Downtown Trip- A Sucess

For about a month we have been planning to go downtown with the older girls from the hood.
But the sooner it was approaching the more worried we got that we wouldn't be able to handle a bunch of girls downtown.

But as we started figuring out who was going and what we would do are anxieties were eased.
Taking the red line/ green line to get down there we had lots of fun getting on and off trains and buses.

 We took the train/red line/ green line so we had lots of fun jumping on and off buses and trains.
<---- Waiting for our train downtown (left to right) Mariah, Quisha, Katlyn, and Lauren.

While walking Mariah says: "So wait, if this is downtown, does that mean were uptown?!?!"

That girl makes me laugh every time she says something & I love her energy and bubbly
personality :)




While down there we went to Michigan Ave. and walked into lots of stores and saw lots of things. We stopped into a Nike store. And we all piled into the elevator with 3 other men in it already.
While waiting to reach the floor there is an awkward silence until Quisha says "See were all from the same family. Same dad different moms. Its just so sad he stopped paying child support so long ago." These men just stared at us till we got off the elevator not figuring out how we could all be one family. :)
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The day before we spent the day with all the girls, young and old, playing cards, making rice krispie houses, and just chatting.
Once all the girls left Quisha and Mariah came back while Lauren and Megan went to get dinner. And we talked on the kitchen floor for an hour. We talked about just about everything (mostly the boys the girls liked :)
But we definitely had some girl bonding time.


All together we all had a great time and we all definitely bonded alot and got to know each other better.







(Me and Renada)

12/27/11 -A Broken Heart

12/27/11.
To most this is just a date. To most this is just one day in 1,000 others. To most this day didn't matter.
To me this is the day I cried in anger. In pain. In hate. In sadness. In brokenness.
12/27/11. Will forever be on the minds of those in Englewood. It is now etched into our minds for eternity.
12/27/11 is the day we lost loved ones in a shooting at Church's Chicken.
My heart broke when I got the phone call that Jawan was killed.
I've never fallen to the floor the way I did when I heard his name.
In all my time at the Ministry I have never had someone die that I knew personally. I guess there's a first for everything?
I prayed that no one else got killed. And later found out that Pee Wee was shot. But would be ok.
I know I say my heart breaks for these kids and families alot. But God has given me a heart for these people. For this place. And I will never forget these people.
In the end 7 were shot. 2 were dead. We knew all of them.
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The next day me && My dad went to go see Pee Wee & to visit Jawan's family.
I get to Pee Wee's house and talk for a minute then two girls seem to find they're way to me.
I get asked many questions: "Why are your eyes that color?" "Whats your name?" "How many brothers and sisters do you have?" "Whats your favorite Color?"
After that I get many compliments: "You're Pretty!" "I like your coat" "You have pretty hair"
I answer all the questions and give them compliments back.
Then later I tell Pee Wee's little sister that soon I am going to make Pee Wee my brother but he doesn't know it yet. She decided that meant we were sisters! So I am slowly adding on to my list of family :)
But made my year was when I was leaving the house I said goodbye to the girls when Pee Wee's little sister (7 years old) gives me a hug and says "I love you so much, you are my first sister, and you are my favorite sister. I just love you so much"
Next his cousin comes and gives me a hug and says: "I will always love you!"
...And there goes my heart again.
This will forever be etched into my mind. That even though there brother/cousin just got shot and could've died they are still happier then I will ever be. They still love more then I will ever love.
I pray that I will learn from situations like this how to be more like these little girls who hold so much love in their hearts just waiting to give it out to whoever decided they need some.