Our leader Darrell predicted to us just last week that someone would
be sent to the hospital for one reason or another; it happens every
year he said, and surely this year would not be an exception. Well, it
wasn't. Yesterday everyone was out sightseeing, and Steph and I went
to the church next door to practice for a few hours, leaving Caitlyn
home by herself. When the two of us came home we found her sitting on
a chair saying that her back was really hurting her and she was having
trouble breathing. It had taken her a while to get to the point where
she could move to get to a phone to call for help. Krista (our other
leader) was on the way. We took her to the ER at about 3:30, where we
waited in the waiting room for a long time. Finally she got in to see
a doctor, and has been there ever since. They have been running lots
of tests to see what's wrong, but haven't pinpointed a reason yet. She
will stay there again tonight in order to do tests tomorrow that they
couldn't do today.
This is a serious blow for us, considering that Kevin has just
returned (praise God!) from his surgery on his leg and now another
member of the Ireland team isn't able to be with us. We also come home
next Saturday and leave for our sites the following week, which
doesn't leave much time to recover. We have no idea how this will turn
out, or whether she will be able to travel. Please please please
remember Caitlyn and the team in your prayers.
As I mentioned earlier, we come home next week! The transition from
Chicago to Newton, Newton to Miami (where we will spend three days
with the DOOR director there) and finally from Miami to Colombia will
be a whirlwind of emotions for all of us. I can't say how much your
prayers are appreciated in this time.
I look forward to seeing everyone in church next Sunday!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
A Week in the Life of Rachel
For all of those inquisitive people who wonder just what a group of young adults could possibly do with themselves for two months, listen up! This is how my life has been for the last month or so:
The weeks here go a little bit against mainstream culture and start on Sunday evenings. This is when we have a resource person come in to talk to us. So far we have had Mike Zehr talk about worship, James Krabill about peace and evangelism, Lois Bare (director for Europe for MMN) and Linda Shelly (director for South America) about our international locations, Megan Ramer about Anabaptism, and Lydia Brenneman about the Israel/Palestine conflict. These people stay overnight with us usually, some for one night and others for two. We have learned so much from them and have engaged in meaningful discussions about some controversial topics.
On Tuesdays we have what we call a "Hospitality Meal." This is a time when we can invite people over from work or our resource people or the pastors from the church next door. In the evenings (in theory) we meet with Brenda Matthews to debrief and just talk. This has gone down the drain a bit because her mother died just recently and she is taking some time off. Sometime on Mondays or Tuesdays we also have a session on the spiritual discipline of the week.
Wednesdays through Fridays consist of our usual service assignment. I work with Melina at two different locations, one being Gads Hill Headstart Preschool and the other being the Austin YMCA Computer Clubhouse. In the mornings we work in various classrooms at the preschool supervising playtime or doing odd jobs for the teachers. We are also just there to love the children and be their friend. Then we come home for lunch and head to the YMCA. There we are mentors for middle schoolers at the Computer Clubhouse, which is one of many international clubs that gives kids the opportunity to learn how to use technology they might not have been able to afford otherwise. They use advanced computer software, music recording equipment, and digital cameras/videocameras to make projects that can be posted on an online website and shared with other clubhouses around the world. Melina and I also help out with the homework hour, since schoolwork is one thing many inner city children struggle with.
The weekends are greatly looked forward to around here. After long days surrounded by kids of all ages, we're ready to take a break and spend some time relaxing. Saturdays are "Explore the City" days. We have been to different museums, festivals, and stores around the city, although there is no way that we could see every attraction we would like too! Sunday mornings are the "final" thing of the week, when we visit different churches around town. We have visited churches of varied denominations, ethnicities, and worship styles, including Brethren, Mennonite, Pentecostal, Methodist, United Church of Christ, and Unitarian churches. The goal of this is to expose us to lots of different interpretations of God to help us determine what our own beliefs are.
I hope this helps those aforementioned inquisitive people who like to know what's happening! The weeks seem to fly by so quickly. Before I know it I will be in Colombia!
PS: I just received word that I have raised $7510 towards RAD, which is $10 more than I needed to raise. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who is supporting me! I can't express how wonderful it is to know that people care.
Dios te bendiga.
The weeks here go a little bit against mainstream culture and start on Sunday evenings. This is when we have a resource person come in to talk to us. So far we have had Mike Zehr talk about worship, James Krabill about peace and evangelism, Lois Bare (director for Europe for MMN) and Linda Shelly (director for South America) about our international locations, Megan Ramer about Anabaptism, and Lydia Brenneman about the Israel/Palestine conflict. These people stay overnight with us usually, some for one night and others for two. We have learned so much from them and have engaged in meaningful discussions about some controversial topics.
On Tuesdays we have what we call a "Hospitality Meal." This is a time when we can invite people over from work or our resource people or the pastors from the church next door. In the evenings (in theory) we meet with Brenda Matthews to debrief and just talk. This has gone down the drain a bit because her mother died just recently and she is taking some time off. Sometime on Mondays or Tuesdays we also have a session on the spiritual discipline of the week.
Wednesdays through Fridays consist of our usual service assignment. I work with Melina at two different locations, one being Gads Hill Headstart Preschool and the other being the Austin YMCA Computer Clubhouse. In the mornings we work in various classrooms at the preschool supervising playtime or doing odd jobs for the teachers. We are also just there to love the children and be their friend. Then we come home for lunch and head to the YMCA. There we are mentors for middle schoolers at the Computer Clubhouse, which is one of many international clubs that gives kids the opportunity to learn how to use technology they might not have been able to afford otherwise. They use advanced computer software, music recording equipment, and digital cameras/videocameras to make projects that can be posted on an online website and shared with other clubhouses around the world. Melina and I also help out with the homework hour, since schoolwork is one thing many inner city children struggle with.
The weekends are greatly looked forward to around here. After long days surrounded by kids of all ages, we're ready to take a break and spend some time relaxing. Saturdays are "Explore the City" days. We have been to different museums, festivals, and stores around the city, although there is no way that we could see every attraction we would like too! Sunday mornings are the "final" thing of the week, when we visit different churches around town. We have visited churches of varied denominations, ethnicities, and worship styles, including Brethren, Mennonite, Pentecostal, Methodist, United Church of Christ, and Unitarian churches. The goal of this is to expose us to lots of different interpretations of God to help us determine what our own beliefs are.
I hope this helps those aforementioned inquisitive people who like to know what's happening! The weeks seem to fly by so quickly. Before I know it I will be in Colombia!
PS: I just received word that I have raised $7510 towards RAD, which is $10 more than I needed to raise. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who is supporting me! I can't express how wonderful it is to know that people care.
Dios te bendiga.
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