Highlights from Week 1!

     (I'm sorry, no pictures yet.) This past week was incredible. I already feel so at home here and in love with so many new people and experiences. It is hard to sum up the five very different days I had at work this past week and tell you all about my home/community life so here are the highlights:

1. Finding 50 pennies on the ground (Monday)
     First I found one, then another, then 48 more! I do feel sorry for the person who clearly had a piggy bank malfunction while walking down a sidewalk but I am so grateful that now I have 50 pennies!
2. Free, delicious coffee! (Monday, Wednesday)
     There are lots of coffee places very close to work so sometimes my co-worker and I just take walks and end up with delicious coffee before returning to work.
3. Food bank deliveries to Sam Center (Tuesday, Wednesday)
     Okay this one needs to be thoroughly explained....to start there are 6 employees of Sam Center and we all pitch in to help when we know a Food Bank delivery has just come in. Sam Center is currently in the basement of a church which was built many years ago and we do not have air conditioning or an elevator. So when the delivery comes in we set up a simple yet quite efficient system. Imagine a looong wooden board that reaches top to bottom of about 12 steps, put some carts at the bottom of the stairs, now put people at the top, middle, and bottom. Finally, take the boxes of food off the pallets they come in on, slide them down the board, and then place them on a cart to wheel them to the kitchen and pantry areas. Some of the boxes are extremely heavy but with everyone so willing to help it really doesn't seem that bad. It was great to see everyone working together to get the food inside for us to then serve hundreds of people.
4. Free lunch with drinks (Monday, Wednesday)
     Syracuse has great local bars and brew houses!
5. Dinners with my community (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!)
     We got very lucky this week to all be home for dinner each night. We know this will not always be the case so we took full advantage of it and made delicious meals and had intentional conversations about our days at work and how we were doing. Meals included: eggplant parmesan, pancakes, homemade mac and cheese, Italian sausage with potatoes, "asian ramen", baked ziti, and grilled cheese.
6. Running with my housemates. (lots of days)
     I am taking advantage of the new city and getting to know my new surroundings by running all over. There are wonderful parks (some with swings!!!) and trails around the area for us to run or walk.
7. Staff meeting at work. (Wednesday)
     I felt like part of the team, I gave input and also got advice on how to improve some of my tasks this year to make the center better.
8. Going to the Zoning Board! (Thursday)
     I need to keep this on the DL for now, but really cool things are happening for work in the next year!!!!!
9. Talking with guests at Sam Center. (everyday!)
     Each person that walks in the door is accepted without questions. We feed everyone and we treat everyone with dignity. Already I have heard some inspirational and heartbreaking stories from guests who so willingly open their hearts to mine. I have been welcomed so graciously to this community and yet even though I am serving them I feel grateful beyond measure.
10. Laughing! (everyday!)
     I cannot remember the last time I laughed so hard I was in tears and my belly hurt! And this not only happened once but too many times to count. Whether my community is just hanging out listening to music, cooking dinner, cleaning the house, taking a walk, at a bar, or at the farmer's market we are constantly overtaken with giggles and smiles at each other's quirks and talents.
   
     Although the week was an overall joyful success I did face some challenges and I know that some weeks the challenges will outweigh the joys. However I am excited to see where this next week takes me, what stories I hear, what jokes are told, what food I eat, how community evolves, etc. and I will attempt to gracefully accept the challenges as I relish in the abundant joys.
     Closing thought: this song, "Gone, Gone, Gone" by Phillip Phillips has been played over and over in my house and blasted from the car radio multiple times this week. I am truly able to see the beauty of Christ in each of my community members and I feel so blessed to have this new family.