Monday, Monday

(A quick note: Don't believe the timestamp on this post. It really is midnight.)

Today's been an odd day. It started out a little poorly, but then ended up well.

My alarm clock failed me this morning. I had set it for 7:15 so that I could be at breakfast at 7:45 because my LAS had to get on a bus at 8:30. I ended up being startled awake at 8:15 by my roommate and her boyfriend (I think he spent the night? I was asleep when they came back to our room) because the LAS student leader came knocking on our door looking for me. I dressed, put in my contacts, grabbed a granola bar, and RAN down to the BSC (Brenton Student Center) to get on the bus. I didn't see my LAS group, but a man told me they were on bus 8. Of course, bus 8 was clear down at the end of the line of buses. I was the last one on, but I had a tiny bit of breathing room before the bus rolled out of the parking lot.

The bus took us to Des Moines' Pleasant Hill suburb, to a charity called Hope Ministries (www.hopeiowa.org). There, we took a tour of their thrift store warehouse, and I was amazed by the sheer volume of things they had received as donations. One thing that fascinated me was the clothing baler. The machine baled up 700 pound batches of clothes that didn't sell, and the workers send the bales to the East Coast to be sold there, and if the clothes don't sell there, they are sent overseas.

We met a man whose life had been changed by the charity. He was about 45 years old, and a few years ago, he was homeless. He didn't know Jesus, and he hadn't really 'grown up'. The charity (which is Christian and doesn't take any government funding) took him in. There is a large system of charities in the area involved with Hope Ministries. He was eventually led to Christ, and taught how to make something of himself. Today he is a manager for the thrift store and warehouse. He prayed for us when we arrived and when we left, and I could tell he had a true and fulfilling faith. It was truly inspiring to meet him.

Our purpose, however, was not to be tourists, but to work. We were needed because the charity had built a new addition to the thrift store and they wanted to open it this coming Saturday; the addition had made a mess of their furniture department, and we had to clean up the furniture and help organize it. The room was piled with old bookshelves, sewing machines, tables, couches, mattresses, and other various furniture pieces. The girls were given buckets of soapy water, rags, sponges, and Pledge, while the boys moved the couches out and the mattresses into a better place. The paint on the walls was fresh, and there were cleaning fumes, and there was also dust, so breathing was mildly tough. We worked in these conditions from about 9:30 to 11:20. I am proud to say we cleaned up most of the room in that fairly short span of time. It was irritating when people didn't do a very good job of cleaning the shelving, but I think our teamwork enabled us to do a thorough job.

We finished and the bus came back to take us home to Simpson. This time it wasn't a fancy charter bus, but a Yellow Limo. We returned in time for lunch on the plaza in front of the library. My LAS professor had us go into the hall where our classroom is, and we discussed the morning's activities. He asked questions like, "Does what we did today really impact homeless people?" It was food for thought. I didn't speak during this session but I did consider each question as it was posed. I prefer to listen for a while and then speak.

I headed back to my room for a little break, and then I biked nearly two miles to the Indianola Activity Center to sign up for swing dancing and ballroom dancing. It cost me $80 ($40 per class) but I am really excited to do it. I have always been interested in dance; I was once in a dance class with tap, jazz, and ballet foci, but I quit when I realized it was expensive and I wasn't having fun anymore. I am trying to find someone who has a car who wants to come with me to the dance lessons. The dance lessons start in October and are on Tuesday nights.

After my four mile round trip, I went to OrgFest, which is Simpson's activities fair. It was kind of boring, but hey, free stuff! The RLC was giving out pens and fun size candy, while the Greek Life people were giving out full-size candy bars (I got a Kit-Kat). The Alumni Association was giving out free water bottles to first-years, and they even offered jobs doing Phone-athon. I don't think I will do Phone-athon because I dislike asking people for money (My parents don't count- Love you Mom and Dad!).

For supper I had to use my meal plan, and I chose to eat the "Chinese". Bad idea- it was too salty or too soy-saucy or something. It didn't taste very good. I will avoid it next time. After supper I hung out with my new girlfriends in their room and we watched Youtube videos, danced to funky music, and giggled together. At 8:00 our whole floor met on the basketball half-court in front of our hall. Our CAs told us some simple rules and safety things, and then they gave us our recycling bins! Woo-hoo for recycling bins!

There was a comedian scheduled for tonight, but I decided I was going to try to shower and go to bed. My plan was derailed by a knock on my door and the offer of a game of Apples to Apples, which is my favorite game that comes in a box. Instead of going to bed around 10:00, I ended up playing Apples to Apples with six other girls until about 11:15. There was much laughter and silliness, where one girl's name was "Megan" (not her real name) but she jokingly called herself "LaQuisha" (the name she was actually joking with). The atmosphere made it funnier than it seems now, but it was a good memory to have.

Finally the party broke up, and then I went to shower and to finish this blog post. It's midnight but I do not have class tomorrow at all, and my only orientation activity is at 12:30 PM. Not much is going on for me tomorrow, actually. I am thinking about trying to catch up on my sleep, but I also might explore Indianola. I still haven't figured out where Wal-Mart is. Google Maps or MapQuest to the rescue! :)