so, the last day of camp is today. i'm both excited and relieved. excited because we start our debrief week, and after that, i get to come home and be with you all. relieved for the same reason. but i'm also a bit sad. this summer went by so fast. i guess i'm glad at this point that it's not over. :) still another week to go. it will be good to reconnect with a lot of you though. i miss you.
-steve
Friday, August 1, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
i'm going to prison
exciting.
we got a call today saying that we've been cleared to visit the prison that we're supposed to visit tomorrow. it's awesome. i'm excited. i've never been to prison. :)
we got a call today saying that we've been cleared to visit the prison that we're supposed to visit tomorrow. it's awesome. i'm excited. i've never been to prison. :)
Monday, July 21, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
a new book
Our New Book with a Really Long Title
:) very insightful.
google has this great thing now, where you can find the book at a local library to borrow, instead of buying it. (a tip for living simply) right hand side of the book's page. the closest library for this book is boston... but you may have better luck with other books.
-steve
:) very insightful.
google has this great thing now, where you can find the book at a local library to borrow, instead of buying it. (a tip for living simply) right hand side of the book's page. the closest library for this book is boston... but you may have better luck with other books.
-steve
"when my dad gets out of prison..."
those are shocking words to hear.
i'd never heard them before yesterday.
i don't know anyone who's is in prison. or maybe i do. and they just don't talk about it.
i have a camper whose father is in prison. i don't know what for. i do know that he says he will buy his son a bike when he gets out. please pray for him and their family.
his son is nine years old. he has difficulty spelling and reading even simple things. we have reading at camp every day. we have craft every day. he shrinks back into himself any time he has to read or write. he becomes a different person. he is afraid of what people will think.
however, he's the most fun kid at camp. he's fast. boy, can this guy run. he loves being at camp. he loves being encouraged. he asks me to tell him if he's doing a good job. he's the most positive person on the basketball court, and even though neither of us can shoot, we can pass.
he understands the value of other people and seeks to make friends with kids who are positive. pray that God will continue this in him. pray that he will continue to seek people who will love him like Jesus does.
thanks.
-steve
i'd never heard them before yesterday.
i don't know anyone who's is in prison. or maybe i do. and they just don't talk about it.
i have a camper whose father is in prison. i don't know what for. i do know that he says he will buy his son a bike when he gets out. please pray for him and their family.
his son is nine years old. he has difficulty spelling and reading even simple things. we have reading at camp every day. we have craft every day. he shrinks back into himself any time he has to read or write. he becomes a different person. he is afraid of what people will think.
however, he's the most fun kid at camp. he's fast. boy, can this guy run. he loves being at camp. he loves being encouraged. he asks me to tell him if he's doing a good job. he's the most positive person on the basketball court, and even though neither of us can shoot, we can pass.
he understands the value of other people and seeks to make friends with kids who are positive. pray that God will continue this in him. pray that he will continue to seek people who will love him like Jesus does.
thanks.
-steve
jammin'
so i'm just sitting here, listening to some blasting tunes... ask chris bannon what they are... he'll know. but i won't do my shameless plug here. oh no, i won't.
anyways, this past weekend was beautiful.
we went up to new hampshire to spend some time decompressing, getting closer as a team and community, and reflecting on the ways God has worked this summer and continues to work in us and each other.
we all woke up at 7am-ish on saturday when we were there to go kayaking. it was awesome to bask in the morning sunlight, and bathe in the presence of God that morning. we all came back together at about 11 to start our reflection time.
we went over the section in mark, where Jesus is healing the sick and casting out demons in capernaum. we talked about a lot about calling, and about compassion fatigue. and all sorts of other things. find the passage and read it. draw your own conclusions, we probably talked about them and prayed through them.
Jesus at the end of the section retreats to a quiet place, then when his disciples found him, decides to keep on moving to another town. they could have built a megachurch, but Jesus had prayed, and knew it was best to keep moving. so they did.
we then began a four hour time of silent retreat and solitude. we were even told by Jim to ignore people we came in contact with. it wasn't rude, we were just focusing on God. nice :). So i started the time off with a 45 minute nap. i know... i know. but really, i started it off just by taking everything i had on my mind and heart, and giving it to God, completely. and it was so freeing that i fell asleep. once i was empty of everything, God could fill me up much easier.
and he did.
on sunday we wrote down things to encourage and challenge the the people we are living in community with. through that process, God convicted me in a lot of ways that i need to improve relationally with people, and although i welcome with open arms at first, to be intentional at maintaining that welcoming spirit towards people i already know. this among other things is something i'll continue to work on.
thank you all who are praying for me, our team, our community, and hartford. God is here. keep praying. :)
anyways, this past weekend was beautiful.
we went up to new hampshire to spend some time decompressing, getting closer as a team and community, and reflecting on the ways God has worked this summer and continues to work in us and each other.
we all woke up at 7am-ish on saturday when we were there to go kayaking. it was awesome to bask in the morning sunlight, and bathe in the presence of God that morning. we all came back together at about 11 to start our reflection time.
we went over the section in mark, where Jesus is healing the sick and casting out demons in capernaum. we talked about a lot about calling, and about compassion fatigue. and all sorts of other things. find the passage and read it. draw your own conclusions, we probably talked about them and prayed through them.
Jesus at the end of the section retreats to a quiet place, then when his disciples found him, decides to keep on moving to another town. they could have built a megachurch, but Jesus had prayed, and knew it was best to keep moving. so they did.
we then began a four hour time of silent retreat and solitude. we were even told by Jim to ignore people we came in contact with. it wasn't rude, we were just focusing on God. nice :). So i started the time off with a 45 minute nap. i know... i know. but really, i started it off just by taking everything i had on my mind and heart, and giving it to God, completely. and it was so freeing that i fell asleep. once i was empty of everything, God could fill me up much easier.
and he did.
on sunday we wrote down things to encourage and challenge the the people we are living in community with. through that process, God convicted me in a lot of ways that i need to improve relationally with people, and although i welcome with open arms at first, to be intentional at maintaining that welcoming spirit towards people i already know. this among other things is something i'll continue to work on.
thank you all who are praying for me, our team, our community, and hartford. God is here. keep praying. :)
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
wheeeee!
this weekend we're taking a trip to new hampshire to get a break from the city. today we're going swimming in the pool. we saw fireworks on saturday. i've had a good amount of time to play guitar and had some good talks with people from school as well. not much time to post a blog though.
God's at work here in more ways than i can count... more on that later.
-steve
God's at work here in more ways than i can count... more on that later.
-steve
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
another day. another post.
i love this city.
usually the city makes people talk faster. usually the city makes people speak more. usually the city makes people say less.
i've had instances today where i've really wanted to expound in many ways on the things that are going on inside my head and in my heart, but i haven't been able to.
when i was talking with adrienne a few calls back, she said that every time she talked to me on the phone i was talking a little bit slower, and with a little more deliberation in my words. she said my pauses were longer inbetween phrases. that it was delightful to hear it in my voice that God has made me at peace here.
which is amazing... because as at peace as i am, i feel completely the opposite so much of the time. but i feel at peace at the same time.
love.
joy.
peace.
patience.
kindness.
goodness.
faithfulness.
gentleness.
self control.
the israelites were people chosen by God to be set apart from other nations. God gave them a new way of living that was supposed to show the rest of the world what God was like.
the israelites were under the rule of a foreign king... a few hundred years after king solomon disobeyed God. their new king was nebuchadnezzar. the dude was ruthless. he would cut people into pieces, or even throw them into a fire if they disobeyed him.
so king nebuchadnezzar told his officials to find a bunch of handsom men from among the israelites who were smart and had their wits about them. they would serve in the king's palace. after three years of learning the culture of king nebuchadnezzar's people... they would enter into the king's service.
among the israelites chosen to learn the culture of the babylonians were daniel, hananiah, mishael, and azariah. the king gave them new names... names that would classify them as babylonian instead of israelites. names that were intended to strip them of their identities and reform them into new ones. so they became shadrach, meshach, and abednego. and daniel was renamed belteshazzar. but unfortunately for the babylonians, only God had the right to rename people and have them become different people because of it.
the renaming of daniel and his three friends, and the stripping of their culture in order to have them relearn something new didn't work. they still remained faithful to their God. they still knew that they were set apart. the israelites had all sorts of food requirements they needed to keep. king nebuchadnezzar demanded that they eat food that broke these requirements.
daniel understood the complexity of these requirements. daniel had an official who was tending to him and his friends. God caused the official to show favor to daniel. instead of him going into a dissertation of all the foods they were allowed to eat, and the foods they were not allowed to eat, daniel just tells the guard, "feed us nothing but vegetables and water for ten days, then make your own judgement" God had made daniel wise.
at the end of the ten days, it was easy to tell that daniel and his friends looked better than anyone else in the kingdom. everyone was then put on the same diet. God blessed daniel and his friends with all sorts of wisdom and understand. they rose to the top of their class and were noticed by the king. they were given high positions in babylonian society.
love.
joy.
peace.
patience.
kindness.
goodness.
faithfulness.
gentleness.
self control.
usually the city makes people talk faster. usually the city makes people speak more. usually the city makes people say less.
i've had instances today where i've really wanted to expound in many ways on the things that are going on inside my head and in my heart, but i haven't been able to.
when i was talking with adrienne a few calls back, she said that every time she talked to me on the phone i was talking a little bit slower, and with a little more deliberation in my words. she said my pauses were longer inbetween phrases. that it was delightful to hear it in my voice that God has made me at peace here.
which is amazing... because as at peace as i am, i feel completely the opposite so much of the time. but i feel at peace at the same time.
love.
joy.
peace.
patience.
kindness.
goodness.
faithfulness.
gentleness.
self control.
the israelites were people chosen by God to be set apart from other nations. God gave them a new way of living that was supposed to show the rest of the world what God was like.
the israelites were under the rule of a foreign king... a few hundred years after king solomon disobeyed God. their new king was nebuchadnezzar. the dude was ruthless. he would cut people into pieces, or even throw them into a fire if they disobeyed him.
so king nebuchadnezzar told his officials to find a bunch of handsom men from among the israelites who were smart and had their wits about them. they would serve in the king's palace. after three years of learning the culture of king nebuchadnezzar's people... they would enter into the king's service.
among the israelites chosen to learn the culture of the babylonians were daniel, hananiah, mishael, and azariah. the king gave them new names... names that would classify them as babylonian instead of israelites. names that were intended to strip them of their identities and reform them into new ones. so they became shadrach, meshach, and abednego. and daniel was renamed belteshazzar. but unfortunately for the babylonians, only God had the right to rename people and have them become different people because of it.
the renaming of daniel and his three friends, and the stripping of their culture in order to have them relearn something new didn't work. they still remained faithful to their God. they still knew that they were set apart. the israelites had all sorts of food requirements they needed to keep. king nebuchadnezzar demanded that they eat food that broke these requirements.
daniel understood the complexity of these requirements. daniel had an official who was tending to him and his friends. God caused the official to show favor to daniel. instead of him going into a dissertation of all the foods they were allowed to eat, and the foods they were not allowed to eat, daniel just tells the guard, "feed us nothing but vegetables and water for ten days, then make your own judgement" God had made daniel wise.
at the end of the ten days, it was easy to tell that daniel and his friends looked better than anyone else in the kingdom. everyone was then put on the same diet. God blessed daniel and his friends with all sorts of wisdom and understand. they rose to the top of their class and were noticed by the king. they were given high positions in babylonian society.
love.
joy.
peace.
patience.
kindness.
goodness.
faithfulness.
gentleness.
self control.
Monday, June 30, 2008
jesus for president... again
yay. so. reading shane and chris's book this summer was awesome. i loved it. yesterday we had a potluck dinner with them, all the people on tour with them (the psalters included... they both smell deliciously of hummus and falafel) and a bunch of people from the catholic worker. it was awesome talking to chris and seeing how he was connecting with our little hartford city mission community here, and getting to know him a little better. he and his wife live with shane and a bunch of others in an intentional christian community called "simple way" it's beautiful. i love the very real possibility of getting involved in a community like that.... so exciting.
anywho, it was a blast. cnn wrote an article about them on their tour, which is pretty sweet, but it misses how much about jesus it really was. they brought in a lot of other political stuff into the article too... but at least a good portion of chris and shane's message remains. it's beautiful
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/29/evangelical.campaign/index.html
i ran into a few people from my church there, which was awesome, cuz i missed a lot of them, and haven't had a real chance to catch up with them while being here. it was nice being able to do that. it was also nice that the majority of the people i expected to come... didn't... but this group that i had no idea was going to be there... was. while i would have liked to see people i hoped would come, it was a nice surprise to see people i hadn't thought would come. i think you get it.
adrienne, my lovely girlfriend, came to visit us this weekend and hang out. she came on saturday and left this morning... it was awesome to be able to talk with her face to face and share my life with her here a bit. the girls i'm living here with all expressed how great it was for her to come and how wonderful it was to spend time with her. i'm really blessed by that. and also blessed that she came.
camp has been going well. last night, my mom asked me what i've been reading. my first response was to list off all the books of the bible i've been studying. which for me is something that i'd never jump to as a blink reaction. but it's been eye opening to see how much God is increasing my love of him and his word through being here and spending intentional time really trying to learn more about God and how to serve God every day... all day.
i've been intrigued by the hebrew scriptures lately. i haven't read them much since i was a kid... while i did lead a bible study on hosea last semester of school, i haven't read the "bible stories" i grew up with in awhile. i've decided to revisit as many of those as possible, along with other daily disciplines and rhythms of diving into God's character. i realize that the more i read God's word, and the more i learn about God, the more i read into myself, and the more i learn about myself; how interconnected we are... i'm blown away.
so, as i said, camp's been going well. this week i've been preparing cirriculum for teaching time. it's been a little overwhelming, but God's got my back, as well as the rest of our team. today i taught the kids about samuel, saul, david, and goliath. a broad picture of all of it, and the specifics with david's fight with goliath. for the rest of the week, we're going to learn about daniel and his three amigos. i'm loving being a learner while teaching. it's one of my favorite things about leading a bible study... the more i have to share with others, the more i want to learn for myself. God has been opening up massive pathways for this in my heart, and providing me with opportunities to share, with anyone who will listen, about what i've been learning in the bible. it's exciting. God's word is breathing and alive.
as frustrating as some of these kids at camp can be, i love them. and i know it's only God that can enable me to do that. it's sad, how not being showed love by parents and family, can lead to it being harder for other people to love them as well.
i prayed tonite, thanking God for the blessing of my parents. people who are so totally invested in my life and my spiritual upbringing. so totally given over to God to grow me up in ways that i would see him in order to know him. and so blessed by God providing them.
i received letters from courtney and stewart, mike's kids... who were visiting him and my mom in rhode island while i was here. they're growing up so fast... stewart was so excited about the idea of us living with a food budget of only four dollars a day. my mom and mike made it a nightly discussion around the dinner table... they would print out a post from my blog every night before dinner (that was when i was posting almost daily) and pass around copies to everyone and then read it aloud. (mike's parents were also at the house to visit) it was great to hear that story and feel so overwhelmed at how great it was that they were joining in the work that God is doing here and sharing it with the people around them.
so you all know... it is such a blessing to be here. and while i miss a lot of people back home, i know God's got some time in store for us all to hang out and share how he's been active this summer. God is on the move.
-steve
anywho, it was a blast. cnn wrote an article about them on their tour, which is pretty sweet, but it misses how much about jesus it really was. they brought in a lot of other political stuff into the article too... but at least a good portion of chris and shane's message remains. it's beautiful
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/29/evangelical.campaign/index.html
i ran into a few people from my church there, which was awesome, cuz i missed a lot of them, and haven't had a real chance to catch up with them while being here. it was nice being able to do that. it was also nice that the majority of the people i expected to come... didn't... but this group that i had no idea was going to be there... was. while i would have liked to see people i hoped would come, it was a nice surprise to see people i hadn't thought would come. i think you get it.
adrienne, my lovely girlfriend, came to visit us this weekend and hang out. she came on saturday and left this morning... it was awesome to be able to talk with her face to face and share my life with her here a bit. the girls i'm living here with all expressed how great it was for her to come and how wonderful it was to spend time with her. i'm really blessed by that. and also blessed that she came.
camp has been going well. last night, my mom asked me what i've been reading. my first response was to list off all the books of the bible i've been studying. which for me is something that i'd never jump to as a blink reaction. but it's been eye opening to see how much God is increasing my love of him and his word through being here and spending intentional time really trying to learn more about God and how to serve God every day... all day.
i've been intrigued by the hebrew scriptures lately. i haven't read them much since i was a kid... while i did lead a bible study on hosea last semester of school, i haven't read the "bible stories" i grew up with in awhile. i've decided to revisit as many of those as possible, along with other daily disciplines and rhythms of diving into God's character. i realize that the more i read God's word, and the more i learn about God, the more i read into myself, and the more i learn about myself; how interconnected we are... i'm blown away.
so, as i said, camp's been going well. this week i've been preparing cirriculum for teaching time. it's been a little overwhelming, but God's got my back, as well as the rest of our team. today i taught the kids about samuel, saul, david, and goliath. a broad picture of all of it, and the specifics with david's fight with goliath. for the rest of the week, we're going to learn about daniel and his three amigos. i'm loving being a learner while teaching. it's one of my favorite things about leading a bible study... the more i have to share with others, the more i want to learn for myself. God has been opening up massive pathways for this in my heart, and providing me with opportunities to share, with anyone who will listen, about what i've been learning in the bible. it's exciting. God's word is breathing and alive.
as frustrating as some of these kids at camp can be, i love them. and i know it's only God that can enable me to do that. it's sad, how not being showed love by parents and family, can lead to it being harder for other people to love them as well.
i prayed tonite, thanking God for the blessing of my parents. people who are so totally invested in my life and my spiritual upbringing. so totally given over to God to grow me up in ways that i would see him in order to know him. and so blessed by God providing them.
i received letters from courtney and stewart, mike's kids... who were visiting him and my mom in rhode island while i was here. they're growing up so fast... stewart was so excited about the idea of us living with a food budget of only four dollars a day. my mom and mike made it a nightly discussion around the dinner table... they would print out a post from my blog every night before dinner (that was when i was posting almost daily) and pass around copies to everyone and then read it aloud. (mike's parents were also at the house to visit) it was great to hear that story and feel so overwhelmed at how great it was that they were joining in the work that God is doing here and sharing it with the people around them.
so you all know... it is such a blessing to be here. and while i miss a lot of people back home, i know God's got some time in store for us all to hang out and share how he's been active this summer. God is on the move.
-steve
Monday, June 23, 2008
i found this to be interesting
check out this article about changing graduation requirements in hartford's schools
also check the left hand column for some stuff on the demographics of the area we're staying it. (northeast) it's hartfordinfo.org
also check the left hand column for some stuff on the demographics of the area we're staying it. (northeast) it's hartfordinfo.org
Friday, June 20, 2008
God provides
thank you for praying. God has provided an answer to our prayer. the state deemed that the keeney park pondhouse was safe to hold camp in. we will be resuming camp on tuesday. praise God.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
URGENT: prayer needed
so, we have camp in this building called the pondhouse. it is located on a moderately secluded street in our neighbourhood. last night, at 8:30pm, while we were praying at our house... during a high speed police chase, a car crashed into the pondhouse.
it damaged a significant portion of it... narrowly missing the gas and electrical lines... right inbetween them actually. we had camp today outside in the park, and limited our use of the pondhouse for bathroom only. however, the state has condemned the building until further notice... it may not be safe to have camp in. so, we need a new venue. we aren't having camp tomorrow, cuz the kids can't be outside all day.
please pray. thanks.
-steve
it damaged a significant portion of it... narrowly missing the gas and electrical lines... right inbetween them actually. we had camp today outside in the park, and limited our use of the pondhouse for bathroom only. however, the state has condemned the building until further notice... it may not be safe to have camp in. so, we need a new venue. we aren't having camp tomorrow, cuz the kids can't be outside all day.
please pray. thanks.
-steve
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
thank you
i'm sitting here, thinking about what God has done in my life and with our group in the past weeks... it's incredible. thank you so much for supporting me financially and with your prayers. God is definitely at work here. but the summer isn't over yet, at this point it's a huge spiritual battle, and there are definite forces at work trying to make sure these kids don't get introduced to Christ... so please keep praying for our team in Hartford.
thank you.
-steve
thank you.
-steve
post ten - a week has gone by
june 18 (wednesday evening)
camp has been going well.
yea.
wow, i can't believe this much time has gone by since posting last, but things have been extraordinarily busy. my journal posts have gone from very specific to extremely general and sometimes vague. but God has been work in incredible ways. and that's awesome.
my last post... the one before this was cut while i was writing it, i had some other form of responsibility i had to fulfill... i don't even know what i was writing. so... i don't think it's going to get finished. i guess it's just a testament to the fact that... well... i uh... have a lot to do here. :) and it's great.
living in a poor neighborhood, with fully intentional people has been a real eye opening experience for me... and has actually changed some views of mine, regarding what it means to actually follow jesus. it's an incredible time here.
i don't remember if i invited you to the "jesus for president" event... but details are on the hartford city missions mission main page. you should read the book and come out. or just come out. but reading the book would be helpful.
so... camp has been good. my role so far has been to be the floater person at camp... connecting with kids who otherwise would not be connected with. reaching out to the fringe kids and outcasts... the kids who are different. it's important... that's where my heart's been for the past few days. today was incredibly draining, we had more kids than we ever had, and none of them really cared to listen. it was a tough day.
tomorrow will be better.
we have a group of kids this week who are at camp this week only because next week, they're going to other camps, and their parents would like free camp till then. we're sifting them out tomorrow and putting them in a new group. my group. it'll be interesting to see how that dynamic works. i'm praying that i would be able to connect for them and care for them in the same way as if they were spending the whole summer at camp... hey, maybe they'll feel loved enough to do just that.
a lot of these kids are concerned about safety. a lot of them are scared to live where they are... they're scared primarily because they realize that everything else in their life has failed them at one point or another. it'll be interesting to introduce them to a Jesus who never fails them, and who loves them like no one else can. i pray that kids at camp will learn how much God loves them... just as i'm learning by being here.
it's been awesome so far. i wish you all could be here experiencing this. i miss you all. thank you for your support. :)
-steve
camp has been going well.
yea.
wow, i can't believe this much time has gone by since posting last, but things have been extraordinarily busy. my journal posts have gone from very specific to extremely general and sometimes vague. but God has been work in incredible ways. and that's awesome.
my last post... the one before this was cut while i was writing it, i had some other form of responsibility i had to fulfill... i don't even know what i was writing. so... i don't think it's going to get finished. i guess it's just a testament to the fact that... well... i uh... have a lot to do here. :) and it's great.
living in a poor neighborhood, with fully intentional people has been a real eye opening experience for me... and has actually changed some views of mine, regarding what it means to actually follow jesus. it's an incredible time here.
i don't remember if i invited you to the "jesus for president" event... but details are on the hartford city missions mission main page. you should read the book and come out. or just come out. but reading the book would be helpful.
so... camp has been good. my role so far has been to be the floater person at camp... connecting with kids who otherwise would not be connected with. reaching out to the fringe kids and outcasts... the kids who are different. it's important... that's where my heart's been for the past few days. today was incredibly draining, we had more kids than we ever had, and none of them really cared to listen. it was a tough day.
tomorrow will be better.
we have a group of kids this week who are at camp this week only because next week, they're going to other camps, and their parents would like free camp till then. we're sifting them out tomorrow and putting them in a new group. my group. it'll be interesting to see how that dynamic works. i'm praying that i would be able to connect for them and care for them in the same way as if they were spending the whole summer at camp... hey, maybe they'll feel loved enough to do just that.
a lot of these kids are concerned about safety. a lot of them are scared to live where they are... they're scared primarily because they realize that everything else in their life has failed them at one point or another. it'll be interesting to introduce them to a Jesus who never fails them, and who loves them like no one else can. i pray that kids at camp will learn how much God loves them... just as i'm learning by being here.
it's been awesome so far. i wish you all could be here experiencing this. i miss you all. thank you for your support. :)
-steve
Friday, June 13, 2008
post ten - oatmeal and stuff
june 11, 2008 (wednesday night)
oatmeal for breakfast was a lot less glamourous than i thought it would be. i don't think my stomach wanted that much food when i woke up. i was glad for it though. come noon lunchtime i was really hungry, but the oatmeal stuck around longer than cereal would have. YAY! whole grains! after breakfast our devotions this morning were great. Patti led them; the primary focus was God's sovereign power within a situation. I thought it was great especially recognizing the context of our trip here.
After devotions, jim handed us all sheets with topics to choose from and he sent us all into downtown hartford to go to their impressive library and research hartford's north end. we had six hours but i still don't feel like it was long enough. my topic was economics. the other people's topics were history, demographics, and ecuation. i have my notes on all of it, but it's not worth writing them all here, so if you want to talk sometime, i've got the info.
Soem quick facts though: connecticut is america's wealthiest state. hartford is america's second poorest city. the area we are staying in has a median income of $20,000. two thirds of people here rent their home, and less than a quarter of the people who live here own the house they live n. This also has huge implications for how they view their communities and their own personal worth. Also, the unemployment rate is
oatmeal for breakfast was a lot less glamourous than i thought it would be. i don't think my stomach wanted that much food when i woke up. i was glad for it though. come noon lunchtime i was really hungry, but the oatmeal stuck around longer than cereal would have. YAY! whole grains! after breakfast our devotions this morning were great. Patti led them; the primary focus was God's sovereign power within a situation. I thought it was great especially recognizing the context of our trip here.
After devotions, jim handed us all sheets with topics to choose from and he sent us all into downtown hartford to go to their impressive library and research hartford's north end. we had six hours but i still don't feel like it was long enough. my topic was economics. the other people's topics were history, demographics, and ecuation. i have my notes on all of it, but it's not worth writing them all here, so if you want to talk sometime, i've got the info.
Soem quick facts though: connecticut is america's wealthiest state. hartford is america's second poorest city. the area we are staying in has a median income of $20,000. two thirds of people here rent their home, and less than a quarter of the people who live here own the house they live n. This also has huge implications for how they view their communities and their own personal worth. Also, the unemployment rate is
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
post nine - and it was evening, the second day
june 10, 2008 (tuesday night)
quick overview: we played monopoly this morning. we all started out (without knowing it) with different amounts of cash... and when we passed go, different salaries. i was poor, but managed to be one of the final two. the game ended in a draw. but to keep it to more important things, since there ARE more important things than winning, playing monopoly that way was used to teach us about capitalism in a more tangible way. there was another poor person like me, a middle class (normal salary and starting amount) and an upper class person. (2000 start and 300 for passing go) Jim asked us questions at the end of the game about how we felt given our financial situation. it was hard for me, but because i am experienced at monopoly, i was able to adapt better... it was an example of how cultural knowledge is a huge advantage in succeeding financially. most poor people don't have the knowledge of how to get rich, or know the right people, so they don't. brittany, our rich person, felt guilty because she was rich and often gave hand outs to the other poor person with bad luck. it was interesting. after monopoly we went on our city-wide scavenger hunt.
we saw a lot in hartford, but missed out on a lot of the historical sites and info that we'll visit tomorrow. we went shopping on a food stamp budget and managed to be $20 below budget. we were not able to buy any fresh fruit or vegetables, and I'm not sure if we'll need to go shopping again later this week... we may run out, but who knows? being a vegetarian with three meat eaters is a little difficult... it's sometimes hard for them to understand different aspects of how we as people get certain nutrients, and our need for those nutrients, even on a budget diet. i'm cheating a little bit on our budget by taking the multivitamins i brought just in case our food wasn't able to provide everything (mostly iron, b vitamins, zinc, calcium... a lot)
we all had half an hour each to share our life stories today. it was great to learn from the other people in our team how God has worked in their lives. tonite i cooked dinner with brittany. eggs and pancakes. delicious. tomorrow morning is oatmeal and maybe bananas left over from our breakfast this morning. I think i will try to do the dishes before people wake up. we'll see what happens. i've been doing my best to be encouraging and pointing out all the ways i feel blessed by the people here. like, i thanked patti for telling me when she and the rest of the girls were done showering, and i praised julie for her boldness in the city today, and brittany for her patience with me while grocery shopping i made sure after praying tonite to tell them all how great it was to spend the day with them. it really was.
we had bible study on amos tonite with our group, and with some people in the neighbourhood. awesome. i learned so much. jim is very gifted with his questions and leading. and i believe that is it for now. it's raining, and getting a little cooler. we're having a thunder storm. i am blessed to be here.
prayer for today:
for God to show me how i can help someone in the city when we go out in the next few days
quick overview: we played monopoly this morning. we all started out (without knowing it) with different amounts of cash... and when we passed go, different salaries. i was poor, but managed to be one of the final two. the game ended in a draw. but to keep it to more important things, since there ARE more important things than winning, playing monopoly that way was used to teach us about capitalism in a more tangible way. there was another poor person like me, a middle class (normal salary and starting amount) and an upper class person. (2000 start and 300 for passing go) Jim asked us questions at the end of the game about how we felt given our financial situation. it was hard for me, but because i am experienced at monopoly, i was able to adapt better... it was an example of how cultural knowledge is a huge advantage in succeeding financially. most poor people don't have the knowledge of how to get rich, or know the right people, so they don't. brittany, our rich person, felt guilty because she was rich and often gave hand outs to the other poor person with bad luck. it was interesting. after monopoly we went on our city-wide scavenger hunt.
we saw a lot in hartford, but missed out on a lot of the historical sites and info that we'll visit tomorrow. we went shopping on a food stamp budget and managed to be $20 below budget. we were not able to buy any fresh fruit or vegetables, and I'm not sure if we'll need to go shopping again later this week... we may run out, but who knows? being a vegetarian with three meat eaters is a little difficult... it's sometimes hard for them to understand different aspects of how we as people get certain nutrients, and our need for those nutrients, even on a budget diet. i'm cheating a little bit on our budget by taking the multivitamins i brought just in case our food wasn't able to provide everything (mostly iron, b vitamins, zinc, calcium... a lot)
we all had half an hour each to share our life stories today. it was great to learn from the other people in our team how God has worked in their lives. tonite i cooked dinner with brittany. eggs and pancakes. delicious. tomorrow morning is oatmeal and maybe bananas left over from our breakfast this morning. I think i will try to do the dishes before people wake up. we'll see what happens. i've been doing my best to be encouraging and pointing out all the ways i feel blessed by the people here. like, i thanked patti for telling me when she and the rest of the girls were done showering, and i praised julie for her boldness in the city today, and brittany for her patience with me while grocery shopping i made sure after praying tonite to tell them all how great it was to spend the day with them. it really was.
we had bible study on amos tonite with our group, and with some people in the neighbourhood. awesome. i learned so much. jim is very gifted with his questions and leading. and i believe that is it for now. it's raining, and getting a little cooler. we're having a thunder storm. i am blessed to be here.
prayer for today:
for God to show me how i can help someone in the city when we go out in the next few days
post eight: first light
june 10, 2008 (tuesday morning)
it will be easy here to lose track of whta day it is. it's only the second day and already i feel like i don't know what day/date it is. i'm writing this in the morning. it's about 8 o clock now. i woke up at 7:30. i'm going to try to start a trend of waking up earlier, all the girls wake up in the morning to shower. i have the luxury of being able to shower at night. or a quick one after they're all done. we're doing devotions at 9 today. i'm leading. i've still got that thrice song, "moving mountains" stuck in my head, as well as a random third day song on the same theme. so i'll probably talk about it and read through a passage in philippians 1:9-10 about love, and in first chorinthians 13.
there's a no music rule for before 9am and after 10pm. this will be difficult fo me. i'm sused to staying up late and playing guitar... and having time to do it. since i'm erly now it's kind of sitting there staring at me. most nights will end earlier than 10, so i can play if i want to.
it's nice feeling free from answering my phone, checking my emails, or having to plan what i'm going to tdo today. God has blessed me a lot in that regard. no distractions. i get to focus on Him and the people around me.
i'm looking around my room now, amazed at how simle my packing list was. i have a couple notebooks, a bible, Jesus for President, a checkbook, guitar strings, picks, and a tuner... anyway... not a lot. i'd upload a picture, but i forgot my camera cable. mom, if you find it could you mail it to me? if not, that's okay too. anyway, off to shower.
things to pray for:
- that our love would grow in insight and knowledge
- cooler weather (they let school out early today. the schools here don't have air conditioning)
it will be easy here to lose track of whta day it is. it's only the second day and already i feel like i don't know what day/date it is. i'm writing this in the morning. it's about 8 o clock now. i woke up at 7:30. i'm going to try to start a trend of waking up earlier, all the girls wake up in the morning to shower. i have the luxury of being able to shower at night. or a quick one after they're all done. we're doing devotions at 9 today. i'm leading. i've still got that thrice song, "moving mountains" stuck in my head, as well as a random third day song on the same theme. so i'll probably talk about it and read through a passage in philippians 1:9-10 about love, and in first chorinthians 13.
there's a no music rule for before 9am and after 10pm. this will be difficult fo me. i'm sused to staying up late and playing guitar... and having time to do it. since i'm erly now it's kind of sitting there staring at me. most nights will end earlier than 10, so i can play if i want to.
it's nice feeling free from answering my phone, checking my emails, or having to plan what i'm going to tdo today. God has blessed me a lot in that regard. no distractions. i get to focus on Him and the people around me.
i'm looking around my room now, amazed at how simle my packing list was. i have a couple notebooks, a bible, Jesus for President, a checkbook, guitar strings, picks, and a tuner... anyway... not a lot. i'd upload a picture, but i forgot my camera cable. mom, if you find it could you mail it to me? if not, that's okay too. anyway, off to shower.
things to pray for:
- that our love would grow in insight and knowledge
- cooler weather (they let school out early today. the schools here don't have air conditioning)
post seven - i'm here
june 9th 2008 (monday night)
so i've just spent my first afternoonday getting acquanted with our new hartford house and the people i'll be living with for the summer. my fellow interns' names are patti, julie, and brittany. so, it ended up being the three girls to one guy ratio. i can't complain. but not for reasons some might think: i get my own room. and it's big.
i have a sweet bookshelf with a lot o fbooks already there. i only brought one book with me, which was Jesus for President, and guess what?! we'll be reading it this summer, and we'll be going to shane claiborne's event. it's on the hartford city missions homepage if you want to come... and if you want to see me, i'll probably be operating the merchandise table. come on by. we'll also be having an open house sometime toward the end of this nine week period. more details to follow. aaaand, even more news that i didn't know about: halfway through the summer, we will be retreating for a weekend to new hampshire. yay cottage in the woods! it'll be a good retreat i think.
Every saturday and sunday we have times for personal and group sabbaths. it'll be a great time to rest and to reflect on what God is doing, and probably to update y'all on this blog via posts. i got to know a lot about the people i'll be working with this summer. Julie is from california, brittany and patti both live about fifteen minutes away from where we are.
the house is BEAUTIFUL! totally not what i was expecting when i heard where we'd be staying. adrienne and the olsons would love it, and i'm sure many more of you, but those are the people i can think of now that would especially enjoy what people have done here. it's huge. three stories. fully finished basement. very nicely furnished. the walls are all awesome colors, and the rooms are coordinated well. i feel at peace in my room. it's a soothing light washed out greyish green color.
it is hot in hartford. not terrible, but pretty hot. i'm glad i have shots. it's a definite blessing.
this week we are going to have orientation with the city. tomorrow we're going shopping. but we're only allowed to take public transportation. and we only have four dollars per person, per day. it's as if we're on food stamps. tomorrow morning after i lead devotions, we're playing monopoly. (let's hope i canremain christ-like) it's supposed to demonstrate capitalism. jim (our team leader) says it's going to be played with a twist.
during our time of studying the scripture this week, our topic is the sermon on the mount. we ended tonite's time together with a litergical celtic prayer. tomorrow we're studying amos with a neighborhood bible study that meets here, and later on in the summer we'll study james.
it was easy to get here, and it only took an hour and a half. there was no traffic.
things to pray for:
- the team i am a part of, living together on the first floor. that we would be able to serve one another like Jesus, and that we would grow into tremendous friends over the course of the summer.
- that God would prepare the hearts of the people we'll encounter while we're here proclaiming the gospel.
so i've just spent my first afternoonday getting acquanted with our new hartford house and the people i'll be living with for the summer. my fellow interns' names are patti, julie, and brittany. so, it ended up being the three girls to one guy ratio. i can't complain. but not for reasons some might think: i get my own room. and it's big.
i have a sweet bookshelf with a lot o fbooks already there. i only brought one book with me, which was Jesus for President, and guess what?! we'll be reading it this summer, and we'll be going to shane claiborne's event. it's on the hartford city missions homepage if you want to come... and if you want to see me, i'll probably be operating the merchandise table. come on by. we'll also be having an open house sometime toward the end of this nine week period. more details to follow. aaaand, even more news that i didn't know about: halfway through the summer, we will be retreating for a weekend to new hampshire. yay cottage in the woods! it'll be a good retreat i think.
Every saturday and sunday we have times for personal and group sabbaths. it'll be a great time to rest and to reflect on what God is doing, and probably to update y'all on this blog via posts. i got to know a lot about the people i'll be working with this summer. Julie is from california, brittany and patti both live about fifteen minutes away from where we are.
the house is BEAUTIFUL! totally not what i was expecting when i heard where we'd be staying. adrienne and the olsons would love it, and i'm sure many more of you, but those are the people i can think of now that would especially enjoy what people have done here. it's huge. three stories. fully finished basement. very nicely furnished. the walls are all awesome colors, and the rooms are coordinated well. i feel at peace in my room. it's a soothing light washed out greyish green color.
it is hot in hartford. not terrible, but pretty hot. i'm glad i have shots. it's a definite blessing.
this week we are going to have orientation with the city. tomorrow we're going shopping. but we're only allowed to take public transportation. and we only have four dollars per person, per day. it's as if we're on food stamps. tomorrow morning after i lead devotions, we're playing monopoly. (let's hope i canremain christ-like) it's supposed to demonstrate capitalism. jim (our team leader) says it's going to be played with a twist.
during our time of studying the scripture this week, our topic is the sermon on the mount. we ended tonite's time together with a litergical celtic prayer. tomorrow we're studying amos with a neighborhood bible study that meets here, and later on in the summer we'll study james.
it was easy to get here, and it only took an hour and a half. there was no traffic.
things to pray for:
- the team i am a part of, living together on the first floor. that we would be able to serve one another like Jesus, and that we would grow into tremendous friends over the course of the summer.
- that God would prepare the hearts of the people we'll encounter while we're here proclaiming the gospel.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
post six - tomorrow
so i leave tomorrow. at noon. yay!
things to pray for:
-me to not have forgotten anything important
-decent weather for traveling tomorrow
-safety and attentiveness while traveling (no tickets or accidents, they would not be a good way to start this experience)
-my family and friends while i am away for 9 weeks.
-an opportunity during the summer for a visiting day
anyway, i love you all. hope to post soon.
-steve
things to pray for:
-me to not have forgotten anything important
-decent weather for traveling tomorrow
-safety and attentiveness while traveling (no tickets or accidents, they would not be a good way to start this experience)
-my family and friends while i am away for 9 weeks.
-an opportunity during the summer for a visiting day
anyway, i love you all. hope to post soon.
-steve
Monday, June 2, 2008
post five - one week
it's so weird to think that once i leave here in a week, although i'm in a neighboring state, i likely won't be back in rhode island for nine weeks. especially since so many new friendships are starting right before i'm leaving. i guess homesickness in a way is something to pray for.
a big goal for being in hartford is to be there entirely. people can't be in two places at once. even if they try to be. thankfully God is though.
something i've been praying for that you can pray for as well is my grandfather. (my mom's dad) he's not doing so well... he was admitted into the hospital recently with fluid in his lungs. as far as i understand, his heart at this point doesn't really have enough power to pump everything through his body, so he's on medication for that, among other things. yea, if you could pray for grandpa, that'd be great... and grandma too... and my family in knowing how to best handle the situation. if i hear anything on this i'll update.
a big goal for being in hartford is to be there entirely. people can't be in two places at once. even if they try to be. thankfully God is though.
something i've been praying for that you can pray for as well is my grandfather. (my mom's dad) he's not doing so well... he was admitted into the hospital recently with fluid in his lungs. as far as i understand, his heart at this point doesn't really have enough power to pump everything through his body, so he's on medication for that, among other things. yea, if you could pray for grandpa, that'd be great... and grandma too... and my family in knowing how to best handle the situation. if i hear anything on this i'll update.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
post four - the book
along with obvious investment in studying scripture leading up to june 9th when i start with hartford city missions, we are required to read a book by kevin blue called "practical justice: living off center in a self-centered world"
the basic premise of the book is to open our minds and hearts to the call Jesus gave us to care for the poor. and what it looks like. and how to get out of the rut of not knowing what to do when we feel convicted to help another in their circumstance. it really is a practical approach.
anyways, i'd recommend checking out the amazon page for the book and reading the excerpts they have.
peace.
-steve
Friday, May 16, 2008
post three - the packing list (with added commentary in parenthesis)
+ towels
+ sheets for twin bed
+ pillow
+ jacket/sweaters (i can't wait to bust out my 80's track jacket and old man sweaters)
+ shoes to walk and run in (chuck taylors)
+ lots of clothes to run around in
+ some nicer clothes for church
+ some everyday clothes for evenings off and days off together
+ clothes or bathing suits to get wet in
(what this all basically means is: jeans, chords, and threadless tshirts, and a few button-ups... basically my everyday wardrobe)
+ bible
+ journal
+ camera if desired
+ alarm clock
+ daytimer or calendar (what's a daytimer? and do they make calendars anymore?)
+ any favorite kids ministry props, music, etc.
+ any favorite games we might want to play together
+ good cheap recipes that you would want to cook (they assume i know how... mmm pancakes for dinner every night i cook... but if you know of any good vegetarian-friendly recipes that are easy to do, i'd love to have your comments)
they asked us to not bring anything that would either distract us from relationships with others (like privatized electronic devices) or anything too expensive. i'll have access to an office and a few shared computers as needed, which means i'll be able to post here at least a few times during the summer, to share my experiences with you of course.
housing will be provided for me in the first floor apartment of the vine, which is hcm's ministry house. which means that while i should bring sheets and towels, anything else i'll need will already be there (dishes, beds, furniture, pots, pans, etc, etc).
+ sheets for twin bed
+ pillow
+ jacket/sweaters (i can't wait to bust out my 80's track jacket and old man sweaters)
+ shoes to walk and run in (chuck taylors)
+ lots of clothes to run around in
+ some nicer clothes for church
+ some everyday clothes for evenings off and days off together
+ clothes or bathing suits to get wet in
(what this all basically means is: jeans, chords, and threadless tshirts, and a few button-ups... basically my everyday wardrobe)
+ bible
+ journal
+ camera if desired
+ alarm clock
+ daytimer or calendar (what's a daytimer? and do they make calendars anymore?)
+ any favorite kids ministry props, music, etc.
+ any favorite games we might want to play together
+ good cheap recipes that you would want to cook (they assume i know how... mmm pancakes for dinner every night i cook... but if you know of any good vegetarian-friendly recipes that are easy to do, i'd love to have your comments)
they asked us to not bring anything that would either distract us from relationships with others (like privatized electronic devices) or anything too expensive. i'll have access to an office and a few shared computers as needed, which means i'll be able to post here at least a few times during the summer, to share my experiences with you of course.
housing will be provided for me in the first floor apartment of the vine, which is hcm's ministry house. which means that while i should bring sheets and towels, anything else i'll need will already be there (dishes, beds, furniture, pots, pans, etc, etc).
post two - the letter
Dear Friend,
I would love to partner in ministry with you this summer.
My friend Chris Bannon sent me an email urging me to look into a nine-week summer internship with an organization called Hartford City Mission. Open to the plans God would have for me for the summer, I prayed, and asked my friends at school and my family to pray as well. As we continued to pray through the course of the month, I felt a heavy weight on my heart to be involved in the work that God is doing through Hartford City Mission (HCM) this summer. I can’t wait to begin working with them.
I will be arriving in Hartford on June 9th, spending the first week orienting myself with the city, HCM, and my team of four other people for the summer. The next seven weeks will be focused around planning and facilitating their new children’s camp during the day, and hosting community activities in the evenings.
There are a few ways you and I can partner this summer: if you would pray for me, the team I am serving with, HCM, the people we will interact with, and the city of Hartford, CT… that would be fantastic. Additionally, with any ministry there are physical needs as well. For me to be able to serve Hartford this summer, I need to raise at least 800 dollars.
I am asking you to pray for me, and if you feel led to give financially, please write a check to Hartford City Mission with my name (Steve Carroll), in the memo li ne. Please send it to HCM, PO Box 320397, Hartford, CT 06132.
Thanks,
Steve Carroll
www.hartfordcitymission.com
I would love to partner in ministry with you this summer.
My friend Chris Bannon sent me an email urging me to look into a nine-week summer internship with an organization called Hartford City Mission. Open to the plans God would have for me for the summer, I prayed, and asked my friends at school and my family to pray as well. As we continued to pray through the course of the month, I felt a heavy weight on my heart to be involved in the work that God is doing through Hartford City Mission (HCM) this summer. I can’t wait to begin working with them.
I will be arriving in Hartford on June 9th, spending the first week orienting myself with the city, HCM, and my team of four other people for the summer. The next seven weeks will be focused around planning and facilitating their new children’s camp during the day, and hosting community activities in the evenings.
There are a few ways you and I can partner this summer: if you would pray for me, the team I am serving with, HCM, the people we will interact with, and the city of Hartford, CT… that would be fantastic. Additionally, with any ministry there are physical needs as well. For me to be able to serve Hartford this summer, I need to raise at least 800 dollars.
I am asking you to pray for me, and if you feel led to give financially, please write a check to Hartford City Mission with my name (Steve Carroll), in the memo li ne. Please send it to HCM, PO Box 320397, Hartford, CT 06132.
Thanks,
Steve Carroll
www.hartfordcitymission.com
Thursday, May 15, 2008
first post - an intro
so in case you had trouble associating my name with my face... this is me: steve carroll. what these postings will serve to do is give you a little more information about my summer mission trip to hartford connecticut and the time leading up to it. to be honest, i'm not exactly sure of the specifics of what i'm doing, but that i'll be working with a group called hartford city mission (hcm). they sent me a packet about a month ago with some basic information, a packing list, some paperwork to fill out, and a book i'm supposed to read.but first, how did i get involved with this? well, my friend chris sent me an email about hcm sometime around the beginning of the semester, when summer plans were fresh on my mind. no really, they were, i had actually been praying, asking God how he wanted me to serve him this summer. so i talked to some friends about the idea of doing something in the city, instead of being in a camp environment like i did last summer (which was awesome, and God worked in marvelous ways) and i asked them to pray for me to be able to discern what would be the best environment. i asked my parents to do the same. so we prayed... for awhile.
...and as time went on i still wasn't sure what to do, and the application deadline was fast approaching. so i took a step forward and told God that i was excited about doing something in Hartford this summer, and if it was where i would be able to serve him best, that i would be accepted into the program.
i got a call a few weeks later when i was at my friend jeff and lisa's house. i got in, and that's why you're here reading this. :)
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