What does Love look like?

Think about it.
What does love look like in your life?
Anything you wish it was that it isn't currently?

Love.

Sharing is caring, I know it might be cheesy but that has always stuck with me. Sharing my life with other people shows that I have a deep seeded care for them because they are valuable, divine image bearers.
The way we love people should remind them that they are beautiful, valuable, worthy of love, & also posses the ability to love others well.

This has been a common thread among all the things we have been doing in the house. How do we love people well to the point where their lives are transformed in a way that makes them able to love others well?
Just some thoughts to meditate & prayer on this next week in reference to your own community/life.

Here are some updates from the past few days.
Monday was my last day off before I started a new job! Since you know we did the food redistribution on Sunday we still had overflow from that so my Monday morning started out with making breakfast then prepping to make homemade salsa with the abundance of tomatoes, onions, garlic,& jalopenos from the donation that LWA has kindly partnered us with. (Thanks for all the food, such a blessing!)

Done! Two jars of regulaur & two of hot: yum!

I love to repurpose things, especially food. I really cant stand to waste anything so this was the perfect little project & now we have fresh salsa in our fridge! While I finished cleaning & gathering other overflow donation items Lauren worked in the backyard with the boys from upstairs JeShaun & Eugene. They love doing projects with us!

Lauren & I continued are lovely day off by going for a walk up to the Carroll St. Garden to check on things and see what is growing.
Turns out the pumpkins, zucchinis, squashes, & cantaloupes are taking over! The tomatoes are starting to flower as well. In a few weeks we are probably going to have more than we can give away. Luckily after the garden when I went to the new library branch in the neighborhood to get my first library card the women who helped me, Andrea, was so excited about my garden so I promised to bring a basket of veggies in for her once they grew. I love building relationships especially over common interests with people in the neighborhood.

Cantaloupes in front, pumpkins in back. Look how much they have grown!! (Refer to older post to see the change in just a week/two!)

Cucumbers

(Fast forward to Tuesday) Josh, Lauren, & I walked over to the garden after dinner to water and the first three tomatoes were ready so we ate them! So delicious. Can't wait for more.

Library- so happy to finally have my very own Chicago Public Library card! Checked out a few books for the kids, including on of my favorites. The Tale of Benjamin Bunny.

Last night I asked Jonathan (going into 8th grade, lives upstairs) if he wanted to read to me. He excitedly said Yes! So of course I get out Benjamin Bunny. I talked a lot about gardening so its a fun book to read with the kids. As he was reading out loud there were many words he struggled with, I was so joyful that he felt safe enough in our living room w/ us to be reading out loud to practice. I'm not a teacher or anything but from my own general guess he is probably at more of a 4th grade reading level & comprehension. Even though he thinks he has to act tough on the streets he knows our house is a safe, loving place where he can come and be a kid. I loved having a bed time story read to me as well :) Many more nights like this to come. Hopefully soon we can take them to the library and sign them up so they can bring home their own books.

Hannah also read Curious George to JeShaun

The other event of yesterday evening was preparation for Sierra's babyshower which is on Saturday! Lauren was heading up decorations so her & the kids were working hard on making homemade flowers, blowing up ballons, & getting table settings together.

Lauren w/ her homemade flowers:

Finished flowers

Aries working hard! (So sweet. She lives in Champagne & is going back Sunday, we will miss her a lot)

Me & Kamora (Janice, Sierra's cousin, litte girl) I held her while the girls were working on baby shower decorations. She is the cutest.

Ballons.

Other than those decorations Hannah has been putting stuff together for the games & I will be making cupcakes for the shower. Pink & purple of course since thats what Sierra requested.

At the very end of the night we did happy/sad with everyone in living room,
Sierra sad her happy was being upstairs with us & her sad was having to leave since the night was over. That warmed my heart and also gave me hope that she sees another way. We are trying to get in the routine of having the kids share with us / each other the good and bad things about our days. Then pray a blessing over them so they know that we love them & so does Jesus :)

After the kids left we, the laides & I, ate the treats I brought home from Sweet Mandy B's (my new job) We then proceeded to bless each room of the house using the book of common prayer and oil that a friend made & gave us. It was a really special evening to pray over the physical space of our home & ask the Lord to protect and allow it to be a space for love & safety. Then we prayed for Gayle since her surgery was in the morning.
Hannah & I are actually at the hospital right now with her, she just went in and it shouldn't be more than a few hours. This afternoon once she is ok'd to leave I will drive her down to Indiana to her mom's house to stay for a week where she can recover. The kids were really sweet last night when we told them this & Jonathan told Gayle he would pray for her.

So much love. Make sure to count your blessings & tell those who you care about that you love them. It matters.

Thanks for reading.
Go in peace.

I love Sundays

It's not really my Sabbath day any longer but it sure is filled with joy, love, community, challenges, growth, worship, smiling, laughing, eating... this list could go on & on.

This morning I was in charge of doing to food pick up from Trader Joe's all on my own because Jenn & Sean were out of town and couldn't host it at their place. I didn't mind taking on the challenge but whoa was it overwhelming! Especially since I picked up the van from Breakthrough that they graciously let me borrow and headed to Trader Joe's alone not knowing what the day would hold. Didn't have much help lined up to unload & sort, was unable to connect with any families who were in immediate need of food, and just generally had no idea the effort it was going to take to haul it all in, sort it, & host a food share from my living room/kitchen/dining room.
I picked the food up at Trader Joe's where Jimmy from LWA met me to take some back to their place, the Shema house, as well as assisted in loading the van. Also side note that made me smile- Laura the girl who works at TJ's on Sunday mornings and helps us said we are by far the nicest people they have that come to pick up donations. How Sweet! Even though I would like to think everyone picking up $5,000 worth of food for free would be smiling ear to ear and so thankful,gracious etc. The best we can do is try to be that ourselves. After the van was loaded I drove back to the house in Garfield Park, parked in the back, and went knocking on the up & down stairs door to see if I could round up some youth help. They were all still asleep of course since it was 11am in the summer. No school = sleeping till 2pm.

The was van packed completely full, couldn't see out of the back windows.

Eugene helping unpack

There was a lot of food this week because since it had been so ridiculously hot I think a lot of people didn't buy much at the market, at least not 'normal' types of things. Maybe lots of ice cream and popsicles. I know that all I wanted when it felt like 110 outside (&inside our apt.)
There was also 4 bags of flowers! Everyone loved the flowers, what a nice treat. I made two bouquets for our living room :)

The boys loved the flowers too...

We actually ended up having a few helpers from the building, mainly the boys- Eugene & Jonathan from upstairs, then Aries from downstairs helped so much! She is just here for the summer staying w/ her cousin Sierra who is about to have her baby which is why should couldn't help. On bed rest since she is due any day now! Yay, so excited for a new baby!
Once I was able to talk to their moms, Tina upstairs & Minisha downstairs, about the food & physically show them how much there was I think they finally realized why I kept asking them for contacts of people who needed food. It must have seemed unreal before the food arrived & needed a home to go to. Understandable. $5,000 of free food is hard to fathom. They were both so helpful! Minisha let us put most of the meat in her freezer/fridge while we sorted & Tina came down and started calling families & helping them pack boxes once they arrived. I had no trouble explaining to them the concept of a food share. We all work together to sort it & get it to people who need it. Easy.


The ladies working hard to get people over to pick up food. We also were able to pack a box for one of Tina's dear friends, Jessica, who has 5 children & her bf just was shot and killed last night. Such heavy stuff. It was really a blessing to be able to send enough food over there to feed them for a week & of course lots of flowers.

Theresa, Minisha's aunt came over & gave us all hugs! What a sweet heart. Today really was a team effort filled w/ lots of joy.

After the food share wound down and my house was starting to look less like I robbed a grocery store I could relax for a minute before getting ready for the evening since we were having people over. Also while all the food stuff was going on a friend Jerome came by to drop off a house gift/donation! A brand new grill for our backyard!! What a blessing. People have been so generous with us. (Email me if you are interested in hearing our community needs)
I have started a new ministry w/ Jeff & Malissa Winkowski, who are very dear friends of mine, called In The Garden. Its pretty much 'house church' for lack of a better word but basically we are people who desire to grow, be active in accountability, discipleship, & living the way Jesus lived. Tonight was so beautiful as everyone filled in our semi-unpacked living room and were eager to listen, share, & experience community. Jeff & I talked about Isaiah 61 since that was something on our hearts and really were able to rejoice and celebrate in the promises of the Lord.

Beauty from Ashes.
Freedom.

Finding rest for the weary, being freed from oppression, food for the hungry, clothes for the naked.
God is so good and continues to promise to restore that which is broken and bring life from death.

Renewal.

Following the lovely readings, meditations, & communion we were able to share a meal from all the donations & ended with a few songs that friends from Dallas,Tx who were visiting played.

How He Loves.

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

Oh, how he loves us

Such a beautiful evening. Thanks to everyone who shared part of their Sunday with us. Each moment is greatly appreciated.
Of course ending the night with lots of laughter.
Josh w/ 4 bouquets of roses as the beauty pageant winner ;)

Thanks for taking the time to read what we are up to. It means the world to have support & encouragement.
Come visit.
Let's dream together.

Go in peace.

Two Weeks

This time two weeks ago many of my dear friends were helping move into the house. As we were greeted by kids & adults it warmed my soul & I knew this is where we are supposed to be.
These past two weeks have been incredible. Many lovely new relationships are forming & lots of dreaming is happening.
I am a dreamer. I am also a doer, so thank God I can't find a job right now other wise I dont know when I would fit in all the little activities & tasks I have given myself. I do have to say for only being here two weeks I just realized that quiet a lot has been accomplished! The house still needs some unpacking but we are getting to it slowly & surely.
One of the tasks of this past week since the last post was to acquire the necessary things for the backyard garden to happen. The plants were ready to go in the ground since I had planted them in tiny containers prior to the move in. On Friday Malissa & I went to the garden store in the neighborhood. I got lots of flower seeds for both the backyard garden & the community garden up the street. Also got some marigolds because apparently the bugs like to eat those so we are hoping they will stay clear of the vegetable plants & picked up some mushroom compost to mix with the dirt I already had.
Last night I finished the backyard garden bed!
I'll walk through the process in case you have small space & would like to grow some vegetables to share. The kids are pretty excited about this, plus its a really beautiful & unique experience to watch something grow out of the ground after putting a tiny seed in the dirt! (I still geek out over this & I'm "grown up")

Scavenged in the alley for some found wood to make the bed, also laid down cardboard to keep the weeds out:

Filled the bed w/ soil & mushroom compost to transplant my little seedlings into:
(Kender likes to be doing whatever I am doing, of course)

This is our backyard- I'm dreaming big but there will be some more beautification projects in the future that the kids can help with

Finished (for now, more beds/boxes/planters to come later)

On another garden note- last night after house dinner Lauren & I rode our bikes over to the community garden up the street. My new friend Elizabeth who stays at the Joshua Center next door was out there watering when we arrived. She has really taken to the garden because it gives her some space for peace & quiet to be alone. Also brings her back to her roots of being outside & gardening when she was younger. I really appreciate her & am so thankful for our relationship that is forming. Elizabeth also came to the work day on Saturday that I hosted, we only had one other person show up but none the less the plants are growing! Any grassroots project or effort takes time & we are ok with that. Its good to have a desired goal but I think for us the main focus is relationships & if transformation comes through the experience of growing food together then we will rejoice in that.

Elizabeth w/ the cantaloupes&pumpkins

Crystal was so excited to be gardening for the first time, her daughter came a few weeks ago to help us plant on our first work day! She also runs the Fresh Market @ Breakthrough Urban Ministries. Hopefully if we have extra produce from the garden it will go to Fresh Market for people to take home :)

Finally got stakes for the tomatoes to lean on, they are growing so great after the hail storm

The garden is doing so well considering how hot it has been here in Chicago the past few weeks. Malissa & I are doing some brainstorming about how to get more people involved, the first thing we are thinking of it getting the girls who helped us plant to paint a sign for our community garden so people actually know we are there! Otherwise we will keep weeding, watering, & working with the few who are interested. Hopefully things will start flowering in the next week or two!

One last thing has been on my mind a lot the past week- Sierra.
She could have her little baby girl, Nevaeh, any day now. We are hoping not until after the babyshower that is next Saturday. Should be a really fun backyard celebration, I am making cupcakes for it :)
Sunday night Sierra sat in the living room with us & told lots of stories. I really love that she is growing fond of us. She jokes about hating my cooking because its so healthy & has no meat but she is always coming up for something, she knows its good for her & the baby. I can't wait to meet that little girl.

Other than the house/garden updates I have just been taking care of buisnessy things the past two days. Should be receiving the grant money soon & will be able to start renovating the basement into a working space & darkroom! Can't wait to be able to develop & print photos at home. Also want to come up with a program or classes for kids on my block or in the neighborhood who are interested in photography (long term goal)
Thanks for reading!
Go in peace to love & serve.

stay at home ______

Fill in the blank- artist/neighbor/friend/mom/gardener/rock climber...

Monday night- Cooked homemade Indian food for housemates & shared our first house dinner! While I was cooking Jeshaun from upstairs came down outside the kitchen window and was asking me about the food & saying 'mmm smells good!' He really enjoys peeking in the windows to see what we are up to.
Caught on camera!

Our first house meal was amazing & we also opened book of common prayer together

♥

After dinner Jeshaun & Eugene came in to help Hannah wash dishes...

...and then we made cookies for Minisha, the mom downstairs, because it was her birthday! After the cookies were down we put candles on them & went downstairs to sing. Minisha was so happy and gave us all big hugs, real hugs too the kind where you feel really appreciated. There is something so sweet about loving people on their birthdays, I hope you all feel loved on your next birthday. Share the love too! Tina, the mom upstairs, is also having a birthday this week. Tomorrow, and her party is Saturday night. So tonight Hannah is going to bake a pineapple upside-down cake wit Yasmin & her brothers from upstairs as a surprise for Tina!
So many amazing opportunities for us to be doing stuff together.

Yesterday, Tuesday, I finally unpacked most of my room & got clothes hung up in the closest. It is such a process to unpack everything. Luckily the house is at least functioning enough to have people over for meals or to just navigate through the space. In the afternoon I went up to Humboldt to have coffee w/ some lady friends of mine, Laura, Malissa, & Ariel. Such a lovely time! Afterwards I stopped by our community garden near the new house to water & check on how things are growing! Two of the women from the Joshua Center @ Breakthrough Urban Ministries came out to help water & weed. I appreciate all the help I can get! So much has sprouted- here are a few pictures of what is coming up thus far.
Cantaloupes in front, pumpkins in the back half

Cucumbers are growing!

The tomatoes are sprouting, we need to get cages for them so they dont tip over.

Once I got home from the trip over to the garden Lauren & I made dinner w/ some of the Trader Joe's donations that Love Without Agenda connected us with, we are so incredibly thankful to be partnering w/ LWA. We love their hearts, mission, & willingness to help others.

http://www.lovewithoutagenda.com/

Last night Tina ended up going to see a doctor as the hospital to get something checked out so as we were sitting down to diner the kids knocked on the door. Of course we invited them in, I got more plates & cups and served them dinner. Normally they don't like what we cook because it is a lot of vegetables & healthy food, but they try it anyways especially if they are hungry. The food donations have been such a blessing because now when the kids come over and haven't eaten anything I can gladly cook & feed them without worrying if we will have enough.

It was so nice to have the table full, Sierra from downstairs also came up to eat with us! She asked me to go to the baby doctor with her tomorrow so I will be venturing out in the morning on two buses to go wait with her to get blood work done. I feel so blessed that she would want our company especially during such an important process. We just want to love her well and encourage her to be a great mom even if the circumstances are less than ideal.
After dinner Tina still wasn't back so we put a movie on for the kids & they settled in to watch in our living room.
As soon as the movie ended Tina knocked on the door & was so thankful that we had taken care of them while she was gone. She has to go back in on Monday for a follow up appt. so hopefully everything goes well. We reminded her that we are here to help if she needs anything & I think she knows we are very genuine about that offer.

Last night was a really beautiful expression of what it looks like to let go of our own plans & just go with how life pans out. We want to be available for our neighbors to ask us for help when they need it. Even though I currently am not working (& it is very difficult on the finances) I get to be home everyday cooking, cleaning, organzing, reading, dreaming & building relationships with our neighbors!

I wouldn't change it for anything.

Backyardin'

Backyard celebration. We are all officially moved in!

This whole day has been amazing, really experiencing what living a lifestyle of faith looks & feels like.
This morning went to Trader Joe's to pick up donations w/ leaders from Mission Yr. Drove back to their place in Lawndale to sort & re-distribute. Brought some stuff back to our place for the ladies & I as well as Tina & her kids upstairs. Its great to know what the kids like so I brought home some bananas, nectarines, & apples since we are really trying to encourage healthy eating. Tina was truly blessed by the small gesture. I also brought her flowers from the donation since her birthday is on Thursday! Her face just lit up.
We are blessed to be a blessing.
Her & I are going to meet later this week to talk about some other families in the neighborhood who are in great need so when its our week to take the food & redistribute it we can already have relationships with the families & make sure the food is getting to houses that need it.
Really excited that we are able to partner together & it be about us as a community serving one another not about just giving away free anything. That is where true love & transformation happens, when people are accountable to love.

Once I got home from packing up my garden in Humboldt to bring to my new backyard it was time to get a cookin' for the party.
Hannah wanted to make a bunch of soul food so I cooked black eyed peas, sauteed cabbage, kale/peppers/onions, cornbread, macaroni&cheese, fruit salad, & our fried John King had made fried chicken and ribs. Also Herman came over to help me prepare stuff & to make the delicious peach cobbler, yum!!
What a treat! As most of you know, I love to cook for others! And now in the house its so nice because we take turns doing stuff so I didn't even have to wash a single dish after the party (hallelujah)

Backyardin' for the party

Re-roommates (w/Hannah) We have been dreaming about this for years!

Lauren & Sierra, 16& lives on the first floor of our building. She is expecting a little baby girl in August! We are so excited!! Tonight Lauren helped her design invitation to the babyshower in photoshop & got her started on Target to register. I asked Sierra if I could make the cake for the party & she said yes :)

So glad Josh made it over to spend time w/ everyone since he is thinking about joining us over here in E.Garfield Park! (hoping for one or more loving gentlemen to join him) This is also bringing up interesting conversations about power dynamics within the culture of the neighborhood. I'm not sure the young girls know what it looks like to have friends that are boys. Hopefully we can all be better examples of what it means to love & respect each other.

I love these two women, they mean so much to me. Thank you for your support Laura & Sharon!

When all the backyard fun was said & done the kids upstairs (Jasmin, Jonathan, Eugene, & JeShaun) helped us carry everything up & clean-up. They are so sweet!
We had a goodnight hug. Truly falling in love with them!

Really want to say a big Thank You! to all of our friends who have & are supporting us through this transition. Thank you for seeing the love in our hearts and knowing that this is what we have been called to do. Thank you for being you & loving us for being who we are. I appreciated so deeply those of you who have listened tirelessly about this dream & have come along side of me to see it come to reality. I am truly blessed and could not be more fulfilled in this moment.

Today was just another day where I experienced unconditional love & had the chance to share it with others.

Unpacking(boxes & stories)

I can't stop smiling & laughing. (Good way to recover from the 10 mile run I did this morning as training for the Chicago Marathon w/ Team World Vision)
The boys upstairs are so lovable and want to be with us all the time. Today their mom Tina came down & chatted with us for a bit, that was so nice. I am really excited for the stories that are being shared as our lives are becoming intertwined, looking forward to our soul food party tomorrow night. This afternoon we let the boys play for a bit now that we knew Tina was comfortable with it. Then Gayle & I had to ask them to leave so we could unpack & organize. DeShaun went upstairs then down the backstairs & sat outside my window while I was unpacking. He kept saying 'I see you. Are you in there?'
Learning about boundaries, especially w/ DeShaun (the youngest boy who lives upstairs & is autistic) It will take time but Tina is so sweet & happy to share ideas with us. Thinking we will make a sign for the front & back doors, one side w/ a green circle & the other w/ a red circle. Go & stop.

We have a billy the bass fish that he LOVES! So every time he knocks on the door and comes in he goes straight for the fish to sing along to 'Dont worry, be happy' So precious!

I am really beginning to adore the three boys from upstairs- Johnathan, Eugene, & DeShaun. Eugene left this little message on the fridge the other day after helping me unpack our kitchen boxes.

Its amazing how much this feels like home already only after four days.
My sweet reading chair in the living room where I'll be spending time chatting, emailing, reading, & praying.

Hannah moves in tomorrow & Lauren gets back from a work trip- then we will all four officially be here to begin the journey.
Soul Food dinner Sunday night in the backyard to celebrate.

Thanks for reading whats on my mind. Come visit.
Peace be with you

Welcome Home.

We pulled up in the Uhaul around 10pm and all the kids on the front porch said 'Hi Hillary! Can we help?' They were so excited to help me get all my stuff in to the house, some of the people I hadn't even met yet were carrying bags up also. Talk about community & service. This is our new home.
Its been exactly one day now for me and oh have the past 24hrs been eventful. This morning at 7am Hannah our last flatmate arrived back from Kansas so I was able to welcome her home with a big hug & some quality time spent reading in the book of common prayer. Then a few hours later one of the little boys from upstairs, Eugene, came knocking on our front door (this happens a lot and its only been a few days since we moved in) to help me put a shelf together to my surprise. Then he & I went to the field to play with Kender, my dog. Eugene is such a sweet little boy as is his older brother Johnathan who helped me move in last night. There are so many little kids I have been meeting, I think we need to get a picture wall to post everyone on so we will remember names!
I've lived in Chicago four years now & have been awaiting this day. I have been dreaming, praying, & hoping for this desire for a community house in a welcoming neighborhood to become a reality. This evening I biked home from where I work part-time up in Lakeview to our new house down in East Garfield Park (it took 45 minutes,whoa) What a joy to know that this is the place the Lord had been preparing for us. Bringing us to a block where the people are curious, kind, & interested in who we are even though they are probably wondering why the heck four white girls just moved in to an all black neighborhood.
Love. That is why. We want to learn how to love people better through building relationships, growing & sharing food, making art, & creating room for conversation to take place in a safe spaces.

We would love your support of our vision, mission, & very new community house! Please keep us & our neighbors in your thoughts & prayers. Please come visit
Go in peace to love & serve.



"Every person on this earth yearns to love, to be loved, to know Love. Our true identity, our reason for being, is to be found in this desire."
(The Awakened Heart by: Gerald May)