Lost Resolve.

One of the boys from the 5 year old class just gave me the biggest hug while he was supposed to be walking inside with his class.

I can no longer say I won't cry.

The lack of a title indicates depth.

The subway stop by work.

Currently, I'm sitting in the lobby of the Inwood Exodus, in the same chair I always sit in, holding the macbook I always work on. Attendance is done, my to-do list conquered, and the pre-kers are all napping downstairs while everyone else is at the park enjoying what is by far the best weather we've seen all summer. It is eerily quiet and the sunlight is streaming in by the front doors. It's lovely.

It is also my last day at Exodus.

...I am trying very hard not to cry.

The Eighth (and the week following it.)

Dear Central Park,
Come back to Michigan with me?
Think about it.

Another monday, another week at SAP Inwood!
The week started as smoothly and uneventfully as the week before. As unnerving as it was, it was extremely nice! The day went fast and the next I knew I was at Malecon (Malecon!) for Malecon monday with the new missions groups. Good times, man. Good times.

Tuesday, like many before it and many to come, meant Costco day with the fantastic BobbiJo. This time she brought along two SYEP workers from the Heights location with her so they could get more hours, so we each claimed one to drive a flat-bed for us (costco flatbeds are the devil!) and set out to conquer the store. This was all very good and well, but then right there, in the middle of the produce section, the guy who was sent to come with me starts asking me questions about Jesus. He's extremely atheistic, but he initiated the whole conversation. It was fairly intense and I know that I fumbled over my wording about ten times over, but I'm confident God can use my words regardless.

Wednesday is field trip day here at OE, and so by 10 AM, all the kids, volunteers and tutors were off on three big buses to the Liberty Science Center while Hannah and I lamented our fortunes for being admin and therefore unable to go. To add to the unnerving quiet in the building, our internet was out, thus rendering 9 out of 10 projects we had to get done obsolete. By 2 PM, we'd officially gone absolutely insane. I'm still not entirely sure how we made it through the afternoon, but I recall it involved Hannah chasing an ice cream truck.
We don't cope well with the quiet.

Thursday, like tuesday, was a "drive-to-the-Bronx-and-conquer-Costco" type of day, followed by some mopping up of miscellaneous projects back at Inwood before catching up with the mission groups over homemade mac and cheese back the the Washington Heights Exodus. Just hearing some of the stories of how God threw one of the groups together was amazing! It has been super weird to be on the flipside of the "one-week-trip group" experience, but it's always pretty neat to see, even from afar (as I don't get to interact with the groups often) what happens in and through their lives in their service.

Friday was a pretty typical day. It's strange to think that I have such a thing as a typical day here now, but apparently I do. It passed quietly and productively, as things as Exodus go, and in the evening, Hannah and I wandered around the Heights a little before enjoying a pizza/movie date back in the S.C.A. (Stereotypically Crappy Apartment.) 'Twas loverly!

The AMTRAK center in Penn Station.

Saturday was a very strange day, very long day, and while I'm still not entirely sure I understood what all happened and when or why, I know it involved the 9/11 memorial, Wall St, the east side of Central Park, a waffle truck, picking up a mission group at Penn Station, the mission group accidentally getting split between two trains, a little bit of freaking out, the group being just fine despite aforementioned freaking, creating a ghetto bus-route to Target to supplement for the fact that the correct train wasn't running within a 40 clock radius of me either way, buying air mattresses, dropping air mattresses off at the MTW apartments, and a late night dinner and Duane Reade (Duane Reade!) run with a friend. To say "phew!" would be lazy writing, but...phew!

New York, I know I said I wouldn't let you steal my heart, but...

Sunday, like all sundays, began with Church, a visit to a few cute stores in the neighborhood (the Flatiron district is my favorite!) before going to do perhaps the ultimate tourist activity, going to the observation deck of the Empire State Building. I loved it! I normally hate heights, but I honestly loved it. I was, however, exhausted by the previous day's adventurings, and thus I went home straight after the Empire State Building to take a three hour nap. Not the most effective use of free time, but dang it all if it didn't feel great!

 Third week of July recap coming at you shortly, and maybe, if I can find the correct wording...bonus posts? WHATTTTTTTTTTTT?!

Week 'o the First

Meet Alanna, one of our adorable pre-k kids here at Inwood!

...and then, quite suddenly, it was July, and with it, the much spoke of, much anticipated Exodus Summer Achievement Program (SAP.)

 I started the week out by subbing for our lovely new receptionist, Hannah, at the Inwood site, as not only was her flight delayed, causing her to get in at 6 AM the morning of program, she was ill. That coupled with the fact that not only was it raining - it was pouring, this prohibiting us from walking the kids up to the local public school for lunch or to the park to get their wiggles out, should have made the day crazy chaotic. But it was amazingly calm! Tutors, coordinators and admin all commented on this at the end of the day, and in the end, we all had to chalk it up to God. We all crawled home after a twelve hour work day, grateful but exhausted.

The next day Hannah was feeling better, but being that she was indeed, new, and there was and (and still is) a truly daunting amount of thing to be caught up on, I was told to spend the rest of the week at Inwood helping her catch up. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent in much the same manner that monday was, although thankfully we had better weather for both! By 8:30 wedneday night I was the only one awake in the apartment, everyone was so beat from SAP. I simply couldn't bring myself to go to bed before 9 the day before a holiday so I kept myself entertained by baking and catching up with my sister. Relaxation squared!

While I couldn't make myself go to bed early the night before the fourth, I had no problems sleeping in the day of! I then spent the better chunk of the afternoon aimlessly wandering up and down piers on the Hudson as they all successively closed, before staking out a spot for Emma and I to watch the fireworks on 12 Ave. I still can't mentally comprehend the fact that I saw the Macy's fireworks. Weird business, man.

America!

Friday, every single person at Exodus had holiday hangover. Most of the kids were tired, sunburned and cranky, and the staff was loopy from lack of sleep. The day dragged, but once you've hit that mental stage in your tiredness where everything is hilarious, life looks pretty darn good! After work, I went down to Riverside Park and caught the Hudson Warehouse's production of "King Lear." Not the Shakespeare in the park, but still great!

Go to New York, get cultured?

Saturday morning I laid in bed and did nothing productive at all, showered, and then took the subway down to Battery Park. I wandered around a little bit then caught a ferry for Liberty Island, which, while I didn't have tickets for the Statue of Liberty itself, was SO cool! By the time I got back to Manhattan, it was maybe 5 in the afternoon, so I visited the well-famed Department 21 (where one can truly notice how big "Downton Abbey's" influence on fashion has been,) and Bowling Green before heading up the Herald Square and conquering the terrifyingly large Macy's, as I tragically needed new sandals. I always end up in Herald or Times Square, man.

Carmen Sandiego was kind enough to leave Lady Liberty alone long enough for me to see it.

 Sunday I went to church (it was folk band sunday!) and then went to the Museum of Modern Art, which, oh my gosh, people, is the best museum of all time. I know I said something to that extent about the Cloisters, but I lied. MoMA is the best. By far.

Oh, hello "Starry Night." Nice to finally meet you!

In summary: the week of the first was almost ridiculously busy, but in a pleasant way.
Recap on last week coming soon-ish, if we're lucky!

Of Chess, Choice, and Air Conditioners: The last half of June.

So...umm....I really sucked at keeping this updated there, didn't I? The whole last half of June, not to mention the first week of July? Yowza. If it helps, I have been busy/exhausted. Does that help? Say yes.

OH GOSH, PLEASE SAY YES.

I'm a sucker for sunflare. I make no apologies.

Hola!

See? I'm picking up Spanish while I'm in little Dominican Republic!

That's a joke, by the way. I can kind of comprehend Mexican Spanish decently enough if it's spoken slowly and simply, but I fear I will never be able to even reach comprehension with Dominican Spanish. There's a reason The Bible lists languages as a gift, children. I must've been in the bathroom when they were handing that one out....

The week of the 16th consisted of things like trying (trying here being the key word) to install new air conditioners, cleaning up old air conditioners, spending time on the phone with the air conditioners manufacturing hotline, and then with an air conditioner repairing service place. A lot of air conditioner related things. On non-A.C. related projects, I figured out how to take apart a portable speaker system, worked on a donor base, bought food for meetings, and went to meetings. I also played on the O.E. pinterest,worked on tracking down lost receipts, and probably more in there. I just did as I was bidden, haha! The OE afterschool program ended the 19th, but I got to spend some quality time with some hilarious fifth graders being taught how to properly play chess on the penultimate program day. What an experience, man!

I really need to take photos and post them to the blog, but my lodgings are what I fondly think of as the "typical crappy new york apartment." This idea was solidified on thursday night when Emma and I found not one, but two, massive dead cockroaches in the apartment. Emma is braver then I and promptly disposed of them, but let's just say out room was cleaned pretty thoroughly that evening!

Emma, left, cockroach, center.

Saturday morning I headed out bright and early to a meeting in lower manhattan as regards the free lunch program that OE participates in via the public schools. It was frustrating, as they didn't have the form they promised us they would and I sacrificed my one morning to sleep in, but it all worked all right, praise the Lord! After I got out of the meeting, I took a train over to Brooklyn and got to experience the Renegade Craft Fair, which, needless to say, was amazing!

It's a shame NYC isn't very pretty, isn't it?

 Sunday I went back to Redeemer Downtown for church. I decided that while I really like CCF and love the people from it, Redeemer is more my speed. This particular sunday I was pleasantly surprised by getting to hear Tim Keller preach, about such light and easily understandable items such as free-will in view of God's plans. Unfortunately, you have to buy sermons from the redeemer website if you want to listen to them, but if you have a spare $2.50, I truly recommend it ("The Lord in the Storm.")
 After church, I went to Rockefeller Center, got some window shopping in, and toured the NBC studio, which made my nerdy little heart pretty darn happy. I also got cheesecake from Magnolia Bakery and they randomly gave me a piece of cake for free with it, which I mean, hey. Pretty nice end to the weekend.

The best post Tim Keller belated breakfast ever?

 The week of the 23rd dawned the heavy-duty preparation week for the Summer Achievement Program (SAP, or just camp,) with the Heights location becoming a hub of activity, tutors and admin from all three sites gathering to strategize, train, plan and pray. I spent the week sorting through boxes and boxes of Exodus t-shirts and helping run the t-shirt/wristbband table at the site-specific parent information meetings, and getting some things together for the brand new Bronx Exodus. The week flew! I was discussing that with someone today, and we agreed that while the days here can be very long, but the weeks are short. A good thing, I suppose. I know I went to Bible Study and down to Tribeca for an AWOLnation concert with Emma, but the week was pretty well dominated by parent meetings up until 9 PM friday night. Phew!

Exodus wristbands!

Saturday Emma and I went over to the fabulous BobbiJo's (the MTW short-term team coordinator, photographer extraordinaire, and former Christ Churcher) apartment for a very lovely catch-up brunch. Afterwards, I headed down to Central Park, where I bummed around for most of the day. So relaxing! It was a little too warm to attempt to take in the whole park, but I spent a blissful few hours laying on the grass reading.

Just your average saturday.

Sunday I had full intentions to take in the MET after church, but alas, it was Pride Day, and traffic in midtown was insane! I called it a day and went back to the apartment to nap and relax.

Encouraging reminder from church.

And that's a wrap on JUNE! First week of July recap up soon!

I'm alive.

...and working on recapping the last three weeks.

(FOR SHAME, BETSY. FOR SHAME.)

Expect actual updates SOON!