Race for Hope

Family and Friends,
 

July 2014 I started an internship with Vision of Hope in Lafayette, IN. VOH is a residential treatment center focused on helping young women overcome life dominating sins through Biblical counseling. I have a front row seat to see girls who come in with self-demeaning attitudes experience God’s love and start loving others. I have been challenged and come to the understanding that this job and anything I do is not about ‘I’. I thought I was being unselfish in my love, but sometimes my actions were motivated by what I could get out of it. I started out looking at my shifts as what I could do to fix problems, but that’s not my job description. I am to point the residents to the Truth in the Bible. In Acts 8, Phillip sat with the eunuch and told him the good news about Jesus. The most loving thing I can do for anyone I come in contact with is to be glorifying God with my life. I have been praying that I could see God in my interactions on shift and not do things for the approval of others. 

Vision of Hope’s program is set up so the girls are supervised throughout the day. I have four shifts a week where I help facilitate class, assign jobs for house cleaning, work meal prep, and answer questions during study hall. The ladies have one hour of counseling a week and then have homework to do to help them grow closer to God. When I am not working I have started volunteering at Faith Church. I help in the counseling department and have learned how to edit sermons. I have learned so much here and have built incredible relationships. I am so thankful to be at Vision of Hope.

One of Vision of Hope's biggest fundraisers is Race for Hope. This race is a 10k run or 5k run/walk around Lafayette. The money raised from Race for Hope will be used to keep the VOH program free and living expenses for the residents affordable. Each staff, intern, and resident will be a team captain. Each of us has a goal of raising $1000.

 

I would like to invite you to join my Race for Hope Team: The Mercy Empowered Givers (MEG). The way you can help me the most is to join my team.  You can come here for the fun event on June 13th, you can walk or run in your area any day or time, or you can even be a “virtual walker” and just ask friends and family to sponsor you online.  The cost to join my team is $25 and you will receive a T-shirt. I would love to have your support.  You can join my team by going here.

 

If you are unable to join my team but would rather sponsor me by giving a donation you can do that here, or you can mail a check to Vision of Hope, 5652 Mercy Way, Lafayette, IN  47923.  Please make checks payable to Faith Ministries and include my name in the memo. 

 

Thank you for all your prayers,

Why I love Jesus

I am blessed by the ladies I work with! This week one of them shared with me what she is learning in her devotions. She wrote me a note of why she loves Jesus today, with scripture to back up each item. She said, "I feel like I've fallen in love with Jesus all over again. It is like rediscovering the most beautiful, passionate relationship there is to man. When you start looking for reasons why you love Jesus you won't be able to stop seeing it." Now we are constantly seeing blessings instead of things that are just not working out our way.

Our list is…

2 Samuel 22:47 Our God lives!

The beautiful reminder that our sins have been washed white as the snow outside
2 Samuel 22:31 God can be trusted
Ephesians 1:4-5 Before creation God chose us to be His daughters
Romans 8:15 We don’t have to fall back into fear
Romans 8:31-39 Nothing can separate us from Him
1 Corinthians 6:20 He paid the cost for us
He cast our sins as far as the east is from the west
He is infallible and He thinks of everything
We deserve Hell and there is nothing good in us
Christ goes before us
Galatians 2:20 He was crucified for me
Isaiah 26:3-4 He is trustworthy, perfect peace, and everlasting rock
2 Chronicles 20:12 He can fix our eyes on Him and He will overcome
God is always good and I am always loved
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 He is the one true God
Laminations 3:23 He is faithful
He loves me because He loves me
We are surrounded by people who love us
John 1:14-16 We have received gift upon gift
He is out pursuer
He is all we need
Psalm 16:2 The is no good but God
He created us with enough understanding to accept His love
Jeremiah 32:17 Nothing is too hard for Him
We can cast our cares on Him
Genesis 16:13-14 He is omniscient and is in total control over all things
I am constantly made aware of how messed up I am and how good He is
The sunrise this morning
The Gospel is why we love, why we have peace, and why we can choose joy

The start of the journey

The other interns are great! We have been discovering each others' passions and interests. It has been incredible to have people who are going through the same new situations as me and others who remember what it was like when they first got here and can help guide us. 

We have had fun exploring Lafayette together; going to art in the park one night and another time just walking around downtown. We have gone to different small groups together and met new people at Faith. And sometimes we spend a night together just watching Netflix.

I have been thinking through many ways to try and explain what my experiences here have been like so far. At times being on-shift vs. being off-shift can seem like a completely separate life, but I am here to guide the residents through their day and learn about biblical counseling. I guess I can explain it by saying in every situation I am reminded of God's Truth and His love for us.

More stories to come...but I wanted to check in with you and say thank you for your prayers towards this next year!

Living with kids

Me and Ronyka

Abed and Me

During my time in Haiti I lived with two children. Abed is a year and a half and Ronyca is five. I got to watch them grow and learn new things in the six months I lived in their home. Here are some short stories of our time together.

After Abed got comfortable having me in his home we would make faces at each other; sticking out and curling our tongues.

One time when Irma was getting water for Abed there must have been some water in the lid of his bottle because when she popped it off water went all over his face. He didn't cry though and she didn't notice, which was the funniest part. No one else saw.

One Saturday afternoon Abed was bouncing a phone and hit himself in the head. He laughed at first then realized it kind of hurt. He started to rub his head and look around to see if anyone else noticed. We made eye contact and I just shook my head. He stopped and shook his head too and went on playing.

Pop comes in glass bottles. (There are plastic bottles and cans but glass bottles are cheapest because you trade in your empty bottle for a full one.) After I was done with my 7up one evening I started blowing over the top of it. Abed and Ronyca thought it was the best thing. They were both laughing for awhile. Abed tried to blow too. The next time I had a 7up and the kids were around I blew over it at different intervals while I was drinking to make different pitches in sound.

I was sitting on the ground eating a bowl of rice and peas when Abed tripped over my foot. The rice and spoon in my hand went flying everywhere when I tried to catch him. He wasn't hurt. It was really funny and no one else saw. I got a broom to clean up the rice.

Ronyca was running and throwing herself onto my lap with her arms around my shoulders. Abed wanted to do it too. He tried but isn't quite tall enough so he just ended up running in between my legs. 

Vonnie was giving Ronyca a bath. She opened a new package of soap and threw the package on the ground to pick up later. Abed picked up the trash and put it where the trash is supposed to go.

Ronyca uses toys to put on make-up like she sees the women in the house doing. We pretended to wash clothes, eat, wash dishes, ride in a boat, watch a movie, and take communion together. It took me a while to figure out we were taking communion. It doesn't matter what culture you are in, the kids watch the adults to learn how things are done. The same way the kids watched and learned I did as well.

Ronyka, Me, and  Goneas

Sometimes after church Goneas would come over to play. She is around Ronyca's age and goes to Agape school so she knows me. One day the four of us played soccer in the main room. Goneas used my flip flops to mark where the goal was. I was the goalie and the three kids kicked the ball away from each other to try and score.

Saying Good-bye

I am getting on a plane tomorrow morning. I said good-bye to the kids in Mirebalais and they gave me pictures they drew. We had snacks and a party at Agape on Friday to say good-bye to the kids there. For my last time teaching all 25 of them crowded around me just like to first day of school, except this time they all knew the English words for the things I pointed to in the books. 

Some of the girls at church gave me hair clips. I said good-bye to the congregation and Martin translated for me. I told them how much I would miss them and how thankful I am for their kindness and generosity. The ladies from choir presenting me with a gift. I also received something from the youth group. This afternoon two of the guys from youth that I have become closest with, came over to say their good-byes. Martin and his family came over for dinner and we had a feast, including cake! 

This was under the best circumstances I could have had for being immersed in a culture. I had a month before school started to learn how things functioned around the house; like cooking and laundry. I was able to meet with some guys for language learning. Once school started I felt comfortable around the teachers because they were some of the ladies I lived with. I was able to understand the kids a little and not feel completely overwhelmed. I’m glad I was here for six months to see change take place. A couple of houses on my street were built. I was able to see Abed learn new things and Ronika become more comfortable playing with me.

Thank you for taking this journey with me. I know it was because of your prayers that I had such a successful time here. I will be speaking at a few Sunday school classes and churches when I return. If you are available to sit and talk for 5 minutes or 50 I would love to share more with you in person if it’s possible. I am certainly not done processing everything God had taught me here. I plan on still posting more about Haiti and what I am going to do with my life when I get back home. 

When helping hurts

This summer I have been reading a lot of books to prepare for Haiti.  One in particular I thought I would share my thoughts on with you. I have heard a lot of great things about When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert and have been told many times I should read it. So I found a copy and want to share with you today what I have learned.

I found the theme of this book to be poverty alleviation. I really like the definitios they give . First, looking as poverty being more than material poor they say, poverty alleviation is the ministery of reconciliation: moving people closer to glorifying God by living in right relationship with God, with self, with others, and with the rest of creation. 

They also give a definition of material poor alleviation as working to reconcile the four foundational relationships so that people can fulfill their callings of glorifying God by working and supporting themselves and their familes with the fruit of that work.

There are three steps to this process: relief, rehabilitation, and development.  No one can do all three. The point is to find out what you do best and what the people you are trying to help need. I wanted to be a part of the relief effort in Haiti, but it is too late for that now. They need to be moving into the rehabilitation and development stages. In these stages they don't necessarily need my money to build up their community. It is now about working on building that third relationship, with others, working together and helping each other.
After reading this book I have formed some goals for my time in Haiti:

• To build realationships with the kids I will be living with
• To teach the youth at the church about God
• To build relationships with the women I interact with on a daily basis 
• To be seen positively in the community

P.S. I am 52% funded, if you would like to give you can here

P.P.S. I have a friend who is planning on going to Egypt for nine months to minister to the Muslim community but with everything going on there right now he doesn't know if that trip will still be able to happen. Please pray that God will lead him to where He wants work done.

What I've learned...

It’s a new year and my last semester working as a Staff Intern at the Campus House. This week I have spent some time remembering my time here. I started writing down everything I have learned, first to see and acknowledge all God has grown in me, but also to recognize how I can be more intentional in my last semester.

What I have learned:

I enjoy reading not just for pleasure but also for knowledge.

In order to build more connections I have to speak what I am thinking.

Others need to be praised for their willingness to help.

Even when I overall loved my job there were some things that were frustrating and I did not like doing, but that’s ok. 

“Good” is not an acceptable answer. You have to share what made it good.

My supporters want to hear about what I am doing. I have to share as much in newsletters as I do in real life.

Ministry happens in the interruptions.

Just because I didn’t get everything crossed off my list doesn’t mean it wasn’t a successful day.

Budget and you will have the money you need when you need it.

The only way to hear someone’s story is to ask them to tell it.

Others do not process or view things the same way I do. I cannot force them to enjoy the same things I do.

Others need to be praised for their abilities.

Just because plans change doesn’t mean I have to wait until they are final to share them with others.

When you want to give up, don’t. Afterwards you will feel like you can do anything.

Looking at Pinterest and listening to a sermon is a good use of my multi-tasking skills.

 Everything doesn’t need to be fixed.

There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to make a Wednesday night happen.

Group projects were not just a school thing. Every project I work on I get input from everyone else to make it better.

Understand sometimes it is physically impossible for me to do it all.

How to delegate and have patience with those I delegate to.

In order to hear someone’s story I have to ask the right questions.

Leadership Team Retreat

Last week we took our leadership team on a retreat to prepare for the year. This was the first year we planned our own retreat. It went wonderfully. Of course there were things that we will be changing for next year but for the most part we accomplished what we set out to do. We grew in closer relationship with each other, we set out the vision for the year, and we had fun! I am so excited for the group of students we have this year. They are ready and willing to help new students feel welcome, get connected, and grow in a deeper relationship with God.


During some free time a night we played some games



We went to the City Museum in St. Louis

There were things to climb on and slide down



There was a ball pit to play in

Some of us played softball with a paper ball at the church we stayed at



The girls were excited when they made it around the bases!



We spent one night in St. Charles looking at the shops
and eating a meal out

Haiti

"I don't want to glance over poverty because I have seen it before. I don't want to overlook those I encounter because I think I already understand. I don't want to ignore what is right in front of my face because I feel like they hold lessons I've already learned." -Alece

This was my fourth trip to the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission in Saint Louis du Nord, Haiti. The Northwest is the poorest region in Haiti; I saw this more this time than any other trip. Our team of 15 people traveled six hours by school bus from Port au Prince to Saint Louis. We arrived around 10:00 at night. We blew up air mattresses and found sheets and pillows while trying not to wake everyone else that were already in bed. When we took our second flight into Haiti the plane was full so we had to check our second carry on at the door. We didn’t see those bags again until Saturday, the seventh day of the trip. God taught us all many things from not having everything we thought we would need for the trip. A few of us had all their things so we shared and did laundry frequently. Not many teams can come back saying they went shopping at a Haitian market for underwear.

I was worried and didn’t want to put too much expectation on seeing some of the Haitians I had met last year. A lot of the interpreters only work for one summer or just a few weeks at a time. Anything could happen in a year since I last saw the boys who stand outside the mission selling bracelets. I was so excited when I saw Rodlen. He came up and gave me a hug when I was playing with some younger kids in the nutrition program. He told me he got to attend school this past year and I noticed he had on a lot nicer clothes on. I didn’t see him for the next couple of days and the other boys said he was sick. But he came running up to me again when we were watching the soccer game.

Every afternoon at the church across the street the mission teaches an English class. A few of our girls went every day. I went once to the beginner class and once to the advanced. In the beginner class we were paired up and helped our partner read through a children’s book. We then asked them to retell us the story to make sure they understood what they were reading. In the advanced class they have been reading through “Hatchet”. Melissa, the teacher, wrote out vocabulary and explained each word. It put in perspective for me how hard it is to explain the meaning of words we use all the time. I was partnered with Tony. He was a really good reader and when Melissa asked a question I was proud of him for the answer he gave. I talked with a few of the other guys as well, Sonny and Taylor. Some of the interpreters for the mission grow up going to an English speaking school but these guys are taking this class so that hopefully soon they can start working at the mission.

At the mission we have devos in the morning and at night. Some of the guys and girls from our team lead worship every night. I don’t think if I can describe the difference between worshiping staring at the mountains with the wind blowing compared to standing in straight rows, inside, staring at the words to the songs on the screen. It was incredible.

My Bible was in my second carry on. I couldn’t use my phone for any sort of daily Bible reading. Even being on a mission trip where the point is to commune with God all day and with devos twice a day I wanted more than anything to be in God’s Word. This past year I went through the James Bible study by Beth Moore. I memorized James 1 so for seven days that was the Word of God that I had and I can’t even count how many times I repeated it.

When people talk about mission trips, and changing the world, and sharing the gospel, and giving to the poor, the glorified stories that come are about relationships made and kids held but there are things that happen behind the scenes that make all of that possible. A few days we stayed at the mission and did projects they needed to get done. The church across the street needed to be repainted. First though the current paint had to be scraped off the concrete walls. When you sign up to go to Haiti this isn’t one of the things you picture yourself doing, but our team had good attitudes and started scraping. After about two hours there were 15 eyelevel, about 2’x2’ patches of exposed concrete on the brown walls. Each team worked on the church while we were there and by the end of the summer the teams will be able to start painting.

The grocery ministry is when you go to the market and buy a bag of groceries, pick a house at random and ask if they need groceries today, then ask if you can pray with them. We bought three bags and had passed out the first two. We arrived at an intersection in the road. Someone yelled out left so we turned and stopped at the first house we came to. I figured this house got stopped at a lot and we should go down further down the road but the woman told us she was the grandmother of the house. Her daughter travels an hour one-way to work every day. The grandmother takes care of the kids at home. She told us how the day before someone had stolen her money so she couldn’t buy food for the day. All they had eaten was the fruit growing from the tree in their yard.

 The brothel in Saint Louis is walking distance from the mission. The girls on our team went and met the women in the common area with their kids. I shared a story from 2 Kings 11. I wanted to share a story about a woman who followed God but is also lesser known. Even growing up in church I don’t remember hearing any stories about Jehosheba. She saved the heir to the Israelite kingdom. She didn’t have any power in the kingdom but knew that the boy needed to be protected. We may not think we can do great things or we are beautiful but when we think those things it breaks God’s heart because we are his daughters and he calls us beautiful and created us to do great things. A team went to the brothel every day and on our final day we invited the women to the mission for a Princess Party. We decorated the chapel and had cookies and muffins. The women received jewelry and decorated crowns. More teams shared what it means to be daughters of the King. I think the women really enjoyed it.

The Neighbor’s Project is where a church in America partners with a church in Haiti. A group from a church in Fredericksburg, VA traveled to the church in Berger, Haiti every day. I had the opportunity to join them for two days. The church in Berger is a tarp attached to the pastor’s house held up by bamboo poles. The group from VA was able to provide a tin roof for the church. Amazingly, maybe for the first time in history, the roof was on before church on Sunday. After Sunday service the team brought water purifying systems to pass out to twelve families. They were so easy to use I was able to help pass them out and show how to use them.

A lot of the times when we show up at a church a lot of young kids come to hear a Bible story and receive a snack. In Berger we had the chance to talk with the teens on a deeper level and gave them a change for them to ask us questions. It was encouraging to see so many show up and have questions for us.

We traveled to Anse a Foleur, where the voodoo temple is. The Haitians who worship at the temple believe in the God we know but also offer sacrifices to spirits they believe protect, heal, and seek revenge on their behalf. We view the temple and walk to the monument to pray for the one true God and truth to be revealed to these people.

On our last day we went Hut to Hut asking if we could talk with and pray for people. Our whole team went which can be intimidating so a few of us stood back at each house. At one house I was standing back from a man from a neighboring house came out and asked what we were doing. We told him and he told us his name was Gin asked if we could pray for him. Of course! He invited us into his home and introduced us to his wife, Finel, and new baby, Jaylen. After we finished praying we put TOMS on Jaylen’s feet. Haiti received 100,000 pairs of TOMS and 30,000 went to Northwest Haiti Christian Mission. My backpack was full of little kids shoes we were able to deliver to many families that day.

We were supposed to arrive back in America around midnight Thursday morning. God had other plans. Our plane from Port de Paix to Port au Prince was late so we missed our flight from Port au Prince to Newark. This isn’t the first time anyone has been delayed in Haiti; we were in good hands with the mission. They knew what hotel to take us to and bought us hamburgers and French fries for dinner. We stayed at Coconut Villa. I was surprised at how nice it was. They had a pool to swim in! I saw a lot more of Port au Prince than I had ever seen before. Contrasted with the Northwest region, everyone living in the capital looks like they are living the “good life” even though they are poorer than both you and I.  

Spring Break part 2

We are home and back to work and school.

In Tennessee, God's creation was beautiful and the weather was perfect. The most repeated things students keep saying is how awesome it was that they could be themselves on this trip and were accepted. So many friendships were made this past week. I pray they continue and spread to others in our community.

At the beginning of our trip on Sunday morning we went to Crossings in Knoxville. Caleb taught on the book of Luke. Mark and Caleb came during the week and taught through the book of Nehemiah. I learned a lot and thought I would share a thought from my notes with you.

On Sunday I heard a parable I have heard probably a hundred times (and you probably have too), but this time I heard something differently. Luke 19:11- 24 says,
And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.

By investing the money, the first and second servant were telling their master, the nobleman, they believe he will become king and they want him to become king. Because if he hadn't become king the servants would have lost the money. This isn't just a story about how to invest what God has given you. Jesus wants to know if you will risk everything and bet on him. Do you have the courage to risk what God has given you?

Here are a few picture from the trip...


Hiking to Chimny Tops



Just Dance



Knoxville

Spring Break

Last Saturday a group of 33 students and staff  left Warrensburg, MO headed for the a cabin in the Smoky Mountains in Pigeon Forge, TN. In the past three days we have gone shopping in Knoxville, taken a four mile hike to the top of Chimney Tops, white water rafted down Pigeon River, and played Just Dance. It has been a great trip of building community.

 Mark Nelson from Crossings Knoxville has come up each night to take us through the book of Nehemiah.  He has asked us some challenging questions requiring more than a one-word easy answer. Students are processing trough and asking each other to share their thoughts.

Pictures and more posts to come…

Support Raising

I wanted to thank Raytown Christian Church for letting me come and speak with them this past Saturday. I had the opportunity to show a presentation about what I am doing as an intern at CCH to about 40 adults in my Grandpa and Grandma’s Sunday school class. There was a great response to what I had to say. I had a great time telling more people about the work I am doing. I hope to meet with more small groups and individuals in the future.

What can I do to change the world?

The last week of break, which would have been the first week of January, I lead the Grow trip to Kansas City, MO. I started planning this trip back before school started last August. I didn’t think I would have to plan too much since I had found a place where we could stay and they would be finding the places we would be serving at around the city. I still remember the day I got the email we could not stay with them because it would be winter and they would need the space in their facility to house people who were living on the streets and didn’t have a warm place to stay.

I had to put this trip in God’s hands. I asked Him to make it possible for us to go to the places He wanted us at. Several times I got so frustrated planning this trip I wanted to cancel it. But God is good and He made this trip possible.

First a rundown of all the places we went:

Harvesters- A clearinghouse for the collection and distribution of food.  We packaged cans of sauces, beans, soups, meats, tuna, and peanut butter. It was a great place to start. The team worked well together and got to know each other.

Youthfront’s Something to Eat- One of our alumni works here and lead us through the process of packaging meals made up of soy, vitamin powder, dried vegetables, and rice to be sent to the horn of Africa.

Holy Family House- A Catholic worker movement house serving evening meals. We ate, talked, and built relationships with the men and women who were there for a warm meal.

Operation International Children- We packaged bags of school supplies for kids in Afghanistan.

Mother’s Refuge- A safe place for pregnant teens to come and live and learn how to be a good mother. We helped move all the donations they received for Christmas into the shed and had a chance to talk with a few of the teen mothers who live there.

Cherith Brook- Another Catholic worker house serving meals and providing morning showers four days a week. Half of our team went Thursday night to have family dinner with the community. The other half went Friday morning to have breakfast and help facilitate shower rotations and pass out clothes in the clothes closet.

Hillcrest Transitional Housing Thrift Store- This organization provides housing for low-income families as well as a high-quality place to shop. We sorted a room full of trash bags of clothes that were donated.

I posted more pictures on Facebook.

One thing I was worried about as being the leader of this trip was that everyone who went would “get something out if it.” That really wasn’t my responsibility though. That was up to God to work on their hearts and open up their eyes. And he did just that. There were a total of eight of us that went on this trip. It was so exciting to see that moment when it clicked in someone’s mind when they realized what they could do to make a difference in the world. Since all of these places are only about an hour away everyone seemed to be excited about being able to come back and keep building relationships with the people they met.

I was so worried about making sure that everyone else had a good experience I almost forgot about God showing up in my life. Holy Family House and Cherith Brook are both apart of the Catholic Worker movement. This movement was started by Dorothy Day during the Great Depression. She proposed the idea that every Perish should have a hospitality house. If there were people in the neighborhood that needed a meal or a place to stay the hospitability house would provide for their needs. Now there are over 200 houses in the US and more several in other countries as well. In Missouri there are two in Kansas City and one in St. Louis.

Three people live at the Holy Family house and nine live at Cherith Brook. They live in community together which means they share everything. It is a simple was to live. At Cherith Brook they are also becoming self-sustaining. They have a garden, chickens and bees. The three main values of the Catholic Worker movement are Community, Mercy, and Peacemaking. I left this trip with the conviction that there needs to be one in Warrensburg. I don’t know what that will look like but God knows so that’s enough.  

A day in the life of...ME

I realized while talking with my family last night that many of you may get to hear me tell stories of exciting things going on here at the campus house or you may receive my monthly newsletter and read about the highlights from the month, but most of you may not know what I do on a daily basis. So I thought I would share with you what my day usually looks like.

First off, I need to say that no two days look the same. So I will give you an idea of what I have done and still plan to do today.   

For our upcoming Grow Trips I am creating a daily devotional. When I went to Haiti this past summer the mission sent me a booklet containing a daily devotional  and it changed my experience of the trip. Coming into this year I knew I wanted to provide something similar for the students of CCH. This morning I worked on it a little more. I am designing the booklet in InDesign. I’m not completely satisfied with the cover yet but it is coming along. I am laying out the text as well. I asked the staff and some students for some input on what they thought students needed to know and be intentionally thinking about on a mission trip.

I am leading the Grow Trip to Kansas City over Christmas break. I emailed a few more people trying to finalize our plans for the week. I also looked up each of the places we are for sure going to on a map and none of them are more than 30 minutes away from each other. So that’s great because I don’t want to spend the entire trip driving from place to place. God is working everything out, just a lot more slowly than what I would have wanted.

I took a break and did some reading in I Once Was Lost by Don Everts and Doug Schaupp. One of the students I meet with weekly and I are reading through it and discussing it.

I worked on a few things for vision week, which is coming up in two weeks. Vision week is a time we set aside and cancel all our activities. We transform the basement into a place where students can come and meet with God through different means. Last year a few places we created were a place where students could let go of their worries, a place to pray for the world, and a place to reflect on beauty. This year the areas will be different and all centered on the picture of Shalom. Shalom being wholeness, completeness, rightness, the way God intended.

Usually for lunch on Tuesdays I go to Planet Sub ($2.50 turkey on Tuesday) with one of the girls on the leadership team. We share life together. We talk about everything. Hopefully I am able to answer questions she has about school or relationships or whatever is going on in her life.

This afternoon I will meet with another girl on the leadership team. We usually sit outside on campus since it has been so nice but soon we are going to have to move inside to the Union or something. Her community group meets on Tuesday night so we go through what she has prepared and I give her any thoughts I have. We talk about anything and everything as well. I love the time I get to spend with these girls.  

I hope this gives you a better picture of what I do here at the Christian Campus House.

Community

My main ministry is the work I do at CCH but on Wednesday mornings I go to a women’s Bible study at one of the churches in town, Northside. We are going through the book The Shelter of God’s Promises by Sheila Walsh. We sit in table groups of about eight ladies at each table and discuss the promise for the week.

Personally, I have really enjoyed this time because I have been able to interact with women in the community who I would otherwise not see. In my group there are women in all stages of life. There’s me, a newly graduate of college, few are new mothers and a few are grandmothers. Likewise we are all in different stages in our spiritual lives. One woman started following Christ later on in her life but because of how broken she was before she met Christ she has a lot to share and teach us. Another woman just started coming to Northside because her son said his friends from school went there and so he wanted to go there too. Another woman found Christ and her husband saw a change in her and wanted to know what had happened, so for years now instead of pretending they are Christians who went to church every Sunday they live their life for Christ. Another woman grew up in church like me; her and her husband went to a Christian college together. I may be the youngest but since I work at the Christian Campus House everyone seems to assume I know the most.

Our conversation usually starts out talking about the promise for the week. This morning it was the promise of hope, Hebrews 13: 5-6. In the process of our talking we start asking different questions and the topic moves from hope to actually knowing if God is there when you are praying to Him to how to forgive, to eating right, to Halloween to Christmas to being a good wife.  

I have left challenged every week to search for answers to their questions. I pray every week when I am sitting at the table for the Holy Spirit to give me words to say to speak truth into these women’s lives. Sheila said this morning to tell the truth, don’t hide what God is doing in your life, someone needs to hear about it.

This Saturday night I drove to Joplin to volunteer with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. They were building 7 houses in 7 days. I heard about volunteering through one of the students whose hometown is near Joplin. By the time I had a chance to sign up the night sifts were the only shifts available so I decided since this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity to work from 8pm-2am.  A few days before, I got online to get instructions and maps of what to do and where to park and that sort of thing. It said to get there an hour before your sift started. So I left Warrensburg around 4 and didn’t have any problems getting there. I eventually found the parking lot and asked the shuttle driver if I was in the right spot. He told me of another parking lot that was closer to the sight. I found my way to the sight, which is across from the hospital that was hit really bad. I could see a few houses that no longer had roofs and looked untouched from when the tornado came through.

The 7 houses are in a row on the street. I guess I expected cookie cutter houses, where they all look the same. But in front of each house was a large poster of the family and the theme of the house. There is the cabin house, the dollhouse, the eco house, etc. That impressed me, that even though they were building houses for families who where struck by natural disaster it was not just about providing them with shelter, the team took the time to listen to what the family wanted in a home.

My first job was sweeping the floor and picking up the plastic and cardboard the kitchen cabinets were wrapped in. It’s like how they show on TV where everyone looks to just be running around but they all know what they need to be doing. My next job was raking. Some volunteers were digging in the front yard for irrigation. I raked the rocks out of the yard and into the street. Then when the bobcat brought fresh rock-free dirt we raked it evenly over the yard. House 6’s yard will look the best!

I met a few people who were volunteering. There was a couple from California, Missouri, a woman from Kirksville, and some college girls from MSU. In the volunteer tent there was a 6’x8’ map of the United States and we were asked to put a piece of string from Joplin to where we were from. This map had some many pieces of string on it from cities all over the US!

In case you were worrying. I didn’t stay until 2 and then make the drive back to Warrensburg. I think I left around 12:30 and fell right to sleep when I got home.