I have been going to this one church for about two years now. It's not quite what I am used to; it seems to be oriented to attract younger people. Their band plays very loud christian music, which we sing along with, the preacher preaches, we eat the bread drink the juice, pray, donate, and sing again before we go. I usually like and agree with what the preacher is talking about.
My boys, 6, 3, and 10 months, all go to their own classrooms. They get to learn their bible stories, sing songs, and play with friends in their own age groups. My 3 year old only started walking when he was 1 because I had his switched to the steady steppers class. I guess being around kids his age that were running around him, gave him the motivation he needed. The 6 year old is often reluctant to participate with others, but when we leave, he is still singing new songs that he has learned.
My problem I guess, is not with the church, or specifically the people who go there, but I have had a problem for several months now. My baby being 10 months now, is just now showing up with my other 2 boys when I check them in. How the check-in system is supposed to work is this: I give the lady my phone number, she types it into the computer, the computer brings up the names of my children, she prints out stickers with their names and an alphanumeric number. I put the name tags on their backs and keep the last sticker with their matching number. To pick my boys up after service, my numbers have to match theirs. I also watch for their numbers to show up on the screen in the Main Chapel, it means there is some kind of problem, and I need to take them out of class. So...after I sighned up the baby for daycare, I gave my same name and phone number as my other boys. When I gave my number all these months, the lady could only find the baby, or the other two boys. Week after week we would ask them to fix it, and they agreed it was an easy fix. The last time I went in, after months of this problem, the lady behind the counter told me she could not put all my boys on one screen. Why not??? She told me it was a legal matter, because I am not married! Bradley belongs to my boyfriend, who also attends every Sunday was her next point. So very calmly, I told her that only the baby was biologically his, and all 3 are biologically mine. So there shouldn't be a problem putting all the boys on one screen under my number right? Well her response again was you two aren't married, and if something should happen to you... And she added that this was not the time to discuss it. There was absolutely no sense in her arguments. So if I went to church on my own with my boys, would I need him to come and sign a waiver for me? And I have no idea where she was getting a legal matter out of the whole thing. I am sure I am not the only person with 3 kids with 2 different dads.
Billy called someone he knew there and got it all straitened out. Hopefully she won't be checking people in anymore. I should be able to check my boys in with no further problems now. Going to church does not make you perfect! And I am pretty sure it is for the people who realize they are imperfect.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Haiti (week of 1-25-09)
I highly doubt anyone has gone without noticing the loss and wreckage that has come over Haiti after the earthquake January 12th. I am going to look up articles focusing on families and individuals who have gone through this disaster, international assistance, and the science behind such an enormous earthquake.
After the quake killed over 170,000 people in Haiti, hundreds of thousands of survivors are still left homeless. The desperation and insecurity of their situation in Haiti has brought on even more violence as large crouds gather around for food and supplies. Over 7,000 prisoners escaped in the chaos. Rape of women and young girls has radically increased due to lack of electricity to see by. Theft and other crimes also plague the survivors. international aid has pledged 2 billion dollars for aiding Haiti; some fear this won't get Haiti back on their feet. To make matters worse, hurricane season begins in May, and there are a good 200,000 families with no roof. Hatians do find hope in finding new survivors; like a 16 year old girl who survived 15 days with no food or water.
Of the international aid being sent to Haiti, the USAID (U.S. aid) is in the lead. Using several different means, and contributions from so many Americans, USAID has aided in health and medical, minding airports, military security, evacuations, basic needs, adoptions, ans assistance. There are 5 disaster medical assistance teams, and 1 International Medical Surgical Team. Already over 7,000 patients have been treated here, which is very sad compared to the number of injured people in need of attention. U.S. military stays at the airport 24 hours a day managing delivery of disaster relief. Somewhere around 13,000 military personnel are involved in the relief effort in some way. They also have with them helicopters, cargo planes carrying food, water and supplies, and several ships. 10,500 were evacuated from Haiti, although 8,300 of those were American citizens. The State Department and departments of Homeland Security are working to be sure children are not separated from their family. They also help to protect the children from criminals in child trafficking,who would try to claim a child as their own.
Tectonic plates beneath the earths surface are constantly moving, it is just a very, very slow process. Once in a while plates moving against each other along a fault line will make a sudden movement . The energy released in this action causes the earthquake. The earthquake caused in Haiti was a result of a "strike-slip fault" (side to side motion of the plates, instead of up and down). Haiti's earthquake was an amazing magnitude of 7. This magnitude is caused by the plates moving about 7mm/year (sounds slow huh?), the last earthquake had been about 250 years ago, and probably snapped about 1.7 meters to cause the 7 magnitude earthquake. The center of the earthquake was only about 10 kilometers beneath the surface (the deeper the earthquake is the less severe the damage will be) and the center was only 15 kilometers from Port au Prince, the capitol of Haiti. After shocks of the earthquake will continue for weeks to months with each one being less disastrous than the last. Even the aftershocks of this earthquake have been measured over magnitude 5.
I think I might have to read up on where these fault lines are located and keep as far away as possible. I don't know of anything on earth scarier than the earth itself tearing everything apart as if there was nothing there to begin with; separating families from one another, and destroying food and water supplies. There are many ways we can all help the people of Haiti. There are links under my international aid link, if anyone is interested.
After the quake killed over 170,000 people in Haiti, hundreds of thousands of survivors are still left homeless. The desperation and insecurity of their situation in Haiti has brought on even more violence as large crouds gather around for food and supplies. Over 7,000 prisoners escaped in the chaos. Rape of women and young girls has radically increased due to lack of electricity to see by. Theft and other crimes also plague the survivors. international aid has pledged 2 billion dollars for aiding Haiti; some fear this won't get Haiti back on their feet. To make matters worse, hurricane season begins in May, and there are a good 200,000 families with no roof. Hatians do find hope in finding new survivors; like a 16 year old girl who survived 15 days with no food or water.
Of the international aid being sent to Haiti, the USAID (U.S. aid) is in the lead. Using several different means, and contributions from so many Americans, USAID has aided in health and medical, minding airports, military security, evacuations, basic needs, adoptions, ans assistance. There are 5 disaster medical assistance teams, and 1 International Medical Surgical Team. Already over 7,000 patients have been treated here, which is very sad compared to the number of injured people in need of attention. U.S. military stays at the airport 24 hours a day managing delivery of disaster relief. Somewhere around 13,000 military personnel are involved in the relief effort in some way. They also have with them helicopters, cargo planes carrying food, water and supplies, and several ships. 10,500 were evacuated from Haiti, although 8,300 of those were American citizens. The State Department and departments of Homeland Security are working to be sure children are not separated from their family. They also help to protect the children from criminals in child trafficking,who would try to claim a child as their own.
Tectonic plates beneath the earths surface are constantly moving, it is just a very, very slow process. Once in a while plates moving against each other along a fault line will make a sudden movement . The energy released in this action causes the earthquake. The earthquake caused in Haiti was a result of a "strike-slip fault" (side to side motion of the plates, instead of up and down). Haiti's earthquake was an amazing magnitude of 7. This magnitude is caused by the plates moving about 7mm/year (sounds slow huh?), the last earthquake had been about 250 years ago, and probably snapped about 1.7 meters to cause the 7 magnitude earthquake. The center of the earthquake was only about 10 kilometers beneath the surface (the deeper the earthquake is the less severe the damage will be) and the center was only 15 kilometers from Port au Prince, the capitol of Haiti. After shocks of the earthquake will continue for weeks to months with each one being less disastrous than the last. Even the aftershocks of this earthquake have been measured over magnitude 5.
I think I might have to read up on where these fault lines are located and keep as far away as possible. I don't know of anything on earth scarier than the earth itself tearing everything apart as if there was nothing there to begin with; separating families from one another, and destroying food and water supplies. There are many ways we can all help the people of Haiti. There are links under my international aid link, if anyone is interested.
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