Protesters and Prophets

Last night I went back to Aurora to support the day laborers at El Centro. Again, we held a rally outside of City Hall before the city council meeting. At first, the turn out was small, but slowly workers and religious people began to congregate. I've only been twice, but some of these folks have been coming to every city council meeting for the past couple of months. I sometimes wonder at my own ability to persist when the "newness" of an issue wears off. I admire people who continue to come and continue to struggle, even when an issue gets "old."

I lost count of how many people spoke at the meeting, but we filled the speaker podium for over an hour. Three gentlemen from the Colorado Minutemen spoke angrily about illegal aliens who break the law and deserve the despair they experience, but most of the speakers were "El Centro" volunteers, faith leaders, and day laborers themselves.

I was SO proud of the group I was with. They spoke articulately and respectfully about the plight of day laborers in the community. The clergy I am proud to call my friends quoted Amos and Isaiah. One of my bilingual friends at Iliff told the council that the name "Aurora" in Spanish means "new beginning." She asked the council members to vote against the bill that would prevent "new beginnings" for so many people. She called for a "new beginning" and new relationship between city government, local businesses, and non-profit groups like El Centro, and pleaded with them to vote against the bill and instead come to the table and talk about a solution that works for everyone. Another of my Iliff friends spoke about being a woman of faith and a mother, and she told the council she wasn't sure how she would explain this to her children.

At the end of the night, city council voted to pass the bill 7-3. El Centro and the day laborers lost.

After leaving the meeting, we stood on the steps where we had rallied a few hours before. Even though we lost, there was a good spirit in the air. I am confident that El Centro will continue to serve day laborers in Aurora, whether it is illegal or not. Hopefully, city council will reconsider their invitation to the table.

What struck me the most about the evening was the significant difference between protesters and prophets. Shane Claiborne says we have too many protesters and not enough prophets. While protesters complain, prophets point us in a better way. I am grateful for the prophets I saw speak at the City Council meeting last night.

Way to go, David!

David got an 82 on his first Pharmacology test! The class average was 72, and in a class of 48 people, there were only 9 grades higher than his. Way to go, David!!!

Our New Apartment

Here are some pics of our new apartment. It's bigger and easier to host guests, so come visit us! =)

Best friends

We brought home a new bag of dog food and Midas is guarding it very carefully...

Working out the story of our life

My friend, Katie, posted this on her blog and I had to steal it...

"Though there will be different chapters and different calls, there will be a theme or undercurrent that brings unity to who we are and what we are called to be. We may not see what unifies our life until we are older and we begin to look back over where we have been and what we have done. But the underlying theme of our life is there nonetheless, and each chapter will be but one expression of it. Vocational development should not be construed as the single rising curve of misconceived careerism. We are not climbing ladders, we are not doing things to make our C.V. more impressive. Rather we are working out the story of our life. Our story will include setback and failures as well as surprises and responses to opportunities we never could have forseen.

We embrace the opportunities that come today, often with little idea of the implications down the road. We are not building a career, we are responding, at this time, in this place, to a call - to a sense of vocation that is congruent with who we are and that ultimately comes from God."

-Gordon T. Smith, Courage and Calling

A lesson in democracy

Last night I went to an action outside of the Aurora City Council building. My friends at Iliff work at "El Centro," which is a resource center for day laborers in downtown Denver. El Centro is trying to open a second site in Aurora, the largest suburb in Denver, but City Council is trying to pass an ordinance that would make it illegal for day laborers to be present. Here is the video from the action. (I am wearing a bright red shirt and am in the background!)

You can't tell in the video, but the sign I am holding says "Workers who feed their families are our heroes."

I sat in on the city council meeting because I wanted to hear some of the workers and clergy speak. At the meeting, Aurora was given the "All-American city" award, which some of us thought was a little ironic. =) The council didn't get to the bill until about 40 minutes into the meeting, so I had to sit through a LOT of boring discussion. When it came time to debate the labor bill, one of the council members moved to postpone discussion until the next meeting when all council members could be present. The fifty or so of us who were in the audience silently stood while the council voted to postpone discussion. No one was allowed to speak. We were invited to come back in two weeks, if we so chose.

It was sad to see. I know the city council is trying to do what it thinks is best for the city of Aurora, but the day laborers who work to feed their families also live in the city of Aurora and their voices should be heard.

A Crazy Week!

We got back from KC Sunday night, moved into our new apartment on Monday, and David started nursing school on Tuesday! Here is a pic of him on his first day:


He has class on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays and he is taking the following:
Professional Nursing Practice, Pathophysiology, and Pharmacology. (His classes get a big fat "YIKES" from the seminarian!)

We are SLOWLY settling in to our new place. Midas and Zoe seem a little lost...


I think they are glad to have each other! =)

Part Two: The Reception

Last weekend we drove to KC for Carrie's reception. The trip went by fast (as always!) and there wasn't enough time to see everyone we love. The reception was BEAUTIFUL and a ton of fun. I am grateful for good friends and good times...

Good News and Bad News

So, the GOOD news is we got approved to move into a new apartment! It has a dishwasher, washer/dryer, and AIR CONDITIONING!!! (It has been REALLY hot. Zoe spends most of her time under the bed where it is cool!)

The bad news is we found out how much health insurance will be when David goes down to 2 days a week. 3 days is full time, 2 days is part time. Instead of being $100/month for both of us, it will jump to $340/month!!! =( We are trying to figure out an alternative because we definitely can't afford THAT. *Sigh*

UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE NOW!!!