July 25th, 2018
Chicago Summer Mission is one of the few summer missions that students get to have a job while on mission. This means that they are free to work or have an internship wherever they would like, in the city. After months of searching for a job, I finally found one at Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop in Chicago. Some of my friends work at retail stores, gyms, the American Girl store, restaurants, coffee shops, etc. The point of getting a job in the city is not only to make money. It is to show the love of Jesus to coworkers, customers, clients, and bosses. Evangelism here doesn’t just stop at campuses, we are constantly evangelizing through our actions, attitude, and work. If you know me well, you probably thinking “why in the world would you work at a chocolate shop, when you don’t even like chocolate?!” and my answer would be: God has a pretty great sense of humor. But not only that, He has me right where He wants me to be.
{A Fan Favorite: Strike It Rich!}
At Ghirardelli, I am a Chocolateer, which basically means I make all the sundaes, shakes, and yummy treats that Ghirardelli sells. It is a super fun job, and very fast paced. My secret dream job would a barista, and I think this might be the closest thing I’m going to come to that, so I’m going to soak the experience up!
I also get the privilege of working with students that are here in Chicago from other countries. Some of my friends are from Turkey, Philippines, Romania, and Spain. As I said in my last blog post, God has opened up opportunities to have spiritual conversations with these students! We also talk a lot about what different words mean in each language, and differences and similarities in culture. It has been fun to teach them things about Americans, like the fact that we put ice in our soft drinks! I love my new friends a lot, and I will miss them when I leave.
{Alex, Samara, Hanna and I work together! Alex is from Romania.}
Although I love Ghiradelli, and the people there, I find myself drained by an unchristian environment, where not everything is glorifying to God. I have to constantly control my tongue, give patience when no one else is, be respectful, and speak well of others. I feel myself becoming anxious, with constant pressure to perform well and meet customer expectations. I honestly never thought working at an ice cream/chocolate shop would be so draining, physically, and emotionally.
I’ve often battled with myself, as I work. I feel guilty about spending time working, and not on campus evangelizing. I get upset that I have to work 5 days a week, when some of my friends only work 2 or 3. I get jealous of the conversations they are having with students on campus, and wonder if God is really using me at Ghirardelli. Working constantly is definitely not what I had in mind for summer mission. I even get frustrated with God for calling me away from job at camp which I loved, not being able to continue to grow in the career I’m heading into, and wasting my time scooping ice cream.
But God is slowly shaping my heart to wider lens. He’s showing me that evangelism does not have to happen with structured times, with evangelism tools, or even in a specific place. The gospel is creative. Sharing should be creative. The way Jesus interacts with His followers is creative, and he even had pushback when he went against the norm. Being used for the kingdom is hard. It’s frustrating. We may not see the seeds we plant here on earth, but we will be rewarded in heaven and even more importantly, God is glorified. Because God is sovereign, loves all of his people, and wants me to be a vessel for his word wherever I go, he will use me even when I scoop ice cream.
Things you can be in prayer for:
- Expectant prayer that people will come to know Christ.
- Feelings of homesickness and loneliness.
- To have more conversations about Jesus at work.
- For patience and peace at work.
Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
~Deuteronomy 15:10~
Check out my other Summer Mission blog posts!
Post 1 – Jonah (1 day before I go) 5-51-2018
Post 2 – His Image (1 week in) 6-9-18
Post 3 – Because Jesus: An Honest Heart on Summer Mission (Week 4) 7-2-18
Post 4- 3 Parts of Summer Mission: An Inside Look at Evangelism (Week 6) 7-15-18