I'm back from Minnesota.
So many things are swirling in my mind. I must admit that I wondered what would happen if I just chose not to get back on that airplane. I had such a great trip. It's not to say that I was dreading returning to my life in Arizona because I most certainly enjoy my life here, but it was hard to say goodbye to St. Paul.
I was so blessed by conversations this past week. I had so many cups of coffee with people and it proved to be incredibly therapeutic and reviving to my spirit. I went to new levels of conversation with a few friends and just delighted and reveled in it. Others challenged me and had impressive insight to my current life. Others still put value in what I think and feel about church things and wanted to pick my brain to get input. It was such an amazing range of conversations and I'm not sure that I recall having felt so valued, loved, and respected as a professional, friend, and person.
Another thing that has blessed me this past week...
God showed me in such bold and obvious ways how several of my friends have just blossomed and grown in the past 6 or 8 months. I have some freaking amazing friends, folks. I can't even tell you. These people are ministry gurus, insightful minds, caring hearts, thoughtful characters, challenging students, and talented professionals. And most are a combination of the aforementioned qualities!! It's like when you haven't seen a little child for a long amount of time and you see them again and can't believe how tall they are! I couldn't believe how much so many of my friends have grown as people and even though I've been far away, I have grown in depth of relationship with them. Very cool.
I went snowtubing this week. I got snow burn. Yes, it is possible. And it hurts.
Something that challenged me this past week...
I had a very long conversation with a middle aged millionaire man on one of the airplane rides. He was (and I would assume still is) an atheist. He didn't come out and say it directly but he said that he renounced religions of all kinds. I just pray that God blessed and used that conversation. It was a challenging on for me in that he kept poking at Christianity and tried to really dig in at me, but I didn't let him. He mentioned how he couldn't stand pious religious know-it-alls and I think he was surprised when I agreed. He said he couldn't ever appreciate an organization that would deny people entrance for not being perfect. I said that I agreed and that I would never make it in to a club like that. He informed me that I would never have much money in "my line of work" and when I shared my heart for helping people in Africa, he informed me I wouldn't help much since I didn't have any money. He also informed me that he could still love people who are poor and not give them money or feel bad about having money. We talked for 3 hours. He couldn't understand how people who claim to follow the most peaceful and forgiving man that ever walked the earth could be so evil, selfish, and intolerant. I told him about Blue Like Jazz when a group of Christians at a predominately agnostic university decided to set up a confession booth but instead of hearing the confessions, the Christians were giving them. He was intrigued. I pray God works in Matt's life in a huge way.
I was prodded to question some things this week...
Where is the church heading and how are those changes going to affect me in a leadership position? How does ministry change and what does that mean for the LCMS and Church at large? What does it mean to love people? To serve others, I must make certain that am being served--a sick doctor cannot heal. What does it mean to be a woman of God? What does my future look like--what are some possibilities? Many of my friends are married or are getting to that point...what a transformation in them! How have I grown in the past 6 months? What do I need to be intentional about working on? How could I have lost such sight of my passion for people in ministry? Day to day tasks can take over. (so many people asked..)How is living alone?? It's been good to reflect on how much I've grown in that experience. How has God gifted me and where can those gifts be best utilized in His Kingdom? How do we overcome the wounds of our childhood that continue to surface? How is it going to be when I leave CSP for good? What's it going to be like to leave friends behind and not see anyone for extremely long periods of time? How am I going to handle really being on my own outside of this trial run? Lots of questions.
My flight home was completely the opposite of my flight to MN as I conversed with Matt. I tried to sleep on my flight home. My heart was aching and overwhelmed with loss. The flight attendant came over the speaker and informed everyone they could use their electronics. I turned on my iPod, knowing that the battery was low. It would end up dying later, but for awhile it served as some comfort in some way. Blast loud music in my ears has always been therapuetic to me. Something about music being so loud that it blasts out the thoughts and emotions that are overtaking my mind. I closed my eyes as the familiar tune to Say by John Mayer began. I almost cried. It was the same song that I listened to on my flight from Amsterdam back to the Cities by myself after I'd said goodbye to everyone there and knew I wouldn't see them for a long time.
I remember hurting a whole lot then. I recalled what I was feeling at that point and remembered that I felt like there was so much left unsaid with several people. That they didn't know how I felt about them. That I wasn't honest and real with them. That I had failed our friendships with silence.
This time, however, as John sang, I felt peace. It sounds corny, I know, but I said what I needed to say. I felt good about how I left everyone. I didn't feel like anything was held back, that I was myself, that I was real. For one of the first times in my life, I felt like people were seeing me for me and it was sooo good. It didn't make me feel completely better, but I found peace in how things were left with friends. My heart still ached to be with them, but I knew that all was well and if nothing else, I'd see them in heaven (hopefully significantly sooner though).
Josiah greeted me at the airport curb. With a hug and a half smile he said, "it's so good to see you, but I know how you feel." He was right. I wasn't thrilled about being away from so many of my loves once again. I'm blessed, though, to have him here. I'm so blessed by my church and internship experience here. I'm so blessed both here and far. I'm sooo soo blessed.
I pray that God would continue to remind me how blessed I am when I get crabby. And that when things do seem grim later on, that he reminds me that "God is." In the midst of chaos, God is. He is peace, joy, sovereignty, love, power, control, constant, comfort, forever. God is. Psalm 46:1-2 was our reflecting passage for the DCE retreat and this is the phrase I'm clinging to. The first two words...in the midst of a swirling mind, sometimes that's all I need to know.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Truth & Choices.
Why is it that self-doubt can prevail over God's truth time and time again? It's a cyclical struggle for me. It comes over me, the Truth of who God claims me to be defeats the lie, and then it happens all over again. It often happens when I'm in the presence of people who hold the same gifts that I possess. It's a game of comparing and wondering if people would choose them or me if it ever came down to picking. This all goes back to my last entry about being the "est." It's so ingrained in me.
I'm always looking at the greener grass instead of reveling in the Truth God delights in me (Psalm 18:19). I'm just baffled at how easy it is to trade in God's Truth for the cruddy lies that satan sells. My professor last year used to tell us every week that we were beloved children of God. We would laugh because it was just the kind of thing that rolled off after awhile, but really truly letting it sink in and being reminded of the hugeness of that from time to time will blow you away.
Amidst these attitudes, I often have to really stop and just beg God to help me stand on His Truth of who He says I am. It changes everything. Knowing your loved and believing that you're loved are two very different things. Believing that love is something I struggle with, but God is the author and perfecter of my faith and I believe that He is healing me in that area more and more everyday.
Choose. It's a buzz word in the Lutheran realm of theology and doctrine and rightly so. We can't choose God. He chooses us. We can choose to believe. The Holy Spirit leads us to faith. I love a song that's called "the Blessing" Here are the lyrics that I just soak up:
My favorite part is "let it be said of us that our hearts belong to Jesus." What a great legacy to leave! The chorus says:
this day you set life, you set death right before us, this day
every blessing and curse is a choice now
and we will choose to be a blessing for life
I never knew how to take that. I mean, with my strong aversion to the word "choose," I didn't really know what to do with the fact that I really like the concept of it. I mean, we do have a choice in the morning to claim God's Truth about who we are and share that joy with others or to buy into the lies and tear people as far down as we feel we are. Well, it just so happened that I heard a Bible verse read and it turns out that this chorus is based directly on a Scripture verse.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 says:
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.
Wow. It's in God's Word! I don't think God was speaking here about choosing God or choosing to have faith. He was already talking to the Israelites. It's not a faith choosing thing. They already have faith. It's a statement to the Israelites that is saying this is your choice--to live to the fullest life that God has blessed you with or to call upon yourself curses and pain. When it says "choose life," I don't think God was talking about choosing heaven, but choosing to live the life to the full that He has already given us here on earth. Are we going to build others up or tear them down? Are we going to live asking God why we have to do this or that instead of jumping up and saying "here am I..send me!" This day..He sets life and death before us.
In His presence we have life and life to the full. We are free from who the world tells us we are and from the looming stares of our enemies. We are God's beloved children. People created to be loved. So this day...choose to live in the life giving love, that others might live too.
I'm always looking at the greener grass instead of reveling in the Truth God delights in me (Psalm 18:19). I'm just baffled at how easy it is to trade in God's Truth for the cruddy lies that satan sells. My professor last year used to tell us every week that we were beloved children of God. We would laugh because it was just the kind of thing that rolled off after awhile, but really truly letting it sink in and being reminded of the hugeness of that from time to time will blow you away.
Amidst these attitudes, I often have to really stop and just beg God to help me stand on His Truth of who He says I am. It changes everything. Knowing your loved and believing that you're loved are two very different things. Believing that love is something I struggle with, but God is the author and perfecter of my faith and I believe that He is healing me in that area more and more everyday.
Choose. It's a buzz word in the Lutheran realm of theology and doctrine and rightly so. We can't choose God. He chooses us. We can choose to believe. The Holy Spirit leads us to faith. I love a song that's called "the Blessing" Here are the lyrics that I just soak up:
"let it be said of us
that we gave to reach the dying
let it be said of us
by the fruit we leave behind
let it be said of us that our legacy is blessing for life
let it be said of us
that our hearts belonged to Jesus
let it be said of us
that we spoke the words of life
let it be said of us
that our heritage is blessing for life"
that we gave to reach the dying
let it be said of us
by the fruit we leave behind
let it be said of us that our legacy is blessing for life
let it be said of us
that our hearts belonged to Jesus
let it be said of us
that we spoke the words of life
let it be said of us
that our heritage is blessing for life"
My favorite part is "let it be said of us that our hearts belong to Jesus." What a great legacy to leave! The chorus says:
this day you set life, you set death right before us, this day
every blessing and curse is a choice now
and we will choose to be a blessing for life
I never knew how to take that. I mean, with my strong aversion to the word "choose," I didn't really know what to do with the fact that I really like the concept of it. I mean, we do have a choice in the morning to claim God's Truth about who we are and share that joy with others or to buy into the lies and tear people as far down as we feel we are. Well, it just so happened that I heard a Bible verse read and it turns out that this chorus is based directly on a Scripture verse.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 says:
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him.
Wow. It's in God's Word! I don't think God was speaking here about choosing God or choosing to have faith. He was already talking to the Israelites. It's not a faith choosing thing. They already have faith. It's a statement to the Israelites that is saying this is your choice--to live to the fullest life that God has blessed you with or to call upon yourself curses and pain. When it says "choose life," I don't think God was talking about choosing heaven, but choosing to live the life to the full that He has already given us here on earth. Are we going to build others up or tear them down? Are we going to live asking God why we have to do this or that instead of jumping up and saying "here am I..send me!" This day..He sets life and death before us.
In His presence we have life and life to the full. We are free from who the world tells us we are and from the looming stares of our enemies. We are God's beloved children. People created to be loved. So this day...choose to live in the life giving love, that others might live too.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
you will never be the "est"
(this is an article I wrote for an upcoming church newsletter)
Have you ever wanted to be an “est”? All of the time I hear my high school students and my college friends talk about who is the smartest, funniest, prettiest, nicest, richest or the best at any number of things. We are a culture that is obsessed with competition and being the best at something no matter how great or small. We long to be an “est,” while secretly hoping that it will be the key to greatness and wholeness. One of my professors refers to this as "the temptation to be spectacular." I would venture to say that I am more guilty of the “est” infatuation than most. I find it especially heartwrenching when I am not the “est” of whatever it is that I think I am good at. The truth is that there will always be someone better, stronger, prettier, more talented, and more put together than you or me. Our quest for “est” is declared superfluous. We are destined for mediocrity and potentially a spot below the average line.
Have you ever wanted to be an “est”? All of the time I hear my high school students and my college friends talk about who is the smartest, funniest, prettiest, nicest, richest or the best at any number of things. We are a culture that is obsessed with competition and being the best at something no matter how great or small. We long to be an “est,” while secretly hoping that it will be the key to greatness and wholeness. One of my professors refers to this as "the temptation to be spectacular." I would venture to say that I am more guilty of the “est” infatuation than most. I find it especially heartwrenching when I am not the “est” of whatever it is that I think I am good at. The truth is that there will always be someone better, stronger, prettier, more talented, and more put together than you or me. Our quest for “est” is declared superfluous. We are destined for mediocrity and potentially a spot below the average line.
One of my all time favorite Bible passages speaks to this desire for “est” and our failure to achieve it. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says “Your grace is sufficient for me.” In the following verse, Paul writes “when I am weak, then I am strong.” You see, when we realize how powerless we are and pride is removed from the equation, Christ’s strength fills in the gaps. Ephesians 3:20 says, “now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” He works through the people that do not make the cut. We would never make it on our own. Jesus came for that very reason—to give us His best. We are freed from the quest for "est" because we will never be enough on our own. Thanks be to our God whose love and grace for us is the greatest.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
2008...yeah, it was pretty great.
Well, it's 2009 and it has been too bad (nor too eventful) thus far.
So here's a recap of 2008...not sure how much of it I remember, but I've been trying and have come up with a few things.
January
-Spent New Years in the "little Apple" of Manhattan, Kansas with friends.
-Trying on bridesmaid dresses for my bff from high school's wedding.
-I got my first passport!
-A massive Schwalm family gathering complete with many guitars and voices making music.
-Returning to school with a new attitude and outlook on life after reading 3 books over Christmas break (it's a lot for me).
-Was determined to make 2008 the best year yet (I don't think I did too darn bad at this).
-Said goodbye to my sister as she left for the Middle East to serve our country.
-This whole idea of "Sabbath" makes its first appearance in my life. It's so funny to think about--I feel good that it's pretty much understood now. It was a rough start though.
-Ice skating night in Minne
-Practicum teaching at Trinity First began. What a journey and awesome learning experience!
February
-I was soo blessed to literally watch God restructure my Fish team. The fall semester was full of changes and things, but by February, God had provided and put together an amazing team. I seriously and honestly couldn't have asked for a better group of people who loved playing together and did so well. God, that was awesome how You did that!
-Pre-intern retreat. What a mind blower! I thought about prayer in more ways that I knew possible and grew closer to my awesome classmates. :)
-Another spring break in St. Paul...at the end of February...a trip to Arkansas fell through, but it was good times in the Cities. I don't remember everything, but I know I spent time hanging out with people, doing homework, going to the Walker in Minneapolis, dinner at the Reinecks, MLK rally...probably lots of other random happenings.
March
-March was indeed the month that I said goodbye to the beloved Topaz. It had been sitting idle in one of the university lots for awhile and we finally let it go. Sigh.
-This was the month of so many awful, cold early mornings that Andy and I got up to run morning Tiger Club. Okay..so it wasn't that awful, but to get to Trinity First by 6am in -15 degree weather, isn't exactly a blast. Plus, the kids aren't necessarily thrilled to be there either.
tiger mountain...you don't want to get your pin moved down it!
-I enjoyed more and more doing field work at Woodbury and getting to know the girls of my small group. We had some awesome chats in the spring.
-My parish project....it was a stressful time, but my kids did so wonderfully. :)
-I had my first Easter at home in 3 years! Egg hunts with my little cousin.
-This was the month of utter anticipation about internship sites. We were to the point that we almost couldn't take it anymore!! And then I found out I was heading to ARIZONA for the next year!
The interns at the placement service.
-The university began a very rough journey as we said goodbye to Randy. :(
-Saying goodbye to the kids that stole my heart at Trinity First and entering the high school world of religion classes. Always an interesting journey...
April
-Spring Fling! We rode on a river boat on the Mississippi!!
-I took my first excursion to northern Minnesota! We went to Pequot for Andy & Steph's wedding. Who'da thought that there'd be a ton of snow for a wedding at the end of April? Only in Minnesota. We had a blast though. (Even though we might've got lost, I called for directions, wrote them on my hand, and then when we got stuck in the snow I went out to push the car and the directions washed off.....oops.)
-Wedding prep for the now Anna & Adam Koglin wedding. :) Including Anna's sweet Hawaiian wedding shower!
-Internship Orientation--Meeting my supervisor for the first time. Hahah. And learning what this whole internship thing would be about.
May
-Lots of vaccinations for going overseas...which would later cost me an arm and a leg.
-The Fonies--Bri and I had the most amazing puppet show ever...and the STAGE board did a darn good job, if I do say so myself!
"The freshmen" (Tim, me, & MaryLynn) now as juniors at the Fonies...also the STAGE board.
-Knollapalooza--our last time playing together as a Fish team. What a great time it was...I really miss that team!
the team :)
-Once again we hosted the choir festival with Christus and sang at Orchestra Hall.
-Leaving Woodbury--soooo hard.
-Graduation weekend--the blur of my life....moving out all of my residents, singing for 4 graduations, my parents coming & moving me out in between them (leaving me with just a suitcase), and our bon voyage concert. Yikes. I have fond memories of having to stay with a friend because I had no bedding left. They were all playing the Wii and somehow I fell asleep for about 4 hours. It was a long weekend. (that next day, we flew out for Ghana)
-Leaving Concordia....friends, professors, classes, dorms, college life.....for a whole year and knowing that everything will be different when I come back. There were some tears.
-GOING TO AFRICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This has been one of the highlights of my life thus far. I can't even begin to describe it. Our choir tour was pretty cool--we got to sing with all of these other choirs. We were introduced to Ghanaian High Life music. We got to see so many sights, go hiking, be in the ocean from the other side of the world, go in the rain forest, eat different foods, and just be emmersed in a culture that is so incredibly different from ours. Paul and I's luggage got lost, there were scary bugs, and some experiences that really bonded us. It was one of the most significant experiences of my life with some of the most significant people in my life. It was an incredible experience and I can't wait to get back!
-In Amsterdam, I had to say goodbye to everyone and I knew many of them would be goodbyes for an extremely long time. I flew home to Kansas City by myself. I had a wedding to be in just 2 days after I got home.
-Anna and Mike's wedding. I had tan lines and some crazy skin issues from Africa, but we had a great time, it was lovely and I was so blessed to be apart of it!
June
-I was at home.
-I mowed about 5 days a week. The other two were for cleaning the house and such.
-I cleaned my room and tried to separate "internship things," "college things," and "home things."
-My first time living with my sister Angie since I was in 8th grade. Yeah...........
-I got this very laptop that I'm typing on...but don't be fooled, this summer was seriously about the poorest I've ever been.
-Debbie's apartment caught on fire while she was deployed. We spent weeks cleaning and sorting for insurance. The news filmed the apartment.
July
-Went to the Cardinals/Royals series in Kansas City with Dad, Angie, & Kent.
-I drove back to the Cities. What an awesome trip! I spent a night in the Cities with Josh & Jameson and saw a few people.
-Drove to Anna's and loved staying with her for awhile before anyone else came and wedding stuff started to pick up. It was so great doing that.
-Anna and Adam's wedding!! Whoo hoo! What a blast!
-Left early the next day, stopped in the Cities for lunch and was home by 9:30 that night. 4 or 5 days later, we left for Phoenix.
-Mom and Dad and I drove out west and it was a long trip. (I'm not really looking forward to doing it again, actually...ha!) They dropped me off and my stuff and were gone within 2 hours.
-Internship began!!! I met the youth my first day here, the next day I left for staff retreat for a few days and had a great time beginning to get to know them all.
-Texting entered my life. So did a new phone. :)
-I got my first tastes of life on my own in the "adult" world. Going to work, paying bills, having my own place...it's been a good experience.
August
-I turned 22.
-I became a music teacher for K-4...we play that one by ear. :)
-I started going to Camber.
-Actually turned in my "getting started" packet on time.
-Josiah came to Phoenix, too! Yay for friends!
-Si and I did a night hike of Squaw peak--amazing to see the city lights.
-Bri and I come up with our plan to start our band! I'm so pumped!
September
-Started the youth worship team--one of the coolest things that has happened during internship.
-Helping 2 pastors move in the same week!
-Hosting the ladies from the office for Bunco.
-HS lock-in and service projects--they're doing awesome.
-Josiah and I met Stewart in Phoenix. What an awesome night.
-Being challenged by this internship journey...the newness wears off and I began to challenge myself to live in the moment.
October
-Bringing some youth into Sunday morning worship leading.
-Skype changed my life. You think I'm kidding.
a picture Nikki took of Matt & I while we were talking on Skype
-Saw Josiah's theatre debut of Prince Charming in Cinderella.
-I saw the amazing JJ Heller in concert!
-I got a bike to use for the year.
-Debbie got home!
-Helping lead confirmation retreat
-Dealing with my first flat tire on my own...I think that's kind of a landmark experience.
-THE CARD -- I got this amazing card from my lovely friends at Concordia. Tons of signatures covered this gigantic card and now it adorns my office wall. :)
-Halloween with the Brinkman's..good times. :)
November
-The presidential elections. I think most of us were glad that the campaigns were over.
-Kevin came out to visit..only for a day, but it was great to have him here!
-I colored my hair for the first time...sort of a big deal for me.
-Women of Faith conference--a very cool experience
-The words "Christmas program" began to frequent themselves in my vocabulary.
-Home for Thanksgiving! My first time home since internship began. The first time my family was reunited since my sister began her deployment.
-Bought another bridesmaid dress..this one for Holly's wedding next fall.
-Met up with some JW people for the first time since high school graduation.
December
-I got back into running & exercising--not doing too shabby.
-Light parade in Chandler!
-We are the Division II Champions again!
-I hosted the area DCE's for the Christmas party and monthly gathering.
-Staff Christmas party--whoo hoo!
-Debbie came to visit! Sedona!
-Christmas programs happened and went quite well. Phew.
-We lost a member of our praise team. We'll miss you, Josh.
-Christmas Eve came and went in a big blur.
-Christmas Day! Fun morning with Brinkmans and lots of others for the rest of the day. A rainy day in Phoenix.
-Mom came to visit and stayed until New Years Eve. Papago park & the Zoolights. Sooo much fun having her here.
Well...that's my year in review...I'm sure I missed some stuff, but overall, it's been a great year. I tried to hold to the resolution of making it my best year yet and just living in the moment. That is my prayer for 2009 as well.
So far in 2009, I haven't got out of my pj's so maybe I should work on that. Ha!
Peace and blessings in 09.
So here's a recap of 2008...not sure how much of it I remember, but I've been trying and have come up with a few things.
January
-Spent New Years in the "little Apple" of Manhattan, Kansas with friends.
-Trying on bridesmaid dresses for my bff from high school's wedding.
-I got my first passport!
-A massive Schwalm family gathering complete with many guitars and voices making music.
-Returning to school with a new attitude and outlook on life after reading 3 books over Christmas break (it's a lot for me).
-Was determined to make 2008 the best year yet (I don't think I did too darn bad at this).
-Said goodbye to my sister as she left for the Middle East to serve our country.
-This whole idea of "Sabbath" makes its first appearance in my life. It's so funny to think about--I feel good that it's pretty much understood now. It was a rough start though.
-Ice skating night in Minne
-Practicum teaching at Trinity First began. What a journey and awesome learning experience!
February
-I was soo blessed to literally watch God restructure my Fish team. The fall semester was full of changes and things, but by February, God had provided and put together an amazing team. I seriously and honestly couldn't have asked for a better group of people who loved playing together and did so well. God, that was awesome how You did that!
-Pre-intern retreat. What a mind blower! I thought about prayer in more ways that I knew possible and grew closer to my awesome classmates. :)
-Another spring break in St. Paul...at the end of February...a trip to Arkansas fell through, but it was good times in the Cities. I don't remember everything, but I know I spent time hanging out with people, doing homework, going to the Walker in Minneapolis, dinner at the Reinecks, MLK rally...probably lots of other random happenings.
March
-March was indeed the month that I said goodbye to the beloved Topaz. It had been sitting idle in one of the university lots for awhile and we finally let it go. Sigh.
-This was the month of so many awful, cold early mornings that Andy and I got up to run morning Tiger Club. Okay..so it wasn't that awful, but to get to Trinity First by 6am in -15 degree weather, isn't exactly a blast. Plus, the kids aren't necessarily thrilled to be there either.
tiger mountain...you don't want to get your pin moved down it!-I enjoyed more and more doing field work at Woodbury and getting to know the girls of my small group. We had some awesome chats in the spring.
-My parish project....it was a stressful time, but my kids did so wonderfully. :)
-I had my first Easter at home in 3 years! Egg hunts with my little cousin.
-This was the month of utter anticipation about internship sites. We were to the point that we almost couldn't take it anymore!! And then I found out I was heading to ARIZONA for the next year!
The interns at the placement service.-Saying goodbye to the kids that stole my heart at Trinity First and entering the high school world of religion classes. Always an interesting journey...
April
-Spring Fling! We rode on a river boat on the Mississippi!!
-I took my first excursion to northern Minnesota! We went to Pequot for Andy & Steph's wedding. Who'da thought that there'd be a ton of snow for a wedding at the end of April? Only in Minnesota. We had a blast though. (Even though we might've got lost, I called for directions, wrote them on my hand, and then when we got stuck in the snow I went out to push the car and the directions washed off.....oops.)
-Wedding prep for the now Anna & Adam Koglin wedding. :) Including Anna's sweet Hawaiian wedding shower!
-Internship Orientation--Meeting my supervisor for the first time. Hahah. And learning what this whole internship thing would be about.
May
-Lots of vaccinations for going overseas...which would later cost me an arm and a leg.
-The Fonies--Bri and I had the most amazing puppet show ever...and the STAGE board did a darn good job, if I do say so myself!
"The freshmen" (Tim, me, & MaryLynn) now as juniors at the Fonies...also the STAGE board.
the team :)-Leaving Woodbury--soooo hard.
-Graduation weekend--the blur of my life....moving out all of my residents, singing for 4 graduations, my parents coming & moving me out in between them (leaving me with just a suitcase), and our bon voyage concert. Yikes. I have fond memories of having to stay with a friend because I had no bedding left. They were all playing the Wii and somehow I fell asleep for about 4 hours. It was a long weekend. (that next day, we flew out for Ghana)
-Leaving Concordia....friends, professors, classes, dorms, college life.....for a whole year and knowing that everything will be different when I come back. There were some tears.
-GOING TO AFRICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This has been one of the highlights of my life thus far. I can't even begin to describe it. Our choir tour was pretty cool--we got to sing with all of these other choirs. We were introduced to Ghanaian High Life music. We got to see so many sights, go hiking, be in the ocean from the other side of the world, go in the rain forest, eat different foods, and just be emmersed in a culture that is so incredibly different from ours. Paul and I's luggage got lost, there were scary bugs, and some experiences that really bonded us. It was one of the most significant experiences of my life with some of the most significant people in my life. It was an incredible experience and I can't wait to get back!
-In Amsterdam, I had to say goodbye to everyone and I knew many of them would be goodbyes for an extremely long time. I flew home to Kansas City by myself. I had a wedding to be in just 2 days after I got home.-Anna and Mike's wedding. I had tan lines and some crazy skin issues from Africa, but we had a great time, it was lovely and I was so blessed to be apart of it!
June
-I was at home.
-I mowed about 5 days a week. The other two were for cleaning the house and such.
-I cleaned my room and tried to separate "internship things," "college things," and "home things."
-My first time living with my sister Angie since I was in 8th grade. Yeah...........
-I got this very laptop that I'm typing on...but don't be fooled, this summer was seriously about the poorest I've ever been.
-Debbie's apartment caught on fire while she was deployed. We spent weeks cleaning and sorting for insurance. The news filmed the apartment.
July
-Went to the Cardinals/Royals series in Kansas City with Dad, Angie, & Kent.
-I drove back to the Cities. What an awesome trip! I spent a night in the Cities with Josh & Jameson and saw a few people.
-Drove to Anna's and loved staying with her for awhile before anyone else came and wedding stuff started to pick up. It was so great doing that.
-Anna and Adam's wedding!! Whoo hoo! What a blast!
-Left early the next day, stopped in the Cities for lunch and was home by 9:30 that night. 4 or 5 days later, we left for Phoenix.-Mom and Dad and I drove out west and it was a long trip. (I'm not really looking forward to doing it again, actually...ha!) They dropped me off and my stuff and were gone within 2 hours.
-Internship began!!! I met the youth my first day here, the next day I left for staff retreat for a few days and had a great time beginning to get to know them all.
-Texting entered my life. So did a new phone. :)-I got my first tastes of life on my own in the "adult" world. Going to work, paying bills, having my own place...it's been a good experience.
August
-I turned 22.
-I became a music teacher for K-4...we play that one by ear. :)
-I started going to Camber.
-Actually turned in my "getting started" packet on time.
-Josiah came to Phoenix, too! Yay for friends!
-Si and I did a night hike of Squaw peak--amazing to see the city lights.
-Bri and I come up with our plan to start our band! I'm so pumped!
September
-Started the youth worship team--one of the coolest things that has happened during internship.
-Helping 2 pastors move in the same week!
-Hosting the ladies from the office for Bunco.
-HS lock-in and service projects--they're doing awesome.
-Josiah and I met Stewart in Phoenix. What an awesome night.
-Being challenged by this internship journey...the newness wears off and I began to challenge myself to live in the moment.
October
-Bringing some youth into Sunday morning worship leading.
-Skype changed my life. You think I'm kidding.
a picture Nikki took of Matt & I while we were talking on Skype-I saw the amazing JJ Heller in concert!
-I got a bike to use for the year.
-Debbie got home!
-Helping lead confirmation retreat
-Dealing with my first flat tire on my own...I think that's kind of a landmark experience.
-THE CARD -- I got this amazing card from my lovely friends at Concordia. Tons of signatures covered this gigantic card and now it adorns my office wall. :)
-Halloween with the Brinkman's..good times. :)
November
-The presidential elections. I think most of us were glad that the campaigns were over.
-Kevin came out to visit..only for a day, but it was great to have him here!
-I colored my hair for the first time...sort of a big deal for me.
-Women of Faith conference--a very cool experience
-The words "Christmas program" began to frequent themselves in my vocabulary.
-Home for Thanksgiving! My first time home since internship began. The first time my family was reunited since my sister began her deployment.
-Bought another bridesmaid dress..this one for Holly's wedding next fall.
-Met up with some JW people for the first time since high school graduation.
December
-I got back into running & exercising--not doing too shabby.
-Light parade in Chandler!
-We are the Division II Champions again!
-I hosted the area DCE's for the Christmas party and monthly gathering.
-Staff Christmas party--whoo hoo!
-Debbie came to visit! Sedona!
-Christmas programs happened and went quite well. Phew.-We lost a member of our praise team. We'll miss you, Josh.
-Christmas Eve came and went in a big blur.
-Christmas Day! Fun morning with Brinkmans and lots of others for the rest of the day. A rainy day in Phoenix.
-Mom came to visit and stayed until New Years Eve. Papago park & the Zoolights. Sooo much fun having her here.
Well...that's my year in review...I'm sure I missed some stuff, but overall, it's been a great year. I tried to hold to the resolution of making it my best year yet and just living in the moment. That is my prayer for 2009 as well.
So far in 2009, I haven't got out of my pj's so maybe I should work on that. Ha!
Peace and blessings in 09.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)