Picture Post!

These are my favorite kinds of posts!  These are the posts where I get to tell you about my life through random pictures I've taken throughout the last few weeks.  Check it out!

First up: NYC Food.  From pizza to salads, this fat chick is in HEAVEN... or at least the closest thing to it on earth as far as food is concerned.  I already loved eating pizza, but here I have had to crack down on it.  Not only is it sooo good, it is so bad for me and so expensive when you're an intern.  Not pictured is the Ralph's Italian Ice located just down the street from me... oh yeah.

I have a couple photo updates on my apartment.  First: I have a door!  It's a sliding door and works very well.  There as still a few "windows" which allow for sunlight (my room has no windows), which lets me know that morning has arrived... but it does block a little bit more noise and light and allows for a "closing off" which my personality type desires at times.

and Tooki has gone to a permanent home.  This was one of the last moments I spent with her while I was home on a lunch break.  Maybe I'll think about fostering other cats in the future because it was really a neat thing to do.

 

The heat.  After June's rain came July's heat.  On one particularly hot day, this happened.  I couldn't help but smile at the fact that the kids were going to LOVE that!

I've done a little sightseeing.  Not a lot, but a little.  Here I am walking down 5th Avenue.

This the Empire State Building from below.

Check out the FDNY boat spewing its guts all over the bay!

 

 What a beautiful full moon over Brooklyn!

 

and Manhattan by night from the Staten Island Ferry.

 

This is the famous "5 Pointz Building" - it's a building that allows graffiti artists to work their magic on its walls.  There are some BEAUTIFUL pieces... and it's always changing, so it's never the same when you visit.

On a Monday, not too long ago, there was a free concert put on by a group from Texas for our Soup Kitchen clients.  We're not normally open on Mondays (usually only Tuesday and Thursday), so this was a double treat for them!  Lunch and a show!

 

We at Project Hospitality sure do like to eat and get things accomplished at the same time.  This is what we call a "Community Dinner."  They happen once a month at a local church.  At this particular one, we were meeting the new police chief and doing a Q&A with him.

This is a sign that is in the park across the street from the PH offices... and the church mentioned above... and about 2 blocks from my apartment.  I think it mostly speaks for itself, but a background tidbit is that the old Dutch Boy paint factory used to be down the street.

Families are still recovering and rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy.  This family/home has made it clear that they're not going to move because of the storm - they are staying and recreating life where they used to enjoy it.

 

Speaking of recovery from the storm, this little gem has reopened.  The Boardwalk was destroyed by Sandy, but it was able to be reopened in the beginning of August.  Every Tuesday night, I join a walking group and we walk the 2-ish miles along the ocean in the evening breeze.  It's wonderful!

This is one of my favorite pictures of late.  It's been touched up by Instagram, but it's me - working - one the beach - in front of the Secret Service vehicle.  Yes, President Obama touched this car... and all I was doing was passing out volunteering flyers and food pantry directories at National Night Out.  #sospecial

My Favorite Moment(s) From General Synod

This post is going to highlight a few special moments for me at Synod.

Seeing friends again - Quite possibly one of the greatest blessings about being able to go to GS was the fact that I was working, but also reconnecting with some old friends.  I was able to spend some time with Pastor Darrell, and even got to see Esther for a few moments before worship on Thursday night.  I was also able to reconnect with some global mission folk: Jay, Jhonny, and Duncan.  I was able to reconnect with some of my other random friends with the RCA, like Stephanie and Claudette.  I was also able to reconnect with April, a good friend who interned at Home Acres about 8 years ago... and I hadn't seen her since!  Who would have thought that a business trip could be so filled with friends?

Iced coffee - Honestly, this was a super highlight for me.  On either Saturday or Monday, I can't remember which one, I decided to sleep in and skip the whole "going to breakfast" thing.  Besides (as you will read in the next section), I had granola bars and fruit galore.  In the middle of every meeting, coffee and water would be brought in - and usually right before the first break in plenary.  As this coffee arrived, I saw a jug with an unusual sign.  On the days before, there had been "coffee," "water," "punch," and "tea"... but never saw this one before.  This one should have been written in sparkles and lights and practically alive, because that's it would make me: sparkly, lit up and alive.  It contained ICED COFFEE!  Hallelujah!  It was a good morning.

A trip to Walmart - This.  I will probably never forget this.
First off - the trip that failed.  I walked into town (I didn't rent a car) during the early Friday morning session.  I was hoping to find a little mom-and-pop store in which I could purchase massive amounts of fruit and healthy snacks.  After checking foursquare and wandering around for a bit, it appeared as though one didn't exist.  Mind you, it was also around 8a.  No one was really open yet and the town had yet to really start bustling (we're not in NYC anymore, Toto!)  Finally, there were two people working in the park and I asked them.  They told me that not too far away, there was a Fairway grocery store.  I took off walking... and walking... and walking... and after over a half hour of walking in the direction the ladies had sent me, I realized that I would have never been able to carry a large amount of fruit back to the college... so I turned around.  I ended up stopping at the Dollar General and loading up on granola bars, breakfast bars, and fruit snacks.
After telling one of my friends and mentor/boss/i'm not really sure what to call him, Jay, about the fact that I couldn't find any fruit within walking distance, he suggested Walmart.  He assured me that it was within walking distance and even gave good directions about how to get there.  Now, the following story may sound like a lot of complaining and I wish to assure you that this is nothing against Jay.  His directions were completely accurate.  April offered to travel with me and I'm so thankful she did.  First of all, I may have mentioned somewhere that it was HOT in Pella, Iowa while we were there.  Like, 90-100* hot.  I also did not bring good walking shoes.  I assumed I wouldn't be doing much walking for some reason and tennis shoes take up a lot of space in a suitcase.  I brought 3 different pairs of flats (read: no sole) instead.
So, anyway, April and I headed out on Friday evening toward Walmart.  There weren't any direct roads to Walmart, so we cut across grass and then a gravel road.  Finally, after about a mile of gravel road, we reached pavement again.  Another half mile, and there was the Walmart.  I don't think neither April nor I had been so excited to see Walmart in our lives. :P  Then came the fun part: buying about $50 worth of fresh fruits.  Apples and oranges and bananas, oh my!  We filled my purse with bananas and then carried bags of oranges and apples in the plastic bags... then headed on our way back to the campus.
That mile and a half back to Walmart was actually not so bad compared to the trip back to campus.  We decided to stick to the sidewalks, so it was a little less direct.  Then... we were carrying loads of fruit... in the heat... with bags breaking.  It seemed like it lasted forever.  However, we got back to the college and immediately decided that we were thankful we'd not have to do it again.  We had gotten enough to last the entire time... as well as enough memories to smile for years to come!

A Quick Note

Two things happened today that brought me to tears.

1) One of the day laborers brought me a tamale.  A simple tamale to say "thank you."  These guys don't have much and life is tough.  All I try to do is make it a little nicer by putting coffee out.  He thanked me with something so heartfelt and delicious, I couldn't help but sit and be humbled by it.

2) One of my co-workers stopped by to tell me his wife passed.  They'd only recently gotten married (like only 2 or 3 weeks ago) and he was so excited and happy... and now he was finalizing all of the arrangements to bury his love.  I cannot imagine his pain.

My work here is some of the easiest (just called to love people) and hardest (loving people means walking alongside them in difficult times) work I've known.

RCA General Synod of 2013 - The Serious Stuff

This was a very serious business trip.  I have to keep telling myself this.  And really, it was.  I was the face of Project Hospitality, which was one of the two organizations receiving funds from the offerings that were taken during the worship services.  Those offerings totaled over $8000, so it was kind of a big deal that someone was there to represent.

As well, I have some interest in the going-ons of the RCA General Synod.  I have been a member of the RCA for the last 8 years and have hopes of continuing to work and serve through the RCA in the future.  Regardless of the fact that I was working, it was good to go and see the inner-workings of the body.

The Atmosphere -
The air surrounding this Synod was heated, both in a literal and figurative way.
In a literal way, it was hot hot hot in Iowa while we were there.  With temps well into the 90s and no air conditioning in the fieldhouse, where the main sessions were all held, it's safe to say that everyone just got used to being sticky.  I kept wanting to hug everyone that I hadn't seen in some years, but there was also the awkward moment when I had to tell them, "Sorry, i'm a little sticky" and they would respond back "so am I."... or vice versa.  And yet, the president and other members would show up every day in a full suit coat.
In a figurative way, last way was more heated than this year ever became, but there was a lot of anxiety leading up to the Synod because of the way things were handled last year.  Some of the same heated topics were coming up again this year (and will continue to come up for years to come) and it's safe to say that many were worried about the presence of grace and the presence of peace at this year's synod.  I can't say I blame them.  The workbook was filled with all kinds of intense stuff... and no one knew how it was going to go.

The Days - "The days were long and the nights were short" would be an understatement.  Every morning, worship would begin at 8a, with plenary sessions beginning at 8:30a.  If you wanted breakfast, you had to be there before 7:30a.  Yes, waaay earlier than I enjoy being awake.  It ended every night around 9:30/10p.  If you can't do the math, no worries... I got you.  That's up to 14 hours a day.  Granted, they were broken up by some wonderful meals and even during the plenary sessions there were some breaks, but honestly, even with those mixed in, those are crazy long days.  Days like Saturday and Sunday, which were filled with different opportunities (workshops and group discussions), were nice mostly because it gave a break from the sauna/fieldhouse, but also because it provided the opportunity to break out of the normal routine and wake people up a little bit :)

The Voting and Policies That Interested Me -
Conscious Clauses - This happened quick.  In fact, I almost missed it.  However, it was just a vote to say that the vote that happened last year was in order and all the other votes in various synods were done according to policy.  When it was approved, the conscious clauses were removed.  This paves the way and makes it easier for women to become ordained and called to a church.
Immigration Reform/Dream Act - One request was for churches to write their congresspeople and ask them to support immigration reform and the Dream Act.  I was shocked when this one went through uncontested.  I don't know if people just didn't know what that meant, or if they all just figured "yeah, write letters... that's fine if some people write letters, but we won't."  I hope they follow through.  However, I do know that my previous church never wrote ANY political letters.  There may be a separation of church and state, meaning they cannot be connected through power, but the church can still advocate and speak out as a body.  In my opinion, using that "separation of church and state" is an excuse for laziness.

Anti-Violence - As often happens, very timely topics were brought up as well.  This list does not include white privilege, which to me is a shameful thing to bring up because it should have been brought up YEARS ago.  We at the RCA have finally addressed white privilege... in 2013.  Anyway, I'm not going to talk about my disappointment in that.
One very timely topic was gun violence.  There was a bit of debate about that, as you could imagine, what with that second amendment and all.  Thankfully, when it passed, it passed that RCA would take a stance against ALL violence (the word "gun" was stricken from the phrase).  This was a great change and a way for us to pursue peace just as Christ did.

Homosexuality/Repairing what happened last year - Ufta.  This was a huge thing on everyone's hearts and minds going into synod.  Last year's synod was... well... ugly at times.  Watching it happen online was enough to make my heart hurt, especially for those present enduring the anger and frustrations.  There was a great debate last year about whether or not homosexuality is considered to be a sin in God's eyes.  To me, in my humble opinion, the only thing that was debated was the definition of sin through human eyes.  One of the things voted on at synod this year, was to find the decision of last year's synod unconstitutional.  For me, this was a very good moment at synod.

Global Mission Report - The first thing to note was the timing of this.  It was Friday night.  It was late (after dinner).  It was hot.  It had been a long, hot day and really, all anybody wanted was to sit in an air conditioned space with an ice cold drink in their hands... and yet, we were in the fieldhouse, listening to reports, not really voting on much... and the water ran out.  I have this strange feeling that this would have been much better enjoyed in a different location... and if there was something worth moving into the air conditioning, this was it.
The second thing to note was my emotions surrounding this portion of the event.  In this time, there were reports from current missionaries, as well as a chance to honor those who were "retiring."  Now, I only spent a year away in Hungary, but I am currently in a second opportunity to serve.  It may not be abroad, but it's far enough away to get it.  I know what it is to live and work far away from loved ones, in another culture, in a land that most people can't find on a map.  The loneliness, the desire to good but not always see the fruit, the feeling of uselessness when you can't really communicate... I know it.  So, to hear missionaries honored pulls at my heart's strings... ALL of them.
The third thing to note was the new campaign by RCA Global Mission.  Check out the new One For the World video.  It's exciting!

Integrity vs. Room For All - When I first decided to write this blog, this was one area that I really wasn't sure I wanted to discuss, but yet... I kept coming back to it.  There are two important factions growing within the RCA.  Think of them like political parties, so to speak.  I'm still learning about both of them, so forgive me if I misquote anything.  I'm also going to try really hard to give a non-biased view of them, although we all know that I have my opinions... but I'm hoping to more educate people instead of persuade them to my point of view.
RCAi (RCA Integrity) is a group of churches, pastors and elders that formed due to worries that the foundation of the RCA beliefs was crumbling.  I tried to do a little research, but aside from a whole lotta rfa bashing, that was all I could really find on the RCAi website and facebook page.  In an attempt to keep things non-biased, I was hoping to learn more from some friends, so stay tuned because if we're able to connect, I WILL update you.  I promise.
rfa (Room For All) is a group of churches, pastors, and church members that formed for one purpose: the full inclusion of LGBT in the Reformed Church of America.  This means acceptance, membership, deacons, elders, pastors, etc.  They are starting with aware about inclusion into the church family.  They have been putting together resources for pastors involving care for LGBT people and, with the rise in number of states legalizing homosexual marriage, they have published resources for pastors about their role in these decisions.  I haven't personally checked any of them out, but they were created by and for RCA pastors, so if you are looking for resources, I would recommend checking it out.

The Fighting - There were definitely moments for which everyone braced themselves.  People disagree.  People interpret (not just the Bible, but also others) differently.  It never really got out of hand, though.  My favorite quote (side note: I do not agree with this statement, but by "favorite" I mean that it's the one thing I remember most because I didn't think that people still thought this way) was "Homosexuality is a sin... just like alcoholism and divorce!"

Grace and Peace - Through everything, there was a great amount of grace shown and peace abounded.  In fact, even when things heated up, a sincere public apology (as well as a private one) was made and grace was again shown from the podium.  For this, I was proud to be a member of the Reformed Church of America.

How I Got to Pella, Iowa

On June 17, one month ago, my roommate and I were having a conversation.  She was talking about needing to purchase a plane ticket to go to the RCA General Synod because Project Hospitality had purchased an exhibitor table, but was unable to attend the entire synod because she was preaching on Sunday.  Traveling on Thursday and Saturday meant she would only be there for one day.  This didn't seem fiscally responsible nor did it seem to really excite her.

I jumped at the opportunity and told her that if she'd rather, I would go... and could stay for the entire time.  Later that night, the Executive Director of Project Hospitality stopped over and she thought that was a great idea.  So did my boss... and the next thing I knew, I was buying a plane ticket to Des Moines, Iowa.

The original plan was to find a hotel room and rent a car to use while I was there.  Allow me to toot my own horn a little, okay?  Keep in mind that it was 6 days, 5 nights.  Renting a hotel room would have cost about $70/night.  Food would have cost about $40/day (per standard reimbursement for business travel).  Renting a car would have cost about $50/day + gas.  By doing some research and by bugging the main coordinator lady, I scored a deal: dorm room + meals + airport shuttle for $450 total.  I don't know how much I save Project Hospitality, but it was a lot.  I'm still doing the happy dance.

Anyway, in case you're a part of the RCA, you may have thought to yourself "wow, you decided to go on June 17th?!  Didn't it start on June 20th?" Well, yes.  Yes, it did.  The next two days were spent getting things together and doing laundry and packing and canceling weekend plans.  On Thursday morning, the taxi picked me up bright and early at 5:45a and I was on my way.

I had a brief (read: I had to run across the airport) layover in Charlotte, NC.  This wasn't so horrible because I was able to gate-check my display boards, so it may the running more enjoyable.  However, it was apparently I was not headed to the big city anymore.  The lack of diversity was my first clue.  The large families was my second clue.  It was almost funny to compare the experiences between La Guardia and Charlotte.  As I headed out, it would have been interesting to know just how many people on the flight were headed to Synod.  Regardless, I sat next to a man that was headed there.  He was hoping to speak to the Global Missions team about starting a school project somewhere in Africa (he told me where, but I can't remember and would hate to misquote him, so I'll leave it very vague for you).

Upon arrival to Des Moines, another great moment happened for me.  A lady that I'd been emailing for years as the director of Women's Ministries was waiting for the bus as well.  We finally met face-to-face!  We were shuttled as a large group from the airport to Central College in Pella, Iowa.  I got a dorm room to share and headed to the field house to set up.

Check out my table!

The rest is for another day at another time :)

An Introduction to Project Hospitality

So, after working as a missions intern at Project Hospitality for a month, some of you may still be wondering "What is Project Hospitality?"

First off, you can check out the website at ProjectHospitality.org.  There is a lot of information about the organization on their website.  As well, a simple Google search will reveal the good work that is happening through this organization of many, many people.  For example, check out this link about Hurricane Sandy relief.

Project Hospitality has now 4 major missions:
1) Feed the Hungry
2) House the Homeless
3) Provide Support and Assistance to Those Living with HIV and AIDS
4) Superstorm Sandy Relief

Feeding the hungry is the mission and the reason it all began.  An RCA (Reformed) pastor was riding the ferry one night when he realized the significant number of homeless and it broke his heart.  He went home and made a bunch of sandwiches and began passing them out.  This was the beginning of Project Hospitality.
Feeding the hungry continues to be a huge priority for PH and this is accomplished through food pantries, mobile food trucks, and soup kitchens.  This is a picture of the main one on Bay Street.

Housing the homeless is also extremely important to Project Hospitality.  New York City runs homeless shelters in every other borough except Staten Island.  The city doesn't run any on Staten Island and Project Hospitality runs them all.  PH has men's shelters, family shelters and even a youth shelter.  There's even a drop-in center and respite bed program.

A huge population that Project Hospitality loves to serve are those that are HIV+ or battling AIDS.  Project Hospitality has created a center called the SHINE (Self Help In a New Environment) Center, which allows those living with HIV or AIDS to still work to achieve their dreams in a supportive environment.

And, as probably one of my more renown ministries in the world outside of Staten Island, they have been on the front lines of providing relief after Superstorm Sandy.  One of my first tasks was stuffing envelopes with info to be sent with checks to those who received aid from a benefit.

As for me and my role in Project Hospitality, well, it's like a machine.  I haven't quite yet found my place, but I have found a few things that I've enjoyed working on and have even completed a few things.  I will, in time.

Check out what I found at my desk: hundreds and hundreds of paperclips -

Also, one of the perks of this job has been giving people what they need.  When a giant retreat center closed, they donated all of the furniture to Project Hospitality.  This is a load of desks being removed from the center and loaded into a storage container to await their new homes.

This is the crew from the office celebrating the new job of a former coworker at a local restaurant - 

And, last but not least, check out the organization in the food pantry at El Centro!  This was a huge mess a week ago, but now it's getting organized and efficient and more excellent by the week :)  This has become my sorta pet-project.

Random Things No One Told Me About Staten Island

1) Tolls.
In order to get to an island, in any circumstance, you must take a bridge or a boat.  That's just common knowledge.  As Eaic and I drove for the first time into Staten Island, we had to pay a $13 toll.  Aside from it being crazy high, we didn't think much of it because we'd been on the highway and perhaps we'd missed the toll sign way back when.  We paid the $13 and continued on our way (which wasn't far at all until our destination).  Upon arrival, it became apparent very quickly that I would need to get some cleaning supplies and I would need to get them right away.  So, we looked up the nearest Walmart.  It is less than 15 minutes away, over in New Jersey.  We got into the car and loaded up on all kinds of good stuff (you know, like toilet paper, soap, dishcloths, ... as well as some food staples) along with hundreds of other people out shopping on Saturday afternoon.  However, as we were coming back across the bridge, we realized that we had yet another $13 toll.  This caused us to come home and do some research.  In order to drop Eaic off at La Guardia, it would cost me another $15 toll to get back onto the island.  You can leave Staten Island as much as you want... but you cannot come back without paying a toll.  Please keep that in mind if you plan to come visit.
Because I don't know if or when I'll need to go into New Jersey, I got an EZPass.  It makes it a little bit cheaper when I do go.

2) Turtles.
Apparently turtles are common pets here.  I met my first turtle, Harry, on the first Sunday I was here.  Terry called up and told me that her turtle was in the backyard.  Now, I'm not exactly a reptile person.  However, it was particularly fascinating to know that a turtle sometimes hangs out in my backyard.  I did a little research.  Pet turtles are a pretty common thing here in New York.  The thing I find most interesting about that is the length of time for which turtles live.  There is a significant chance that Harry will outlive Terry.  That's a serious commitment!

3) Beaches.
So, I'd never been to Staten Island before.  I'd never gotten off the ferry and I've ridden the ferry lots of time.  I never really knew everything that Staten Island has to offer.  One thing that is relatively unknown for non-New Yorkers is the beach.  Staten Island has, apparently because I have yet to visit, a beautiful beach.

4) Mexican food.
I am surrounded by Mexican food.  No one told me that I would be living in the middle of the Latino area.  As a Spanish major and Latin American studies minor, this is particularly exciting.  I honestly have yet to try any, but I will, I promise, and I'll get back to you :)

5) Driving/parking/standing.
So, this is probably the biggest difference between Staten Island and Grand Rapids.  I knew that city driving is not really what happens in Grand Rapids and so I came mentally prepared for that.  I also came to Staten Island with confident parallel parking skills.  The latter has come in VERY handy because that's all I do - parallel park.  The one thing that I didn't come prepared for was the way in which people "stand."
For example, if you want lunch from your favorite corner deli, many people would drive around the block looking for a parking spot, right?  Not here.  Here, if you pull up to your favorite corner deli and there aren't any spots, you just park in the street and put your flashers on... and run in.  This causes others to have to drive around them, which can be fun when they're parked on the corner near the stoplight/sign.  It's also fun when traffic is heavy.  It makes everyone pay a little more attention, though.
Two laws that affect me and the way I drive are that no cell phones are allowed while driving (this includes calls) and that you cannot turn right on red light.  Luckily I didn't find these out the hard way, but I could have in my first week.

6) Rain.
I kid you not, sometimes I wonder if I really moved to Seattle or London.  In the first two weeks I was here, it rained for 10 days.

7) Fort.
Did you know that Staten Island was where the British were stationed during the Revolutionary War?  In order to stop enemies from invading during World War 1 and the Spanish/American/Cuban War, a fort was built on Staten Island.  It was never needed to defend the city, but it looks cool and it was a fun exploration one sunny Saturday.