Sanctuary

I am now nearing my end of my time in Rutland, VT. I am really going to miss these gorgeous green mountains, covered bridges, beautiful scenery, and wonderful community members. It is hitting me now how much I really am going to miss this place and the community here. I have been trying my hardest to embrace each day and each blessing that I have been given. I don't think I will understand how much I will miss it here; until I am gone. These past few weeks of programming have been great. There are always unexpected twists and turns, and surprises that I try to always be ready for. God always reminds me that He never gives us more than we can handle. And He puts us in the right places at the right times, no matter how hard it may seem, or how much I may long for something else. Overall though, our groups have been really great – I have made a lot of great connections and built some meaningful relationships. I continue to be filled up by these relationships that form and transform.

Last weekend I took my staff to the Chittenden Reservoir. We had a picnic lunch by Lefferts Pond, then walked through the woods to the reservoir to find a quiet place to go swimming. We swam out and sat on some big rocks we found – soaking up the beauty of the water surrounded by green mountains. This was the perfect rejuvenation that I needed to get me through the last two weeks; a sanctuary that I now have as a mental image and escape in my mind. I have been missing the lake so much, and that peacefulness and freedom that it provides, and the closeness with nature and the wonder of God's amazing work.

We made our last trip to BJ's Wholesale in NH today!! No more grocery shopping for 70 people - that'll be a relief. I will miss the drive though. Yes, it gets a bit lengthy, but is completely worth it for the scenery. Fridays my exhaustion does finally set in. Thursday is rough but I continue to plow through. Friday is the day when it all hits me. The kids have left, my paperwork is done before noon, I finally sit down in the car ride, and my energy drops so that I feel as though I am only partially functioning. Lots of caffeine for the drive, that's what gets me through and home safe, along with the beautiful scenery and some good music to sing along to. Also it's a great time to think and process everything that has happened this past week, and everything that I have not allowed myself or had time to think about in the midst of the week.

Dinner tonight was delicious and with good company. We went to a community member's house for a nice homemade meal. His daughter is in Rob's youth group, and so is her cousin - so we were able to hear all about their YouthWorks trip to Harrisburg PA, and we shared with them funny stories about our experiences this summer.

My Own Independence Day

I am finally enjoying some time off this week, as my site does not have programming due to the Independence Day holiday. Taking some time to finally breath, soak in my surroundings, and process everything that I have experienced this far has been very beneficial to me. It has been tough being away from family, as they are all reuniting back home. I have been going on lots of walks, journaling, and talking with family and friends on the phone. I at times need to remind myself of why I am here, and that God has a bigger purpose for me right where I am at.

Never again will I take for granted the comforts of home. Living in a church and now in a school allows me to fully appreciate how nice it is to have a house to call home. The school is great, and it’s actually pretty homey for a school after we have gotten all settled in. We even get to take advantage the projector we have (for our worship song lyrics during Club time for the participants) and have movie nights with a big screen in our staff room.

Our second week of programming went really well. We were all on our own with no help from our Area Director, and overall everything went very smoothly. We had four different church groups, all from the eastern region, and making a total of 63 participants. The weather was fantastic so we were able to do all of our outdoor activities and volunteer sites. Each week I feel will become more and more comfortable. Already I have seen a huge growth in confidence in each of my staff members, as well as in myself. Hopefully our last four weeks of programming will be able to run smoothly as we become even better at what we do!

I haven’t mentioned how our meals work or what our “evening activities” consist of yet. Each meal one of us staff is the “Total Meal Manager,” we get to wear a red apron and delegate tasks to prepare and set out the meal. We have a “Crew” assigned to each meal, who is responsible for helping the Total Meal Manager. Our breakfast crew prepares breakfast, and a pack’n’go lunch line. Everyone packs their lunch at breakfast and puts it into the cooler for their ministry crew. We have 5 ministry crews that volunteer at different sites, we create fun names for them; ours include: Deer, Otter, Moose, Beaver, and Pineapple. We have a different crew help us clean up from the meal (doing dishes, putting food away, etc). So that is how our meals work – a little bit of organized chaos and a little stressful, but it all works out.

After our dinner cleanup crew is done, we then have an evening activity Monday-Thursday. Monday we go to the Green Mountain Rock Climbing Center, where participants learn how to belay, then get to climb. This just happens to be right next the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream store, so almost everyone makes a trip there before we leave. Tuesday night we go to the Vermont Marble Museum in Proctor, VT where we have a scavenger hunt to make the visit a little more exciting. Wednesday evening we have a hike in Pine Hill Park (one of our ministry sites where they blaze and work on upkeep of the trails). Thursday evening we have a community cookout at a nearby park. We invite community members and church friends by word of mouth to come join us for dinner and visiting in the park, while the youth hang out, play games, and enjoy the company of some kids they know from Kids Club. We have a grill we bring to the park, and bring over the rest of the food as well. And there is a summary of how we spend our evenings. Following that time is Club time, where everyone comes together for a time of worship, skits, and a reflective talk.

The 4th of July we spent in Burlington, VT. Rob and Jenny (our community friends) took my team and I to Burlington to celebrate the 4th. We all hopped into their churches big white 12 passenger van and drove the hour and a half to Burlington. Upon arrival we made a stop for lunch at Al’s French Fry’s – comparable to an old-fashioned diner, and they are apparently everywhere in Burlington. We then checked into our hotel, and had the afternoon to relax. I scoped out the outdoor pool and enjoyed the sun for a while. Then we headed into downtown Burlington and walked around the open air market at Church Street Marketplace (it seems as every town here has a Church Street). We browsed the shops for a while then found a local burrito shop called Boloco (similar to a Chipotle) where we ate dinner. After we finished we hit the candy store, watched a guy playing the didgeridoo. We then wandered down to Lake Champlain. This lake is about 490 sq miles and is mainly on the border of Vermont and Ney York, but goes partially into the Canadian border of Quebec. We were looking out across the lake to the Adirondack Mountains of NY. We found a spot on some large rocks and hung out there until the fireworks. We got there nice and early, as there were thousands of people. All along the lake were food booths, inflatables, live music, and people meandering in their boats or along the waterfront. Before the fireworks started I wandered over to the Skinny Pancake for some iced tea. The Skinny Pancake is a unique creperie, coffee shop, and fondue restaurant. Savory and sweet, they serve crepes in all forms with a large variety of flavor combination, all products coming from Vermont – a wonderful place with a bit of a hippie edge.

Upon returning it was about time for the fireworks. The longest firework production I have ever seen – 25 minutes of straight fireworks over the lake was fantastic! It’s obvious why so many people come to witness this. Leaving was an adventure in itself. Weaving our way through the massive crowds to the street, then to find the big white van that Rob was picking us up in, was all pretty exciting. Eventually we made it, and returned to our hotel. After enjoying each others’ presence, and the fact that we were able to hang out in a hotel room, we all went to bed, tired from a long but fun day. And that’s when I felt like I was sleeping on a cloud – my first time sleeping in a bed for a month and a half; no need to say it was fantastic!
On our way back to Rutland, we took the scenic route and drove through Montpelier to see the capital, ate at a Chinese Restaurant called the House of Tang, went to the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Wilmington, VT and took the tour there – with free samples of their newest ice cream (pretty exciting).

This week our team has been working at the Kids Club with some youth from a local youth group. I love hanging out with the kids – they come for 2.5 hours, and it’s basically like a Vacation Bible School that runs all summer long. Tonight we were able to visit with Kori and Scott, some friends we made at Roadside Chapel. They are a wonderful young couple, and we absolutely love hanging out with them and their two girls who are 8 and 4. Not to mention they are both really great cooks! It’s been great connecting with their girls also, as I do miss my family a lot, and hanging out with my nieces and nephews.

And that brings me to now, hanging out in my classroom of a bedroom and getting ready to relax on my mat for a good night sleep. Tomorrow we head to the community gardens to do some gardening before going to Kids Club, then the Community Cookout.

A Breath of Fresh Air

My staff and I made it through our first week of programming. We could not have asked for a better group of participants and adult leaders. There were 54 people, with 12 leaders and the rest mostly middle school. It was incredible to see the Lord at work in all of the youth, the adults, and also how He worked through us as a staff to minister to others. They all really appreciated the community members they were able to work with and the bonds that happened between Church groups. The start of the week was tough, and very draining. We are "on" constantly, and we did a lot of learning and putting pieces together.

All of the ministry sites that we send our groups to are wonderful, and the community members we work with are fantastic. We send our ministry crews to dig at a hiking/biking trail, the Meadows assisted living home, Mountainview retirement center, parks and recreation projects, Open Door Mission, Camp Thorpe (camp for those with disabilities), and Kid’s Club (comparable to a long-term VBS for community kids). Rutland truly is a special place – that does need the work of Christ to shine through us and all of the participants who come and touch them in more ways than they know.

My team and I are now in the midst of a breath of fresh air. Yesterday after I sent in all of the necessary Friday paperwork, we headed to BJ’s, a wholesale food store in New Hampshire. We get to drive an hour long drive through the beautiful green mountains, with plenty of ski areas, gift stores, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, and other tourist attractions. Though it is long, it is gorgeous and relaxing. We then do our shopping for the next group of about 60, and head back to the school. We unload, put away, then are done for the evening with a sigh of relief. The weekend does go much too fast; and still incorporates work projects, but not nearly to the extent of the week’s demands. Such an odd feeling to suddenly stop and look around on a Friday night, to breath in and out; and know that I am not needed to be doing 4 different things at the same moment; but to just be and sink into the moment and let time pass me by. It felt wonderful, and is something that I believe I will hopefully not take for granted again.

Walking New Roads

Lots of things happening at once in my life right now. I will begin with the sharing that I have chosen to accept a position working for the Notre Dame Volunteer AmeriCorps program. I will be working as a tutor and teaching assistant in a K-8 Catholic school in central Los Angeles. This program is 11 months long and begins September 1st. I am very excited for this opportunity to serve, and to walk this new road that God has placed in my life!

My staff and I have been busy preparing ourselves and everything else for our full summer ahead. We have been making lots of posters and signs, practicing music, skits, orientations, doing a lot of organizing, making pre-trip phone calls, some shopping for supplies, and the list keeps on going. The other part of our day/nights consist of keeping in touch with family/friends, going for walks, prayer/devotion time, exploring the city of Rutland, making "family" dinners to enjoy together, and hanging out with some awesome new friends and community members in Rutland! The hospitality here has been incredible. This past week we had 3 dinner invites, an invite to hike on a family's property and swim in their private pond, and a few invites for shower/laundry usage. We were even prayed for by about 18 middle/high schoolers at a youth group gathering last weekend, these kids amaze me, as they shine bright with an incredibly bright fire for Christ. It is really incredible how a community can show so much hospitality to 4 young adults who are here to work and serve the Lord for the summer.

I can't believe we only have 8 weeks left here - time is just crazy. it seems as though I get so caught up in planning and preparing, that I almost forget we have youth and adults coming in only 3 days! Then the real fun begins. Today is our big moving day. We are moving from the church we have been staying in for almost three weeks, to the Rutland Area Christian School, where we will stay until we leave in August. The nerves and excitement continue to build as we come closer to our move-in, and closer to people coming! We have about 55 people coming this next week, from 3 different churches. I can't wait to see what God has in store for all of them and all of us during this next week.

Keep on keepin' on

All is well on the Vermont front. We had a few chilly days but now it is warm and sunny again. This past week has been a combination of business in all of our preparation, meetings with service partners, and some awesome team bonding. I do really have a great team, which is going to make for a wonderful summer.

My group has been blessed with some time to relax and hang out with the community this weekend. Saturday we went hiking with Pastor Pete (the pastor at the church we are staying at, Roadside Chapel) at Pine Hill Park, which is a gorgeous area with hiking and biking trails. That is one of the sites where our youth will be working this year, and we will be going on weakly hikes there for the youth evening activity.

The rest of the afternoon we spent hanging out in Woodstock, Vermont - the shire town and capital of Windsor City. A cute, classic New England style village. The drive there was absolutely gorgeous: green and full of life and rolling hills. There were so many ski villages, bed and breakfasts, and quaint restaurants. We walked through the village, had a picnic lunch, and had coffee at the coffeeshop. We stopped at a covered bridge as we headed to New Hampshire to BJ's (the equivalent of a Sam's Club) to set up our account.

Sunday we attended the Calvary Bible Church, which is the church where our YouthWorks partner here is a youth pastor. Rob attended a YouthWorks mission in Chicago and fell in love with it. After having experienced one, he asked YouthWorks to come to Rutland, Vermont – and that's how we got here! This is the 5th year of YW in Rutland. He is a great asset to the program, and a wonderful friend. His wife picked us up Dunkin' Donuts coffee before the service – first time ever having coffee during a church service, normally we have to wait until after! It warmed me up though, as it was a little cold out this morning.

When we returned to the Roadside Chapel where we are currently staying, we were invited to the graduation party for the 5 youth who will be graduating from high school. That was a nice surprise, and some good food and fellowship. After some good mingling, we headed to a meeting room to start to work for the day. Sunday evening we performed our first Club, which is our equivalent to a youth group gathering that we will be facilitating every night for our participants. It consists of a skit, a fun mixer/game, worship songs, a talk, and a few other things. We were able to “practice” on Rob's youth group – it was great to get a practice round, they all enjoyed it.

Where are we...? Rutland, Vermont!

Rutland, Vermont welcomed my staff and I on Saturday. We had a nice drive from Delaware to here. Our 5 day training took place at a church in Delaware, right outside of Philadelphia. It was long and intensive, but all good. As prepared as we could be, we embarked on our new journey together as a team for the summer. My team consists of me, the Site Director, Kaity, our Program Coordinator from South Dakota, Brandon, our Service Coordinator from Ohio, and Ben, our Kids Club Coordinator from California. It's a great group - everyone brings their own unique characteristics, gifts, and humor - which makes for a fun and laid back group. Ben served on this site last year so that is a huge help.

Filling the role of the supervisor and leader in a place that I don't know and a job that I don't have experience in is quite overwhelming. My team has a lot of patience for me as I learn the ropes, establish expectations, and make a few mistakes here and there. We have already had some memorable times which make great stories to share and laugh about. One of those includes us locking ourselves out of the church we are staying in the first day we were here because we thought it would be a great idea to have a picnic lunch, and just assumed that people would stay around chatting for hours after the service like they do at our churches back home. Well everyone left and locked the doors by the time we were done eating - we just found that out the hard way. Not to worry though, the associate pastor lives right down the road so the problem was easily solved.

We have been building some great community connections so far. A couple who has been connected with YouthWorks for quite a while, Rob and Jenny, are our adoptive parents basically. They open up their home to us whenever we want to come over. So far they have taken us out for dinner, Ben & Jerry's, and had us over for a cookout (in which we got to meet the youth group that Rob leads). They have an adorable little boy, Jacob who is a bundle of energy!

My team has been having some great bonding experience: in planning, preparing, brainstorming, practicing, and all of the many things we have to do in our prep weeks. We have even sat down to a “family” style dinner each night that we have taken turns preparing for each other. It’s nice we can take the time to do this now, as we won’t be having nice peaceful dinners once the programming weeks begin. I have been learning a lot about leadership, delegation, team dynamics, finding my way around in a new place with new people, and dealing with emotional and mental roller coasters, and I have only just begun.

A new end, a new beginning, a new adventure

Two days after graduation I am gliding through this whirlwind of emotions as I hurriedly unpack and pack again for the summer. I will be in Rutland, Vermont this summer working as a Site Director for YouthWorks! This is a fantastic program that provides short-term mission trips to youth all across the United States. Check it out at http://www.youthworks.com/index.aspx. God has blessed me with the opportunity to work with hundreds of people this summer and help them grow spiritually and personally. I would love if you follow me on this adventure and exciting stage in my life. In the midst of this transition phase, I am also seeking out full-time employment or long-term volunteer work after this summer. I am trusting that everything will work out and that by the end of the summer, I will have a job to call my own, and a place to live while I’m there. I will appreciate any messages, phone calls, etc. during the summer – it’s always great to hear from friends and family, especially while in a new and unfamiliar place in this time of change.
“Be Different”