't stopped talking, but Team Rojo Grande had some sleepers; time to switch! Then it became the Girls vs. Guys. \
At the beginning of the trip while we were still at the Vine, Tony had asked where we were going as a joke. My response was, "Isn't this the trip to Florida?" And Sami responded with, "All you packed was a bikini?!" Which was funny because my suitcase was large (not the biggest, the same size as Sami's) and extremely heavy. If all I packed was a bikini... well you get the picture. So on the trip home, in the all-girl van, we decided Girls Rule and it was time to show the bikini. Good thing Sami has done this a time or two. There were sharpies, a pad of paper and tape. I drew my bikini and made a beautiful sign. We taped it to the back window. It amused us. We wonder how many people we amused on the Turnpike!?
We made it into Ohio. Pennsylvania is a long state.
We had to make a gas/potty break. Thank goodness for Service Plazas. It was pouring down rain at this point. And it was much colder. We had left a warm spring day in Philly... We stopped near Sandusky to drop off Brenna. Then we were back in our Team vans. We did Affirmations. If you're not familiar with that, it's when everyone says nice things about everyone else. It's a warm fuzzy and after spending almost an entire week with my group it was a nice way to tell them how proud of them I am. They didn't know each other hardly at all (with the exception of Precious and Shelby) and by this point in the trip they were begging Sami to let them stay in the same van. Switching for Girls vs. Guys was not easy for them. Each one of them showed amazing courage and love. They jumped right in to anything they were asked to do. I didn't hear a single complaint about any of our tasks, even the dusty, dirty day of cleaning! They showed God's love to everyone. They didn't hold back. It was amazing to see how God was working in each of them during this trip. They grew before my eyes. I am so happy that I had each and every one of them in our group. And as I said through tears on Wednesday night, last years' trip was so awesome! I came into this trip wondering how it could match last years?? And while last year remains awesome in its own way, this year did top it! The groups are what make it awesome. What? Can't I have a favorite trip two years in a row?
I can't wait to post pictures.
After we dropped off Brenna at her car, we made it to Ypsilanti for dinner. During Affirmations, we had watched a gorgeous sunset in front of us. Then we saw the moon rise behind clouds and then the skies cleared. We drove through all kinds of weather. As I type this, it is snowing!
We made it back to the church in GR by 10:30pm. It was time to say goodbye. The GVSU van headed out. A few people were picked up, and Sami's Speedy Shuttle Service with a Smile delivered the rest of us home safe and sound.
I hope I did our trip justice in my blogging. If any of the participants are reading and would like to add more (send me a message on FB or leave a comment), please let me know, I would be happy to!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Wednesday in Philly
Together both groups went to Philabundance. A food bank that serves nine counties in the Philly area (including New Jersey). We packed Emergency boxes. They are for a family of four and are packed to last three days. They have an awesome assembly line. The average boxes packed is 750. We packed 840. There were several other groups there to help. The people who work the assembly line were very kind and patient with us.
From there we went and ate lunch at Fairmount Park. It was a nice day. We had fun playing frisbee, and whispering on the whispering bench.
Our group headed to Fellowship House (Camp Peace) one last time. Najae was not there, so I wrote her a note to say goodbye. I helped Tanijah with her homework. She had a sheet that said, "We need one ___." She was supposed to draw a picture underneath it. She told me she was going to say "God". I asked her how she was going to draw a picture of God. She pointed at the wall of drawings that they had made and said, "I already drew Him." I was amazed at her wisdom. Of course it's possible for a five year old to know what God looks like!
From there we went to Jim's to eat an authentic Philly cheese steak (they were voted best in Philly). I must admit, I thought it was better (I also ordered mine with mayo). We had time to wander around South Street. Then we came back and debriefed.
We're going to pack the vans at 6:30am tomorrow. I'm blogging so I can pack up my computer. I hope you all enjoyed reading about our adventures. I hope they made sense (I'm still sleep deprived). Keep us in your prayers tomorrow as we drive home.
From there we went and ate lunch at Fairmount Park. It was a nice day. We had fun playing frisbee, and whispering on the whispering bench.
Our group headed to Fellowship House (Camp Peace) one last time. Najae was not there, so I wrote her a note to say goodbye. I helped Tanijah with her homework. She had a sheet that said, "We need one ___." She was supposed to draw a picture underneath it. She told me she was going to say "God". I asked her how she was going to draw a picture of God. She pointed at the wall of drawings that they had made and said, "I already drew Him." I was amazed at her wisdom. Of course it's possible for a five year old to know what God looks like!
From there we went to Jim's to eat an authentic Philly cheese steak (they were voted best in Philly). I must admit, I thought it was better (I also ordered mine with mayo). We had time to wander around South Street. Then we came back and debriefed.
We're going to pack the vans at 6:30am tomorrow. I'm blogging so I can pack up my computer. I hope you all enjoyed reading about our adventures. I hope they made sense (I'm still sleep deprived). Keep us in your prayers tomorrow as we drive home.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Tuesday in Philly
To finish last night's adventure, we went to a park and there were a couple of people hanging around. My group (which consisted of Brenna, Jen and Chris) handed out a sandwich and talked to one man. All of the other groups were talking to the other people, so our group moved to another park nearby. No one was over there, it was a cold night, so we walked back. By then a couple more people had arrived at the park. After talking to them for awhile, we headed out to go over to the subway station. Our group had one sandwich left (we had packed six). We found someone to give it to right after walking down into the subway. By the time we got back to the CSM site, it was eleven o'clock. We debriefed and got to bed around midnight.
This morning we didn't have to leave until 9:15a, so we got to sleep in a little bit. Our group headed to a site called Mary Jane Enrichment Center. It was run by Miss Williams and her son, Mr. William. Some of us helped make sandwiches. We gave them to anyone and everyone who stopped by the "shop". Others in our group sorted clothes and carried them outside to a table. Again, anyone walking by was welcome to them. If they signed in, that allowed them the privilege of getting a sandwich.
We finished at the site early, so we came back to the CSM house and ate our lunch. Some of us took naps, or tried to until another group came in and decided to sit on me.
We left at 2:00p for our afternoon after school program. It was the same as yesterday. One of the girls, Najae, befriended me yesterday. She asked me to help her with her homework. She was working on math, algebra and decimals. Today, she had homework, more math (word problems) and science. They are learning about gases, liquids and solids. She got her homework finished today, so she had free time. There were two other girls who were working on a dance, she joined them and they danced for me. They were very cute. The time flies when we're there. Our group is split up among the different grades. Everyone was doing something different.
We left at 5p, after the kids go home. We came back to the site to hang out before dinner.
Then we headed to a Milian restaurant. I had the chicken with spinach and rice. It had a fancy name, but that's what it was.
We came back to the site and the two groups acted out our days for the other. It was quite amusing. We debriefed and were finished by 9:30p. I would like to go to sleep now because we're leaving at 8am tomorrow. Devotions will be at noon instead of during breakfast. I'm sure I'll still be up at 6:30p.
Everyone is having a great time. It would be nice if our "roommates" were a little more respectful, it seems like they can go on less sleep. They've been done earlier (except for tonight) and have left later. It's amazing how much you appreciate consideration when you're in cramped quarters. At least we don't have the snorers... they're in the boys dorm. Nightie, night!
This morning we didn't have to leave until 9:15a, so we got to sleep in a little bit. Our group headed to a site called Mary Jane Enrichment Center. It was run by Miss Williams and her son, Mr. William. Some of us helped make sandwiches. We gave them to anyone and everyone who stopped by the "shop". Others in our group sorted clothes and carried them outside to a table. Again, anyone walking by was welcome to them. If they signed in, that allowed them the privilege of getting a sandwich.
We finished at the site early, so we came back to the CSM house and ate our lunch. Some of us took naps, or tried to until another group came in and decided to sit on me.
We left at 2:00p for our afternoon after school program. It was the same as yesterday. One of the girls, Najae, befriended me yesterday. She asked me to help her with her homework. She was working on math, algebra and decimals. Today, she had homework, more math (word problems) and science. They are learning about gases, liquids and solids. She got her homework finished today, so she had free time. There were two other girls who were working on a dance, she joined them and they danced for me. They were very cute. The time flies when we're there. Our group is split up among the different grades. Everyone was doing something different.
We left at 5p, after the kids go home. We came back to the site to hang out before dinner.
Then we headed to a Milian restaurant. I had the chicken with spinach and rice. It had a fancy name, but that's what it was.
We came back to the site and the two groups acted out our days for the other. It was quite amusing. We debriefed and were finished by 9:30p. I would like to go to sleep now because we're leaving at 8am tomorrow. Devotions will be at noon instead of during breakfast. I'm sure I'll still be up at 6:30p.
Everyone is having a great time. It would be nice if our "roommates" were a little more respectful, it seems like they can go on less sleep. They've been done earlier (except for tonight) and have left later. It's amazing how much you appreciate consideration when you're in cramped quarters. At least we don't have the snorers... they're in the boys dorm. Nightie, night!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Monday in Philly
We are split into two groups. We have Sami and Iain is her unofficial co-leader. They have Lauren, Tony, Caitlin, Mike, Amelia and Clarence. The white van, now known as "the rental" has Greg and myself, Jen, Brenna, Chris, Casey, Precious and Shelby.
This morning our group went to Mother's Home. An organization that houses and helps pregnant women. We cleaned and organized their basement which is where they house their community store (Jen, Precious and Shelby are helping me remember details). It was a little dirty and not exactly neat when we got there. By the time we left around noon, two of the three rooms were cleaned. The third room was filled entirely with children's clothes and we made a good dent in it.
After lunch back at the CSM site, our group went to Camp Peace. An after school program in Camden, New Jersey. They work alongside another program. Camp Peace has K-4th grades. The other program is for 5th-8th graders. At Camp Peace, the counselors are former students. It was amazing to see how well these kids behaved. In Camden, 40% of the population lives below the poverty line. New Jersey is the second richest state. Interesting facts.
Now we have a few minutes before heading out to eat Mediterranean for dinner. Then we are participating in a program called "Hands of Hope". We will be hanging around in the subway building relationships and handing out sacks of food (like dinner; a sandwich, snacks, fruit and water) to homeless. I won't be blogging again tonight. If I have to add anything, I'll add it tomorrow! I hope this is making sense, sleep is not a luxury and the other groups were a bit late to bed last night.
This morning our group went to Mother's Home. An organization that houses and helps pregnant women. We cleaned and organized their basement which is where they house their community store (Jen, Precious and Shelby are helping me remember details). It was a little dirty and not exactly neat when we got there. By the time we left around noon, two of the three rooms were cleaned. The third room was filled entirely with children's clothes and we made a good dent in it.
After lunch back at the CSM site, our group went to Camp Peace. An after school program in Camden, New Jersey. They work alongside another program. Camp Peace has K-4th grades. The other program is for 5th-8th graders. At Camp Peace, the counselors are former students. It was amazing to see how well these kids behaved. In Camden, 40% of the population lives below the poverty line. New Jersey is the second richest state. Interesting facts.
Now we have a few minutes before heading out to eat Mediterranean for dinner. Then we are participating in a program called "Hands of Hope". We will be hanging around in the subway building relationships and handing out sacks of food (like dinner; a sandwich, snacks, fruit and water) to homeless. I won't be blogging again tonight. If I have to add anything, I'll add it tomorrow! I hope this is making sense, sleep is not a luxury and the other groups were a bit late to bed last night.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Sunday in Philly
After church this morning in historic St. George's, we did more tourist stuff. We checked out Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. We walked over to Betsy Ross's house. That was really all we had time for because lunch took a little longer than expected (there were 19 of us after all).
We drove over to the Art Museum and ran up "the" steps. Then we came back to the CSM site. Dinner was at an Indian restaurant. Then we officially started our week with a prayer tour. Two hours of driving around the city seeing it through God's eyes. It's always one of the best parts and definitely the best way to start the week.
It's late, we have an early morning, and the girls are packed in like sardines (there are 24 of us in this room, Sami took pictures, so those will get posted).
We drove over to the Art Museum and ran up "the" steps. Then we came back to the CSM site. Dinner was at an Indian restaurant. Then we officially started our week with a prayer tour. Two hours of driving around the city seeing it through God's eyes. It's always one of the best parts and definitely the best way to start the week.
It's late, we have an early morning, and the girls are packed in like sardines (there are 24 of us in this room, Sami took pictures, so those will get posted).
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