i'm home.

Hey everyone...
So yeah, it's definitely been a while since I updated (so sorry) but my last week in Chicago was really busy. We got back from our retreat, went to our last day of ministry sites, then had a farewell party and left all in three days. It was a great time, although very sad too.
I am definitely home. Lindsay is playing her flute in the living room, Abbey is dancing around in her nightgown and Masha is eating a snack before they all go off to bed. I have been to a family reunion, hung out with my friend Jen a lot, and have put off laundry and packing still...It was wierd being at my home church this morning. I found myself a little board during worship because I have been used to high tempo, up beat, crazy style worship that I love, sometimes in different languages. It was kind of funny...
Alright: the last ministry site I visited was Judson Baptist Church. I helped out with the older kids at a basic day camp. I had such a good time! I got smoked by a 6th grader in division flash cards, it was pretty intense. I lost 17 to 34...yes, you read the numbers correctly. We took the kids to the park that afternoon, which was also really great. We shared our Gospel bracelets with the kids: 5 different color beads, each with a meaning that lays out the Gospel in terms that kids can understand. I was sad leaving that day, but it was a great day to end my ministry site visits on.
Wednesday was pretty much a free day. I packed, wrote letters to the students, and finished up odds and ends. Wednesday night though was probably the best night of project. My committee was in charge of planning a staff farewell party for us and man, was it AWESOME. They started out with a song, written in our honor that was sooo funny, then moved on to a game that tested our knowledge of the students. Let's just say we all got whip-creamed in the face for not knowing much!
After the game, we were taken downstairs and flattered with really encouraging remarks from the students. Just when I thought I was blessed enough, the students each of us were discipling showed an amazing gesture of gratitude by washing our feet. They had signed each of the bowls that the water was poured into, so we got to keep it, and were given a frame with our EL stop and theme verse inside. It was AMAZING. It could not have been better.
The next morning, Thursday, my train left at 8:30am so it was an early one. I was taken to the station and got in my seat and was fine until the train passed Cellular Field, right next to IIT. That's when it hit me that the six weeks were over and I was headed back home.
Greg picked me up at the train station and took me out to lunch, and I have not slowed down since! I am headed back to Chicago in the next couple of weeks to say goodbye to the students before they leave, so that will be cool.
It is good to be home...I am adjusting slowly I think. Tomorrow I will write one last time to close everything up, but thanks for all of your support. It means more than you know...
Love, Nikki

retreating...

Hey everyone,
In just a few minutes, I am leaving for Starved Rock State Park (don't ask me where it is) for the night with the rest of the staff. We are going on a little retreat just to reflect on our time here and hang out one last time all together. :( I'll be back at IIT tomorrow evening. Have a great day!

Last weekend in the city...

Hey everyone,

First let me say that a lot of people have called me (including my parents!) and left me messages and I do not have enough hours in the day to return them. I am so sorry. I have four days left in Chicago and am trying to soak it all in. It's not that I do no want to talk to you, I have just been sooooo busy.

Friday was A LOT of fun. I went to Kids Club at Cabrini Green, like I mentioned earlier. I spent the morning doing some office stuff, and the afternoon tutoring a little boy in math and reading. Just being with kids again was awesome. Kids Club is an amazing program that I reccomend all of you looking into. The ministries and programs they offer are doing incredible things in the neighborhood and they can always use hands and dollars. :)

Friday night my socials committee had a social. We all went to the Agape Center and played crazy Olympics. I have posted a couple pictures. We played everything from dodgeball to three legged race to the baseball bat spinaround to the balloon pop, etc, etc. 2 hours worth of relays and ridiculous laughter...Some of us stayed even longer to play an intense game of kickball. My team was victorious!

Today we had our Taste of Chicago Outreach. Over 650! water bottles were passed out by our 4 teams today on 4 different corners outside the Taste of Chicago. (A festival that basically allows people to eat a whole lot of awesome food...check it out.) In order to get a water bottle, people had to answer 4 questions about water satisfying thirst:

1. does a bottle of water satisfy your thirst?

2. after drinking a bottle, do you get thirsty again?

3. in the Bible, Jesus tells a woman that if we drink from the water He offers, we will never be thirsty. What do you think he meant by that?

4. Jesus was talking about meeting a spiritual need. Can we share with you how we think you can never be thirsty again?

Then we shared with them that we believe that God created us and loves us, but because of sin, we are separated from him. He sent Jesus to the earth to die on a cross for our sins as a sacrifice, so we can have a relationship with Him. The only way to have a relationship with Jesus, and to go to heaven, is by believing this, asking your sins to be forigiven, and inviting Jesus into your life.

Today, several people accepted Jesus as their savior and many people heard the Truth about God's love for them. It was really fun and the weather was gorgeous. Many people who were shy about sharing their faith had many opportunities today and had a lot of great stories about conversations they had.

For example, one girl spoke to a woman who answered the 4 questions and was offered to take a look at a Gospel booklet that explains it all really well. She pulled out the booklet she was given LAST SUMMER by someone on SITC and told her that she takes it everywhere she goes!

Anyway, I have many more stories that if you would like to hear I would love to tell!

After the outreach, me and three guys from the team went to the White Sox game. They won, which is always a good thing, and it was a lot of fun!

Tomorrow morning, the staff leave for a State park not too far from here for a 1 night, 2 day retreat. It will be nice to debrief, relax, and just hang out as a staff team for the last time. I can't believe that I'm leaving soon! :( I'll write more Monday!

Love you all!

Here are some pictures from the 3rd.
A LOT of people...

this is going to be a long one...

Hey everyone,
After being politely yelled at by my mother this morning for not updating in a few days, I decided I have some time to play catch up.
Poverty Simulation this year was good. I don't feel as impacted simply because it was not a shock to me. I knew when it was going to end and participated in similar activities last summer. It was great to be reminded of how much I take for granted (like food, a place to sleep at night, and luxuries like knowing what time it is...) A cool new aspect of that summer's was putting a face on global poverty by focusing on children in Africa.
The poverty Sim is something I find difficult to write about because no amount of words can explain what it is like to those who would never think about experiencing it. I can tell you how much it breaks your heart to feel an ounce of what those who suffer from poverty everyday feel, but unless you actually experience something like it, words can not do it justice.
If you want to host your own pov sim for a youth group or something, or if you would like to hear about it, please get a hold of me once I get home. I could talk for hours about it and set you up with the matierials needed to conduct one...but I just can't write about it. Sorry...
Anyway, pov sim ended Saturday afternoon. We had lunch and showered and had some time to reflect, then we all just kind of hung out together at IIT that evening. We were pretty tired.
Sunday we went to church in groups; I went to Cabrini Green's Living Faith Church. It was a great service, but even greater was the difference in income levels between blocks in this area. Some of you have heard of Cabrini Green, probably in a negative tone, which I understand. It is a "project" as they used to be called, or government housing, where some of the poorest kids in Chicago grow up blocks away from the Gold Coast, or the richest condos in the city. If you grew up with rich people flaunting their dollars in your backyard...you may want to find means of making money too.
I'll have more to say about Cabrini tomorrow because I'm going to work at Kids Club there.
After church, a few students and I went to the beach. The weather was great and it was fun to lay on the beach with a great view of skyscrapers right beside you.
Monday: Staff meeting in the morning. Most of it was spent giving input about students who will be taking over the project on Sunday as the staff leave. There are 20 students who will take over 20 jobs when the staff leave. The students stay for 3 more weeks. Monday night was a normal night I think...we just hung out.
Tuesday: The 4th of July is actually celebrated on the 3rd here...atleast more festivities are. Tuesday we went to ministry sites with students. I went to New Life, a church, that had a summer work program for at-risk teens. It was a great day and I was able to get some experience with teens, who I will be working with next year for my social work field placement. So that was cool! I liked it...which is always a good thing. After ministry, we came back to IIT and everyone split up into a few different groups to grab some dinner then watch fireworks! A group of 12 of us went to dinner at a Diner that served breakfast, then hung out with the 1 million+ people who were downtown. We sat in Millenium Park, under the amplitheater to watch the fireworks and had a really great time.
Wednesday: We slept in because we all had the day off with the students. A few of us went souvenir shopping in the morning, then hung out at the Taste of Chicago in Grant Park for some free concerts. It was HOT, but still enjoyable to hang out with everyone.
Today the staff and I are kind if doing odds and ends, getting ready to transition out of here. :( I am not happy about it. I leave one week from day...
I'm going to get going...I hope you all had a Happy 4th of July!

missing in action

Hey guys,
Just wanted to let you know that after today, I will not have my phone or access to email until Sunday. If you need to get a hold of me...well...too bad?
For those of you that remember last summer, the team and some of the staff (including me) are going to be in simulation mode again. More details later...
Have a good weekend, everyone.

thanks for the love

Hey everyone,

Yesterday was another day of work for the staff around here. We had a staff meeting all morning, and worked on our jobs in the afternoon. Sarah and I are leading training night tonight, so with the help of Janine (which really means Janine did it all!) we created a video showing what conflict relosultion should, and should not look like...it's awesome!
Last night we had action group, which went well, like always. The girls shared testimonies last night, which is always my favorite. I love seeing what God has done in other peoples lives.
Today we are headed to ministry sites with students. In ten minutes I'm leaving for Pacific Garden Mission, one of the largest and longest operating rescue missions in the country. I'm really excited to serve a few hundred people today. :)
A special thanks goes to my Aunt Jan for sending me the most encouraging letter...I was so excited!! Thanks you, Jan, I really wish that you could come to Michigan soon...You are GREATLY missed in the mitten!
I also want to thank everyone who is praying for me. I am having such an amazing time here in Chicago. The support from my parents, my family, friends, and people I have never even met is truly a blessing and I think of you everyday.
God is teaching me A LOT right now. I feel like I am FINALLY coming out of the shadow I have been in for a long time and am totally soaking up his love for me as I head into a new season of my life that is hopefully a lot more joyful!
I have to go, but thank you, again, for all the love I'm feeling here in the city...miss you, guys!