SITC - Week One, St. Nicholas

Sunday:
I drove up early to meet with Deacons Pam and Diana about the week, stopping on the way to get a GRE study book. Thomas and Rachel met me for a picnic in the park, where some lady said she was hungry and asked for our food. So we gave it to her. I gave Thomas and Rachel a quick tour of the Cathedral, and then they left and I went to my meeting. While in said meeting, I was informed there was no air conditioning on the third floor where we were staying because it had been blown out by the storm a few days prior. Uh oh. So we got all our ministries together, and then me and Kristen (the other intern) went shopping for food at Fiesta (our grocery store) for the week. As we were heading back we met the lady who asked for our food at lunch, and she said she had seen Jesus in us, and she hadn't seen that in a while. She also wanted $4 for the boarding house down the street. So after getting all of our stuff in and settled, the group from St. Nicholas arrived. 14 kids and 2 adults. We moved in, and went to this amazing bilingual Eucharist they have at the Cathedral called Unidos. The songs are in Spanish, and the Eucharist is in English. LOVE it. We even sang a rendition of the Lord's Prayer in Spanish set to the music of Sound of Silence. Really wonderful service. Then we had some dinner, and after that, proceded to have a tour of the Cathedral, do rules and covenants, say Compline and then move all of the kids mattresses down 2 flights of stairs to sleep in the great hall, which was air conditioned. Me and Kristen slept on lawn chairs. Woo!

Monday: We woke up early to move everything back up those two flights of stairs, said some morning prayer, ate breakfast, and went to work with Bishop's Camp. We set up the library, read with some of the groups, and had art, P.E., board games, math, and all sorts of fun, they ate lunch with the kids, and spent all afternoon with them. Well, that afternoon we were supposed to go to a ministry. However, the person who planned all our ministries was called away suddenly, and left us without contact information. We tried calling the group, but no one answered, and when someone drove over there, no one was there. They were also supposed to provide us dinner. So, impromptu, Kristen and I went shopping for dinner, made it ourselves (with the help of our wonderful Cathedral friend Lucy, who's a chef), and pulled a ministry out of thin air. I had brought craft supplies with me, so we made place mats for the Kairos prison ministry, and wrote letters to soldiers. It went really well. That night they worked on their skit, and then we said Compline and went to bed.

Tuesday: We woke up, said morning prayer, ate breakfast, and preformed the skit at Bishop's Camp. Then we went at worked at the community gardens at Our Savior Episcopal Church in Dallas. We harvested 63 pounds of food! It was so cool. And then we took the food to Buckner Crisis Center to donate. After that we came back to Bishop's Camp, ate with the kids and spent the afternoon with them. We had some "Turtle Time" (Nap Time), bible study, evening prayer, dinner (by the Cathedral Choir, who preformed as well!), and working on skits again, Compline, and bed.

Wednesday: Same morning routine, skit, and we spend all day at Bishop's Camp today. Afterward, we had bible study, some Pizza for dinner, and then went to serve dinner at Austin Street Centre (a homeless shelter). The kids did great, and there was this amazing 4 year old little girl who worked with us who wanted to help becuase these people "didn't have any toys". She worked so hard too. And the kids were awesome. Then we came back home, worked on skits, Compline, and bed.

Thursday: Morning routine, skit, and - Surprise! - meet the Bishop! I was able to set this up on Wednesday (so scared), and the Bishop gave the kids a tour of the Diocesean Offices, and let them ask him questions about being a bishop. It was wonderful. After that, we went to Manegait Theraputic Equestrian Center, and cleaned tack, washed mats, and pulled grass! It was hot and sweaty work. Then the kids got to learn how to groom a horse, and fed them carrots. We then returned home for stone soup night, where the kids learn about a minimum wage family's budget, and then have to cook a meal on that. So the 14 kids got $14 to make a meal for all of us (18 people) + plus guests. (there turned out to be three guests, we always invite people, so Matt invited his wife and two small children.) They did a great job. Then skits again, bible study, Compline, and bed.

Friday: We woke up, cleaned, did a skit, went to Eucharist (with the Bishop!), and then packed up and left! When I got home, I ate, and slept for most of the rest of the day. Working 8am to 10pm is tiring.

And also Saturday: Saturday I woke up, worked a little around the house, went to Medieval Times with the family for Fathers Day, and went to see the Proposal with Rachel, Thomas, Kristen, and Kristen's sister Bethany.




Memorable Quotes: "Kool, and the gang." "Don't confuse soup love with real love." "Focus: Even if it's shiney."

How My Day Went

So my mom is out of town for a few days, and she put me in charge. Here's how today went:

Characters:
Nicole - Sister, age 20
Joe - Brother, age 19
Matt - Brother, age 19
Brandi - Sister, age 11 (Functions like a 3 month old)
Jeremiah - Nephew, just turned 2 (Nicole's Son)
Joshua - Nephew, 6 weeks old (Nicole's Son)
Marian - Brandi's in home caregiver.

Wake up at 5:30 in the morning - Nicole set the house alarm and didn't tell anyone, so the alarm went off when my dad let the dog out. Also realized that she wasn't sleeping in the den doing respite (listening for our Brandi's alarm) like she was supposed to, so I drag my pillow in and sleep for a few hours on the couch to listen (she sleeps with pulsox and CPAP machines, because she stops breathing at night sometimes.)

Wake up for real at nine to start Brandi's breakfast by feeding tube. Listen to Nicole waking up, talking on the phone. She lets Jeremiah run around while she gets ready for trade school, and he gets into everything. Try to direct Jeremiah's attention to productivity rather than distruction, pick up crying Joshua. Neither has eaten, or been dressed or changed.

Get Brandi fed, give her 8 different medications, change her diaper, get her dressed, get her in her wheelchair, start a breathing treatment.

Nicole leaves at 11, just as Joshua gets hungry. Jeremiah hasn't had breakfast. Listen to Joe complain about something while he watches me try to appease the three babies. Make Jeremiah breakfast, and the baby a bottle. Nod and "mhm" to Joe. Feed Joshua as I watch Jeremiah. Change Joshua's diaper. Put Jeremiah in time out for disobeying. Brush Brandi's teeth, wash her face, brush her hair. Fight with the two year old who's testing me some more. Baby's crying, so put him in the sling around my shoulder. Jeremiah won't throw away his trash. He does finally. Play cars with Jeremiah while holding the baby. Put Joshua down so I can fight with Jeremiah to change his diaper. Take Joshua and Jeremiah outside while listening to Brandi right inside the door.

Go inside, it's hot. Lay Joshua down. Lunchtime now, turn the TV on so Jeremiah will watch Calliou while I make lunch. While Jeremiah's lunch heats up, change Brandi's diaper, lay her down, start her lunch by feeding tube. Give Jeremiah his lunch. Hold Joshua because he's crying. Jeremiah's done with lunch, clean him up and the mess he's made, fight with him about cleaning up his toys, more time out. Nap time for Jeremiah. Change Jeremiah's diaper. Crys about TV off, back to bedroom, read a book, go to sleep.

Come back out. Finish Brandi's feed, change Joshua, feed Joshua. Matt emerges from his room for the first time that day. Lull Joshua back to sleep, Nicole gets home.

Marian arrives, so around 4, Nicole has her kids, and Marian takes care of Brandi.

Realize I haven't eaten all day, grab a bite of leftovers in the fridge.

Pick up car from car repair, shower, pick up pizza for family, eat pizza, watch big storms move through (tornado warning). Clean up the yard and tree branches. Watch movie with family (Alvin and the Chipmunks).

Crash.

I don't know how my mother does it.

I'm still excited to have kids someday, but that day will not be now.