Michelle and the Restless

My Life is like a soap opera. 

Ok, so not exactly like a soap opera, but if you take the basic plots of what has happened in my life the last few days, dramatize a few bits, add in a couple of slaps in the face, and you totally have Michelle and the Restless. 

In short, I survived a tornado without shelter, watched fireworks over the Chicago skyline, saved a life, closely lost in the last inning of a world championship kickball game, and was rushed to the hospital in a near death experience. In the soap opera version anyway...what really happened was...

On Friday at work, we always get done half an hour early for "Happy Hour". Therefore, we were leaving the office at 3:30 for an unknown destination when the wind started picking up and rain started coming down. We were walking in a pretty shady part of town, with plenty of debris, rocks and broken glass laying around. Tyler mentioned a Tornado Watch for our area and Michelle suggested that we'd better head back to the office because the sky was not looking too friendly. Just then however, we saw ahead of us the wind starting to swirl violently and pick up debris and it was heading straight towards us. We didn't have time to think as we all jumped into the shrubs or clung to the wall along the side of the street to protect ourselves from the flying debris now swirling all around us. I clutched Keshia in my arms as she screamed from the debris hitting her. In about a minute, the mini-tornado, or microburst we were later informed, had passed and we all unfolded and emerged from our makeshift shelters. We checked to make sure everyone was okay before we burst out laughing and guessing at the strange storm we were just apart of. We quickly made our way back to the office, which was a struggle since Sarah's shoe had been sucked up in the microburst, only to find that our electric door would not allow us into the office. We managed to make it in the pouring rain and lightning to the bus stop, to the train and back to the safety of our apartments, where we spent the rest of the night and the next morning without electricity. God definitely used this experience to bring us closer together as a project and show us how blessed we are to have electricity. Plus, now I can tell people that I survived a tornado!

The fireworks over the skyline and "saving a life" happened Saturday night. I had been feeling down most of Saturday and frustrated with my own attitude. I was going to join a group of people who were going to see Toy Story 3 but ended up missing them. However, a staff person, Kaiti, invited me and 8 other girls to go with her out to a place on a hill where you could see the entire Chicago skyline. I almost did not go because of the late hour and feeling exhausted, but I am so glad the girls convinced me to come! 

We bought ice cream to share at Walgreens and then headed out to the location on the hill. The view was beautiful and fireworks over Navy Pier began as soon as we sat down. We talked and laughed and sang praise songs together as we enjoyed the beauty of the view and the fellowship together. We had the chance to pray for the city together while looking out over it which was an amazing experience! God showed me once again how small I am compared to this big city and His great purpose here in Chicago. I was uplifted as I remembered by purpose this summer and the wonderful promises God has made.

As we were about to leave, we asked a group of 5 guys to take a picture of us together. This lead into conversations with them and a spiritual discussions sparked with one of the guys, Joe. Granted, he wasn't completely sober, but he was very interested to learn about the gospel. He was frustrated with religion and didn't know what to believe. He had many questions and challenged us in what we were sharing with him. We all passionately told him about our Lord and Savior and what He has done for us. Another guy in the group joined in our discussion and he was a believer. We talked to these guys for at least an hour before heading back to the train.I had a very challenging conversation with Brian, the believer, on the way back about who Jesus really was and helped him to see that Jesus really was God on earth.  Jordan, a girl on project with us, got Joe's number and has been in touch with him since. He has admitted to feeling like no one in his life truly cares for him and that he is looking for more. I think he is going to go to church with some people from project soon and hopefully meet some of the men on project! 

As for the kickball game, that was completely true!! Except for the world championship part! It was staff vs. student kickball and we lost by one run! The team unity and energy was awesome to experience. Everyone encouraged one another and the sportsmanship was unlike any game I've every seen.  We were all treated to flavored ice after the game and it was delicious!

My near death experience occurred yesterday. I woke up at 6:10 AM with a sharp pain in my right ear. I quickly took some Advil and tried to lay back down. However, the pressure and pain kept increasing until I heard a loud crackling in my ear and the pain because unbearable. I found my roommate Alyssa and told her what was happening. She jumped into action, heating up some oil to put in my ear. Finally, I heard a loud pop and the pressure in my ear ceased. The pain continued, but at a much more bearable level. Over the next half an hour, as I laid down with a cotton ball of oil in my ear, the pressure built into popping about 5 more times. I didn't know what was going on and my ear was still feeling strange, but I went to work as usual.

After our morning meeting, my ear began to pop again and this time, started seeping some strange reddish liquid. This is when I told Michelle about my predicament. Ryan's wife is a nurse so we called her and she recommended seeing a doctor immediately because I might have blown my ear drum. I made about 5 different phone calls, taking 2 hours trying to make an appointment to see a doctor. I gave the same information over and over again and tried to get past the issue of insurance, only to be told I could not get an appointment until July 16th! I was in pain, stressed out and had no idea what to do. That's when Ryan took over and made a few calls to get me an appointment for that afternoon. The stress for me had built into tears, and my fellow Crossroads students were very comforting and supporting, which was great to see. Ryan went and got his car and drove me to my appointment. The doctor was actually an ear specialist and he cleaned out my ear and showed it to me with a scope. It was disgusting!! Very red and swollen and seeping drainage. They also checked my throat and hearing before prescribing an antibiotic for a severe ear infection and informing me that I was, in fact, going to live! Praise Jesus!!

Stay tuned for the next episode of Michelle and the Restless...

Subway Heart to Heart

So today was very exciting because I got my first chance to really be a part of sharing the gospel on campus at IIT. We went with the intention of hosting a Conversation Club from 12-2 and to invite in international students to practice their English and discuss certain topics. One of the staff, Emily, and I ended up finding a Chinese girl named Way (probably spelled differently but that's what it sounds like). We talked to her a bit and invited her to the conversation club. She came with us and we talked to her for a couple hours! She explained to us one of her favorite Chinese movies and the whole Chinese history behind it and then we asked her about her religious experiences growing up. She did not have any but she did believe in God, or in a higher power. She taught us what she knew about various religions, mostly Buddhism, and we got to share the gospel with her and who Jesus is and what he did for us! She was very engaged in the conversation, asking questions and made sure she understood what we were telling her. We invited her to come back next week to talk and she said she would! She was not ready to accept the gospel yet but she's definitely in an opening questioning stage. If you could be praying for her, for her heart to be opened up and seeking and finding truth, that would be great!

This evening, we went to the church for teaching night on Philippians. Bacho talked about Paul and how much joy he had even while in prison in Rome because he was still working for the furtherance of the gospel. Instead of questioning why God called him to Rome to preach the gospel and he ended up stuck in jail, he took advantage of the opportunity to preach to the 900 men who were watching guard in the prison. Sometimes, in situations I end up questioning why my plans and hopes aren't working out and why God has me where He does, but that is not up to me to question. Life is not about my own happiness but about throwing my plans and my life away for Christ. 

An amazing verse I heard while listening to a Frances Chan sermon while working out this morning is from Ephesians 5:18-21 "And do not be drunk in wine which is in dissipation; but be filled with the spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God." Wow. So much packed into that verse. I am really starting to learn about living the Spirit-filled life. We are supposed to be sharing psalms and hymns to one another when we speak, blessing people with words and giving thanks to God always. To submit to one another in the fear of God is a hard idea to swallow. Basically, God is calling us to be servants to others for his glory. To think of ourselves less and let our lives be lived for those around us. This has been on my mind a lot lately, especially as I get tired and crabby and just want to complain and be taken care of. I still need to be serving others, and to put their needs before my own. God has been challenging me with this and also showing me overwhelming love and understanding from those around me as I process all of this. When I feel paralyzed as what to do and how God is calling me to act, there is always someone nearby who has struggled or is struggling with the same thing and can come alongside me in my seeking God. Such as tonight, when I felt bogged down and confused after teaching night. My friend Sarah and I ended up on one end of the subway alone and had a wonderful little heart to heart. Sometimes all I need is someone to identify with what I'm feeling. Amazing how God always provides exactly what I need, even when I have no idea what that might be. 

Pancakes

So one of my absolute favorite breakfasts is pancakes!! Grocery shopping with two of my roommates yesterday, we decided to make pancakes this morning and they were delicious! I added raisinettes in a couple of mine and they were surprisingly delightful :) I would recommend to try it next time instead of the traditional chocolate chips :)

Anyway, I have been in Chicago for just over a week and a half now. I am finding myself feeling much more settled in and enjoying the community on project. We have about 50 students total now (the Ohio State students just arrived this past weekend). On Sunday night, we had women's time, which was just an opportunity for all of us women to be together, drink coffee and eat cookies and share about our struggles and reveal our hearts to one another. Tons of walls came down and tears flowed, essentially opening the doors to many new and real relationships. Afterwards, all of us women continued talking, sharing, and enjoyed a new level of vulnerability and community.

Being vulnerable in relationships is definitely something God is challenging me to do. I have always had an idea in my mind of being different from everyone else, somehow far stranger in the things I do and the ways I think than anyone else. Therefore, I've always tried to hide my true thoughts and feelings from everyone. I thought those were mine to hold on to and not let come out into the light for anyone to see. However, this past semester, God started laying on my heart the importance of being truly vulnerable with people and placed some wonderful examples of this in my life. Now I find that when I open my heart to the people here and show them my true self, they are not running away but drawing closer to me, ready to embrace me and share in my journey with me. As Paul said in his letter to the Philippians: "fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind". This is the kind of fellowship that God has called us into.

Just to give you an idea of what project has been like so far, I will give you a rundown of what our weeks look like. Monday through Friday, except for Thursday, I work in the office with 9 other students and two staff on the Crossroads project from 9-5. We take a train and a bus to get to work, or sometimes a train and then walk 7 blocks. We are working developing a theme and the promotional materials for IndyCC, a Christian conference held in Indianapolis over Christmas break. We also have individual assignments we work on so I have been creating posters and am starting to work on websites. 

Mondays at 6:30, we leave for our weekly theme night, which consists of a quick game, worship, a talk on the theme of the week, more worship and a meeting of our campus team. We get back around 10:30.

Tuesdays, we have "action group" or bible study, from 6-9. We eat together and study Philippians. 

Wednesday, the Crossroads students are hosted by Rachel and Ryan, our director and his wife, for supper at 5:30 and then from 6-9 we have our Night with the Lord, or date night with Jesus as many of us like to call it.

On Thursdays, I do not go into the office. This is my campus day. At 11, my campus team and I go to Illinois Institute of Technology to talk to college students, and also to host Coffee Conversation from 12-2. This is a largely international campus so our objective is to share the gospel with many students who may have never heard it before. We are attempting to connect them to the Christian movement on campus, Bridges, and see the movement grow. During this time, I also have discipleship time with my discipler, Michelle. 

Thursday nights, we have dinner provided for all of us at 5:30 and then leave at 6:30 for teaching night, at which Bacho, one of the directors, is teaching from Philippians. 

Fridays after work, we have a free night. Saturdays are usually flexible as well, although there are workshops offered sometimes and sometimes a culture night, in which we watch a movie and talk about how to start spiritual conversation from it. 

On Sundays, we all have assigned churches we go to. Mine church is Calvary Memorial Church. Afterwards, we usually go out for lunch. We have the afternoon off and then Sunday nights, we have Project Fun night. 

So that was tiring just writing that all out :) We keep pretty busy but it is so worthwhile! I am being challenged to stay on schedule and maximize the little free time I have to spend time getting to know people, cook, clean, do laundry, have quiet time with Jesus, workout, see a little of Chicago, and maybe sleep somewhere in there :)

I would really appreciate your prayers for our campus ministry. For the college students we are reaching out to, that their hearts will be open to the good news we are bringing to them and that we will be bold and confident in sharing. Personally, you could be praying for me to be finding a balance and to become more consistent in my days. Also, for energy and humility. Thanks so much! God bless!

Roommates

So I've been in Chicago for just over a week now and already I've formed amazing relationships and Christian fellowships with the people here, been challenged with my graphic design internship and started to see God working in my life and through me in the lives of those around me. Last night, my last roommate, Amy arrived so we are now complete in our apartment! My other roommates are Alyssa and Keshia. Alyssa is very sweet, easy to talk to and an amazing cook! She is very smart, neat and clean and has a fun, open personality. I can definitely learn a lot from her this summer. Keshia is awesome! She works with me on Crossroads and I find her hilarious even though she's never really trying to be funny. She just says what she thinks and is really easy to relate to. Amy seems very laid back and outgoing at the same time. She definitely has a good heart and an open personality and I am very excited to get to know her more.  

I would love to tell you more but I think I will save it for another time! I will try to keep up more often. For now, I would really appreciate prayer for:

~My roommates, understanding one another, learning from one another

~The people of Chicago, especially those we will be reaching out to on campus, that their hearts will be open and receptive of the gospel and boldness for me to step out in faith to share with them

~Crossroads team, that we will work together diligently and come up with a strong theme for IndyCC that will help draw people in to the conference and help them develop a stronger relationship with Christ

Thank you so much!! God Bless!!

~Michelle

In Chicago!!

So I arrived in Chicago last night at 7:45. The GPS did not lead us astray and we made it without getting lost!! We did get stuck in Chicago traffic for about an hour but that wasn't so bad! I was so excited to get here! It's been crazy so far. I've pretty much been thrown in the mix without any orientation so I'm still feeling a little lost and confused but the people are so great! I still have so many people to meet. My roommates that are here so far, Keshia and Alyssa, are really nice and I our apartments are sweet! I have a nice big room to myself with a double bed! 

After arriving last night, my discipler and action group leader, Michelle (ironic :) met me and helped me unload. Then we walked to this sweet bowling alley hang out where everyone was at. I met a few girls right away, chatted awhile and came back. Then I spent the evening unpacking and settling in before finally getting some sleep. I was exhausted getting up this morning, but I had a nice conversation with my roommate over breakfast, got ready and met up with my fellow Crossroads students. We took the train and then the bus to the office where we work and were thrown right into a team project to market a brick. It turned out great! Then we went to McDonald's and Walgreens and came back. I got to grab a short nap and now I have to get ready to head to our first large group meeting. 

I could really use some prayer for energy and for confidence. Many insecurities and doubts about myself attack me when I don't know anyone and am thrown into a situation I am completely unfamiliar with. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers!!