Ohmygoodness guys! This past week has been AMAZING. I am seriously in love with Philadelphia. I’m going to just give you all the rundown of what happened this week and I will try my best to not let it turn into a novel but no promises. I have just experienced so much amazing stuff here in Philly and I cannot wait to share it with you all. I am going to post my pictures into my pictures gallery on here so check it out if you get a chance! It is going to take some time for me to get those posted but I will as soon as possible!
Sunday: I arrived at the Philadelphia Union Station where I met the associate director of CSM, Nicole. She picked me up and then we drove to our housing site. Everyone else had already arrived at the site before I did so I was super nervous that everyone would have already bonded and that I would just be the awkward seventh wheel but all of these girls were SO welcoming. We started our training off with going to a coffee shop where we just got to know each other and asked questions and what not. Then we went to an Indian restaurant called New Delhi. It was a buffet style place so it was really cool to be able to just try a little bit of everything while we were there! I had rice pudding for the first time which was awesome. When our groups begin to come here next week, they go to a different ethnic restaurant each night so for our training for these first two weeks, we are going to each restaurant so we know what to expect when we bring our groups. After dinner, our bosses took us on the prayer tour which is where we drive all around the city, learning about all of the broken and hurting places that really need prayer and we pray over them. It is such an incredible experience. As hosts, we all have to take our groups on this prayer tour every week so we have to learn how to give it. The prayer tour ended at a field where we could see the skyline and it was beautiful. Then we all sat and debriefed which is just where we all just look back at our day and talk about where we saw God and how He worked and stuff to that effect. After that, we went back to our housing site for the night.
Monday: We started by going to the CSM headquarters which is stationed here in Philly. Nicole, the associate director for Philly, gave us her testimony and then we began learning how to read maps and how to navigate the city. Each of us had to practice navigating places in the city and then we had to actually follow those routes. We also learned about parking and how to read the parking signs. Then we had lunch at the office before heading off to visit some ministry sites. We went to a men’s shelter and then we drove by two other sites so we could figure out where they were in the city. We then did a mini tour of Chinatown. We also got to do “city search” which is just a kind of scavenger hunt in the Olde City part of town. We got to see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and a few other cool historical places like Christ Church. While we were in Olde City, we went to a super cute little shop named “Olde City Tee’s” which is the home of the five dollar tshirt. They have a ton of designs printed and you can get any design on any color tshirt you want for $5. The owners, Bonnie and Evan were so sweet to us! We then had dinner at Viet Huong, a Vietnamese place in town. I had spring rolls and some type of noodle…I don’t entirely remember. Then we watched a documentary called “The Backyard Philly Project” which was about some students in Philly and how they were brought up and their dreams and what not. Following the documentary, we just had some time to debrief and discuss all of what we learned throughout the day and what the documentary taught us, etc.
Tuesday: We went to the office bright and early this morning where we were able to hear Brittany’s (the City director here in Philly) testimony. After that, Sarah, our communications lady, came to visit so she went through an activity with us over culture entry. We had lunch at the office and then we got to go to a place called Pathways, a place that works to house the homeless first and then works to get them clean and into good jobs and what not. Then we did prayer tour practice so each one of us did a different part of the prayer tour so that we could get more of a feel for it. Then we had dinner at Saad’s, a Lebanese restaurant where they served burrito type things but instead of tortillas, they were falafels! It was SO good. Then, for debrief, we went to an awesome place called the International House of Philadelphia where we got some dessert and then did debrief. It was awesome. I just love this city and my team SO much.
Wednesday: We stayed at our housing site for breakfast and we listened to Scott, the Apprentice for Philly, tell his testimony which was pretty interesting. Then we went to Whosoever Gospel Mission, a men’s long-term recovery and work program type of thing. We got to work with them which was awesome. Four of us, Laura, Caitlin, Lily, and I got to help load up a truck with clothes and shoes and what not that the mission was donating to third world countries. We got to do an assembly line type of thing where we tossed the trash bags to each other and we even rolled them down stairs. It was awesome. (You guys will most likely get tired of me saying it was awesome but everything here is simply awesome!) I also had the opportunity to have lunch with a guy who served in the air force for 14 ½ years and when he got out of the force, he wasn’t able to really reintegrate into the society and he ended up homeless. We had dinner at Freddy and Tony’s, a Puerto Rican restaurant, which was fun. I led debrief that night which was fun. All we did was happies and crappies and where we had seen God work through other people that day. We came back to the housing site and we all mapped what we were going to need to navigate for the next day.
Thursday: We went to the office and Caitlin, another city host, gave her testimony. Then we just did a bunch of fun team building exercises. We also made a conflict resolution roommate contract to help solve any future issues we may have. La Columbe was the coffee shop we gathered at today. We had dinner at Los Gallos, an AMAZING Mexican restaurant here. It was seriously my favorite Mexican food I have ever had. Another prayer tour practice which went really well. This time, we had to navigate as well as reading off all of our facts so it was harder but it was still fun. Lily, another city host, led debrief that night at Azalea Gardens which was a beautiful place to do it. It was lovely outside and just a great place to be at night because it was lit up so beautifully. Last, we went to the housing site to relax and go to sleep.
Friday: We started our morning at the office where another city host, Faith, gave her testimony. Then we did cross cultural ministry values training followed by a visit to the neighborhood center. The neighborhood center is in Camden, New Jersey which is where I had to navigate us to. I literally had to navigate us to a whole other state. The Neighborhood Center is a summer school type of camp program. Next was Simpson House which is a really nice nursing home. Mary Jane Enrichment Center which is kind of like a social service and welfare organization. After that, we went to Bartram’s Gardens to have some quiet alone time to just relax and reconnect with ourselves in the middle of a stressful week. After that, we had dinner at Pattaya, a local Thai restaurant which was amazing. It’s my favorite restaurant we’ve been to so far. Last, we went to a little park on a local college campus for Haeley, another city host on my team, to lead us in debrief. Then back to the housing site.
Saturday: We got up kind of early (for a Saturday) and practiced our prayer tour. That was all that was scheduled for the day. Fran and I decided to go to Center City and explored a bit and did the touristy thing. We got to take the subway into town which was my first time on there! We went down the Avenue of the Arts, saw Logan Square, went down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, City Hall, all of the super fun things that happen in Center City. Then we met up with Scott, Faith, Caitlin, and Laura at The Oval where I got a pretzel at a food truck which was awesome because I checked that off of my Philadelphia bucket list! Then we walked around a bit more in Center City and then we ventured to the local Wawa which was lots of fun. After we got back to the housing site, we ordered pizza for dinner and then watched White Chicks out on our roof using a projector and a sheet. I also got to talk to my good friend, Lyndsay, who is a city host in Boston right now. I miss her so much but I know that she is where she is supposed to be and I am where I am supposed to be!
So basically, we are almost always busy but I would not trade that for the world. I absolutely love this city and these people and I cannot wait for the students to get here so that they can hopefully share in my passion for Philadelphia!!
Sunday: I arrived at the Philadelphia Union Station where I met the associate director of CSM, Nicole. She picked me up and then we drove to our housing site. Everyone else had already arrived at the site before I did so I was super nervous that everyone would have already bonded and that I would just be the awkward seventh wheel but all of these girls were SO welcoming. We started our training off with going to a coffee shop where we just got to know each other and asked questions and what not. Then we went to an Indian restaurant called New Delhi. It was a buffet style place so it was really cool to be able to just try a little bit of everything while we were there! I had rice pudding for the first time which was awesome. When our groups begin to come here next week, they go to a different ethnic restaurant each night so for our training for these first two weeks, we are going to each restaurant so we know what to expect when we bring our groups. After dinner, our bosses took us on the prayer tour which is where we drive all around the city, learning about all of the broken and hurting places that really need prayer and we pray over them. It is such an incredible experience. As hosts, we all have to take our groups on this prayer tour every week so we have to learn how to give it. The prayer tour ended at a field where we could see the skyline and it was beautiful. Then we all sat and debriefed which is just where we all just look back at our day and talk about where we saw God and how He worked and stuff to that effect. After that, we went back to our housing site for the night.
Monday: We started by going to the CSM headquarters which is stationed here in Philly. Nicole, the associate director for Philly, gave us her testimony and then we began learning how to read maps and how to navigate the city. Each of us had to practice navigating places in the city and then we had to actually follow those routes. We also learned about parking and how to read the parking signs. Then we had lunch at the office before heading off to visit some ministry sites. We went to a men’s shelter and then we drove by two other sites so we could figure out where they were in the city. We then did a mini tour of Chinatown. We also got to do “city search” which is just a kind of scavenger hunt in the Olde City part of town. We got to see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and a few other cool historical places like Christ Church. While we were in Olde City, we went to a super cute little shop named “Olde City Tee’s” which is the home of the five dollar tshirt. They have a ton of designs printed and you can get any design on any color tshirt you want for $5. The owners, Bonnie and Evan were so sweet to us! We then had dinner at Viet Huong, a Vietnamese place in town. I had spring rolls and some type of noodle…I don’t entirely remember. Then we watched a documentary called “The Backyard Philly Project” which was about some students in Philly and how they were brought up and their dreams and what not. Following the documentary, we just had some time to debrief and discuss all of what we learned throughout the day and what the documentary taught us, etc.
Tuesday: We went to the office bright and early this morning where we were able to hear Brittany’s (the City director here in Philly) testimony. After that, Sarah, our communications lady, came to visit so she went through an activity with us over culture entry. We had lunch at the office and then we got to go to a place called Pathways, a place that works to house the homeless first and then works to get them clean and into good jobs and what not. Then we did prayer tour practice so each one of us did a different part of the prayer tour so that we could get more of a feel for it. Then we had dinner at Saad’s, a Lebanese restaurant where they served burrito type things but instead of tortillas, they were falafels! It was SO good. Then, for debrief, we went to an awesome place called the International House of Philadelphia where we got some dessert and then did debrief. It was awesome. I just love this city and my team SO much.
Wednesday: We stayed at our housing site for breakfast and we listened to Scott, the Apprentice for Philly, tell his testimony which was pretty interesting. Then we went to Whosoever Gospel Mission, a men’s long-term recovery and work program type of thing. We got to work with them which was awesome. Four of us, Laura, Caitlin, Lily, and I got to help load up a truck with clothes and shoes and what not that the mission was donating to third world countries. We got to do an assembly line type of thing where we tossed the trash bags to each other and we even rolled them down stairs. It was awesome. (You guys will most likely get tired of me saying it was awesome but everything here is simply awesome!) I also had the opportunity to have lunch with a guy who served in the air force for 14 ½ years and when he got out of the force, he wasn’t able to really reintegrate into the society and he ended up homeless. We had dinner at Freddy and Tony’s, a Puerto Rican restaurant, which was fun. I led debrief that night which was fun. All we did was happies and crappies and where we had seen God work through other people that day. We came back to the housing site and we all mapped what we were going to need to navigate for the next day.
Thursday: We went to the office and Caitlin, another city host, gave her testimony. Then we just did a bunch of fun team building exercises. We also made a conflict resolution roommate contract to help solve any future issues we may have. La Columbe was the coffee shop we gathered at today. We had dinner at Los Gallos, an AMAZING Mexican restaurant here. It was seriously my favorite Mexican food I have ever had. Another prayer tour practice which went really well. This time, we had to navigate as well as reading off all of our facts so it was harder but it was still fun. Lily, another city host, led debrief that night at Azalea Gardens which was a beautiful place to do it. It was lovely outside and just a great place to be at night because it was lit up so beautifully. Last, we went to the housing site to relax and go to sleep.
Friday: We started our morning at the office where another city host, Faith, gave her testimony. Then we did cross cultural ministry values training followed by a visit to the neighborhood center. The neighborhood center is in Camden, New Jersey which is where I had to navigate us to. I literally had to navigate us to a whole other state. The Neighborhood Center is a summer school type of camp program. Next was Simpson House which is a really nice nursing home. Mary Jane Enrichment Center which is kind of like a social service and welfare organization. After that, we went to Bartram’s Gardens to have some quiet alone time to just relax and reconnect with ourselves in the middle of a stressful week. After that, we had dinner at Pattaya, a local Thai restaurant which was amazing. It’s my favorite restaurant we’ve been to so far. Last, we went to a little park on a local college campus for Haeley, another city host on my team, to lead us in debrief. Then back to the housing site.
Saturday: We got up kind of early (for a Saturday) and practiced our prayer tour. That was all that was scheduled for the day. Fran and I decided to go to Center City and explored a bit and did the touristy thing. We got to take the subway into town which was my first time on there! We went down the Avenue of the Arts, saw Logan Square, went down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, City Hall, all of the super fun things that happen in Center City. Then we met up with Scott, Faith, Caitlin, and Laura at The Oval where I got a pretzel at a food truck which was awesome because I checked that off of my Philadelphia bucket list! Then we walked around a bit more in Center City and then we ventured to the local Wawa which was lots of fun. After we got back to the housing site, we ordered pizza for dinner and then watched White Chicks out on our roof using a projector and a sheet. I also got to talk to my good friend, Lyndsay, who is a city host in Boston right now. I miss her so much but I know that she is where she is supposed to be and I am where I am supposed to be!
So basically, we are almost always busy but I would not trade that for the world. I absolutely love this city and these people and I cannot wait for the students to get here so that they can hopefully share in my passion for Philadelphia!!