I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted! We've had quite a few things thrown our way the past two weeks, so I haven't had much of a chance for any updates.
Things are going well. We just finished with a group from Bloomington, IL. There were some great conversations that I was able to have with several of the girls and really encourage and challenge them. VBS was great and the kids who came were so cute. Work projects were a lot of fun: we poured a sidewalk for one of the churches we work with and then painted a shed, started building a playset, and did some weeding for the other church we work with. Backpacking went a lot better this time, which is an encouraging thought for our third and final wilderness adventure which starts in about 5 days. I'm loving my time out here. I absolutely love the other staff I'm working with and the students who come on the trips. It's sad to think that I only have two more teams and then I'm done. I wish it was longer.
As I stated above, we've encountered a few unexpected things in our time here.
- Getting kicked out of the library out of the blue meant Abby and I are now sleeping in the balcony of the gym. Not much privacy, to say the least.
- One day we couldn't turn on the lights in the gym, and when they finally came on we couldn't turn them off when it was time for bed = Abby and I slept in sunglasses that night.
- We couldn't get internet access until recently when we'd been expecting to have it for the whole summer.
- The sand and gravel we needed for concrete didn't get delivered when it was supposed to, so we had to put that project on hold.
- The night before backpacking we discovered that a good amount of our wilderness food had been stolen.
- Steven (trip leader) got randomly got pretty sick two days before backpacking.
- Beth (Steven's wife) was sick the next day.
- Our van started making really weird noises when Abby and I went into town to get some last minute supplies. We were 40 miles from "home" and had no cell phone service.
- One of the church's vans got stuck in mud, so the youth pastor, Abby and I had to try and push it out, then go look for help since it was just the three of us.
- Abby felt sick while backpacking and was not in good shape yesterday.
- We had to replace our brake pads in the van.
- Last night we discovered a group from the Native American Assembly will be staying in the school for several days. This was the first we had been informed of this.
The four of us have joked, saying to each other "Satan", every time something goes wrong. We even named one of the corners of our sidewalk "Satan's corner" because it took FOREVER to get the right way and things kept going wrong. But as much as we've joked about Satan being behind all of this, I think there's a lot of truth in it.
One of our leadership principles that we teach students is "Focus Precedes Success" and we talk about how when we're not focused on our goals and not that committed, then it's going to be a lot harder to achieve anything. One illustration that Abby and I used when we taught it was a Jenga game. We had one group really focused trying to build as high as possible while another group told them the wrong way to do things and just yelled general nonsense. The group that was supposed to be focused wasn't able to reach their goal because they got so off task by listening to those who were distracting.
We feel like a lot of these unexpected things that have happened are meant as distractions to keep us off our task of impacting this community and the students who come our way. It has been very tempting to give into frustration with each thing that has happened, but luckily we've been able to make it through by continually encouraging and supporting each other.
If you could be praying for us through this time, we would all really appreciate it. We are all worn down and trying to recover for our last two teams. It's been hard, but it's been good. There's nothing else I would have rather spent my summer doing.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Challenge and Growth
The Little Bighorn trail is a challenge. Hiking 18 miles and climbing 7000 feet in four days can be rough. It didn't help that I had just gotten over a cold. It didn't help that I was running on very little sleep. It didn't help that I barely knew anyone else on the trip.
But it was worth it.
Tuesday was our first day. The night before, as you can see in the previous post, I was pretty anxious and tired, but still excited. After driving to Big Horn National Park, we had to do some car shuffling. Usually when you hike you go in a circle back to your cars, but our trail was just straight up, so we had to take our cars to the trail end and then drive one back down to the trail start. I volunteered to drive up and down the mountain, which was quite the experience. I'm usually pretty timid about driving but it was a ton of fun and just to see all the sights along the road was awesome. Plus, there was a lot of snow left on the ground as we reached the top so that was really cool to see in the middle of summer. Once we got back to the bottom we started hiking. I was fine for awhile and enjoyed some conversations with the students. BUT, then we started the inclines. That killed me. My attiude shot down and I got really angry at God for placing me on the trip. He knew that I had a hard time hikinig last year. He knew that I had just been sick. He knew that I was exhausted. But he was still making me do the stupid hike. I think I even asked for death a few times. Melodramatic much? I know. Finally Beth (my trip leader's wife), really challenged me to rely on the Lord's strength and reminded me that I was placed here for a reason. She also told me to only think about today, and not about the fact that I am doing this hike two more times. She really motivated me to push forward and just helped so much. The rest of the day was fine. Got to the campsite, set up, enjoyed wilderness food.
Wednesday the team got off to a pretty slow start. We ended up leaving around 10:30, only after a huge herd of cattle came through. So we were stuck behind cattle for a lot of the day. Slow and smelly, such fun. Finally it looked like we were making some good progress. And then, it started raining and thundering and the lightning was going crazy. So we had to stop and take cover in some trees and got to stay in lightning position for awhile. Several of the students were pretty scared, so Abby (fellow intern) and I started singing some hymns and worship songs. That was pretty cool, singing about how God controls the lightning as the storm was raging around us. Finally the storm passed, and it was SO cold, so we decided to high tail it to the campsite. By this point my feet were getting pretty blistered and tired, so the HUGE hill we had to go up to get to the campsite was not looking very fun to me. But we finally made it. The campsite for the second day is absolutely AMAZING! There's a big mountain on one side with waterfalls coming down it, and then on the other side there's a ton of pine trees as far as you can see. It was so fun to be there and see those sights again.
Day three is typically known as the hardest day of the hike. It's a ton of incline, plus people are just worn out from the previous days. I had been dreading it since the day I found out I was going to be in Montana for the summer. Once again, it started out fine. We stopped way too early for lunch, but apart from that things went well and I had a lot of fun with the students I was near playing games and chatting. The sights were breathtaking and really motivated me to keep walking. However, as the day wore on my blisters started rubbing really badly and I was having trouble walking. The inclines took everything out of me, and I was just in a bad mood once again. Finally, one of the students took my tent from me which took away a ton of weight from my pack. That helped so much and I was so thankful for the student's willingness to serve me. We finally made it to the campsite and I had never been happier to sleep on the ground.
Day four (Friday), we hiked out. We had to take care of the car shuffling once again, so one of their adult leaders, and Abby and I hiked out early together. We left at 6 in the morning, expecting the hike to take 2 or 2 and 1/2 hours. We made it in less than an hour and a half. We were SO proud of ourselves. I really enjoyed hiking that early. The temperature was wonderful and it was a lot less stressful hiking with just three people instead of a team of 18. We got the cars all together and waited for 45 minutes before we finally heard cheering as the students ran to the trail end. It was really cool to see the smiles on their faces as they realized that they had finally made it to the end.
After that we drove to Billings and got to shower!! Yay!! Best shower of my life. Then enjoyed an awesome meal at Fudruckers. The best part of Friday night was our final team time. I had a really hard time connecting with these students. I came halfway through the trip, so I missed out on the first few days of getting to know them. They also were just really closed and you really had to push to get anything significant or remotely deep out of them. So I had been a little discouraged and just felt like I hadn't made any difference. However, during our encouragement circle where each student gets encouraged by two of their peers and one adult, I saw the walls break down. I have never seen so many high school boys cry before. Their tough exterior finally cracked and I felt like they were really touched by what they had experienced on the trip. To actually witness this was really powerful. It just reminded me that I should never give up hope on anybody. God may wait until the very end to work in their hearts, but I should never assume that they are incapable of being impacted. The students also demanded to encourage us as staff, and honestly I really needed that. I had felt like I was not needed on this trip and that I had made no impact, but the two students who encouraged me proved me otherwise, and I was really touched by that.
This past trip really taught me a lot about how I respond in situations and showed me a lot of areas in my life that I want to improve. And that's the beauty of challenge.. it spurs on growth and helps you become transformed into who God has designed you to be. As hard as it was, I do not regret what I was able to experience. I learned so much and I am confident that God is going to continue to challenge me in order to bring growth into my life.
Pray requests:
- Team #4 arrived this afternoon: transitioning into this team and being willing to get to know them.
- Rest and renewal
- Continued bonding between me, Steve, Beth and Abby
- God to work in HUGE ways on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation: many to turn from their false religion and be brought into the light of Christ
Thanks for bearing with this long post! I am so thankful for all of your support and prayers!
But it was worth it.
Tuesday was our first day. The night before, as you can see in the previous post, I was pretty anxious and tired, but still excited. After driving to Big Horn National Park, we had to do some car shuffling. Usually when you hike you go in a circle back to your cars, but our trail was just straight up, so we had to take our cars to the trail end and then drive one back down to the trail start. I volunteered to drive up and down the mountain, which was quite the experience. I'm usually pretty timid about driving but it was a ton of fun and just to see all the sights along the road was awesome. Plus, there was a lot of snow left on the ground as we reached the top so that was really cool to see in the middle of summer. Once we got back to the bottom we started hiking. I was fine for awhile and enjoyed some conversations with the students. BUT, then we started the inclines. That killed me. My attiude shot down and I got really angry at God for placing me on the trip. He knew that I had a hard time hikinig last year. He knew that I had just been sick. He knew that I was exhausted. But he was still making me do the stupid hike. I think I even asked for death a few times. Melodramatic much? I know. Finally Beth (my trip leader's wife), really challenged me to rely on the Lord's strength and reminded me that I was placed here for a reason. She also told me to only think about today, and not about the fact that I am doing this hike two more times. She really motivated me to push forward and just helped so much. The rest of the day was fine. Got to the campsite, set up, enjoyed wilderness food.
Wednesday the team got off to a pretty slow start. We ended up leaving around 10:30, only after a huge herd of cattle came through. So we were stuck behind cattle for a lot of the day. Slow and smelly, such fun. Finally it looked like we were making some good progress. And then, it started raining and thundering and the lightning was going crazy. So we had to stop and take cover in some trees and got to stay in lightning position for awhile. Several of the students were pretty scared, so Abby (fellow intern) and I started singing some hymns and worship songs. That was pretty cool, singing about how God controls the lightning as the storm was raging around us. Finally the storm passed, and it was SO cold, so we decided to high tail it to the campsite. By this point my feet were getting pretty blistered and tired, so the HUGE hill we had to go up to get to the campsite was not looking very fun to me. But we finally made it. The campsite for the second day is absolutely AMAZING! There's a big mountain on one side with waterfalls coming down it, and then on the other side there's a ton of pine trees as far as you can see. It was so fun to be there and see those sights again.
Day three is typically known as the hardest day of the hike. It's a ton of incline, plus people are just worn out from the previous days. I had been dreading it since the day I found out I was going to be in Montana for the summer. Once again, it started out fine. We stopped way too early for lunch, but apart from that things went well and I had a lot of fun with the students I was near playing games and chatting. The sights were breathtaking and really motivated me to keep walking. However, as the day wore on my blisters started rubbing really badly and I was having trouble walking. The inclines took everything out of me, and I was just in a bad mood once again. Finally, one of the students took my tent from me which took away a ton of weight from my pack. That helped so much and I was so thankful for the student's willingness to serve me. We finally made it to the campsite and I had never been happier to sleep on the ground.
Day four (Friday), we hiked out. We had to take care of the car shuffling once again, so one of their adult leaders, and Abby and I hiked out early together. We left at 6 in the morning, expecting the hike to take 2 or 2 and 1/2 hours. We made it in less than an hour and a half. We were SO proud of ourselves. I really enjoyed hiking that early. The temperature was wonderful and it was a lot less stressful hiking with just three people instead of a team of 18. We got the cars all together and waited for 45 minutes before we finally heard cheering as the students ran to the trail end. It was really cool to see the smiles on their faces as they realized that they had finally made it to the end.
After that we drove to Billings and got to shower!! Yay!! Best shower of my life. Then enjoyed an awesome meal at Fudruckers. The best part of Friday night was our final team time. I had a really hard time connecting with these students. I came halfway through the trip, so I missed out on the first few days of getting to know them. They also were just really closed and you really had to push to get anything significant or remotely deep out of them. So I had been a little discouraged and just felt like I hadn't made any difference. However, during our encouragement circle where each student gets encouraged by two of their peers and one adult, I saw the walls break down. I have never seen so many high school boys cry before. Their tough exterior finally cracked and I felt like they were really touched by what they had experienced on the trip. To actually witness this was really powerful. It just reminded me that I should never give up hope on anybody. God may wait until the very end to work in their hearts, but I should never assume that they are incapable of being impacted. The students also demanded to encourage us as staff, and honestly I really needed that. I had felt like I was not needed on this trip and that I had made no impact, but the two students who encouraged me proved me otherwise, and I was really touched by that.
This past trip really taught me a lot about how I respond in situations and showed me a lot of areas in my life that I want to improve. And that's the beauty of challenge.. it spurs on growth and helps you become transformed into who God has designed you to be. As hard as it was, I do not regret what I was able to experience. I learned so much and I am confident that God is going to continue to challenge me in order to bring growth into my life.
Pray requests:
- Team #4 arrived this afternoon: transitioning into this team and being willing to get to know them.
- Rest and renewal
- Continued bonding between me, Steve, Beth and Abby
- God to work in HUGE ways on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation: many to turn from their false religion and be brought into the light of Christ
Thanks for bearing with this long post! I am so thankful for all of your support and prayers!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Transitions
Hey everyone!
So I am now up here in Montana. Got here Sunday afternoon after a short, but great time at home where I got to be a part of my best friend's wedding. So that was awesome.
The transition home was hard. I loved my time at the Navajo Nation and I really enjoyed working with the staff. While at home, I really missed the work and getting to know students and just how intentional each day was. But I was extremely thankful for the rest, especially with the nasty cold I came down with.
Because I missed the work so much, I just assumed that coming up here to Montana would be no problem. However, after only 4 hours of sleep, 2 flights, and a 2 hour drive, I was pretty tired. So jumping immediately into the trip without really knowing what was going on was really difficult. I just felt really lost the whole rest of the day. On top of that, I'm working with new staff so getting used to how they run trips compared to the last staff was really interesting.. but it's been so great just to experience different personalities and leadership styles.
I am enjoying my time in Montana so far. Love the staff, love the scenery. But, I am absolutely EXHAUSTED. Was running on 4 hours of sleep Sunday and got about 6 Sunday night. And we are about to head into the wilderness. This makes me a little nervous. Not only was I sick most of last week, but also I've hardly gotten any sleep. And the hiking just always takes so much energy. So I will be praying big time for the ability to make it through the hike. I am so so so excited to see the scenery again, but I'm still a little anxious about my current physical ability. So I'll definitely have to rely on God's strength.
I would appreciate it so much if you could be praying for me the next few days.
- Hiking Tuesday through Friday: need strength, energy, positive attitude
- Relationships with students: got a late start with this team since I came a few days after their trip started; just pray that God would work through the conversations and that I would be reminded that it's not about getting students to like me, it's about spurring them on to a passionate relationship with God and helping them discover their leadership abilities
- Bonding between me and the other LT staff: I already really like the other staff, but with everything that needs to be done I haven't been able to get to know them very well yet
Thanks for reading! Sorry for the rambling. It's pretty late and I still need to finish up some packing. Look for another update once we make it through the wilderness.
So I am now up here in Montana. Got here Sunday afternoon after a short, but great time at home where I got to be a part of my best friend's wedding. So that was awesome.
The transition home was hard. I loved my time at the Navajo Nation and I really enjoyed working with the staff. While at home, I really missed the work and getting to know students and just how intentional each day was. But I was extremely thankful for the rest, especially with the nasty cold I came down with.
Because I missed the work so much, I just assumed that coming up here to Montana would be no problem. However, after only 4 hours of sleep, 2 flights, and a 2 hour drive, I was pretty tired. So jumping immediately into the trip without really knowing what was going on was really difficult. I just felt really lost the whole rest of the day. On top of that, I'm working with new staff so getting used to how they run trips compared to the last staff was really interesting.. but it's been so great just to experience different personalities and leadership styles.
I am enjoying my time in Montana so far. Love the staff, love the scenery. But, I am absolutely EXHAUSTED. Was running on 4 hours of sleep Sunday and got about 6 Sunday night. And we are about to head into the wilderness. This makes me a little nervous. Not only was I sick most of last week, but also I've hardly gotten any sleep. And the hiking just always takes so much energy. So I will be praying big time for the ability to make it through the hike. I am so so so excited to see the scenery again, but I'm still a little anxious about my current physical ability. So I'll definitely have to rely on God's strength.
I would appreciate it so much if you could be praying for me the next few days.
- Hiking Tuesday through Friday: need strength, energy, positive attitude
- Relationships with students: got a late start with this team since I came a few days after their trip started; just pray that God would work through the conversations and that I would be reminded that it's not about getting students to like me, it's about spurring them on to a passionate relationship with God and helping them discover their leadership abilities
- Bonding between me and the other LT staff: I already really like the other staff, but with everything that needs to be done I haven't been able to get to know them very well yet
Thanks for reading! Sorry for the rambling. It's pretty late and I still need to finish up some packing. Look for another update once we make it through the wilderness.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Time for an Update!
Hello!!
It feels like it's been forever since I left for Chicago, but at the same time I can't believe I'm already done with two trips. So much has happened in the past three weeks, and as I'm back home for a few days I thought you guys would enjoy a little update. (warning: I wrote A TON, because there was nothing I could possibly leave out)
The day after I arrived in Chicago, we drove to Baraboo, Wisconsin (Devil's Lake area) for some intern training. Talk about some intense, challenging, and encouraging times. I was reminded of the need for and beauty of community. As interns, we had to work through a ton of initiatives that tested our leadership styles and skills. It was really hard and frustrating at times, but the great bonding that happened between all of us was so great. It was truly amazing to see 11 different people from all over the country with different personalities and life stories come together as such a strong team because we were united in our purpose. What a picture of what the church should be like! We are all created differently, yet our purpose of glorifying Christ holds us (or should hold us) together as one body. It was so encouraging to be around a ton of people who passionately love God and are committed to doing anything for Him. The reason I most love being involved with LeaderTreks is the chance to work with some truly inspiring people. Another great thing about intern training is the honest evaluation we went through. I learned a ton about myself and both my strengths and weaknesses. And I seriously needed that. My eyes were opened to some areas in my life that I need to open up to God and let him improve.
One thing that I was extremely challenged by is how little time I have spent in the Word. The reason I have lost my focus so often and turned to worldly things is because I have not worked on storing up Scripture in my heart and letting it transform and renew my mind. Phil Krause, one of the LeaderTreks staff, has an incredible knowledge of Scripture; he can pull out a verse for pretty much any situation. He said that he works on memorizing one piece of Scripture every two weeks and that ever since he's started doing that he's noticed how much it has improved his life. That's what I want. I want to experience the transforming power of Scripture in my own life. So I have set a goal for this summer to memorize a different piece of Scripture for each trip, and to continue this once the summer ends. It's been really cool so far.
As staff, we all memorized Matthew 9:37-38 during intern training: "Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
Then, my fellow intern, James Futrell, encouraged us as staff to memorize Scripture together during our time in Arizona.
The first week was Colossians 3:16-17: "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Our second week was James 3:17: "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."
It has been awesome to have this Scripture in my heart as I've interacted with others. I have already started to notice some fruit from this, so it will be really cool to see how much more God works as I immerse myself in his Word.
We roadtripped from Chicago to Arizona... it was long, but a good time of bonding with my fellow staff. Once in Arizona we had to get all prepared for the students who were coming 2 days later. It was really interesting to see things from the intern side rather than the student side. I have loved being an intern so far. I love the chance to have meaningful conversations with the students I meet and to encourage them to reach for their potential. It's been hard at times to refrain from jumping in and showing them how to do things. I have to keep reminding myself that leadership is a process and that I had to go through that exact same process they are now experiencing and that I've grown so much from it. It's been really neat to watch students grow on the trips. As they are challenged, they really step up and take ownership. You can see the confidence build in them throughout the week, and they become more vulnerable and spiritually aware. Now, obviously, this doesn't happen with every student. But it is so encouraging to watch the students who do grow a ton. That's one of the most rewarding aspects of my work: seeing students realize that God has created them to fulfill his will in their own unique way, and that by resting on his power they can do GREAT things, even though they are young.
We got some good work accomplished. Painted the back patio area of the church, so it looks very nice now. Also painted the front steps and sidewalk with a sealant so that the rain wouldn't deteriorate it. Built a retaining wall around the basketball court because all the dirt has been running off and eroding, so we were able to do something to help them keep it from washing away. The kids in the Navajo Nation LOVE basketball, so that court is a huge ministry area for them. We also did some concrete pours to help with water runoff so that the sidewalks wouldn't get muddy and dangerous and so that the foundation wouldn't erode from runoff. Our final project the very last day on the worksite was to pour the foundation for a new church about 12 miles away from where we had been working. It was so physically intense.. we had to hand-mix over 50 batches of concrete in 4 hours, but we did it! It's truly amazing to know that thanks to some of our work, there will be a church soon in an area that is hugely unreached and broken and deeply in need of the Gospel message.
The two weeks of VBS were also very fun. Getting to know some really, really sweet little kids was so fun, and to watch their faces light up as they got in the vans to come was so heart-warming. A lot of them really don't have that much to entertain them. There are a lot of absent or abusive parents in this area, and SO much poverty. It really feels like you're in a different world out there. So a lot of these kids just want to get away from their houses for awhile, and we were able to provide them with a safe, fun escape where they got to be surrounded with Christ's love, which they may never experience at home.
Overall, my time in the Navajo Nation was extremely challenging and definitely stretched me. I'm still trying to process a lot of what God taught me and what he's just beginning to work on in me. I have a few days at home before my next trip, so I'm hoping to just get to spend some alone time and listen to the Lord for awhile.
I currently have a HUGE prayer request: My last day on the worksite, I started out with a cough that only intensified with the cement dust and sand flying everywhere, and I ended up losing my voice for the most part. I thought everything would improve once I got home, but I've felt really sick the past two days. Wedding festivities begin Thursday, and the wedding is Saturday, so I would really love to get well before that so I can fully enjoy it and participate in everything. Also, on Sunday I fly to Montana and we start hiking on Monday, so I would really love for my body to have a lot of rest and refreshment before all that starts. So if you could just pray for healing and renewal, I would really appreciate it. Thanks guys!
It feels like it's been forever since I left for Chicago, but at the same time I can't believe I'm already done with two trips. So much has happened in the past three weeks, and as I'm back home for a few days I thought you guys would enjoy a little update. (warning: I wrote A TON, because there was nothing I could possibly leave out)
The day after I arrived in Chicago, we drove to Baraboo, Wisconsin (Devil's Lake area) for some intern training. Talk about some intense, challenging, and encouraging times. I was reminded of the need for and beauty of community. As interns, we had to work through a ton of initiatives that tested our leadership styles and skills. It was really hard and frustrating at times, but the great bonding that happened between all of us was so great. It was truly amazing to see 11 different people from all over the country with different personalities and life stories come together as such a strong team because we were united in our purpose. What a picture of what the church should be like! We are all created differently, yet our purpose of glorifying Christ holds us (or should hold us) together as one body. It was so encouraging to be around a ton of people who passionately love God and are committed to doing anything for Him. The reason I most love being involved with LeaderTreks is the chance to work with some truly inspiring people. Another great thing about intern training is the honest evaluation we went through. I learned a ton about myself and both my strengths and weaknesses. And I seriously needed that. My eyes were opened to some areas in my life that I need to open up to God and let him improve.
One thing that I was extremely challenged by is how little time I have spent in the Word. The reason I have lost my focus so often and turned to worldly things is because I have not worked on storing up Scripture in my heart and letting it transform and renew my mind. Phil Krause, one of the LeaderTreks staff, has an incredible knowledge of Scripture; he can pull out a verse for pretty much any situation. He said that he works on memorizing one piece of Scripture every two weeks and that ever since he's started doing that he's noticed how much it has improved his life. That's what I want. I want to experience the transforming power of Scripture in my own life. So I have set a goal for this summer to memorize a different piece of Scripture for each trip, and to continue this once the summer ends. It's been really cool so far.
As staff, we all memorized Matthew 9:37-38 during intern training: "Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
Then, my fellow intern, James Futrell, encouraged us as staff to memorize Scripture together during our time in Arizona.
The first week was Colossians 3:16-17: "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Our second week was James 3:17: "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."
It has been awesome to have this Scripture in my heart as I've interacted with others. I have already started to notice some fruit from this, so it will be really cool to see how much more God works as I immerse myself in his Word.
We roadtripped from Chicago to Arizona... it was long, but a good time of bonding with my fellow staff. Once in Arizona we had to get all prepared for the students who were coming 2 days later. It was really interesting to see things from the intern side rather than the student side. I have loved being an intern so far. I love the chance to have meaningful conversations with the students I meet and to encourage them to reach for their potential. It's been hard at times to refrain from jumping in and showing them how to do things. I have to keep reminding myself that leadership is a process and that I had to go through that exact same process they are now experiencing and that I've grown so much from it. It's been really neat to watch students grow on the trips. As they are challenged, they really step up and take ownership. You can see the confidence build in them throughout the week, and they become more vulnerable and spiritually aware. Now, obviously, this doesn't happen with every student. But it is so encouraging to watch the students who do grow a ton. That's one of the most rewarding aspects of my work: seeing students realize that God has created them to fulfill his will in their own unique way, and that by resting on his power they can do GREAT things, even though they are young.
We got some good work accomplished. Painted the back patio area of the church, so it looks very nice now. Also painted the front steps and sidewalk with a sealant so that the rain wouldn't deteriorate it. Built a retaining wall around the basketball court because all the dirt has been running off and eroding, so we were able to do something to help them keep it from washing away. The kids in the Navajo Nation LOVE basketball, so that court is a huge ministry area for them. We also did some concrete pours to help with water runoff so that the sidewalks wouldn't get muddy and dangerous and so that the foundation wouldn't erode from runoff. Our final project the very last day on the worksite was to pour the foundation for a new church about 12 miles away from where we had been working. It was so physically intense.. we had to hand-mix over 50 batches of concrete in 4 hours, but we did it! It's truly amazing to know that thanks to some of our work, there will be a church soon in an area that is hugely unreached and broken and deeply in need of the Gospel message.
The two weeks of VBS were also very fun. Getting to know some really, really sweet little kids was so fun, and to watch their faces light up as they got in the vans to come was so heart-warming. A lot of them really don't have that much to entertain them. There are a lot of absent or abusive parents in this area, and SO much poverty. It really feels like you're in a different world out there. So a lot of these kids just want to get away from their houses for awhile, and we were able to provide them with a safe, fun escape where they got to be surrounded with Christ's love, which they may never experience at home.
Overall, my time in the Navajo Nation was extremely challenging and definitely stretched me. I'm still trying to process a lot of what God taught me and what he's just beginning to work on in me. I have a few days at home before my next trip, so I'm hoping to just get to spend some alone time and listen to the Lord for awhile.
I currently have a HUGE prayer request: My last day on the worksite, I started out with a cough that only intensified with the cement dust and sand flying everywhere, and I ended up losing my voice for the most part. I thought everything would improve once I got home, but I've felt really sick the past two days. Wedding festivities begin Thursday, and the wedding is Saturday, so I would really love to get well before that so I can fully enjoy it and participate in everything. Also, on Sunday I fly to Montana and we start hiking on Monday, so I would really love for my body to have a lot of rest and refreshment before all that starts. So if you could just pray for healing and renewal, I would really appreciate it. Thanks guys!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Leavin' on a Jet Plane
Well.. I am just about 14 hours away from departure to Chicago and feeling all sorts of emotion.
I am so excited to meet the other interns and staff and to reconnect with those I already know. I am grateful that I'm leaving the heat of Houston for some nice, cool weather in Chicago and Wisconsin. Even Arizona will be better than this humid heat. However, I am a little sad to be leaving my family and friends for pretty much the entire summer. I am going to miss my pillow and bed and the comforts of a lazy summer at home.
BUT.. I am so ready for the adventures of this summer. I don't feel prepared to be an intern. I don't feel old enough or wise enough or funny enough or spiritual enough...etc. And that is the great part. If I felt completely qualified and prepared for this summer, I don't think I would get anything out of it, but because I feel like I'm not qualified, I have a feeling God will be able to do some cool work in my heart. What could be better than that?
I do have a few prayer requests if you could take just a moment out of your day to lift up a quick prayer:
- Safe flight to Chicago
- Safe drive for everyone to training in Wisconsin
- Effective training: May 29th - June 2nd
- Bonding between all the staff and interns
- Safe drive from Chicago to Arizona (around June 4th or 5th)
- Energy, strength, preparation for me, trip leader Dave Williams, and intern James Futrell as we prepare for our first team to arrive June 6th
- Transformation to happen in the lives of both the staff and students we meet
I'll will try and update as often as possible! Thanks for the support.
I am so excited to meet the other interns and staff and to reconnect with those I already know. I am grateful that I'm leaving the heat of Houston for some nice, cool weather in Chicago and Wisconsin. Even Arizona will be better than this humid heat. However, I am a little sad to be leaving my family and friends for pretty much the entire summer. I am going to miss my pillow and bed and the comforts of a lazy summer at home.
BUT.. I am so ready for the adventures of this summer. I don't feel prepared to be an intern. I don't feel old enough or wise enough or funny enough or spiritual enough...etc. And that is the great part. If I felt completely qualified and prepared for this summer, I don't think I would get anything out of it, but because I feel like I'm not qualified, I have a feeling God will be able to do some cool work in my heart. What could be better than that?
I do have a few prayer requests if you could take just a moment out of your day to lift up a quick prayer:
- Safe flight to Chicago
- Safe drive for everyone to training in Wisconsin
- Effective training: May 29th - June 2nd
- Bonding between all the staff and interns
- Safe drive from Chicago to Arizona (around June 4th or 5th)
- Energy, strength, preparation for me, trip leader Dave Williams, and intern James Futrell as we prepare for our first team to arrive June 6th
- Transformation to happen in the lives of both the staff and students we meet
I'll will try and update as often as possible! Thanks for the support.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
#2, #11, #84 - Check
It has been quite awhile since I last wrote. So much has happened in this month, including the fact that my first year as a college student is completely done! It's weird but nice at the same time.
In that month several of my 101 in 1001 things have been accomplished, but I just haven't had time until now to blog about them.
#2: Attend a Baylor Baseball game
The last day of classes my friend Lyndi invited me to go to a baseball game with her and her roommate Julie. I thought it would be a great way to celebrate the end of class/beginning of finals. We played against UT and lost, but it was a good game nevertheless and I had a ton of fun. I have been so blessed with wonderful friends at Baylor.
#11: Find a church
After many, many months of searching I've finally picked a church that seems to be a great fit. It has been an interesting journey as I've visited Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, nondenominational, liturgical, and more in my search. I have come to a new appreciation of each person's method of worship, and have learned a lot more about what specifically I like in a church. Highland Baptist is the one I picked, and I'm so excited to get involved in a small group and serve team next year.
#84: Go to career counseling
I went to three sessions in order to complete my counseling. Through these sessions, I determined what I was looking for in a job, what my personality type was, what my strengths were, etc. By the time the final session came around I felt a lot more confident about what I want to do with my life. I want to either work for a non-profit organization or be a full-time missionary.. or something that combines the two in some way. I want to work with the lost and hurting. I want to help be part of the solution to some of the pain in the world. That is where my passion lies and I am happy that I've finally allowed myself to realize that. So I'm excited to see what opportunities God places in my life in these next few years!
In that month several of my 101 in 1001 things have been accomplished, but I just haven't had time until now to blog about them.
#2: Attend a Baylor Baseball game
The last day of classes my friend Lyndi invited me to go to a baseball game with her and her roommate Julie. I thought it would be a great way to celebrate the end of class/beginning of finals. We played against UT and lost, but it was a good game nevertheless and I had a ton of fun. I have been so blessed with wonderful friends at Baylor.
#11: Find a church
After many, many months of searching I've finally picked a church that seems to be a great fit. It has been an interesting journey as I've visited Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, nondenominational, liturgical, and more in my search. I have come to a new appreciation of each person's method of worship, and have learned a lot more about what specifically I like in a church. Highland Baptist is the one I picked, and I'm so excited to get involved in a small group and serve team next year.
#84: Go to career counseling
I went to three sessions in order to complete my counseling. Through these sessions, I determined what I was looking for in a job, what my personality type was, what my strengths were, etc. By the time the final session came around I felt a lot more confident about what I want to do with my life. I want to either work for a non-profit organization or be a full-time missionary.. or something that combines the two in some way. I want to work with the lost and hurting. I want to help be part of the solution to some of the pain in the world. That is where my passion lies and I am happy that I've finally allowed myself to realize that. So I'm excited to see what opportunities God places in my life in these next few years!
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