A New Sense Of Meaning At Breakthrough Urban Ministries, by Allison Theune

It's over half way through the semester, I'm really comfortable at my internship site, and I'm getting to the point of  utter exhaustion. This is the perfect concoction for complacency and monotony. I sometimes struggle getting up in the morning and have a hard time being excited to leave for work at 6:45 in the morning. I'm starting to recognize that I'm taking everything for granted, and not looking at them as I should. I need to be grateful about the opportunity I've been given. I need to give every guest the patience and time they deserve. I need to serve to the best of my abilities EVERYday, not just when I feel up to it.

Thankfully, the Lord has supplied me with incredible guests to work with at Breakthrough! I continue to be blown away by the amount of optimism and inspiration that I experience from the men and women that walk through our doors each day. Their desire to love and serve the Lord, determination to better their lives, and daily pursuit for justice is incredible! Just today, I met a man that is staying in our men's shelter who would have spoken to me all day if he had had the chance. And although his stories seemed endless, he was a true inspiration in the way he had been able to turn his life around. The way he spoke about God was an incredible testimony in itself. He told me of his past life full of mistakes and consequences but that he has since found peace and comfort in the Lord. He told me that he believes every word in the Bible because he has no choice, it's just the truth. This type of raw faith is so inspiring and genuine.

This example is just one of many encounters that have brought me to a new sense of meaning at Breakthrough. Many of the guests have adopted the lifestyle of taking life one day at a time. They daily thank God for waking them up that day. When was the last time you thanked the Lord for keeping you alive for one more day? I am challenged by this outlook because this faith is so childlike and wonderful. They have no doubt that the Lord will provide for them in His way and in His time. How is it that people living in such despair and desperation can have such a faith? In the world's view, these people should be just that- in despair and desperate. Yet through their need and lack of resources, they are able to not only endure but be hopeful about their future. They truly believe and know that God will provide for them.

This week, Chicago Semester put on a "Hunger Banquet", which helped raise awareness about the homeless and hungry in Chicago. We were able to experience the differences between social classes and to reflect on hunger and need right here in Chicago. Although this has been a common theme for me this semester, I was able to discover more about myself and the world around me. I also hope it brought more awareness to the other students as well! Having the banquet also made me rethink my role at Breakthrough, and how I've allowed my self to become complacent.

So this is where my apathy ends. These last five weeks are going to be full of passion and love for the guests that come in our doors. And I'm committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure that they get the services they deserve as well as the personal conversations they need. I'm not here for myself this semester, but for the glory of the Lord. I will allow him to use me as an instrument in his wonderful plan! And I will take moments to notice the small things that can cause so much joy and happiness, such as birds chirping, flowers blooming, and the sun setting.

Living in the City by Jenny Henscheid

Living in the city has been such a fun experience! Using public transportation is great because you can get anywhere! There is also a ton to do, plenty of places to try new food and lots of interesting and new experiences! 

One of the Art Events we went to was at the Chicago Cultural Center. One of the exhibits was “Morbid Curiosity: The Richard Harris Collection.” This collection showcases over five hundred artworks and artifacts from the collector Richard Harris. There are two major sections: The War Room, which deals with the horrors and reactions to war expressed through art; and the Kunstkammer of Death, a play on the traditional European term for a ‘cabinet of curiosities.’ My favorite piece in this collection was one called “Ring Around the Rosie” the name describes exactly what it is. 

 

On President’s Day one of my roommates and I went to the Lincoln Park Zoo. Many of the animals were not out because it was still kind of cold. However, we did see a baby hippo, which was probably the highlight of the trip!

 

 I also made a trip to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. At the Nature Museum, children can experience nature and science up-close and hands-on through creative art projects, storytelling, animal feedings and more. Even though this museum is for children, I thought it was really interesting. I loved the butterfly pavilion; there were so many different kinds of butterflies.

 

My internship is at Emerson Elementary School as a School Social Worker. Emerson is in Maywood, a suburb of Chicago. It takes me about an hour and 45 minutes to get there. At my internship, I work with children in grades k-8^th who have some form of disability (cognitive, emotional, social, or behavioral). My supervisor and I mainly see these children to check in with their feelings, how school is going, if there is anything going on at home….basically anything they want to talk about we do.  The children are so full of life and so resilient. No matter what is going on in their lives they are still cheerful!

A Day in the City by Allison Theune

            This semester has been so much more than the incredible Internship I’m involved with. I’ve ventured across the city from Chinatown in the south to Rogers Park on the north side. There are so many cultures and so much diversity to explore and be a part of! It’s been an incredible semester so far, and each weekend has been another opportunity to be a part of this beautiful city.

            A few weekends ago I had a day full of adventure. My roommate Bekah and I decided to meet up with some Hope students (the school I attend) that were visiting Chicago for the Chinese New Year. We had no clue the day would be filled with so much diversity, or that we would literally cover the entire city throughout the day.

We began the day by attending “Living Stones Church” in Rogers Park for the first time. As we stepped into the front meeting area, we soon discovered that the 10’ by10’ room was in fact the ENTIRE church. We were immediately approached by eager members full of energy and love for the Lord. Although the congregation is small, they are all passionate about their faith and digging deeper to reveal the truth of God. After the service in which there were about 15 people in attendance, there was a short time afterwards that we spent talking to one of the ladies who was encouraging and sort of took us under her wing. We decided this was the right church for us this semester.

As the day continued, Bekah and I took the red line train all the way down to Chinatown for the New Year’s parade. We arrived and met up with some of Bekah’s friends from Hope to watch the festivities. Although it was a relatively short parade, the costumes were fun and the traditions were reflected throughout the parade. As we were leaving to meet up with other Hope students, we even stopped in a small Chinese bakery to buy some Chinese buns for only $1!

Our next stop was West Rogers Park where we explored Little India. We stepped into a clothing store filled with saris and other Indian attire. I was still in Chicago, yet I felt like I had stepped into a whole new world! This is one of the aspects of the city that excites me the most. You can encounter so many cultures, beliefs, languages, and dress. And it continues to blow my mind! We finished up our day with the Hope students by going to the Viceroy restaurant. This beautiful restaurant has a buffet of Indian cuisine that was amazing! With unlimited amounts of vegetable curry, tandoori chicken, and vegetable samosas in my stomach, the evening had ended successfully.

However, the night was not over! Bekah and I then headed downtown to the Museum of Contemporary Art to watch a dance performance by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Bekah had managed to score us $10 student tickets, when the original price was $35 (oh the advantages of being a college student)! Boy am I glad we went! The dancers were such intriguing movers. I was very impressed by their performance of contemporary dance!

With our sore feet and tired eyes, Bekah and I decided to call it a night. Looking back at that day, I felt so blessed to be able to have that experience. Chicago has so much to offer, and even being able to see a glimpse of it made me begin to fall in love. Since that weekend, I have had many other adventures around the city. Only four weeks in Chicago, and I already feel like I’ve been around the world!