But don't worry. I'm going back to Chicago this spring break. So stay tuned. (Haha, as though anyone reads this anyways.)
I have been learning a ton in these past few weeks. If it wasn't already kinda later I would start posting now. But I intend to put some of these life lessons up to share with the world.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Friday, March 18, 2011
Day One - Sunday
Going back to that first day is a little difficult. Everything was so new, and nothing turned out to be the way it seemed that night.
We were to leave from the sports complex at five. I'm not going to lie, I was nervous.
The part I most dreaded was walking from Johnson all the way to the sports complex with my bag and sleeping bag. It was heavy! And awkwardly shaped! I was walking, praying about the trip, worrying a little bit, when one of the guys from my team, Tommy, drove up just in time to drive me the rest of the way.
When I'm around people I don't know too well, or feel uncomfortable around, I feel like my own shadow. I can see myself and hear myself, but I'm not really present. I don't feel like I'm there. Everything's kinda fuzzy, I stumble over my words and thoughts. And that is how I felt at first. I was watching the trip but not really there.
Let me give a little background on where I was at spiritually. I was good. I was reading my Bible, praying. But I hadn't been challenged in a long time. The last year or so has been amazing. I have been learning so much about God's faithfulness and provision. My motto for last semester was "God is good all the time, all the time God is good!" It was a time of much praise and thanksgiving. I don't want to diminish the importance of this season in life, which I'm still in, because I really did grow and develop a lot. But I could tell it was a time that was going to lead up to something bigger. I just didn't know when or how.
I was excited to help people. I've always had a heart for urban settings, so I was also excited to get a little more experience in that realm. I expected to get a lot of work done, and do something small to help in God's big plan for the Roseland Community. But I did not expect it change my life. Not at all.
So after a long time of waiting around, and trying to fit the puzzle of the van together (we had so much, including groceries, to pack into an already crowded van!), we finally left. It was funny because Coach Wherrit honestly could not believe all of us ordered off the dollar menu. We're college students with no money! And those football players eat a lot. What else could be the situation? Driving down to Roseland, I loved watching the sights of the city. As much as I may complain, as much as I dislike it, the city is a beautiful place. I really think the people make it so beautiful.
We finally got to the center, and we had to wait in the van for Dave and Laura, our supervisors in a way. There were people standing on the corner, it was dark. We were told to hurriedly unpack the van and get inside. As quickly as possible. A little intimidating for sure. I don't think any of us knew what to expect.
With our bags, we walked into a cold dark room. It looked like it may have been a church, but there were no chairs. Then we walked through a small kitchen with a big stove, a room with a piano, down a hallway with steel doors lining both sides, into a room with forty bags full of groceries on a table, and finally into our "volunteer space."
The volunteer space was very nice and homey. We had bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen. This is the place we'd call home for the next week.
We got our orientation from Dave and Laura. They told us the overview of what the week would look like. I think as a team, our excitement really grew after this talk. The rest of the night we spent getting situated, playing catchphrase, making stovetop popcorn. It was a fun time, and we were looking forward to the hard work of the week to come. I started to feel more comfortable, but I still worried about not knowing anyone. About not being a good asset to the team.
We all wanted unity in the team for the trip.
May the God who gives ENDURANCE and ENCOURAGEMENT give you a spirit of UNITY among yourselves as you FOLLOW Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may GLORIFY the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.Romans 15: 5 & 6
That night in my prayer journal, I thanked God for the opportunity. I prayed that He would use it for His will, not my own. I laid it before Him, asking Him to use it.
We were to leave from the sports complex at five. I'm not going to lie, I was nervous.
The part I most dreaded was walking from Johnson all the way to the sports complex with my bag and sleeping bag. It was heavy! And awkwardly shaped! I was walking, praying about the trip, worrying a little bit, when one of the guys from my team, Tommy, drove up just in time to drive me the rest of the way.
When we got there, some of the other guys were in the parking lot as well. As other people started to trickle in,the worry really hit me. I was so excited, but I was also worried. I felt out of place because I really did not know anyone well at all. I had one real conversation with Abby. Everyone else was just an acquaintance, if even that. I was going to spend the entire next week with these people, but I had no idea if I'd feel comfortable around or accepted by any of them. I didn't know if I'd add anything to the trip, or if I'd simply be dead weight. I didn't know if I'd find a place to use my talents, if I even have any.
When I'm around people I don't know too well, or feel uncomfortable around, I feel like my own shadow. I can see myself and hear myself, but I'm not really present. I don't feel like I'm there. Everything's kinda fuzzy, I stumble over my words and thoughts. And that is how I felt at first. I was watching the trip but not really there.
Let me give a little background on where I was at spiritually. I was good. I was reading my Bible, praying. But I hadn't been challenged in a long time. The last year or so has been amazing. I have been learning so much about God's faithfulness and provision. My motto for last semester was "God is good all the time, all the time God is good!" It was a time of much praise and thanksgiving. I don't want to diminish the importance of this season in life, which I'm still in, because I really did grow and develop a lot. But I could tell it was a time that was going to lead up to something bigger. I just didn't know when or how.
I was excited to help people. I've always had a heart for urban settings, so I was also excited to get a little more experience in that realm. I expected to get a lot of work done, and do something small to help in God's big plan for the Roseland Community. But I did not expect it change my life. Not at all.
So after a long time of waiting around, and trying to fit the puzzle of the van together (we had so much, including groceries, to pack into an already crowded van!), we finally left. It was funny because Coach Wherrit honestly could not believe all of us ordered off the dollar menu. We're college students with no money! And those football players eat a lot. What else could be the situation? Driving down to Roseland, I loved watching the sights of the city. As much as I may complain, as much as I dislike it, the city is a beautiful place. I really think the people make it so beautiful.
We finally got to the center, and we had to wait in the van for Dave and Laura, our supervisors in a way. There were people standing on the corner, it was dark. We were told to hurriedly unpack the van and get inside. As quickly as possible. A little intimidating for sure. I don't think any of us knew what to expect.
With our bags, we walked into a cold dark room. It looked like it may have been a church, but there were no chairs. Then we walked through a small kitchen with a big stove, a room with a piano, down a hallway with steel doors lining both sides, into a room with forty bags full of groceries on a table, and finally into our "volunteer space."
The volunteer space was very nice and homey. We had bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen. This is the place we'd call home for the next week.
We got our orientation from Dave and Laura. They told us the overview of what the week would look like. I think as a team, our excitement really grew after this talk. The rest of the night we spent getting situated, playing catchphrase, making stovetop popcorn. It was a fun time, and we were looking forward to the hard work of the week to come. I started to feel more comfortable, but I still worried about not knowing anyone. About not being a good asset to the team.
We all wanted unity in the team for the trip.
May the God who gives ENDURANCE and ENCOURAGEMENT give you a spirit of UNITY among yourselves as you FOLLOW Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may GLORIFY the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.Romans 15: 5 & 6
That night in my prayer journal, I thanked God for the opportunity. I prayed that He would use it for His will, not my own. I laid it before Him, asking Him to use it.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Chicago Trip
March 6-March 11: I went with eight other students on a service trip with TIU to Roseland Christian Ministries on the southside. It was an incredible trip, and I learned so much about the community, the Lord, and my role as a Christian.
The most profound concept I saw, which plays over and over in my mind, is this: be a steward of peace.
My thoughts and experiences are still a little jumbled. I take awhile to process and sort through new things. I am hoping this blog will allow me to clear things up a bit and come to more of a closure. I am going to go through, day by day, and recount what I learned and how I came to learn it.
This was a trip I want to remember, and I want (so badly) the lessons to stick with me. It has the power to be life-changing for me. I pray that God will use that week of my life to shape me and guide me in His will.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and His ears are attentive to their cry.
Psalm 34:14&15
Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
a future awaits those who seek peace.
But all sinners will be destroyed;
there will be no future for the wicked.
a future awaits those who seek peace.
But all sinners will be destroyed;
there will be no future for the wicked.
Psalm 37:37&38
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