Since we aren't exactly supposed to talk much about PovSim, so as to not ruin the experience for others, I'll just post about a few of the highlights of the weekend. For those of you who will one day partake of this weekend, I'm sorry if I ruin anything for you :)
Sleeping outside on Friday night, in the pouring rain-- It was quite the experience. 60 people huddled together on hard concrete under a small covering. I lucked out and was given a spot on a table(with it's legs folded under) because the area was already getting wet. It turned out that, a few hours later, the whole area was wet, and everyone's sleeping bag was soaked except for mine. I felt blessed, guilty and dry.
Kenneth-- he was the dirtiest man I have ever seen. And the sweetest. He was also insanely smart, explaining to my husband in great detail the fact that ice vaporizes when the vapor pressure is greater than the atmospheric pressure. I don't understand how someone that smart can live like he does, but I enjoyed everything about him. Plus, because we were all so smelly ourselves, I never even noticed his dirty scent, making it easy for me to stand close and talk to him :)
Learning about poverty, both local and global-- this is what made the weekend worse than I expected. It hurts to know this kind of truth, the truth that thousands of children will die today from hunger, the truth that I am part of the problem, and the truth that my excuses just can't help me ignore this anymore. I'm glad I know. But it's hard.
Stopping at First Baptist Church on the way to Church under the Bridge--While walking to church Sunday morning, Tom wanted to stop and go to the bathroom in First Baptist, a large, beautiful church. I went with him, since there was no way I'd pass up a clean bathroom, plus I was hoping to find some coffee. I was wearing thrift store clothes that had been on my body since Friday evening, my hair was oily, dirty and matted, and I smelled horrible. Walking into that church and past the men talking in the hall was an experience I've never had before. I felt guilty for intruding on their nice property, embarassed that I smelled so badly, hoping they wouldn't mind that my dirty body would be using their bathroom, praying that they wouldn't say anything if I took some coffee. I came out of the bathroom and froze, because the men were still standing there, and Tom wasn't out yet. What do I say? What are they thinking? I hung my head in shame, hoping they weren't looking at me. And then Tom came out, encouraged me to take some coffee, and we left.
The Church under the Bridge-- while cars whiz by, a few hundred people sit under an overpass and worship Jesus. There are men smoking cigarettes, homeless men with their possessions by their side, girls with pretty hair and dresses, men and women in blue jeans, and men and women in their Sunday best. If I hadn't been so incredibly hungry, and if my feet and head hadn't hurt so badly, I would have enjoyed this service very much.
Lasagna for lunch on Sunday The best meal ever. I've never enjoyed a meal so much in my life. A hot meal tastes so good when you've spent a weekend living like a homeless woman.
I would really like to post about breakfast on Saturday, the scavenger hunt, and the World Banquet, but those experiences should be a surprise for those who do the simulation.
The main thing that I learned over the weekend was that there is Grace for every situation. I was so afraid for all the wrong reasons. I couldn't seem to grasp the fact that I would have Jesus with me every step of the way, and that that would make the weekend so much easier to endure. Well, maybe not easier, but... worth it. When I felt dirty and gross, it was worth it. When I was hungry, it was worth it. When I was wet and cold, it was worth it. Grace made the pain and discomfort worth it, because I was enduring the sufferings of millions of people, and I knew in my heart that that was a good thing.
So yeah, I learned a ton last weekend. And I've been exhausted ever since, but it was worth it. I would recommend the weekend to anyone. Don't be afraid like I was.
Sleeping outside on Friday night, in the pouring rain-- It was quite the experience. 60 people huddled together on hard concrete under a small covering. I lucked out and was given a spot on a table(with it's legs folded under) because the area was already getting wet. It turned out that, a few hours later, the whole area was wet, and everyone's sleeping bag was soaked except for mine. I felt blessed, guilty and dry.
Kenneth-- he was the dirtiest man I have ever seen. And the sweetest. He was also insanely smart, explaining to my husband in great detail the fact that ice vaporizes when the vapor pressure is greater than the atmospheric pressure. I don't understand how someone that smart can live like he does, but I enjoyed everything about him. Plus, because we were all so smelly ourselves, I never even noticed his dirty scent, making it easy for me to stand close and talk to him :)
Learning about poverty, both local and global-- this is what made the weekend worse than I expected. It hurts to know this kind of truth, the truth that thousands of children will die today from hunger, the truth that I am part of the problem, and the truth that my excuses just can't help me ignore this anymore. I'm glad I know. But it's hard.
Stopping at First Baptist Church on the way to Church under the Bridge--While walking to church Sunday morning, Tom wanted to stop and go to the bathroom in First Baptist, a large, beautiful church. I went with him, since there was no way I'd pass up a clean bathroom, plus I was hoping to find some coffee. I was wearing thrift store clothes that had been on my body since Friday evening, my hair was oily, dirty and matted, and I smelled horrible. Walking into that church and past the men talking in the hall was an experience I've never had before. I felt guilty for intruding on their nice property, embarassed that I smelled so badly, hoping they wouldn't mind that my dirty body would be using their bathroom, praying that they wouldn't say anything if I took some coffee. I came out of the bathroom and froze, because the men were still standing there, and Tom wasn't out yet. What do I say? What are they thinking? I hung my head in shame, hoping they weren't looking at me. And then Tom came out, encouraged me to take some coffee, and we left.
The Church under the Bridge-- while cars whiz by, a few hundred people sit under an overpass and worship Jesus. There are men smoking cigarettes, homeless men with their possessions by their side, girls with pretty hair and dresses, men and women in blue jeans, and men and women in their Sunday best. If I hadn't been so incredibly hungry, and if my feet and head hadn't hurt so badly, I would have enjoyed this service very much.
Lasagna for lunch on Sunday The best meal ever. I've never enjoyed a meal so much in my life. A hot meal tastes so good when you've spent a weekend living like a homeless woman.
I would really like to post about breakfast on Saturday, the scavenger hunt, and the World Banquet, but those experiences should be a surprise for those who do the simulation.
The main thing that I learned over the weekend was that there is Grace for every situation. I was so afraid for all the wrong reasons. I couldn't seem to grasp the fact that I would have Jesus with me every step of the way, and that that would make the weekend so much easier to endure. Well, maybe not easier, but... worth it. When I felt dirty and gross, it was worth it. When I was hungry, it was worth it. When I was wet and cold, it was worth it. Grace made the pain and discomfort worth it, because I was enduring the sufferings of millions of people, and I knew in my heart that that was a good thing.
So yeah, I learned a ton last weekend. And I've been exhausted ever since, but it was worth it. I would recommend the weekend to anyone. Don't be afraid like I was.
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