what do you ACTUALLY do in boston?

In attempt to answer this question, I have taken a few snapshots of what I think captures a lot of my life here so far.  I’m really bad at explaining things verbally, so I will show you with these pictures!  I’ll try to remember to take more and show you later.

number 1: PLAN. this dry-erase board has become my life. i like it. i like lists and anything involving a cross-off. i spend a lot of my day mapping out service day projects, teams, etc. we have to figure out what we are going to do with all of these people! to learn more about the boston project click here.

number 2: EVENTS. this is a snapshot of our “halloween alternative”. halloween is typically an unsafe holiday in dorchester, so we partnered with the library and the salvation army house to make that night safe and fun for families. we had a bunch of games and gave away school supplies (yes we gave away candy too!). the picture on the right is from a game where you have to find the marshmallow in the whipped cream. THAT PICTURE IS HILARIOUS. and the boy in the middle is jaden. he is one of the sweetest children i have ever met. praise the lord for answering our prayers for a safe night!

number 3: PRETTY TREES. i pass this tree on my way to work every morning. i like walking everywhere. i think it has made me more appreciative of creation. i have to stare at it longer. the fence that you see in this picture is the fence to the codman square cemetery. it is a very historic cemetery in our neighborhood and we are in the process of cleaning it up. there are approximately 3,000 people in our 10-street triangle, and so we just planted almost 3,000 tulips (one for each person) along the fence. can’t wait to see them bloom in the spring!

number 4: WHAT? yes. this is a mountain of bread. life at the boston project is interesting/strange/funny/random at times. it’s not suprising in “BP world” to come home to a mountain of bread on your table. people are always coming in and out of the house, picking things up, donating food, doing their homework, asking you to help them unload their truck full of furniture, using dishes and never washing them… as annoying as it could be, i would have it no other way. this is what community is. this is biblical. i like it.

number 5: A PET PENGUIN. last week a few of us visited the local aquarium. i decided very soon after arriving that i wanted to have a penguin of my own. so. i am asking for one for christmas. mom, dad, are you reading this? they are so cute and little.

hope this has been slightly insightful. i’ll try to be better about telling you my life. going to auburn this weekend. can’t wait. my cool/cool/cool sister is coming for thanksgiving. we are going to eat a lot of pie and watch christmas movies. yay.