Updates and Insights

It seems like it's time for a post but I'm racking my brain trying to figure out what to say. The days have been a whirlwind and it's nice to have a quiet, cool morning to think.

One highlight of last week was that I was asked to speak at our church's ladies meeting. I was surprised that they asked me since most of the time I feel like I'm still 12. For awhile I didn't know what to share but in the end I provided an overview of the "7 Realities to Experiencing God" (Henry Blackaby's book Experiencing God- if you've never read, you need to) along with my testimony. Most people at church have not heard my complete testimony (is it ever really complete?). There was a lot of unfortunate things that went on in the last 10 years that my dad was the pastor there- things that took awhile for me to process/work through and eventually forgive. I thought it was important to share that despite the hurt, God was victorious and became so much more real to me. It was out of that time and the searching after, that I got involved in Haiti and ultimately am where I am today. The ladies were very kind to me and encouraging. Mom joined me for the evening and that was nice to have her there.

Most days I've been consumed with VBS. We are ahead of schedule in a lot of areas which is great! I may get a few days off before the week starts. All the staffing is finalized and it is nice to see some people taking risks and trying new ministries. I particularly nervous about the women's outreach- praying that it will be well attended. This could really be a great avenue of outreach into the community and I know if it doesn't go well, people will nix the idea. But, I've done my part- the congregation needs to do their part by inviting ladies and we will leave it to God to determine who needs to be there.

HOPE wise- we were planning to travel to Haiti this week but a number of factors caused us to put the trip on hold. In the end, it was the right decision and I feel great peace. We will go down this fall for a few days. Despite my telemarketing experience, I have a tough time soliciting help and obviously- for a ministry like this, you have to be able to solicit funds and partners to participate in the work. Thank God my partner is bold- but I can see this is an area God will be working on in me.

Work- I have not given teaching a moments thought in the past few weeks. Not good. I was hoping that we would have some training before school started and there was chatter about it, but nothing has been set in stone. I don't really know what I'll be doing- so there is little I can do to prepare. It looks like I'll be team teaching a few Social studies classes- which is awesome. I don't want to get to far from SS in case I decide to return to that content area. But, I don't know what type of responsibilities I'll have in the classroom. I've been brainstorming some organizational ideas for my students and myself- but since I don't know if I will have a classroom, they may or may not happen. I'm praying I have one- having my own space is so important to my success- I learned that the last go around. It is comforting to know that I will be at a school I'm familiar with and with other educators that I already have rapport with. 1/2 the battle is won already. There are some books I would like to read to prep for the fall- hopefully during my week off before VBS, I'll be able to do that.

Ministry- besides VBS, I haven't had much time for much else. I've been wanting to get back into our College and Career Bible Study but have only been able to go 1 night so far. Hopefully the worship team will start practicing again too. I am praying about a new ministry for the fall and we'll see if it develops. I should know in the next two weeks. I'll wait to update you all on that after I find out.

Home- life here is good. The first week was a little unsettling with all the unpacking and disorder (see previous post about my mom's sense of order). But now that everything is contained, we are doing much better. I haven't been around a ton with VBS prep and when I am here, I'm usually chained to my computer working on VBS things. Bill's car is giving him fits- the other night I had to rescue him when he ran out of gas. It was an amusing event.

And finally, the cat- Furrball is enjoying the ceiling fan. With all her hair (hence the name), summers are tough for her. I considered getting her shaved this summer- but decided she was far to proud to be so indecent. This spring I started buying her cat treats. I thought, "Well, she's 17 years old- her time will come soon enough. She might as well go out enjoying tuna and chicken flavored treats!" Well, not only is she a snot- but she is officially a glutton. Everyday she jumps up on the bed and starts crying for a treat. If she had her way, she would eat nothing else all day. Everytime I move close to the bag, she jumps up with this "give me" look on her face. What have I got myself into? She'll probably live to be 25!

Alright- enough is enough. I must finish my Teen VBS Overview sheet for tonight's meeting. Hope your days are as full and rich as mine have been.

Oh- I just finished a book last night in my devotions- I'd love to recommend it. If you are familiar with Passion- a ministry seeking to stir revival in teens/young adults today- the book is by their founder Louie Giglio.
I read his first book "The Air I Breathe" a few years ago- it is a short read about true worship. Amazing book and I highly recommend it. The main truth is that humans were made to worship and we all worship something. The challenge is what are we worshipping.

This new book called "i am not but i know I Am"- is a interesting view of our standing in comparison to God. It really puts things into perspective. Again, another quick read but so full of new truths and new perspectives.

I'll just share a quick portion I read last night- in recap- the author focuses on how small we are compared to Almighty God, hence calling us i am not.

"When you get right down to it, trading in the story of me is not really all that big of a sacrifice after all. Who wouldn't want to abandon a script you could fit on the pointed end of a pin for a chance to get in on the glorious epic that is so enduring that it's screening will require all of eternity. His true fame makes me want to live for a bigger purpose, doing everything I do in such a way as to shine the spotlight on Him."

"And how would we know when we have slipped back into the story of us? We know when we see these telling signs:
- When I'm am demanding, I have lost the plot, insisting that God and others meet my needs on the timetable that I see fit.
-When I crumble under the pressure, I have lost the plot, declaring that the outcome of life rests squarely on my shoulders, not His.
-When I crave the spotlight for myself, I have lost the plot, losing sight of the story line and the one true Star. And everytime I do it I waste one of life's fleeting chances to make my life truly count my amplifying Him.
- When I dwell on feelings of being unloved, unnoticed, or insignificant, I have lost the plot, abandoning the miracle of knowing God on a first-name basis.

Peace to you~

A place for everything and everything in its place...

I don't know if my mother taught me this adage- but is was certainly something she practiced. Growing up, public places in our home were not allowed to be cluttered. School bags were not left in the dining room, opened Christmas gifts did not sit very long under the tree- "Take these to your room!" was a common phrase uttered by Mom. Our house was lived in, but you would not have known it. Now, my father's office and the storage 1/2 of the basement were another story. My dad is a pack rat. He thrives amidst clutter, piles and stacks. On his desk is a plaque that says, "A cluttered desk is the sign of a brilliant mind". My mother would often just shut his office door as to not have to look at or nag about his piles. We always knew when he had counseling sessions because minutes before they would arrive, he would be busily straightening his piles and cleaning up for company. My mom would let me room go so long until she would forbid me any fun until it was clean. Many a time, Alicia would come and "help" me so that we could go out when it was finished.

As I grow older, I realize I am more like my father than I thought. Everyone says I'm like my mom. We talk the same, laugh heartily, thrive on social events, love and hurt deeply. But for those who know my dad and I really well, they would attest that I'm a lot more like my dad. I have his teeth, skin (oh why could I not have had my mother's clear olive skin?), unemotional responses, stubborn nature and his seemingly disorganized organized clutter. Oh why could I have not also had his metabolism???

I like order- I love organization. It just always seems that my living quarters are always much smaller than the space necessary to contain all my belongings. Call me a shop-a-holic, pack rat, a saver- I don't know. I'm not a collector of knick-knacks. I love books, music, movies, photos, crafts and strangely enough office supplies. And they just happen to take up a lot of space. Why couldn't I be obsessed with paper clips or stamps- you know something small and compact?

Since traveling to Haiti, this has become an area of conviction. I'm realizing more and more how much of life is consumed with "stuff" that is meaningless in the grand scheme. With each move, boxes are taken to The Salvation Army, trash bags are heaped in the dumpster, items given away. No longer do I buy with the "I'll use this someday...". With each item in an item must go out. I'm growing more digital- files, pictures and music. Borrowing from the library or Blockbuster Online versus purchasing. I browse organizational magazines for ideas and dream of the day when I will have my own place to work their magic.

Until then, I sort and pack away. Find nooks and crannies for everything. If I can start off organized, I'll be able to maintain it. But, I don't get to upset when I falter. I will never be my mother- so neat and orderly. I won't be like some of my friends (mainly Alicia) who have the innate ability to part unemotionally with items. Everyday, I will just try a bit harder to maintain order, wisely use my resources and in the end enjoy the things that are so special to me.

I've finished all I'm going to do with my unpacking. The living room is cleared (minus the computer I need a box for). Books and clothes are put away, suitcases and items for Haiti have been moved to the basement. There are a four boxes that I don't know what to do with at the moment and I don't have the gumption to deal with. They will just have to wait until things die down a bit (mainly until VBS is over). I can live with that. And- the door to my room can be shut if anyone has a problem with it!

A Vacation of Sorts

I've been vacationing lately- from my computer and from Connecticut.
Here is the lowdown:

After a few crazy weeks at work culminating in preparing the family to head to England for 10 days, I got to have a little break.
I spent the first three days working on Vacation Bible School and a huge HOPE fundraising mailing. Thanks so much to Bek and Heidi for helping paint the VBS banners and to Bill and my parents who helped with a lot of the cutting and folding for the HOPE letter.
I love painting with the gals- we laugh, chat and have moments of artistic genius.

Here are a few pics...

Heidi and her Amazing Trees!

Heidi- our only casualty along the way

Then- bright and early Monday morning (the 26th), I jetted off to West Palm Beach, Florida to visit Erica, my roommate from BBC. It was so good to be with her- calming and soothing. We enjoyed lazy days full of laughing and sharing. I finally saw Walk the Line- what a good movie!! I have a whole new appreciate for Phoenix and Witherspoon! We also saw The Lake House. It was better than I anticipated but the ending is bizarre and leaves you feeling incomplete. You'll understand when you see it. Erica was a huge help in preparing the HOPE mailing with me- we stuffed over 350 letters and took daily trips to the post office to mail them. We did a little shopping. A highlight was visiting Sephora to buy Bare Essentials (you have got to try it!!) and we saw the Jonathan product. A while back I got addicted to the show Blow Out- and watched a marathon one Saturday. Very Sad. We also visited J. Crew in tribute to some fun times in B-suite. Here we are...

It was great to be with Erica's family and especially her adorable nieces. I also met some of Erica's friends and visited her church and school. Now, I can picture them in my mind when Erica shares. It was an amazing week in Florida- I came home refreshed and relaxed!

I returned to NY on Friday and began to get the house ready for the family's return. This meant many loads of laundry- clothes, towels and sheets. I also stocked the fridge/cupboard and all the cleaning supplies. A few extras were thrown in such as getting a flat tire fixed.

Saturday afternoon, Alicia and Matt arrived from New Hampshire for a visit. We had lunch at a little French restaurant in Stamford. The food was delicious, the day beautiful and the company calming. Here are Matt and Alicia enjoying the chocolate covered strawberries we got for dessert...

After, we skipped over to Target to check out the cart escalators. Since it is a two-story Target, when you want to go upstairs, you put your cart on this escalator machine and it rides up alongside of you. It is pretty cool. We wrapped up the afternoon by taking a leisurely drive home and checking out all the awesome houses. After a swim, we grilled dinner and had an amazing time. With smooth jazz playing in the background, surrounded by a blazing fire and beautiful flowers- it was an ideal evening for couples. Sadly, I was the singleton. Sunday, Alicia spoiled us with Homemade French toast. We enjoyed a little walk checking out the plants and houses on our road. Another sensational lunch grilled and more good conversation- so good. A final swim and strawberry shortcake- and they were off. They weren't here for very long, but every moment was full to the brim! I love my visits with Alicia and Matt!

So- the family is back and it's back to the 'ole routine. I'm thankful for some time to get refreshed, both in body and spirit!