the chillen's

Want to see pictures of some of my kids? I bet you do ;)

here you see the beautiful Aniyah (with the glasses) and Ayanna. I hang out with them every Monday afternoon. We bake, go to the park, do crafts, talk, and just have some good ol' fun whenever we're together. They're not related, but they're always together, and look sorta alike, so people call them "the twins". They act like they HATE this... but I think they secretly love it. I mean, come on, just look at how happy they are together ;)

For one of my art lessons I took my kids outside to do chalk murals on the side walk. But of course, I let them lay on pavement in any position they wanted so we could trace their bodies. Here you see an awesome 4th grader named Nasir. He's got a little fro-hawk, and is probably one of the sweetest kids I've met in all of Camden.

In this photo you see Hiram (on the right) and TJ (in the headlock). These boys are also in 4th grade, and definitely intimidated me the first day I met them. They're both husky and like to appear tough as nails. Thought the the former is true, the latter definitely isn't. Yea, they cause trouble in my art class 60% of the time, but during that other 40% their absolutely golden. I love these boys. By the way, they're cousins and live in a little house together with 9 other family members. definitely a tight squeeze.

Here you see Jason (on the right) and Aaron (on the left). These brothers are so chubby that they their bums shake from side to side whenever they run. Its adorable. Jason, whose in Kindergarten speaks in one word sentences, and is always snacking on chicken wings and slurpees. He cries a lot and is only ever consoled by his brother Aaron (who's in the first grade) or his cousin Jessica (a 2nd grader). Aaron is always smiling and is enthusiastic about everything under the sun. He too loves chicken wings and slurpees, and is constantly working to keep Jason happy. Its kind of cute. (also, these boys are two of the 4 asian students we get. I love being around them cause they remind me of vancouver and my friends back home... ;] )

This is Vance Carter (affectionately named after Vince Carter who played for the Toronto Raptors) and he is little trouble maker. He's in the second grade and bullies kids twice his size. but when they come 'round to bully him back he cries and cries and runs to me or another leader for help. He's overtly defiant. You tell him to go left, he'll proudly look at you and march right. Sometimes he annoys the hell out of me, and I just have to let him cry out his frustration till he's ready to talk right with me. But... I actually love this child. He is one of the most passionate children we have at camp. His face radiates with life every time I see him. He's expressive, and is an awesome story teller. Though he always runs to the wrong net when he has the basketball (without fail) the look on his face exudes pure determination and fight. His smile is spectacular. Yea, he's a trouble maker, but at least he's passionate and full of life. He's definitely one of my favorite kids.

Here you see me with Shayla. Yes, together we are Shayna and Shayla. I hang out with her and three other girls every thursday afternoon. She's a spunky little first grader who's extremely dramatic but a thrill to be around. I love her. Funny thing. As a camp we're collecting change to help send a team of teenagers to Honduras. Well, little Shayla didn't realize Honduras is a country, and eagerly came up to me one day with question after question about our coming trip to outer space! And this girl was dead serious! She excitedly told me that she'd never been outside of the sky before and wanted to know whether I'd left the earth yet myself. It was a great moment! And good for her, I thought! Why shouldn't we be able to collect enough money to go to outer space? I had to break the sad news to her that we aren't leaving the planet anytime soon, but I was proud of her thinking big ;)

alright, I've gotta peace outta this thing. But I'll add some more pictures of kids a little later.

Thanks for being interested!

my life is good here in Camden, New Jersey. it is very good.

I gotta be honest, I love being the art teacher. I love the squeals of excitement as the first and second graders mix their own purples, oranges, and greens. I love chatting with the kids as I walk them home in the hot hot heat of the afternoon. i love living on meager food rations, in an un-airconditioned home, in the blistering heat. It's tough but I love it. I love baking brownies with my first grade girls, and playing tag with my 4th graders. i actually love coaching basketball, and love pushing the kids to do their best during their exciting but difficult basketball games. i love it.

I wont lie, the kids often get on my nerves, my housemates (and I) can be inconsiderate and a pain in the ass to be around, the heat drains me and leaves me exhausted, and my voice is perpetually gone... but still I can't shake the underlying sense of purpose and meaning. it is just so good.

my heart is being challenged regarding some of the prejudgements I have about life in inner cities. the teenage pregnancies, the gang violence, the drug market... I can't claim to really get any of it, but I feel my heart softening towards the young men and women (and the old) who walk these paths. There is just something about Camden that draws me in. There is something about the people here, something in the strength and the perserverance etched in their faces that captures me. it's a humbling thing.

i stood quietly in my classroom today at about 10pm, all was dark save the christmas lights that lined the white board. I just wanted to soak in the moment- the reality that I am an art teacher in an inner city, and there I stood in my very own classroom. I have no idea how I got here, but Lord knows I'm overjoyed that I am.

one day at a time, my heart is growing up.
mm, mm, mm.

ps.

my dear friend Ashley from CherryHill, NJ asked me today "Shayna, does Canada have their own language?". I tried not to laugh in her face. but I failed...

ha! O america.

my heart is gripped.

camp today went great. but I just went through something with that 17 year old young man I told ya'll about a few posts back. His heart is so broken, he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, and for some reason he chooses to tell me about it. He says he's got no love in his life. none at all. There is hope in this one girl he has feelin's for, but things aren't workin' out right with her. He told me that last week he went back to his old ways- pushin' drugs. i asked him why, and he replied "I'm lookin' for a way to die".

my heart dropped. i didn't know what to say. for a long moment we were both silent. i couldn't preach at him. it was no time for bible verses, theological arguments, eloquent speeches or anything like that. but I wouldn't have said any of that even if I knew how. i just spoke to him. words about God. such unworthy words about God. but the only words i had. i didn't tell him what to believe or how to believe. i didn't tell him anything christian. but i held his hand, and spoke the little i knew.

seek and you'll find, seek and you'll find, seek and you'll find.
lord, let him seek.

michael jordon said what?

Thursday and Friday were the first official days of camp. And for the most part they were very good days ;)

Here at Camp Faith I am an Art teacher and a basketball coach. now for those of you who know me very well that probably made you chuckle a little bit... but its true. I, SHAYNA JONES, am an art teacher and a basketball coach. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever see myself in either of these positions... and the reasons are simple. First of all i am HORRENDOUS at art - actually horrendous. The last time i took an "art class" I was in the 6th grade... and I'm now a senior in university. Feel free to do the math. Second of all, I have no clue how to play basketball, in fact the last time I actually sunk a basket was years ago. But despite these painfully obvious barriers I teach art and basketball to kids in grades 1 through 4 - Lord be with me!

Needless to say I am definitely handicapped in both these areas. But if I'm honest my lack of ability kind of thrills me. In order to teach my kids different art techniques I have to spend a fair amount of time researching, studying, and learning art skills in order to serve the kids well. Though I'm terrible at it I don't want that to hamper the kids from this chance to explore art themselves, you see? So a few days ago I spent some time learning about the color wheel, primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, and the basics in color theory , and tried to devise ways to teach this stuff to the kids in interactive and engaging ways. It was actually a lot of fun. Still the Lord is gonna have to carry me through this one - cause left to my own devises this Art Teaching thing could be a total flop. Prayer appreciated.

ah - and BASKETBALL. Oh man oh man. Without a doubt, I'm gonna be studying up on the ins and outs of this game over the next little while. I am co-coaching a group of about 20 boys aged 6 to 9... and it is not an easy thing. We had our first practice this past friday and it was a GONG SHOW. The other coaches and I did not prep well and the boys caught on to that. Luckily our first game was cancelled due to an impending heat wave (temperatures in the low 100s...... oh my goolay) so we've got next friday to organize ourselves, and somehow teach these kids how to play ball. Actually, we've got until next friday to teach me what the heck basketball is all about. haha.... what a summer this is gonna be.

you know... i love that i'm here. thank you lord that i'm here.



happy independence day!

peace & love.