WEEK TEN

Second to last week here in West Virginia and things are beginning to wind down. It is sad to think that we only have one more week to hang out with these people living inside this community. The youth come and go every week but the people here in West Virginia have become close friends throughout the weeks of this summer. We are planning on having a end of the summer party at a local community members house and we are going to invite most of the church and different schools to come. It will be sad to leave here but at the same time, I am excited to get back home to the ministry that awaits there.
This week has started out fairly well. There are only 35 kids here this week which is much smaller than usual. Sometimes it is good to only have a few people here because the atmosphere is more casual and laidback. These kids are a little tougher however because they cannot be anywhere on time! We have had to stress that point repeatedly and still they are always late. They are also struggling to participate in CLUB as well. Whenever I ask a question they usually look at me with a blank stare and it very frustrating. I guess it is good practice because I am learning how to combat akwardness.
My talks are going very well and I am finding that I am needing to use my references less and less. I am beginning to kind of speak from my heart more than my papers in front of me and I am really able to open up to the kids more this way. I am still amazed at the ammount of confidence I have gained throughout the past 8 weeks and I am excited to think about what God has planned for me in the future! Keep praying for us down here in West Virginia and I will be back home before too long!

WEEK NINE

Week nine here in Lincoln County, West Virginia and we are nearing the end. We only have two weeks of programming left until I get to go home and I am trying to squeeze the most out of them. This past week was the best week we have had here yet. The groups that came were amazing and I loved getting the chance to learn from them and share my life with them. The problem with having a great group like that is that the next week is usually not as great... which is sad. I know that I shouldn't be comparing weeks but it is hard when you have such a great experience one week and the next is hard. This week we have three groups here from MN, MA, and SC. We have run into some motivation problems this week which is something that I have not encountered yet. The moment they got here, one of the adult leaders told us that their group was having some attitude problems and they really didn't want to be here. That same adult leader is the one who has been giving us the most problems with motivation herself. It is just hard to see a leader have a bad attitude about things and then see here expecting her youth to have a better attitude.
I have been learning alot about what it means to live in the "gutter." I know that Lincoln County might not be a gutter compared to downtown Los Angeles but it is a gutter in and of itself. I think that gutters exist anywhere that there are needy people, whether that is spiritual need or financial need. I have been wondering how I can transition from living in the gutter here to the gutters I am going to experience back home and at school. Just pray that I can continue the momentum from this summer into the fall and rest of the year. I have learned so much already and I don't want to let this fade away.

WEEK EIGHT

Wow, I am halfway through the summer and it seems like just yesterday that we started here in West Virginia. This week is our largest week yet with 76 participants and I am loving it! The energy and excitement these kids bring is amazing and it really motivates me to do the best I can for them. I know that last week was really tough, both on me and my teammates, so this week is a needed adjustment. With so many people here this week we are able to do more ministry sites throughout the community. We are working on three work sites and also hosting a Kids Club program. I got to go to an old elementary school yesterday where we are tearing down their old playground equipment and building a new one for them. It was really hot out yesterday, like 97, but everybody worked really hard and we got alot of things accomplished. I find that casting vision for these ministries can be hard at times. These kids understand that they are on a mission trip but sometimes when they don't see the direct impact of their work they begin to wonder if what they are doing really matters. This is something that I am learning as well and at times it is hard to motivate them. This week's kids are really hard workers and I am having fun getting to work beside them and learn more about them. I mentioned earlier in the summer how it was hard getting attached to the kids and then having to say goodbye to them on Friday. Well, this week is going to be one of those hard goodbyes!
Weekends are always fun around here but this past one was really good. We all went up to Charleston for an area retreat with the staff from four other YouthWorks sites. We had a great time eating together and just hanging out. After that, we headed back to our site because we had an area contact here who was celebrating a birthday. Sunday mornings are also growing more interesting. We got a new pastor at our church and we lost our piano player. This means that we have to use a computer to play all the music which creates a problem because the church is composed of people who are all over 60 years of age! I helped out last week with the computer and volunteered to run it during the service. I know it wasn' tmuch but the people all appreciated it because the week before was really a trainwreck regarding the use of hte computer! It feels good to get involved inside of a church body that really cares for one another.
Continue praying for our ministry here in West Virginia. God is answering prayers, especially my prayers for confidence in my speaking role. I only ask that God continues to keep me humble and continues to work through me as much as possible!

WEEK SEVEN

This week is a little bit different than the others we have had so far. We usually have about 60-70 participants here but due to the 4th of July holiday we only have 30 this week. I never imagined it would change the dynamics of the week so drastically. It seems like everything has changed because there are fewer here this week. CLUBs are especially different because it feels more like a sunday school class instead of a youth group. The kids this week are also a little bit different from the previous groups. I know that I shouldn't compare weeks but it is so hard because last weeks group was amazing. These kids this week are very hard to motivate and they seem like they don't really want to be here most of the time. They are also just different than me and it is hard to relate to many of them. I know that Jesus has called us to love those who are hard to love so this week I am really trying to put myself aside and love on them as much as possible. I know that God is going to use this week to show me some new things regardless of my attitude towards it. I am excited for the 4th of July however and we have some fun things planned. We are taking all the youth to a fireworks show in the evening . Here in Lincoln County they take the 4th of July very seriously and they have some really cool things planned for it. I hope that it is a good time for all.
In my devotions I have been reading through the book of Joshua and learning about God's faithfullness to his nation of Israel. Joshua 1:9 has been a theme verse for me this week as it reminds me to be "Strong and Courageous" in the Lord. I find great peace in knowing that God is here beside me to fight my battles of tiredness, loneliness, and anything else that comes my way. I just need to face them with courage and God will bring me through.
I really am enjoying my time here in WV but at the same time I am really looking forward to being back home and back at school. I tell myself to take one day at a time but it is very easy for me to get anxious about the end of my summer. God has so much more planned to show me and I need to be living in the here and now instead of wishing for the end. Keep up your prayers and God bless!

WEEK SIX

So I survived the first real week of YouthWorks! And now I we are in full swing with the second and I am loving it! God has been so faithful to our staff through these first weeks and I really feel that He is guiding us more than we know. It is interesting to see new kids every week and get to experience the different dynamics that they each bring to the week. Last week was a little bit more laid back and casual, as this week is a little bit more upbeat and in your face. One group we have this week is from MN, and they are crazy! They are loud, and on fire for God, and it shows. CLUB time is so energetic because of the energy they bring to worship when they sing. It is great to see kids so excited to be on a mission trip, especially a mission trip that is led by us. One thing I have also noticed about this week is how well the kids engage during the messages and devotions. They are very attentive and it seems like they are really listening to the words and not just sitting there. That is very encouraging for me as a speaker, but also very intimidating as well. I have to be very careful as to what I say because these kids are trusting in me. Something I have been praying for a lot lately is that God would take my words and make them His own. I don't want anybody to look at me as a good speaker, but instead, I want them to look at my words and see God radiated through them. One guy, named David, who is from a Catholic boys school, came up to me after my message last night and said that God has been using my words to touch him! That is encouraging! Praise God, because even though I am not the best speaker in the world, somehow His message gets through! I have also been loosing my voice slowly over the past couple of days and last night it was totally gone. I am not sick or anything like that, but my voice is just giving out from talking so much I guess. Pray for that situation and that it would come back soon, because as of right now, I really don't have any words of my own!
This weeks groups are from Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana, and New Jersey. They are really good kids and I think that they are all having a great experience here in West Virginia. I have been finding out that there are two types of experiences that I keep having during this summer. There are moments of despair, when things go wrong or I am lonely or homesick. These usually last for about 10 minutes and go away, but some days are worse than others. It is during these times that I really question why I am so far away from home and why I gave up my summer for YouthWorks. The other moments are completely opposite. They are moments of intense joy and happiness. During these times I am so thankful to God for sending me here to do His work and I am so happy for the kids that have come to work with us. I had one of these moments yesterday on our way home from an evening activity. We were in a van full of loud, roudy kids driving through the beautiful West Virginian scenery. One of David Crowders songs came on and I just got a feeling of peace and joy. I know that I am where God wants me right now and I am so glad that He chose me to come on the adventure. Keep praying for me and my YouthWorks friends. God Bless!

WEEK FIVE

So I am in my fifth week of blogging and things have officially begun here at YouthWorks. Our three weeks of prep are over and our first group arrived here on Sunday. This weeks group is made up of 4 different churches: Scottsdale, AZ; Madison, WI; Pottstown, PA; and Toledo, OH. It is so much different this week than last week and it is harder in many ways. Last week I was able to just observe and hang out with the kids but this week I am in an upfront and leadership position. It is different but good. For the most part, the kids are all attentive and very well behaved. I am in charge of all the evening festivities which includes planning all the evening activities and putting together CLUBS. CLUBS are more difficult because I have to get up front and speak infront of everyone. This is an area that God is really stretching me because I do not view myself as a great public speaker. I know that He has put me here for a reason and He will bring me through this, one way or another. Sunday night was the first night that I had to speak and I feel that God really helped me through it. I really wasn't that nervous and I think that God helped calm my nerves quite a bit. I am more worried about the skits during CLUB because I am not sure how the teens will react. Some of them are really crazy! Otherwise, everything else is going very well. We have the work teams revamping an old funeral home which will be turned into low income housing. This is a hard project but the kids are doing very well with it. We also have a Kids Club going which is for the local community kids. It is a sort of VBS that help entertain the kids who parents are at work or simply not around. God is being very faithful in this first week of YouthWorks and He is providing us all with the endurance and stamina to make it through. Keep praying that His will be done in this work and pray for continued health. Thank you and God bless!

WEEK FOUR

So it has begun. I am in Logan, WV this week for what is known as Early Bird. It is the first week of particpants being here. There is 12 staff members present instead of 4, and it is a chance for us to get to see how a real week works. It has been amazing so far and God has been using this week to reassure me of many things. I love youth, and this week I have gotten numerous chances to connect with them. God has been so faithful this week and things have been going very well. I am the program staff, which means I am officially in charge of the evening activities. During the day I get to float around from site to site and see how things are going. This week we are building a wheel chair ramp at one house, painting two others, and running a Kids Club program, (kind of like a VBS.) We also work at a local soup kitchen called the Dream Center and help serve meals to the homeless. This is something that is totally new to me but God is using it to stretch me in new ways. Yesterday, I got the chance to do my very first prayer walk. What happened, is I got partnered up with 5 other youth and we had the assignment to walk around downtown Logan and pray with random people. We walked into businesses and prayed with them, and even stopped people on the street and asked them if they had any prayer requests. I was kind of wary of what this would be like but it was totally amazing! God opened up so many people to us and we had a relatively good response by everyone we encountered. This whole summer is going to be like this I have a feeling. It is something new and a little bit scary, but in the end, God will show His goodness throught it all. This is only the first week of the summer technically, and it is still a training week, but this Sunday it begins for real. We will be travelin back to Lincoln County and doin it for the next 7 weeks in a row! Pray for me, that God will continue to bless us and keep us in His care!