It is 2:00pm on Wednesday, and we are at 12 inches of snow and rising! There is a group on Facebook right now of about 284,000 people who are experiencing what they call "Snowpocalypse 2011"... an ice and snow storm of "epic proportions." It is certainly more snow than I have seen at one time, so I think maybe I deserve to get the marketed "I survived snowpocalypse" t-shirt. This snow and ice could be a bad thing, but we have thankfully retained power at I-house, and we girls (Pam, Kelsey, Hannah and I) are fortunately quite creative when we put our heads together. It started yesterday morning when we had ginger waffles, chocolate chip pancakes, and strawberry bread (all compliments of our dear moms!) for breakfast. Then we all ended up at I-house and we are still here! In the last 24 hours, we have...
- baked chocolava cookies - crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside... oh, so messy to make but so delicious to eat!
- eaten chocolava cookies - see previous comment
- watched three movies - what do you watch on snowy days? we watch light-hearted romantic comedies!
- watched guys clear the I-house parking lot - using a snowblower and a lawn mower with a plow, they cleared the lot, but now you can't even tell they were here. About as amusing as the movies, and they showed off a bit because they knew they had a good audience.
- listened to awesome music - Kelsey's CD pack is surprisingly full of music that Kevan would highly approve, so we have a great endless playlist.
- crocheted/knitted various things - Kelsey's working on a scarf, Hannah's working on something mysterious, and I'm working on tea cup cozies.
- drunk seven cups of tea - well, I have, anyway...
- made a midnight run to Subway/Walmart - well, Pam and Kelsey did anyway... When you crave a sandwhich, what else can you do... good thing that snow plow guy was there to dig them out of the parking lot!
- spent the night in big blankets on the couches - snug as bugs in rugs... and we woke up at 10:00am. And it was still snowing.
- made an amazing brunch - of scrambled eggs and pancakes made with French vanilla creamer instead of milk. Yes, they were incredible.
Later today we're gonna make snowmen and possibly snow cream! I'm so glad that, even though it may be the end of the world, buried in snow and ice, bereft of milk and bred, I have great friends to spend this snowpocalypse with.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
I would go 69,000 miles...
"There is no place I'd rather be, God is alive and works in me
Yesterday is old and gone, and tomorrow we'll have to see,
But for today - oh, today there is no place, no place I'd rather be..."
About three years ago this week, I bought my Chevy Uplander (ok, so it is a van), a frost blue beast that I named Jack. My previous purple monkey of a van was a homebody, so he had to be retired because he didn't jive with my adventurous dreams and wandering tendencies. So when I got Jack, my plan was to spend all my miles travelling around the country. I love roadtrips, and since I’ve had Jack, I have been to and through a lot of states. In fact, this trip to Indiana was just supposed to be a grand roadtrip adventure for a summer, to check off one more state and see if there really was more than corn here. And I found out there is.
Yesterday is old and gone, and tomorrow we'll have to see,
But for today - oh, today there is no place, no place I'd rather be..."
About three years ago this week, I bought my Chevy Uplander (ok, so it is a van), a frost blue beast that I named Jack. My previous purple monkey of a van was a homebody, so he had to be retired because he didn't jive with my adventurous dreams and wandering tendencies. So when I got Jack, my plan was to spend all my miles travelling around the country. I love roadtrips, and since I’ve had Jack, I have been to and through a lot of states. In fact, this trip to Indiana was just supposed to be a grand roadtrip adventure for a summer, to check off one more state and see if there really was more than corn here. And I found out there is.
 |
| Beginning of February 2008 - Winston-Salem, NC |
Friday night, Jack travelled his 69,000th mile. And it wasn't past the burning fields of Kansas or over the majestic Colorado Rockies or across the marshy wetlands of Louisiana. I don't think either of us ever imagined we would cross this milestone by dropping off one of our Somoli youth at her apartment on the southside of Fort Wayne after a crazy teenage girls night out. See, God decided that he would extend my little Indiana roadtrip indefinitely... he didn't want Jack and I to just whiz through and see the sights and take some photos; he wanted us to roll around in the slushy snow of this town... he wanted to bring Jack and me here to experience a different life and delve into relationships, to see where these kids live and what reality is like for them. And I'm just starting to "get my wheels dirty." I know at times it won't be easy, but I know I'm where I'm supposed to be right now... here with these kids in this ministry.
 |
| End of January 2011 - Fort Wayne, IN |
It took a lot of miles and a lot of days to get here… a lot of questions and doubt and uncertainty about where this road was leading me. And yes, my road-tripping days are not done - I hope Jack has another 69,000 miles in him because I still want to see the burning fields in Kansas and the majestic Colorado Rockies - but for today, oh, today there is no place, no place I'd rather be.
Friday, January 28, 2011
The Beautiful Chaos
"Chaos" seems to be our buzz word when it comes to anything related to youth night... whether it is toaster ovens, mousetraps, plungers, lollipops, or just getting teenagers loaded on a bus. This Wednesday was our first youth night of the semester, and the moment the kids came in the door I could feel the chaos rising. Everyone talking at top volume at once, everyone moving at top speed at once, energy levels so electric that our group of fifteen kids could have lit up the city of Fort Wayne.
That kind of energy is hard to find in the American church and in your average Joe-Christian, and I've seen it often frowned upon as reckless behavior that needs to be controlled or contained. But I don't think that's the heart of God - I think he actually creates that energy and allows certain chaos to ensue in order to express how wild and uninhibited is his joy and love for us. I think the true challenge of youth leaders is not to calm the youth down, but to find out how to channel their energy into good things, things that will positively impact the kids themselves and change the world for the better... things that bring glory to God.
In the midst of chaos, the kids got their homework done, we got to have great group discussions with the boys and girls seperately, they listened to some great music, we played some great teamwork games, and after lavishing hugs and words of encouragement on them the kids piled back on the bus knowing - KNOWING - they are truly loved. In the midst of chaos, they experienced Jesus walking with them through math problems, listening to and valuing their opinions, laughing with them and sharing life with them to know them more personally, wrapping his arm around their shoulders and telling them they are amazing.
Probably any random stranger who peeked in through the window that night would have shaken their head at the obvious ruckus and volume. But even in the midst of that beautiful chaos, God - in all his crazy love - was there.
That kind of energy is hard to find in the American church and in your average Joe-Christian, and I've seen it often frowned upon as reckless behavior that needs to be controlled or contained. But I don't think that's the heart of God - I think he actually creates that energy and allows certain chaos to ensue in order to express how wild and uninhibited is his joy and love for us. I think the true challenge of youth leaders is not to calm the youth down, but to find out how to channel their energy into good things, things that will positively impact the kids themselves and change the world for the better... things that bring glory to God.
In the midst of chaos, the kids got their homework done, we got to have great group discussions with the boys and girls seperately, they listened to some great music, we played some great teamwork games, and after lavishing hugs and words of encouragement on them the kids piled back on the bus knowing - KNOWING - they are truly loved. In the midst of chaos, they experienced Jesus walking with them through math problems, listening to and valuing their opinions, laughing with them and sharing life with them to know them more personally, wrapping his arm around their shoulders and telling them they are amazing.
Probably any random stranger who peeked in through the window that night would have shaken their head at the obvious ruckus and volume. But even in the midst of that beautiful chaos, God - in all his crazy love - was there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
