Past Surprises

Hey all :) This'll be a quick one - I'm a bit crunched for time today.

Because one of my co-workers and her husband had to go to Minnesota this week for a biopsy, I worked a different shift, and somehow got a Friday off. But as thankful as I am for today off, my mind is heavy, please keep my co-worker and her husband in your prayers, they're going through some rough stuff right now.

Later on tonight, a few vans will depart from our church filled with high school students and some of our youth leadership staff. Caleb and I will be two of those staff.. with a bunch of high schoolers yet again, on our way up to camp, and we're pretty excited for the next few days. This weekend is the annual leadership retreat for high schoolers, and I can't wait to see how God is going to move. Unlike the camp I grew up going to that was about four hours away, this camp is only about an hour and a half away, so the drive isn't brutal. The weekend will be filled with camp games, chapel, food, fellowship and ohhh so much worship. Please keep our students and leaders in your prayers especially this weekend for safety, open hearts, vulnerability, growth, and a willingness to let God change what needs to be changed. Its greatly appreciated! Prayer warriors truly are gems, and regardless of what others say, I believe that prayer is powerful beyond words.

What spurred me to write this morning is something I found in my purse. I recently switched purses and found an old mp3 player from my freshman year of high school. Like any curious person, I popped in a new battery and tried to remember what songs would be on there.. the songs that were most meaningful to me at the time. The first few notes of the first song immediately brought a smile to my face and the melody of 'American Child' by Phil Vassar came loud and clear through my earbuds. I kept scrolling and came across a familiar title. I pushed play and at the first few notes of the song it felt like my heart lifted. The song was titled 'Hungry' but is known today as 'Hallelujah.' Its strange how we can connect so greatly to words someone else has written.. I remember sitting on the school bus after a long and bad day at school listening to this song with tears in my eyes, knowing that God's love is still powerful, even after the bad days. The melody, the words, the whole thing; its just one of those songs that makes you stop, close your eyes, and breathe... as if to tell you 'hey... just chill for a minute..' Fact is, some things aren't as important or dire as we think they are. In high school when we had a bad day, we often made it out to be the end of the world; but in reality it was just a day where a few things went wrong and we let it effect our whole day. Yes, it really was a choice.. and we made the choice to let it effect our whole day. But things seem so big at that age, and still now sometimes. It just makes me stop and think now, looking back a bit. I'm glad for little memories like that; ones that can be brought back just by hitting 'play.' Anyway, enough rambling, I'll give you the lyrics and then I'm off to pack, drop our dog off at my parents, and finish getting ready to head to camp. Here they are, 'Hallelujah:'

Your love is amazing, steady and unchanging

Your love is a mountain, firm beneath my feet

Your love is a mystery, how You gently lift me

When I am surrounded, Your love carries me

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

Your love makes me sing

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

Your love makes me sing

Your love is surprising, I can feel it rising

All the joy thats growing, deep inside of me

Every time I see You, all Your goodness shines through

I can feel this God-song, rising up in me

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

Your love makes me sing

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

Your love makes me sing

Here's my challenge to you: let the message of this song effect your day. I'm not going to tell you how - thats up to you to decide. And remember, its a choice. 

Tween Retreat & Weekend Recap

Last weekend I went on my second retreat with our 4th and 5th graders. It was a great trip, and I'm glad its only one night.. because they tire me out! This retreat is a packed, high-energy 24hr trip. We left the church after school got out on Friday and got back Saturday just in time for dinner. The next day at church, quite a few of the students told me they had gone straight to bed when they got home. My thought about that? Mission accomplished! =)

So, we got to camp Friday night, had a meeting, a snack, then had chapel. There were a few different retreats going on at the same time, so we got the honor of being in the cabins way up the hill and far away (sarcasm and exaggeration added for effect). It didn't phase our students, but I'm pretty sure I got a good work out walking up and down that hill as many times as we did. Anyway, after chapel we could pretty much do what we wanted, and our girls opted to stay in cabin and wait to go tubing until the next day. So we sat around in the cabin talking, playing truth or dare, and eating candy. Yes, eating candy. It seemed like each girl in our cabin had been sent with four boxes of candy and told to share, because they never ran out and had ample to spare! During truth or dare, somehow the idea of everyone running a lap around the cabin, barefoot, outside (in the SNOW!) came about. Yes, I did that too. There's a first for everything, and I hope that is the only time I do that. It hurt like crazy, but it is definitely a memory for all of us.

The next day brought an early breakfast and games out on the snowhill. There was a snowball toss, speed trials on the tubing hill, and a snow sculpture competition, all of which were fun. There was more candy, more chapel, and a cool new song that we learned ("Everybody Get Walking"). There was freetime in the afternoon which consisted of our kids playing in the game room, cross country skiing, and play ga-ga ball (octaball).

The speaker was familiar to camp, but this is the first time I had ever heard him. He did a great job, and gave the kids a lot to chew on. He talked about Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (or, To-bed-we-go, as he said it). He focused on how they stayed faithful in the small things, stood up and stood out, and weren't ashamed to love God. It was very neat to see our students respond to him. He is also the first speaker I've heard to tell students to doodle during the lesson. It worked great though.. one of our students showed me his handouts on the way home, and he had doodled the lessons while the speaker talked. It was very neat to see how he had viewed the story, and will probably be memorable for him too. Instead of having simple written notes, he has a picture book to remember the chapel services by, and it gives his parents a chance to ask him to explain his doodles. Success.

Then came church Sunday morning. We had an energetic set of songs to lead the congregation in on praise team, and pastor spoke about finishing well in life. He gave examples of people who had started well/poorly, yet their lives ended poorly/well, and then he gave examples of those who started and ended well. It was a very good service. Then, Sunday night he spoke at youth group out of the book of Ecclesiastes on how "Things Don't Satisfy." He told about Solomon and how he had everything he could ever want, but he was empty and never satisfied by life. The object lesson was how "things" in this life don't satisfy, only God does, and we need to focus on Him, and not mere "things."

Overall, it was a great weekend, but left me exhausted. Let's just say that caffeine is a wonderful thing =)

Fall Retreat Recap & House Update

Another whirlwind weekend came to a close and left us exhausted. In fact, I was so exhausted that I slept nine hours, ate a late brunch, and then slept for another three, getting up a little after one only because of a phone call. Yes, exhausting to say the least.

Well, we left Friday and did the usual Friday night routine at camp: checkin, game room, staff meeting, chapel, root beer floats, bed. Saturday we got up, had breakfast, went to chapel, had lunch, had some free time, and then went to Ferris State University to use their recreation center. Around 8pm we went back to camp, had chapel, had some free time, and dropped into bed around 2:30am. Sunday morning came early and we packed, had breakfast, went to chapel, and then headed home.

Some highlights of the weekend were climbing an ice wall - complete with ice picks and crampons (those spikey things on your boots), volleyball, and a dodgeball tournament. The speaker was fantastic. His name is Trevor Heyde, and he's also from Michigan. He looked unlike any speaker I've ever seen, and came sporting a stocking hat, dark clothes, and skinny-ish jeans. He is a beatboxer, and a skateboarder. And he has an extreme passion for teenagers. He used fun and memorable analogies, and let me tell you, those high schoolers listened when he spoke. He may have used words like; "bro," "sis," "whaaa?!," "dude," and other slang/skateboarding language, but he knew how to relate to these students and that is more important than being grammatically correct. He was also very real with the students; he didn't sugar coat things, and he understood that they are well on their way to being adults. Here's a few short notes from his messages:
Message #1
1. We are all created to love (Genesis 2, Matthew 22:37)
2. God loves you (John 3:16 .."but whoever believes in Him.." = "whoever makes Him the center of their universe"
    **What do you make the center of your universe?**
3. Believe.
Message #2 - Romans 14:13-23 - "Cut The Bull Crap"
(First he told a story about cow tipping and ending up covered in cow poop after tripping and running through it after the saw a bull face to face)
1. When it comes to sin, the question isn't "is this sin," but, "is this going to lead me to be more like God"
2. It's time to stomp that crap in your life that may be causing you or someone else to stumble
3. Mark 9:42-47
Message #3 - "Ducks Fly Together"
(After using analogy of ducks flying in a V formation, and one seeing other ducks in a pond, joining them in a pond, and getting shot)
-Matthew 1:23
1. It is not good to be alone (Genesis 2:18, Proverbs 27:17, Ephesians 4:3)
2. Fly in unity (Ephesians 4:11-16)
3. God is with us (Matthew 1:23)

It wasn't clear sailing for the whole weekend though, we had some hiccups. Due to behavior and other factors we actually had to send a student home. None of us were happy about having to do it, and it was not an easy decision. Please pray for the situation, it's not yet  fully resolved, but we are working on it.

So that's that. After a crazy weekend I was crazy sore and crazy tired, but the students are great and it was a good weekend. Now we have about a month off before the Tween Retreat :) haha.. that will be fun too.

A house update is that appliances are on the way to our house as we speak! Our dishwasher, stove/oven, and fridge are being dropped off, and some of the finishing electical touches are getting done today. On top of that, last night I put a decent amount of things in our kitchen cupboards, and after my class was cancelled today, I took a two hour block to put a very large tote full of food in the cupboards also. Things are coming along quite well! Can't wait to be living there!

Timelines

For many of our students this is the long-awaited weekend: Winter High School Retreat. Staff and students alike are pumped about this retreat! We are taking seventeen students and have four leaders. We'll get there late tonight, have chapel, some root beer floats, and then crash. Tomorrow will bring more chapel, and an afternoon at the rec center of a nearby university. Sunday will bring even more chapel and then a drive home. Mixed throughout will be many new memories and opportunities - and we are excited to see whats in store. Please pray for both staff and students - that we will be receptive to each other and what God is going to do this weekend. I'm sure you'll hear about how it went next week!

Another ministry update is that our church has officially called a new senior pastor. We voted last Sunday in approval, called him, and he confirmed and accepted our invitation for the position. The limeline is something like: his last week at his current church will be the last Sunday in February, they will travel the first few days of March, get acclimated to this town, and then he will start the end of March. We are excited about this new chapter and transition at our church, and our prayer is that God's will will be carried out and He will pleased. As in most churches, there are a few people who aren't so keen on the process/decision, so please keep our church body in prayer too, as we transition during this time.

A house update is that we are getting closer and closer to moving in! The carpet and flooring is in, everythings painted, we're just waiting on getting our appliances and then the final plumbing hook-ups. Appliances will be here sometime next week, and the plumbing will be finished this weekend. Then all we'll have to do is move in! Woohoo! Caleb already situated our bedroom and the furniture in the living room. There's still some unpacking to do of stuff that we already have there, but Caleb has been working really hard while I've been at work, and the house is really starting to look like a home! And move-in inches closer.. We're slightly excited about this, if you can't tell ;)

See you next week!

Jumping In

What a busy morning! I've received more than my normal share of people coming and calling in with questions. It's been fun though :) I like to stay busy. And for the week before a brand new semester of classes start, it's not as busy as I'd expect.

So I'm back, like I said I would be last night. Here are some of our upcoming events:

• Our trip to Maryland to take part in a baptism ceremony as godparents
• Chaperoning a Middle School retreat
• Finishing and moving into our house
• Chaperoning a High School retreat

To go one by one, I'll start with the trip to Maryland. The beginning of last month we got a message from Caleb's cousins asking us to be godparents for their son. We were honored and said of course. So, this Thursday, we fly to Maryland. We're super excited to see the family, and to be apart of this special event.

Next, chaperoning the retreats will be fun, as always. Please pray that our students will be open and receptive to what God is going to teach them through these retreats, and that as leaders we will be able to be used for God's glory and helpful to our students.

Last but not least, we are looking forward to moving into our house more every day. I haven't been around much to work on it, but Caleb has, and we've been blessed to have people there working almost every day to help get the house ready. We're now down to the last few weeks before we move in, and mentally we are very much ready to get move in get settled. We just need to get appliances ordered and some other things finished up, and we'll be all set. Soo until then, its a waiting game.

That's all for now. If I don't write much more for a while, you'll know we're busy and have jumped into this new year at full throttle.

Awareness

As you may have read, last weekend we took thirteen high school students to a leadership retreat. We knew it would be good, but we had no idea how the weekend would actually go. Going into the weekend, I felt like I knew the girls we were taking, and that we would have a great time, and we did. But, so much happened in that weekend, and this last week, that it's crazy.

Here's a bizarre thing: the van full of high school students was relatively quiet on the way to camp. That is unheard of, and made Caleb and I a bit curious on how the rest of the weekend would go. So, as tradition goes, we blared Jesus Freak (by DC Talk), Relient K, some other bands, and made our way to camp. The retreat kicked off by a chapel session focusing on how to use the Bible for relationship advice, and the traditional root beer floats afterwards. Then we hung out in the game room and eventually made our way to the cabins for the night. That night marked how the rest of the retreat would go for me.

I was almost asleep when I heard someone crying. Thankfully another student knew the student better, because I didn't know what to say. I just sat there and listened and prayed, and wondered like so many other people, how things that shatter and turn our worlds upside down can happen to those who are seemingly the least likely candidates. The next morning after chapel, I got to talk to most of the girls about some things going on in their lives, and spent the afternoon getting to know them better. I've only been out of high school for three years, but I forgot how hard it really can be sometimes. These students are up against so many things of this world, that they struggle just to know wrong from right, let alone live out their faith. And the fact is, that so many of them do! So many times this weekend I was proud of these girls (and boys) as I listened to what was going on in their lives, and the lives of others that effected them, and how they handled situations.

The rest of Saturday was pretty fun. The whole camp played steal the bacon, with real cow parts (i.e. eyeballs, a liver, a heart, and a tongue!) which was disgusting, but they had a blast. For some of them, letting go and actually getting into the game to have fun was a challenge, but they did well. Whether it was just grabbing the innertubes or an actual cow part, all the students who were able to do so participated. After dinner, they played the game of life, which was fun, and altogether new for me. Certain leaders sold houses, others cars, some were bankers, there was a chaplain, a mutual bond seller, etc., and our students had a list of things they had to complete. I think it was a great idea to have them play this game, even if it wasn't for real. If anything, they gained some insight on how life works, and what its like to be an adult.

After chapel that night, I got to have some good conversations with some of the girls again, and they continually opened my eyes. They amaze me, and even in some of the stuff I learned, I hurt for them. The next morning went well with breakfast, chapel, and the ride home. The students we took are amazing young adults, and they had good responses in chapel, small group discussion, and interactions all weekend. What grabbed my attention even after the retreat was the response we had at youth group Sunday night. Family Issues and dysfunctional families were the topics of discussion. So many students came to talk to a leader afterwards. During my time with these students, I gained even more of an insight into some of the lives of our students...

The fact is: our students are going through insanely hard issues. If an adult says, 'oh, it's just a phase, you'll grow out of it' do you really think they know what's going on or how to handle it? To the students, it's a way of blowing them off and telling them that the adult doesn't care. That can shatter a student. Remember all the drama you experienced in school? All the mean comments, back-stabbing, and not to mention the family issues of sibling problems, divorce, abuse, neglect, etc. These students need us! I've learned so much in the past week about what is going on in some of the students' lives, and these are only the students in the youth group I help with. Imagine what some of the other students are going through who aren't coming forward and talking. Who knows whats going on. Either way, our students are on their way to adulthood, they're our next generation, and they, like everyone else, have real issues they're going through. We can help, we just need to be aware of their situations. How? Gain their trust, and talk to them. Let them know that they can confide in you,  that you absolutely love them and want to help them in any way. You can make a difference in their life.

Strengthening The Core Of Our Leaders

Well, this is the big weekend. The first of three retreats we will be taking students of our youth group to up at camp. This weekend is a leadership retreat. When we announced the retreat, we emphasized the leadership aspect, and told our students that this retreat is for those students who are really focused on their relationships with Christ, and this retreat would be to grow. The 'fun' retreat is in January. Not that this retreat won't be a blast, we just wanted to stress that it will be more focused, and will be for the students who really wanted to step it up. We have thirteen students going and four leaders. I'll be the leader in the girls' cabin (there's nine of them!), and then the two guy leaders, and our interim youth pastor with the four guys. We'll also have two girls from a different church (who used to go to our church before they moved) hanging out with our girls, so that will be fun.

The retreat is advertised as ' "Feed Yourself" How to study God's Word .' These students who are going on this retreat have shown us that they really want to step up and be student leaders, just by wanting to go on this retreat. They know it will be challenging, but they're up to it. I hope that it really strengthens them to their core, and they do learn how to better study God's word in a way that will be more beneficial to them.

Please pray for these students and us staff as we embark on this weekend. Pray that the students' hearts and minds will be open and clear to what God is going to teach them. And pray that as staff, we will be open to our students' needs and questions, and that we will be used in any way possible. Our focus is our students, and we can't wait to see what's in store!