Thursday: I arrived in Chicago (very early)! I was the first student to get here, and most of the students didn’t get in until the late afternoon/early evening. The staff is great though, so I mostly just hung out with them until the other students got here. So Thursday was just kind of getting to know people/moving into the dorm!
Friday: We were broken up into two teams and we (the students) had to complete a scavenger hunt around Chicago in an allotted amount of time. It was fun, but also kind of challenging!
Saturday: We were broken up into two teams (different than the teams on Friday), and went to explore different ethnic neighborhoods. My team went to North Lawndale and La Villita ("Little Village"). We ate at a restaurant in La Villita, and it was really good! Our waiter made us a drink to try called Tepache, which is kind of like a pineapple cider. He also gave us some free Mexican candy! It was fun getting to explore the neighborhoods!
Sunday: We went to church at Jesus People USA, which was a neat experience! We were then split into partners (1 guy and 1 girl) for a "listening lunch." We were supposed to find someone who looked like they might be hungry, and then ask them if we could buy them lunch, and hear their story. My partner and I found a man digging through a trash can, and he agreed to go to lunch with us. It was a very interesting experience! The man had some mental illnesses, and he wasn't always coherent, so it was kind of hard to follow what he was trying to tell us. My partner asked him if he had any plans or anything he wanted to do in the future, and the man replied, "Survive, and die in my sleep in a nice, warm bed." My heart broke. This man was simply trying to make it, and it broke my heart knowing that all he really desires is a nice, warm bed, and for his life to end painlessly. This man was also trying to overcome some addictions, which is never an easy task. All we could do is offer compassion and prayer, which hardly seemed like enough. There were many other instances this day when my heart broke for the people of this city. When we were walking to meet up with the rest of our group, we came across a woman and her son. She was holding a cardboard sign, and honestly I don't even know what it said. Her son was sitting on her lap, and my heart broke for this mother and her son. The little boy turned out to be four years old, and he was adorable! We gave them some granola bars, but once again, it didn't seem like enough. Later that night our group ventured to the Blues Festival to get something to eat for dinner. You had to buy tickets in order to buy the food. A man was sitting on his walker asking people if they had leftover tickets. One of my teammates gave him the one ticket we had leftover. Everyone was sitting kind of off to the side in the grass, finishing their food, and my heart was breaking for this man. I gathered up all the granola bars that we had left, and went over to the man. While I was walking up to him, he asked if I had any extra tickets, and I said, "No, but I have some granola bars, will that work?!", to which he replied, "Food is food", and then took them. Again, it seemed like it wasn't enough. It's hard for me to see people who are so desperate, and hopeless. It breaks my heart, and I wish there was more I could do. It also makes me feel kind of guilty that I get to sleep in a warm bed, and eat three meals a day. There is so much injustice in this world, but I am thankful that I serve a just God!
Monday: We went to the campus of UIC to do an outreach. Basically we went around with a partner, and asked students if they would be willing to answer a few questions for a survey. The survey was about spiritual things, which we told the students up front. At the end of the survey we could ask to go through a tract with them if they so desired. My partner and I surveyed seven people. Two girls took tracts to read on their own later, and I am praying that they did. The last guy we surveyed talked with us for almost an hour, and we actually had the chance to go through the tract with him. It was a little frustrating because it seemed that no matter how clearly we tried to explain things, he just wasn't getting it. He had the belief that if you were good enough it would make up for any bad things, and you'd get to go to Heaven. We left the tract with him, and I pray that he begins to grasp the weight of his sin, and how he needs Jesus. The thing about evangelism is we don't always get to be the reapers of the harvest. Sometimes we are planting seeds or watering them, and that's okay.
Tuesday: We got the chance to go to Lawndale as a group, and meet with a man named Wayne Gordon (known as "Coach"), who wrote a book we had to read before coming to project called, "Real Hope in Chicago." The book is really good, and it was neat to get to see some of the things that were talked about in the book! Lawndale Community Church was founded by Coach, and the church started a multitude of ministries, that are still growing to this day.
Wednesday: Was a free day, but it was raining off and on all day. I didn't do much other than sleep in, go out to eat with a few people, go to Target, and then come back to the dorm. Our whole group met at Navy Pier in the evening to go on a boat ride. It was a pirate themed ride, but it was raining really hard for part of it, and was pretty cold. It was still fun though, and I got some really cool pictures! They also had fireworks later that night, which were awesome!
Thursday: We mostly did children's ministry training, and we got to hear the testimony of a really amazing lady named Ms. Pearl. We also found out our ministries teams for this summer!! It was kind of cool because they had cut up two postcards into puzzle pieces and written each of our names on a piece. After everyone got their piece, we had to put the postcards together, and that's how you found out who was on your team. There are eight students on the project (4 girls and 4 guys), so there are two ministry teams with four people each (2 girls and 2 guys). Each person on the team has a different job, and I am the "Devotions Coordinator", which basically means I am in charge of the devotions for my team everyday. I am really excited for all that God has in store for me and my team this summer!! Later we had Indian food for dinner with the Bridges project that is here in Chicago. Now if you know me, I am not adventuresome when it comes to food, and I was kind of scared to eat Indian food. It ended up being okay, but it's not something I would ever have a desire to eat again. After dinner we had a panel of three guys from different cultures/backgrounds that talked with us about cross-cultural ministry. We have been learning a lot about it since it will be very applicable to our ministry this summer!
Friday: We got to tour Pacific Garden Mission, which is a really neat place! It was also cool because that's the first ministry site that my team will be working at! After the tour, we left and went to Moody Bible Institute, where a professor talked to us about urban ministry, and God's heart for the poor. After getting back to our dorm we went over to IIT's campus and prayer walked for a little while. We then had women's dinner/fellowship time (and the men had their own), which was awesome!! It was really refreshing, and amazing to see how God has worked in each of their lives!
Saturday: Was our team building day, so we first went to a camp to do some low ropes. I ended up injuring myself during one of the activities (I got really bad rope burn on my finger/hand), so that was a bummer! I actually felt kind of defeated because I couldn't finish that activity or do all of the next one. There were also a ton of mosquitoes everywhere, and we all had on a bug spray, but it didn't matter! I got eaten alive, so that wasn't very fun! I was thankful to get back to the dorm and shower! I did learn a lot about myself and the other students through the team building though! That night we had a social at the "beach", which was pretty fun! It was kind of chilly, but we got to make s'mores!! We also go to see the fireworks that were out at Navy Pier (again)!!
Sunday (today): Today my team went to Lawndale Community Church, which was a neat experience! They had a guy who shared one of his original raps, which was really awesome! Later tonight we are having a commissioning ceremony, and each of our teams will share our team name and goal for the summer! I am so excited to see how God is going to use all of us!!
Our orientation week is finally over! I learned sooooo much, but it was also exhausting! We had trainings and meetings everyday (which I didn't talk much about in the highlights), so we were busy!! I am so excited to finally start serving with the ministries!! As I wrap this post up, I pray that you would be reminded of God's love today (as it is Father's day)! We have a Heavenly Father who loves us so much that he sent his one and only son, Jesus to die for us. God loves you, and he wants a relationship with you. If you don't know Him, I pray that you would come to know Him, and that you would experience his perfect love. Whether you've had an earthly father who loved you or not, you will always have a Heavenly Father who loves you so much more than you could ever imagine.
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" John 14:6
Saturday: We were broken up into two teams (different than the teams on Friday), and went to explore different ethnic neighborhoods. My team went to North Lawndale and La Villita ("Little Village"). We ate at a restaurant in La Villita, and it was really good! Our waiter made us a drink to try called Tepache, which is kind of like a pineapple cider. He also gave us some free Mexican candy! It was fun getting to explore the neighborhoods!
Sunday: We went to church at Jesus People USA, which was a neat experience! We were then split into partners (1 guy and 1 girl) for a "listening lunch." We were supposed to find someone who looked like they might be hungry, and then ask them if we could buy them lunch, and hear their story. My partner and I found a man digging through a trash can, and he agreed to go to lunch with us. It was a very interesting experience! The man had some mental illnesses, and he wasn't always coherent, so it was kind of hard to follow what he was trying to tell us. My partner asked him if he had any plans or anything he wanted to do in the future, and the man replied, "Survive, and die in my sleep in a nice, warm bed." My heart broke. This man was simply trying to make it, and it broke my heart knowing that all he really desires is a nice, warm bed, and for his life to end painlessly. This man was also trying to overcome some addictions, which is never an easy task. All we could do is offer compassion and prayer, which hardly seemed like enough. There were many other instances this day when my heart broke for the people of this city. When we were walking to meet up with the rest of our group, we came across a woman and her son. She was holding a cardboard sign, and honestly I don't even know what it said. Her son was sitting on her lap, and my heart broke for this mother and her son. The little boy turned out to be four years old, and he was adorable! We gave them some granola bars, but once again, it didn't seem like enough. Later that night our group ventured to the Blues Festival to get something to eat for dinner. You had to buy tickets in order to buy the food. A man was sitting on his walker asking people if they had leftover tickets. One of my teammates gave him the one ticket we had leftover. Everyone was sitting kind of off to the side in the grass, finishing their food, and my heart was breaking for this man. I gathered up all the granola bars that we had left, and went over to the man. While I was walking up to him, he asked if I had any extra tickets, and I said, "No, but I have some granola bars, will that work?!", to which he replied, "Food is food", and then took them. Again, it seemed like it wasn't enough. It's hard for me to see people who are so desperate, and hopeless. It breaks my heart, and I wish there was more I could do. It also makes me feel kind of guilty that I get to sleep in a warm bed, and eat three meals a day. There is so much injustice in this world, but I am thankful that I serve a just God!
Monday: We went to the campus of UIC to do an outreach. Basically we went around with a partner, and asked students if they would be willing to answer a few questions for a survey. The survey was about spiritual things, which we told the students up front. At the end of the survey we could ask to go through a tract with them if they so desired. My partner and I surveyed seven people. Two girls took tracts to read on their own later, and I am praying that they did. The last guy we surveyed talked with us for almost an hour, and we actually had the chance to go through the tract with him. It was a little frustrating because it seemed that no matter how clearly we tried to explain things, he just wasn't getting it. He had the belief that if you were good enough it would make up for any bad things, and you'd get to go to Heaven. We left the tract with him, and I pray that he begins to grasp the weight of his sin, and how he needs Jesus. The thing about evangelism is we don't always get to be the reapers of the harvest. Sometimes we are planting seeds or watering them, and that's okay.
Tuesday: We got the chance to go to Lawndale as a group, and meet with a man named Wayne Gordon (known as "Coach"), who wrote a book we had to read before coming to project called, "Real Hope in Chicago." The book is really good, and it was neat to get to see some of the things that were talked about in the book! Lawndale Community Church was founded by Coach, and the church started a multitude of ministries, that are still growing to this day.
Wednesday: Was a free day, but it was raining off and on all day. I didn't do much other than sleep in, go out to eat with a few people, go to Target, and then come back to the dorm. Our whole group met at Navy Pier in the evening to go on a boat ride. It was a pirate themed ride, but it was raining really hard for part of it, and was pretty cold. It was still fun though, and I got some really cool pictures! They also had fireworks later that night, which were awesome!
The clouds were really low...
Skyline cleared up a little...
Part of Navy Pier/downtown...
Friday: We got to tour Pacific Garden Mission, which is a really neat place! It was also cool because that's the first ministry site that my team will be working at! After the tour, we left and went to Moody Bible Institute, where a professor talked to us about urban ministry, and God's heart for the poor. After getting back to our dorm we went over to IIT's campus and prayer walked for a little while. We then had women's dinner/fellowship time (and the men had their own), which was awesome!! It was really refreshing, and amazing to see how God has worked in each of their lives!
Saturday: Was our team building day, so we first went to a camp to do some low ropes. I ended up injuring myself during one of the activities (I got really bad rope burn on my finger/hand), so that was a bummer! I actually felt kind of defeated because I couldn't finish that activity or do all of the next one. There were also a ton of mosquitoes everywhere, and we all had on a bug spray, but it didn't matter! I got eaten alive, so that wasn't very fun! I was thankful to get back to the dorm and shower! I did learn a lot about myself and the other students through the team building though! That night we had a social at the "beach", which was pretty fun! It was kind of chilly, but we got to make s'mores!! We also go to see the fireworks that were out at Navy Pier (again)!!
Sunday (today): Today my team went to Lawndale Community Church, which was a neat experience! They had a guy who shared one of his original raps, which was really awesome! Later tonight we are having a commissioning ceremony, and each of our teams will share our team name and goal for the summer! I am so excited to see how God is going to use all of us!!
Our orientation week is finally over! I learned sooooo much, but it was also exhausting! We had trainings and meetings everyday (which I didn't talk much about in the highlights), so we were busy!! I am so excited to finally start serving with the ministries!! As I wrap this post up, I pray that you would be reminded of God's love today (as it is Father's day)! We have a Heavenly Father who loves us so much that he sent his one and only son, Jesus to die for us. God loves you, and he wants a relationship with you. If you don't know Him, I pray that you would come to know Him, and that you would experience his perfect love. Whether you've had an earthly father who loved you or not, you will always have a Heavenly Father who loves you so much more than you could ever imagine.
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" John 14:6
