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 :)
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
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 :)
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!
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 :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)