Lasallian Volunteers 2006-2007: August 2006

i'm goin' to kansas city, kansas city here i come...

Well, dear LV's, it's fabulous to read about all of your adventures!

Despite my apparent militant disinterest in blogging, we are getting into the swing of things after a month here in Kansas City! Our month has consisted of some interesting highlights (which are probably only interesting to the 5 of us here, so deal with it):

- Amado went jogging with his big ol' backpack on. This killed us.
- On days when the weather was more than 100 degrees (there were several of these), our community went to the fountain in front of the Hallmark Crown Center (kind of like a mall) for a free walk-through/swim. Twas great, till I got bronchitis.
- Because I didn't have health insurance for a while, I was treated for said bronchitis by a community doctor friend of our house's in the parking lot of my favorite park after a Hiroshima vigil. She looked at my throat by the overhead light in her car. Efficiency at its best.
- Our computer was hit by lightening.
- My school was flooded the same weekend, and Heather was on the news (though I should admit that I still haven't actually SEEN the newsclip, I've just heard about it from 25 people)
- Kendall and I schooled Heather, Amado, and Jonathan in darts. Pretty much rocked.
- I've learned the fine art of bathroom caulking and how to use a giant floor buffing machine.
- Kendall and I went to a free concert at the Crown center: John Corbitt the singer (remember "Northern Exposure" and Aiden from Sex and the City?) He's a singer! And a stupid one at that... he played on in the craziest lightening and electric storm I've ever seen! Fingers in the sky!

We take joy in the small pleasures of life here (like pulling deep, deep weeds from the root and finding a whole nest of roaches in your extermination pursuits and $1 bag sales at the local thrift store and free ice cream socials...)

Well, I need to go. Holla back.
peace to you all!
vicki

LV Orientation Beach Photos

Brother Ed and Erin do yoga on the beach.

These are scans of real film. If you would like me to make you reprints please send me an email.

Yours,

Joel

A Prayer Request

Hello fellow LVers!

I hope you all had a restful and relaxing weekend!

Our weekend was quite busy, crazy, and fun! Gil thankfully came to visit!! (He even got into the suitcase... pics to come in the future...) but here's Freddy Teddy acting out how we all felt after an evening out last night

I was writing you all to please keep an extra thought in your prayers for me this coming week. For some reason the move here really hit this last weekend and I have been struggling a ton with it. It is not for a lack of support that I feel this way, it is just the change in scenery etc.. which I am sure you are all feeling or have felt this at some point in time! THIS COMMUNITY LIVING STUFF IS TOUGH! (anyone agree??) .... good tough though...

I had a good friend write an e-mail to me tonight saying... Something I want to ask God is, why does deep personal growth seem to only to happen through challenging circumstances?

Maybe we can all ban together with our thoughts and prayers for one another so that our large community of support can keep all of us going.

I realize everyone's busy, but know you are all in my thoughts and prayers!

Good luck to those of you that are starting school this week, and continued luck to those of you already in full swing like LaSalle Yakima!

Love and be loved!
God Bless
*Annie

New York

Hello everyone,
Jenny and I moved into Newburgh, NY on the 17 but we haven't spent much time home. The day after we arrived w

e went to a bbq by Manhattan College and spent the night in the Bedford Park community. It was great to spend some time with the community and see their house (the deck is great!) Br. Michael, Jenny and I explored some of Manhattan, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and went to a Mets game. We had great seats and the game which were given to us from a member of out Board of Trustees. When we got back to Newburgh we worked in the school for a few days, getting it ready for opening day which is coming up Wed. after Labor Day and we even got to see a student who stopped in, wondering when school opens.
Our community went to Lake Luzirne (I think) near Saratoga and stayed in the Brother's house on the river. It was beautiful until I saw a mouse on the day we were leaving. Jenny and I are going back up there for Labor Day, along with some other East Coast volunteers- I can't wait!
Tonight was the first Sat. night we have been home so Jenny and I decided we were going to explore Newburgh and find some places to hang out. We found a few places by the river which will probably be fun to go once the college students get back to school. We also found another place called Pineapple Willy's where we met a few people who offered to sh

ow us around for the night and asked if we were single and up to meeting some Hatians. We decided to go with them and try to make some friends our own age but "lost" our tour guides when they took us pretty far out of the area. Jenny and I learned it's probably not the best idea to follow random people from Newburgh around- hopefully we will eventually meet some people to hang out with!
Tomorrow we are having the Bedford Park community over for Br. Ed and Jenny's birthdays. Daniel is also coming down from Albany to join us so it should be a fun afternoon!
Hope you all are doing well, miss you!