Lots to tell, but only 32 minutes to do it in. So lets dive in...
Early morning again--545am simply is crap. Back home, my clock actually skips 1am to 6am, and goes directly to 7am, so having an alarm (this morning it was California Dreamin') that early is just ghastly.
Breakfast at the West Way Cafe, this time with both Joshes and the rest of the regular crew. They serve belgian waffles on the weekend, so guess where we'll be eating on Saturday?
Typical morning, we all met again at the lobby of the West Side Inn, and headed out to the 103rd street station to taek a ride up to 174th street in the Bronx. This time Josh B got off at the right stop. We all stopped into our favorite $1 20 oz coke & 50 cent water place, Williams Grocery, though someone commented that they didnt think there were too many Williams in there. Maybe a few Juans, or some Chavezes.
27 minutes left. My problem is that i have to stop and correct typos, b ecause i just cant stand the thought of you people thinking i cant spell correctly. Plus, this computer is really slow. It took me 1 minute & 9 seconds to type that last sentence.
Kendall showed up a few minutes later and we began to set up for Upward, day three. We didnt expect a huge crowd today (though tomorrow we may see 150 kids, all wanting their free basketball) and we were ready to scrimmage twice, especially to get the big kids to do something besides mess with the smaller kids. Little by little, they trickled in, many more older kids than we had seen before. Jason came in again, and Gaby, the "F" word kid, came back. Ray, the proclaimed "coach of the world" because he like to steal our clipboards and draw up random, ridiculous plays, showed up for a third day, and there were some kids actually waiting for us when we got there, including Mylady, Jenny and our own Spanish translator, Juan. All three of the latter kids were huge helps over the course of the morning.
The day began running smoothly enough, with your typical problems from some kids... there is this one kid named Jordan--I was actually asking myself that "If i promise to repent later, is it bad to shoot a kid in the butt with a bb gun for mere enjoyment?" This kid is about 11, maybe 12, and everytime I turned around, he was going for the basketball pile. We learned after the first day to round up the balls between drills, devotions and other times they werent necessary.
(there is this foreign chick staying in the room next to where the computers are located, and this is the third night this week shes come out in nothing but a t-shirt to go to the showers. She seems a bit hairy, so the thought of looking doesnt really cross my mind, but i find it strange. I only mention it because she just came out again... in just a towel. Between her and the naked french guy, its like we are staying in the Cinemax hotel. And i have 16 minutes left)
Jordan... so, anyway, this kid is always leaving his coach and running to the balls to try to get one. I've stopped him everytime, and so he's resorted to anything he can think of, leading to this exchange today:
Jordan: "Gimme a ball!"
Me: "Jordan, I told you... you cant have a ball. All you will do is shoot hoops and not be in your group"
Jordan (pointing): "But I brought that ball there!"
Me: "Dude, that ball says 'Upward' on it, in ink"
Jordan: "But... um... coach told me to get a ball!"
Me: "Who's your coach?"
Jordan: "I dont know his name"
Me: "Right. Go back to your group before i give you a wedgie, man."
Okay, I have 7 minutes left, and I have to tell you about two things before I go...
I walked up to Jason, and shook his hand, and said "Hey, Jason. I want you to know that right now in Alabama, there are about 100 people you've never heard of praying for you right now, by name."
I understand that by saying "100", I am grossly overestimating the popularity of this site, but bear with me...
He looked funny, and said, "They know my name?"
And I said "Yeah man. They are all lifting your name up to God."
He said nothing for a second, and then for the first time, I saw him smile. He simply said, "Cool". The first time I saw him smile... cool indeed.
One minute.
Pray for:
Eric who prayed to receive Christ today... his story later...
Tomorrow, and the crazy day it will be...
TO BE CONTINUED!!
(Everything you read from here until the end of this post, Im writing on friday afternoon, after camp and our last day painting... before i tell you about it, though, i really want to finish thursday...)
Where was I? Okay, let's pick up about the middle of camp. Everyone has come together, and Josh is presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ. Right smack in the middle is Gaby, and "Bob", who's really named Darrin. And during the presentation of the gospel, they did everything they could to distract Josh, the other kids and basically get some attention. Oh, there were other kids too, but these two stood out. Really irritated me that they didnt have enough respect to sit for five minutes, or even just leave... I know, they mimic what they are taught, either in the home or on the streets, but that didnt make it any less irritating. At one point, Gaby even called me a few names, mostly in Spanish (one of which meant"white boy", which makes me think young Gaby ain't too bright... after a week in the sun, I'm darker than many of these black kids, including Gaby). Anyway, Josh prayed at the end, and a few made a few jokes at his, and our expense. When finished, he walked away seemingly very frustrated.
The kids broke up in their teams to play basketball (of which I had the aforementioned short conversation with Jason) and I noticed Tim talking to one guy who looked in his late teens. Shortly after, camp was over, kids got thier t-shirts, and most went home. Juan stayed to help clean-up, when Tim came over and said that they guy he was just talking too was named Eric, he is 18, and a few short moments ago, Eric accepted Christ. After Josh's talk, Eric and Tim ended up talking, Eric asked questions, Tim answered them with Truth, and Eric took the next step. We were all pretty excited about it, to say the least.
We had our lunch, and then Juan walked us to the bus stop--we had looked for it the day before, and ended up at a stop several blocks down, waiting for a bus that never came... we missed the stop we were supposed to be at, because the sidewalk was covered in high scaffolding, and the bus stop sign was beyond it. Juan was the man.
(so now the time is 536p, on friday, EST, and we are headed out in 45 minutes... this post will be finished tonight, I promise!!)
(Now its 1238 on Saturday morning... I'm going to do my best to get through the rest of Thursday and all of Friday, though Friday is a long post with lots to tell... so bear with me. And thanks for reading!)
Where were we? Ah yes, we had just finished with camp, and was leaving Crotona Park. We caught the bus at the bus stop where we were supposed to be, and then rode over to our other stop, which was about 50 yards from PS 63.
We got up to the school, and began to long walk up The Infernal Stairs. 26 stairs per flight... 4 flights... you do the math (because I'm too tired to). When we get to the top, everyone just plops on the floor for a minute, legs quivering, eyes bulging, all short of breath. The stairs are evil in concrete form, there is no disputing that.
Jimmy came in, and let us know that the asbestos room still had asbestos in it, so we should finish up what we were doing. So, Tim, Larry, Josh C and I started to finish the room we were in by painting and doing trim work, while Colby, Philip, Staci, Natalie and Mark continued prepping their room and getting ready to paint it. Within an hour or so, we were both almost finished... and then something we had not heard since we'd been in Alabama. Thunder.
It began to rain. Then it began to monsoon. Then the winds picked up, rain starting coming through the open windows, which we promptly shut making it extremely hot in there. By the bathroom, there was a cage over the window, and the window was open, allowing for rain to flood in. At one point, the rain started coming down completely horizontal, and for a few minutes it was very ugly. Tim swore it was a tornado, and though i have my doubts here in NYC, I can imagine winds like that in trailer-park filled Alabama.
We finished up the rooms, and cleaned up after ourselves. The nine of us trundled down the steps around 345p, over an hour earlier than we had planned to leave, and out into the rain, which had slacked up considerably. We hiked to the bus stop, standing under a few awnings, and got on when our bus arrived. Everyone was thinking of what the plans were for their different groups, and knowing how wonderful this extra hour was going to be.
Oh, how the silly dream.
The bus took a detour from the street we usually go down, because for some reason, that street was closed. And we hit traffic. Colby said "so is this what a New York traffic jam is like?" Slowly but surely, we inched down to our stop, but by the time we got on our train, our extra hour had vanished. It was decided that this time, we would all just hit the showers and get with whatever group was going.
Chuck had managed to procure cheap Broadway tickets for Beauty & The Beast, and that was the plan for he, Daniel and Larry. Larry commented later that it was worth the price of admission just to sit in an AC filled room for three hours and not have to walk anywhere.
Philip, Colby, Mark, Josh C and Staci were headed to Carmine's, apparently a very good Italian place that Josh had been too before and was salivating about on the bus.
It was Geryl's birthday (happy 32nd!) so she and her husband Tim went out for a nice evening of dinner and dessert at Carne's, just down the street.
Me, however... CONEY ISLAND. And I took Paula, Josh B, Brandon, Natalie and Anna Lynn with me. I cant remember if I told you this or not, but lets just say that when I was in NYC in 2002 doing missions, I had a chance to ride the Cyclone, which is the old rickety wooden coaster there on the Boardwalk of Coney, next to Astroland. Astroland is basically NYC's version of Miracle Strip Amusement Park...
And can I briefly rabbit trail and say that it bothers me that Miracle Strip is gone? I mean, come on... it didnt cost THAT much to keep it running, did it? The Starlighter Coaster alone was worth the price!
...and anyway, I was going to ride it. However, I gave up that chance to do something for Him, so I missed my chance, and for three long years, that coaster has haunted me. Its called to me. Its spoken to me. It wants me to come to it.
And as we boarded the train to ride to Coney Island, I was almost giddy. Of course, in my glee, I read the subway map a little wrong, and instead of taking the same train all the way down there, I thought I would be quicker and have us transfer to another train... turns out, once we transferred, I realized my mistake. We didnt have to backtrack, and it was about the same time to get there (just a different track) but we had to get up, sit down, get up and sit down again.
We got to Coney, and we decided to eat at Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs there on the beach. Natalie went to the ATM machine, and discovered that her ATM card was jacked up, so I let her have money for food. Though she is my friend and I wouldnt change a thing, this would come back to haunt me later...
Anyway, we all ate hot dogs and fries, and Anna Lynn had a 2nd dog, and after dinner , we took a stroll on the Coney Island Boardwalk. You know that song "under the boardwalk, we'll be falling in love, under the boardwalk, blah blah blah blah..." Yeah, this the Boardwalk that its from. (hate that song), Incidentally, there will be no falling in love under the boardwalk anymore, because several years ago, they boarded up the bottom of the boardwalk because so many homeless people lived there.
Let me tell you about Coney Island. I met a man in 2002 who had lived there on Coney for about 35 years. All his life he did the same thing... he collected aluminum cans and galss bottles off the beach in shopping carts, turning in the cans for money and taking that money to buy beer and food with. The next day, he did the same thing. He lived under the walkway for a long time, and when they shut that down, he "moved" into an old, abandon building. This is his whole life... no purpose, no meaning... no knowledge of God or even a caring attitude about it. Very sad. Coney is a very "the poor is poor and the rich come and visit, then go home to be rich" kind of place. Paula said later that she felt very out of place there, and that something about the place just bothered her. I can understand it, but I think Coney Island is where I would want to minister if I lived here full time. Thats not a hint, God, so please dont take it as such. The Lovely Steph Leann gets cold in 92 degree weather, so she wouldnt like it.
The park, Astroland, is a basic "pay per ride" kind of place. You buy your tickets, and then go on the ride you want. Anna Lynn wanted to ride the go-carts, which cost $5 to ride, and Josh and Brandon were going to go with her, while Nat and Paula found a bathroom (which, they learned, cost 25 cents to use). The go-cart guy looked at Anna Lynn and said "You're too showt... (looked at Brandon) you even showta... (looks at Josh) You wanna ride et?" Josh said no, and we left.
We ended up riding this 3-D virtual reality similator thing, one of those deals that rocks and moves while you sit in it. It was a roller coaster ride, and we all got on (Natalie, with no cash, was my date for the night, so I bought hers) except for Paula. The ride was crap. Thats all I got to say about that.
Finally... it was time. Years of waiting had come to this. I was going to ride the Coney Island Cyclone. I had heard that if you ride it over and over, the rides get cheaper, so I was ready. I was even preparing myself for the slight chance that, at 9pm, it wasn't open... no matter, I told myself, I would have ridden it, and thats the point. Though I would have been crushed.
Brandon was too short (again) and Anna Lynn actually made it (though it was the heels she was wearing) through... Josh paid for his, and I bought mine and Natalie's again. And we made our way up the ramp to the coaster. I couldnt wipe the grin off my face for anything in the world. The coaster looked beautiful, this grand concoction of metal and wood, the tracks lined with old boards, chipped white paint and lights that would have flashed "CYCLONE" if they all worked at the same time. Someone was in the front car... no matter. Josh and I got in the second row, while Anna Lynn and Natalie got in the row behind us.
A simple padded bar would keep us in our seats, though if the coaster collapsed like I thought it might, no padded bar would have saved us. But please, I prayed, dont let it collapse until I've ridden it once. And the guy didnt even pushed a button... no... this guy had a big red lever he pushed from one side to the other. And we were off.
I was on the Cyclone, and I closed my eyes and couldnt think of anything I would rather be doing. Perhaps my beautiful wife beside me instead of Josh would have made it better, but there wasn't much room for improvement from where I was at the time. The coaster hit the top of the first drop, and then plunged.
The ride was great... it was one of the longer coasters I've ever been on, and I was giggling like Stephanie was the day I asked her out the whole way. When the train pulled into the station, the sign said "ride again for 4 bucks", so as Anna Lynn made her way to the exit, Josh and I both jumped in and headed for the back car.
I dont know how much you know about roller coasters, particularly wooden ones, particularly wooden OLD coasters, but the back row tends to have some "whip appeal" to it. Think of the Georgia Cyclone... that Cyclone is a tricycle ride around the Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) parking lot compared to this Cyclone. This ride was rough. Very, very rough. And when we got done, they said "Two people ride for $5!". And I would have done it... except I had one dollar in my pocket, because Natalie and I had shared the evening's expenses. Josh had none either, so we made our way to the exit.
Anna Lynn actually rode it again by herself, while we waiting. There I was, covered in sweat and dripping with the joy that can only come in third to Stephanie's Love (2nd) and Christ's Love (1st... duh), the joy that is a three year anticipation of a roller coaster that has reached finality. I love my life.
Its 124am, and I'm going to write up Friday's blog tomorrow, because frankly, there is too much to tell...
So tune in tomorrow night, when you'll read about:
--The New Generation with Tamika and Nichole
--Kendell's prayers
--Manny's story
--The final day of camp
--Ed
and finally... being fluid.
ps... The Lovely Steph Leann... I love you, baby, and cant wait to see you in a few days. Get your long PJs out, however, because we are cranking the AC down to about 65 for the night when I get home.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
NYC Entry #6: Lots of Things to Caulk About
First, let me clear up a few things that I missed...
The reason all the kids were gone today wasn't a church event, it was a nonprofit org. called Childrens Aid Society. They had something going on today (and will have it tomorrow) that prevented the kids from coming back.
Also, it was Jenny, not Monica, who was only here because her mom made her come. But Monica is still "too cool for school".
Finally, something I missed yesterday in telling, and when I remember it, I was in bed, so I wasn't coming down again. When we were on the bus yesterday leaving the Bronx school we were in, Staci sat next to a girl who was also working in the school with us. Turns out her group is staying in the hotel we had orginally planned on staying in... and its a real hostile, not just a "sorta" hostile like the one we have now. What I mean is, this girl said she and the only other girl on the trip are staying in a large room with eight other women they dont know, all in bunks. She said the night before, people didnt stop coming in and out until around 5am, and she had to be up an hour or so later. There is a good chance our girls would have had to stay in this large room had we stayed there... so praise God for the West Side Inn. Did I just say that?
So, this morning was so difficult to get going. I have the alarm on my phone set for 530, but somehow hearing "September" by Earth Wind & Fire just sucks that early. I rolled out of bed, got a shower...
...so this shower tub thing going on... Its got a sliding door to get in the shower, but the top of the door & the rail barely touches my head (meaning Larry had to duck under it). The door also doesnt really close from the inside, so you have to pull it as much as you can leaving a slight crack big enough to get your fingers in to open it. And after looking at it today, I'm estimating the opening to be about two feet wide. No kidding. The toilet is also by a window that people like to leave open, and if you aren't careful, people in the windows about twenty feet away can see you, sitting or standing...
...and then got ready. I met Chuck & Daniel, Larry and Mark, and this time Staci joined us for breakfast at the West Way Cafe. Paula and Brandon came stumbling in a few minutes later. Breakfast was good, and we met everyone in the lobby at 7am to leave (except for Natalie, who overslept and came down about 705a), then trundled off to the 103rd Street Station.
I have two blisters on my right foot, and they hurt like crap. I walk with a limp at this moment. Yes, I've treated them. They still hurt. But I digress.
The most exciting thing about the morning--other than the fact we're in NEW YORK CITY BABY!!!--was that little Josh B let Staci get off in front of him at our Bronx stop, upon which the doors closed on him and the train left, Josh still on it. We all had previously done a plan, however... if you get left on the train, you get off on the next stop, and someone will come to you and you come back together. Paula hopped on the next train, and a few minutes later, they both showed up.
Im tired, so I'm going ramble. There is this Mexican grocery store right around the corner from Crotona, and for whatever reason, all their stuff is really cheap. I can get a bottled water there for fifty cents, and 20 oz Cokes for $1, no tax. Their bathroom is a little sketch, with the fly filled flypaper hanging down from the middle of the ceiling, but other than than, its cool.
After I got my water, we all joined up at Crotona, meeting Kendall there again. Manny arrived with his big truck of supplies, and we unloaded and set up for Day Two of Upward Basketball. Most of the kids that were here yesterday are with the Children's Aid Society, so we only had about 40. It could be considered disappointing, but know with that few kids, we can build much more personal relationships than if each coach had, say, 12 kids of their own.
One of our coaches didnt even have any of kids show up, but a few more had all of theirs and then some. From 10 to noon, kids just showed up and signed up at random, which was great. We had two guys, however, that you have to know. Carlos and Sammy. Carlos is a special needs kid that, to look at him, looks perfectly fine. I think Natalie said "he's a little slow". Anyway, this guy has won several special olympic medals in swimming and basketbal, and his little brother, Sammy, who has down syndrome, also was there. Their mom, Beatrice, said that Sammy hates the summer and the hot weather, and has refused to go play outside all summer, until this morning.
Carlos asked Staci, "Does my name sound english or spanish?" and before she could answer, he said "cause i know more english than i do spanish." Good for a laugh, I thought.
Pray that Carlos and Sammy come back, with their mom, so that we can go a little more in depth with them about God.
We had a few troubles this morning--Devon and DeAngelo come to mind (they kept coming over to get water as an excuse to not participate, and then proceeded to make fun of the other kids--these guys are like, 12 or something)--but mostly it was a very smooth morning, as you would expect with 40 kids and not 110.
Jason, the 16 year old, came back. He wandered around again, jumping in here and there. Pray for us that we'll have a chance to break through to him, and get him involved somehow.
Another kid, Juan, was kind of a punk at times, but he speaks fluent spanish, and we used him to talk to some other kids. We are hoping that by making him feel needed, we can keep him around.
Also, some of the girls wanted to have their prayer requests known... Lorin (sick godfather); Mylady (said "meh-lady") and Jenny's dad (needs a job).
Around 12, we handed the kids their prizes (an upward watch) and said bye, and settled down for a lunch that Geryl had gone and gotten us. Turkey & Ham sandwiches, with cold soft drinks and chips, and the sno-cone man coming around made it just perfect.
While Chuck and Daniel departed (headed off to the Bronx Zoo with Anna Lynn, Josh B & Brandon) because they couldnt be in the school, Geryl & Paula graciously agreed to do laundry, which I needed very badly. The rest of us went to PS 63. After waiting at a bus stop for a bus that never came, we continued on the several blocks, then up the 5 flights of steps--each flight had 26 steps to it... it was evil.
Philip, Colby and Tim had worked together on a room, but Jimmy told them that their room was being treated for asbestos, but they could still go in. They made the call to work in the other classrooms with us, Tim with me, Larry and Josh, and Philip & Colby with Mark, Staci and Nat. Our room was farther along then there room, having done much prep work yesteday. Their room needed more prep than ours, so halfway into the work time, we had gotten to the point where we could paint. Tim started off by doing nothing but caulking cracks and spackling holes in the wall... yeah, it was that bad. We primed a few areas, taped off some more, and then Josh and Larry grabbed long arm roller brushes to work on the top of the walls, while I poured some paint into a small bucket and began to do trim work.
Tim was still caulking.
I ended up climbing on top of a high cabinet, taking short steps as I was unsure of how steady the cabinet would be, and whether I'd fall through or not, and painted up high and around corners.
And Tim was still caulking.
Josh and Larry put two coats in many places, getting all the wide open spaces on the walls, and then did some trim work too.
And Tim... yeah, still caulking. Actually, he did that from around 120pm to about 430 or so. His hands were gross. However, the group I mentioned before, staying in the real hostile with the large women's sleeping quarters? They were working on the other side of the building, with no air conditioning (we had two of the large metal fans and two box fans blowing full strength) and their room was twice the size of ours, and the walls were in much worse condition.
Finally, around 430, we stopped and began to clean up.
Okay, its midnight right now... let me tell you what happened in short form:
--Came back to hotel, where Paula handed out our clean, folded laundry, which in my bag included two pairs of Hanes tighty whiteys, which I dont wear, and no other guy will claim, making me think they are lying or some strange guy left his laundry in the dryer and I ended up with it.
--Rode to Rockefeller Center as a group, with plans to see St Patricks Cathderal.
--Cathderal plans nixed, smaller groups form to go eat dinner.
--Josh B, Paula, Brandon and I go eat at Carnigie's Deli, where I have a roast beef sandwich that literally was four or five inches thick, and a piece of genuine NY cheesecake that would just make you slap your memaw and ask for more gravy. Good times, good times.
--Our planned return subway station was closed, but we made it back around 11pm. I'm tired now.
Now, let me conclude by saying this... thank you for your notes of encouragement. I've read Steph's, Tebe's, Daniel & Jen's, Mrs Lynn's, and this morning I read Amy's and this evening I read Mikey's. You guys rock. You dont know how much I look forward to reading them and how I've fought the urge to open them all up. Thanks for praying for us, and for me, and thanks for diligently reading this like I know many of you have.
Until tomorrow, I say...
The reason all the kids were gone today wasn't a church event, it was a nonprofit org. called Childrens Aid Society. They had something going on today (and will have it tomorrow) that prevented the kids from coming back.
Also, it was Jenny, not Monica, who was only here because her mom made her come. But Monica is still "too cool for school".
Finally, something I missed yesterday in telling, and when I remember it, I was in bed, so I wasn't coming down again. When we were on the bus yesterday leaving the Bronx school we were in, Staci sat next to a girl who was also working in the school with us. Turns out her group is staying in the hotel we had orginally planned on staying in... and its a real hostile, not just a "sorta" hostile like the one we have now. What I mean is, this girl said she and the only other girl on the trip are staying in a large room with eight other women they dont know, all in bunks. She said the night before, people didnt stop coming in and out until around 5am, and she had to be up an hour or so later. There is a good chance our girls would have had to stay in this large room had we stayed there... so praise God for the West Side Inn. Did I just say that?
So, this morning was so difficult to get going. I have the alarm on my phone set for 530, but somehow hearing "September" by Earth Wind & Fire just sucks that early. I rolled out of bed, got a shower...
...so this shower tub thing going on... Its got a sliding door to get in the shower, but the top of the door & the rail barely touches my head (meaning Larry had to duck under it). The door also doesnt really close from the inside, so you have to pull it as much as you can leaving a slight crack big enough to get your fingers in to open it. And after looking at it today, I'm estimating the opening to be about two feet wide. No kidding. The toilet is also by a window that people like to leave open, and if you aren't careful, people in the windows about twenty feet away can see you, sitting or standing...
...and then got ready. I met Chuck & Daniel, Larry and Mark, and this time Staci joined us for breakfast at the West Way Cafe. Paula and Brandon came stumbling in a few minutes later. Breakfast was good, and we met everyone in the lobby at 7am to leave (except for Natalie, who overslept and came down about 705a), then trundled off to the 103rd Street Station.
I have two blisters on my right foot, and they hurt like crap. I walk with a limp at this moment. Yes, I've treated them. They still hurt. But I digress.
The most exciting thing about the morning--other than the fact we're in NEW YORK CITY BABY!!!--was that little Josh B let Staci get off in front of him at our Bronx stop, upon which the doors closed on him and the train left, Josh still on it. We all had previously done a plan, however... if you get left on the train, you get off on the next stop, and someone will come to you and you come back together. Paula hopped on the next train, and a few minutes later, they both showed up.
Im tired, so I'm going ramble. There is this Mexican grocery store right around the corner from Crotona, and for whatever reason, all their stuff is really cheap. I can get a bottled water there for fifty cents, and 20 oz Cokes for $1, no tax. Their bathroom is a little sketch, with the fly filled flypaper hanging down from the middle of the ceiling, but other than than, its cool.
After I got my water, we all joined up at Crotona, meeting Kendall there again. Manny arrived with his big truck of supplies, and we unloaded and set up for Day Two of Upward Basketball. Most of the kids that were here yesterday are with the Children's Aid Society, so we only had about 40. It could be considered disappointing, but know with that few kids, we can build much more personal relationships than if each coach had, say, 12 kids of their own.
One of our coaches didnt even have any of kids show up, but a few more had all of theirs and then some. From 10 to noon, kids just showed up and signed up at random, which was great. We had two guys, however, that you have to know. Carlos and Sammy. Carlos is a special needs kid that, to look at him, looks perfectly fine. I think Natalie said "he's a little slow". Anyway, this guy has won several special olympic medals in swimming and basketbal, and his little brother, Sammy, who has down syndrome, also was there. Their mom, Beatrice, said that Sammy hates the summer and the hot weather, and has refused to go play outside all summer, until this morning.
Carlos asked Staci, "Does my name sound english or spanish?" and before she could answer, he said "cause i know more english than i do spanish." Good for a laugh, I thought.
Pray that Carlos and Sammy come back, with their mom, so that we can go a little more in depth with them about God.
We had a few troubles this morning--Devon and DeAngelo come to mind (they kept coming over to get water as an excuse to not participate, and then proceeded to make fun of the other kids--these guys are like, 12 or something)--but mostly it was a very smooth morning, as you would expect with 40 kids and not 110.
Jason, the 16 year old, came back. He wandered around again, jumping in here and there. Pray for us that we'll have a chance to break through to him, and get him involved somehow.
Another kid, Juan, was kind of a punk at times, but he speaks fluent spanish, and we used him to talk to some other kids. We are hoping that by making him feel needed, we can keep him around.
Also, some of the girls wanted to have their prayer requests known... Lorin (sick godfather); Mylady (said "meh-lady") and Jenny's dad (needs a job).
Around 12, we handed the kids their prizes (an upward watch) and said bye, and settled down for a lunch that Geryl had gone and gotten us. Turkey & Ham sandwiches, with cold soft drinks and chips, and the sno-cone man coming around made it just perfect.
While Chuck and Daniel departed (headed off to the Bronx Zoo with Anna Lynn, Josh B & Brandon) because they couldnt be in the school, Geryl & Paula graciously agreed to do laundry, which I needed very badly. The rest of us went to PS 63. After waiting at a bus stop for a bus that never came, we continued on the several blocks, then up the 5 flights of steps--each flight had 26 steps to it... it was evil.
Philip, Colby and Tim had worked together on a room, but Jimmy told them that their room was being treated for asbestos, but they could still go in. They made the call to work in the other classrooms with us, Tim with me, Larry and Josh, and Philip & Colby with Mark, Staci and Nat. Our room was farther along then there room, having done much prep work yesteday. Their room needed more prep than ours, so halfway into the work time, we had gotten to the point where we could paint. Tim started off by doing nothing but caulking cracks and spackling holes in the wall... yeah, it was that bad. We primed a few areas, taped off some more, and then Josh and Larry grabbed long arm roller brushes to work on the top of the walls, while I poured some paint into a small bucket and began to do trim work.
Tim was still caulking.
I ended up climbing on top of a high cabinet, taking short steps as I was unsure of how steady the cabinet would be, and whether I'd fall through or not, and painted up high and around corners.
And Tim was still caulking.
Josh and Larry put two coats in many places, getting all the wide open spaces on the walls, and then did some trim work too.
And Tim... yeah, still caulking. Actually, he did that from around 120pm to about 430 or so. His hands were gross. However, the group I mentioned before, staying in the real hostile with the large women's sleeping quarters? They were working on the other side of the building, with no air conditioning (we had two of the large metal fans and two box fans blowing full strength) and their room was twice the size of ours, and the walls were in much worse condition.
Finally, around 430, we stopped and began to clean up.
Okay, its midnight right now... let me tell you what happened in short form:
--Came back to hotel, where Paula handed out our clean, folded laundry, which in my bag included two pairs of Hanes tighty whiteys, which I dont wear, and no other guy will claim, making me think they are lying or some strange guy left his laundry in the dryer and I ended up with it.
--Rode to Rockefeller Center as a group, with plans to see St Patricks Cathderal.
--Cathderal plans nixed, smaller groups form to go eat dinner.
--Josh B, Paula, Brandon and I go eat at Carnigie's Deli, where I have a roast beef sandwich that literally was four or five inches thick, and a piece of genuine NY cheesecake that would just make you slap your memaw and ask for more gravy. Good times, good times.
--Our planned return subway station was closed, but we made it back around 11pm. I'm tired now.
Now, let me conclude by saying this... thank you for your notes of encouragement. I've read Steph's, Tebe's, Daniel & Jen's, Mrs Lynn's, and this morning I read Amy's and this evening I read Mikey's. You guys rock. You dont know how much I look forward to reading them and how I've fought the urge to open them all up. Thanks for praying for us, and for me, and thanks for diligently reading this like I know many of you have.
Until tomorrow, I say...
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
NYC Entry #5: The Gospel of Matthew Modine
Okay, so I have lots to say tonight... so much so that with 13 & 1/2 minutes left on this stupid computer, I already have another 5 bucks out, ready to feed it to The Man, so you fine people will know whats up. I do it for you, cause I'm swell like that.
Hey, Mackey. Paula loves you, and misses you immensely. I promised her I'd say that. And for that matter--I love you The Lovely Steph Leann, and miss you immenselier.
On with the show.
I got up this morning at half past five am. In the morning. I get up for work around 7, maybe 730 on some days, but this time it was five:thirty. I met up with Chuck & Daniel, Larry and Mark this morning in the lobby for some fine breakfast from the West Way Cafe. I again had Challah French Toast with freshly squeezed OJ... that place rocks my face off.
After our meal, we met back with the group in the lobby of the West Side Inn, and gathered our stuff. We then headed out to the subway station, headed to the Bronx to meet Kendall and set up for our first day of Upward Basketball. After we got off the train, we saw Kendall in front of KFC (Kennedy's Fried Chicken... two locations I've seen so far) and we all walked together to Crotona. We did our devotion, set up tables and put things out like we liked 'em, and waited. Nine came, a few kids came in. 9:15, 9:30, we had about 20 kids. We're thinking, okay, God sends us what He wants us to have...
..then..
Here come about 20 kids, at once. Kendall, Paula and Natalie are signing them in as fast as possible, getting contact info and such, when a few minutes later, here comes a block of about 50 kids, all at once. Me and a few other people are in the line, handing out name tags, getting names and such (it got so crazy I couldn't even spell, and when one girl said "sally" I actually said "spell that for me") and they all came flooding in. We played some games with them, and began to break them up into teams according to ages... we had a few younger kids, but about 20 5th and 6th graders, and some that were even higher.
I met Jason, a tall kid who came in. After talking to him, I discovered he was 16, and according to him, could school everyone out here.
I met Gaby, a 12 or 13 year old who liked to use the "F" word and the "N" word more than anything else, so after Colby told him it was unacceptable, he ran off (he came back).
I met Bob. Actually, his name was Darrin, and simply put, Josh C schooled him. Bob was acting up, so Josh said "you think you so bad, lets play a little one on one". Surprisingly, Bob took him up on it, and lost to Josh. Josh then explained that he didnt beat him to show him up or embarrass him, but to let him know that yes, we might know a little about the game we're coaching, so please, pay attention. Later, when Josh was showing defense to a group of younger kids, Bob showed up and starting making fun. Josh confronted him, and Bob was quiet. I asked him what his name was, and he just shrugged. I said "you dont even know your name?" and he shrugged again, defiantely. So I said, "fine. i'll call you Bob." He looked at me and said "Bob? My name aint Bob." And I smiled and said "it is until you tell me. So Bob..." and I began to just chatter away.
Staci was teaching dribbling on one court, and Gaby decided to speak his mind a little about how unfair it was he didnt get to shoot basketball, using a few words. Marty, one of the fellows from Montgomery, pulled him aside and said "Listen, I'm goign to be straight with you. I'm a correctional officer, and if you curse in front of this lady again (pointing at Staci) I'm going to snatch you up right here. I dont care what gang you might be in, or who you think you are, but dont do it." Gaby ran off again. I saw him riding his bike through the court a little while longer.
Staci grabbed Jason and got him to help her teach dribbling, which was awesome, as Jason was just wandering around the court.
All in all, there were a few bad apples.. but many, many good ones. The young kids were great, and amazingly--thanks in no small part to your prayers, I'm sure--during devotion time, and sharing of scripture, most of the kids were very quiet, even the big guys. What didnt help, though, was the snow cone seller guy showing up halfway through our camp, taking the attention of half the kids. Paula, through an interpreter, asked him not to come tomorrow until noon, but we'll see if that happens.
Turns out that many of the kids are involved in a local organization (i think a local ministry works with them, but dont quote me) and about 40 will be gone tomorrow and Thursday, but I'm sure we'll have many kids tomorow too.
Some of the kids you can pray for...
Mattie, a little girl who seems to be very open to the idea of Christ
Jordan, Jason, Gaby and Bob, who needs a stirring in their hearts... you can pray for us that we will approach them in just the right manner, in His time.
Monica, a girl who seems to be "too cool for school", and only came because her mom made her.
Mercedes, Margaret and Maria Calverez, three sisters who also seem to be open to the gospel.
Finally, a praise story... Josh was talking to this kid named Yaniel (dont even ask me how to pronounce it) and asked him what he learned so far. Yaniel then replied that he knew he was a sinner, he knew that Christ died for him, he knew that God loved him and he knew that he could have eternal life in Heaven. When Josh picked his jaw from the ground, Yaniel said he accepted Christ already. Yaniel is about 7, maybe 8.
With Kendall's guidance, the leadership of the whole team, God, and Manny, the supply truck driver, we made it. Around 12, we shut everything down, and handed out Bibles to all the kids. Everyone seemed to take it, and the courts cleared. We met Pastor Kitchens, the pastor of the church who was supposed to be helping us this week. He showed up around 12 with 200 bottles of water in his van. Didnt help us today, but we will need it tomorrow, I am sure of that.
Tim bought us all ice cream from the ice cream guy, and we began walking to PS 63, the school we were schedule to work in. From what we saw in walking, the neighborhoods looked quite nice, but as we walked, we watched the stereotypical Bronx from the movies begin to take shape around us, complete with ghetto, hooptys and all.
When we got to PS 63, soaked in sweat, we met up with Karalee, a summer missionary from Mississippi. She's been in NYC since May, working in schools since June, and she led us around. Turns out, due to it being a construction site, no one under 16 is allowed to work in the school now. So, Josh, Brandon, AnnaLynn and Daniel were out. Paula, Geryl and Chuck left with them, taking them back to the hostile.
The remaining 9 of us broke into three teams: Me, Josh C & Larry; Mark, Staci & Natalie; and Colby, Philip and Tim, and each team was to take a classroom and do prep work. It was not nearly ready to paint, according to Jimmy. Jimmy is the lead worker there, and he informed us of these pearls of wisdom:
"If its got paint on it, we gonna paint it again"
"It it aint got paint on it, we aint gonna paint it"
"Drink all your water, dont leave a bottle with two sips sitting around to be thrown out"
and finally
"This is the Lords work. Make it look good."
When he left, Larry smiled and said "fun old coot, ain't he?"
PS 63 is an older school that has been painted a few times before... you can tell from the thick coats and multiple colors in some places. Josh got a ladder and some pliers, and began to remove staples from the walls--alot of them. As in, dozens that were stapled, painted over, left and have just been there forever ("dont paint over them staples or tape!" says Jimmy). While Josh staple-pulled, Larry and I began to wrap plastic over some old chalkboards. Thats what we, the entire group, did in our classrooms... we scraped paint, we primed, we pulled out staples, we pulled off paint, we put down painters tape around windows, we cleaned moldings, we put plastic over everything we could... for two hours. Also, it was on the fifth floor, and there was no elevator. Oh yeah, we had to go up and down a few times to help Jimmy unload some stuff. Did I mention there was NO air conditioner. For the glory, baby, for the glory.
After that was all well and good, we finished up what we could (ready to pick it back up tomorrow) and we caught a full bus to our subway stop. Have I mentioned how hot it is down there in the subway tunnels? Unbelievably swealteringly hot. Our plan had been to go back and take showers, then go to a service somewhere, like Brooklyn Tab or Times Square Metro, but it was decided we needed the downtime.
We got back, and we ordered rotissarie chicken from a place down the street--it was very good, and after we all had our showers and cleaned up a bit, we all went out for a stroll in the busy streets of the Upper West Side.
Geryl, AnnaLynn, Mark and Josh B and I all ended up at Henry's (right next to Carne's, where we went the first day) for some dessert. The blueberry cheesecakse was okay, and AnnaLynn's creme brulee was pretty good, but the highlight of the evening came when right down the street, none other than Matthew Modine was filming a movie. Modine was in And the Band Played On (a great flick), and also in Vision Quest, but he's most famous for his role as Jokerman in Full Metal Jacket. After dessert, we walked out, and saw Paula and Natalie there with Brandon, so we all got to watch several takes of the movie...we found out its called "A Kettle of Fish", and it stars Modine and Gina Gershon in it... its a romantic comedy, but some no-name first time director who was seemingly pregnant.
I was wearing my fun shirt that says Satan is a Poo Poo Head, with all sorts of verses on it. I know that he saw me standing there (how would you miss me?) and honestly, I feel like I am somehow in a small part responsible for sharing the gospel with him. Hey, the great commission spreads to B-movie actors too! =)
So here I am, back in the hotel. Its really hot down here, and I'm going to go to bed soon. You can continue to pray for the kids I mentioned above, and for the many other kids we have seen. Also, pray that the school project goes well. Tomorrow, I'll try to have some personal requests from the team up.
Have a good night, and a pleasant tomorrow.
(10)
Hey, Mackey. Paula loves you, and misses you immensely. I promised her I'd say that. And for that matter--I love you The Lovely Steph Leann, and miss you immenselier.
On with the show.
I got up this morning at half past five am. In the morning. I get up for work around 7, maybe 730 on some days, but this time it was five:thirty. I met up with Chuck & Daniel, Larry and Mark this morning in the lobby for some fine breakfast from the West Way Cafe. I again had Challah French Toast with freshly squeezed OJ... that place rocks my face off.
After our meal, we met back with the group in the lobby of the West Side Inn, and gathered our stuff. We then headed out to the subway station, headed to the Bronx to meet Kendall and set up for our first day of Upward Basketball. After we got off the train, we saw Kendall in front of KFC (Kennedy's Fried Chicken... two locations I've seen so far) and we all walked together to Crotona. We did our devotion, set up tables and put things out like we liked 'em, and waited. Nine came, a few kids came in. 9:15, 9:30, we had about 20 kids. We're thinking, okay, God sends us what He wants us to have...
..then..
Here come about 20 kids, at once. Kendall, Paula and Natalie are signing them in as fast as possible, getting contact info and such, when a few minutes later, here comes a block of about 50 kids, all at once. Me and a few other people are in the line, handing out name tags, getting names and such (it got so crazy I couldn't even spell, and when one girl said "sally" I actually said "spell that for me") and they all came flooding in. We played some games with them, and began to break them up into teams according to ages... we had a few younger kids, but about 20 5th and 6th graders, and some that were even higher.
I met Jason, a tall kid who came in. After talking to him, I discovered he was 16, and according to him, could school everyone out here.
I met Gaby, a 12 or 13 year old who liked to use the "F" word and the "N" word more than anything else, so after Colby told him it was unacceptable, he ran off (he came back).
I met Bob. Actually, his name was Darrin, and simply put, Josh C schooled him. Bob was acting up, so Josh said "you think you so bad, lets play a little one on one". Surprisingly, Bob took him up on it, and lost to Josh. Josh then explained that he didnt beat him to show him up or embarrass him, but to let him know that yes, we might know a little about the game we're coaching, so please, pay attention. Later, when Josh was showing defense to a group of younger kids, Bob showed up and starting making fun. Josh confronted him, and Bob was quiet. I asked him what his name was, and he just shrugged. I said "you dont even know your name?" and he shrugged again, defiantely. So I said, "fine. i'll call you Bob." He looked at me and said "Bob? My name aint Bob." And I smiled and said "it is until you tell me. So Bob..." and I began to just chatter away.
Staci was teaching dribbling on one court, and Gaby decided to speak his mind a little about how unfair it was he didnt get to shoot basketball, using a few words. Marty, one of the fellows from Montgomery, pulled him aside and said "Listen, I'm goign to be straight with you. I'm a correctional officer, and if you curse in front of this lady again (pointing at Staci) I'm going to snatch you up right here. I dont care what gang you might be in, or who you think you are, but dont do it." Gaby ran off again. I saw him riding his bike through the court a little while longer.
Staci grabbed Jason and got him to help her teach dribbling, which was awesome, as Jason was just wandering around the court.
All in all, there were a few bad apples.. but many, many good ones. The young kids were great, and amazingly--thanks in no small part to your prayers, I'm sure--during devotion time, and sharing of scripture, most of the kids were very quiet, even the big guys. What didnt help, though, was the snow cone seller guy showing up halfway through our camp, taking the attention of half the kids. Paula, through an interpreter, asked him not to come tomorrow until noon, but we'll see if that happens.
Turns out that many of the kids are involved in a local organization (i think a local ministry works with them, but dont quote me) and about 40 will be gone tomorrow and Thursday, but I'm sure we'll have many kids tomorow too.
Some of the kids you can pray for...
Mattie, a little girl who seems to be very open to the idea of Christ
Jordan, Jason, Gaby and Bob, who needs a stirring in their hearts... you can pray for us that we will approach them in just the right manner, in His time.
Monica, a girl who seems to be "too cool for school", and only came because her mom made her.
Mercedes, Margaret and Maria Calverez, three sisters who also seem to be open to the gospel.
Finally, a praise story... Josh was talking to this kid named Yaniel (dont even ask me how to pronounce it) and asked him what he learned so far. Yaniel then replied that he knew he was a sinner, he knew that Christ died for him, he knew that God loved him and he knew that he could have eternal life in Heaven. When Josh picked his jaw from the ground, Yaniel said he accepted Christ already. Yaniel is about 7, maybe 8.
With Kendall's guidance, the leadership of the whole team, God, and Manny, the supply truck driver, we made it. Around 12, we shut everything down, and handed out Bibles to all the kids. Everyone seemed to take it, and the courts cleared. We met Pastor Kitchens, the pastor of the church who was supposed to be helping us this week. He showed up around 12 with 200 bottles of water in his van. Didnt help us today, but we will need it tomorrow, I am sure of that.
Tim bought us all ice cream from the ice cream guy, and we began walking to PS 63, the school we were schedule to work in. From what we saw in walking, the neighborhoods looked quite nice, but as we walked, we watched the stereotypical Bronx from the movies begin to take shape around us, complete with ghetto, hooptys and all.
When we got to PS 63, soaked in sweat, we met up with Karalee, a summer missionary from Mississippi. She's been in NYC since May, working in schools since June, and she led us around. Turns out, due to it being a construction site, no one under 16 is allowed to work in the school now. So, Josh, Brandon, AnnaLynn and Daniel were out. Paula, Geryl and Chuck left with them, taking them back to the hostile.
The remaining 9 of us broke into three teams: Me, Josh C & Larry; Mark, Staci & Natalie; and Colby, Philip and Tim, and each team was to take a classroom and do prep work. It was not nearly ready to paint, according to Jimmy. Jimmy is the lead worker there, and he informed us of these pearls of wisdom:
"If its got paint on it, we gonna paint it again"
"It it aint got paint on it, we aint gonna paint it"
"Drink all your water, dont leave a bottle with two sips sitting around to be thrown out"
and finally
"This is the Lords work. Make it look good."
When he left, Larry smiled and said "fun old coot, ain't he?"
PS 63 is an older school that has been painted a few times before... you can tell from the thick coats and multiple colors in some places. Josh got a ladder and some pliers, and began to remove staples from the walls--alot of them. As in, dozens that were stapled, painted over, left and have just been there forever ("dont paint over them staples or tape!" says Jimmy). While Josh staple-pulled, Larry and I began to wrap plastic over some old chalkboards. Thats what we, the entire group, did in our classrooms... we scraped paint, we primed, we pulled out staples, we pulled off paint, we put down painters tape around windows, we cleaned moldings, we put plastic over everything we could... for two hours. Also, it was on the fifth floor, and there was no elevator. Oh yeah, we had to go up and down a few times to help Jimmy unload some stuff. Did I mention there was NO air conditioner. For the glory, baby, for the glory.
After that was all well and good, we finished up what we could (ready to pick it back up tomorrow) and we caught a full bus to our subway stop. Have I mentioned how hot it is down there in the subway tunnels? Unbelievably swealteringly hot. Our plan had been to go back and take showers, then go to a service somewhere, like Brooklyn Tab or Times Square Metro, but it was decided we needed the downtime.
We got back, and we ordered rotissarie chicken from a place down the street--it was very good, and after we all had our showers and cleaned up a bit, we all went out for a stroll in the busy streets of the Upper West Side.
Geryl, AnnaLynn, Mark and Josh B and I all ended up at Henry's (right next to Carne's, where we went the first day) for some dessert. The blueberry cheesecakse was okay, and AnnaLynn's creme brulee was pretty good, but the highlight of the evening came when right down the street, none other than Matthew Modine was filming a movie. Modine was in And the Band Played On (a great flick), and also in Vision Quest, but he's most famous for his role as Jokerman in Full Metal Jacket. After dessert, we walked out, and saw Paula and Natalie there with Brandon, so we all got to watch several takes of the movie...we found out its called "A Kettle of Fish", and it stars Modine and Gina Gershon in it... its a romantic comedy, but some no-name first time director who was seemingly pregnant.
I was wearing my fun shirt that says Satan is a Poo Poo Head, with all sorts of verses on it. I know that he saw me standing there (how would you miss me?) and honestly, I feel like I am somehow in a small part responsible for sharing the gospel with him. Hey, the great commission spreads to B-movie actors too! =)
So here I am, back in the hotel. Its really hot down here, and I'm going to go to bed soon. You can continue to pray for the kids I mentioned above, and for the many other kids we have seen. Also, pray that the school project goes well. Tomorrow, I'll try to have some personal requests from the team up.
Have a good night, and a pleasant tomorrow.
(10)
Monday, August 01, 2005
NYC Entry #4: Albert, Basketball and a Naked Frenchman
So, it was hot. It still is. Anyone who knows me knows I sweat when I think too much, so last night wasnt great... though with the fan, it wasn't that bad, honestly. Larry, sleeping in the bunk under me, had a bigger problem. Apparently his fitted sheet came off, and he stuck to the plastic mattress cover in his sleep, creating that "sscchhllllleeeepppp" sound when he moved.
Woke up early, and though breakfast was here--in the form of nutra-grain bars and Arizon Tea Orangeaide (no thank you), Larry and I walked down the block to a little cafe where he bought eggs, hashbrowns and toast, with coffee AND FRESH squeezed orange juice for $3.50. Mine was $4 for French toast, and fresh squeezed orange juice--still had pulp bits in it... the juicer was right behind the bar, it rocked.
Apparently, there is a naked french guy roaming the halls. He approached Paula in a towel, but Tim only saw him wearing the Star of David on a chain on his neck. I think his name is Jon.
Got to climb on my first fire escape ever, as the breeze felt great. If it were a movie, people would have shot at me, I'm sure.
Philip gave a little devo before we headed down to the subway station, where we were to meet up with Kendall, who works in a downtown office with Upward Basketball. She lives here in NYC, but she's really a Mississippi gal... her twang is quite intriguing. Dare I say cute with my wife reading this? Anyway, I move on.
Kendall told us that the camps were being held in Crotona Park in the Bronx, and this will be the third week in a row there. When the kids come, they recieve a shirt the first day, a Bible the next day, a watch the next and finally, a basketball on Friday. However, if a kid only comes on Friday, they get all four, which has created some issues. Kendall said last week that she saw a couple of Mamas each carrying a basketball, and a kid had three in his arms. They are trying to work that issue out.
She also told us that each week, a different church in the area has been providing help and water and snacks, but one church that was supposed to help a few weeks ago showed up the first day with four bottles of water and a big bag of chips, and didnt come back the next day. With 60 kids and a bunch of parched adults, 4 bottles dont come close to the mark. And, of course, you can guess which church is scheduled to help us out this week. Yeah, that one. Not good times, bad times, bad times.
Kendall mentioned that many kids had come before, and would probably come this week, which means that although the gospel will be presented to some of the kids hearing it for the first time, some of the kids have already got a seed planted... and we have a chance to cultivate it. She shared a few great stories about kids recieving Christ in the last few weeks, as well as some adults, including an ambulance driver that helps out nearby.
We all got our t-shirts--pale yellow (I tried to tell her that I was a winter, and I needed a darker color, but she only laughed at me.) and headed out to lunch. The group split up, and Natalie & I and Josh B went to some little diner where I got an overpriced patty melt and fries. I miss sweet tea so bad I could kick a small dog for some.
I was flipping through a NY version of Bhams City Scene, and came to the personals. I'll not share with some of you what some were, but lets just say its amazing what this world has come to in terms of God's gift of sex. Simply amazing--and heartbreaking. Moving on.
After lunch, we boarded a subway and went to the Bronx. Let me just say that there is a world of difference from the neighborhoods we saw going into the sub from what we saw coming out. The Bronx looks like a very rough place to live. Graffiti is everywhere, cars are junked up in yards, buildings look like they are going to collapse on themselves, and honestly, so many people--lost, im sure for most of them--are just there on the streets, looking as if they have nowhere to go.
We got to Crotona Park, which probably covers several city blocks in size, and saw the layout of the courts. We had been given a stack of fliers to hand out, which we split up to do. Mark, Josh B and I went off, giving out fliers, talking to people and just prayerwalking. I came across a Latino family (papa?) and told the dad about it. He was standing over a grill, with his wife at a picnic table behind him.
He said he wanted to bring his kids--in broken english--and I looked over, and there lay granny on a blanket. I said hi to her, and she smiled and called out to the man by the grill. He then waved me over and opened up the grill, offering me some of the shish-kabobs he had cooked. I first resisted, but he insisted, with the wife running over and shoving a handful of napkins in my hand. I am not sure what it was, but it looked like bacon. He said his name was Albert, and that he would try to see me tomorrow morning.
I smiled at Albert and walked off with this big skewer stick covered in meat. Mark and Josh saw me and were both surprised at my findings, but after trying a bite (and getting some juice on my shirt, no doubt) I gave it to Josh.
We covered the park as best we could, then met back at the central location by the courts. It seems Josh C met a guy in his walkings that went to a church that had just built a gym, and he seemed excited about doing something like this at his church. He said he would be there. That is a good thing, because it seems that Tim met a large group of kids--about 60--that all were pretty excited about it. So the plans that Philip and Josh made, planning for 60-100 kids has now turned to planning for 100, 150, 200 kids. Good problem to have, really.
We broke off into smaller groups and then prayed on and for the courts, the nearby empty court, and the park area surrounding it. God is ready to do a mighty work, we can all feel it, and we are pumped about it.
The next plan was to go to the West Side Inn and change, then have dinner, then head to the Empire State Building. However, it was decided that it would be easier to go to Times Square, then have dinner, then ESB it. So we did.
I love Times Square... its an amazing place of hustle, movement and people watching. We split up once again, this time just to sight see a little, shop a little and so on. Again, Mark, Josh B and I went out, visiting Toys R Us, Virgin Music, the MTV store and a few other shops... including The Hershey Store. Holy carumbas, batman. The overwhelming scent of chocalatey paradisial goodness hits you, and its almost too much. But I resisted. We went into a gourmet popcorn shop, with my intentions on buying The Lovely Steph Leann some good popcorn, but they only sold the popped corn, not the kernals. At least I was thinking of you, honeysmacks. =)
I met a guy outside of Toys R Us who was handing out little fliers for an upcoming film. I took one, and read the title: Understanding Scientology. I smiled, handed it back and said "yeah, i dont need this." The guy smiled and said, "Okay". Then I replied, "However, I have a Bible in my backpack if you want to discuss the Truth." Suddenly, a little apprehensive, he nodded and said "Uh... um.. okay" and quickly walked away. I smiled big. Thought I'd share.
Dinner at Sbarros was greasy (but the cheesecake I split with Nat was good) and so we went to the ESB. The original plan was to break into fours, and pray over NYC from each corner of the building at the top. After an hours wait, however, that plan was thwarted as we could barely stay together at the top... the place was slammed with people. I managed to work my way through, and prayed silently over the north and south sides of the city, including where the Twin Towers stood. It was strange not seeing them, because the other time I was there on the top, in 98, they stood out so vibrantly.
The line was such that we even had to wait to get out. Anyway, sweaty, funky, hot, tired, and thirsty, the team stumbled to the subway station, and caught the train back.
Here's what you can take out of today...
--We might need more coaches than expected. Dont get me wrong, this is a great problem to have, but--and this might sound funny--pray for me, because I might have to coach. And thats not a great thing, because I can't play basketball worth my socks (which are right now sweatily glued to my feet). If I have to coach, I can imagine some kid will school me, and I'll end up letting him teach while I learn.
--Pray for this church that is supposed to be helping us. Not only that they come through, but that they do it with gracious hearts and since they will be the ones getting the decision cards at the end, that they'll be willing to follow through.
--Pray for the kids. Some will fight. Some will listen. Some will only be there for the prizes, but pray for the new kids that will hear Jesus' name for the first time, and pray that the already planted seeds in some kids will continue to cultivate.
--Pray for us. We're tired.
--Pray for Paint the Town, as I haven't a clue what we're doing with it.
--Pray for Albert and the naked French guy.
And my time is almost up! I love you guys for thinking of me, and praying, and I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU THE LOVELY STEPH LEANN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(9)
Woke up early, and though breakfast was here--in the form of nutra-grain bars and Arizon Tea Orangeaide (no thank you), Larry and I walked down the block to a little cafe where he bought eggs, hashbrowns and toast, with coffee AND FRESH squeezed orange juice for $3.50. Mine was $4 for French toast, and fresh squeezed orange juice--still had pulp bits in it... the juicer was right behind the bar, it rocked.
Apparently, there is a naked french guy roaming the halls. He approached Paula in a towel, but Tim only saw him wearing the Star of David on a chain on his neck. I think his name is Jon.
Got to climb on my first fire escape ever, as the breeze felt great. If it were a movie, people would have shot at me, I'm sure.
Philip gave a little devo before we headed down to the subway station, where we were to meet up with Kendall, who works in a downtown office with Upward Basketball. She lives here in NYC, but she's really a Mississippi gal... her twang is quite intriguing. Dare I say cute with my wife reading this? Anyway, I move on.
Kendall told us that the camps were being held in Crotona Park in the Bronx, and this will be the third week in a row there. When the kids come, they recieve a shirt the first day, a Bible the next day, a watch the next and finally, a basketball on Friday. However, if a kid only comes on Friday, they get all four, which has created some issues. Kendall said last week that she saw a couple of Mamas each carrying a basketball, and a kid had three in his arms. They are trying to work that issue out.
She also told us that each week, a different church in the area has been providing help and water and snacks, but one church that was supposed to help a few weeks ago showed up the first day with four bottles of water and a big bag of chips, and didnt come back the next day. With 60 kids and a bunch of parched adults, 4 bottles dont come close to the mark. And, of course, you can guess which church is scheduled to help us out this week. Yeah, that one. Not good times, bad times, bad times.
Kendall mentioned that many kids had come before, and would probably come this week, which means that although the gospel will be presented to some of the kids hearing it for the first time, some of the kids have already got a seed planted... and we have a chance to cultivate it. She shared a few great stories about kids recieving Christ in the last few weeks, as well as some adults, including an ambulance driver that helps out nearby.
We all got our t-shirts--pale yellow (I tried to tell her that I was a winter, and I needed a darker color, but she only laughed at me.) and headed out to lunch. The group split up, and Natalie & I and Josh B went to some little diner where I got an overpriced patty melt and fries. I miss sweet tea so bad I could kick a small dog for some.
I was flipping through a NY version of Bhams City Scene, and came to the personals. I'll not share with some of you what some were, but lets just say its amazing what this world has come to in terms of God's gift of sex. Simply amazing--and heartbreaking. Moving on.
After lunch, we boarded a subway and went to the Bronx. Let me just say that there is a world of difference from the neighborhoods we saw going into the sub from what we saw coming out. The Bronx looks like a very rough place to live. Graffiti is everywhere, cars are junked up in yards, buildings look like they are going to collapse on themselves, and honestly, so many people--lost, im sure for most of them--are just there on the streets, looking as if they have nowhere to go.
We got to Crotona Park, which probably covers several city blocks in size, and saw the layout of the courts. We had been given a stack of fliers to hand out, which we split up to do. Mark, Josh B and I went off, giving out fliers, talking to people and just prayerwalking. I came across a Latino family (papa?) and told the dad about it. He was standing over a grill, with his wife at a picnic table behind him.
He said he wanted to bring his kids--in broken english--and I looked over, and there lay granny on a blanket. I said hi to her, and she smiled and called out to the man by the grill. He then waved me over and opened up the grill, offering me some of the shish-kabobs he had cooked. I first resisted, but he insisted, with the wife running over and shoving a handful of napkins in my hand. I am not sure what it was, but it looked like bacon. He said his name was Albert, and that he would try to see me tomorrow morning.
I smiled at Albert and walked off with this big skewer stick covered in meat. Mark and Josh saw me and were both surprised at my findings, but after trying a bite (and getting some juice on my shirt, no doubt) I gave it to Josh.
We covered the park as best we could, then met back at the central location by the courts. It seems Josh C met a guy in his walkings that went to a church that had just built a gym, and he seemed excited about doing something like this at his church. He said he would be there. That is a good thing, because it seems that Tim met a large group of kids--about 60--that all were pretty excited about it. So the plans that Philip and Josh made, planning for 60-100 kids has now turned to planning for 100, 150, 200 kids. Good problem to have, really.
We broke off into smaller groups and then prayed on and for the courts, the nearby empty court, and the park area surrounding it. God is ready to do a mighty work, we can all feel it, and we are pumped about it.
The next plan was to go to the West Side Inn and change, then have dinner, then head to the Empire State Building. However, it was decided that it would be easier to go to Times Square, then have dinner, then ESB it. So we did.
I love Times Square... its an amazing place of hustle, movement and people watching. We split up once again, this time just to sight see a little, shop a little and so on. Again, Mark, Josh B and I went out, visiting Toys R Us, Virgin Music, the MTV store and a few other shops... including The Hershey Store. Holy carumbas, batman. The overwhelming scent of chocalatey paradisial goodness hits you, and its almost too much. But I resisted. We went into a gourmet popcorn shop, with my intentions on buying The Lovely Steph Leann some good popcorn, but they only sold the popped corn, not the kernals. At least I was thinking of you, honeysmacks. =)
I met a guy outside of Toys R Us who was handing out little fliers for an upcoming film. I took one, and read the title: Understanding Scientology. I smiled, handed it back and said "yeah, i dont need this." The guy smiled and said, "Okay". Then I replied, "However, I have a Bible in my backpack if you want to discuss the Truth." Suddenly, a little apprehensive, he nodded and said "Uh... um.. okay" and quickly walked away. I smiled big. Thought I'd share.
Dinner at Sbarros was greasy (but the cheesecake I split with Nat was good) and so we went to the ESB. The original plan was to break into fours, and pray over NYC from each corner of the building at the top. After an hours wait, however, that plan was thwarted as we could barely stay together at the top... the place was slammed with people. I managed to work my way through, and prayed silently over the north and south sides of the city, including where the Twin Towers stood. It was strange not seeing them, because the other time I was there on the top, in 98, they stood out so vibrantly.
The line was such that we even had to wait to get out. Anyway, sweaty, funky, hot, tired, and thirsty, the team stumbled to the subway station, and caught the train back.
Here's what you can take out of today...
--We might need more coaches than expected. Dont get me wrong, this is a great problem to have, but--and this might sound funny--pray for me, because I might have to coach. And thats not a great thing, because I can't play basketball worth my socks (which are right now sweatily glued to my feet). If I have to coach, I can imagine some kid will school me, and I'll end up letting him teach while I learn.
--Pray for this church that is supposed to be helping us. Not only that they come through, but that they do it with gracious hearts and since they will be the ones getting the decision cards at the end, that they'll be willing to follow through.
--Pray for the kids. Some will fight. Some will listen. Some will only be there for the prizes, but pray for the new kids that will hear Jesus' name for the first time, and pray that the already planted seeds in some kids will continue to cultivate.
--Pray for us. We're tired.
--Pray for Paint the Town, as I haven't a clue what we're doing with it.
--Pray for Albert and the naked French guy.
And my time is almost up! I love you guys for thinking of me, and praying, and I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU THE LOVELY STEPH LEANN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(9)
Sunday, July 31, 2005
NYC Entry #3: The Journey
Three states in three days. Bring it, baby, bring it.
My day started early today (4am) after ending last night at 1am. I got up, grabbed my luggage, kissed my wife goodbye...
Steph--I miss you tons... you have no idea how much I would love to have you here...
... and went and had a quick breakfast at Waffle House. I was at the church by 530a, and met up with everyone, loaded into a van and got on a plane at 810am. It was a Delta small plane, 52 seats, and it flew a 1:52 nonstop flight to NYC's La Guardia airport. EVERYONE had luggage with handles on it that rolled, except guess who? My suitcase has wheels on it, but the strap is missing, so I have to pick it up.
And pick it up I did, onto a bus that took us through Harlem to our hotel. Interesting what you see as you ride... we saw Blockbusters, McD's, all sorts of hair places, a woman riding a horse down the sidewalk, you know, the usual.
We arrived at hour stop, but had to walk a couple of blocks to get to the West Side Inn... everyone pulled their stuff along, I carried mine. Rough mission work, I tell ya.
So, from what I understand, the West Side Inn doesnt look as good in person as it does on the 'net, so sayeth Josh & Staci. They didnt have all of our rooms ready yet, so they got us one. In a very tiny elevator, we pushed luggage into it, then ran 5 floors up to get it. We put it all in one room, then headed back out for lunch. There was this KFC/Pizza Hut combo joint that everyone wanted to go to, but Natalie, Geryl & I went down the block to a little place called Carne's. We had real burgers and real fries, and it rocked. We alos met Leslie, the bartnder, who told us she had just moved to Harlem after years in the Village. She was very sleepy, because gunfire in her neighborhood had kept her awake all night. Love it.
After lunch, we caught a subway ride to Grand Central Station... the place is majestic. In two trips here, I had never been there before... it was awesome. We even indulged in a little Ben & Jerry's to pass the time. We dozed on the train over to Stamford, CT, where we met up with Todd & Sharon, who are working to plant Encounter Church there in Stamford.
Facts:
--Stamford is home to several of the 1,000 biggest companies in the world, like Xerox, Clarol and Pitney Bowes, even though it is a community of only 120,000 people.
--55% of people here claim no religion whatsoever, while 94% of people say they dont attend a church service of ANY kind
--It is a mostly affluent kind of town, where a decent apartment runs you around 1200 per month or so. Todd said if you made $50K per year, you would struggle to survive.
We prayer walked with them around parts of Stamford, praying over the UBC headquarters, part of the UConn-Stamford college campus, one of the government buildings and more. We stopped and had lunch at Luckie's, which was alot like Johnny Rockets. We walked and prayed some more, then headed back to NYC, riding in the now-defuncy "bar car" of the train.
On the subway, we were treated to a semon of a Jamaican preacher, who was walking the car saying out the Truth of Jesus. It was fascinating to watch reactions of people, as some ignored him, so listened, one lady put her hands on her ears, and one drunk guy shouted "Shut up!" before stumbling off at the next stop. Rev. Jamaica kept bringing it, though.
We stopped at the drug store for some supplies, and then came back to get the rest of our rooms. Well, it turns out, there are only two bathrooms per floor. Apparently, the West Side Inn usually houses foreign soccer players, and the building is styled after European dorms. Also, some of the rooms dont have AC, which is sad, because I have dont nothing but sweat like a pig today, just walking.
So, Natalie, Staci and Paula are in one AC room, Josh, Josh, Mark & Brandon are in an AC room, while the Harringtons have a fan, Colby and Philip have a fan, and Larry Long and I have have a fan. This is good for me, though, because Steph's allergies cant take those fans... so I will have one blowing on me all night long!!!! Good times, good times.
God is already bending the man-made plans we have, and I'm eager to see what happens. Josh's internet connection isnt working right, either, so i'm using a "pay for surf" computer downstairs in the lobby... $5 for 50 minutes. So if the spelling is bad here, know that this computer is slow, the clock is running, and I cant copy and paste, so I've had to type today's events twice... once for posting on valleydale.org/nyc, and once for you fine people here.
Prayers?
--Todd & Sharon, for their continued commitment to the calling
--Leslie, for a beginning with Christ, and Rev. Jamaica, for his boldness to continue
--Continued team unity for us (this is the best team i could imagine being with)
--Safety
--High spirits when--not if --things dont go as planned
Love you guys... if you dont get a post tomorrow, its because i couldnt get to a computer!
(8)
My day started early today (4am) after ending last night at 1am. I got up, grabbed my luggage, kissed my wife goodbye...
Steph--I miss you tons... you have no idea how much I would love to have you here...
... and went and had a quick breakfast at Waffle House. I was at the church by 530a, and met up with everyone, loaded into a van and got on a plane at 810am. It was a Delta small plane, 52 seats, and it flew a 1:52 nonstop flight to NYC's La Guardia airport. EVERYONE had luggage with handles on it that rolled, except guess who? My suitcase has wheels on it, but the strap is missing, so I have to pick it up.
And pick it up I did, onto a bus that took us through Harlem to our hotel. Interesting what you see as you ride... we saw Blockbusters, McD's, all sorts of hair places, a woman riding a horse down the sidewalk, you know, the usual.
We arrived at hour stop, but had to walk a couple of blocks to get to the West Side Inn... everyone pulled their stuff along, I carried mine. Rough mission work, I tell ya.
So, from what I understand, the West Side Inn doesnt look as good in person as it does on the 'net, so sayeth Josh & Staci. They didnt have all of our rooms ready yet, so they got us one. In a very tiny elevator, we pushed luggage into it, then ran 5 floors up to get it. We put it all in one room, then headed back out for lunch. There was this KFC/Pizza Hut combo joint that everyone wanted to go to, but Natalie, Geryl & I went down the block to a little place called Carne's. We had real burgers and real fries, and it rocked. We alos met Leslie, the bartnder, who told us she had just moved to Harlem after years in the Village. She was very sleepy, because gunfire in her neighborhood had kept her awake all night. Love it.
After lunch, we caught a subway ride to Grand Central Station... the place is majestic. In two trips here, I had never been there before... it was awesome. We even indulged in a little Ben & Jerry's to pass the time. We dozed on the train over to Stamford, CT, where we met up with Todd & Sharon, who are working to plant Encounter Church there in Stamford.
Facts:
--Stamford is home to several of the 1,000 biggest companies in the world, like Xerox, Clarol and Pitney Bowes, even though it is a community of only 120,000 people.
--55% of people here claim no religion whatsoever, while 94% of people say they dont attend a church service of ANY kind
--It is a mostly affluent kind of town, where a decent apartment runs you around 1200 per month or so. Todd said if you made $50K per year, you would struggle to survive.
We prayer walked with them around parts of Stamford, praying over the UBC headquarters, part of the UConn-Stamford college campus, one of the government buildings and more. We stopped and had lunch at Luckie's, which was alot like Johnny Rockets. We walked and prayed some more, then headed back to NYC, riding in the now-defuncy "bar car" of the train.
On the subway, we were treated to a semon of a Jamaican preacher, who was walking the car saying out the Truth of Jesus. It was fascinating to watch reactions of people, as some ignored him, so listened, one lady put her hands on her ears, and one drunk guy shouted "Shut up!" before stumbling off at the next stop. Rev. Jamaica kept bringing it, though.
We stopped at the drug store for some supplies, and then came back to get the rest of our rooms. Well, it turns out, there are only two bathrooms per floor. Apparently, the West Side Inn usually houses foreign soccer players, and the building is styled after European dorms. Also, some of the rooms dont have AC, which is sad, because I have dont nothing but sweat like a pig today, just walking.
So, Natalie, Staci and Paula are in one AC room, Josh, Josh, Mark & Brandon are in an AC room, while the Harringtons have a fan, Colby and Philip have a fan, and Larry Long and I have have a fan. This is good for me, though, because Steph's allergies cant take those fans... so I will have one blowing on me all night long!!!! Good times, good times.
God is already bending the man-made plans we have, and I'm eager to see what happens. Josh's internet connection isnt working right, either, so i'm using a "pay for surf" computer downstairs in the lobby... $5 for 50 minutes. So if the spelling is bad here, know that this computer is slow, the clock is running, and I cant copy and paste, so I've had to type today's events twice... once for posting on valleydale.org/nyc, and once for you fine people here.
Prayers?
--Todd & Sharon, for their continued commitment to the calling
--Leslie, for a beginning with Christ, and Rev. Jamaica, for his boldness to continue
--Continued team unity for us (this is the best team i could imagine being with)
--Safety
--High spirits when--not if --things dont go as planned
Love you guys... if you dont get a post tomorrow, its because i couldnt get to a computer!
(8)
Thursday, July 28, 2005
NYC Entry #2: The Prayers
Got an email from Philip the other day, right after I wrote my last entry. Seems changes are already afoot... Morris High, the school we were schedule to be in, is actually finished due to the hard work of other mission teams. We'll be working now in PS 63, an elementary school. I'm guessing that won't be the only thing that will be different from our plans...
Several people have asked me what they should specifically be praying for... well, here is your list.
For the team itself...
--That God would fill us with hope and love and joy and peace and mercy and kindness and understanding and forgiveness and grace and power and strength and courage every day of the trip.
--That God would continue to keep out Satan from our team. Some of us are just getting to know each other, so pray that our friendships will grow and bond quickly.
--That God would take care of our families and loved ones, providing comfort and provisions while we are away
--That God would allow all of us to be totally flexible.
For Upward Basketball...
--Kids would come. And keep coming.
--Kids would be receptive to hearing the Truth in Him
The Bronx area...
--That God will grant us many opportunities to be bold in Him, telling the others about his love
--That God would do an unbelievable work around us while we are there in the neighborhoods
Stamford, CT...
--That God would begin to open the hearts and minds of the affluent communities, helping them see that riches without Him is worthless
Encounter Church...
--That God would plant this church in just the right way, time and place to bring the most Glory to His Name
Two full days before we get on a plane. I'm getting more and more excited as the hours tick by!
(7)
Several people have asked me what they should specifically be praying for... well, here is your list.
For the team itself...
--That God would fill us with hope and love and joy and peace and mercy and kindness and understanding and forgiveness and grace and power and strength and courage every day of the trip.
--That God would continue to keep out Satan from our team. Some of us are just getting to know each other, so pray that our friendships will grow and bond quickly.
--That God would take care of our families and loved ones, providing comfort and provisions while we are away
--That God would allow all of us to be totally flexible.
For Upward Basketball...
--Kids would come. And keep coming.
--Kids would be receptive to hearing the Truth in Him
The Bronx area...
--That God will grant us many opportunities to be bold in Him, telling the others about his love
--That God would do an unbelievable work around us while we are there in the neighborhoods
Stamford, CT...
--That God would begin to open the hearts and minds of the affluent communities, helping them see that riches without Him is worthless
Encounter Church...
--That God would plant this church in just the right way, time and place to bring the most Glory to His Name
Two full days before we get on a plane. I'm getting more and more excited as the hours tick by!
(7)
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
NYC Entry #1: The Cast
We're a few days away from lift-off. Sunday morning, the Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) Team of 16 heads to NYC to spend the week working Upward Basketball camps in the morning time, painting in Morris High School in the afternoons (more on that later) and doing some prayerwalking there, Manhattan and in Stamford, CT, right across the NYC border.
The plane leaves at 825a Sunday, and we are scheduled to arrive at La Guardia around 1130a, we eat lunch, catch a train, drop our stuff off at the hostile/hotel, then head to Stamford, CT. Landon Reesor is up there, planting a church called Encounter Church. Just know that Stamford is a very affluent community with lots of people who have lots of money and live in lots of houses and drive lots of big cars. Several of the worlds wealthy companies are based there, and can be a major place of influence when its won over for the Kingdom of God.
There will be lots to tell you over the next several days, so lets keep it brief as we can right now (riiiiight...)
First, let me introduce you to the cast of characters for this trip:
New Hope New York - An organization set in NY that sees NYC as a focal point of ministry, as in "you win NY, you have a launching pad for the world"
Paint-the-Town - An organization that works in schools to help paint and repaint them, especially in tough areas of town (The Bronx for us)
Upward Basketball - A program that the fundamentals of basketball to youth that might not otherwise be able to recieve such training, but more importantly, it stresses the virtue of teamwork, built in a foundation of Christ
Landon Reesor - He got the call to take his family to Stamford, which is what he's doing now. He's planting Encounter Church. Very likeable guy, obviously strong faith.
Philip Waters - Team leader of the trip. Tall, lanky guy. Strikes me as the kind of no-nonsense guy with a very dry sense of humor. He'll need to be with some of us.
Mark Warner - Deacon at church, 9 year old Star Wars fan trapped in a 36 (will be 37 on trip) year old body. Plays Gordo at KidStuff, a children's ministry at church. Married to Cindy... knowing Cindy, I tend to think that Mark got the good end of that deal =)
Paula Mackey - I consider her my team mom. Yes, Philip's the leader, but leader or not, if I come down with spinalmeningitis or something, I'm not hollerin' for Philip, I'm calling Paula to mother me. She's the same "I'll get it" lady from WalkAbout dinner theater (previous post).
Josh Blackburn - Son of Paula. Good kid. Acted in our dinner theater this past weekend, seems full of energy, should bring alot to the trip. Wears AC/DC flip flops.
Brandon Blackburn - Younger Son o'Paula. Seems like another good kid, though in my opinion, he seems to have a young Fred Weasley aura about him. Could be wrong.
Colby Barnett - I have no clue who this guy is, met him for the first time a few weeks ago, have only seen him like, twice. Seems nice enough.
Josh Caldwell - Recreation pastor at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship). Leader of Upward Basketball, and co-leader of the trip with Philip. Very likeable easy going guy... big dude, gruff voice, hubby to Staci.
Staci Caldwell - Very small wife to Josh. She's the co-host of KidStuff, and a ball of weird energy. Likes slicky pants. And puppies.
Natalie Valentine - Single mom to Ariana. She probably thinks its weird, but I'm excited about Natalie coming on the trip, really because I look forward to getting to hang out with her. I like cool people, and Nat's just a cool chick.
Chuck McCammon - Childrens pastor at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship). Married to Tamara, the KidStuf leader. Chuck's a real likeable guy, laid back and seemingly fun to be around.
Daniel McCammon - Young son to the aforementioned Chuck. At 4 (?) I'm guessing this might be his first mission trip, unless they have a newborns journeyman program I dont know about.
Larry Long - Pops to Megan & Anna Long, twins who were on WalkAbout last year (Theta class, I think). Good guy.
Tim, Geryl & AnnaLynn Harrington - Coming on the trip as a family, which I think is just great. I hope that Stephanie and I can take the twins, Lorelei and Daisy, on a family mission trip together one day. I dont know the Harringtons, but they seem like good folk, so I'll go with that.
The Lovely Steph Leann- My lovely wife who isnt coming on the trip... but I don't want to pass up a chance to tell her how much I love her, how much I'll miss here while I'm gone, and to say thanks for supporting me on this venture.
There you have it... those are the involved folk. Now you know the names... check back soon for the adventures.
Oh, PS...
Here's some stuff about Morris High School
Grade levels 9 - 12
Enrollment around 250
Ethnicity is 60% Hispanic, 39% black, 1% white and 1% Asian
They offer free lunch to 81.2% of their students
Overcrowding stands at 115.9%
Only 8.9% of 9th graders read at grade level
Their graduation rate is 3.09%
Apparently from what I'm reading, this school is being phased out, but a number of smaller schools are being set up in the building.
I'm pretty excited about getting into this school... you can click here to see what it looks like...
(6)
The plane leaves at 825a Sunday, and we are scheduled to arrive at La Guardia around 1130a, we eat lunch, catch a train, drop our stuff off at the hostile/hotel, then head to Stamford, CT. Landon Reesor is up there, planting a church called Encounter Church. Just know that Stamford is a very affluent community with lots of people who have lots of money and live in lots of houses and drive lots of big cars. Several of the worlds wealthy companies are based there, and can be a major place of influence when its won over for the Kingdom of God.
There will be lots to tell you over the next several days, so lets keep it brief as we can right now (riiiiight...)
First, let me introduce you to the cast of characters for this trip:
New Hope New York - An organization set in NY that sees NYC as a focal point of ministry, as in "you win NY, you have a launching pad for the world"
Paint-the-Town - An organization that works in schools to help paint and repaint them, especially in tough areas of town (The Bronx for us)
Upward Basketball - A program that the fundamentals of basketball to youth that might not otherwise be able to recieve such training, but more importantly, it stresses the virtue of teamwork, built in a foundation of Christ
Landon Reesor - He got the call to take his family to Stamford, which is what he's doing now. He's planting Encounter Church. Very likeable guy, obviously strong faith.
Philip Waters - Team leader of the trip. Tall, lanky guy. Strikes me as the kind of no-nonsense guy with a very dry sense of humor. He'll need to be with some of us.
Mark Warner - Deacon at church, 9 year old Star Wars fan trapped in a 36 (will be 37 on trip) year old body. Plays Gordo at KidStuff, a children's ministry at church. Married to Cindy... knowing Cindy, I tend to think that Mark got the good end of that deal =)
Paula Mackey - I consider her my team mom. Yes, Philip's the leader, but leader or not, if I come down with spinalmeningitis or something, I'm not hollerin' for Philip, I'm calling Paula to mother me. She's the same "I'll get it" lady from WalkAbout dinner theater (previous post).
Josh Blackburn - Son of Paula. Good kid. Acted in our dinner theater this past weekend, seems full of energy, should bring alot to the trip. Wears AC/DC flip flops.
Brandon Blackburn - Younger Son o'Paula. Seems like another good kid, though in my opinion, he seems to have a young Fred Weasley aura about him. Could be wrong.
Colby Barnett - I have no clue who this guy is, met him for the first time a few weeks ago, have only seen him like, twice. Seems nice enough.
Josh Caldwell - Recreation pastor at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship). Leader of Upward Basketball, and co-leader of the trip with Philip. Very likeable easy going guy... big dude, gruff voice, hubby to Staci.
Staci Caldwell - Very small wife to Josh. She's the co-host of KidStuff, and a ball of weird energy. Likes slicky pants. And puppies.
Natalie Valentine - Single mom to Ariana. She probably thinks its weird, but I'm excited about Natalie coming on the trip, really because I look forward to getting to hang out with her. I like cool people, and Nat's just a cool chick.
Chuck McCammon - Childrens pastor at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship). Married to Tamara, the KidStuf leader. Chuck's a real likeable guy, laid back and seemingly fun to be around.
Daniel McCammon - Young son to the aforementioned Chuck. At 4 (?) I'm guessing this might be his first mission trip, unless they have a newborns journeyman program I dont know about.
Larry Long - Pops to Megan & Anna Long, twins who were on WalkAbout last year (Theta class, I think). Good guy.
Tim, Geryl & AnnaLynn Harrington - Coming on the trip as a family, which I think is just great. I hope that Stephanie and I can take the twins, Lorelei and Daisy, on a family mission trip together one day. I dont know the Harringtons, but they seem like good folk, so I'll go with that.
The Lovely Steph Leann- My lovely wife who isnt coming on the trip... but I don't want to pass up a chance to tell her how much I love her, how much I'll miss here while I'm gone, and to say thanks for supporting me on this venture.
There you have it... those are the involved folk. Now you know the names... check back soon for the adventures.
Oh, PS...
Here's some stuff about Morris High School
Grade levels 9 - 12
Enrollment around 250
Ethnicity is 60% Hispanic, 39% black, 1% white and 1% Asian
They offer free lunch to 81.2% of their students
Overcrowding stands at 115.9%
Only 8.9% of 9th graders read at grade level
Their graduation rate is 3.09%
Apparently from what I'm reading, this school is being phased out, but a number of smaller schools are being set up in the building.
I'm pretty excited about getting into this school... you can click here to see what it looks like...
(6)
Monday, July 25, 2005
The WalkAbout Finale... Part I
You know, sometimes things happen, and when its done, you sit back and wonder "how in the world did this happen?"
For instance... how did I end up with someone so wonderful and beautiful as Stephanie? It is a puzzlement. And, why does traffic on 65 sometimes seem to come to a standstill for no reason at all? There's no accident to be found. Furthermore, how does Paris Hilton even have a career? I mean, Jesus loves her, I'm sure of it, but it ain't for her talent.
And then I ask... how in world did this weekend come off as successful as it did?
This past weekend was WalkAbout's annual dinner theater. WalkAbout is the name of the middle school drama ministry at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), and I've been leading the team for about 6 years (well... four... I took about 1.5 years off ages ago). Each year, we've managed to do a dinner theater in the summertime, each bigger than the last. Costumes, lights, mics, props, the whole works.
Well, this season, I came back after a year layoff. I had 10 kids to work with for this DT, and a bunch of sketches that I knew we could handle. And, after dropping a couple that I realized we coudln't handle, we were set. Only problem was, practices. We started in April, but through May and June, we had this one on vacation, we had those two out of the country on missions, we had those three away at Memaw's house for dinner, that one at the beach and then all of them away at summer camp.
A few years ago, the same problem occurred... we had trouble leading up to the show, a disasterous dress rehearsal (DR being the ONLY time we can practice with lights, mics and costumes before the actual shows) and a director--me--with no sense of hope. Yet, God taught me grace and mercy that night, via a Jones Soda bottle (i'll retell it here on this site one day) and so this year, I was ready.
I had been emailing Paula, mother of one of our guys, for weeks with random requests for this, that and the other--and she pretty much came through each time. I think I could have asked for a live African elephant, and she would have responded later "okay, I've got the fireman's hat, the cart and the clipboard, and we're working on the elephant. I think Dana Guthrie is bringing it Friday" Remarkable woman (she's going to NYC too!)
Thursday, I met our lights & sounds guys--Trey & Justin for the first time. I walked them through the paces, and aside from having one girl a little freaked out--which I managed to calm down--it went remarkably well.
Let me explain why this startled me... I've had three dress rehearsals prior to this one, and none were good. The first was a mess, the second had our lights and sound guy, Daniel, not arrive until 815p (giving us one hour to practice) and the third ended after 1 hour because the power went out and a monsoon came down. So when the DR went right tonight... um... uh... oh boy.
Friday came, and I had the day off work, partially because I had a Dr's appt--my first real physical in 15 years or so... I walked having had blood taken, and being immunized with Tetnus and TB shots. Not good times, bad times.
Friday afternoon, I had a good lunch with Tebe "Aaayy Maaan! Aww Yeah" Shaw, then read Harry Potter (I was still on Order of the Phoenix at this time) then went to church, where things were still coming together nicely. Paula, Karen Cheney and several other Moms were assembling the room, and all the kids were arriving. Skip to an hour or two later, we prayed and I took my place behind the control board.
Justin turned the stagelights up, and Paige Cheney entered. And we were off. By mid-way through the first sketch, "Baby Got Book", the audience was rolling. Dinner was great (I didnt even know what we had until about 6p that night--not that I ate any of it), the skits were great, and by intermission, the kids were pumped up. I played Billy Joel's "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" during intermission, the Pastor loved the show, and the finale, Van Halen's "Right Now" went off without a hitch. Not a perfect show, but darn near close to it.
I went home, read Harry Potter until 4am, passed out on the couch and slept until 10am, not even noticing when my lovely wife ran out of the house in a panic late for her 10am meeting.
Saturday night's performance had a few glitches, one of which was frightening... it seems that our spotlight, which was essential for one of the skits, blew. Trey managed to fix it, so we went on. This night, we had a few microphone snitches, some lighting issues, and during a scene when Josh was supposed to boogie to a few seconds of "Its Not Unusual" by Tom Jones, the almost brand new cd somehow skipped over to "Whats New Pussycat". Josh kept dancing.
"Mutiny in the Vineyard", which I think I can safely say Friday's was one of the Top Ten Best WalkAbout performances in the teams history, was brought down Saturday by mic problems... plus the crowd didnt laugh as much overall. Little Erin said it best: "...maybe all those people who came back thought our jokes were old now."
And towards the very end, in what I think is God's provision, the spotlight that we didnt need anymore (because we finished our last skit using it) blew again. So all in all... not too bad. I'm glad its over, though.
This was my final WalkAbout directorial job, I think... its bittersweet, because everything about this team--its name, its verse, its 'bare feet' purpose--came from a time long ago, back before I barely knew Steph, back when Matt Grimes (middle school pastor) was early in collge, back when Eddy McBroom ruled the middle school with a buffet fist. I was there at the beginning, with Andrea Brobst, Meredith Osborne, Katie Noland and Lauren Long... four of the Alpha class at the beginning of 1999.
The Beta class came in for the 99-00 season, bringing with it Lori Fine, Jana Blackwell, Scott Latta and Lora Haghighi, to name a few... then for 00-01, the Gammas, with Kourtney & Kandice Kelley. The Delta class in 01-02 brought in Garrett Cheney, Betsy Clark, Marcus Clement, Caroline Blackburn, Mamie Clark, Tama Davis... perhaps the strongest line up since the Betas. I was done then, and from 02-03, Dana took over. WalkAbout died in the fall of 2003, and remained dead in 2004... until the summer of 04, when the Zetas came back--Kayla, Will, Bradley, Amanda...
...and finally, the Eta Class, from 2004-05... Joey, Paige, Tyler, Jessica, the other Jessica, Michele, Erin, Molly, Austin, Josh, Morgan and Elizabeth Ann.
Now, since I'm moving on to high school theatrics at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) I hope that someone will come soon and continue WalkAbout, as its something that needs to go on. Its an awesome way to help kids find their ministry in drama... or realize its not there. I'll conclude with more WalkAbout thoughts, plus my opinions on the ten greatest WalkAbout performances, ever, in The WalkAbout Finale, Part 2
(5)
For instance... how did I end up with someone so wonderful and beautiful as Stephanie? It is a puzzlement. And, why does traffic on 65 sometimes seem to come to a standstill for no reason at all? There's no accident to be found. Furthermore, how does Paris Hilton even have a career? I mean, Jesus loves her, I'm sure of it, but it ain't for her talent.
And then I ask... how in world did this weekend come off as successful as it did?
This past weekend was WalkAbout's annual dinner theater. WalkAbout is the name of the middle school drama ministry at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), and I've been leading the team for about 6 years (well... four... I took about 1.5 years off ages ago). Each year, we've managed to do a dinner theater in the summertime, each bigger than the last. Costumes, lights, mics, props, the whole works.
Well, this season, I came back after a year layoff. I had 10 kids to work with for this DT, and a bunch of sketches that I knew we could handle. And, after dropping a couple that I realized we coudln't handle, we were set. Only problem was, practices. We started in April, but through May and June, we had this one on vacation, we had those two out of the country on missions, we had those three away at Memaw's house for dinner, that one at the beach and then all of them away at summer camp.
A few years ago, the same problem occurred... we had trouble leading up to the show, a disasterous dress rehearsal (DR being the ONLY time we can practice with lights, mics and costumes before the actual shows) and a director--me--with no sense of hope. Yet, God taught me grace and mercy that night, via a Jones Soda bottle (i'll retell it here on this site one day) and so this year, I was ready.
I had been emailing Paula, mother of one of our guys, for weeks with random requests for this, that and the other--and she pretty much came through each time. I think I could have asked for a live African elephant, and she would have responded later "okay, I've got the fireman's hat, the cart and the clipboard, and we're working on the elephant. I think Dana Guthrie is bringing it Friday" Remarkable woman (she's going to NYC too!)
Thursday, I met our lights & sounds guys--Trey & Justin for the first time. I walked them through the paces, and aside from having one girl a little freaked out--which I managed to calm down--it went remarkably well.
Let me explain why this startled me... I've had three dress rehearsals prior to this one, and none were good. The first was a mess, the second had our lights and sound guy, Daniel, not arrive until 815p (giving us one hour to practice) and the third ended after 1 hour because the power went out and a monsoon came down. So when the DR went right tonight... um... uh... oh boy.
Friday came, and I had the day off work, partially because I had a Dr's appt--my first real physical in 15 years or so... I walked having had blood taken, and being immunized with Tetnus and TB shots. Not good times, bad times.
Friday afternoon, I had a good lunch with Tebe "Aaayy Maaan! Aww Yeah" Shaw, then read Harry Potter (I was still on Order of the Phoenix at this time) then went to church, where things were still coming together nicely. Paula, Karen Cheney and several other Moms were assembling the room, and all the kids were arriving. Skip to an hour or two later, we prayed and I took my place behind the control board.
Justin turned the stagelights up, and Paige Cheney entered. And we were off. By mid-way through the first sketch, "Baby Got Book", the audience was rolling. Dinner was great (I didnt even know what we had until about 6p that night--not that I ate any of it), the skits were great, and by intermission, the kids were pumped up. I played Billy Joel's "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" during intermission, the Pastor loved the show, and the finale, Van Halen's "Right Now" went off without a hitch. Not a perfect show, but darn near close to it.
I went home, read Harry Potter until 4am, passed out on the couch and slept until 10am, not even noticing when my lovely wife ran out of the house in a panic late for her 10am meeting.
Saturday night's performance had a few glitches, one of which was frightening... it seems that our spotlight, which was essential for one of the skits, blew. Trey managed to fix it, so we went on. This night, we had a few microphone snitches, some lighting issues, and during a scene when Josh was supposed to boogie to a few seconds of "Its Not Unusual" by Tom Jones, the almost brand new cd somehow skipped over to "Whats New Pussycat". Josh kept dancing.
"Mutiny in the Vineyard", which I think I can safely say Friday's was one of the Top Ten Best WalkAbout performances in the teams history, was brought down Saturday by mic problems... plus the crowd didnt laugh as much overall. Little Erin said it best: "...maybe all those people who came back thought our jokes were old now."
And towards the very end, in what I think is God's provision, the spotlight that we didnt need anymore (because we finished our last skit using it) blew again. So all in all... not too bad. I'm glad its over, though.
This was my final WalkAbout directorial job, I think... its bittersweet, because everything about this team--its name, its verse, its 'bare feet' purpose--came from a time long ago, back before I barely knew Steph, back when Matt Grimes (middle school pastor) was early in collge, back when Eddy McBroom ruled the middle school with a buffet fist. I was there at the beginning, with Andrea Brobst, Meredith Osborne, Katie Noland and Lauren Long... four of the Alpha class at the beginning of 1999.
The Beta class came in for the 99-00 season, bringing with it Lori Fine, Jana Blackwell, Scott Latta and Lora Haghighi, to name a few... then for 00-01, the Gammas, with Kourtney & Kandice Kelley. The Delta class in 01-02 brought in Garrett Cheney, Betsy Clark, Marcus Clement, Caroline Blackburn, Mamie Clark, Tama Davis... perhaps the strongest line up since the Betas. I was done then, and from 02-03, Dana took over. WalkAbout died in the fall of 2003, and remained dead in 2004... until the summer of 04, when the Zetas came back--Kayla, Will, Bradley, Amanda...
...and finally, the Eta Class, from 2004-05... Joey, Paige, Tyler, Jessica, the other Jessica, Michele, Erin, Molly, Austin, Josh, Morgan and Elizabeth Ann.
Now, since I'm moving on to high school theatrics at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) I hope that someone will come soon and continue WalkAbout, as its something that needs to go on. Its an awesome way to help kids find their ministry in drama... or realize its not there. I'll conclude with more WalkAbout thoughts, plus my opinions on the ten greatest WalkAbout performances, ever, in The WalkAbout Finale, Part 2
(5)
Sunday, July 24, 2005
The Inevitable Let Down
WARNING... THERE ARE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE SPOILERS BELOW... I WILL TELL YOU WHEN TO STOP READING!!!
I've been re-reading Harry Potter... with a vengeance. I started several weeks ago, picking up a hard-cover copy of Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone (I had the paperback to both that and Chamber of Secrets, but they were never returned from The Lair of the Wookiee) and began to read it. My thought was to re-read all five, leading up to the release of the new book, The Half-Blood Prince.
So, with working two jobs, church, drama and loving my wife, I managed to pace through the books... I shot through Sorcerer's Stone's 300 or so pages in a matter of about two days... I immediately bought the next one, The Chamber of Secrets, and then proceeded through it so quickly that I went ahead and picked up Prisoner of Azkaban when I was only 1/2 done with Chamber...
It was also in re-reading Chamber that I finally grasped my favorite character, Ginny Weasley--more on her later.
Quickly, I finished Azkaban, already having bought Goblet of Fire... the 700+ page behemoth, the first in the now-trio of "Fat" books that Rowling has written.
As I started reading through Goblet of Fire, I began to prepare myself for a truth... I was past the halfway point in the series. Last Saturday, as you may have been able to read on a previous blog, I bought the newest book, The Half-Blood Prince, but still continued on to Goblet of Fire... I stayed up until 4am reading it, finishing it later that night.
I picked up my then-favorite of the books (i'm currently re-evaluating what my favorite is...) Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix, and I began to brace myself. I'd immersed myself in Hogwarts lore for three weeks now, laughing at Ron and Hermoine, feeling the bitterness with Harry when Snape's being a jerk, enjoying the new cast of characters I began to discover along the way--Tonks, Moody, Kingsley--and I new that as soon as I finished Order, then the new book... there would be no more.
This is how I felt several years ago, when I picked them up the first time. I shot through the first three, took a little time in Goblet of Fire, and then sat down and began to read my new copy of Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix (which my then-girlfriend Stephanie bought for me the night it came out). I dashed through it in a weekend, and then felt a sense of loneliness, cause darn it, I had to wait to see what happened....
And now, after finishing Order last night, then beginning Half-Blood Prince (reading again until 4am) and then reading it all day today... I finished it a few minutes ago. And even though I braced myself, I feel like I've just been pushed off of a cliff.
SPOILERS BELOW... STOP READING IF YOU WANT TO KEEP THE BOOK'S SURPRISES AS SURPRISES
I have a habit of flipping through books when I buy them... so I knew a few things going in...
Dumbledore buys it. Snape kills him. Something called Horcruxes play an important part. Malfoy goes from being a Class A jerk to a #1 SOB. And, most importantly to me, Ginny Weasley and Harry hook up.
Let me just explain... from the outset, Ginny has been taken with Harry, even as she sees him as an 10 year old girl in the first book, when Harry himself is only 11. She can't even talk when he comes in a room. She plays a major role in Chamber of Secrets, still taken with Harry, and darn it, I just find her so lovable... were I a student at Hogwarts, I'd totally want to hang out with her. For the longest time, Hermoine was my girl... but after re-reading all of them, I gotta say, I favor Ginny. Don't know why.
Anyway, as I read, I waiting for these parts to come, finding out what leads up to them, learning not only that Dumbly dies, but why he dies, finding out not only does Snape do the dirty deed, but how he does it...
And now, I'm done. I have to wait another two, maybe three years for the conclusion. I'm a little perturbed that Harry seems to have left Ginny (for the same noble reasons Peter Parker leaves Mary Jane at the end of Spiderman I--so though I understand it, it still leaves me bitter), because they should be together. Because I said so.
Geez... Im a nerd.
And man I'm tired.
(4)
I've been re-reading Harry Potter... with a vengeance. I started several weeks ago, picking up a hard-cover copy of Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone (I had the paperback to both that and Chamber of Secrets, but they were never returned from The Lair of the Wookiee) and began to read it. My thought was to re-read all five, leading up to the release of the new book, The Half-Blood Prince.
So, with working two jobs, church, drama and loving my wife, I managed to pace through the books... I shot through Sorcerer's Stone's 300 or so pages in a matter of about two days... I immediately bought the next one, The Chamber of Secrets, and then proceeded through it so quickly that I went ahead and picked up Prisoner of Azkaban when I was only 1/2 done with Chamber...
It was also in re-reading Chamber that I finally grasped my favorite character, Ginny Weasley--more on her later.
Quickly, I finished Azkaban, already having bought Goblet of Fire... the 700+ page behemoth, the first in the now-trio of "Fat" books that Rowling has written.
As I started reading through Goblet of Fire, I began to prepare myself for a truth... I was past the halfway point in the series. Last Saturday, as you may have been able to read on a previous blog, I bought the newest book, The Half-Blood Prince, but still continued on to Goblet of Fire... I stayed up until 4am reading it, finishing it later that night.
I picked up my then-favorite of the books (i'm currently re-evaluating what my favorite is...) Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix, and I began to brace myself. I'd immersed myself in Hogwarts lore for three weeks now, laughing at Ron and Hermoine, feeling the bitterness with Harry when Snape's being a jerk, enjoying the new cast of characters I began to discover along the way--Tonks, Moody, Kingsley--and I new that as soon as I finished Order, then the new book... there would be no more.
This is how I felt several years ago, when I picked them up the first time. I shot through the first three, took a little time in Goblet of Fire, and then sat down and began to read my new copy of Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix (which my then-girlfriend Stephanie bought for me the night it came out). I dashed through it in a weekend, and then felt a sense of loneliness, cause darn it, I had to wait to see what happened....
And now, after finishing Order last night, then beginning Half-Blood Prince (reading again until 4am) and then reading it all day today... I finished it a few minutes ago. And even though I braced myself, I feel like I've just been pushed off of a cliff.
SPOILERS BELOW... STOP READING IF YOU WANT TO KEEP THE BOOK'S SURPRISES AS SURPRISES
I have a habit of flipping through books when I buy them... so I knew a few things going in...
Dumbledore buys it. Snape kills him. Something called Horcruxes play an important part. Malfoy goes from being a Class A jerk to a #1 SOB. And, most importantly to me, Ginny Weasley and Harry hook up.
Let me just explain... from the outset, Ginny has been taken with Harry, even as she sees him as an 10 year old girl in the first book, when Harry himself is only 11. She can't even talk when he comes in a room. She plays a major role in Chamber of Secrets, still taken with Harry, and darn it, I just find her so lovable... were I a student at Hogwarts, I'd totally want to hang out with her. For the longest time, Hermoine was my girl... but after re-reading all of them, I gotta say, I favor Ginny. Don't know why.
Anyway, as I read, I waiting for these parts to come, finding out what leads up to them, learning not only that Dumbly dies, but why he dies, finding out not only does Snape do the dirty deed, but how he does it...
And now, I'm done. I have to wait another two, maybe three years for the conclusion. I'm a little perturbed that Harry seems to have left Ginny (for the same noble reasons Peter Parker leaves Mary Jane at the end of Spiderman I--so though I understand it, it still leaves me bitter), because they should be together. Because I said so.
Geez... Im a nerd.
And man I'm tired.
(4)
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Harry Potter & the Hammer of MC
So, this week has been a blur.
I'm currently listening to live365.com's online 90s station, which is fabuloso, and hearing the great sounds of MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This".
Today was Habitat for Humanity for our Sunday School class... my wife left last night to go to Crestview, Florida, for a baby shower for one of her old-school best friends and there are three reasons I didnt go...
1) I had a drama project I HAD to get done this weekend
2) I hated to miss Habitat
3) Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince
Now, truthbetold, I would have foregone #2 & #3, but #1 was unavoidable--so whilest I was doing #1, 2 & 3 were byproducts of the weekend...
(Timmy T's "Ill B Ur Everything"... how hard is it to write the words "be" and "your", and put an apostrophe in "Ill"?)
Last night I went to Barnes & Noble to get a "wristband" so I could pick up my Harry Potter book at 12:01am. I'm a nerd. Anyway, they had two bands--yellow for those who had ordered ahead of time, and orange for those who hadn't... I got a yellow, with the number 79 on it. They would give out books for those numbers first, then those in the orange bands could get their books.
Its really quite silly, to be honest--I'm re-reading the other Harry Potter books as is, and I'm only half through Goblet of Fire, so I really won't even get to the new one until at least next week, so I could have bought it anytime... but I had to be there. However, that didnt stop me from flipping through it to which I discovered three things that made me "holy crap!"... 1) a major, major, MAJOR death--I sort of expected a death, but only slightly suspected this one, and was shocked at how it happened... 2) who the half-blood prince is--shocking... and 3) Harry gets a girlfriend! And I'm so pleased. I flipped out when I read Order of the Phoenix to discover Harry's first kiss (with Cho Chang, natch) but his woman this time is not Cho.
I love the Travelocity Roaming Gnome... "my creedo is, less for the room, more for that mini-bah"
So after I got my book (79th in line, got it around 12:20 or so) I headed to IHOP to have some late breakfast... got home around 115 am, and then like an igmo, stayed up until 415am reading Goblet of Fire.
(Keith Sweat's "I'll Give All My Love"... he's the early 90s R. Kelly, only without all the underage minor stuff)
Today was Habitat for Humanity, which I mentioned. Our Sunday School class is a "newly/nearly married" class, which Steph and I both love, and Tiffiany Shaw set up a one-day service project for us... included in this event were Tebe & Tiffiany, James & Jessica, Willis & Meredith and myself (remember, Steph is still in Crestview). Anyway, we moved mud, painted a concrete wall and made an ill-fated attempt at pouring concrete.
So following the Habitat project, smelling like something extraordinarily foul, I came to my in-laws place to use their cd burner to get a powerpoint presentation for dinner theater next week. And I forgot the music that goes to it... so whilest I didth the presentation, I'll have to burn it later.
I did take a shower, but I didnt have any shampoo, I had to use some freaky Spiderman foam soap, and though I brought new shorts and a shirt, I have on the same boxers. Very foul. I feel foul.
("Been Around the World" by Puff Daddy & the Family, feat. the Notorious BIG and Mase. Its never "with so & so", its always "feat." Strange.)
So my decision at this very moment, sitting in front of the Campbell's computer at their bungalow in Greystone is... do I go home, await the late return of my lovely wife, all the while read Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire, in anticipation of reading Order of the Phoenix, which pumps me up for Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince.
Or, do I go home, re-shower complete with shampoo and new boxer shorts (and also new socks--my shoes & socks are gross, and I have to drive barefoot) and head over to Tebe & Tiff's house for an impromptu night of games and such?
("Pony" by Genuwine. No, not Genuine... its Genuwine. Don't even get me started)
And in other news, I have all the money needed for NEW YORK CITY!!!
And that's a wrap for today.
(3)
I'm currently listening to live365.com's online 90s station, which is fabuloso, and hearing the great sounds of MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This".
Today was Habitat for Humanity for our Sunday School class... my wife left last night to go to Crestview, Florida, for a baby shower for one of her old-school best friends and there are three reasons I didnt go...
1) I had a drama project I HAD to get done this weekend
2) I hated to miss Habitat
3) Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince
Now, truthbetold, I would have foregone #2 & #3, but #1 was unavoidable--so whilest I was doing #1, 2 & 3 were byproducts of the weekend...
(Timmy T's "Ill B Ur Everything"... how hard is it to write the words "be" and "your", and put an apostrophe in "Ill"?)
Last night I went to Barnes & Noble to get a "wristband" so I could pick up my Harry Potter book at 12:01am. I'm a nerd. Anyway, they had two bands--yellow for those who had ordered ahead of time, and orange for those who hadn't... I got a yellow, with the number 79 on it. They would give out books for those numbers first, then those in the orange bands could get their books.
Its really quite silly, to be honest--I'm re-reading the other Harry Potter books as is, and I'm only half through Goblet of Fire, so I really won't even get to the new one until at least next week, so I could have bought it anytime... but I had to be there. However, that didnt stop me from flipping through it to which I discovered three things that made me "holy crap!"... 1) a major, major, MAJOR death--I sort of expected a death, but only slightly suspected this one, and was shocked at how it happened... 2) who the half-blood prince is--shocking... and 3) Harry gets a girlfriend! And I'm so pleased. I flipped out when I read Order of the Phoenix to discover Harry's first kiss (with Cho Chang, natch) but his woman this time is not Cho.
I love the Travelocity Roaming Gnome... "my creedo is, less for the room, more for that mini-bah"
So after I got my book (79th in line, got it around 12:20 or so) I headed to IHOP to have some late breakfast... got home around 115 am, and then like an igmo, stayed up until 415am reading Goblet of Fire.
(Keith Sweat's "I'll Give All My Love"... he's the early 90s R. Kelly, only without all the underage minor stuff)
Today was Habitat for Humanity, which I mentioned. Our Sunday School class is a "newly/nearly married" class, which Steph and I both love, and Tiffiany Shaw set up a one-day service project for us... included in this event were Tebe & Tiffiany, James & Jessica, Willis & Meredith and myself (remember, Steph is still in Crestview). Anyway, we moved mud, painted a concrete wall and made an ill-fated attempt at pouring concrete.
So following the Habitat project, smelling like something extraordinarily foul, I came to my in-laws place to use their cd burner to get a powerpoint presentation for dinner theater next week. And I forgot the music that goes to it... so whilest I didth the presentation, I'll have to burn it later.
I did take a shower, but I didnt have any shampoo, I had to use some freaky Spiderman foam soap, and though I brought new shorts and a shirt, I have on the same boxers. Very foul. I feel foul.
("Been Around the World" by Puff Daddy & the Family, feat. the Notorious BIG and Mase. Its never "with so & so", its always "feat." Strange.)
So my decision at this very moment, sitting in front of the Campbell's computer at their bungalow in Greystone is... do I go home, await the late return of my lovely wife, all the while read Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire, in anticipation of reading Order of the Phoenix, which pumps me up for Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince.
Or, do I go home, re-shower complete with shampoo and new boxer shorts (and also new socks--my shoes & socks are gross, and I have to drive barefoot) and head over to Tebe & Tiff's house for an impromptu night of games and such?
("Pony" by Genuwine. No, not Genuine... its Genuwine. Don't even get me started)
And in other news, I have all the money needed for NEW YORK CITY!!!
And that's a wrap for today.
(3)
Friday, July 08, 2005
Dave's Rambling: Kelly Clarkson
Here I am, once again... I'm torn into pieces... Can't deny it, can't pretend... Just thought you were the one... Broken up, deep inside... But you won't get to see the tears I cry... Behind these hazel eyes
Can I just say that somehow I' m a big Kelly Clarkson fan? I dont really know why... you'd think out of all the idols, I'd be a Ruben or Bo fan, since they were hometown boys, or I'd be supporters of Kimberly Caldwell, Carrie Underwood or Julia Damato, all whom I was Idol Hot for at one point or another... but no... I'm a Kelly Fan.
Miss Independent got me from the first few beats... I can still walk around Starbucks and sing that song happily. I am not, however, a fan of Breakaway or A Moment Like This--which leads me to say that every Idol song they force the winner to put out, such as A Moment Like This or this year's Inside Your Heaven (which Carrie was forced to endure) really suck. Bigtime.
Where was I?
Yes, Kelly.
The last one single she had... what was the name of it... crap, I will think of it... nothing is going through my head right now besides "...here I am, once again, i'm torn into pieces..."
Though I can happily say that I figured out who sings the "it's alright..." song. When I would see promos for the very underrated Tom Hanks movie The Terminal, I'd heard a male voice sing "well, its alllllll right..." and then say a line I couldnt remember. Anyway, I finally looked it up... its the Traveling Wilburys song "The End of the Line". Who were the Wilburys? It was a group from the early 1990s comprised of ELO leader Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty & Roy Orbison.
By the way... did I say how much of a Kelly Clarkson fan I am?
(2)
Can I just say that somehow I' m a big Kelly Clarkson fan? I dont really know why... you'd think out of all the idols, I'd be a Ruben or Bo fan, since they were hometown boys, or I'd be supporters of Kimberly Caldwell, Carrie Underwood or Julia Damato, all whom I was Idol Hot for at one point or another... but no... I'm a Kelly Fan.
Miss Independent got me from the first few beats... I can still walk around Starbucks and sing that song happily. I am not, however, a fan of Breakaway or A Moment Like This--which leads me to say that every Idol song they force the winner to put out, such as A Moment Like This or this year's Inside Your Heaven (which Carrie was forced to endure) really suck. Bigtime.
Where was I?
Yes, Kelly.
The last one single she had... what was the name of it... crap, I will think of it... nothing is going through my head right now besides "...here I am, once again, i'm torn into pieces..."
Though I can happily say that I figured out who sings the "it's alright..." song. When I would see promos for the very underrated Tom Hanks movie The Terminal, I'd heard a male voice sing "well, its alllllll right..." and then say a line I couldnt remember. Anyway, I finally looked it up... its the Traveling Wilburys song "The End of the Line". Who were the Wilburys? It was a group from the early 1990s comprised of ELO leader Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty & Roy Orbison.
By the way... did I say how much of a Kelly Clarkson fan I am?
(2)
Monday, July 04, 2005
Less than 30 days....
Well... its coming.
On July 31st, we'll fly out to NYC for what will be my third mission trip to that city. The excitement is building inside of me, as more often than not, I think ahead to that trip. There are a total of 16 (maybe 17?) going on this trip, and I've not formally even met them all just yet.
I do know a few--Mark Warner, a buddy of mine from KidStuf (our children's ministry at Valleydale Church, an sbc fellowship); Natalie Valentine, also involved in Kidstuff; Lori Land, instrumentalist extraordinaire at the aformentioned Valleydale; Paula Mackey and her two kids, Brandon and Josh--Josh is involved in WalkAbout, the middle school drama team; Josh & Staci Caldwell, husband and wife duo at church, Josh being the recreation minister, Staci involved with the kids... as for the rest of the crew, I've only met them because of this trip. That includes team leader Philip Waters, a family called the Harringtons and someone named Colby. Larry Long has also joined last minute, as he's the father of former WalkAbout students Megan & Anna Long.
Either way, its the 4th of July today, and I've started this blog right here, right now. I'll be adding to it more and more leading up to the trip, and who knows, I might just keep it going afterwards...
(1)
On July 31st, we'll fly out to NYC for what will be my third mission trip to that city. The excitement is building inside of me, as more often than not, I think ahead to that trip. There are a total of 16 (maybe 17?) going on this trip, and I've not formally even met them all just yet.
I do know a few--Mark Warner, a buddy of mine from KidStuf (our children's ministry at Valleydale Church, an sbc fellowship); Natalie Valentine, also involved in Kidstuff; Lori Land, instrumentalist extraordinaire at the aformentioned Valleydale; Paula Mackey and her two kids, Brandon and Josh--Josh is involved in WalkAbout, the middle school drama team; Josh & Staci Caldwell, husband and wife duo at church, Josh being the recreation minister, Staci involved with the kids... as for the rest of the crew, I've only met them because of this trip. That includes team leader Philip Waters, a family called the Harringtons and someone named Colby. Larry Long has also joined last minute, as he's the father of former WalkAbout students Megan & Anna Long.
Either way, its the 4th of July today, and I've started this blog right here, right now. I'll be adding to it more and more leading up to the trip, and who knows, I might just keep it going afterwards...
(1)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)