Routine, sort of?

I am currently starting to sort of settle back into a routine after an entire summer of traveling. School is in session again, so I am back to subbing multiple times a week to replenish my checking account and pay students loans that started coming due this month. Thus, I am actually sleeping in Princeton, IN more often than not for a change.

Before settling back into my kind-of routine, I journeyed to northern Indiana and Michigan for a few days. I spoke a Wednesday night and Sunday morning at Ohio Street Wesleyan Church in Columbus, IN. While this church is technically in the IN South district, it was north for me. :) I also met up with some GP friends and staff, spent a couple nights at Shunem House in Noblesville, and visited good friends and a church in Michigan. It was a very enjoyable journey! The people at Ohio Street were phenomenal--I really felt like I was able to build a relationship with them and several joined the team. By the end of the trip, however, I could tell I had been on the road for LONG time. The idea of not living out of a suitcase for a while was very appealing.

This past week, I subbed four days and caught up with people around home. This weekend was full! Saturday was Mudfest 2011, a gathering of community youth groups hosted by Uncommon student ministries. The entire event is centered around, well,... mud. Check out the pictures for yourself!

This is the group we took from The Grounds--not that you can make any of us out really except for my co-leader, Andrea, who wasn't feeling well. She avoided the mud until this hugging event.

This pic is of me with Pastor Beth Brown, a good friend and youth pastor of Uncommon at Dayspring Community Church. She officially commissioned me to host Mudfest New Zealand 2012. :)

You've never played volleyball til you've played it four-way in a 50' x 50' mud pit!

We loved the fire truck when it came to our rescue... I don't think we could have cleaned off any other way!

The day after Mudfest, I left for Kentucky where I spoke to three Wesleyan congregations about NZ--Cloverport Wesleyan, Wellman Memorial Wesleyan, and Atwood Wesleyan. I then stayed the night in Louisville with some good friends. My time in Kentucky was well-spent! I'm excited to welcome new people onto the team from there! :)

This week, I am trying to get my life in order. My house is a disaster area from all the traveling over the last months. Also, I am trying to get things ready for a yard sale fundraiser my home church is sponsoring in a week and a half for New Zealand, subbing, getting back in the swing of youth ministry, and setting up more fundraising meetings. This weekend, I will be speaking in Paoli, IN. Also, I already have one meeting set up with individuals. Please keep the prayers coming! I'm currently at 41% and anticipating God to do great things in the near future!

Celebrating 40%

Praise Jesus for 40% Faith Promise! I am so excited and blessed to see how God is continuing to call people to join the team!

My time in California was so enjoyable--after I finished all my speaking engagements, I was able to spend time with some family in Cali that I had not seen in at least six years. It was a wonderful time of reunion and getting to know my cousins again as adults (the last time I saw them all, they were still teenagers/pre-teens!)

This past weekend, some good friends picked me up from the Indianapolis airport, and I was able to attend church with them at College Park in Carmel, IN. I was super impressed by this church in light of its sound teaching, heart-felt worship, and incredible missional involvement in the community and the globe. I even found out some good friends from Indiana Wesleyan attend there! Sunday night, I was back at my home church for the first time in a good while. It was great to reconnect with everyone. Monday was my first day back at the high school as a substitute teacher. I was excited to start building more relationships in the school. Last night I attended Uncommon, the Assembly of God youth ministry where one of my closest friends youth pastors. It was great to see all her students again, and some of mine who have started hitting up every youth service in the area they can during the week :). Today I have to prepare for youth group tonight (my first time actually being here and lead in like a month and a half) and pack up for my next set of journeys which will take me to northern Indiana and Michigan over the course of the rest of the week.

Please keep praying with me for God's provision!

CALIFORNIA

One observation before my reflections--CALIFORNIA IS BEAUTIFUL!!!! Ok, now that I've got that out of my system...

Last week was an incredibly beautiful week of ministry and relationships at Redwood Christian Park Family Camp. I was privileged to be the youth speaker at the camp. I was able to get to know and invest in over fifty students between the junior high and high school programs. Each morning I would preach twice (once to each group), and the rest of the day was spent getting to know these amazing teenagers, praying with them, and watching God work powerfully in their lives. Several made new commitments to Jesus, asking for God's REIGN in their lives rather than the REIGN of sin. Over the course of the week, we talked a lot about the GREAT ADVENTURE of living out God's purposes for our lives. For the adventure to begin, we must have a personal ENCOUNTER with Christ followed by a personal CONFESSION of faith in Him as Lord. Then as we WALK BY THE SPIRIT, we are able to accomplish His purposes in our lives. The ultimate purpose, of course, is for us to KNOW HIM. Beyond that, God desires to bless us so that we can be a BLESSING to others as we participate in His mission in the world.

Pictured Below: Some of the wonderful ladies I worked with and a picture of me with several students at the train station, preparing to go on a train ride through the Redwood Forest.



Pictured Below: Another group shot at the train station and one of some guys during an activity with duct tape. :)

I was so blessed by the amazing leadership at RCP! This camp holds a special place in my heart. I was able to share a Missions Moment with the whole family camp, and several times God opened the door for me to share my heart for God's work in New Zealand with individuals over a meal or an activity. Several people signed up to be prayer partners, and several showed interest in being Faith Promise partners as well.

Pictured Below: A group shot with the high school students. (My group shots with the junior high were indoor and didn't turn out as well, but you can see all my pictures from the camp by clicking HERE and HERE to view both of the Facebook albums.)


On Sunday, I was able to share at Riverside Wesleyan Church in Sacramento for a few minutes. I was super blessed by this church. California is so diverse, and it was beautiful to see that diversity reflected in a local church. The worship, Word, and fellowship were just amazing. Again, God sent several new members of the team my direction. I am excited about the work He is doing! Since my last post, I have gone up to 37% Faith Promise! God is providing!

I am currently spending a few more days in Cali with family before heading back to Indiana on Saturday. On Monday, I kick off the school year with my first day of substitute teaching. Where has the summer gone?!