I woke up this morning to snow outside on the ground. I know that it is to early to celebrate christmas, but it sure felt like it outside. Check in soon for an update on my day after thanksgiving...a.k.a buy nothing day. More to come.
Here are some pictures of the last month here in Philly.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cCfmoQG6x4y58S0KigEnRg
Friday, November 21, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
ferret or mink?
A few slightly significant things have happened in the past few days. I am mostly just continuing to settle into life here. For the most part it is good, but some parts aren’t so easy.
Last Thursday I went to my volunteer site at Southwest Community Development Corporation. I haven’t been super busy there so I thought I would probably spend the day doing some menial task that I really didn’t enjoy. Instead I got thrown into the world of emergency grants for energy/heating needs. Miss Anna is the lady at SWCDC that handles LIHEAP and Crisis, programs that give aid to families who can’t pay their heating bills. Miss Anna gave me a crash course in how to apply for these programs and then sent people to me so I could go through their paper work and help them get the help they needed. I met some really cool people. I met one guy who was a young dad and father of two. He worked really hard, and his wife had even started to work part time to try and make ends meet. At the end of that they still didn’t have enough money to pay their bills and their gas was turned off. I got to work with him and do something really small to help him and his family. It was a really good day.
Saturday I smelled like fish most of the day. That morning most of us in the house went with Lu (our housemate) to one of her service sites to help with a fundraiser. This fundraiser was of course selling fried fish platters. (I hate to eat and smell like fried fish). They also had a flea market there and I bought an awesome necklace. My housemate Tera also bought something. We think that it once was a ferret or perhaps a mink. It is really gross and has already given us hours of entertainment. After that some of us headed to our local library to join in a protest. Over the past few weeks in Philly there has been some unrest because of Mayor Nutter’s budget cuts. Some of the things that are being cut are public libraries and public swimming pools. Most of the libraries that are being cut are in low income areas where people need access to the internet. So our library (www.savekingsessinglibrary.com) is being cut and it really sucks. There was an awesome rally about it with speeches from our elected officials on what we can do to make sure the Library isn’t closed. There is another rally next week that I will try and take pictures at.
Last but not least I might have washed my phone at the Laundromat. Ok I did wash my phone. I couldn’t find it on Sunday after I had a long conversation with Brooke and Catlin, and I just supposed that it was somewhere I couldn’t find. I even checked the pockets of my pants. So actually I have no idea how it got into the washing machine, but it did. Amazingly enough it still functions almost normally. The screen goes out every once in a while, but that is nothing that I can’t handle. My mom said I completed the circle that my sister started (Sarah dropping hers in a cup of water, Deborah flushing hers down a toilet). Glad I could bring something into completion.
Rebekah
Last Thursday I went to my volunteer site at Southwest Community Development Corporation. I haven’t been super busy there so I thought I would probably spend the day doing some menial task that I really didn’t enjoy. Instead I got thrown into the world of emergency grants for energy/heating needs. Miss Anna is the lady at SWCDC that handles LIHEAP and Crisis, programs that give aid to families who can’t pay their heating bills. Miss Anna gave me a crash course in how to apply for these programs and then sent people to me so I could go through their paper work and help them get the help they needed. I met some really cool people. I met one guy who was a young dad and father of two. He worked really hard, and his wife had even started to work part time to try and make ends meet. At the end of that they still didn’t have enough money to pay their bills and their gas was turned off. I got to work with him and do something really small to help him and his family. It was a really good day.
Saturday I smelled like fish most of the day. That morning most of us in the house went with Lu (our housemate) to one of her service sites to help with a fundraiser. This fundraiser was of course selling fried fish platters. (I hate to eat and smell like fried fish). They also had a flea market there and I bought an awesome necklace. My housemate Tera also bought something. We think that it once was a ferret or perhaps a mink. It is really gross and has already given us hours of entertainment. After that some of us headed to our local library to join in a protest. Over the past few weeks in Philly there has been some unrest because of Mayor Nutter’s budget cuts. Some of the things that are being cut are public libraries and public swimming pools. Most of the libraries that are being cut are in low income areas where people need access to the internet. So our library (www.savekingsessinglibrary.com) is being cut and it really sucks. There was an awesome rally about it with speeches from our elected officials on what we can do to make sure the Library isn’t closed. There is another rally next week that I will try and take pictures at.
Last but not least I might have washed my phone at the Laundromat. Ok I did wash my phone. I couldn’t find it on Sunday after I had a long conversation with Brooke and Catlin, and I just supposed that it was somewhere I couldn’t find. I even checked the pockets of my pants. So actually I have no idea how it got into the washing machine, but it did. Amazingly enough it still functions almost normally. The screen goes out every once in a while, but that is nothing that I can’t handle. My mom said I completed the circle that my sister started (Sarah dropping hers in a cup of water, Deborah flushing hers down a toilet). Glad I could bring something into completion.
Rebekah
Monday, November 10, 2008
no money, no problems
Saturday I spent the day at a banquet (thanks Linda for the inspiration). This was not a regular banquet with silver platters and cloth napkins folded into swans. I wasn’t dressed particularly nice or very nice at all actually. Most of the food I ate was in a paper bag. Some of the food I ate was kind of gross. Oh and the banquet lasted all day and was outside, even when it rained.
Saturday those of us participating in mission year were challenged to spend the entire day on the streets of downtown Philly without the security of money, cell phones, or even our own clothing. I was wary of course, like I usually am when I am told not asked to do something. I went into the day thinking that I knew almost everything I needed to know about homelessness and the problems of poverty in America. How truly, madly, deeply wrong I was (sorry for that unforgiveable T.L.C. reference).
I spent the day with two other mission year girls (Faith and Linda). We got dropped off in the middle of downtown Philly with a few directions on how to spend our day. I suggested heading towards the Library because I knew a lot of homeless people hung out around there. My day began by eating turkey, sweet potatoes, and dressing with Larry at 7:45 that morning. When I met Larry I was having an inner struggle about how I had nothing to give these people and how helpless this made me feel. Not just helpless, but that I had lost a sense of pride of entitlement that I usually have when I enter ministry. Larry made me go over and get a platter of food. I ate in solidarity with him, even giving him the turkey leg that I was most definitely not excited to eat.
After Larry I met Keith. Keith and I drank coffee together. He suggested that I become a model. I politely declined. He then proceeded to refer to transsexuals as transformers (not on purpose) making me laugh. His friend gave me his apple when I asked where he got it.
Essentially the rest of the banquet day consisted of several moments very similar. Simple, beautiful, people loving and providing for each other, even me a stranger that they had just met. I met Angel a wonderfully kind man who told me he had lived on the streets of Philly for over 20 years (I heard this from more than one person). Angel started calling me Rebekah Copperfield because he was always taken greatly by surprise when I got out of my seat and “disappeared”. Sonya sang me heat wrenchingly beautiful songs about the Holy Spirit and God. Granted she also sang me a crazy song about George Bush, but It was still beautiful. Rome gave me a big purple blanket when it got cold outside. Fred took care of us all day and told us who was ok to hang out with. He also took us on a tour of some of the homeless hotspots of Philadelphia complete with his commentary. His knowledge of Philadelphia is pretty amazing. I would recommend him as a tour guide to anyone wanting to visit the city of brotherly love.
The people I met on Saturday gave me so much. Not only did they help me get food and give me a blanket when I was cold. They gave me their time without limit. There was never once mention of what to do next or where someone had to be soon. We just were together. They gave me friendship; even after they knew that we were just on the streets to learn more about it, not because we had no other options. It was beautiful to have a day where I was with people who loved without pre-requisites and limits.
My day was good. After a week of politics (i.e. me getting really upset that some people are getting really upset about the “future of our nation”/racism) It was really healing to spend a day on the streets with no money and for a little while no problems.
Saturday those of us participating in mission year were challenged to spend the entire day on the streets of downtown Philly without the security of money, cell phones, or even our own clothing. I was wary of course, like I usually am when I am told not asked to do something. I went into the day thinking that I knew almost everything I needed to know about homelessness and the problems of poverty in America. How truly, madly, deeply wrong I was (sorry for that unforgiveable T.L.C. reference).
I spent the day with two other mission year girls (Faith and Linda). We got dropped off in the middle of downtown Philly with a few directions on how to spend our day. I suggested heading towards the Library because I knew a lot of homeless people hung out around there. My day began by eating turkey, sweet potatoes, and dressing with Larry at 7:45 that morning. When I met Larry I was having an inner struggle about how I had nothing to give these people and how helpless this made me feel. Not just helpless, but that I had lost a sense of pride of entitlement that I usually have when I enter ministry. Larry made me go over and get a platter of food. I ate in solidarity with him, even giving him the turkey leg that I was most definitely not excited to eat.
After Larry I met Keith. Keith and I drank coffee together. He suggested that I become a model. I politely declined. He then proceeded to refer to transsexuals as transformers (not on purpose) making me laugh. His friend gave me his apple when I asked where he got it.
Essentially the rest of the banquet day consisted of several moments very similar. Simple, beautiful, people loving and providing for each other, even me a stranger that they had just met. I met Angel a wonderfully kind man who told me he had lived on the streets of Philly for over 20 years (I heard this from more than one person). Angel started calling me Rebekah Copperfield because he was always taken greatly by surprise when I got out of my seat and “disappeared”. Sonya sang me heat wrenchingly beautiful songs about the Holy Spirit and God. Granted she also sang me a crazy song about George Bush, but It was still beautiful. Rome gave me a big purple blanket when it got cold outside. Fred took care of us all day and told us who was ok to hang out with. He also took us on a tour of some of the homeless hotspots of Philadelphia complete with his commentary. His knowledge of Philadelphia is pretty amazing. I would recommend him as a tour guide to anyone wanting to visit the city of brotherly love.
The people I met on Saturday gave me so much. Not only did they help me get food and give me a blanket when I was cold. They gave me their time without limit. There was never once mention of what to do next or where someone had to be soon. We just were together. They gave me friendship; even after they knew that we were just on the streets to learn more about it, not because we had no other options. It was beautiful to have a day where I was with people who loved without pre-requisites and limits.
My day was good. After a week of politics (i.e. me getting really upset that some people are getting really upset about the “future of our nation”/racism) It was really healing to spend a day on the streets with no money and for a little while no problems.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Life has been really hectic the last few weeks. With the Phillies winning the world series and Barack Obama being elected president, Philadelphia has been in a constant state of euphoria. Regardless of your sport or political opinions I think that most people would have enjoyed the absolute craziness of the past few weeks here in Philly. Who doesn't like to hear random gun shots into the air signaling happiness instead of anger.
Ever since I have gotten here to Philly I have been bombarded with information about the presidential election. People here were so excited about voting and having the opportunity to bring change to our nation. I will stay politically bi-partisan in this post, but I can tell you that I have met not one John McCain supporter since I have been in Philly. Walking down Chester Avenue I see tons of t-shirts with Barack Obama's picture on them. People are really excited. I decided to register and vote in Pennsylvania and had a really great experience going to the polls Tuesday morning with about 100 of my neighbors. There was just an air of excitement as people stood in line for 30 minute to an hour to vote.
That night my roommates and I headed over to our neighbors Vincent and Marjories house to watch election coverage, because we of course have no television. We sat for a few hours watching them assure us that there was no possible way that McCain could win, but never coming out and saying that Barack was going to win. When the announcement came our neighbor Marjorie danced around in her bathrobe singing impromptu songs about Obama and stomping and calling all her friends and family.
It was a good day. Not because the right person got elected or because the wrong person lost. It was a good day because I got to witness history being made. I got to sit and watch as hundreds of years of oppression and hate from both sides of the racial divide shifted just a little bit (not enough) as an African American became president of the United States. Regardless of your political views on the "most liberal man in the world" this is pretty cool.
Anyway, if I made you mad I apologize. The rest of my week has been good. Last Sunday my roommates and I and all the other Mission Year participants in the city went through commisioning. We all created and signed covenants together for our upcoming year of service. It was a special night that I really enjoyed. The picture above is of our the covenant that my team made together.
Christmas is right around the corner. I saw shops covered with Christmas decorations on my way here to U Penn campus. Sick. Hope everyone has a wonderful week covered in the love and protection of God and only God.
Rebekah
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