Andre's Blog

Mural

I had the opportunity to volunteer at a really cool project the other day. I went down to Little Haiti which is what it sounds like, most of the people are Haition. They are truing a old trailer park into a community park. This trailer park was a haven for crime. They had drugs coming in and out, and the buildings that surrounded the park were constantly being broken into. So they have started the process of turning it into a community park. They are going to have a mini water park, a football field, basketball courts, and a soccer field. So as part of truing this trailer park into a park they are painting five murals around the park. They are private owned buildings surrounding the park that a non-profit origination (MLK Community) website is http://mlkmural.com/ is painting murals. I assisted a group of college students from Hope college in Michigan that came to Miami for a week of mission work. We got to put the primer on the tallest building. It was really cool to here the story of the park and to see some of the sketches that the mural will become. I had the opportunity to be part of something that will change a community in a positive way.

Oasis

   I had the opportunity to go to a church camp over the spring break here in Miami. It was very cool. There were about 150 middle and high school kids from Miami. They were from different after school Christan programs. They got to go on canoes and play basketball and volleyball. They had a powerful speaker that taught the kins and my self a lot about God. They had a rocking band that led us in worship every morning and night. After worship we had small groups. I was able to lead one of them. Myself and another adult led 8 middle school kids in some very spiritual discussions. Overall it was a very powerful week that I got to share with some awesome kids.

A New Begining

Hello

         Sorry I haven’t written in a while I have no excuse. I hope to write more often. So I guess I will tell you all what is happening in my life in Miami. Recently I have resigned from my job at the Miami Rescue Mission. My reasons being these. First off for a year of service their was a lot of down time at my work. During the day when the kids were not at the Mission they did not have a lot of work to do. So I was spending a lot of time doing nothing. So I felt like I was wasting the Mission’s time and money. Second reason is that some of the way’s the other tutors were treating the students I did not agree with.

    So what am I doing now? I have become some what of a freelance volunteer. I have been working at an after school program called Branches. It is a smaller operation then the Mission but I really like it. I have continued to work at FCA at one of the local high schools. Another one of the organizations that I am working at is called Missionaries of Charity. It is a soup kitchen that is run by four nuns. They receive donated food every day and they proceed to make lunch for 250-300 homeless people.

Slient Retreat

Last weekend we had our 24 hour silent retreat in North Miami Beach. It was pretty amazing. We stayed in this condo on the 17th floor right off the beach. As soon as you walked out onto the balcony you almost got knocked down by the wind. You could just feel God in the wind it was really great. So the goal was to be silent for 24 hours straight and have silence around you. That meant no music no talking to people no watching TV or movies nothing. The only thing you were allowed to take with you was your Bible and a journal. We started Friday night at 8pm and that in its self was a little strang. A room of 7 people and all of a sudden no one is talking. I mainly sat and thought read my Bible a little and then went to bed. On Saturday when I woke up I ate some breakfast and then I made myself a lunch and decided that I was going to walk on the beach as far as my legs would take me and then just sit and experience God. So that was pretty much most of my day I sat by the ocean read my bible wrote in my journal and then tooks a nap. I took my first dip in the Ocean so that was really nice. I didn’t make any profound decisions about my life. But it still was an enjoyable weekend.

Week Three

Hello

   So it is week three of my year long service in Miami. I think I have a routine going. Wake up at eight to get ready by 8:50 that is when I have to walk about three blocks to catch the 51 Flaggler Max a bus that runs about 42 blocks East it takes about 20 minutes on a good day. I can also catch the 11 but it takes about double the time because it stops about every block and the Max stops a lot less. Then I get off at the big bus/metro rail/metro mover station. This is where I have to take the metro mover which is kind of like the metro rail but it is free. The mover roughly takes about 25-30 minutes to take me to the School Board station with is about 10 blocks from the Miami Rescue Mission. So If all goes according to plan I will arrive at the Mission at 10 am. On the way home you repeat but in the opposite order if you were wondering. My days so for have kind of been slow for most of the morning. I hate that learning curve. But that is what it takes to understand and know what you are doing at any new job I suppose. The day really gets going around 2 because that is when the children start to get to the CAC (Community Activity Center). Right now I have been assigned to the 7-11 year old. Which is interesting because I don’t have a lot of experience with that age group, but I am learning. A little fun fact about the Miami school systems. Every Wednesday the schools here let the children out and hour earlier. I don’t know why but Wednesday are extra fun days.    

Hello Friends,

       Got to go to the beach this weekend, not South Beach not yet we went to Key Biscayne. OK a little back story. On Sunday we helped a former YAV move some of her stuff from storage to her new apartment. The past six months she was living in Key Biscayne a really private resort section of Miami. So as payment for helping her move she invited us to go to this private beach. So the positives were that their were not a lot of people and it was really pretty. I guess once you have seen one beach you have seen them all. Over all a good Labor Day though. Got to spend some tome with the roommates out of the house which was nice. Tuesday got to do all the fun before work stuff. I was drug tested at a local clinic, why did I do so much coke  in New York that was a bad idea (Just Kidding). Then I was taken to the police department to get fingerprinted, so I had ink on my hands all day. When I was done with all that fun stuff I went to my actual job and it was a pretty boring first day. Had to shadow Mr. Keith he isn’t my supervisor but I will be working with him a lot, so really didn’t do much hope it improves when I get to work with the kids. Also I have my official schedule I think I am going to work from 10am to 4pm on Monday and Wednesday-Friday. Tuesdays are weird. The first Tuesday of each month I work but the others we have community day so I will probably have those days off.

OK a little home life. So Little Havana is in majority a Spanish speaking neighborhood. Which means the local grocery store, Presidente, all the people who work their and shop their speak Spanish. Fun Fun Fun I guess I need to learn Spanish.

Today I found out where I will be working for the year. It is called Miami Rescue Mission. It is an organization that helps out a lot of people. They have a men’s homeless shelter. They have a women and children home. They also have an after school program for kids ages 6 to 16. I will be mainly be working at the after school program as an intern helping out in all aspects of the job. On occasion I will also be working at the men’s shelter. 

I also want to tell you about my living situation. There are 5 people living in the house including me. Trey is attending cooking school during the day and he might start working at a local church by starting an after school cooking program with them. Gavin is a musician he has a band with 4 other guys but I can’t think of their name. He also works at a local church with his band, but it is a different church then Trey’s. Molly is the only female living in the house but she is tough and she has here own bathroom so that is good. She is also the only other YAV in my house so we had a week to get to know each other before we got to Miami. She is working at an organization called Branches in South Miami. It is a after school program as well. Matt is my final roommate. He works at a local charter school as some sort of clerk. He may start teaching Spanish two days a week a little later in the year. His other job is lawn care which he really enjoys.

Then we have two YAVs living in Homestead a town south of Miami. Amanda May is working at a Branches in Homestead doing the same work as Molly but at a different location. Caite wants to be a doctor and wants to work in public health and she is do some sort of that kind of work now. I don’t really know at this point and time.

At least once a week both houses get together and have a community day where we will worship together and study the Bible together. We will also do some sort of mission in our community also.

So I will be writing about my year as a YAV in Miami. I am very excited and ready to get started. Not much to say at this time just wanted to write the first one. Ok  

First Post