License and Registration Please?

Today could be characterized by sore arms and flashing lights. That's quite a combination, I know, but it's true! Krista (DOOR/RAD director) and her husband Jim moved today from their neighborhood about 20 minutes away from us to an apartment 15 seconds from here. We can see their back porch from our window! Since Krista does pretty much everything for us here, several of us decided to help them move this morning. Brian (assistant DOOR director) lives on the floor below us, and we were able to ride with him over to Krista's house. As we were turning on to the highway, a cop started to follow us, and a few seconds later he turned on his lights and sirens. I have to say, that cop was not very friendly! He gruffly told Brian to put his keys on the top of his car and asked for the liscense and registration. We were driving DOOR's rather beat up old blue van, and Brian was unable to find the insurance card. He explained to the cop who he was in relation to DOOR, which might have saved Brian from getting arrested, because that van was identified as "stolen" when the cop ran the license plate! Apparently that van was stolen from DOOR several months ago and then recovered again. However, when Krista was pulled over at one point after that, the "stolen" label hadn't been taken off from the car! She had to go to court, and they said they were going to get that fixed... I guess not! The cop let us go, but Brian was ticked that after all that trouble in court the van was still listed as stolen.

Eventually we made it to Krista and Jim's house and spent all morning loading up the Uhaul. It was rather unfortunate that they lived on the third floor with a very windy staircaise down to the bottom! My arms are terribly sore now.

Around 11 we were all filled up, so we headed out to their new place. We were literally ONE BLOCK from the house when yet another cop pulled us over! Twice in one morning! We couldn't believe it. Fortunately, Brian had found the insurance by that point, and this cop was much friendlier. He said the same thing: that vehicle was still reported as stolen.

A few things stick out as questionable to me. Why, out of all those cars on the highway, would two cops chose to run our license plate? Was it because it was a beat up old vehicle that looked like it could be stolen? Or was it because Brian is a black man who had several white teenagers in tow? I suppose we'll never know.

Holes in our Ears

Our team has reached a new level of craziness. A few of us got a wild hair the other day and decided that it would be great fun to get our ears pierced again. The crazy part is that we actually did it! We went down to the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue and found a Claire's in a mall. Melina, Karin, and I decided to get second holes pierced, Steph wanted her cartilage done, and Amy and Caitlyn wanted their noses done. Only the three of us who got our second holes pierced were able to get it done there.

I had a bit of a hard time after I got mine done, but I'm not sure why. I got really dizzy and my vision went fuzzy for a few minutes. I thought I was going to pass out! I don't think it was from adreneline or pain completely; it might have been from dehydration or because there were so many people in the store, but I recovered and the rest of the day went smoothly.

Amy and Caitlyn had to go to a tatoo parlor a few days later to get their noses done. It was a really clean place, and the process went smoothly! Steph decided to wait on her cartilage because they didn't do quite what she wanted, so she is the only girl who hasn't been poked or prodded recently! We'll have to work on that...

ISFJ

I made the most interesting discovery the other day: I'm an introvert!

For those of you who know me, this may not come as a surprise, but realizing that fact gave me lots of insight into myself. The RAD team took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator last week. Essentially it is a series of questions about our actions and preferences in different situations. The results give us an idea of our personality and why we do what we do. I am an ISFJ, which stands for Introvert-Sensor-Feeler-Judger. As an introvert I am drained by being in large groups and need to take a break to recharge. The sensor in me likes facts and the specifics about a question. As a feeler I prefer harmony to conflict and don't like to do things that upset others. Finally, the judger in me (no, I'm not judgmental) dictates that I wake up in the morning and know what my day will look like, which frequently comes from making lists and sticking to them. Here is the perfect quote about me from an article about ISFJs: "Above all else, ISFJs take responsibility very seriously and very personally; they have a powerful work ethic...Because they are so conscientious ISFJs can be difficult to distract from a task to which they have committed themselves."

Being able to identify these things as personality traits has been extremely helpful for me, especially while living in community with seven other people. I understand why I don't like to be in large groups all the time, or why I'm so obsessed with making lists. I've realized that I don't have to try to be loud or funny to "measure up" to my mostly extroverted housemates. I am who I am; God has made me for a purpose and has given me exactly the personality he wants me to have.

¿Te gusta?

Wow, yesterday was amazing. We had our first day at our more "permanent" volunteer assignments, and it was a blast! Melina and I are working at a Head Start Preschool fairly close to our house. The program is made up of approximately 75% Spanish speaking students, which is really exciting for me as I am working on my Spanish speaking skills. We helped out in one of seven classrooms at the school, which is brightly decorated and very well organized. The teacher does everything in Spanish and English, including directions and songs. I was asked to supervize the "housekeeping area" which is full of mini stoves, food, and dishes. Two students at a time were sent to play with me, and it was fun to get to know them individually.

One set of students was particularly fun to play with. Neither of them spoke very much English, and I was a little worried that I would have trouble speaking to them or understanding them. I was hugely relieved when they asked me "¿Te gusta?" in reference to a large plastic apple. "Te gusta" is one of the first things we learned in Spanish I, and means "Do you like this?" I answered "Si, me gusta" (Yes, I like it), which began a big long process of going through every piece of food in the cupboard and asking me if I liked it. We had such a good time! I was tickled pink that I could understand what they were saying, and they were equally tickled that I could talk back to them!

I am very excited to go back to the preschool next week (we will work Wednesday-Friday mornings) but I am also looking forward to our afternoon service work that will start next week at the YMCA close to our house. They have an after school program that helps kids with their homework and allows them to express themselves via computer art projects.

Another RAD team member, Caitlyn, has posted a blog on her sight about our adventures on and around my birthday that includes some pictures. If you would like to see them, check out http://caitlynscoffee.blogspot.com.

Blessings from Chicago!

Exploring

These pictures are from our time exploring Chicago. Amy, Melina, Steph, and I are standing in front of Millenium Park downtown. Kevin and I were traveling partners for an exercise where we were blindfolded, dropped off far from home, and told to find our way back on public transportation!

I Spent my Birthday Asking for Money on the Streets of Chicago

It is very true, I spent the better part of my 19th birthday asking for money on the streets of downtown Chicago. Let me be perfectly clear, this is not how I normally spend my birthdays, nor was the experience within my comfort zone, but it was certainly one to remember!

We have been doing various service projects for the last few days, and today we helped out a fledgling organization called Helping Children of Abuse. They just started this summer, and are trying to raise enough funds to begin programs for children that would promote self esteem and stop the cycle of abuse. In order to raise this money they have been using volunteers to stand on Chicago streets and ask passersby for money. So we got all dolled up in our orange vests, grabbed our giant yellow galoshes, and headed downtown. My "post," so to speak, was a street near the entrance to the metro station. We were there right during rush hour when everyone is flocking from their workplaces back home to the suburbs. The stream of people was constant. I was extremely nervous, but it actually turned out better than I anticipated. Many people stopped to drop money or change into my boot, and some asked about the organization I represented. (Which was slightly unfortunate considering I didn't know very much about it.) I passed the time humming hymns to myself and studying the people who passed me. Most were determined to avoid my eye, but those who did look me in the face I gave a big smile and a hello to, whether or not they donated money. I noticed that most of those who did donate were middle aged men in nice clothes, although I was very touched by the homeless man who dropped in a quarter and the woman who muttered a heartfelt "God bless you" as she passed.

About an hour and a half of standing on the sidewalk, a homeless man took up his post directly on the other side of the traffic from me. He was shouting strange things and jiggling his money cup loudly. I believe he was drunk, which made me slightly nervous, considering I was a white girl standing alone on a sidewalk holding a bootfull of money. So I tried as hard as I could to walk casually toward the other corner where other RAD members were collecting money. Thankfully he did not follow, but I was reminded of just how many people are homeless and what a hard situation it is to be in. Over all it was a very humbling experience to stand on the streets and experience the feeling of asking others for help, although I am one of the lucky ones because I knew that no matter how much I earned I would still have food to eat and a bed to sleep in when it was all said and done.

Beginning to Understand

This week has been one of the most amazing weeks of my life. Not only has it been eye opening experience, but it has been great getting to know Christians my age who have a passion for God. For all of you youth group people, it really is like a mission trip or a retreat. We sleep in rather close quarters in bunk beds, share showers, and have days full of God! Already I am thinking of ways to encourage youth to do a year of service because of how amazing this first week has been.

We have spent our days learning the ins and outs of Chicago. Since we live here, we were able to get Chicago Public Library cards. We also have spent lots of time learning to navigate the public transportation system. We visited the National Museum of Mexican Art (very cool!), the Garfield Park Conservatory (lots of plants and sculptures), and the Chicago Jazz Festival (featuring the Mingus Big Band).

Today was an incredibly taxing day. Although we have been living together for a week now, we just shared our life stories with each other. Everyone was vulnerable with the group and shared deep personal insights into their lives. I'm not sure if there are many people who know everything I told the group! It was that way all around, though, and God's presence was so evident. I'm feeling more and more like I've known these people for years, let alone a week, and I'm beginning to understand where everyone came from.

One thing I'm looking forward to is our Tuesday meeting with Brenda Matthews. She was a speaker at San Jose this year, and I am super excited to meet her. These meetings will continue throughout our time here to serve as an outside person to talk to (other than our RAD leaders). We will also be given our service assignments this week, and will spend three days each week working there. I pray that I will be able to do good service there and help many people.