Newark Day Two (Inefficiency)

Today was my first full day in Newark. And today was the day I got introduced to the "office." Well I guess you can call it an office. There is a desk, and there is paper. But I have never seen anything so messy in my life! It is mostly just trash and piles of unidentifiable papers. Also I found the following: a wig, a strobe light, a microphone, playdough, and a stuffed cat. IN THE OFFICE. I guess this is where my spiritual gift of throwing things away comes in to play. Does it belong somewhere else? Does it look crappy? Does it light up? Get it out of the office!! I spent most of the morning just throwing things out.

Over lunch we had our first meeting as a staff team. Honestly, it was one of the most in-efficient meetings I had ever been to. The food however was fun; we went to lunch at a Brazillian place down the block where you pay by the weight of your plate! How fun is that? Probably the ONE time that salad is cheaper than pasta. We proceeded to sit around the table and kind of talk about what needed to be done that day. Nothing ever really got finalized, no one was assigned specific tasks, we just talked in general about what maybe could happen that day. Then we sauntered out of the restaurant and walked rather aimlessly back to the church to "get to it." This way of life is SO different than what I'm used to!

So, since nothing was really happening except for more standing around, I snuck off with two of my favorite boys to get coffee and a Portugese pastry. We got back just as the after school program was starting. "Program" here is another word for "organized chaos." The kids are rowdy and un-compliant. As soon as I walked in they wanted to know if I was the same white girl with red hair that came on a missions trip in March. Apparently we all look alike. The girls have names like "Nyeisha" and "Kyasia" and have attitudes more complicated than their names. Still, I am excited to learn how to love them and guide them well.

There is so much more that happened today but it's so very late so I'll just give a few more quick thoughts:

Kimberly is amazing. I really do want to be her. She makes this awesome healthy food for like ten people every night and it all fits within her small budget.

Betsy, Kimberly's sister is also amazing. She's going to be one of two other girls who will be here this summer, and lucky for me she's so great. We connect really well and continue to find similarities. I am thankful for her.

One day I want to read C.S.Lewis' books on Narnia. The movies are incredible and really do show me so much about the character of God. I love Lucy's simple belief and struggle with the same in Prince Caspian.

Last but not least. Tonight we met Fernando. He's from Brazil but has lived here for 25 years. We just met him out on the street as we were picking through the "yard-sale" of trash that Newarkians puts out every Tuesday night. Clean cut, and intelligent, he asked us if we wanted a free TV. He explained he was leaving the country soon and wanted to get rid of it. His house was only five minutes away and we could go get it right then. So, we hopped in his car (I wouldn't recommend trying this at home- mmm or really EVER) and drove to his apartment. Up the sketchy stairs and into his place. I guess if you're going to killed why not do it under the pretense of getting a sweet TV? But, turns out he was legit. There was the monstrous TV. As he unplugged the video games and dvd player he told us of how he lost custody of his daughter after his tragic divorce. We carried the TV back down through the apartment complex (and of course by "we" I mean I watched while they carried) and into his car where it barely fit in the trunk. When we reached my street, Fernando got out of his car and helped us carry the monster up three flights of stairs to my tiny attic apartment. I was so surprised and blessed by his kindness. No one in Northern Virginia would ever consider giving away a television, let alone to a stranger, and forget helping to carry it off! Fernando did warn us that we shouldn't just go off with anyone who says they have a free TV, and that is probably true- not all strangers with candy actually have candy. Still the concept just blows my mind. He was so willing to help with something so trivial. Did I really NEED a TV? Nope. If I wanted one that badly wouldn't I find the money to buy one? Absolutely. But none of those things mattered to Fernando. The only thing that mattered was that he was able to make my life a little easier; that he could welcome me to his city. The whole encounter reminds me of the early church- how they shared everything they had without regard to status or merit. What if we all lived like that? How much could we bless each other and encourage the body of Christ?! One last thought before I close- why was he able to drop everything for those twenty minutes to help us drag a huge TV around Newark? Maybe because he didn't have much of an itinerary. Maybe he's inefficient. What a blessing.

Newark Day One

Has it really been a month?! Wow! Newark consumes me, but not in a bad way at all. I am so engaged in the battle for these kids hearts that there is often time for little else. I am able to get on the internet in limited bursts; maybe for about seven minutes each day with screaming kids and gangster music thumping in the background. Not a very suitable environment for my blogging habits. Nevertheless, during the first entire week I blogged about each day and have been waiting for a quiet moment to be able to get online to copy them over from Microsoft Word into the blogosphere. I have hardly noticed that an entire month has escaped. But without further ado, here is week one of Newark.

Day One
I am still a little unsure, but most of me loves this place. It is crowded and hot but the community is so vibrant. The first thing I noticed about Danny Iverson is how slowly he walks. We were on an errand to get my keys from my landlord and it took us about ten minutes to walk straight down the block. My fast-paced, often high-strung personality can't handle people who take 15 minutes to finish what could be finished in 3. Yet what is it about him that is so captivating? I'm reminded of that old hymn "The Love of Christ is Rich and Free" and the line that says "before the throne my Surety stands." I think that one of Danny Iverson's names for God is "Surety." Everything for him is secured and sure, so much so that he doesn't even hurry his steps or his conversation because he knows he will ultimately get where the Lord wants him to be. It brings a whole new meaning to Larry Crabb's phrase- "the pressure's off!" Still, I am making a mental note of the slowness of things around here, because I know that at some point my fast-paced craziness is going to want to butt heads with this environment.

The second man I met in Newark today is Leo. He is wonderful. He speaks Spanish and very broken English in such an accent that I struggle to understand most of what he says. But he introduced me to my attic apartment right above where he stays with his family. The stench of cigarette smoke coupled with bleach tells me he's spent most of today trying to scrub away the remaining aroma left by the smokers who used to live there. Aside from the smell, the apartment is more than I imagined I would have. The first room leads back into another room of equal size, which then leads back into the kitchen. The kitchen has a tiny door off to the side which opens up to the smallest and most disgusting bathroom I've ever seen. It is at the slanted part of the attic so I can't even stand up straight and I will have to come up with some sort of yoga-ish maneuver in order to squeeze past the shower doors into the tiny space for the shower. Still- what an adventure! As I check out the apartment I also meet Leo's little girls. Jularis, Estephanie, and Camilla. Estephanie speaks English, but two year old Camilla speaks a two year old version of Spanglish. I am in love with these girls. They look up at me like they can't believe I am actually talking to them and my heart is rejoicing in the opportunity to hang out with fun little neighbors! They took me outside to their "backyard" which is basically 9 square feet of sodded grass. This is where they jump rope or barbeque or play with their dolls. I can't wait to play with them!

Of all the things today, one of the greatest blessings has been having a dear old friend on the trip with me. He was randomly able to take some time off to drive the four hours with me, even letting me take over passenger seat half way through. He knows the city well so it has been so incredibly comforting just kind of following him through the day as I begin to learn more and more about this place I will call home. He is also good at asking for things, so when we discovered that the attic apartment didn't have an AC unit, he negotiated with the landlord to find me one- something I wouldn't have done in a million years but I would have died without. I am adventurous and independent, but I can't deny the sweet rest in following someone who is even more adventurous and independent than I am.

Last note- Leo knew that I was new to the city and wouldn't know how to find Walmart or the grocery store. So instead of telling me directions, he went to his car, took out his GPS and handed it to me. I get to use it for the summertime. I am in awe that he would entrust me with such a valuable object, and even more, that he would give up his own rights to use HIS GPS just to make me more comfortable. When I heard Shane Claiborne speak at JMU he told us "the best thing to do with the best things in life is to give them away." Leo embodied that for me today.