I can best describe my experiences this summer as a roller coaster ride. There were times that I wanted to scream, cry and leave the situation, but I was firmly restrained and protected. Some times I felt like I was being shaken up or thrown for a loop, whereas at other times I willingly smiled for the camera. But, the funny thing was, at the end I wanted to do it over and over again and tell all my friends about the incredible ride I just had. This summer has truly been like one of those rides where you just have to step back and say, “Whew, wow, that was a good ride”.

  The same problem that I faced when I tried to first write a blog is
once again staring me in the face because there is no possible way to
accurately describe just how I fell or what I have experienced now that my
internship with CHAT is over.  To put it simply or just the best that I
can do, God has deeply impacted my life through the community that I saw as
well as was a part of.  A quick but impactful story about the summer camp
we took the kids to called SB2dub might be a little more helpful to all you blog
readers.

I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has welcomed the college interns this summer! Thank you to those who have encouraged us and fed us too! Thank you again family and friends for your prayers and support for me this summer! I am so thankful for all of you and that God was able to use me here in Church Hill this summer!

   Ok. So first let me start off my saying that I am a city girl!!!! Last Sunday through Wednesday, Aaron T, Andrea, Brandon, Myrtle, Chris and I went to Polyface Farm. It was a trip that was suppose to help us learn about farm life, but not just any farm life…. Polyface farm life!!! See, Polyface farm is no ordinary farm. The Salatin family, owner of Polyface farm, have innovative techniques of farming that respects the animals as well as the land. They allow their chickens, cows and pigs to feed on grass which is the healthiest food that can be given. Grass especially prevents the cows from having mad cow disease.

Every Sunday morning the CHAT kids go to the West end to attend Third Presbyterian Church. This summer all of the college interns attend Third as well. One of the biggest issues I had was the East end West end dynamic. I felt that the East End kids were sort of a charity group that Third helped support. I am not writing this to personally attack Third Presbyterian, but I just want to shed some light on a serious situation from an outsider’s perspective. The issue is that there seems to be a lack of desire for true racial reconciliation,especailly among the youth.

The Interns...my companions. Im so blessed to kno each of you! I've noticed that we're very diifferent. different personalities, styles, backgrounds, goals, interests. yet WE ALL share the desire to become closer to God. I see that in all of us. And to be honest, I dont have too many friends like yall...who have that same passion and level of understanding as me... some, even more. now dont get me wrong. I'm not the type to judge character on the basis of love for God. cuz God loves us even if we dont love Him bak....But its been nice havin friends around who understand where im comin from. who have a certain knowlege of scripture, the mysteries of God, who can share knowlegde and wisdom with me. and who are receptible to wisdom I share...yall were a big part in helping me grow,and  in waterin my "seed".(daddy batts)lol...and to think. i was sooo close to not even doin the internship! That woulda been a huge blessin i'd be missin out on.

 So it's come down to the last week of my internship with CHAT. And more and more I find myself being asked, "so how has it been?"....and im stuck with tryin to think of a word or phrase to describe my experience...so i settle with, " It's been great!"..or.." I've really enjoyed it". But thats not enough. My summer has been more than great. more than amazing. there arent adjectives to describe how i feel about my summer here with CHAT....like, the only word that comes to mind when i think of my summer, and CHAT, and the community, is....God.

 never imagined how fulling this summer would end up being.

I must say that it was a little stressful to complete both weeks of Vacation Bible Schools, but I do think it was worth it overall.  Each VBS lasted  one week long and I was a teacher with a class of at least 8 girls. The first VBS was a Third Presbyterian Church. The overall theme was a Hawaiian island theme that focused on:

         Last Wednesday….hmmmm my stories seem to happen on Wednesdays… Andrea, Aaron T and I took some of the young kids at CHAT, aka Little Tykes, to an event that encouraged interaction between West End kids and East End kids.   One particular game we played required groups of three people with different color eyes. My group had one little white girl, one six year old black girl and myself. The task was for one person to close their eyes and have another person describe the third person’s physical characteristics. The object of the game was for the individuals who were blinded to be able to mentally picture the person being described without using their eyes.

Yes, it is the eighth week of the CHAT internship. More importantly, it is the eighth week of growing in the Church Hill community. I really do not want to go back to live in the West End for school this fall. I wish there is a way to continue to live here. Who knows, maybe God will provide a way for that to happen in the future. I now have an entirely new perspective to take back to those at U of R. I think about all of the intellectual individuals at U of R who study about the inner city and its problems and yet have never visited the inner city a day in their lives. Well, I highly encourage those individuals as well as others to really open their horizons and experience a new culture that is only 20 minutes away!!!! There is so much to learn and it is not enough just to read about it from a book, article or newspaper!!! I have been so blessed to experience a little of what a community should be like. I love that so many people in Church Hill; White and Black; have formed relationships with one another. They go to bible study together, church, dinner, bike riding, walking and just hangin out on the front porch. I love that I can look up and down the street and see children playing outside and riding their bikes. These are the same children who also attend the CHAT program.