Hey y'all!!

Sorry about being MIA the past week, week and a half or so.

I have been busy with the start of my Mission Internship with my church.

I have thought several times about writing a post but usually by the time I do I am too tired to do so.

So this post is going to be an overview of the past week.

Some of you may know that I am doing a Missions Internship with my church.

Well, the last weekend of May was the beginning of that.

I spent last week doing some prep work for the rest of the summer before the rest of the team arrived.

Andy also started the same time as me.

Everyone else arrived in town last Thursday.

We went to Aurelio's as a team with Pastor Chad & his family, as well as our Connection Pastor Kyle & his family.

We went over the basic rules & guidelines for the summer, as well as basic position expectations.

It was a fun night to get to know each other and hangout.

Friday we all left and went to Summer Missions Orientation in Steator.

We spent Friday evening hanging out with the other summer missionaries & getting to know each other.

On Saturday we had training, which consisted of several sessions of people talking about different aspects of being a missionary, leadership qualities, and discipleship practices.

It was a long day and we got restless by the end of the day, but we got to know a lot of really awesome fellow college students who are serving as summer missionaries across the state.

This is a group picture of all of the IBSA Summer Missionaries.

The seven of us our sort of spread out throughout the picture.

We got to talk with a lot of our fellow missionaries & I have to say that the above group is full of some amazing college students who really have a heart to serve God through missions.

I am blessed to have had the opportunity to spend a couple days with them!!

One of the highlights of the weekend was the spur of the moment jam session in the cabin lobby.

We had a couple guitars and a cajon.

One of the guys even had a small amp with him!
We played some random songs but the majority of what was played & sung was worship music or contemporary Christian songs.

We added our own twist to a few and they turned out pretty cool.

The jam session lasted a couple hours and it was definitely an awesome evening!!

To say the least, a lot of these college students are crazy talented!

Upon getting back the seven of us here have been busy getting into the swing of things.

We have done a lot of office work, which includes scheduling summer events, planning all of the details, and contacting the right people for everything.

I am working with Students (6-12th grade) along with Malik.

So we have been working on planning events for them and connecting with all of them.

We have really knocked out quite a lot the last couple days and I am excited for everything that we are working on!

I wish I didn't have to leave this coming weekend, but I know that Malik is going to do a great job of making sure that things get done and done well for our first big event of the summer!!

Overall it has been an awesome week with the team!

We have had lots of time to get to know each other and most of the time it seems as though we've been friends for much longer than this short week.

It is such an awesome thing to see how we are all working together and how God is already working through all of us both as a team and on an individual basis.

I have no doubt that this is going to be an awesome summer & that God is going to do some awesome things!!

I am getting more and more excited the farther we get into the summer!!

While I would love to keep writing about the amazing team that I am blessed to be a part of, I have to be up early in the morning, so I am going to end this post here.

I will try to post at least once a week with updates on what happens and hopefully some pictures!

But for now, Goodnight!!

Throwback Thursday & Summer Interns

Hey everyone!!
I feel bad for not posting much this past week but it's been a little busy.

There's been lots of prep work to get ready for the summer intern team that is here for the summer.

Today happened to be the big day.

All of the summer interns are finally here!!

I have been anxiously awaiting this day for weeks now.

With all of the rain and crazy weather we have been having I am glad everyone made it safely.

It was so awesome to get to connect with Kenan as I hadn't seen him in almost a year.

It was good to spend some time talking with Kristin since we haven't seen each other in almost a month.

It was even better finally getting to meet 'The Married Couple' as they have been dubbed at church.

Andrew and Anna got here this afternoon and it was great to get to meet them and talk with them.

I am really looking forward to getting to know them better!

We went over rules and guidelines for the summer, as well as what our responsibilities will be each week.

It is going to be very different from last summer but it's still going to be great.

I'm looking forward to everything that we have planned.

It is going to be awesome to see how God uses all of us this summer!

The fact that all the interns got here today made for a perfect Throwback Thursday post.

It was only about a year ago but so much has changed since then.

This was the mission team, plus a few others, from last summer.

This was an awesome group of interns, all of whom I am still friends with.

They were such a blessing and we all learned a lot about ourselves and each other through everything.

God knew exactly what He was doing when He put that group together and I have no doubt that all of us on the intern team for this summer where put together for a reason.

What that is I don't know.

However, if it is anything as awesome as last year (hopefully much more awesome), then it's going to be an awesome summer and a true blessing.

I have no doubt that God has big plans for this summer and I look forward to seeing what they are!!

Here's to an awesome summer full of adventures, relationship building, personal growth, and spiritual strengthening!!

Throwback Thursday & Summer Mission Team 2013

Hey there!!

So today is my first Throwback Thursday post and I am really excited to share with you!

I think this is the perfect time to start this because of what I am looking back on and the upcoming summer plans.

Today I want to take a look back to last summer. I know it isn't too far back in the past, but it seems like so long ago and I find it fitting considering that it is all going to be starting back up a week from today.

Last summer was full of long work days, crazy schedules, good days and bad days, as well as a ton of wonderful memories!!

I posted about the summer a couple of times and you can see one of them here!

For those who don't know, I stayed on my college's campus last summer and worked full time in the custodial department.

That was often days a lot of work, a lot of stress, and a lot of frustration.

Little did I know when I started working for the summer that I would end up also being an unofficial part of the Summer Mission Team that Journey was hosting through NAMB.

I got up and dealt with the long days of work because I knew that I would get to work and hangout with all of the summer missionaries.

From left: Andy, McKenzie, Patrick, Malik, Haley, Kenan, & Joel

This was the official team that started out the summer, but only the six guys ended up staying on with Journey.

I was beyond blessed to get to work with them and spend time getting to know them!

These guys are seriously some of the most awesome people I know!!

The connections have been lasting and we have been able to make many memories beyond the summer and throughout this past school year.

It has been such an amazing blessing to have these guys be a part of my life and I thank God for the friendship and all of the different aspects that it consists of on a daily basis.

While only three of the guys will be coming back, Andy, Malik, and Kenan, to be a part of the Summer Mission Team for this summer, it is looking like it is going to be an awesome team!!

There will be seven people on team this summer, five of which already have worked, are working and are attending Journey and all know each other fairly well.

As previously mentioned, Andy, Malik, and Kenan will be back for the summer.

Kristin Marshall, a fellow ONU student and good friend, will be on team this summer as well, along with myself.

That makes up the five of us who have already worked with Journey or have been working with and attending Journey.

In addition to the five, we will also have two others from Arkansas joining us, Andrew & Anna Bell.

They are (or will be getting) married and are coming to join us just ten days after their wedding.

I do not know much more about them, but I look forward to getting to know them and work with them this summer.

(Little do they know there is already going to be a blog post about them before they get here (:  )

Things are going to be set up a bit differently this summer but it is looking like it will be an amazing summer none the less!

From the sounds of things the team is going to be a really great fit for the church and as a team in general.

So many awesome things are already planned and in the works for the summer and it is going to be awesome to be able to work with this team to make everything happen!!

We are a mere 7 days away from everyone arriving (officially) and I am getting excited!

I pray that God will just work in the lives of everyone both before they arrive next week and while they are here for the summer.

I pray that He will work through us to accomplish His will through all that we do.

I pray that we will daily seek Him in all that we say, do, and think.

May we be so focused on Him that everything we do directly reflects Him.

May His hands be on us and guide us.

May we be a blessing to the church and the community through this opportunity that we have been given.

I pray that we will draw closer to Him both individually and as a team through everything that we experience this summer.

It's all in His hands!!!

~~~

On a side note, I found out some totally awesome news!!!

Olivet sent out a survey to the students asking about where they go to church, how often they attend, and so on.

Turns out that Journey Church is the 6th most attended church by ONU students!!!

How awesome is that?!?

While this does not give necessarily the most accurate count, it is still awesome knowing that we are one of the churches that ONU students go to most frequently!

I know a lot of the students who come to Journey and I see new faces quite often.

I just pray that we are truly showing them God's love in all that we do and that we are providing them the opportunity to grow closer to God through the worship and message on Sundays.

I pray that we are being the guiding light that they need to stay focused on God.

I pray that we are being His hands and feet to all those that are coming.

We serve such an awesome God!

He is doing amazing things even when we cannot see it.

Sometimes it is just little things like the results of a survey to be reminded that we are making a difference.

It may not be to a huge number of people, but we are reaching a lot of people.

We are making an impact and it is all because of Him.

By keeping our eyes on Him and continuing to do His work we will be able to see results reaped tenfold.

Sometimes it may be tough, but He never fails to show us that our perseverance is producing results.

He never lets us down or fails us.

We just need patience and a little more faith in His plan.

It always works out for the best for the those who love Him!!

Youth Group: Past, Present, & Future

     So last night was youth group, better known as Journey Live. I have been going to Journey Live and helping out (of sorts) since the fall. When I say helping out it generally means that i've helped to hold the peace, add a comment in here or there, and cook when needed. I have not had to step into the role of actually leading youth group or taking a more proactive leadership role. I have mainly gotten to work on getting to know the teens and connect with them. This whole sorta backseat role i've been occupying this year is going to get bumped up several levels in the next couple weeks. As a part of doing summer missions team (a post will be coming about mission team and the upcoming summer soon) everyone on team will be split up to focus on certain areas of ministry. I will be staying with the teens. However, me and the other one to two people who will be working with the teens will pretty much be in charge of leading all of the activities and small group interactions this summer. This really hit me tonight both during youth group and after in conversations with the teens and fellow adult leaders. I was informed by my pastor of something that I already knew about and have been working on, but sometimes feel like i'm getting nowhere. I need to speak up during small group interactions and Bible lessons. I have been trying to work on this but feel like I get stuck or as soon as I start moving forward I get pushed back again. You may be asking why I even have to work on this to begin with? Well I have an answer for you. Just give me some time to explain...

Youth group was not a pleasant experience for me for the most part. I found it to be one of the places where I actually got torn down and pushed away more than I was lifted up and welcomed. It really ended up shaping me into the person that I am today and that is not entirely a positive thing. Growing up I was pretty talkative, especially once I got to know someone and was comfortable, and this trait followed me into middle school. I went into youth group fairly outgoing since I knew most everyone and I was not afraid to talk and share my thoughts. This lasted for about the first year, so through 7th grade. During that year and the year that followed I really got a lot of negative remarks coming from those in my youth group. I quite frequently heard it said that no one cared what I had to say and no one wanted to hear my thoughts or my feelings. I was pretty much told that I needed to stop talking because no one wanted to hear what I had to say. This really tore me apart and by the time I hit freshman year of high school I rarely talked during youth group, especially during our Bible lesson. Due to other circumstances, this new found habit of not talking became the only way to survive. It didn't help that my mom was in a youth pastor position and my grandpa was the pastor of the church. This meant that everyone expected my life to be perfect. Little known fact: being a PK doesn't mean your life is perfect and you never mess up. We mess up on a daily basis just like everyone else. But I wasn't allowed to share this with people because I was instantly judged and it immediately looked bad on my family. By the time junior and senior year came around I was only going to youth group once or twice a month, if that. There were times I wouldn't go for two to three months at a time. I didn't like being there and with family circumstances it was easy to come up with reasons not to go.

Now that I am a part of a youth group and in a leadership position, I am forced to look back at my youth group experience and see what went wrong and try to keep those things from happening in this youth group.

When you think of a youth group, specifically a healthy youth group that has a regular group of attendees and is growing, you think of a place where students can come and feel welcome. They can come into youth group and feel like they are safe. They should feel like they can share what they are thinking, feeling, and experiencing without being judged. They should be shown God's love by their peers and those that are leading the group. We often think of many of the things that are shown in the image below...

     These things were apart of my youth group at various times but never at the same time. Transitioning from having real youth pastors to having people just fill a rotation schedule so someone was always with us made this hard as well. We never felt like anyone actually wanted to be with us. The new youth pastor they have now doesn't even want to be there. The things in this image are what I longed to have on a regular basis in youth group, but I never got them. These things are also the very things that I want the teens in Journey Live to experience on a regular basis. I want them to come in and feel the presence of strong, positive leadership, a sense of connection and openness with one another, and feel that they are accepted in the group no matter who they are, what they have done, or where they are in the lives.

I want the teens to have that amazing youth group experience that I wish I had had. I hear stories from friends at college about their youth groups and in all honesty I get jealous. Their groups always sound like they were the best! I really want to be a part of making Journey Live that kind of a group/place for these students. I want them to be able to look back on it when they grow up and have positive memories from it. I felt a little like a dork because I was thinking about this on my drive home after youth group and I started tearing up because I just feel so strongly about this issue. These students deserve the best that we can give them and I really want to give that to them! I just need to remember that part of giving that to them is getting past the negative impact of my youth group experiences. It probably won't be easy, but I think it will be worth it in the end.

I am looking forward to the challenges that working with these students this summer will present, as well as the many, many, many wonderful and amazing moments and memories that will come about!! They are such an awesome group of students and I pray that I will be able to provide what they need this summer alongside my fellow mission team members and adult leaders from church. I have no doubt that this summer will be an awesome season of growth for these students, as well as those of us working with them. It may not be in the numbers of students attending, but it will no doubt be in the hearts and lives of the students. I am excited to see the students grow and change in their faith!! It will no doubt be a summer to remember!!

A Final Goodbye

So the Summer Mission/Intern Team left this past weekend.

It was one of those weekends that i'll remember for the great memories made, but even more so for the goodbyes that were said (although somewhat reluctantly).

I managed to keep myself in check, but i'm sure it'll all hit me sometime this week.

I think knowing that there is a really good chance that we'll all see each other again made it easier.

However, I felt that I needed to say a few things to all of the guys.

I just couldn't bring myself to say it to them, mainly because I knew I didn't know what to say let alone if I would be able to hold it together while doing so.

So that is what this post is going to be.

My chance to share some things that the guys have taught me, how they've changed me, how God has blessed me through them, and how thankful I am to have met them.

I'll try to keep it short, sweet and to the point, but if I get to rambling please forgive me.

At the beginning of May when my summer began I didn't have a clue what was in store for me.

I didn't know what work would necessarily entail.

I didn't know what would happen in regards to church.

I didn't know that I would make any friends.

I didn't know what would happen.

I didn't know that God was going to bless me in more ways than I ever could have possibly imagined!!

The summer didn't start out so great due to a very negative roommate experience, but thankfully I got through it all with the help of friends and a load of patience from God.

I ended up with an apartment to myself after Block 1 and I was helping at church.

Yet I was still feeling disconnected from everything.

I was just going through the motions of work and going to church.

Then I found out that the mission team was coming for the summer.

I was excited about the possibility of having some fellow college students around.

Little did I know, but they were going to become a very big part of my life this summer.

I first found out that Malik and Andy were apart of the team, which was awesome.

It was good to have a couple people from school that I actually knew around for the summer.

I very quickly met and got to know the rest of the mission team.

The same day I met them we had our first college get together at the church office.

From that night on I became the +1 on the mission team and I spent a lot of my time outside of work with the guys.

In the next two months we made a lot of memories, had a lot of laughs, and spent a lot of time getting to know each other as we did things for the church.

I could tell you some of them, but I don't know that they would be as funny and make as good of a story as I think they would.

(If you would like to hear some details about the summer and what we did feel free to comment on here or message me in some way!! I'd love to share it with you!)

These past two months have presented many of awesome times, as well as some moments where I was challenged in my ways of doing things.

For the first time I was spending time with a group of guys who were chivalrous.

(This day and age it is very hard to come by, so I was kinda surprised I must admit.)

As I shared in an earlier post, the guys made no hesitation to give me shotgun in vehicles, hold doors, make sure I got served first at meals, and so on.

It took me a little while to get used to it all and I gave them a hard time about it for the first couple of weeks.

And then one night after they dropped me off I got to thinking about everything and realized that I was treating the situation all wrong.

I shouldn't have been giving them a hard time about it, but rather as a woman of God I was supposed to be encouraging them and supporting them as they were doing something that is not at all common in our world or culture these days.

By giving them a hard time I wasn't encouraging them and helping them as they are trying to become the Godly men that they are to be.

I was slacking on my job.

I didn't mean to be and it was only because I hadn't been exposed to it, but I very quickly realized that they needed the encouragement and as I was doing so it was helping me to become the Godly woman that I am to be, the Proverbs 31 woman that I desire to be.

I now have a new appreciation for the guys and their consistency in the chivalry department.

I learned a lesson through it all this summer and I couldn't be more thankful.

(Although I may be slightly spoiled now...lol. But appreciative none the less.)

Then there is the fact that I got to see them all interact with each other and see changes happen for all of them throughout the summer.

They may not have been hugely noticeable to others, but I noticed.

I don't necessarily know how to explain the changes that I saw, but I have no doubt that it was God working in their lives through their experiences with Journey, NAMB, and each other.

I saw them all get put into situations that they weren't the most comfortable with.

And in some cases they were just straight up uncomfortable.

They were pushed outside of their boxes, outside of their comfort zones.

But they all made an effort and stuck it out even if it might have been easier to let someone else do whatever it may have been.

They could have stepped back and said no.

They could have refused to do whatever they were supposed to be doing.

But I didn't see a one of them give up or take the easy way out.

It may have taken a lot of perseverance, encouragement, and a lot of faith in God, but they all did some amazing things in the midst of uncomfortable circumstances.

I commend them on their ability to step out in faith and take on whatever challenges that were put in front of them throughout this summer.

Whether it was doing bucket drumline, having tough conversations with people about faith, dealing with city officials, or figuring out how to react to stories/information about fellow college students.

The guys handled it all extremely well and it seemed that they all learned from the various situations and took something from them and grew from those experiences.

It was amazing to see God work through them.

I'm going to make this one of the last things, but it's the one that definitely touched me the most during their time here in Bourbonnais and at Journey.

I don't think that I have spent so much time with a group of young men who have such a desire to do what God wants them to and to share His word and His love with everyone they can.

It means a lot to see a group of guys, or even just one guy, be so willing to serve.

It was also encouraging to see watch them all when they were up singing or playing an instrument, or even watching them during worship at the beginning of service.

Watching them get so into the music and into worship is encouraging and a blessing.

It is rare to see a guy (let alone guys) get so into worship.

And I don't want this next thing to sound creeperish in any way, but I got a chance to watch all of the guys interact with children throughout the past couple months.

I have to say that it is awesome to me to see guys be so good with kids of varying ages.

Being someone who loves kids and cares about them immensely, it is always a huge blessing to see guys who are good with kids and enjoying spending time interacting with them.

And all of the guys were great with the kids at church, kids we met at block parties, and other kids that I only got to hear stories about.

It is such an encouragement to me to see that there are guys out there who know how to treat kids right and are so good with them!!

Overall I just feel extremely, extremely blessed to have been able to spend this summer getting to know this group of guys!

I wish I could put into words everything that is going through my mind right now, but I know there is no way that I can do so.

I just wanted to share a little about how blessed I have been this summer.

Had someone told me at the beginning of May that I would be trying to figure out a way to adequately say thank you to this group of guys for everything that taught me this summer and all the ways the have blessed my life...I would have told ya that ya were crazy!

And now i'm sitting here doing just that.

I don't know if I am even doing a good job of doing so, but I needed to do so.

I can't even put into words how blessed I have been by this great group of guys.

I feel like God knew that I needed these lessons this summer and my staying here and getting to know the guys was the best way for me to do so.

The way that God has worked in me this summer through the guys has been phenomenal.

God definitely knew what He was doing this summer, even if I didn't.

To the guys:

Thank you all so much for being such positive influences in my life this summer!

I couldn't have asked for a better group of Godly men to spend the last couple of months with.

It has been awesome to see all the ways that you guys have made impact in the lives of those at Journey, as well as the lives of many, many people in the community!

You have all been such a blessing!!

I hope that we will all stay in touch and hopefully be able to see each other again.

There have been rumors about a road trip at the end of this fall semester and i'm sure we will get a chance to see each other at various other times in the future.

I will be praying for you all as a new school year starts for almost all of you and wedding plans and job search kick into high gear for one of you.

I will be praying that God will bless you all immensely in the coming months.

I have no doubt that God has huge plans for all of you.

It'll be awesome to see how He does so!

Now that I have written one of the longest posts on here, I will call it good at this.

God has blessed me in more ways than I could have imagined!!

This summer has proved this in so many ways!!

I have no doubt that the coming year will prove to be full of more of His blessings!!

I Just Can't Help It

Some people find their worth in their jobs, others in the clothes they wear.

And still others in their physical appearance.

What I have come to realize is that I don't feel like I get my worth from any of that.

I came to realize last night while watching the guys play another game or two of Ultimate was that I find my worth and my value in what I can do.

I have spent years doing and now I have people, specifically guys, who tell me to just relax and let them get it.

I am not used to it at all and it drives me crazy to just stand there.

Whether that's when we're playing a game or sports, or moving something or packing up a trailer.

I just have this urge to get in and do.

So when people tell me not to do something or to just watch I have a hard time just watching or not doing anything.

I get all fidgety and bouncy while standing there.

I never stopped to think about why I do that.

I didn't used to be that way when I was much younger.

But ever since my mom's accident I feel like i've become someone who does that.

So it's something that has happened in the last 5yrs or so.

(Or at least it seems that way.)

I put so much of who I am into what I can do, physically speaking, and so moving things, caring things, or going all out while playing a sport or a game is just who I am.

I attach my worth to other people to what I can do.

I know this isn't a good thing, but it's just part of who I am.

When I just sit around and watch I feel like i'm not worth anything to the people around me.

I feel like I am letting them down and making things difficult for them.

And when it comes to sports I just feel like I look weak when I have to sit and watch.

I hate this feeling.

Yet it so strong and such a part of me.

I know I should get my worth and my value from Jesus and not from man, but for some reason I still have this need to have my worth and value in other people's eyes be based on what I am physically able to do to help them.

I also hate that I get so frustrated and upset when people won't let me help out or play a sport.

I get all frustrated with the situation and it can get the best of me.

I felt terrible last night at Hidden Cove when the guys decided to play another couple games but wouldn't let me play because my arm was acting up.

I just kind of sat there with what I'm sure was either a facial expression that showed that I was angry or really upset.

And I feel terrible that I was having such a fit about it.

It's not mature to act that way nor is it beneficial to me in any way.

Chad and the guys were just taking precautions and putting my safety above my want to play.

Which is appreciated, even though it bothered me, because I've never really had anyone care about whether or not I played with an injury. 

(Other than my mom of course.)

I'm truly grateful for the fact that they all care enough to make me sit out when they think i'm likely to get hurt if I keep playing.

I don't necessarily always do a good job of stopping myself when I should.

I'll keep going until i'm really injured or in a ridiculous amount of pain.

That's just how I am.

Not my best quality, but ya know.

So when the guys wouldn't let me play I was really frustrated with them at first, but after sitting there a short while I got to thinking and that's where this post came from.

They were just looking out for me and they didn't deserve my frustration for it.

They were just doing what they all thought was best for me and I have to admit that it probably was a good thing for me to sit out.

[Yes guys, I just agreed with you...again :) ]

(And that's a whole 'nother post topic all together...my stubbornness)

I just don't know how to get a balance of doing and not doing.

Especially since i've spent years equating my worth & value to what I can physically do.

I don't know what to do to make it balanced.

I feel stuck and I don't know what to do about it.

I don't like to stand still and watch, but at the same time I know there are times I should.

I just have a hard to figuring out which times I should help and which ones I shouldn't.

This is frustrating to me but i'm glad I've realized it.

Well now that i'm done ranting, I am going to try to keep myself entertained this morning.

It's All Coming To An End So Soon

Can you believe it's August next week??

I can't.

The fact that it's August next week means a few things.

1. School starts in a month.

2. Summer is almost over.

 (and most importantly...)

3. The Summer Mission Team leaves.

The third thing hit me this week as the guys have been gone at a camp while Patrick and I have been working with the Arkansas mission group to do Block Parties in the community.

It feels like they just got here and we've all just started getting to know each other.

And now they are going to be leaving.

I just can't seem to wrap my mind around that fact.

I guess i'm just having a hard time accepting it.

(This is going to sound so girly and like i'm super attached to them all, but I don't care.)

I'm not ready for them to leave quite yet.

I think the part that is really getting to me is that I have this feeling that i'll lose contact with them all as soon as they leave, just like what always happens with people.

They leave and that's it.

It really just makes it hard to say goodbye when that's the likely outcome.

Watch me be a girl and get all emotional when they leave.

(Highly unlikely, but there is always that slight possibility.)

 

Even though they'll be leaving I have to thank God for everything He has taught me through the guys this summer.

He has showed me show much through them and I wouldn't have been able to see any of it or learn anything had it not been for this group of guys that God put in my life.

Although I would much rather they didn't leave, I know that God has things in store for them as they all head back home and/or back to school.

God has some great plans for these guys I have no doubt and I hope that I get the chance to see what He does through them and for them in the future.

God has blessed many people through them this summer and they have made such an impact.

They may be leaving but what they did and the impact they made will not be forgotten.

God knew what He was doing when He brought those guys here.

It's been exciting to watch.

Now I am hoping that I will get to watch what He has planned in the near future.

I just pray that through whatever happens we will all be glorifying the Father in everything that we say and do.

May it all be for Him and His glory!

Just Needed To Share Something

Ok, so I just wanted to share something and thought this was the perfect place.

This week we are doing Block Parties at parks throughout the community.

We have been joined this week by a missions team from Arkansas (about 30 people).

Patrick had quite a day yesterday organizing everything with the team throughout the day as well as getting things ready for the Block Party last night.

So after he came and got me we headed back to the park.

We get there and the mission team is out there just having a blast with everything.

They had different booths set up with various things.

They had a tent set up where Faith was doing balloon animals (and other things) and Naomi and some of the other girls were doing face painting.

Jerry was all about doing the cotton candy. Well at least he was when he wasn't going around to other booths and talking with us and the kids that were there.

Justin had a game set up and so did Jessica.

There were hot dogs, popcorn, and sno cones.

There was music going. (And some dancing every now and then as well.)

It was a great time getting to talk with some of the people from the neighborhood and even getting a chance to get better acquainted with the mission team from Arkansas.

Being me, I was watching the different people come and go and kinda watching how long they were lingering around and talking to people.

There was one couple that was there who i'd been watching, and apparently so had some of the Arkansas mission team.

This couple had gotten there when it started and they were definitely lingering.

I grabbed a card with some of our info and a little map of our location and then headed on over to talk to them some more.

I sat down and got to talking with them again.

Made some connections with them through Olivet, as well as through where we were from.

We then got to talking about some random things and then he asked me how I got connected with Journey Church.

So I told him how I started coming and how I really started getting involved.

I talked a little about the summer mission team.

And then he surprised me by sharing some of his church history.

As he shared that and I talked to him a little more about Journey, it was clear that he was interested in Journey and thinking about coming to church.

They both seemed very interested in the church and said they'd really like to check it out.

Talk about the whole crazy day being worth it.

And like Patrick made a point of, those two people may never have even considered going to church, specifically speaking ours, if we hadn't sat down and talked with them for two hours.

That process of building a relationship with them and building trust with them is what opens the doors to get them interested in the church and interested in learning more about God.

It was such a great opportunity to get to know them!

Seeing them warm up to us and to the possibility of coming to church as we were sitting there talking was incredible.

I'm praying that God will be working in their hearts this week through the seed that we planted last night.

And even if we don't see them at church, at least we know that we made an impact in there lives.

And that is why we are doing this.

That is what we are all about.

The devil may have tried to tear everyone down all day, but in the end God prevailed.

God was moving and He will continue to move this week!

 

"What The Junk??"

Hey y'all!!

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I have posted. 

I've been a little busy with work and church stuff.

Hmm, so I guess i'll do a quick recap of what I have been up to as of late.

Work is pretty much the same. Long days of cleaning.

I have climbed into far too many lockers, stoves, refrigerators, and other tight spaces for my liking.

(I'm not quite small enough for some of this...contrary to what many may say.)

I have to say that if it weren't for the people I work with I would absolutely positively hate my job.

Last Monday my mom (and her boyfriend) stopped into town and brought my futon and a tv for me. It is great to finally have furniture. (Not being able to get the remote to work the cable and having to settle for watching David Letterman's show for Gay Pride Week...not so much :/ )

After they left I made sure my bike was locked up and went inside to chill.

I came out the next morning (Tuesday) and my bike was gone.

Chain cut and thrown under the bush.

Not what I wanted to find at 6:30am when I had to be to work in 10mins.

However, yesterday (a week after it happened), Public Safety called and said they had my bike.

The police had found some guy riding it around town.

He picked it up off someone else for $15 for crying out loud.

It's good to have it back though.

Other than that things were not all that eventful until about last Thursday.

 But before getting into that I am going to share a little about the missions team at my church this summer.

North American Mission Board (NAMB) sends out Summer Mission Teams to churches throughout the country every summer. This summer my church, Journey Church, got sent one of these teams. There are 7 summer missionaries here, all college age. 

Two of them go to my school here in Illinois and the rest are from various other colleges and universities.

The 7 summer missionaries that we have here this summer are Andy, Malik, McKenzie, Kenan, Joel, Patrick, and Haley.

Andy and Malik are the two that go to school with me.

Most of the missionaries are from some part of Illinois with the exception of three.

Malik is from Maryland, Patrick is from Mississippi, and Haley is from Tennessee. 

The 7 of them are here at Journey to help out for the summer with various things.

As of late they have been going out into the community and going door to door giving out flyers promoting Journey and sharing what we are all about.

Friendship Festival 2012 (Bourbonnais, IL) Left to right: Andy, McKenzie, Patrick, Malik, Haley, Kenan, and Joel

The above picture is a group picture of the mission team.

This was right before we started walking in the Friendship Festival Parade.

Five of the guys, all except Patrick, had been practicing a bucket drum routine that they performed that morning in church and then while we were walking in the Parade.

They did a great job that morning at church as well as during the Parade!!

While the guys were doing their routine (part of the time walking the other part while riding on the float), we had several members of our church walking and passing out beads to kids and cards with our information to adults.

It was a great afternoon and one to be remembered for sure!!

Friendship Festival 2012- Getting ready to walk! (Me, Justine, and Haley)

 Here is another picture from the Parade. It is a bad one of me but the other two look good!

Ok, so now that I have shared a little bit about the mission team I will share a little bit of the last several days.

For anyone who has read my previous posts (which is probably no one...) then y'all know how bored I have been this summer. 

That has changed in large part because of the group pictured above, as well as other members of Journey Church.

This past week was the Friendship Festival (Wed. June 20th-Sun. June 24th).

I went a few times with this group.

Thursday night I went to the Festival with Andy and Malik.

A lady from church works at Great Clips and she had a booth so we stopped and talked to her for a while. Basically we just chilled there until the guys had band practice for Sunday morning.

We then went to band practice and I got to spend time with the most adorable little girl.

Her name is Cali and she is the daughter of our worship leader Nate and his wife Jill.

She is absolutely adorable and thanks to the guys makes a wide variety of animal noises by request. :)

We then went and spent the evening at Chad and Rachel's.

The next evening (Friday) we had a College Student...get together (??)...

We all met up at the church office and then went to the Festival.

Friendship Festival 2012- Back Row: Joel, Andy, Kenan, Emily (?), TJ, and me. Front Row: Derek, Haley, Malik, and McKenzie.

It was a great night!!

We had a couple of additions to the group before we left the Festival and headed to Steak N' Shake.

Steak N' Shake- Left: Haley, Jessica, Kenan, Andy, Justine, and me. Right: Erin (?), TJ, Joel, Malik, and McKenzie.

As you can see we are a decent sized group of college students (except for Emily...?).

(We have some lovely faces going on in this picture...lol)

Then Saturday I worked overtime. We had to turn over dorms for a camp that was coming for a day or two.

After work I went to the softball game. (Journey has a team and we play against other teams from the area. It is a fun outreach ministry and a great way to get to know each other!)

There was another missions group that came from another church to help out.

(I forgot where they came from.)

So we met them at the offices and helped finish bagging up the flyers for the guys to give out while going door to door.

Then dinner at Aurelio's.

Then the guys had to practice their bucket drumline routine and since I had nothing else to do I went with them and was their audience for the evening.

Sunday was a crazy busy day for all of us!

I had to be at church an hour earlier than usual in order to do nursery.

The guys had all been there for a while before I go there and were practicing their routine again.

After church we all went to Burger King to grab lunch and then headed out to BBCHS to get ready for the Parade!

We walked in the Parade for about an hour or so.

It was such a great way for us to reach out and be a part of the community!!!

(We also found out later on that we won the Director's Choice Award for out float and the church got a plaque and everything!!!)

After a crazy time of destroying the float and taking all the staples out of the trailer (which was graciously loaned to us for the afternoon from Jessica!!), we all headed back to Chad and Rachel's.

Little did we all know there was someone moving in next door.

We offered to help them finish moving their things in and they accepted.

So for the next hour or so the guys and I helped them unload their large moving truck.

We all pushed ourselves and I definitely went above and beyond my usual.

As we were helping them we got to talking to them and sharing about Journey and the missions team and everything.

When we got done we got a chance to introduce Mark and his family to Chad (Journey's pastor) and Rachel. We got a chance to share more about Journey and invite them to church.

It was such a great witnessing opportunity!! 

Who knew?!

We were all crazy tired and crashed in Chad and Rachel's living room for the rest of the evening.

Chad grilled up some hot dogs and sausage for dinner.

We all ended up watching The Ringer that evening.

(Joel can do a crazy good impression of one of the characters!!)

Overall the last several days have been crazy busy but I loved it!!

I also have to say that I think that God definitely used this past week to show me some things.

After all of it I feel like I am most definitely right at the place where God wants me to be for the summer, even if it is different to be here instead of at home.

God is doing big things in my life through Journey and through the mission team.

I could not have asked for a better summer.

God is showing me that sometimes the simplest of gestures can be the strongest witnessing opportunities that we can get.

Case in point when talking about helping Mark and his family move in.

How could we know that we would have that opportunity Sunday afternoon??

Yeah, we may have all been pushed beyond our limits both physically and in terms of our comfort zone, but look at how God used it!!!

His plan is far greater than ours and who knows what would have happened if we hadn't stepped out and offered to help them move all of their things into their house!

And I have to say personally that God has provided me an incredible group of friends for the summer, and hopefully longer, even when I didn't think I would meet anyone this summer.

I was not planning on all of this, but He is providing in more ways than I could have ever imagined!

These guys have been going out of their way to be chivalrous and to show that there are still guys out there who take it seriously and act on it.

I am not used to it at all and therefore it is weird for me, but at the same time it is incredible to be exposed to guys who want to go that extra step and open the car door, let me sit in the front seat, serve my food for me, or carry something for me (even when i'm obstinate about it...lol).

I was not expecting God to provide that kind of an example for me this summer, but I appreciate it.

(However, these guys are gonna have me all kinds of spoiled by the end of the summer!!)

(And if you guys read this...Thank you for being an example of what true gentlemen should act like! It is greatly appreciated even if I nag you about it!! I have never seen guys treat girls/women with the respect that you all do. You're all pretty amazing guys and i'm lucky to know you all!!)

Well, there ya have it!

A quick (sorta....) recap of my life as of late!

There is much more I could share but I will leave it at that.

God keeps surprising me daily and I am excited to see what is going to happen in the coming weeks and months of the summer!!! :)


***All pictures in this post are courtesy of the lovely Haley Richards, member of the NAMB Summer Mission Team***