Okay, so I think I'm getting better at remembering to blog. At least, I hope so. I can't believe there's only one week left!!!! This makes me sad. :( It seems like only yesterday I was pulling into the church with my mom thinking, "Did I take on too much? What am I doing?" But I am so glad I came. I can't think of a better way to spend my summer. My last blog will be about all the things I learned while I was here.
Monday was pretty much just a lay around/prep day. However, our sleep was rudely interrupted by plumbers drilling a huge hole in the ground RIGHT OUTSIDE OUR DOOR. I mean, seriously, who drills holes at 10 in the morning!?!?!?! Apparently there was 10+ years of build-up from the kitchen sink that was blocking the pipes, and finally one of them burst at some point, so we had to have the plumbers come and fix it. Ugh. It was horrible. We couldn't decide which was worse: nasty poo smells, or B.O. We were stuck with the nasty poo smell, and we didn't know if that was the worst smell in the history of the universe, or if B.O. was. We are still undecided. Because you all want t know what the basement smells like. Anyway, we also had to get everything ready for the team, so we got all that ready, and then we went over to Pastor Tim and Sharon's house for a chick flick night. It was so much fun!! We had popcorn and cookies.
Tuesday we went to Ford Heights again. Ford Heights has to be the best site ever!! We had 130 kids!!!!!!!!!!! God is so AMAZING!!!!!! We are talking about ownership this week, and taking ownership, or responsibility, of our actions. Tuesday was also the first day of Kid Explosion Cruise, our VBS. We're talking about relationships for VBS. Tuesday we talked about relationships with our friends. I am also in charge of crafts, which I'm not sure is the best idea. We made pirate hats and eyepatches for our crafts. It was very cool.
Wednesday we went to the Hill and had more kids than usual. It was awesome!! We are using Peter as an example. When he denied Christ, he realized his mistake and took responsibility for his actions and made it right. And last night at VBS we talked about relationships with our families. We also made little sock animals which were very cool. I made a white whale that I dubbed "Mobie Dick." It was insane trying to cut octopus tentacles!!! There were like three in each group that wanted them, and it was CRAZY!!!! But I did not cut myself this time. Last time I accidentally cut myself with the scissors.
Today is the last day of Kid Explosion Cruise, and we're talking about relationships with God. I think it will be incredible. I love seeing the kids at the altar! These kids really are special. Friday we're taking a field trip with the kids to a water park that Pastor Tim found. It is normally $10 a person and $150 to rent a pavillion, but they are letting us use the pavillion for free, and let the kids in for $5 a head. We are SO EXCITED!!!!! God really is incredible.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
5th String of Chicago Updates! (Finally)
Okay, so I know it's been two weeks since my last post, but I have been insanely busy what with a team coming and all. Lame excuse, I know, I know, but still, it's true.
Last Monday a team from Omaha came for a missions trip, and they were amazing!! I loved them! I swear the pastor was OCD. YAY US!!
Tuesday we had our usual outreach in Ford Heights. There were 78 kids there. Just 78 kids alone. It was so exciting!! Anyway, we talked about friendship, and what a TRUE friend is supposed to be. We used David and Jonathan as an example. Jonathan was King Sauls's son, and heir to the throne of Israel, but was also David's best friend and knew that David was anointed by God to be king after Saul. But Jonathan fully accepted that (maybe he just knew that being king would have been horrible and didn't want to do it himself), and fought to help David get it. But the whole point of this lesson was to teach the kids that a true friend makes us stronger in relationships with parents, friends, and most importantly, God. Most (okay, all) of these kids have seen more than their share of heartache and heartbreak and really need TRUE friends to stick with them and build them up. We used a couple object lessons to get this point accross. First, we had one of the team members come up and stand with his arms out while one of the girls from the audience tried to put his arms down. Needless to say, this was pretty easy. But then we had another team member come up and link arms with him and then have the girl try and pry them apart. It didn't work, thus proving that it is MUCH harder to tear two people apart than it is to bring one down. Then we had two of the kids come up and had one stand on a chair and had her try and pull her friend up, and then we had the friend pull her down. It was easier to pull the friend down, of course, due to gravity. The kids all loved it. After the lesson and all of our games, the team came out and did a few human videos/pantomimes. They were great! And then they had some carnival games prepared for the kids. It was so amazing!!
Wednesday we went to The Hill, which is our Hispanic site (thank God we had some Spanish speaking people with the team! They were able to reach out to the parents so much better than we could). We did the same stuff, but then it stared to rain, and we had a couple of the team members come up and do one of their human videos to "Stand In the Rain" by Superchic[k], which was incredibly impacting while the rain was falling. The song also turned out to be one of the girls' testimonies. It was absolutely incredible.
Thursday was my birthday!! (Gifts and cards can still be sent to me at the church. Contact my mother for info. LOL) But we went to the outreach, and it was so amazing! I love seeing all these kids coming week after week, and being so hungry for it all. They love it! And that makes me love it all the more, too. We did all the same lessons and games and stuff. But I love to see the different reactions to everything. The diversity is so amazing. After the outreach, I went with my family into downtown Chicago. We walked around and dad and Erik got their pictures by a Lambourghini. Then we went to a restaurant that had amazing fries and stuff. Then we pretty much walked around, took a trolley to Navy Pier, walked out to the lakefront, then walked back because mom didn't feel good. But we stopped at the Mac store (despite Erik's protests), and used their free internet, which was amazing, and an excellent marketing and selling tool.
Friday we went and checked out the strip mall down the street from the church. I'm not sure what anyone got, but it was still fun. Then I suggested we go to Demitri's for lunch, and it was incredible. It's a little corner Greek restaurant that plays Oldies all day long. I love it!
Saturday was the homeless outreach at New Hope. People from Pastor Nathan's church donated a ton of clothes and then the team brought a bunch too. We had hot dogs, chips, and pop, along with free haircuts (I said that for a few hours straight). We had over 400 people come through. God is absolutely INCREDIBLE. Then the next day at church some of the families came back for service! There were 7 new kids in children's church! We were SO excited!!!!
Monday was our day off, and I pretty much layed around being a bum the whole morning, then went shopping with Priscilla, and came back and continued being a bum. GREAT times.
Tuesday we went to Ford Heights and had 108 kids this time! 108!!! We are still absolutely blown away. We are talking about Guardianship this week, and how we should be guardians of each other, and how God is the best guardian we could ever have. Priscilla and Alex and I are doing a skit about guardianship. We are portraying an abusive situation, and a friend/guardian protecting the victim. This skit really hits home for these kids. I hate thinking about these kids being in these situations. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it! But God is there for all of these kids, and He's better than anything any of us could offer.
Today we went to the Hill, and didn't do the skit because it wouldn't really affect these kids as much as it would at the other sites. So we just did a few extra songs. They LOVE the songs, and I love seeing their enthusiasm!
I know I am not the most... faithful person when it comes to blogging, but I will write myself a note and keep it in plain sight, so maybe I'll blog more often.
Last Monday a team from Omaha came for a missions trip, and they were amazing!! I loved them! I swear the pastor was OCD. YAY US!!
Tuesday we had our usual outreach in Ford Heights. There were 78 kids there. Just 78 kids alone. It was so exciting!! Anyway, we talked about friendship, and what a TRUE friend is supposed to be. We used David and Jonathan as an example. Jonathan was King Sauls's son, and heir to the throne of Israel, but was also David's best friend and knew that David was anointed by God to be king after Saul. But Jonathan fully accepted that (maybe he just knew that being king would have been horrible and didn't want to do it himself), and fought to help David get it. But the whole point of this lesson was to teach the kids that a true friend makes us stronger in relationships with parents, friends, and most importantly, God. Most (okay, all) of these kids have seen more than their share of heartache and heartbreak and really need TRUE friends to stick with them and build them up. We used a couple object lessons to get this point accross. First, we had one of the team members come up and stand with his arms out while one of the girls from the audience tried to put his arms down. Needless to say, this was pretty easy. But then we had another team member come up and link arms with him and then have the girl try and pry them apart. It didn't work, thus proving that it is MUCH harder to tear two people apart than it is to bring one down. Then we had two of the kids come up and had one stand on a chair and had her try and pull her friend up, and then we had the friend pull her down. It was easier to pull the friend down, of course, due to gravity. The kids all loved it. After the lesson and all of our games, the team came out and did a few human videos/pantomimes. They were great! And then they had some carnival games prepared for the kids. It was so amazing!!
Wednesday we went to The Hill, which is our Hispanic site (thank God we had some Spanish speaking people with the team! They were able to reach out to the parents so much better than we could). We did the same stuff, but then it stared to rain, and we had a couple of the team members come up and do one of their human videos to "Stand In the Rain" by Superchic[k], which was incredibly impacting while the rain was falling. The song also turned out to be one of the girls' testimonies. It was absolutely incredible.
Thursday was my birthday!! (Gifts and cards can still be sent to me at the church. Contact my mother for info. LOL) But we went to the outreach, and it was so amazing! I love seeing all these kids coming week after week, and being so hungry for it all. They love it! And that makes me love it all the more, too. We did all the same lessons and games and stuff. But I love to see the different reactions to everything. The diversity is so amazing. After the outreach, I went with my family into downtown Chicago. We walked around and dad and Erik got their pictures by a Lambourghini. Then we went to a restaurant that had amazing fries and stuff. Then we pretty much walked around, took a trolley to Navy Pier, walked out to the lakefront, then walked back because mom didn't feel good. But we stopped at the Mac store (despite Erik's protests), and used their free internet, which was amazing, and an excellent marketing and selling tool.
Friday we went and checked out the strip mall down the street from the church. I'm not sure what anyone got, but it was still fun. Then I suggested we go to Demitri's for lunch, and it was incredible. It's a little corner Greek restaurant that plays Oldies all day long. I love it!
Saturday was the homeless outreach at New Hope. People from Pastor Nathan's church donated a ton of clothes and then the team brought a bunch too. We had hot dogs, chips, and pop, along with free haircuts (I said that for a few hours straight). We had over 400 people come through. God is absolutely INCREDIBLE. Then the next day at church some of the families came back for service! There were 7 new kids in children's church! We were SO excited!!!!
Monday was our day off, and I pretty much layed around being a bum the whole morning, then went shopping with Priscilla, and came back and continued being a bum. GREAT times.
Tuesday we went to Ford Heights and had 108 kids this time! 108!!! We are still absolutely blown away. We are talking about Guardianship this week, and how we should be guardians of each other, and how God is the best guardian we could ever have. Priscilla and Alex and I are doing a skit about guardianship. We are portraying an abusive situation, and a friend/guardian protecting the victim. This skit really hits home for these kids. I hate thinking about these kids being in these situations. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it! But God is there for all of these kids, and He's better than anything any of us could offer.
Today we went to the Hill, and didn't do the skit because it wouldn't really affect these kids as much as it would at the other sites. So we just did a few extra songs. They LOVE the songs, and I love seeing their enthusiasm!
I know I am not the most... faithful person when it comes to blogging, but I will write myself a note and keep it in plain sight, so maybe I'll blog more often.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
4th String of Chicago Updates
Sorry I keep forgetting to blog! I either have full evenings, or I forget (usual happenings). So, I have to update you all on the past week and a half.
Wow! I can't believe I've already been here for three weeks and it's already July (well, barely, but still). Well, last Monday we had our day off and we pretty much just hung out here at the church doing, well, pretty much nothing, which was a nice break from doing a bunch of stuff the previous week. That whole week there was a heat advisory, so at all of the outreaches we played water games, and had to cancel one outreach because of the heat. But Tuesday we went to Ford Heights in the 98 degree weather (and just about died of heat stroke or exhaustion, whichever sounds worse). But the kids still got the message (we think and hope), and LOVED the games. We did water balloon musical chairs, and had a water balloon relay race. Not a whole lot of kids came, but the brave ones that did had fun and ran for the shade when they could.
Wednesday we canceled our outreach because of the heat, and because the site that we go to on Wednesdays has no shade at all. We pretty much stayed in the cold basement all day. We did some cleaning so we weren't totally being lazy.
Thursday we went to Chicago Heights and it was still massively hot. But, once again, the kids loved the water games. We do the same games at each site, with the improvements that we think of from doing them previously (needless to say, Chicago Heights gets the good stuff).
Friday we went to our usual Wednesday site to make up for lost time. They (and we) still had a great time despite the heat. Priscilla, one of the other interns, leads the songs for the kids, and she added a new song and sang it in Spanish since that site is dominantly Hispanic. The people really responded to it, since it was in their native language.
Saturday we did pretty much nothing besides getting things ready for Sunday, i.e., cleaning the church, preparing a Sunday School lesson.
Sunday we went to church at New Hope and did the kid's church. We talked about how God blesses us when we do things for Him and how the devil tries to steal God's blessings from us, but we can overcome Him by using God's Word. Pastor Ross had cards with different examples of blessings, and we had someone personify the devil and try to steal the blessings the kids were working for, and they had to use the Scriptures to overcome him. It was good. Sunday night Alex, another intern, and I went to a youth group because we had nothing to do and didn't want to be stuck at the church doing nothing. So we found a nice one in Indiana (about a half hour away from the church we're staying at), and met the youth pastor. But we also met a guy with a pathological fear of straws. It was... interesting. Alex and I also battled the youth pastor in some intense air hockey games. I lost both times I played. Then we decided that we didn't want to eat anything we had at the church after getting back (at around 9), so we walked around the strip mall to find any good restaurants that were interesting. We found this really good corner place with AMAZING chicken sandwiches!! I was pretty much in heaven. And we found some really great places to shop at, so we decided to come back when they were open and go shopping.
On Monday, I got up at around 9 because I wanted to go shopping, and I was supposed to wake Alex up an hour before I wanted to leave, so I was ready at around 9:30, then woke Alex up so she could get ready too, but I failed. She fell back asleep and didn't get up until 11:30, so we decided to just go after lunch. We went and found some AMAZING deals!! I got four new outfits and accessories for $40. It was GREAT! We also saw a cross dresser at one of the stores. Normally, my first reaction would be to just die of laughter, but after seeing "him", my first reaction was my heart just broke for "him." All I could think of was what "he" must have gone through to finally push him to the limit. It really was sad. My flip flops also broke, so I had to make an emergency purchase. But we had a blast, and are pretty much going to go back.
Tuesday we went back to Ford Heights, and it was absolutely incredible!!! God really blessed us yesterday. That morning at devotions we read Jude, and then just prayed for a while. I think it really made a difference in our outreach, showing that God will bless those who seek Him. This was the week I was most worried about, because we hadn't done as much planning as we usually do, but God totally transformed my worry and made it this incredible feeling of peace and joy and... indescribable satisfaction. I can't wait to see what He's going to do tomorrow! Anyway, this weeks' theme was Leadership, and we talked about how God used Gideon as a leader to defeat the huge army of Midianites. We had one of the smallest kids come up and be Gideon, and had maybe 10 other kids come up and stand with him as his army, then we had about 20-30 kids come up and be the Midianites. It looked pretty hopeless. But God used the hopeless situation for His glory and used Gideon as a leader to defeat his enemies. It was a lot cooler this week (thank you, JESUS!!), so we did no water games. Instead we had a balloon relay race, a dance competition, and a bunch of hula hoop contests. The amazing thing was that the adults really got into the games and played them with the kids. There were some gangbangers who came to check everything out and played the games with the kids. It was great! One of them got in on the dance competition, and his friends were in the back literally on the ground laughing so hard. It was just so amazing. Afterward we found out there were 72 kids! Just kids! There were at least 25 adults. Pastor Tim said that this was their best outreach in all their 20 years of doing it. Our God is amazing!
Today we went to the Hispanic site, and while it wasn't like Ford Heights, it was still good. We got the adults to be in on the games, which really helps with keeping the kids involved. So yay! We don't have a lot of kids that come to The Hill, but we had around 20 today. They really enjoy it and are really involved, which is wonderful!
I am hoping and praying that tomorrow's outreach at Chicago Heights is better then what we expect. Not that we don't expect a lot, but that we want God to really outdo Himself in everything that happens. I think it will be amazing no matter what.
Wow! I can't believe I've already been here for three weeks and it's already July (well, barely, but still). Well, last Monday we had our day off and we pretty much just hung out here at the church doing, well, pretty much nothing, which was a nice break from doing a bunch of stuff the previous week. That whole week there was a heat advisory, so at all of the outreaches we played water games, and had to cancel one outreach because of the heat. But Tuesday we went to Ford Heights in the 98 degree weather (and just about died of heat stroke or exhaustion, whichever sounds worse). But the kids still got the message (we think and hope), and LOVED the games. We did water balloon musical chairs, and had a water balloon relay race. Not a whole lot of kids came, but the brave ones that did had fun and ran for the shade when they could.
Wednesday we canceled our outreach because of the heat, and because the site that we go to on Wednesdays has no shade at all. We pretty much stayed in the cold basement all day. We did some cleaning so we weren't totally being lazy.
Thursday we went to Chicago Heights and it was still massively hot. But, once again, the kids loved the water games. We do the same games at each site, with the improvements that we think of from doing them previously (needless to say, Chicago Heights gets the good stuff).
Friday we went to our usual Wednesday site to make up for lost time. They (and we) still had a great time despite the heat. Priscilla, one of the other interns, leads the songs for the kids, and she added a new song and sang it in Spanish since that site is dominantly Hispanic. The people really responded to it, since it was in their native language.
Saturday we did pretty much nothing besides getting things ready for Sunday, i.e., cleaning the church, preparing a Sunday School lesson.
Sunday we went to church at New Hope and did the kid's church. We talked about how God blesses us when we do things for Him and how the devil tries to steal God's blessings from us, but we can overcome Him by using God's Word. Pastor Ross had cards with different examples of blessings, and we had someone personify the devil and try to steal the blessings the kids were working for, and they had to use the Scriptures to overcome him. It was good. Sunday night Alex, another intern, and I went to a youth group because we had nothing to do and didn't want to be stuck at the church doing nothing. So we found a nice one in Indiana (about a half hour away from the church we're staying at), and met the youth pastor. But we also met a guy with a pathological fear of straws. It was... interesting. Alex and I also battled the youth pastor in some intense air hockey games. I lost both times I played. Then we decided that we didn't want to eat anything we had at the church after getting back (at around 9), so we walked around the strip mall to find any good restaurants that were interesting. We found this really good corner place with AMAZING chicken sandwiches!! I was pretty much in heaven. And we found some really great places to shop at, so we decided to come back when they were open and go shopping.
On Monday, I got up at around 9 because I wanted to go shopping, and I was supposed to wake Alex up an hour before I wanted to leave, so I was ready at around 9:30, then woke Alex up so she could get ready too, but I failed. She fell back asleep and didn't get up until 11:30, so we decided to just go after lunch. We went and found some AMAZING deals!! I got four new outfits and accessories for $40. It was GREAT! We also saw a cross dresser at one of the stores. Normally, my first reaction would be to just die of laughter, but after seeing "him", my first reaction was my heart just broke for "him." All I could think of was what "he" must have gone through to finally push him to the limit. It really was sad. My flip flops also broke, so I had to make an emergency purchase. But we had a blast, and are pretty much going to go back.
Tuesday we went back to Ford Heights, and it was absolutely incredible!!! God really blessed us yesterday. That morning at devotions we read Jude, and then just prayed for a while. I think it really made a difference in our outreach, showing that God will bless those who seek Him. This was the week I was most worried about, because we hadn't done as much planning as we usually do, but God totally transformed my worry and made it this incredible feeling of peace and joy and... indescribable satisfaction. I can't wait to see what He's going to do tomorrow! Anyway, this weeks' theme was Leadership, and we talked about how God used Gideon as a leader to defeat the huge army of Midianites. We had one of the smallest kids come up and be Gideon, and had maybe 10 other kids come up and stand with him as his army, then we had about 20-30 kids come up and be the Midianites. It looked pretty hopeless. But God used the hopeless situation for His glory and used Gideon as a leader to defeat his enemies. It was a lot cooler this week (thank you, JESUS!!), so we did no water games. Instead we had a balloon relay race, a dance competition, and a bunch of hula hoop contests. The amazing thing was that the adults really got into the games and played them with the kids. There were some gangbangers who came to check everything out and played the games with the kids. It was great! One of them got in on the dance competition, and his friends were in the back literally on the ground laughing so hard. It was just so amazing. Afterward we found out there were 72 kids! Just kids! There were at least 25 adults. Pastor Tim said that this was their best outreach in all their 20 years of doing it. Our God is amazing!
Today we went to the Hispanic site, and while it wasn't like Ford Heights, it was still good. We got the adults to be in on the games, which really helps with keeping the kids involved. So yay! We don't have a lot of kids that come to The Hill, but we had around 20 today. They really enjoy it and are really involved, which is wonderful!
I am hoping and praying that tomorrow's outreach at Chicago Heights is better then what we expect. Not that we don't expect a lot, but that we want God to really outdo Himself in everything that happens. I think it will be amazing no matter what.
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