Nom Nom Nom

Before I begin I would like to ask.... WHERE DID NOVEMBER GO?!
Because today is December 1, 2011.  That means I have been working with South Florida Urban Ministries for exactly 3 months (and obviously living in Florida for, probably, the same amount of time).  That is crazy to think about.  It does not feel like 9 weeks of my life have gone by... More like ZiPpEd by!

November was not even that crazy of a month, until my FAVORITE holiday in world came passing through.
I am trying to allow myself to scribble some thoughts down about events that happened prior to the greatest holiday ever, and the one thing that is standing out is....................... the mouse wont leave our house.
Those are details that I will leave to your imagination.
Except for this fun fact.... We brought in our handy dandy exterminator.... TwoTone!  The stray cat that lives on the farm.  Let me just say, he efforts were valiant, but he too was defeated by the rodents...
A+ for effort TwoTone.

So lets move forward and talk about the most spectacular, amazing, scrumptious, delicious, glorious, friend-filled holiday ever.... the day to be OH SO THANKFUL.
My 4 day weekends was so wonderful, that these next few sentences describing them will do no justice.

Thanksgiving Thursday -
Morning :  Woke up early, and went to help South Florida Urban Ministries package and deliver meals to those who, otherwise, would had gotten your traditional meal.  I registered and welcomed everyone to Coral Gables (1 of 10 sites that were serving/packaging/delivering meals to over 6000 people in South Florida).  200+ volunteers showed up at Coral Gables that morning. I cannot even being to describe the amount of work that was put in that morning.  It was amazing how efficiently everything was packaged, it was a machine!  Pumpkin pie, cranberries, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans... All the must haves... 1000 meals wrapped and ready to be delivered in less than 2 hours.  Seriously ridiculous.

After registration, I was given the opportunity to help deliver meals.  4 of my friends and I went to an apartment complex.  Very run-down with all types of people living in it.  Floor by floor we knocked on doors.  Every single person whose door I knocked on was very timid, very scared, and very nervous to open their door for me.  But once they knew I was there to give, they smiled.  Every single one of them.
They were all so grateful for just one meal.... And some were just grateful for human interaction.  Hugs, kisses, thank yous, God Bless You's, smiles... That is what I got from my new friends who I made that Thanksgiving morning.  It was by far one of the most humbling experiences of my life.  It is hard to describe the emotion I felt, but it was one that I know I have longed for.  Their appreciation was powerful beyond words.  God was working very hard through the volunteers and was radiating off of those who received meals that morning.  God is seriously so awesome.  That morning experience elevated my mood to the highest and most chipper... which THANKFULLY (!!) lasted throughout the entire rest of the weekends activities :)
Evening :  Skyped with my family!!!  Mom, Dad, David, Grandma, Oma, and Opa... and the puppies Yoko and Ruby.  It was so wonderful seeing thier faces on the holiday :)  I love you all so so so so much!  And I know that I definitely would not be here today without their constant support and love.  My family deserves a huge huge huge shout-out for being the best :)
So.... Two of my roommates (Bekah and Lydia) went home for Thanksgiving... Since our house was half empty, Callie and I decided to gather up those on the farm and have a meal together!  Because really.... Thanksgiving is the greatest holiday ever BECAUSE there is yummy yummy amazing delicious fooooood :) and great friends to eat with.  And Thanksgiving without either of those is just absurd.
So Callie made this yam and apple dish (amazing!), green beans (so good!), cornbread (bomb), and I made the instant stuffing (was delicious, but not the same as Moms turkey stuffing), canned jellied cranberries (its not thanksgiving with cranberries!!) and instant mashed potatoes (ddeeffiinneetteellyy not as good as real ones... but they did the job!)  Our friends who live two doors down (Melissa and Keith) made the turkey (really fast... Keith is professional chef, and NOT a vegetarian.  So the turkey - which most people didnt eat - was absoluetly beyond scrumptious), vegan mashed potatoes, vegan gravy, regular gravy, and banana/blueberry bread.  All of those foods put together means FOOD COMA TO THE EXTREME. There were 10 of us from the farm who enjoyed the great food and fellowship.  Good food + good friends = successful Thanksgiving meal :)

The Evenings Evening : Of course that means I went Black Friday Shopping at midnight with Callie and Athena and waited in a 30 minutes line to get in Target, bought 5 DVD's, and waiting in a 30 minute line to check out.... Do not fret, no one got hurt at this Target - people were civil :)

Friday -
Slept till 6pm.  What better way to take a day off from work, especially when you are up till 4:30am the morning before watching a Black Friday movie deal.  And how about we throw in some Wii Bowling, Tennis, and Michael Jackson Experience Dancing with Callie and Athena later that lovely Friday evening.  Sounds like a good day to meeee :)

Saturday -
My dear friend Kevin proposed to his (then) girlfriend Mary at the beach..... And Callie and I were there to help set up the entire thing.  It was truly romantic for them. I mean, it was on the beach, absolutely beautiful out, and a proposal.... Totally perfect.
Can I just say that I AM SO EXCITED!  I love weddings :)  I am so excited for them! Both of them are near and dear to my heart, and they are some of the greatest people you will ever meet.... Congrats!

Sunday -
Church. Barnes and Noble. Nap. Attempt to clean my room.  More church.  More Thanksgiving food.  Friends.  God.  Sun.  Books.  You know..... your typical lovely Sunday :)

Most relaxing weekend yet, and I am so thankful for everyone that I interacted with, saw, hugged, smiled at, prayed for, skyped with, talked on the phone with, thought of..... Just everyone!  So thankful for everyone in my life, and on this planet.  So many things about our lives that need to be rejoiced, and so many people in our lives that just need to be loved.  God is so great and is truly working tremndously through the people that are in Miami.  Lately I have been acknowledging God's presence in my life, allowing the Spirit to rush through my soul, giving myself the chance to question aspects of life without guilt, and loving everyone that I possibly can with my whole heart.  This past weekend was a definite high for me.  There was a lot that happened to me, and God gave wonderful opportunities for our whole community.  So many people were blessed, and that is just an amazing thought.  If only every single day was like Thanksgiving day!
God is seriously too awesome for words.  I am so blessed, and I have no reason to be.

(The picture above is when I helped at a two night camping trip with middle/high schoolers a few weekends back.  A fabulous experience with fabulous people)


Thank you for all of your support!  And prayers!  And smiles!  And packages :)
Love you all.

Heaven on Earth

Hello :)
So, to be completely honest.... I thought my last post was only MAX two weeks ago.  I am very wrong, and I am very sorry that days zip by and that I am losing track of time.  That must be a sign of me having a good time... Right?? I think yes.  Because  I know for a fact that I am having an absolute blast.

Oh my goodness.... I am trying to think of what has happened.  So much.  So so so so so so much.  Well, as a general comment, I am very happy.  Truly and exceptionally happy.  There is a lot to be thankful, grateful, and hopeful for down here in Florida.  I am making a conscious effort to really take everything in, and to really appreciate what I am experiencing.  God's presence is sometimes so overwhelming clear while working and living down here, its ridiculous!  There are a few moments in the past few weeks that are really sticking out, I am taking it as a sign that I need to write about them... Welp, here I go :)

Moment #1 :)
Work has been great.  I am finding my niche and where I fit in.  Happily, I have become..... as I like to title myself..... the Lets Speak To Everyone and Make Pretty Flyers and Talk to Store Owners About Donations and Basically All Outreach for Project HEAL Lady Person Worker US2!  And I LOVE it.  I really do love it.  I am working from scratch, trying to find different ways to get our name out there, and its really fun.  Yes of course, I still work with clients daily, today I helped complete one of our beloved clients citizenship application.  His ear-to-ear grin of appreciation reminded me of how helpful our work really is.  Project HEAL is allowing me to see a life in a completely new lens. Pretty rad, if I do say so myself!
In addition to office work, Debbie and I have been sent off to volunteer at Branches (SFLUM's afterschool program) multiple times.  I have helped kids with their homework, played all outdoor activities with them, sang songs, had snacks, helped them learn similies, made Thanksgiving play costumes.... Just had an amazing care-free, light-hearted, all smiles, glorious time hanging out with kids.  I have missed the craziness and joyus spirit that kids bring into our lives.  Their innocence and pure love is so refreshing.
I also have become pretty cool with the bosses.  Which meeeeeeeans... I am going camping with Branches and their staff this weekend!  I am so excited :)  To spend time with folks and children who love each other, love themselves, and love God.  Being involved in such an environment is a healthy balance I have found for myself.  Spending time with children allows myself to recharge my batteries.

Moment #2 :)
Someday last week I got off work a little early, and decided to get my toes did!  It had been a while, and they were looking kinda shabby.  So I get them done, and while walking outside, I see the most glorious sky I have ever seen.  God was just having a blast painting the sky with pinks, and oranges, and reds, and yellows.  It was so breathtaking that the picture on my phone does it no justice.  And for whatever reason, I felt so empowered and so blessed that I wanted to share it with the people I see the most... My Roommates!
So I took them out for a treat, a whole fancy California Pizza Kitchen.  It was quite lovely.  We have been eating the same food at home, they have been working too hard, and I wanted to take them out for a breath of fresh air.  Their jobs absolutely consume them, and I wanted to remind them that life still exists outside of work and home... that it is OK to sometimes 'get away'.  They are teachers down the street from our house, and it is A LOT of work for them.  For instance, one roommate, Callie, is teaching 18 students who are 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade.  She THE high school teacher at this school.  Many of our house nights are work nights.  A change of scenery was much needed for our sanity, and they totally deserved it.  I forget how wonderful it is to get out once in a while.  Spending time with roommates in a new environment allows myself (and my roommates!) to recharge our batteries.

Moment #3 :)
DOOR! Have I mentioned DOOR on this blog thing before?  Maybe, I do not remember... I will refresh your memory anyway :)  DOOR is the housing network that I live in.  Heidi is in charge of DOOR Miami, and she is the coolest, grooviest, and most energetic woman, wife, Christian, mother that I have ever met.  Every time I see her, it is like we have not seen each other in 50 years.  Its great!  She's great! Anyway.... DOOR houses Young Adults Volunteers (YAV's) and me! (the only YAM). 
There are 4 houses in Miami, the Little Haiti house (aka Green House - which is where I live), the Little Havana House (aka Blue House), the FIU House (aka Red House), and the Florida City House (aka the Yellow House).  Each house is grouped a lot because of our schedules and what our work is in.  For instantce, the Green House has 9-5 jobs, working prodominately with the Haitian population, and we are able to have dinner to together at least 3 times a week.  Where as the Blue House works and kinds of crazy schedules, works prodominatley Campus Ministries or with afterschool programs, and rarely has time to ever eat dinner together.  Each house has their own personality, but each thrive off of the fact that we are all disciples of Christ.  DOOR is so wonderful, it is making my Miami experience 10,000,000 times more awesome.
But what I really want to mention about DOOR is the fellowship.  The friends I am making with the other dwellers (DOOR folk) and the bond I am solidifying with Christ is amazing.  These people are who I have been wanting, needing, and hoping to find in my life.  Some of my very close friends in Miami are dwellers also.  These friendships are going to last a lifetime.  We go to church together, we laugh together, we can have meals together, and we can sit in silence together.  We had a silent retreat this past weekend.  From Friday to Sunday, and 24 of those hours we were not to talk.  And let me tell you...... That is not easy!  I took those 24 hours as no talking (which I slipped up sometimes, word just fell out of my mouth without thinking) and as no cell phone (my dear friend Mary hid my phone, because if you know me, I am on my phone every single minute of the day).  I wrote a lot in my journal, I went for a long walk to a canal with my dear friend Amanda May.  Majority of the day was also spend making art.  That was my favorite :)  Something that may or may not be a surprise to you... I was not silent of sound.  I was still nominated as the loudest in the bunch, even when silent.  Laughter would erupt at random times throughout the evening/day... I would make noises of any kind when trying to communicate... And I was just a 'hot mess' :)  It was so much fun!
Among all the silent chaos... I did find peace, time to reflect, time to journal.  My head of full of thoughts, questions, and clutter.  My mind at the beginning was racing at a zillion miles per second.  Once I was able to slow it down, I began to ask questions.  I was questioning everything.  Absolutely everything. What I am doing here, what is my purpose, why is God doing this, why is God doing that, why does God place these people in my life... I think you get the point :)  Question after question.  And funnily enough, I found that that was my form of prayer.  That was my way of finally being aware of what was around me, what was happening in my surroundings regarding people and culture, and recognizing the work that God is doing in my life.  I was able to see, think, and feel what God is doing.  I have no idea WHY God is doing these things, but I KNOW they are happening for good reason.... and hey!  That is enough reason for me to keep on moving forward each day :)

Moment #4 :)
Last week my housemates and I lead worship at our Lighthouse night service.  The theme was community.  Community is a vast topic for an hour service.  We ended up breaking it down into 4 different communities that we immerse ourselves into.  The community of You and God, the community of You and Your Inner Circle (those few friends you go to with anything), the community of You and Your Disciples (that group of people who know and care for you - for instance, your church), and the community of You and Your Greater Community (whether that is work, where you live, your city, or state).  I was SO EXCITED because I was able to use something I learned at US2 training! We made a huge masking tape cross on the floor... And allowed each person to reflect on each of the four communities, describing their relationship using post-its.  (I challenge you - as my beloved and faithful readers - to reflect on these four communities in your own life.  At what state are the currently in within each community?  How can they be improved?  How involved are you within each?  Which has the largest effect on you?  If one is unstable, do the others suffer? Just a challenge for you to reflect.)  We also lead the music, and I have missed dearly playing guitar and singing with groups of people.

Side note-  I am taking SINGING lessons at my church each Sunday.  Yes, I said singing.  Its so strange!  You know that cringe you get when you hear your voice after its been recorded? Yeah, I have to go through that every Sunday, with my twangy out-of-pitch can;t sing singing voice.  Its ridiculous, but! I am going to be taking guitar lessons through the church hopefully soon!  My vocal teacher and my potential guitar teacher were at the service, and naturally, I messed up big time.  I could not help but laugh it off.... But I am pretty sure if they were grading me.... I would had got a 'D' for quality.... Or an 'A' for effort!
Leading the service, playing music, being part of a silent retreat, questioning, and being in wonderful fellowship with people I am truly happy around allowed me to recharge my spiritual batteries.  And those batteries are MOST important to keep charged, especially through this time in my life.

I do miss my California and North Carolina family VERY much.  My friends are always being huge support systems.  My parents are ridiculously amazing and I am happy that I am making them proud.  My relationships across the world are as solid as can be for having thousands of miles and time differences separating us.  The people in Miami are so comforting, beyond loving, and so fabulous.

I know this was lengthly, but I always have so much to say.  These past weeks have been glorious, absolutely glorious.  I am always meeting new people, I am always keeping on top of my work, I am always trying new things, and I always find a reason to smile every morning.  At this very moment in my life, I am not just content with what is happening, I am truly happy :)

I will close it off by saying...
I LOVE YOU :) if you read this whole thing, I absolutely love you!  Thank you for YOUR support.

Till next time <3

Its Raining... Lets Eat ICE CREAM!

Too bad we have no ice cream for an actual sundae.  Sweets do not tend to last very long in a household of four women.  And I am completely OK with that... most of the time :)  That is why I save an extra $3 every so often to buy some ice cream for special occasions, like a movie night! or a rainy day! or just because I miss everyone!  Those are good reason in indulge myself in a delicious tub of Bert and Rockys Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream.  If you have not tried that exact ice cream... it is my hope you will try it very soon.  Because trust me when I say, it is a life-changing experience.  It is so delicious and is happiness in a tub.  Its too good to pass up!

I am currently sitting in my house, it is raining outside, and my roommate just screamed because a lovely MOUSE came through the stove and popped out of no where.  As soon as we get rid of majority of the roaches in house, the mice move in.  I feel somewhat heartless knowing that the mouse traps that I will be buying tomorrow will eliminate the very adorable faces of the mice.  But really, they are just nasty to have in a house.  Any suggestions on how to prevent them coming back?! Let me know! :)

Things are going seriously AMAZING.  These past two weeks have been awesome, really amazingly awesome.  There are just no words of how happy I am with work, with my home/housemates, with friends, with church, with family, with relationships, with friendships, with life in general.

This past week, my supervisor encouraged my co-worker Debbie and I to volunteer at a food pantry.  We went on Wednesday and Thursday.  We had absolutely noooooo ideaaaaa what we were getting ourselves into.  We first met these two women, Ms. Diane and Ms. Debbie.  They had no shame putting us straight to work!  We helped to sort and bag all the food.  Lima beans, Corn Flakes, spinach, parsley, lettuce, tomatoes, apples, bananas, potatoes, meat, etc... everything had to be broken down into individual bags for the clients that would be arriving on Thursday morning.
Come Thursday morning, we are so excited to meet more people! Debbie worked outside handing out invites for people to gather their Thanksgiving meals, while I worked inside helping distribute food.  I had forgotten how amazing it is to work in a food pantry.  I would make small conversation with everyone that walked in the door.  They all had something to say, had a story to tell... but we were on a time crunch... because the line moved pretty quickly.  Over the span on 3 hours, 190+ people walked through the doors of this pantry.  Each customer received one brown grocery bag full of bread, mac and cheese, meat, and various baked goods.  Then received a cup of mixed fruit (which is very sticky and messy breaking down!! - not a good job for clumsy people like myself), pack of tortillas, a grocery bag of produce - including lettuce potatoes and various vegetables, and a huge "GOD BLESS YOU AND HAVE A BLESSED DAY" from Ms. Diane.
There a few great things about this experience at this particular food pantry.  1) The volunteers at the pantry were way too awesome for words.  2) The amount of food that was donated was a HUGE amount, so much that volunteers were able to take some home.  3) The amount of prep work that went into preparing the bags and produce for the customers is totally underestimated.  It was a very humbling experience, and I cannot WAIT to go back :)

I have been attending the FUMC of Coral Gables for the past three weeks.  I attend the contemporary service at 9:30.  It has great music and the folks that attend are laid back and very welcoming.  Today after the 9:30 service, I was inspired to check out the 11am traditional church service.  As much as I LOVE the contemporary service, I felt a warm and fuzzy feeling throughout my soul when I said the Lord's Prayer out loud, when I sung out of Hymnal, and listening to the absolutely stunning pipe organ being played beautifully.  I had unknowingly missed those aspects of church that I experienced at FUMC of Upland each week.  Funny how I didn't even realize I was truly missing those aspects about church.
Then at 6pm I return to Coral Gables for yet another service.  This service allows myself to find great fellowship with young adults my age.  Many of the DOOR folk attend this service, and it means so much to see them throughout the week.  I think it is so groovy to find three services, at the same church, all of which have something to offer me to secure and strengthen my faith even more.  I am hoping that this church continues to bring such happiness and wholeness into my week.
I am 99% sure that my past few weeks have been so wonderful because my faith has been stabilized.  Church hunting was much more draining on me than I had realized, and to finally have found someplace (at least for now!! hopefully for a while!!) is making life seem so........ GREAT.

This feeling may only be temporary.  But I am going to let it sink in deep deep deep down into my soul and hold onto it for as long as I can!
I can just feel God working through people.  Something about this past week really allowed me to see that God is constantly spreading belief, faith, laughter, hugs, kisses, smiles, sunshine, new friends, and ESPECIALLY hope and love.  Sometimes it is hard to see the good feelings that God brings to our lives.  I know I definitely get caught up in the hardships, concerns, difficulties, and struggles that I am going through and also that those who I work with are going through.  That is totally normal, and I love that we are given grace to not only be a shoulder to lean on for each other in times of struggle, but also the ability to be a friend to laugh with in times a good.  And this past week has been a week of not only good, but a week of GREAT.  That is something to definitely be thankful for.

I love everyone! Thanks for all your prayers, support, phone calls, love notes, care packages, fb messages, and skype calls.  You are all making this experience a million times cooler.

GOD IS GOOD! ALL THE TIME!

Til next time <3
Love, Rachel :)

It has been TOO long!

Holy Moly... It has been 2 weeks since my last blog.  And Mrs. Haigler definitely called me out on not updated my blog, so I guess it means its clear that I have had no time to do so!  But now that I am laying in the comfort of my bed (because the internet cable man decided to grace us with his presence today!!)... I shall update my lovely blog :)

So I am sitting here thinking of what has happened in two weeks.... Wayyyyy too much lol.  So much that I don't think you all would sit and read a 20 page blog from me. Ok, hit the main points, and that should only be about 15 pages long... that's readable right?

I am officially 22! SAY WHAAAAT! For the record, nothing cool happens on your 22nd birthday... except when you live in Miami and get packages and letters mailed to your house, and especially when you get a bouquet of SUNFLOWERS delivered to your work!  It 'twas a great birthday, thank you everyone :)

Church hunting has been going great.  Last week I went to Florida City (1 hour away.. yikes!) and worshiped there.  SFLUM staff (aka all my bosses) were at this service, because the Florida Conference Bishop Timothy Whitaker was there.  I was very excited to see familiar faces, meet new people, and worship with the Bishop.  It was a wonderful wonderful experience.  Too bad FL City is so far away :(
Today I went to First United Methodist Church of Coral Gables. This church was truly amazing.  It has so many wonderful things, new and familiar, that I am searching for.  It is more contemporary music (the singer in the band has the most beautiful voice I have ever heard.. It sinks deep into the soul), but more of a traditional fellowship vibe, and the pastor gave a great message.  I am definitely thinking of going back next week!

Work has become more and more wonderful.  There are definite ups and downs, but the ups have definitely been more frequent than the downs.  I am slowly but surely finding my niche within Project HEAL.  Working with the clients has been great.  3 of our clients in the past week have become American Citizens!  Our Project HEAL staff went to a Naturalization Ceremony this past Wednesday.  It was very empowering.  There were over 300 people who were being naturalized that day.  At first, I was expecting this to be long - especially since we were standing - and not exciting at all.  But I was completely wrong.  It was absolutely fascinating.  The government listed off all of the countries that each person was from (there was about 20 countries), then everyone gave an oath, said the pledge of allegiance, and all this fancy stuff.  Then POOF! They were citizens :)
But what really hit home was once they were official citizens, the music video to 'God Bless America' came on.  At that instant, this woman from Cuba who just became a US citizen burst into tear while singing.  She was overjoyed, overwhelmed, and whatever else feelings one could be feeling at that moment. That is when I realized the impact that the process of becoming naturalized in the US has. That point in time for all of our brothers and sisters in that room is something unreal, something that many of us will never understand, nor will ever truly think about.  To work through all of the obstacles that the government presents, that life presents, that even God presents are things that many of us do not even have to consider.  Immigrants have to go through this tough process to get to the point that this woman was at. To be that woman who is just full of relief, happiness, and accomplishment... That is what we are striving to do for our clients.  Project HEAL is a stepping stone to our Haitian brothers and sisters to get to this point.
Seeing this woman was an eye-opener.  I was so proud of everyone receiving their citizenship... Because they all worked to their most ability to get something that many of us are just born into.
I could go on for a while on this, because the more I learn about it, the more of an opinion I am forming.  So once I have a pretty awesome opinion on this, I will let you know.

My house life is pretty cool.  My three-times-a-week feeding the goats, turkeys, emus, and pigs is a stress reliever for me.  They listen to me gab about work, friends, California, or whatever is on my mind... And the greatest thing about them is that they just listen.  I love our backyard... especially Pumpkin! :)

I am becoming close with many of my fellow DOOR members.  DOOR is a networking housing organization.  They place Young Adult Volunteers (or Young Adult Missionary in my case lol) and young adults who are doing work in Miami - and 4 other cities across US - in intentional Christian communities.  That is how I got placed in Little Haiti.  Anywayyy... I am making great friends through the DOOR program.  We all meet together as often as possible, and lately we have all been having house warming parties.  Last night, the theme to the party was 'Open Mic Night'.  There will be a video up soon of what my roommates and I did for our performance.  But I told jokes as a solo act.  Thank you Alex Devoid for the whale joke, everyone loved it!

(The picture above is many of the DOOR folk! This was at our open house a few weeks ago!)

In addition to reading books.... Which by the way, Princess Bride was a great book!  Nick (who I read the book with, who is - by the way - in Ukraine doing mission work through the United Methodist Church and General Board of Global Ministries -YAY GBGM! - also) and I really enjoyed it.  If you have ever seen the movie, it is great to read the book because the dialogue is pretty verbatim, which I thought was awesome. I recommend it to everyone.  Now I am currently reading Dear John by Nicholas Sparks.  But anyway... In addition to reading, I have found therapy by taking trips to the beach.  Well, more like 10 minute drives to the beach.  I actually went running along the beach the other day.  And I am really out of shape, cuz my abs hurt after.... is that normal? hahaha.
But the beach is a great place of zen.  So come visit me and I shall take you!

I am on the search for guitar lessons, and maybe even a zumba (or salsa dancing!) classes! That is the fun fact of the day!

Ummmmmm.... I think that is it for now.  Thank you to everyone for your support, love, and guidance!  I love everyone very much and you all mean the world to me.  Especially mom dad and brother <3

Till Next Time!
Love Always,
Meeeeeeeeee :)

Dark Blue

Well hello my lovely people who enjoy reading my thoughts, rants, and comments about life in Miami :)  I have waited a very long time (just over a week) to write a new blog... And I feel like, once again, I have so much to say!!

OK so lets hit the highlights shall we...
Last week I went to the First United Methodist Church of Miami with one of my roommates Callie.  The service was very lovely.  Pastor Cynthia was very poised and had a great message that corresponded very nicely with the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  The folks at the church were more than welcoming.... and I thought the organ was AMAZING.  It was absolutely stunning, and very well played.
Callie and I went to Riviera Presbyterian Church today.  She and I are both church hunting (which by the way is so exhausting).  The church was so awesome, the people were welcoming, and the message was great.  I am still on the search for a home church, and so is Callie.  She does not have a car so we are finding new churches every week that we alternate picking and go check them out.  So far, we have liked everywhere we have gone!  Thats a definite good sign...

Work is coming together very nicely.  It is a lot of paperwork, a lot of running around in the office.  But we did have TPS (Temporary Protected Status) clinic this past Thursday.  My supervisor (Janet) and my fellow co-worker (AmeriCorps Debbie) drove about an hour from our office to Bethesda church (one of many Haitian churches), where we had scheduled with Pastor Luc to have the church opened for any Haitian family or person to come and receive free help filling out their TPS form before the deadline in November.  We finally arrive, and Pastor Luc is no where to found.... He forgot we were coming!!
We eventually tracked him down.  Pastor Luc was helping at Hallendale Church passing out food to the community.  There were so many families and individuals there waiting for food, many of which were Haitian.  Pastor Luc had forgotten to tell us that Thursdays are his day off and he spends his time off helping distribute food.  He has a heart of gold!  Debbie and I are planning on going down on Wednesdays or Thursdays to help distribute food and to interact with the community, especially those who are part of the Haitian community, and both Debbie and I are so eager to start volunteering at this food pantry.
I like work very much... I can see it becoming emotionally draining.  I can predict that the more I learn, the more I am going realize that the government is really annoyingly difficult to work with.  I have always heard things about the legal system, but I have NEVER been this closely linked to it.  There will be more to come on this subject later in life.... I am not knowledgeable yet to really go in depth about it.... But I will be.

On a lighter note....
On Friday we had a house warming party... WOO HOO!  We had all of the DOOR people come over, and invited everyone in our community.  Naturally, people who lived on the farm were 1 1/2 hours early, and everyone from DOOR was 1 1/2 hours late.  Prior to the party... One of the folks who lives on the farm delivered 8 live crabs to our house that he caught earlier that day.  He said that they were birthday presents for my roommate Rebekah (whose birthday was on the 14th) and for mine (which is the 19th).  So we boiled ourselves some crabs... and for dinner had 2 crabs each.  I have never had crab in my life.... OK like one time.... But not the whole thing.  My housemates and I looked very primitive.  Crab shells, crab meat, and crab stuff was just shooting everywhere across the table.  I was more scared of the dead crab laying on my plate, than I was before it was boiled to a bright right. It was an experience thats for sure.... But back to the party!!
We eventually had about 20 people who came by.  We gave the tour of where we live.  Through my back porch of a room (which by the way is looking like a real room!) to the animals out in the back.  Too bad it was dark and no one could really see the goats, pig, emus, geese, chickens, or turkeys.  They were all in awe of the layout of the land.  I think no one truly believes us that we really live in a hippie community with live animals.  It was amazing to see their reactions.... So this is fair warning for anyone coming to visit me.... IT IS WAY COOLER THAN IT SOUNDS ON PAPER!
At night we had a huge fire out on the volleyball court... We find anything wood we can burn and just go at it.  We also bring out as many djembes (drums) as we can find.  Lydia and I break out guitars and we just sit and play music for hours.  This happens for us about every other night.  So chill, so relaxing, so zen.  Loveeeee.

Oh this next thought might surprise some of you....
I have made the vow to start reading books.  Yes, what a NOVEL idea :) haha that made me laugh!
I am just finishing up Nicholas Sparks book 'At First Sight'... and I must say, I am really 1) enjoying the book itself... and 2) enjoying actually spending time here and there throughout my day to sit and just read.  It is so therapeutic.  I think I'm convinced the read all of the Nicholas Sparks books... YAY! I am beginning to read 'The Princess Bride' tomorrow with a friend who is willing to read it with me!  I think it will be nice to have someone to discuss what I am reading with, and it will make me for sure not get behind on my reading!!  So if you have any suggestions on books... Let me know :)

Also, I would like to thank those who are sending me things in the mail.  I really love receiving notes, letters, boxes, whatever... You guys are too wonderful.

Yeah I realize this blog is really long... So I shall cut off my thought process here...
I have SO much more to say... but there is just not enough time, especially since Starbucks is closing very soon -- no internet at the house is very frustrating and very inconvenient, but I can't complain too much because at least I have the ability to access internet here... whereas I know some of my fellow MI's do not even have that luxury... Keeping myself in check--

Happy 22nd Birthday to me in 2 1/2 hours!!
I love you all and I will try to post more often!
Till next time...
<3 Rachel

A little bit of thunder and lightening never killed anyone....

Hiiiiiiiii :)

Well, the title of this blog is half true...  Thunder has not killed anyone, but lightening has.  And that is why I am INSIDE!  

I was driving home from work today and a huge thunder and lightening storm just popped out of no where.  It's weird because I am more or less getting used to these random storms.  They are so beautiful and terrifying at the same time.  My room does not muffle any of the noise, by the way.  It is pretty intense when I can feel the thunder rumble in my bed.... Anyway, I am slightly obsessed with the storms... CAN YOU TELL??

But when it comes to real life stuff (like my job, my house, my friends, my roommates...)  things are going pretty good.    My room is set up, for the most part.  I have learned (the hard way) that cement walls do not allow sticky hooks to permanently make a home on the walls.  I have broken 2 huge frames, 1 small frame, and everything has fallen off the wall.  Even my tension rod curtains find a way to fall off my windows in the middle of the night.  I have had 879890 heart attacks during the night because things just fall. 

The roaches in our kitchen have slowly been exterminated, thank you very much ACE hardware and momma and papa deBos.  If anyone has a roach problem..... call me up because I have become the ROACH KILLING MACHINE.  Those buggers have no chance against my lightening fast reflexes... 

Work is going good.  Still figuring out exactly what I will be doing.  Thus far, I have a partner in crime, her name is Debbie and she is an AmeriCorp.  She speaks fluent Creole, so she has a huge advantage over me when it comes to talking to the clients that come in the office.  Today we spent 3 1/2 hours helping a nice client fill out I-130... I think that is the name of the form.  I am learning the numbers and names of everything... THERE IS SO MUCH!  I definitely have some studying to do. 

But I have heard through my supervisor that I will be getting tasks to plan events for our clients.  Like Christmas banquets, get togethers, and events.  That is what I want to do!  Since Project HEAL is brand new, I am excited to help add some sparkle to the program!

I got the greatest comfort present just a few days ago.  My best friend Becca sent me a HUGE bowl full of notes from all of my loved ones back home.  So if you are reading this and wrote something in that bowl.... THANK YOU!  I know that Jamie, Andrew, Mrs. Rogers, and my momma wrote something.  They are happily taped in my journal.  I will never be home sick because I have this whole bowl of love notes to read :) And Becca, you are the greatest best friend ever.  I am happy to have you in my life <3

Speaking of home sick, I have yet to even still feel a little sad about moving out to Miami.  I am absolutely loving everything so far.  Well, maybe not LOVING every single moment, but I have nothing to complain about.  Everyone out here is so cool.  I am in Starbucks right now because the internet at our house does not work, and I am pretty sure I have made 10 friends just sitting here.  Actually, as we speak I am making friends with a 2nd grader.  Just had a 10 minutes conversation with her about school, storms, Miami, California, and what she learned today at school.  She said 'I learned that you should always help people, and when you do not want to help other you should still be nice to them.'  Uhhhh heck yes!  We also talked about how art is her favorite subject... Her and I would be best friends is I was a second grader!

Miami is totally cool, and I am so happy that I have been placed here.  The diversity out here is crazy awesome and everyone has really interesting stories.  Miami is a match made in heaven :)  Thank you GBGM for putting me somewhere that I can call home!

I miss EVERYONE so much... and I love that I have so many people to talk to always.  My sorority sisters, my best friends, my fellow US2's and MI's, my family, my camp friends, my church friends, and my 13 wonderful kiddies.... You are all so loved by me and I hope some of you eventually come and visit! I am slowly learning how to drive in Miami, and trust me when I say, I AM A PRO MIAMI DRIVER.  They drive like crazy people out here... I fit in just fine :)

OK that is all for now.  The Starbucks people keep looking at me like I am crazy, because I have been here for 2 hours haha

Till next time...

<3 Rachel

Whats up Miami

Oh man... SO much has happened since my last post.  This blog thing is so hard to keep track of!  I feel like I could write 12 pages each night about the kind of day I had.... So i guess it is a good thing I have no time, cuz anyone following me would be bored to death.  Ok so I take back what I said.  I AM THANKFUL FOR HAVING NO TIME!  (I think I have lost a bit of my mind since the drive out here and the constant go go go).

OK, so to the real deal of the blog.  My daddy and I drove across America in my beloved PT Cruiser.  Everyone knows that my Cruiser has never been 100%, so why would this trip be any different?  My car decided it did not want to go in reverse anymore.  So the entire road trip (all 4 days), my dad and i would either be pushing the car back into spots, or scoping out the slopes of the parking lot, and just rrooollliiinnnggggg back into spots.  It was pretty ridiculous, allowed people to give us strange looks, but it made for a good laugh every time we had to park.  And if anyone knows my dad, this was something he truly enjoyed.

So after a real easy drive across the states (had some good food, good company, and no drive felt like eternity).... We ended up in MIAMI!!  I am living in Little Haiti with three other housemates.  2 from Ohio, and 1 from California.  They are pretty cool thus far.  We actually met just yesterday (Wednesday) at the fingerprint place... I have NO IDEA how that even happened, but its was awesome.
I am living basically in an enclosed back porch.  4 cement walls, cement floor, and four walls with windows.  No airconditioning, one tiny light, one outlet, a gate like door, and bug infested.  Now after 3 days of straight work... the windows are replaced, the screens are replaced, there is a solid door in addition to the iron gate door, still no air, still one tiny light, and still one outlet..... the bugs are always going to our friends at the house.  Maybe not my room, but roaches, mice, and ants will find their way into the house.... Yuck. But anyway..... My room still need some TLC and a few posters, and colors, and pictures.... and its going to be SO COOL!  I can see it now.... oooooo it looks so good!

The community I am staying in (Little Haiti) is so legit.  We had a community meeting tonight, and the people I am surrounded with are so amazing.  They are all living together with the same ideas in mind... To live simply, peacefully, and in harmony.  It is great.  ALSO, the greatest most amazing thing about where I am living..... its called The Farm... wanna know why??  CUZ MY BACKYARD IS A FARM! There are geese, turkeys, roosters, chickens, ducks, emus, goats, and a pig!  It is so awesome!  The are loud, crazy, and eat everything.  I look outside of my window... and I see these beautiful creatures.  They are so wonderful. Of course, I LOVE THE PIG.  His name is Pumpkin, and he is miiiiiine.  The community just does not know it yet :]

I am so directionally challenged in Miami, that it is ridiculous.  Every street is a number... Grrrrr. Thank goodness I have a TomTom :]

Well... Tomorrow morning my daddy is leaving back to California.  It has been so great having him around.  He has been so helpful in so many ways, and he has also been relaxing company.  We get along so well!  So tomorrow I will officially be on my own.... It will be interesting, but I am so excited.

I am so happy.  Thank you Mother Father God, my friends, and everyone who is supporting me through this journey!  Off to bed.... :]

Till Next Time
Love always
Rachel

Leaving tomorrow for MMIIAAMMII

After one week of being home back in California, you would have thought I would be fully packed, ready to go to MIAMI! 

Surprise, my room currently looks like a bomb exploded.  Clothes everywhere, boxes everywhere, trash everywhere, things I did not even know how they got into my room everywhere.  I was way too hopefull to think I would be fully packed the day before I left for two years - can you say, procrastination at its finest?

But, I have been out and about, seeing the people I absolutely love most, saying my goodbyes, and I have surprisingly not cried once.................... yet.  It is hard for me to wrap my brain around the concept that after tomorrow, the next time I see any of my friend from California will be in June 2012.  There is no feeling to describe how difficult it is to process that, however I am sure my fellow YAMs know exactly what I am talking about.  

This process of packing up and leaving is so incredibly difficult.  It is emotionally, physically, and mentally draining.... My dear Mother Father God has been protecting my spirituality on a new level, so that has not been quite as affected.  If anything, my spirituality is growing in this process, rather than being tested, and that to me is pretty awesome.

I did realize yesterday that today is the last real day I can talk to some of my fellow YAMs on a regular and easy basis before they go forth on their mission in other countries.  Text, skype, phone calls, emails, facebook... Will all now be 234576890765432 times harder to connect.  But thats OK, right?  Its a challenge that is necessary to get through, and once we have made it to the other side, we will be 100 times stronger in the friendship....  Yup, that is how it is going to happen.

I thank our Mother Father God each day that I have been blessed with this opportunity to go forth in my call to mission.  This door was opened for me, and I could not had resisted it.  As scared/anxious/nervous I am about moving, I am looking forward to my new job, my new home, my new friends, my new church, my new sense of faith, my first time seeing wild crazy alligators, my first time being in a wild crazy Florida hurricane.  Wwooaahh lots of new things and new experiences will be happening, how can I not be super excited?!

Pray for me as I make my way with my daddy across the country.  We are leaving tomorrow (exactly once week after being commissioned as a United Methodist missionary... Heck yes!), and it is going to be an extensive 4-5 day trip.  Also pray that I get my packing done :]

Love you all

Till next time,

Rachel

You know I LOVE my food

Hello hello hello.

Today we talked a lot about what it is going to be like when we finally get to our final placement site.  All I could think about is what I am going to be eating... or lack there of.  I have never had to provide my own food... now being thrown into a situation where I will be buying, managing, and consuming all of my own food is insane.  I thought I would be worried about my job, new location, new housing, being away from family and friends, not knowing anyone... You know anything usual that people would be nervous about.  But nope, food is my worry.  And I am ok with that.... I think.

Probably doesn't help that my parents have sent me MULTIPLE packages while I have been in NY (for only 3 weeks, mind you) full of goodies and bomb snacks.  I love them so much for it!!  And I love more that they have sent me is seaweed, snap pea crisps, Dutch waffle cookies... and my friends have been all over them.  I love it.

So if anyone wonders what to send me in packages while out in Miami, instant good food is always welcome.

Thats all for now. Till next time :]

<3 Rachel

Welp, here we go....

My first blog.... ever.  I have questioned on whether or not this is something that is necessary to do for myself and for others.  After pondering this question (being pressured by my fellow US2 and Mission Intern bloggers!), I caved and created my very own blog.

So bare with me (and I will surely bare with myself) when I either ramble too much, or get off topic a bit, or have not a whole lot of constructive things to say.... My hope is is that my blogging will significantly improv over the next few years.  No harm in trying it out, right?

Currently, I am in Stony Point, New York, and myself and 25 other Mission Interns and US-2s are training and preparing ourselves once we are off to our placements sites.  Training consists of long days, many sessions, fellowship, worship, and having the opportunity to make life-long friends.  Emotionally, physically, and spiritually preparing myself for the next 2 years doing mission work is much easier when I am surrounded by people who are going through the same experience.  The love and comfort that comes from this group of individuals is so unique and so precious, I never want to leave!

Being cooped up in a retreat center gets quite exhausting, but we are learning so much and will be leaving these next 3 weeks with more than I could ever imagine.  On August 18th, we will be commissioned as missionaries in the Methodist Church.  Super stoked <3 !!

Yup, that sounds good for now.  It is very difficult trying to put my thoughts in words... And for my first try, I do not think I did half bad.

Till next time :]

Love always,
Rachel