In 45 minutes my husband will be leaving Pigeon Forge to return home, YEAH!!! This is the longest he has ever left me for. I think that it is safe to say that this will be the last time as well. I shared all my drama from Tuesday and yesterday I got a call from Bryan. He had been bitten/stung again. He was nervous and upset. I think that it really freaked him out. He called the doctor, followed her instructions, and he is ok. He was really scared though.
Two weeks of camp back to back is out! No more! They should be returning to Marathon by 1:00. Guess where I will be at 1:00.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Yeah, so today is pretty much the worst day I have had in a long time. (Yes, even worse than the drama at camp last week.) To start with, Bryan left me yesterday for four days. I hate being left alone. I will not stay at home by myself. Belle and I stayed with my Grandma last night. This morning we got up and went home. I worked on some Mission trip stuff and cleaned up a little (seriously, a little). Bryan needed me to drop some stuff off at the church so I left home at 2:00. I don't have to be at work until 3:00, so I gave myself more than enough time.
I am headed toward the interstate about 2 miles from my house and stop at a stop sign. I could feel my transmission grinding as I stopped and then again as I started to move. (My first car was a stick, so trust me, I know what grinding gears feel and sound like.) As I move through the intersection, the RPM are raising, but the speed is not. The more gas, the higher the RPM's go, but I am maxing out at 25mph. There are two cars behind me. I turned on the flashers and tried to make it to the gas station a mile or so away.
As I am moving toward the gas station, I try to call Bryan. My cell phone has been disconnected!!! Disconnected!!! This is a whole story in itself. I make it into the gas station parking lot and dig for change. I look around for a pay phone, not a one in sight. I go inside and still no luck. I try my phone again and still no luck. A lady is standing outside taking her smoke break and I ask her where the pay phone is. She tells me that they don't have one. As I tell her my problem and burst into tears another employee offers me her cell phone. (Thank you nice lady. I will reward you!)
I call my Bryan's dad only to hear that he is in NC. He tells me to wait there and he will send someone to get me. I ask the lady if I can make one more call. She agrees and I call Julie, one of my supervisors to let her know what is going on and that I will probably be late. Great! I had two new clients to meet with this afternoon for the first time. She knew it was bad when I burst into tears on the phone. I am not a crier. Let me emphasize, I am NOT a crier. Julie assured me that it would be ok. About 15 minutes later a strange man in my father-in-law's truck shows up to pick me up.
He took me home to get keys and then to Bryan's truck. I called the cell phone company and chewed a few people out. Taylor laughed at me and my phone now works. I hate my car and when Bryan comes home I am getting a new one!!!!!
I am headed toward the interstate about 2 miles from my house and stop at a stop sign. I could feel my transmission grinding as I stopped and then again as I started to move. (My first car was a stick, so trust me, I know what grinding gears feel and sound like.) As I move through the intersection, the RPM are raising, but the speed is not. The more gas, the higher the RPM's go, but I am maxing out at 25mph. There are two cars behind me. I turned on the flashers and tried to make it to the gas station a mile or so away.
As I am moving toward the gas station, I try to call Bryan. My cell phone has been disconnected!!! Disconnected!!! This is a whole story in itself. I make it into the gas station parking lot and dig for change. I look around for a pay phone, not a one in sight. I go inside and still no luck. I try my phone again and still no luck. A lady is standing outside taking her smoke break and I ask her where the pay phone is. She tells me that they don't have one. As I tell her my problem and burst into tears another employee offers me her cell phone. (Thank you nice lady. I will reward you!)
I call my Bryan's dad only to hear that he is in NC. He tells me to wait there and he will send someone to get me. I ask the lady if I can make one more call. She agrees and I call Julie, one of my supervisors to let her know what is going on and that I will probably be late. Great! I had two new clients to meet with this afternoon for the first time. She knew it was bad when I burst into tears on the phone. I am not a crier. Let me emphasize, I am NOT a crier. Julie assured me that it would be ok. About 15 minutes later a strange man in my father-in-law's truck shows up to pick me up.
He took me home to get keys and then to Bryan's truck. I called the cell phone company and chewed a few people out. Taylor laughed at me and my phone now works. I hate my car and when Bryan comes home I am getting a new one!!!!!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Reflections from one summer at youth camp
SURGE day 5
As we begin the 9 hour journey home, the thing that stands out to me the most is the call that we got in the ER. Sean (our media guy), called Bryan as we were waiting on the girls to be finished. He and another leader had gone outside the cafeteria to find all 54 of the remaining students holding hands in a circle praying for Bryan and the girls. The most amazing part was to hear who lead this gathering. Two students, a very exuberant boy and a soft spoken girl, lead the charge.
One of the most frustrating things in youth ministry is to see the potential in your students that they never see in themselves. This young man is one that a lot of people would give up on. He is sometimes out of control and can seem disrespectful at times (though, not intentional). His outgoing personality and charisma would make him an excellent leader if harnessed the right way. The young lady is a beautiful petite girl that is dealing with some family problems. She has a heart of gold and is more than willing to serve. She often blends in to the crowd because she is quiet and doesn’t force her way into view. She is strong and wise! She knows what it means to be a servant. Her style reminds me so much of the “still small” voice of God.
These two are some of the ones that we constantly pray for. We have wanted so badly for them to see what we see in them. We know that God has big plans for them and we want them to have confidence in that. I think our prayer was answered! Numerous kids have spoken up about how cool it was that they took the lead in that.
Overall, I would say that camp was a success and our kids are coming home passionate and wanting more.
Next time, God, can we do without the drama?
As we begin the 9 hour journey home, the thing that stands out to me the most is the call that we got in the ER. Sean (our media guy), called Bryan as we were waiting on the girls to be finished. He and another leader had gone outside the cafeteria to find all 54 of the remaining students holding hands in a circle praying for Bryan and the girls. The most amazing part was to hear who lead this gathering. Two students, a very exuberant boy and a soft spoken girl, lead the charge.
One of the most frustrating things in youth ministry is to see the potential in your students that they never see in themselves. This young man is one that a lot of people would give up on. He is sometimes out of control and can seem disrespectful at times (though, not intentional). His outgoing personality and charisma would make him an excellent leader if harnessed the right way. The young lady is a beautiful petite girl that is dealing with some family problems. She has a heart of gold and is more than willing to serve. She often blends in to the crowd because she is quiet and doesn’t force her way into view. She is strong and wise! She knows what it means to be a servant. Her style reminds me so much of the “still small” voice of God.
These two are some of the ones that we constantly pray for. We have wanted so badly for them to see what we see in them. We know that God has big plans for them and we want them to have confidence in that. I think our prayer was answered! Numerous kids have spoken up about how cool it was that they took the lead in that.
Overall, I would say that camp was a success and our kids are coming home passionate and wanting more.
Next time, God, can we do without the drama?
Part 3
SURGE day 4&5
It has finally arrived! The reason for all the drama.
In the four years that Bryan and I have been at Marathon, we have never had drama like this. We had never made a Dr. or ER visit. Nor had we ever had so many technical difficulties. None of it was in vain though. So much had happened at this point, you could help but laugh and sit back and anticipate what God was about to do.
We had a regular service that evening took a break and came back for a praise service. It was awesome! I have never seen the Spirit so evident in our kids as it was during that service. Many of our kids had never truly experienced worship before that night. God was moving in our kids. When it came time to stop for the evening, the kids didn’t want to leave.
Thursday night God showed up again. Bryan offered an invitation and gave the kids some time to pray on their on or with a leader. Our theme for the week was surrender. You could feel the burdens being lifted off our kids as they prayed with each other and got on their knees before God. So many of them are hurting and dealing with junk at home. You could see the sense of relief on their faces as they left that night knowing that they were surrendering. In that room overlooking the bay, they left all their baggage. Like our shirts say, they surrendered by the bay.
Now the real work begins. Reminding them that they left that stuff by the bay and they never have to come back to it. Pray for us and them!
One Summer at Youth Camp... (part 2)
SURGE day 3
We had a lot of technical difficulties today. Nothing wanted to cooperate. On top of that we made yet another round of Dr. and ER visits. Monday night while we were in the ER, Taylor cut his finger on a Tiki Torch. He was also in the midst of Capture the Flag when this went down. (Needless to say, Capture the Flag is banned from MSM, as well as, all other night games.) He was bleeding badly, but one of the ladies cleaned him up and bandaged it. Tuesday morning, it was still bleeding badly, so we decided he had to go to the Dr. One of our girls was not feeling well, so Pam checked her out and suspected Strep. We made an appointment for her at a Dr.’s office and took Taylor as well. The Dr. sent Taylor over to the ER, so I went with him. It was the same Dr. from the night before. He was quite amused to see me again. He took care of Taylor and we headed back to camp. Other than a migraine and a minor Excedrin o.d. no more drama. YEAH!
One summer at youth camp... (Part 1)
SURGE day 1&2
Saturday morning, Bryan and I met 6 other people at the church and loaded up for FL. We were going a day early to set up the equipment, buy groceries, etc. Sunday evening, 64 other people joined us including 56 high school students. We all arrived safely, YEAH! Monday was our first full day of camp. Things started out nicely and the weather was nice.
Our first incident happened just before dinner. Some of our boys were outside playing basketball in their flip flops. One boy got stepped on and his toenail got ripped off. It was rather bloody and nasty. Pam (our rookie nurse) and his parents, cleaned him up and bandaged it well. Later that evening, Taylor had a game of Capture the flag planned. After setting it up, Bryan and I started heading to the cafeteria when he said he felt funny like when he got stung before.
I began to rush him onto the cafeteria where Nurse Pam was. I caught her as she was leaving. She started attending to Bryan and I rushed to find a student with an Epi Pen since I couldn’t find Bryan’s. Pam called EMS and stuck him with the Epi Pen. EMS arrived very quickly, PRAISE the LORD! While they were working with Bryan, some of our leaders came running in with two of our girls pouring blood. The girls had head butted one another and busted their heads. We ended up in the ER with all 3 of them.
That was the quickest ER I have ever been to. It was a 15 or 20 minute trip to get there. Once we got there, we had not even finished signing in when the nurse took us back. The Dr. was really nice and he attended to all three of our patients. The girls required 11 and 14 stitches. It was insane! We knew God must be up to something.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Summer Camp, Oh Summer Camp...
Tomorrow it all begins. I love hanging out with the kids and it is so incredible to see how God moves at camp. However, I dread the process of getting there. Riding in the car is not my idea of fun. God enabled humans to create and fly planes for a reason. It is cruel and unusual punishment to require someone to sit in a car/bus/van for more than a couple of hours. At least in a plane you can get up and walk around, they provide you with snacks (at least they used to anyway), and there is a REAL bathroom readily available.
We are meeting a group of folks in the morning to head to FL. It is a 9 hour trip with no stops, so we figure about 11 hours. At least we are not in the bus with 60 screaming teenagers.
The following week, Bryan will do it all over again with the middle school students. Thankfully, he only has to drive to Pigeon Forge with those kids. Next month, we get to do the mega trip yet again with our mission trip to Memphis. That is another 9 hour (non stop) trip. It is well worth it!
On another note, camp will be a little more difficult this year. We are on pins and needles waiting for the call to bring home our baby. Also, this morning Bryan's uncle passed away. It was somewhat unexpected. We do not yet know about any arrangements, but Bryan was asked to do his Aunt's funeral and I expect that he will be asked to do this one. I am not really sure how that is going to work since he will be home only Saturday and Sunday and then gone again until the following Saturday. Please pray for his family.
We are meeting a group of folks in the morning to head to FL. It is a 9 hour trip with no stops, so we figure about 11 hours. At least we are not in the bus with 60 screaming teenagers.
The following week, Bryan will do it all over again with the middle school students. Thankfully, he only has to drive to Pigeon Forge with those kids. Next month, we get to do the mega trip yet again with our mission trip to Memphis. That is another 9 hour (non stop) trip. It is well worth it!
On another note, camp will be a little more difficult this year. We are on pins and needles waiting for the call to bring home our baby. Also, this morning Bryan's uncle passed away. It was somewhat unexpected. We do not yet know about any arrangements, but Bryan was asked to do his Aunt's funeral and I expect that he will be asked to do this one. I am not really sure how that is going to work since he will be home only Saturday and Sunday and then gone again until the following Saturday. Please pray for his family.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
I love my dog!
My sweet dog, Belle, is a big part of our family. She is part of the family. Many of our friends have pets that are also part of the family. It breaks my heart to think of anything ever happening to Belle. This is a big reason why it brothered me so badly when I learned about what actually happens to helpless animals.
About two years ago, I picked up a magazine and found an article that described what happens to lab animals. Since then, I have become much more aware of animal rights. I have done a lot of research about these practices and made an effort to not support companies that promote animal testing.
I don't claim to be a card carrying member of PETA by any means, but I am appalled by these practices. Don't worry, I am not going to be climbing into a dog kennel and holding signs to protest. (Yes, I have actually seen this in downtown Cincinnati.) I do want to make others aware of the cruelty that goes on. If you are not familiar with how animal testing works, you can see several videos on the PETA website, as well as other sites. Here is a link to one of the videos www.stopanimaltests.com/feat/testing123/index.asp
It is not easy to avoid animal tested products, unfortunately. You have to do a little research and be willing at times to pay a little more. When you consider your family pet, it is worth it! The website http://www.caringconsumer.com/ has a lot of great information and has lists of companies that do not use animal testing. I have found that Whole Foods is a safe bet for health and cleaning products that are safe. Also, the St. Ives brand of beauty aids and Every Man Jack brand are safe (available at Target, Walmart, Walgreens, Etc.).
I am not going to hunt you down, picket in front of your house, or inspect your products, but I would encourage you to educate yourself about this issue. Besides, most cruelty free products are made of all natural elements and are safer anyway.
About two years ago, I picked up a magazine and found an article that described what happens to lab animals. Since then, I have become much more aware of animal rights. I have done a lot of research about these practices and made an effort to not support companies that promote animal testing.
I don't claim to be a card carrying member of PETA by any means, but I am appalled by these practices. Don't worry, I am not going to be climbing into a dog kennel and holding signs to protest. (Yes, I have actually seen this in downtown Cincinnati.) I do want to make others aware of the cruelty that goes on. If you are not familiar with how animal testing works, you can see several videos on the PETA website, as well as other sites. Here is a link to one of the videos www.stopanimaltests.com/feat/testing123/index.asp
It is not easy to avoid animal tested products, unfortunately. You have to do a little research and be willing at times to pay a little more. When you consider your family pet, it is worth it! The website http://www.caringconsumer.com/ has a lot of great information and has lists of companies that do not use animal testing. I have found that Whole Foods is a safe bet for health and cleaning products that are safe. Also, the St. Ives brand of beauty aids and Every Man Jack brand are safe (available at Target, Walmart, Walgreens, Etc.).
I am not going to hunt you down, picket in front of your house, or inspect your products, but I would encourage you to educate yourself about this issue. Besides, most cruelty free products are made of all natural elements and are safer anyway.
Rule makers=Rule breakers
So today was election day. As a good citizen, I did my duty and went out to vote. Anyone that knows me very well knows that I am a black and white person. There is not a lot of gray with me, I am by the book. I firmly believe that rules were made for a reason, and it is in our best interest to abide by them. This factors in to my choice of political candidates.
Though I will not share my political choices, I will say that my husband and I didn't agree on many choices in this election. When I arrived at the poling location, there were 4 or 5 people standing outside the door. It appeared that they were catching up on the latest community news. As I approached the door, an older man grabbed the door and reached out to shake my hand. He introduced himself and said that he would appreciate my vote.
This totally rubbed me the wrong way (especially since I had intended to vote for this man)! If I am not mistaken, this is totally illegal. No one inside seemed to mind that this law maker was now the law breaker. To me this said a lot about this candidate's integrity. How can I trust this man to represent me and up hold the law, when he blatantly disregarded the law himself. I had to seriously consider if I still wanted to vote for this man.
Why can't people just follow the rules?
Though I will not share my political choices, I will say that my husband and I didn't agree on many choices in this election. When I arrived at the poling location, there were 4 or 5 people standing outside the door. It appeared that they were catching up on the latest community news. As I approached the door, an older man grabbed the door and reached out to shake my hand. He introduced himself and said that he would appreciate my vote.
This totally rubbed me the wrong way (especially since I had intended to vote for this man)! If I am not mistaken, this is totally illegal. No one inside seemed to mind that this law maker was now the law breaker. To me this said a lot about this candidate's integrity. How can I trust this man to represent me and up hold the law, when he blatantly disregarded the law himself. I had to seriously consider if I still wanted to vote for this man.
Why can't people just follow the rules?
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Understanding God's Plan
Someone was telling me about a girl that is facing an unplanned pregnancy. The person was talking about how tough this was going to be for this girl and that we need to pray for her. (I totally agree, it will be tough, and she needs our love and support.) That was followed by this statement, "this is not God's plan for her life."
I had a hard time with that. It really frustrated me and almost made me angry to hear that. Later that evening, Taylor, Bryan, and I talked about this idea that something happens outside of God's will or plan. Basically, we all agreed that this is not possible. If something is outside of God's plan, it can't happen! God is fully aware and in control of everything that goes on around us. No, it was not part of the perfect design for a child to be conceived out of wedlock. But, the way this comment was made, it sounded as if God had lost control and He was not aware that this was going to happen.
This whole situation made me really think and consider understanding God's will and God's plan for our lives. I couldn't help but think how that mindset made it seem that sweet child of God is not that at all, but a mistake. That is ridiculous! My God is completely in control. He allows us to make choices (yes, He knows what choice I am going to make and what will happen as a result) and to deal with the circumstances those choices bring.
Though I know this is not the ideal situation, I know that my God was fully aware of exactly what was going on and the results to follow. Think about it... if God is in control, can something really be outside of his plan?
I had a hard time with that. It really frustrated me and almost made me angry to hear that. Later that evening, Taylor, Bryan, and I talked about this idea that something happens outside of God's will or plan. Basically, we all agreed that this is not possible. If something is outside of God's plan, it can't happen! God is fully aware and in control of everything that goes on around us. No, it was not part of the perfect design for a child to be conceived out of wedlock. But, the way this comment was made, it sounded as if God had lost control and He was not aware that this was going to happen.
This whole situation made me really think and consider understanding God's will and God's plan for our lives. I couldn't help but think how that mindset made it seem that sweet child of God is not that at all, but a mistake. That is ridiculous! My God is completely in control. He allows us to make choices (yes, He knows what choice I am going to make and what will happen as a result) and to deal with the circumstances those choices bring.
Though I know this is not the ideal situation, I know that my God was fully aware of exactly what was going on and the results to follow. Think about it... if God is in control, can something really be outside of his plan?
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Lessons from a Boy Scout
We have hit the crazy season for us. We have already gone to 5 graduations. We missed one and have 2 more this weekend. On top of that we have had a couple of weddings and a special Boy Scout ceremony. And how could I forget graduation parties.
This past weekend my super precious cousin Katie graduated. I must take a moment to brag on her. Katie is an amazing young woman . She is beautiful, incredibly smart, athletic, and very Godly. Her family has been through a lot in the last couple of years and she has used this to strengthen her relationship with the Lord. She was in the top 10 of her class. She is amazing and I love her! Congrats Katie!
Also, this weekend, one of our students invited us to his Eagle Scout ceremony. He asked Bryan to be a part of the ceremony. Please understand that we know nothing about Boy Scouts, but we know that this is a huge honor that these boys work really hard for. This ceremony took on an unexpected meaning to us. Several weeks ago during AMP'd, Bryan told our students that we are adopting. After the service, Brad (the boy scout) came to us and shared that he and his sisters are adopted.
At the end of the ceremony, Brad added in a special part to honor his parents. It was so special! Brad talked about how special his parents are, how much he loves them, and how thankful he is for them. Under normal circumstances, this would have been sweet, and I would have thought it was nice. However, Bryan and I both lost it and cried like babies. Brad was so sincere and serious in what he was saying about his parents. We can only hope and pray that our son (wherever he is) will be able to say the same of us. I pray that we can make the same impact on our son that Brad's parents have had on him.
Thank you Brad! You just don't know how much that meant to us!
This past weekend my super precious cousin Katie graduated. I must take a moment to brag on her. Katie is an amazing young woman . She is beautiful, incredibly smart, athletic, and very Godly. Her family has been through a lot in the last couple of years and she has used this to strengthen her relationship with the Lord. She was in the top 10 of her class. She is amazing and I love her! Congrats Katie!
Also, this weekend, one of our students invited us to his Eagle Scout ceremony. He asked Bryan to be a part of the ceremony. Please understand that we know nothing about Boy Scouts, but we know that this is a huge honor that these boys work really hard for. This ceremony took on an unexpected meaning to us. Several weeks ago during AMP'd, Bryan told our students that we are adopting. After the service, Brad (the boy scout) came to us and shared that he and his sisters are adopted.
At the end of the ceremony, Brad added in a special part to honor his parents. It was so special! Brad talked about how special his parents are, how much he loves them, and how thankful he is for them. Under normal circumstances, this would have been sweet, and I would have thought it was nice. However, Bryan and I both lost it and cried like babies. Brad was so sincere and serious in what he was saying about his parents. We can only hope and pray that our son (wherever he is) will be able to say the same of us. I pray that we can make the same impact on our son that Brad's parents have had on him.
Thank you Brad! You just don't know how much that meant to us!
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