Yesterday evening, I went to my first Uptown hall meeting with a small group of JPUSAs to support alderwoman Helen Shiller and see what people had to say about the violence in Uptown. And I'm glad I did. Not only was it interesting, but it felt good to support the good minority.
A lot of the things that were said were true... the gang shooting has gotten worse this year (it was getting better) and there are a lot of druggies and homeless people. However, it was heart breaking how most of the people attacked Shiller and how they applauded and went nuts (in favor of what was being said) when people talked about the police not doing their jobs, and people needing to be locked up in jail and taken off the streets...In other words, most of the people wanted to just get rid of all the "bad people", rehab centers and homeless shelter to make their neighborhood safe and nice looking. There were, fortunately, people that would say, "Yes, we do have a gang, homeless and drug problem, but the only way we can help the police and our neighborhood is to work together and to help these people who mostly come from bad backgrounds and who don't really know any better". Why are people so selfish? I don't get it...
And, personally, I like Uptown. I love the fact that it's so ethnically different, I love the homeless people and the crazy people on the street and, most of the time, when I walk out the door, I don't feel unsafe. I know God's watching out for me and that's why I'm here.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
More On The Missions Trip
Here are a few more things about the missions trip that I didn't want to put in the last post 'cause I didn't want to make it really long...
I really enjoyed the nature at the Hebron Center and at the old JPUSA farm, but I think what was most exciting for me was to see New Orleans for the first time. It reminded me of Europe (probably because it had a lot of old buildings which had a lot of balconies and architecture that has some French influence). And it was so nice to be somewhere light and colorful!
I think the testimony times that we had throughout the whole trip were some of my favorite moments. I love hearing people's stories and I loved getting to know my fellow Project 12ers better. I think it definitely brought us all closer, too. It was so nice to see that, even with all our differences, we were also alike. It's amazing how we are all brought together in Christ and because of Him we are all alike and all part of one family. That's so encouraging!
Other than exploring and having serious and intimate times together, we also had a lot of craziness going on, especially at the old farm/retreat center...A lot of us got ticks (I actually found mine when I got back to Chicago), we had water balloon fights, people weren't being able to sleep because of others being very loud...and yelled at them through the walls (ahem...guilty....)....
One story that has been told many times by Brach is (something like this)..."One afternoon, the girls were all in the hot tub having fun and I came near them. They immediately started attacking me with water balloons that they had been hiding. Seeing as it was my only dry pair of clothing, I wasn't too happy, so went in my room and sulked until Darren came in the room asking me if I was alright. I then said that I initially was very mad, but then decided that I couldn't be too mad, 'cause I had thrown him in the dirty pool the day before. Then Darren said, 'Yeah, after you threw me in the pool, I came in my room and sulked, too, but then I realized that I couldn't be too mad, 'cause I had put salt instead of sugar in Grits' iced tea the day before that'" haha
Oh yeah, and then there was the day that Hannah stole the guys' iPod 'cause we were tired of having to listen to the music they were playing, so they decided to run towards her room to steal something from her. However, Hannah and some of the other girls were hiding water balloons in their room and they didn't want the guys to find them, so Hannah ran after them. Grits closed the door that led to the hall way where the rooms were and locked it. Hannah, not knowing that it was locked, ran straight for the door
and put her arm into it to push it open....unfortunately, her arm just ended up going trough the glass! It was kind of scary seeing all the blood and pieces of glass in her arm, but it actually wasn't that bad once they cleaned it up! (In the picture on the right, Darren shows where Hannah went through the door)
There are obviously many more stories, but I don't want to make this too long...So, I hope all of you are doing well and I'll try to get a newsletter out as soon as I can! (I'm so bad at this newsletter thing....)
I really enjoyed the nature at the Hebron Center and at the old JPUSA farm, but I think what was most exciting for me was to see New Orleans for the first time. It reminded me of Europe (probably because it had a lot of old buildings which had a lot of balconies and architecture that has some French influence). And it was so nice to be somewhere light and colorful!
This might sound weird, but I also really liked visiting the cemetery in the ghetto, though I did feel a little awkward. It was my first time in a cemetery and it was interesting to see the different statues and reading all the inscriptions. The oldest inscriptions dated to the 1800s! It's interesting and creepy how the bodies need to be put in above ground tombs 'cause if they bury anything, it just comes back up! Families would all be put in mausoleums together. It was sad to see that a lot of the children died before the parents and that some of the children didn't even reach their first or second birthday! Poorer people and Protestants (I think) were put in wall vaults and didn't really have anything written on their spot (don't know what to call it)!
I think the testimony times that we had throughout the whole trip were some of my favorite moments. I love hearing people's stories and I loved getting to know my fellow Project 12ers better. I think it definitely brought us all closer, too. It was so nice to see that, even with all our differences, we were also alike. It's amazing how we are all brought together in Christ and because of Him we are all alike and all part of one family. That's so encouraging!
Other than exploring and having serious and intimate times together, we also had a lot of craziness going on, especially at the old farm/retreat center...A lot of us got ticks (I actually found mine when I got back to Chicago), we had water balloon fights, people weren't being able to sleep because of others being very loud...and yelled at them through the walls (ahem...guilty....)....
One story that has been told many times by Brach is (something like this)..."One afternoon, the girls were all in the hot tub having fun and I came near them. They immediately started attacking me with water balloons that they had been hiding. Seeing as it was my only dry pair of clothing, I wasn't too happy, so went in my room and sulked until Darren came in the room asking me if I was alright. I then said that I initially was very mad, but then decided that I couldn't be too mad, 'cause I had thrown him in the dirty pool the day before. Then Darren said, 'Yeah, after you threw me in the pool, I came in my room and sulked, too, but then I realized that I couldn't be too mad, 'cause I had put salt instead of sugar in Grits' iced tea the day before that'" haha
Oh yeah, and then there was the day that Hannah stole the guys' iPod 'cause we were tired of having to listen to the music they were playing, so they decided to run towards her room to steal something from her. However, Hannah and some of the other girls were hiding water balloons in their room and they didn't want the guys to find them, so Hannah ran after them. Grits closed the door that led to the hall way where the rooms were and locked it. Hannah, not knowing that it was locked, ran straight for the door
and put her arm into it to push it open....unfortunately, her arm just ended up going trough the glass! It was kind of scary seeing all the blood and pieces of glass in her arm, but it actually wasn't that bad once they cleaned it up! (In the picture on the right, Darren shows where Hannah went through the door)There are obviously many more stories, but I don't want to make this too long...So, I hope all of you are doing well and I'll try to get a newsletter out as soon as I can! (I'm so bad at this newsletter thing....)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
My Missions Trip!
Yay! I finally have a post about the missions trip we went on from late April till the beginning of May!
Our missions trip was great! Sure, at some point, I think every one of us had a meltdown or a not-very-good-moment or whatever you want to call it, but I think we all really enjoyed it.
In the first part of our trip, we went to a women's rehab center in Indianapolis, Indiana, where our worship team (Ami, Erica, Brach, Glenn and Grits) and Glenn had a concert which the ladies really got into and loved Then, the girls of our group stayed there while the guys went to a men's rehab center in Bloomington, Indiana. The next day, the girls of our group watched the women's children and played with them while our guys worked at the men's center helping heard cows and chop wood and stuff. That afternoon, we (girls) left Indianapolis to go to the Hebron Center (where our guys were). We listened to fun music the whole ride down dancing and singing at the top of our voices =) and we had a great picnic in a parking lot.
Hebron Center was so beautiful! It was on a very big land with woods and a lake. We spent most of our time there relaxing, having fun with each other, getting to know each other better, having bonfires with the men and their families. We also had a concert there Saturday night (when the girls got there) and led worship on Sunday morning (where Stephen and Rich also shared their testimonies). I was kind of sad that the men didn't really look like they were getting into it as much as the ladies at the women's center, but Sunday evening the men asked us if we could have a time of worship with them...and that was definitely a lot of fun!
Monday morning we got up in the dark, had breakfast in the cold of the extremely early morning, and left while still half asleep. That day we traveled for a LONG time.
We finally got to Baton Rouge, Louisiana at about 11:30 pm where the Fasullo family (who used to live at JPUSA some years ago) welcomed us with a great big dinner of delicious homemade Southern food.
The next day, a group of us helped out at a storage place where volunteers get a bunch of donations of all kinds of stuff (from toiletries, to food, to clothes, etc), put them into boxes, and give them out to people in need. A small number of the rest of us (not me) went with Glenn to a high school where he had a concert.
The day after that, we left to go to New Orleans. There, we helped a company build a house and (some of us) cleaned up a little in the ghetto and painted a finished house. It was really cool to see how a house is built and to be a part of it. It was also really cool that the wood that was being used to build the walls was donated by people who wrote prayers and Bible verses on the wood! How awesome is that?!?
We also got to see some of New Orleans, and ate a lot of good food.
Our last stop was in Missouri, at the old JPUSA farm, which is now The Rocks Cry Out Christian Retreat Center owned by Aaron and Angel Allen, who are a great couple. This place was so beautiful and it's incredible to think that old JPUSAs (including Hannah's dad) built this over 20 years ago with no electric tools!! We had a very nice time there. We hung out, played in the pool and hot tub and with the pool table and foosball, shared testimonies, worshiped and had communion together, worked on the big yard, and celebrated my birthday.
Every place we went to was different, but every one of them was a blessing. We had a lot of fun and I wish we could've done more!
Here's a slide show of pictures that different people took during our trip...
It's crazy how, even after 3 years, New Orleans still has damage from Hurricane Katrina! I can't imagine how all those poor countries in Asia are doing with natural disasters occurring all the time...
Our missions trip was great! Sure, at some point, I think every one of us had a meltdown or a not-very-good-moment or whatever you want to call it, but I think we all really enjoyed it.
In the first part of our trip, we went to a women's rehab center in Indianapolis, Indiana, where our worship team (Ami, Erica, Brach, Glenn and Grits) and Glenn had a concert which the ladies really got into and loved Then, the girls of our group stayed there while the guys went to a men's rehab center in Bloomington, Indiana. The next day, the girls of our group watched the women's children and played with them while our guys worked at the men's center helping heard cows and chop wood and stuff. That afternoon, we (girls) left Indianapolis to go to the Hebron Center (where our guys were). We listened to fun music the whole ride down dancing and singing at the top of our voices =) and we had a great picnic in a parking lot.
Hebron Center was so beautiful! It was on a very big land with woods and a lake. We spent most of our time there relaxing, having fun with each other, getting to know each other better, having bonfires with the men and their families. We also had a concert there Saturday night (when the girls got there) and led worship on Sunday morning (where Stephen and Rich also shared their testimonies). I was kind of sad that the men didn't really look like they were getting into it as much as the ladies at the women's center, but Sunday evening the men asked us if we could have a time of worship with them...and that was definitely a lot of fun!
Monday morning we got up in the dark, had breakfast in the cold of the extremely early morning, and left while still half asleep. That day we traveled for a LONG time.
We finally got to Baton Rouge, Louisiana at about 11:30 pm where the Fasullo family (who used to live at JPUSA some years ago) welcomed us with a great big dinner of delicious homemade Southern food.
The next day, a group of us helped out at a storage place where volunteers get a bunch of donations of all kinds of stuff (from toiletries, to food, to clothes, etc), put them into boxes, and give them out to people in need. A small number of the rest of us (not me) went with Glenn to a high school where he had a concert.
The day after that, we left to go to New Orleans. There, we helped a company build a house and (some of us) cleaned up a little in the ghetto and painted a finished house. It was really cool to see how a house is built and to be a part of it. It was also really cool that the wood that was being used to build the walls was donated by people who wrote prayers and Bible verses on the wood! How awesome is that?!?
We also got to see some of New Orleans, and ate a lot of good food.
Our last stop was in Missouri, at the old JPUSA farm, which is now The Rocks Cry Out Christian Retreat Center owned by Aaron and Angel Allen, who are a great couple. This place was so beautiful and it's incredible to think that old JPUSAs (including Hannah's dad) built this over 20 years ago with no electric tools!! We had a very nice time there. We hung out, played in the pool and hot tub and with the pool table and foosball, shared testimonies, worshiped and had communion together, worked on the big yard, and celebrated my birthday.
Every place we went to was different, but every one of them was a blessing. We had a lot of fun and I wish we could've done more!
Here's a slide show of pictures that different people took during our trip...
It's crazy how, even after 3 years, New Orleans still has damage from Hurricane Katrina! I can't imagine how all those poor countries in Asia are doing with natural disasters occurring all the time...
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Haven't Been Sick In A While
Today I've been feeling sick all day. I don't like it. I don't like having to rest, being careful of what I eat, and feeling uncomfortable. Well, it's not really serious or anything, but my stomach and intestines aren't happy. Therefore, I didn't go to church this morning, and I spent almost all day in my room resting, except for when I went to Kriss' room to have our One on One time and then went to Starbucks with her (I think she's an addict, but I don't complain since she always gets me something, too =P). I just realized that I don't have any pictures with her! I should take one sometime soon...
Anyways...During the day, I was pretty careful about eating plain floods, but at dinner time, I was bad and gave in to my craving and got a bag of tortilla chips and ate a lot of them. Afterwards, I obviously felt very sick, but they tasted good, and I didn't throw up or anything (though my stomach was NOT happy with me). Finally, I decided to have a peanut butter, nutella and jelly sandwich. I haven't had one of those in years! Last time was probably before I was 10! It was good and it was fun. I am such a messy eater... haha =P
I'm glad that yesterday and a little bit of today I was able to organize my room a little better. I really can't wait for us to get rid of my bed and get a loft bed for me so that we'll have more room and (hopefully) I'll get shelves or cabinets or something to put my stuff in. Thankfully, I don't really have much stuff. Who knows when I'll be able to get a loft though!
Tomorrow, Betty (my roommate) is coming back and we're probably gonna have to work all day, 'cause we have an audit on Tuesday (oh joy). I think we'll do well though.
So anyway, Cornerstone went well. My job was selling hand-made things that people from JPUSA made (20% of it went towards Project 12). I spent most of the time working, spending time with my parents and resting, but I did get to enjoy a few good concerts. My favorites were probably Brother Red Squirrel and the Acorn Harvest (a JPUSA band), Josh Garrels, and Flyleaf. I really loved the week before the festival 'cause it was just a group of us from JPUSA and some electricians (instead of the more-than-a-thousand people that were there during the festival) and I got to rest and enjoy the nature. It is so beautiful down there! And I have to say (though I think I already have before) that whenever I'm in nature I feel so much closer to God and it's so much easier for me to be alone with him and find time to read the Bible (though that's probably also because the land down there is so big and people-less, and I didn't have a job and classes to go to).
My time with my parents was good, and my graduation was fun. I still can't believe that I'm done with Project 12! I'm excited to be on staff though!
Wow, I still haven't posted the pictures from our missions trip (which happened in May)! So sorry about that! I'll do that as soon as I can.
Anyways...During the day, I was pretty careful about eating plain floods, but at dinner time, I was bad and gave in to my craving and got a bag of tortilla chips and ate a lot of them. Afterwards, I obviously felt very sick, but they tasted good, and I didn't throw up or anything (though my stomach was NOT happy with me). Finally, I decided to have a peanut butter, nutella and jelly sandwich. I haven't had one of those in years! Last time was probably before I was 10! It was good and it was fun. I am such a messy eater... haha =P
I'm glad that yesterday and a little bit of today I was able to organize my room a little better. I really can't wait for us to get rid of my bed and get a loft bed for me so that we'll have more room and (hopefully) I'll get shelves or cabinets or something to put my stuff in. Thankfully, I don't really have much stuff. Who knows when I'll be able to get a loft though!
Tomorrow, Betty (my roommate) is coming back and we're probably gonna have to work all day, 'cause we have an audit on Tuesday (oh joy). I think we'll do well though.
So anyway, Cornerstone went well. My job was selling hand-made things that people from JPUSA made (20% of it went towards Project 12). I spent most of the time working, spending time with my parents and resting, but I did get to enjoy a few good concerts. My favorites were probably Brother Red Squirrel and the Acorn Harvest (a JPUSA band), Josh Garrels, and Flyleaf. I really loved the week before the festival 'cause it was just a group of us from JPUSA and some electricians (instead of the more-than-a-thousand people that were there during the festival) and I got to rest and enjoy the nature. It is so beautiful down there! And I have to say (though I think I already have before) that whenever I'm in nature I feel so much closer to God and it's so much easier for me to be alone with him and find time to read the Bible (though that's probably also because the land down there is so big and people-less, and I didn't have a job and classes to go to).
My time with my parents was good, and my graduation was fun. I still can't believe that I'm done with Project 12! I'm excited to be on staff though!
Wow, I still haven't posted the pictures from our missions trip (which happened in May)! So sorry about that! I'll do that as soon as I can.
Here are some pictures of my graduation (the quality isn't that great though)
and one with my parents and my diploma. (Click on the pictures to view them better). Oh man, I'm still not used to my short hair! Mom, tell me what it is that the Farmers' kids take that makes their hair grow faster!!! (I wonder if it will work for me, too)
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Meltdowns Aren't Fun
Today I had a meltdown. I think I've only had two meltdowns since I've been here and the first one was a long time ago. So I don't think I'm doing too bad...Too many things were going on at once and my physical, emotional and mental state weren't really up for it, so I just collapsed.
And here I am now, alone for the first time in a while, in my overly messy room, in silence, sitting at my computer, relaxing, without thinking about all the things that happened today and all the things that need to be done tomorrow and all the things that I probably won't get done tomorrow. But I will do my best.
Please pray
*Tomorrow Bethany and I need to finish up with the reports for the shelter (which we've been working on all weekend and all day today) and I need to finish up a lot of other stuff and pack. Then, on Tuesday, I'm leaving with Project 12 to go down to Bushnell. Pray for mental, physical, emotional and spiritual strength for me during this time (and that all that I need to do will go well).
*Erica has meningitis! She's in a lot of pain and has been to the hospital twice now. Her and Josh are obviously not going to Cornerstone anymore. She was supposed to do the rest of the reports for the shelter, but we don't know if she'll be able to. So pray for her and pray for Josh (her fiancé). Also pray that the reports will somehow be done (our boss asked Bethany to do it, but we've already been working like crazy on the reports that we need to turn in, she's never done those reports, and we're both leaving on Tuesday so she can't do it).*I've heard that the weather down in Bushnell is supposed to be bad! Please pray for the Cornerstone festival! Pray that everything will go well, that it will be a wonderful time for everyone who's there, and that all of the campers (my parents, friends and I included) will be safe.
And with all that, I need to get off of here.
Goodnight everyone!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Prince Caspian
So I just saw Prince Caspian! It was my first time going to the movies since I've been here. I'm so glad I found a cheap movie theater nearby which is only $3 a ticket!
If you haven't seen the movie yet and you want to go see it, don't re-read the book before you go watch it! You have to forget the book, cause the movie is almost completely different. Apart from that, I thought it was a really good, well done movie. The only two things I REALLY didn't like in it were the whole thing between Susan and Caspian (which is already obvious in the movie trailer) and the fact that they put a Regina Spektor song in the movie! Don't get me wrong, I really like her, but her music is NOT what I would put in a movie like Narnia!
So anyways, it was good.
Next up is Harry Potter!! But I'll have to wait till November for it. I'm sure it's gonna be good =)
Ok, gotta go!
Night everyone!
If you haven't seen the movie yet and you want to go see it, don't re-read the book before you go watch it! You have to forget the book, cause the movie is almost completely different. Apart from that, I thought it was a really good, well done movie. The only two things I REALLY didn't like in it were the whole thing between Susan and Caspian (which is already obvious in the movie trailer) and the fact that they put a Regina Spektor song in the movie! Don't get me wrong, I really like her, but her music is NOT what I would put in a movie like Narnia!
So anyways, it was good.
Next up is Harry Potter!! But I'll have to wait till November for it. I'm sure it's gonna be good =)
Ok, gotta go!
Night everyone!
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