Writing Class

A little over a year ago I had to write my obituary for my Ministry of Writing class. I had a lot of fun with it because I could make up a crazy, wild story about my life. I came across it the other day and it makes me want to chuckle.

The amazing part about this story is that at 93 I could manage to throw myself in front of two school girls! And yes, in this version of my life I did marry the guy who plays Jim on The Office.

Now, my some of my life goals have changed a little from when I wrote this (such as wanting to live in all those cities!), but it still is interesting to read!


Rebecca Lee Krasinski, 93, of Chicago, died October 28, 2075 at the University of Chicago Medical Center after saving the lives of two young girls on the city’s South Side. On the morning of October 27 Rebecca sustained multiple gunshot wounds when she threw herself over the two girls as gunfire broke out on the street.

Rebecca was born July 26, 1982 to the late William and Denise (Gabriel) Frederick. She married actor John Krasinski of Boston, Massachusetts in 2011. Krasinski died on February 28, 2074.

Rebecca was a 65-year resident of the West Pullman neighborhood and founder of Breakthrough Urban Ministry’s Christian education center, commonly known as the Education Advocacy and Training (EAT) program.

Before moving to Chicago, Rebecca served as an urban minister in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. Rebecca held a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Divinity degree from Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Urban Studies from the University of Chicago.

Rebecca was an ordained and active member of Lake Michigan Baptist Church. A strong Christian, Rebecca dedicated her life to helping those in poverty. A firm advocate of education, Rebecca founded the EAT center in 2047 as a subsidiary center of Breakthrough Urban Ministries.

Rebecca is survived by five children, Julia Lee McHogany of Chicago, Anna Beth Sandier of Lillington, NC, Brandon Michael Krasinski of Pittsburgh, PA, Sanyu Smith of East St. Louis, IL, and Jafari Krasinski of Oak Par, IL. Rebecca is also survived by fourteen grandchildren and twenty-two great-grandchildren. Rebecca was preceded in death by one brother, David John Frederick, of Charlotte, NC.

Friends and family will be received from 9:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. at Lake Michigan Baptist Church on November 3, 2075. A 1:00 P.M. memorial service will be held at the church.

In remembrance of Rebecca, persons may contribute to Breakthrough Urban Ministries, 3330 W. Carroll Ave, Chicago, IL 60624.

What an Eventful Four Years!

Four years ago today I graduated from college. Now, the past four years have been rather full and exciting. There have been highs and there have been lows, and God has been faithful through all of it.

December 18, 2004 I graduated with a degree in mass communication/public relations. That night friends and I went to see the Raleigh Ringers, a professional handbell choir (it gets more random....a year later my best friend, Erin, and I went to Barnes and Noble to see the Juggling Rabbi). Three weeks later I began divinity school.

After that first semester I headed to Waco, TX. Not being well traveled in my life, I remember walking from the plane and excitedly thinking, "I'm in Texas!" That summer changed my life in so many ways and before I knew it I was back at school. After another year I found myself in West Chicago, IL, about an hour out of Chicago. Not having any clue how a summer in the suburbs made sense, I also was at a bilingual church and didn't understand roughly 50% of what was spoken. Again, that summer was fantastic. I returned to Chicago a couple more times.

I returned to school and completed another semester. Then I went to Belize with a group from the divinity school and I believe God showed me there that one of my spiritual gifts is teaching. After returning home I had four days before I left for a semester in Chicago. Again, fantastic and an incredible experience.

I came back home, began a role as a leader with my youth group at church and embarked on my last year of divinity school. That December my car died and I began working at Bojangles. I mean, seriously....last semester before a masters degree and working at Bojangles. Oh, if only I knew it would be crazier than that!

I entered my last semester going to school, working three part time jobs (ok, the other two were pretty fantastic- not like Bojangles!) and leading the youth group at my church. Around March I began driving around a few states looking for jobs and finally chose The Salvation Army in Reidsville. After I went through the incredible experience of my final chapel as a div school student, the hooding ceremony and graduation, I moved to Reidsville, NC to began a career.

And in a month and a half I moved back, having had accumulated more school debt than my salary could handle. I also was pretty miserable there. Coming home I applied for jobs like crazy and found myself back at Bojangles! What a wonderful opportunity for ministry there, though one I wish I had been a better steward of sometimes. But then I also got a job at Family Christian Stores in Cary and things were getting better.

During this time I also entered my first serious romantic relationship (oh yes, a true champion of singleness doesn't enter their first serious dating relationship until they are 26!) and it was wonderful. But that's come to a halt and yes, I'm still reeling from it.

So, here I am now. Having been accepted into the CPE internship program at WakeMed Hospital, I am weighing my options for what is the best next step in life.

I want so much to do what God wants me to do, but this learning process is quite painful at times!

So, let's see....domestic and international missions, earning a masters degree, serving in a youth leadership role in my church, starting a career and then completely changing plans, having my first serious romantic relationship, and learning more about God and faith and trying to grow closer to God through it all....I'd say it's been an eventful four years.

So, what did I do today on December 18, 2008? I interviewed for and was accepted into the program at WakeMed and I worked a shift at the bookstore.

Let's just say life is a little different than I planned. But that's ok. Not only does God have a sense of humor, but he has a plan....a really good and awesome plan, one he is guiding me on step by step.

Social Justice and People

I didn't bring extra resources. We both wore the uniform and had the visor. On our break I took her to cash her check and then, yes, we splurged to get coffee. When I interned at non-profits there was a sense of authority in my position, a sense that I had much to give to hurting people.

But there we were, both of us in the same place. In true biblical social justice ministry we must enter into community with those around us. The only extraordinary thing I had to bring to the table was my faith, nothing much in the way of material resources. I'm sure we both had mistakes from the past that landed us there, I know I did.

Not too long after that I worked Black Friday at the bookstore. Droves of people graced our doors and the sales racked up. I scanned item after item for people who spent hundreds of dollars. I began to see why other countries detest us. I rang up all these items I would love to own, but could never afford at the time. As Americans we throw down hundreds of dollars in the name of deserving it and we don't think twice.

And I, I have been a proponent of living simply when I rarely did so. I told people that we must be concerned about poverty as I racked up more debt than anyone I know. What was the harm in paying for gas on credit so I could drive to Cary just to study? Why not use that card again to give myself a cup of Starbucks coffee. Didn't I deserve it?

I didn't live simply. I thought I lived more simply because I didn't buy massive amounts of expensive clothes or eat at fancy resteraunts, but little by little I didn't live simply at all.

So here I sit, massive debt, grasping for a career, and healing from the wounds of misunderstood relationships.

I still choose to believe that God will make a miracle story out of this. That one day these struggles will be part of the past and my life will be a living testimony to how far God brings us when we trust him. I have failed greatly in many areas, but I cling to the belief that God will make something good out of it. He never condoned the sins I've committed, but he has forgiven them.

If I am going to embrace life as an adventure I must stop looking to other people to fulfill me. I fully believe the people God brings our way very much can be part of our fulfillment in life, but if they leave, then I must have a strong enough faith that God is still my ultimate fulfillment.

Don't get me wrong, I believe in investing in people. I believe that it is ok to grieve relationships- whatever the nature of the relationship might be- because if things go wrong and it doesn't hurt, then I wonder how deeply committed we were in the first place. So when I say my ultimate fulfillment comes from God, that is not to say that there isn't a level of fulfillment in people we love.

So yes, in some ways I have failed to act on the social justice that was so important to me. In many ways I have failed to show love to the people closest to me. And, in many ways, I plan to make changes in those areas.