Nik in the City - Part 2

i'm home.

2007-07-15T21:45:00.000-04:00

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...

2007-07-08T10:53:00.001-04:00

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...

2007-07-07T20:34:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-07-05T14:51:00.000-04:00

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

this is going to be a long one...

2007-07-05T14:28:00.000-04:00

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

2007-06-27T17:09:00.000-04:00

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

2007-06-26T08:44:00.000-04:00

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!

what a weekend...

2007-06-24T19:06:00.000-04:00

I can't believe how fast the days are going by. I remember planning for my parents and the girls to come to Chicago months ago, and now they have already come and left!
They got here on Friday and spent a couple of hours at the aquarium with me before heading out to dinner at Maggiano- an Italian restaurant downtown. It was AMAZING - both the fish and the food. We got a "family style" dinner which included a salad, 3 appetizers, 2 pastas and 2 chicken dishes...and 2 desserts! The food was awesome and there was plenty left-over for me to bring back to IIT! :)
I spent Friday night with them in the North suburbs, then came back to IIT Saturday morning. I spent the morning here, then met them downtown for lunch at Giadonos with a few students that wanted to come.
I hung out at IIT last night while they went North to hang out with one of Greg's friends that lives up there.
This morning I went to the Chinese Christian Union Church in Chinatown! It was a contemporary service and pretty laid back - Once again, we were all welcomed and greeted and even asked to stand as guests.
Today we had our car wash outreach down at the Agape Center. For a few hours we washed peoples cars for free, talked to them, and just hung out and had a really great. I think 60 cars came through so around over 100+ hung out with us today.
The students have their second week of minstry sites this week...another busy week ahead. Hope you all had a great weekend!
-Nikki

my family comes tomorrow!

2007-06-21T17:46:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

My mom and Greg and the girls are coming to visit this weekend so be praying for their safe travels! Today has been a relaxed-business day with planning here and there. Tonight we are having mens and womens dinner and having harambee night (which means family) tonight with worship as we continue to learn about multi-cultural relationships and building them with others.
Here's to a great weekend coming up...

ministry has begun...

2007-06-20T00:29:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

I forgot to look at when the last day I wrote was, but I'm going to guess it was Sunday?
Monday was the students first day of ministry sites. We had a staff meeting and planned some things for that night and today (Tuesday). It was wierd not leaving early in the am with the students. I felt like I really wanted to go with them but am trusting that I am here for a different purpose. Monday night we had action group, which went SOOOO well. All of our girls opened up and shared some really personal stuff that I am excited to continue to talk about for the rest of my time with them.
Today we got to go to monistry sites with the students! YAY! I went to the Agape Center, which if you remember, is where we stayed the first few nights on Chicago. Each of our students is in charge of a day camp team, seperated by age, so I helped out with the two teams that two girls in my action group lead. It was a fun, but strange day. I didn't like no knowing the kids and because I knew I wasn't going back tomorrow, my desire to really get to know them was hard to scroung up. I had a lot of fun just being around them and witnessing such an awesome camp for them, but it was still a hard day. It was also cool to watch my girls lead them and really get to see their love for the kids.
Tomorrow is our first staff day off! We have allllllll day to do NOTHING. I plan on taking some pictures and making (A LOT) of phone calls that I have been neglecting to make because of my crazy schedule.
Oh wait, I forgot something. Today, I was officially envolved in my 3rd car accident! We were the first car of a five car fender-bender, on the 1-lane express-lane, where 3 of the 5 cars were probably totaled. AND you can't even tell that we were hit from behind and every one of us were completely fine, as well as all the other pasengers in the other cars. PRAISE GOD!
Sarah and I lead the training tonight on 3 minute testimonies and conversation starters. I shared mine story, which is always kind of wierd in large groups, but we had a lot of fun presenting tonight and I think we did a good job. I love speaking in front of people and am glad that I am going to continue to get more opportunities to do so.
That's all for now, I'm going to head to bed and start my free day...

orientation week is over.

2007-06-18T00:20:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone...
Tomorrow the students officially start at their ministry sites. I have a feeling it is going to be a rough week for me. I want to go to ministry sites.... :( I am praying that I am able to enjoy this week just as much though and find other things that will keep me occupied.
For those of you that have wanted my mailing address, SO sorry it has taken me forever, but here it is:

Campus Crusade for Christ-Summer in the City
Nikki Landis
Illinois Institute of Technology
3201 South State Street
Chicago, IL 60616

YES, everything above must be on the envelope, I know...it's long.

Yesterday, I didn't get too much accomplished except write a teamwork devotion that I lead tonight. Last night, we all went to the beach and played volleyball and worshiped on the beach - it was such a nice night just to hang out and relax!
Today we went to church at New Life Community Church. It's by Midway Airport and was really fun. It is predominately Hispanic, but we didn't feel out of place at all because of the large mix of diversity. This afternoon we just hung out here and relaxed. I played some soccer but it was realllllllly hot.
Tomorrow, as I mentioned earlier, the students will be gone most of the day at ministry sites. I have a few odds and ends to take care of, as well as a few staff meetings, but it should be a pretty mellow day.
Well, I need to get going to bed, but I hope you all had a great weekend!
HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD!!!!!
My mom and greg and the girls are coming to Chicago this weekend - I'm SOOOOOOOO excited, and my team is pretty pumped about meeting the 3 superstars of my life that I talk about all the time!
Here's to an awesome week and a great weekend...
Love you all.

much needed sleep

2007-06-16T13:02:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,
Apparently God wanted my roommate and me to sleep in today. We both slept through 4 alarms set for 9am and woke up at 11am. It was definitely needed! Luckily, we could sleep in and didn't miss anything because the students left this morning to do team building at a low ropes course outside the city. I have to lead a unity/teamwork devotion tomorrow (sunday) so I just have to work on the today.
Tonight we have a mens' and womens' dinner then a free night so that should mean a pretty relaxing day.
Yesterday, we visited 3 ministry sites in the city that the students will be working at. Pacific Garden Mission is a rescue mission that sleeps 600-700 homeless men A NIGHT! and serves that many full course meals to them as well. They are a 100% donation mission that is one of the longest running missions in the US, never having to close its doors in 130 years! It was very cool to be there.
The second ministry we visited was the Pui Tak Center in Chinatown. It is a Christian school and organization that teaches English to chinese immigrants and runs a kids camp in the summer, which the students will be helping at. It is the largest building in chinatown and almost every english-speaking immigrant has gone through their program. What an opportunity the center has to reach them for Christ.
The third ministry (and my favorite for the day) was the Kids Club in Cabrini Green. Just a few miles from the Gold Coast- the richest part of Chicago- hundreds of families live in poverty and struggle with issues of crime, broken homes, drugs, etc. The Kids Club has a 2+ million dollar budget and is opening more clubs every year in different areas in Chicago, but the impact it has made in this "project" (though they are no longer called projects) is amazing. I am most excited about visiting this ministry site this summer.
[note to parents: the director happened to mention their need for teachers and social workers for their after school and summer programs...hhmmmmm.....]
At Kids Club they reach out to FAMILIES, not just the kids, in a variety of ways. They have a community center that houses their after school and summer programs, which is very structured for kids. During the school year, they have a programs for K-8th graders I think from 3 or 4 until 7 or 8! They feed them, help them with homework, require them to take elective classes (like art, music, etc) and have Bible study! They also have other ministries apart of Kids club in addition to that too...like a bunk bed ministry so families with many children can have seperate beds for each child instead of making a few kids sleep in the same bed! Awesome...
OK- so I have to stop rambling and need to get to work, but I'll write again soon!

tall ship WINDY

2007-06-14T16:26:00.001-04:00

Hey all...

If you are ever in Chicago, you MUST get a ticket to board the tall ship Windy. It was such a blast last night. That was my super exciting surprise. For an hour and a half the team and I sailed around the bay, getting an awesome view of the city at sunset, and enjoying the beautiful weather. Being on a sailboat and seeing the city like that was unlike anything I have ever done...and to be in the company of great people---it was so much fun!

After setting off, the crew asked for a few volunteers to hoist the sails. I volunteered, not realizing how hard it would be toward the end. We thought it would be easier, and it was in the beginning, but man, my arms are soar today! Here are a few pictures of that, and of that evening as well.

I am writing this today from the Agape Center where the students are downstairs being trained on working with children. The staff and I are kind of hanging out in the office upstairs, getting things done for next week and working on some other jobs. We'll be heading back for dinner soon and more training and meetings tonight.

Hope you all are enjoying summer and are having as nice of weather as we are here in Chicago!

-Nikki

2007-06-12T17:52:00.000-04:00

hey guys,
i can't believe how fast the days are going. this week has been crazy! as i am getting to know the students a lot better, i'm realizing just how awesome it is to be here. we haven't even started "ministry" yet (going to the sites), but i already know this is exactly where God wanted me this summer. it's such a blessing to be here and interact with the students. i am in a unique position because even though i am on staff, i have another year of school left and can relate to the students really easily. i am really having a blast...
yesterday we traveled to the university of illinois at chicago and talked to some people on the campus. my main objective, as a student-staff member, was to encourage and help the girl i was with, who i am also discipling this summer, get opportunities to share her faith. she did great, and the two of us had a great afternoon. last night we had some free time...but we have done so much STUFF in the last few days, i can't remember what i did.
today we got to visit the first ministry site the students will be working with in the next several weeks. it was on the westside, called Breakthrough Urban Ministries. it is made up of several shelters and offers children and family programs. i don't know much else about it.
for lunch we ate chicago style pizza at Lou Malnotti's. it was really fun and definitely good pizza. after that the students had free time and we just finished up with a staff meeting. tonight we have dinner, racial unity training, and committee meetings. i am co-leading the socials and outreach committee with beth, who i also co-lead our action group with.
TOMORROW IS FREEEEEEEEEEEE. I am looking forward to enjoying it. We are also doing something very exciting tomorrow...like...super exciting! but it's a surprise.

TGFFT (thank god for free time)

2007-06-10T20:24:00.001-04:00

Hey...

Wow. We have been going and going here in the windy city.

First things first: In addition to the scavenger hunt Friday, I forgot to mention that we went to the John Hancock Tower observatory and got a great view of the city (95 stories up!) I've added a couple pictures from that...it was awesome. It put things into perspective for me: just how small I am, and just how HUGE the city is...but also how much bigger God is than the city!

Yesterday was our ethnic community day. We again split into groups. Each group was sent to a different part of Chicago to explore the diversity the city has. My group and I went to La Villta, a predominantly Mexican community on the west side. We spent a few hours walking around, observing the people, and talking to some people (or trying to...the language barrier was kind of irritating). We also ate at a Mexican resturant that was pretty similar to Los Cuataro Amigos in Midland (no worries, Jen. Our LC dates are WAYYYYY better :)) It was pretty cool to eat authentic mexican food with mexicans though. We got some interesting looks!

We made it back in time for dinner and talked about our experiences. From the sounds of it, each team had a unique experience, but I think we all had a great day. The rest of the night was spent just hanging out again. The evening have been really great because everyone has been tired so we have all got to just chill and get to know each other.

Today we went to church at JPUSA's community. Jesus People USA is a group of people north of Wrigleyville who live and work all together. There are about 500 of them and they have their own school, all live in a hotel, and operate businesses for a group income. No one gets paycheck, its all community money. It was...interesting. I'm glad that I got the opportunity to witness it, but I don't think it is exactly my style.

After that, the students got to have a "listening lunch" where they took a person from the city that looked like they needed a lunch out, and heard their story. I haven't talked to any students yet to see how it went, so I'm excited to hear what they heard. Instead of partaking in that, the staff had a meeting. :( I'm thinking about doing my own though later on...I think that would be awesome!

After the meeting, a few staff girls and I went out for ice cream downtown at Godiva!!!! It was really, really good. We are now back and have a free evening! I'll have some stories for you all later from the students' lunches.

Take care!

Here are some more random pictures too...The group shot is our staff minus the director, his wife, and T. The other one is me and T on the trolley.

City tour day

2007-06-09T00:13:00.000-04:00

Today was city tour day in Chicago. The students were split up into four teams, each with 2 staff members, then sent out in to the city on a picture scavenger hunt. We had to find things all over the city and ask strangers to take pictures of our entire group with these things. We did this same thing in NY last summer, but it was SOOOOOO hard for me to sit back and do nothing as staff. Staff's job were just to observe the students and as a (very) competitive person it was hard for me to keep my mouth shut. But I think I did pretty well, and my team and I had a great time!
Tonight we just hung out, played games, and continued to get to know each other. I think we have a great group of students that I am really excited about hanging out with more.
Again, I'm exhausted, so I'm going to get some sleep. We have another awesome day tomorrow...
Night all!

The students are here!

2007-06-07T23:34:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

So I have officialy not been faithful in updating this, I'm sorry. I have just been SO busy! The last week we have been prepping for today - when the students arrived! They started showing up around noon and kept coming throughtout the afternoon. They are really great! We played some get-to-know-you games and had pizza and ice cream tonight and just had a really low key night. It was a lot of fun!
I did have a realization tonight at the welcome meeting. This isn't my summer project! I'm here for the students which is wierd. I am going to have to learn to sit back and let them experience what I experienced in NYC, which I am excited about, but it will also be a challenge.
I would LOVE to write more but I am so tired and we have a really awesome day planned tomorrow. Hopefully in the next couple days I will be able to actually write something worthwhile to read. :)
Have a great night all!

ready or not

2007-06-06T10:16:00.000-04:00

Good morning!

Yesterday was our day off...we were not allowed to do anything Summer in the City related. So we went to the zoo! It was free (which is always a bonus) and had a lot of great animals to take pictures of. I kind of got carried away at the sea lion exhibit. We walked in the front gate and were greeted by the male lion who was seriously not happy judging by his roaring. I don't think I had ever heard a lion roar in real life before... most of the time they just sit/lay there...so it's kind of funny that my first time was in downtown Chicago! The Tiger also yelled at us later on in the day inside the Lion house. It echoed and was supper loud too. (Mom & Greg- we also got to watch this Tiger spray through his fence and onto a guy that was taking pictures...PeeWee style! He did it like three or four times around his cage and I was DYING. It was hilarious - I forgot to mention that yesterday!)

It was also my roommates birthday yesterday so we got her a cake and some ice cream and after dinner had a little party. Although, we forgot that we don't have any plates/cups/silverware yet so we had to improvise A LOT. We ended up using a star-shaped serving platter, and measuring spoons and spatulas to eat with...it was pretty funny.

Today is work day. We have A LOT to do to prepare for the students today. Tonight we are all going out to dinner as a staff team for the last time so that should be fun.

Have a great day all...

Linds, Mash, and Abbey - HAPPY SUMMER!!!! By the time you read this, your last school day will be over so HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!!! Linds- sorry I'm missing your graduation but be looking for something in the mail soon. See you girls in a couple weeks (16 days to be exact!) LOVE YOU!

"Nikki, you think like me...and that's a problem."

2007-06-04T17:36:00.000-04:00

Hey guys,

Well, we are now moved in to our dorm rooms which is exciting. We are staying in Lewis Hall on the campus of IIT. The rooms are very nice as well as the hall and its surrounding buildings. My roommate is Janine and our room is the size of your typical dorm room. 2 beds, 2 desks, 2 closets...that whole thing. We have the entire hall for our project. The guys on project (there are 5) are on one end, staff and bathrooms in the middle, and the girls on project will be on the other end (there will be 15 girls). The girls and I were laughing because we will probably sleep REALLY well tonight in our twin beds after 4 nights on blow up air mattresses.

Moving in was funny. We were able to run everything in between rain showers. I was dragging my suitcases (both on wheels) and my backpack and everything else hoping to make in one trip and had to jump a curb. Instead of setting things down or walking to the ramp I got a running start and was determined to make it on to the sidewalk. It worked...sort of...and T told me that she would have done the same thing.

There is a lot to do tonight as we prepare for the students to arrive on Thursday. Tomorrow we are not allowed to do anything related to the project, which I am looking forward to! We all could use some rest and downtown time! Here is the bean - I have no idea what its significance is, but we hid under it when it poured downtown.

Gotta go, Love you guys!

2007-06-03T18:21:00.000-04:00

Here are a few more pictures:

The first is of me and Little Felix...we were playing a very intense game of Trouble at Marc and Sandy's on Sautrday night.

The second is the Sears Tower, from the ground obviously.

The third is my slice of brownie sundae cheesecake at the cheesecake factory. I don't even like cheesecake that much, but it was awesome.

2007-06-03T17:18:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

SO SORRY I have not been able to update yet. We have been staying in a place without internet access for the last couple days. We move into our dorms tomorrow so I will have access in my room from tomorrow on...

I have a lot to write but before I do, here are some things that you need to know so I don't have to explain it more than once:

*HLIC - "Here's Life Inner City" is the ministry I am working for. It serves children and families in inner cities all over the country.

*There are 9 of us on staff, and on Thursday (June 7th) 20 students arrive from campuses all over the country to participate in their Summer Project (what I did in NYC last summer)

*Marc and Sandy are the directors, so if I talk about them, that is who they are. Alos, T is kind of like a director as well.

*The other student-staff members are: Tim, Sarah, Janine, Regina, and Beth.

*The Agape Center is where the girls have been staying since Thursday. It is the main building that HLIC uses in Chicago. It is a church and community center located on the South side of Chicago.

Alright...here is what I have been up to:

Thursday: The train to Chicago was pretty boring. Before I boarded the train I had a minor freak out when I was told there would be no baggage check service on the train. That meant I had to carry my two huge rolling suitcases and a stuffed backpack on and off the train by myself. I kept remembering how awful trecking through LaGuardia in NYC was in that situation. Thankfully though, people were much nicer here in the midwest! Before I even boarded the train, 3 people offered to help me.

I imagine it being more fun traveling with someone, but me, myself, and I just sat there. The sat in front of a guy from Flint to Battle Creek who talked on the phone the ENTIRE time about the dreams he has "erasing from the earth the dude that called his baby's mama ugly." It was terrible! Anyway, I arrived in Chicago on time and was picked up by Beth. I spent the rest of the afternoon at the directors house making lasagna and chatting with Sandy. Her and Marc used to be foster parents so that got me all fired up talking about that, among other things.

Around 4, the rest of the team arrived and we did intros and ate dinner. We spend the rest of the evening getting to know each other at the Cheesecake Factory...which was awesome! It is beneath the Hancock Tower downtown, so we walked around for a while after that. Chicago is a beautiful city. The buildings...to put it lightly...rule. They are so cool just to look at! Some people think nature is cool being God's creation and all that, but for me, looking at architecture in the city displays the power of God to me in an awesome way.

By that time, I had been awake for 19+ hours and was ready to crash.

Friday: Came too soon. We spent the entire day (9am till 7pm) in the Agape Center going over details of project, etc and being trained on all kinds of things. It went by pretty fast but there are no windows in the center. We walked out after 7 to head downtown for a while and didn't realize it had been raining all day. We were taking pics in Millenium Park when the skies opened and dumped a whole lot of water on us cutting our night short. Oh well...we have 6 weeks.

Saturday: More meetings in the morning and afternoon. We had lunch at Panera then planned action group. I am leading an action group with Beth, consisting of five students. We will meet on Mondays once the students get here and its basically just a bible study + hang out time. After that we had Chicago-style pizza at Marc and Sandy's and just played games and hung out all evening.

Sunday (today): We attended church in the south suburbs of the city. It was a small church called New Life Christian Fellowship. It was really fun, like all African American churches I have been too. We were greeted with hugs and welcomes and it felt really cool to witness such a great community that was so friendly towards guests. After service we went to the Dixie Kitchen, a southern, cajun-food restaurant. I got chicken (surprise, surprise...) I am not sitting at Panera again becuause they have wireless. Tonight we are watching a documentary about racial unity and probably going to bed early. We are all super tired and have a long day of moving into the dorms tomorrow.

We are staying at the Illinois Institute of Technology. It's cool because we are closer to the downtown there, actually directly across the street from Cellular Field (where the White Sox play!) I dont have a mailing address yet, but hopefully tomorrow I will have one for those of you that want it.

That's all for now, I'm going to spend some time calling some people I have yet to talk to (aka: JEN WHO NEVER ANSWERS HER PHONE!)

Thanks for your support and prayer, I think it is going to be a great summer!

Last day at home...

2007-05-30T14:02:00.000-04:00

Well, my last day at home has arrived. I've spent the last day or so packing, cleaning, and saying goodbye to friends. Tonight I'm having my "last supper" (calzones!) at my mom's house with the family, then heading to my dad's for the night. Tomorrow, we are leaving WAY TOO EARLY to be in Flint for my 6:30am departure. I'm taking the train for the first time, which I'm pretty excited about. I will get to Chicago around 11:30am (so 12:30 MI time).

Support raising went spectacular, again. I was given enough to get the extra things paid for, like travel expenses, weekend meals, etc. Thanks to everyone who is supporting me either financially or with prayer. Your gifts and prayers mean more than words can express.

As always, it is hard to leave my family and friends, but I am excited to get to the city and serve others. I need to stop thinking and dwelling about myself and my life and be reminded of how fortunate I am. I am so thankful for this opportunity and know I will be even more excited once I get there.

The next time I write I will be in the city!

CHICAGO

2007-05-01T22:30:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

It is official: 30 days from now I will be in Chicago!

Finincial support is coming in, which is always a humbling and exciting experience. I am so blessed to have such an amazing family and friends who support me.

School is done now, so I plan on spending the next 4 weeks at home with my family working, hanging out with friends, and preparing to leave.

I'll be back in a few weeks...