headin home

Well, I fly back to Ohio in about 4 or so hours. Let me first tell you about the last couple of days. Above is a picture of our community on Wednesday night. In light of the departing of Michelle (a fellow community member) and my self, we decided to pool some money together and go out for a nice dinner -and give us an excuse to dress up. We ate at this place called the Broadway Lounge which is overlooks broadway and Times Square.
Thursday Michelle's dad came and we had dinner at our house and invited friends over to say our fairwells.
Yesterday I did my best to make my rounds at work and tell everyone goodbye. I was going to take some kids to Times Square Church, but it began raining so we came up with some songs and a scripture to discuss in the Chapel. Paula, the Faith Community assistant coordinator helped me lead a few songs and she took care of leading the discussion on Psalms 73. It was hard to keep the group we had on topic, but overall I think they got the jist of what the verses were about (nice work Paula, whenever you read this).
After that I went up and hung out with a couple staff on the girls floor. They have a census of 77 (theres only 78 beds on the floor) with only two staff so things were pretty hectic and they enjoyed what little help I could offer.
Afterwards we decided to see this new scary movie that just came out called "Mirrors". I don't really know why, but it sounded like a good idea at the time, and I wanted to enjoy the city for a little longer. Te only showing that wasn't sold out was 12:45, so we went and got something to eat and came back to find that the only open seats were in the front row, (hich means that when scary things jump out at you from the screen they are really close, haha).
After the movie we split up, two people went to Central Park to see some lights that are at one of the entrances. I hung out with Kamini (one of the girls floor staff) in the middle of Times Square for another hour or so. To make a long story short, I got home at just around 5am and prayer was at 6:15. I had made all these plans about how I was going to get my sleep schedule in order so I would be ready for school - I'm not getting off to a very good start.
I will probably have a couple more entries here once I get home - just to share what I'm feeling as I reflect on the whole experience. But this is definitely the last post from the Big Apple. Peace.

hiking

As promised, above are some pictures of my sweet tattoos from the Staten Island street fair last week. Bonus points for the first person to tell me which ninja turtle that is!

Today we took some kids on a hike. We took eleven, and again it was a great experience and a trying experience for many of my youth. They are definitely outside of their element in the woods and its always interesting to see how they react. My favorite part of the day came when we reached a small park with a playground. I expected that the kids would want to take a break since we had been walking for a while, but they surprised me. As soon as they saw the playground they ran to the swings, slides, monkey bars, etc. Because of the way many of these kids were brought up, they didn't have parents to take them to the park, or to the playground - this was a special event. They were genuinly having fun, running around amidst the rest of the kids who were at the park already (ranging in ages from about 3-10). Most striking to me was one of our girls who didn't know how to swing. She had never been taught to swing. No one had ever taken her to the park to swing. Today I witnessed a 20 year old girl learn how to swing.

It is simple instances like this one that remind me how much I take for granted, how many aspects of my life that I consider "normal" that some people never get to experience. This is definitely one of the biggest things I've learned during my time here. I'm learning how to enjoy the things of life and not take them for granted, how to live in the moment, how to enjoy this life that God has given me because only then am I really able to give Him thanks for it. Peace.

great week of fun

A couple weeks ago our community decided to go camping together so we all requested wednesday off from work so we could go. We left tuesday night and reached our campsite in northern long island at 8pm or so. It took us a good hour to unpack, pitch the tent, get a fire started, make dinner, etc. For the rest of the night we just sat around the fire and hung out - some people went for a short walk at one point, but for the most part we were just relaxing. The next day we got up and had some breakfast, then headed to the nearby beach, where we spent the next couple of hours. To my surprise (and eventual dismay) the sun in New York works the same way as the sun in Ohio, and by the end of the day I had a nice sunburn. Such is life. Late we hung out at the campsite some more and made dinner. Then we had our business meeting, packed everything up, took a short walk back to the beach at night just for the heck of it - then we drove back to the convent.
Today Covenant House put on the Staten Island street fair. It was held at the outdoor sports complex at a school in Staten Island. I drove some supplies for grilling out and helped set up. Then I enjoyed the afternoon participating in a variety of activities ranging from throwing a football to getting face-paint tattoos on my arms (hopefully I'll have pictures soon). Unfortunately, as soon as the fair was over at 4, it started raining so cleanup had to happen in the rain.
Tonight I plan to relax and see whats happening with the olympics. Tomorrow I'm going into work for just a couple of hours to make sure an icecream social runs smoothly. Peace.

great weekend

Yesterday I slept in. Then I went grocery shopping. Then I decided to see if I could get student tickets to a show called "The 39 Steps". Its based on a movie, if you've heard of it (which is based on a book, but that's neither here nor there). It was a comedy, and it was pretty good. The entire cast was only four people, who play over 150 different characters over the course of the night. The do a lot of creative costume switches and prop use. It was a fun play to go to and I'm glad I went. After the show I called Dr. Metz to let him know how it went and hung around the theater. As I suspected, it wasn't too long before the cast came out. Only a couple people were still hanging out in front of the theater so I got a chance to get their autographs and talk to them for a few minutes. Its so weird, because you don't expect them to be normal people, but they are - its pretty cool. Makes you wonder how many famous people you just pass on the street here without noticing, though.
Today a few of us went to Calvary Baptist Church in Manhattan. The sermon was about not putting your trust in money, but putting it in God - always a good thing to be reminded of, I guess.
Afterwards we went to central park for about a half hour, then went to a shop to eat some soup and sandwiches, which were yummy. Then we met another housemate and took a ferry to governors island. Until a few years ago, the government/military has always used the island - it has just recently been opened to the public. It was a pretty good day there, some cool old buildings and stuff.
Once we got back this evening we were pretty tired, so we watched "The Bucket List" - if you haven't seen it, I would recommend it. Now I'm watching a little football (first game of the preseason, I think) and it will be time for bed soon. Peace.

buttermilk toast

This entry has nothing to do with buttermilk toast, but I couldn't think of a title and one of the girls I live with always uses the expression "buttermilk toast" to show excitement - so I thought it was a valid title.
This week at work was super busy - my supervisor kept me hoppin. I've made a few driving trips in the city to pick up donations - this is always an experience, especially during rush hour. Yesterday was especially busy. I went in to work early at 10am and left late at 11pm. But since I was busy the whole time, it didn't seem like a long day.
Last night I took some kids to the times square church youth service that they have every Friday night. It was a small group, but we really enjoyed it. It was an excellent service. My favorite part of the sermon was when the preacher (who was french and had a pretty cool accent) was explaining the verses in the Bible that talk about how all we have to do is simply ask God for things and he will give them to us (you know, the "ask and it shall be given", or "anything you ask in my name" type verses). He talked about how people just take the word "ask" at face value there, when it means so much more. He said "it doesn't mean the word ask like when you go to McDonald's and say 'can I have a burger, fries, and a blessing from god, please'. It is a petition, it is a longing, it is a heartfelt desire".
I think too many times I just ask God for things and expect to get them. But what he wants is a heart that is yearning, pleading for him - because then what I will be asking for is just to be closer to him, to be more like him, to feel him - and these types of things he loves to give.
Its two weeks from today until I will be flying back to Ohio. My time here has flown - but it has been good. I just have to make sure I get the most, and give the most in the little bit of time that I have left. Peace.

rewards

yesterday was a good day, a rewarding day - and it may take a while to explain why it was that way, but i will try to be brief.
first: i spoke for a while with a young lady in the chapel. she was having a bit of a rough day and just wanted to talk. she was really frustrated with a lot of the other kids in the shelter, how some of them don't appreciate the staff or the services that the program offers. She said "i can tell you guys care, and i love you all for that". She meant it. This poor girl hasn't encountered much love in her life, and she truly appreciated people that showed her just a little bit of compassion. It was so good for me to hear that.
number two: later in the evening there was a motivational speaker coming in - while we were waiting for people to show up, a couple of the guys were talking. one of them has been at the shelter for a few weeks, and he's been in the chapel just about every time i had it open. during our time together, he has done most of the talking - he is a really great kid, has been through a lot, and has learned a lot from where he has been. I really don't feel like I have done much for him. But as the three of us were talking last night, this kid recommended me to his friend. He described me as a cool dude, who is real and who has a lot of wisdom. I'm not sure what my face looked like but my mind was running, trying to remember even one thing that I had said or done that would make him think that - I couldn't think of one. Somehow, though, I had made an impact. That....was rewarding.
last of all: i was on my way out from work and i stopped at a pizza place on the corner because they have slices of pizza for a dollar. as i stood in line, a young man (roughly my own age) finally worked up the courage to ask me the line he had probably going over in his head for the last few minutes: "excuse me sir, do you have a dollar so I can have a piece of pizza?" At that moment I froze - this has always been a dilemma for me, especially now that I encounter beggars more often in the city. obviously, yes, i could spare a dollar - but i can't reasonably give every time someone asks me if i do. so sometimes i do, others i don. then the bible says that if someone asks you for something, and its in your power to give it, then you should. this is my dilemma. so there i am, frozen with this young man looking at me. after a few seconds of silence (although it seems longer) he says "if you can't than just say so". As he said this my mind though a million things at once: how many people had refused to help him out, how many had ignored him, how many had dismissed him as lazy, or given him some other stereotype. As all these things went through my head, I answered him honestly - I said "yeah, I can do that". He said thank you, but showed no emotion - (how many times had he been forced to degrade himself, swallow his pride and beg just to feed himself). Then I tried something that neither of us expected, I asked "do you want a soda, too?" You should have seen the smile that came across his face. He said "are you serious" and I just smiled back. He must have said thank you 50 times in the next two minutes that we were standing in line. That was honestly the most rewarding moment of my day, maybe since I've been here. If only you could have seen his smile. Peace.

fun saturday

Yesterday I slept in. When I woke up I really didn't have much on the agenda, so I grabbed my guitar and headed to central park. Once there I found myself a spot on a bench and started playing and singing. I really only know christian songs, so those are the ones I played. I guess it went well, I mean no one crossed on the other side of the sidewalk or had grimaced faces or made mean gestures, so I count it as a success. Many people smiled, a few nodded, one man played his air guitar as he walked by. Good times.

Once my fingers were sore and I had played just about every song that I have memorized I decided to take a nap. So I found a nice spot under the shade of a tall tree. I rested my arm on top of my guitar in hopes that I would be aroused if anyone attempted to steal it during my slumber. I woke about an hour later with guitar still beside me - another success.

I went home to grab something to eat and drop off the guitar. I then went to a Johnny Cash tribute concert. It was a lot of local bands playing Johnny Cash songs in their own style - some I liked, some I didn't. My favorite were "The Persuasions" (pictured above) which were a 60's a capella group and a Cash impersonator (also pictured above). The last picture is of the view over the Hudson river from the Irish Hunger Memorial (one of my new favorite places in town).

Today I went to the Catholic Church that is connected to our convent. It was interesting, because I don't recall ever attending a Catholic mass before (although it was similar to the Lutheran services I have attended). It was neat to see how Catholics 'do their thing'. Peace!