Monday, June 8, 2009
this just in.
The weather is warm and beautiful, about 80 degrees with a light breeze. Golf has been fun and the fam has been a bit much but hey that's family.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Fundraising Update
So today at church, my college pastor asked me to share a little about my Africa trip. I did - I was strangely nervous - but it went well. Afterward, one of the volunteer staff came up to me and handed me $250 cash!! Another student gave me $20 out of his pocket! I was blown away by their generosity and willingness to give right away :)
So currently I have about $1,800 - I need to get to $5,000 but June 24th. Please pray that God will continue to provide.
I just wanted to give you an update on how my fundraising is going and share how God is providing!
All praise be to God!
So currently I have about $1,800 - I need to get to $5,000 but June 24th. Please pray that God will continue to provide.
I just wanted to give you an update on how my fundraising is going and share how God is providing!
All praise be to God!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Najavo Mission Trip Update
So the mission trip to the Navajo Reservation was this past week; Mal and I got back last night and boy were we exhausted! Thank you for your prayers, they were much needed! It was a great trip overall, and of course a lot happened, so I’ll just share a few things.
For the most part, we just had VBS for the Navajo kids Monday thru Thursday for three hours in the morning and then Mal and I watched the girls (and the other kids that were there as part of the mission team) in the afternoon while the rest of the team did work projects or more preparation for VBS the next day. It was really tiring but a great experience and exercise in patience and positivity ☺. I really enjoyed spending time with the girls and spent a lot of moments teaching and encouraging them to find out what it means to have a servant’s heart.
The actual VBS was a completely different experience in and of itself. It was really hard at first to connect with the kids because many of them are so quiet and unresponsive (you ask them a question and they literally do not say anything back). A lot of the concepts were really countercultural to them as well so it was hard to meet them on a level where they cared or understood what you were saying or doing. However, after the first two days, they really started to open up to us and I enjoyed working with the 5-8 year olds, getting to know them and show them love despite the difficulties.
There were a few boys in particular in my class that I really felt drawn to, and one of them that I’d like to share with you. His name is T.J. I think he’s around 7 years old. He came on the second day and was pretty quiet but he had no trouble participating. There was something about him that stood out to me, but I can’t really describe it. Anyway, he seemed to have fun but was not an instigator like a lot of the other boys in our class. I enjoyed talking to him and teasing him and on the last day, after VBS, the other teacher and I were talking about how much we liked him. She then asked me if I had heard what Al, the missionary that lives by the church there, had said about him. T.J. has long hair, unlike the other boys, and it’s sort of folded up and wrapped with a cord. Al said that when a boy’s hair is wrapped like that, it means that they are grooming him to be a medicine man (if you don’t know, that’s like a healer or spiritual leader in Native American culture). Mal said that they probably saw in him the same thing that we noticed that drew people to him. It was very surreal to me—it made me think of the Israelites and the old customs, etc., like that. It just really hit me and I would really love it if you guys could be praying for him this summer. He’s a great kid and it’s amazing that he was even able to come to the VBS. Pray that something he heard would stand out to him and that God would intervene in his life, especially his future.
(T.J...obviously)
(here's T.J. again--you can see how his hair's wrapped)
Overall, I was faced with many opportunities to be humble and it wasn’t easy, but God definitely worked on my heart through trip. I just wanted to share with you guys! It would be great if you could pray that I would continue to seek humility every day because I have been struggling with pride a lot lately. I’m thankful for the things I have begun to learn and am especially grateful to be able to share it with you all ☺. Hope you’re learning a lot and enjoying your summers as well!
For the most part, we just had VBS for the Navajo kids Monday thru Thursday for three hours in the morning and then Mal and I watched the girls (and the other kids that were there as part of the mission team) in the afternoon while the rest of the team did work projects or more preparation for VBS the next day. It was really tiring but a great experience and exercise in patience and positivity ☺. I really enjoyed spending time with the girls and spent a lot of moments teaching and encouraging them to find out what it means to have a servant’s heart.
The actual VBS was a completely different experience in and of itself. It was really hard at first to connect with the kids because many of them are so quiet and unresponsive (you ask them a question and they literally do not say anything back). A lot of the concepts were really countercultural to them as well so it was hard to meet them on a level where they cared or understood what you were saying or doing. However, after the first two days, they really started to open up to us and I enjoyed working with the 5-8 year olds, getting to know them and show them love despite the difficulties.
There were a few boys in particular in my class that I really felt drawn to, and one of them that I’d like to share with you. His name is T.J. I think he’s around 7 years old. He came on the second day and was pretty quiet but he had no trouble participating. There was something about him that stood out to me, but I can’t really describe it. Anyway, he seemed to have fun but was not an instigator like a lot of the other boys in our class. I enjoyed talking to him and teasing him and on the last day, after VBS, the other teacher and I were talking about how much we liked him. She then asked me if I had heard what Al, the missionary that lives by the church there, had said about him. T.J. has long hair, unlike the other boys, and it’s sort of folded up and wrapped with a cord. Al said that when a boy’s hair is wrapped like that, it means that they are grooming him to be a medicine man (if you don’t know, that’s like a healer or spiritual leader in Native American culture). Mal said that they probably saw in him the same thing that we noticed that drew people to him. It was very surreal to me—it made me think of the Israelites and the old customs, etc., like that. It just really hit me and I would really love it if you guys could be praying for him this summer. He’s a great kid and it’s amazing that he was even able to come to the VBS. Pray that something he heard would stand out to him and that God would intervene in his life, especially his future.
(T.J...obviously)
(here's T.J. again--you can see how his hair's wrapped)Overall, I was faced with many opportunities to be humble and it wasn’t easy, but God definitely worked on my heart through trip. I just wanted to share with you guys! It would be great if you could pray that I would continue to seek humility every day because I have been struggling with pride a lot lately. I’m thankful for the things I have begun to learn and am especially grateful to be able to share it with you all ☺. Hope you’re learning a lot and enjoying your summers as well!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Summer Prayer Requests
CJ – Direction in ‘the room’ (that DOES have furniture), after summer work and school plans
Aryn – to find work back home, for her pursuit of a deeper relationship with sister Kelly
Steph – to be able to find a place to stay in the fall (CHECK!)
Erin – be able to prepare for the fall semester even with fulltime work and her online class, as well as graduation plans
Anthony – that housing would work out and that a lot of learning would happen through this experience
Chris – his time in Zambia, and time at home and the reality of the situation there
Drew – make good use of rest time when Katie is gone; restful but not wasteful
Amanda – finish strong with Lit, funds for Africa and trust in provision
Katie S – prayer for relationships within the house for the summer, including rules and comfort zones; being an example to the fellow staffmates at the YMCA
Meghan – energy for working with kids four days a week and for the VBS at the Indian reservation and opportunities for conversations with recently divorced cousin and grandpa’s health that’s deteriorating
Katie P – that the summer would be restful and not wasteful and that getting on good health routines would go well; difficulty with current church and really desirous to find ways or a church to get connected to
Tyler - to be able to rest during the summer while not working, instead of wasting the spare
time he has; patience and perserverence for his work situation, that new opportunities for work would open upA
Aryn – to find work back home, for her pursuit of a deeper relationship with sister Kelly
Steph – to be able to find a place to stay in the fall (CHECK!)
Erin – be able to prepare for the fall semester even with fulltime work and her online class, as well as graduation plans
Anthony – that housing would work out and that a lot of learning would happen through this experience
Chris – his time in Zambia, and time at home and the reality of the situation there
Drew – make good use of rest time when Katie is gone; restful but not wasteful
Amanda – finish strong with Lit, funds for Africa and trust in provision
Katie S – prayer for relationships within the house for the summer, including rules and comfort zones; being an example to the fellow staffmates at the YMCA
Meghan – energy for working with kids four days a week and for the VBS at the Indian reservation and opportunities for conversations with recently divorced cousin and grandpa’s health that’s deteriorating
Katie P – that the summer would be restful and not wasteful and that getting on good health routines would go well; difficulty with current church and really desirous to find ways or a church to get connected to
Tyler - to be able to rest during the summer while not working, instead of wasting the spare
time he has; patience and perserverence for his work situation, that new opportunities for work would open upA
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