">
A friend from Philly asked me to post this video.

the holiday

This holiday season I have already been given time and opportunities to reflect on the holiday season and why we celebrate the way we do. I think before coming to mission year I had already prepared myself a little bit for a shift in my thinking in several areas. Two of the areas I feel the holiday speaks most clearly to me are in the forms of money and materialism, and how often they go hand in hand.

My experience with money during mission year has already been challenging. Being given $70 a month to meet all my needs is while not impossible living, very different than what I am used to. I have adapted somewhat well, but I still sometimes feel like this is just a game I am playing and not a real lifestyle. My first real opportunity to have this challenged came the day after thanksgiving when I participated in buy nothing day. I was presented with the facts of the gross over consumption of the US and Europe and was appalled by them. (www.adbusters.org) I took this newfound passion and joined the US anti-heroes and the simple way on the streets of Downtown Philly on black Friday and tried to encourage people to buy nothing and to find worth in the holiday itself, not the money and materialism that goes with it.

Black Friday of course is a lead in to Christmas, the biggest gift giving holiday of the year. Everywhere I have gone this month I have been presented with ideas of advent and the deep beautiful truth of Christmas that is very different than the ones seen on the television. I have heard more about that Christmas is a season where we should be anxiously awaiting the coming of Jesus. That our souls should be longing for him….longing. For me in the recent past Christmas has been more about longing for a break from classes and deeply desiring a new gift to entertain me. I think the way we have formed for ourselves a Christmas holiday that focuses on so much other than the actual person of Jesus has completely robbed us of the truth and deep meaning of the holiday. In me this is changing. I know that I am letting go begrudgingly of lots of the things about myself that I know are wrong, but that are so comfortable or natural in my life. Most of these things are tied up in how I view money and my possessions.

On Saturday I had another wonderful opportunity that I am beginning to feel is one of the best things about being in Philadelphia. I was able to take part in a presentation given by the http://www.alternativeseminary.com called Peace on Earth and the Politics of Christmas. The talk was amazing, and it completely deconstructed many of the thoughts that I had about Christmas and why I celebrate it the way I do. We mostly looked deeply at the birth narratives in the books of Matthew and Luke and saw how both of the stories are ones of intense crisis and scandal, not really the fuzzy feel good nativity scenes we see every year. I knew that I knew some of this in my head, but I had never taken it to heart.

One of the parts of the story in Matthew that I know I always breeze past is the part when Herod kills all the children under the age of two, trying to get rid of Jesus. This calculated infanticide was brutal and nasty, and is embedded in the “Christmas story”. It talks about how the mothers of these children wept and could not be comforted. We talked about some of the repercussions of this event. Like, did Jesus know that his birth had been the cause of all of this destruction? We asked the question what if the rest of the story that Matthew lines out in his gospel an answer to these weeping women telling them that there is hope. That the violence they experienced in an ancient and perpetual violence that the messiah had an answer to. The beatitutudes speak to the counter-cultural-ness of Jesus. Blessed are those who mourn.

We also talked about how the birth of Jesus completely upset the governmental power struggles of the day. Jesus was born and people were telling Herod that this baby was the king of the Jews. Herod was known to be a nasty ruler and was not going to take this. The infanticide that Herod mandated gave a feel of threat in this story that is definitely not warm and fuzzy. In the story that Luke tells we see the ‘divine’ power of Cesar in taking a census of the entire world. The nature of the census is that it would benefit Rome, who were occupying Israel at the time, in the forms of taxation, control, and military conscription. So in administering the census Cesar is only making his rule more powerful and controlling and the Jews hated this.

Joseph and Mary, we know, had to travel to Bethlehem for the census. Because of the census Bethlehem was in chaos with more people there than usual being there. This situation put Joseph and Mary into a form of functional homelessness squatting in a back alley somewhere, seeking refuge in a cave. Mary gave birth in this cave, probably alone, and put Jesus in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes. We have heard these words a thousand times, but what do they really imply. Jesus was wrapped in cloth because the stable was so nasty and Mary was doing whatever she could to try and keep him clean. He was put in a manger not because it was perfect for a baby and full of fresh smelling hay but because there was no other option. The fact that they are in such nasty circumstances shows us that they are marginalized by the powers of their day stuck, homeless in an alley with no medical help, giving birth. This is not romantic.

The angels then appear to sheppard’s to tell the good news of the birth of Christ. This would be like today going to sanitation workers and telling them this news first. It was a slap in the face to the imperial system showing that in God’s kingdom the first come last and the last come first. The heavenly hosts of angels that appear are more like a squadron of angels that are announcing the peace of Christ, Pax Christi in direct opposition to the Pax Romana that Cesar had initiated. This story is really a call to allegiance in asking the people the question who really runs the world?

sick awesome.

It is officially December. I am really excited about the holidays. Last night my roommates and I put together our Christmas tree and set out all the decorations we could find. Out decorations came as hand me downs from past years of Mission Year participants. The boxes were full of lights, garlands, and other various trinkets. My favorite was a miniature snow globe that looked like plastic television that had the nativity scene inside. There were also some plastic elves stocking hooks that Lu insisted were leprechauns. She didn’t enjoy the Christmas decorating as much as I did and thus mocked the decorations…I have forgiven her.

Our thanksgiving was good. We woke up early on the morning of and headed to center city (downtown) for the Thanksgiving Day parade. Lu, Amy and I decided to walk. We thought that public transport might be down or really slow. I am not naturally much of a walker but hanging out with Amy has inspired/forced me to walk really long distances already this year. So after the 4 mile walk into center city we sat and watched an awesome parade complete with the giant inflated balloons shaped like Garfield and Hello Kitty, marching bands, and various celebrities. I might have also seen Rachel Ray live in person. There were also approx. 98 clowns in this parade, which would have really freaked Bre out had she been with me. I took some pictures to scare her with later.

After the parade we came home took naps and just rested before dinner. Around 5 we headed to our neighbors house for a night of eating. I walked into the kitchen and I didn’t see a lot of food and was thinking that it was going to be a small meal. WRONG. I walked down into the basement and there were about 15 huge trays full of food. I was immediately handed a bowl of goat soup (my neighbors are Jamaican) that I cheerfully ate trying to avoid the bones and other items that I was questionable on what they were. They had a huge spread of traditional thanksgiving food with tons of Jamaican food mixed in. It was an awesome meal. There were probably about 50 people there over the course of the night eating, playing domino's, and just talking. The night ended with rum cake, which I have learned is a staple in Jamaican homes. I went home full and happy.

The day after thanksgiving is known by a lot of people as black Friday. Some of my friends and I embraced the opposite and celebrated Buy Nothing Day. Partnering with our friends at the simple way we headed to downtown dressed in crazy costumes and handed out free hot chocolate and encouraged people to be counter-cultural and buy nothing. It was really fun to act ridiculous and to hear that people really agree with us. They agree that the holidays are a time for family and friends, not for consumerism and spending. I might have more to say on this later, for now you can check out this http://www.sojo.net/blog/godspolitics/?p=4220 and see the perspective of one of my fellow my Buy Nothing Day participants.

I have also had a revelation over that past couple of weeks about what really brings me joy. Working with people applying for jobs, filling out rental assistance, getting LIHEAP applications in the mail gives me joy. The days that I have spent laboring with people over theses types of things have been the most joy filled days I have had here in Philly. As I am praying through what graduate program I should do in the fall, or over whether or not I should even do grad school, God is showing me what brings me joy. Joy is not being with kids all day. Joy is not sitting in an office all day. I am slowly learning what the future might look like for me, and it is exciting.

Snow!

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

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

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.

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