Sundays

I have now been in Chicago for three Sundays. Next Sunday I will be on a ridiculously long flight headed to Australia. Headed for a whole new situation. Yesterday I talked with one of my teammates about the fact that we will be starting new lives in Canberra. It will be our home for 10 months. I've never had a home away from my family before.

Sunday is one of my favorite days. First of all it's "Grill Your Own" everyone's favorite meal. Also we have been trying new Churches out every week.

1st week - Uptown Baptist. They had a saxophone in the worship band. It was very charismatic and the preacher had a tone of energy.

2nd week - Willowcreek Mega Hugest Church I have ever seen. Their singing time felt like a concert complete with lights. The sermon was about making a goal to improve yourself this year. It was decent, but a little self important.

3rd week - JPUSA. Awesome songs from the 20s and 30s, kind of a bluegrass feel. Great sermon, short and to the point.

I haven't done a lot of church touring before. I have really enjoyed the dynamics of the different places where we have had the opportunity to worship.

One more week left and I'm starting to get really nervous. I try not to think about leaving too much. But be reassured that I'm only 2% scared 98% excited. Or maybe it's the other way around. I really don't know, but that's what makes it so intense.

Smiles and Frowns

So orientation is now more than half over. For me it's kind of sad. I really love Chicago and now have fourteen great friends I have to say goodbye to in two weeks. On the up side I'm going to Australia. So it's hard to feel too depressed.

Important things that happened since last I blogged:

-We went to a place called Emmaus Ministries which works to get male prostitutes off the streets. The couple that runs it (Al and Andy) are ridiculously talented. They took stories from their guys and turned them into songs and monologues. It was powerful.

-Some people came to talk to us about mission work overseas and different cultures.

-Went to the Chicago Jazz Festival. Amazing talent.

-Researched Australia on Wikipedia. Australia Day is January 26th. It commemorates the arrival of the British at Sydney Cove in 1788 where British explorers unfurled their flag and proclaimed sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia. See I am learning.

-I may have begun to drink coffee like drinks. I don't like coffee. But I may be drinking an iced mocah right now. Maybe.

-On a completely positive note. I'm going to a U2 concert on Sunday!!!!!! I'm kind of excited.

-On a more serious note. We had an assignment yesterday that was really difficult for me. We were told to go out in the city and be hospitable to people. That is a lot easier said than done because most people in Chicago aren't very friendly. Me and a friend walked around the entire afternoon smiling at everyone who walked by and looking for anyone who might need a helping hand. Almost every person I smiled at looked away, the rest of them looked at me like I was crazy. It made me miss Newton, Kansas where everyone says hi to you when you walk down the street, or at least smiles in your direction.
We weren't exactly trying very hard, but it was difficult to think of non-weird ways to help random strangers. Plus we were in the wrong part of town. We walked along the river to Navy Pier. It was the kind of place I could picture my family going on vacation. Tourist everywhere. Coming home to Uptown was such a change of atmosphere. People in need were everywhere. But even so I got more smiles in Uptown than down the Riverwalk. It reminded me of something important. I can't get too involved in my own little world. I need to be aware of what is going on around me. If I'm not I could miss out on something important. Like a smile from a stranger. After all, smiles are contagious.

Team Bonding

Today we had team meetings. The Australia team all agreed that we needed to spend some more time together getting to know each other in a deeper way. We decided to put aside intentional team time for just the four of us to talk. I really hope that we can find a bonding point and begin to relate to each other better. All four of us are so different in our personalities and our experiences.

This afternoon was spent doing camp like team building exercises with the South Africa team. I was expecting it to seem childish and pointless. But it actually was really fun. It has been unusually cold in Chicago and today the sun was warm and the sky was clear. It was fantastic to spend some time in the sunshine.

I pray that my team can make an effort to connect. Then when we get to Australia we can have a better understanding of where we all are in our lives and in our faith. I'm hoping that as time goes on we'll find common ground. I would appreciate prayer for my team's bonding time.

Oh my gravy, Australia....

I'm getting really excited for going to Australia. Moriah Hurst (the lady we're staying with in Canberra) emailed us the other day saying that all the young adults/college students were really excited that we were coming. Knowing that there are people in Canberra, excited for me to live there feels amazing. I've already made so many good friends here in a week, Australia can only be better.

My team spoke to Moriah over Skype last week. I was thrilled to hear we are getting host families for at least three months. It will give us the opportunity to completely engulf ourselves into Australian culture. It will be fantastic!

Today we went to the Christian Peacemaker Team's headquarters. We stuffed newsletters with envelopes, taped them shut and then addressed them. It was a long, repetitive task, but with my housemates it was fun.

Thank you to everyone who cares enough to read about what I'm doing and everyone back home praying for me. I know I would not be doing so well without your support.

The First Week in Chicago

So. I have a blog. How exciting.

I have officially been in Chicago a week. It's amazing to me that it's been that long. Yet again I feel like I have known my housemates for much longer. It's incredible. The first week and I know I have already made some life long friendships. All of us are getting along fantastically.

Chicago is an amazing city. Wandering around downtown is breathtaking. The sky scape is gorgeous. Last night we went to a Latin Music Festival in the park. It was fabulous! Three guys and a girl started break dancing in the isle. They were brilliant. There is so much culture here to take in. Everywhere I go I'm seeing new and exciting things.

We are living in an intentional Christian community called Jesus People USA or JPUSA (pronounced Ju-Poo-Za). It is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Over 450 people living together in a old hotel built in the 1920s by Al Capone. I don't know if I could ever live here but the people here seem to love it. It's always crowded and the food is not the best. The Radical Journey group is living in a flat in another building across the alley. I can turn the lights out with my foot while lying on my bed. Yeah, it's a small flat for 18 people. But we're doing a good job of giving each other space and bathroom time.

The first day was terrifying. I've never left home for more than a week before. But I can say without a doubt that this is where I'm supposed to be. I feel God working through me already. I'm putting all my trust in him.

My team spent almost an entire day sharing our faith stories. It was so helpful to hear where we all were coming from. It really helped me understand their personalities better. I hope as time goes on we can grow closer to each other and create stronger connections.

I'm so excited for another week of exploring the city and strengthening friendships.