Grrreat Day.

On Saturday, I had just a great day.

First, Kendrea and I decided we were going to Shedd Aquarium. Kendrea is from Arkansas and she makes me laugh so hard with her little southern girl phrases and mannerisms. My summer would not have been the same without her.

We stopped first at Portillos.

I got a Chicago Style Hot Dog: It comes with tomatoes, onions, relish, mustard, a pickle, hot peppers, a vienna dog and sesame seed bun. It sounds like a lot and maybe not so appetizing, especially if you're somewhat of a picky eater (alisha....), but its delicious.

We stopped by these funny looking staues first. Yes, they are headless. Its called Agora. They were made in Poland and brought to Chicago, the city of "many funny pieces of art in public".

Here we are waiting in line. It wasn't too bad of a wait. The couple behind us offered to take our picture. It was really nice of them.

I took a million pictures of fish. But I'm not going to put all of them on here. Just this one. You can thank me later for not boring you with my fascination of taking a million pictures of the same thing.

This is us with our map and everything X'd out because we went everywhere. But you can't see the X's. The girl that took this picture laughed at us. I'm quite alright with this. We felt accomplished and felt the need to document it.

And then I took her to my favorite place in the city. It was such a beautiful day. It looks fake even. We had fun with the continuous taking picture mode of my camera. Again, I won't post all of them here. Just this one. (Aren't the clouds just incredible?)

And then I left Kendrea and met up with Matty P. We were co-hosts this past week and our group got tickets to the White Sox game. They had two extra tickets that were already paid for and they brought us along.

I met Matty on the redline and we met the group at U.S. Cellular Field.

I got a phone call from my friend Jenny during the game and walked out to talk to her since it had been so long and saw this beautiful thing from the top of the ramp. It was definitely worth it.

It started to rain during the game and all the people just left their seats to sit under the overhanging. We were in the nosebleeds and had cover. It was great. Of course, since it was Chicago, it stopped 10 minutes after is started and everyone returned to their seats.

2-2-2. (Jenny, it just wasn't the same without you)

My group was awesome that week. I would hang out with them again.

And then Matty P and I with the city in the background. Which you can't see at all. But you can see us.

It was just a great day.

P.S. White Sox won.

Lake Michigan

So something that the midwest definitely does not have is the ocean. I'm usually not a beach person but I do miss it. Its probably one of the first things I'm going to go to when I get back to California.

However, Lake Michigan isn't too bad. Its 118 miles across so you can't see the other side. At all. Here's a picture. Go ahead and try.
Its a great place to take stalker pictures of strangers.

And to take groups when we got some time to kill. And what's better then a jumping picture?

I also take groups here when its time to eat lunch. It makes a nice backdrop for a meal of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips.

Val-uh-day-shun

Validation.

Growing up, validation is something we often seek from our peers. We want to be accepted and just validated.

During the school year, as an athletic trainer, I looked for validation from the athletes that I worked with. This usually came with them knowing my name. Or them trusting the advice that I gave them.

This summer I have found that I am searching for validation from youth group leaders, 6 and 7 year olds, and homeless guys.

Youth group leaders come each week with expectations. (And some even come with no expectations.) Either way, I want to be as accommodating as I can be. I want them to be able to say "Wow, Jane, our host, really cared about our group." Cause I do, I care about all these students coming actually wanting to serve the city. I know going on short term missions growing up has definitely shaped who I am. It's weird being on the other side and actually facilitating the trip, but I have learned so much from each group that has come.


Each week that I take my group to the boys and girls club, I find myself gravitating towards the cadet boys. They are aged 6 to 7 and I definitely seek validation from them. I just love them. Such as these two boys. They just want love. They have so many nicknames for me, such as Mrs. Goldilocks or Mrs. Smiley. After four weeks I think the majority of them even know my real name. I want to take all of them home with me. They have just touched my heart in so many ways.
At night we go to different ministry sites. One of them is Epworth Men's Shelter. This is a gym that Cornerstone Community Outreach rents from a UnitedMethodist Church in Uptown. On average, they have about fifty guys sleep here each night. During the winter, there are more guys. But during the summer, its always been about fifty-two ish.

I have been lucky enough to go back there almost every week I have been here. And really, for some reason, when some of the guys come up to me and recognize me from talking to them the week before, it is such validation.

They really are great guys that come here. It was definitely weird at first that we go to this place just to make conversation. We don't necessarily serve or clean or anything. Just conversation and attention to individuals that may not ever get it during the day.

So that's where I currently seek validation. To me it means that I am doing something right. That I am where I'm supposed to be right now. Even though some days are hard. And sometimes I just want an ocean beach. Its really just what I need to be doing right now.

Shower Guard.

CSM Chicago has a partnership with North Park University. We stay in their dormitories. They let us use their campus for Worship Night. We can go into some of their buildings if we want to have an inside debriefing somewhere. And all the groups that come in use the lockerroom showers.

Now shower times for the groups may be during the morning time slot (6:00 am to 8:00 am) or the evening time slot (8:00 pm to 10:00 pm). During this time there is no one from the North Park University actually in the building to I guess patrol the area. And so the hosts get the wonderful job of having shower guard duty.

So we get to sit in this empty hallway while the groups use the shower facilities. We find ways to entertain ourselves. In my case I bring a book. Or I journal. Or I just look at the walls. Its really not that bad because its actually time that is designated just to sit. It gives me a lot of time to just think then and process how the week is going. It sucks having to wake up at 5:30 when you have the morning shift but once you get there. It's the easiest thing in the world to just sit.

It's also fun to say hi to the groups and see them. I also feel at home in this hallway because NPU's athletic training room is in this hallway. And all the coaches of the different sports have their offices here. So if I went to this school, I would be spending a lot of time down this hallway anyway.

When I told my past group what I had to go do, the pastor, who's very sarcastic, commented "Well, are you armed? Do they give you a weapon?"

Yes, pastor, I am packing.

My crew.

These are my co-hosts.

This was taken about nine-thirty at night after Worship night (which is a big celebration night among all the groups that come in. We have group games, Mexican food catered, fellowship, worship, and a speaker comes.) Needless to say from setting up, running around and cleaning up we were all a bit sweaty and tired. But we still got together to take this wonderful group shot.

I love the people that I work with. They are so encouraging and just on fire for God.

We took a lot of pictures that night. Of course, at the end we had to take the customary "funny" picture. Those are always the best.

It's funny because throughout the week we don't get to see each other because we are all with our different groups. This weekend though we get 'staff fun day,' which means on Saturday we're all going on some adventure that our directors haven't told us what we're doing yet.

It will be fun because we'll get to hang out. But I wouldn't mind a day in my pjs...

"How's work going?"

So I was texting a friend the other day. And one of the things my friend asked me was "How's work going?"

It's weird but sometimes I forget that this is work. I wrote down how many hours I was with the group or doing things for CSM last week and it came to 73.5 hours. I get random breaks during the day. (Like now, my group is on immersion and I'm just chilling at a local coffee shop getting "connected" as my mom told me.)

And they are long days but I'm not 'working.' I'm just taking them to the different ministry sites. And trying to become their friend. And just living out the gospel.

So I guess works going good when you don't even realize what you are doing is considered "work."

Roseland/Pullman Boys and Girls Club

This is where I go everywhere morning from 9 till 2. It's a great place.

Paul Luu is the director and he is one of the coolest guys I know. He's probably early thirties, has a wife who's expecting for the first time, Chinese, born in Champaign, IL and all the kids respect him. He is not necessarily out with the kids all the time but they all know his name and just listen to him.

He is one of the people responsible for raising funds and support for the club. He always takes time out of his week the first day I bring volunteers to give them background on the club and Boys and Girls clubs in general. So here it is, as best as I can give you. I'm no Mr. Luu.

It started during the Industrial Revolution when boys needed a place to hang out during the day. And this was in Hartford, Connecticut by a group of ladies. But it was only for boys because girls were expected to help with their own home chores and what not. It was called the dash away club because mostly run aways were in it (get it?)

During Theodore Roosevelt's presidency, he officially made it the Boys Club. And then, finally, in the early nineties, it became the Boys and Girls club. They are a non profit organization and they have lobbyists in D.C. trying to raise money. (I never really understood the lobbyist profession. I just know that I would be bad at it because I'm a terrible fund raiser participant. Except when it came to girl scout cookies. But those things practically sold themselves.)
This Boys and Girls club partners with Salem Baptist church, which is the biggest church in the Chicago area and is pastored by Reverend Senator James Meeks. I hope attend this church sometime this summer. But its on the south side. And by public transportation it will take an hour and a half. And I would be ok with going by myself; I just know some of my co-hosts would be disappointed if I did that. The church isn't on this property but they do have offices here. The House of Hope that is the sanctuary/worship center for Salem Baptist is literally just down the road.

They are so blessed by their facility because they have this huge open grass area. So much room to just run around. And P.S. this week's weather has been amazing. No humidity. No random rain storms. I was wearing a jacket last night.

They also have this huge indoor facility where they can play hockey or indoor soccer or basketball. At the end of summer programming they have show that they present to all the parents. I'm sad because I'm leaving before it takes place.

But that's the way it goes. I would have to be here another two weeks. And I just got the date of when I have to be back for athletic training: August 8. I'm flying home on the third. Yep I'm pretty sure I'm going into a sleep coma those few days...