There is a quiet truth tumbling around in my soul. I have been aware of the tumbling for awhile but have attempted to ignore rather than acknowledge this truth. The time has come, though, to say it out loud...joy does not equal happiness in my life.
For so long I have thought those two words were synonymous. In the last few years I have come to see them as vastly different. I have the ability to be joyful while simultaneously unhappy...deeply unhappy. How does this work? It's convoluted.
I love to laugh. I am open to laughter and sometimes laugh at things other people can't find the humor in. I try not be obnoxious but it's there. I tend to smile with my whole being. It comes from deep inside. I feel the change in my soul. In my life, joy comes from my soul. I believe this joy comes from knowing the love and peace of God. That does not mean that I am happy.
For me, happiness is a state of mind. I can choose to be happy, I can choose to be a grumpy butt, I can choose to just be numb. Lately I have lived in the state of numb. I smile and laugh but the joy, the happiness is only surface deep. There isn't anything substantial behind it. I still have the joy of knowing God, but there isn't much else in the way of happiness.
One of the places where I have found much joy AND happiness has been on Mission Trips. As the days flew by and the Oklahoma trip approached, I found myself eagerly waiting those moments where we would laugh uncontrollably, where the joy of serving God and the happiness of the moments would come together creating a peace inside my soul that I have been seeking for a long time.
The trip started out with laughter. I loved being in the airport with 28 teenagers sprawled out over the floor, laughing and having fun together...and talking "The Bachelor". We laughed well the first couple of days and then something happened and laughter kind of died away. The trip became serious. Yes, laughter was still there, the joy in serving was still there but there was a solemnity settling over the entire group. I had joy in what I was doing but I was not happy.
Friday morning arrived and I found that my happy was nowhere to be found. After the fourth "get out of bed now" call to the young women in my care and with that feeling of tired almost-at-the-breaking point frustration beginning to overwhelm me, I turned to another adult and said "They are yours, I just can't do this today." I walked down the stairs, down the hall to breakfast and prayed hard, "God, I need laughter today. I need soul-filling conversations. I need this week to end on a good note."
I love it when God answers prayer quickly. Within a couple of hours I found myself on a job site with Yo Momma and 5 young women who were having a blast together. By the end of the day I was driving a truck down the road with the 5 young women laughing so hard I almost had to pull over. There had been some intense and soul-filling conversations during the day. There was love and laughter flowing and in that moment, in that state happiness and joy were synonymous.
Later that day the happiness had abated and in the weeks since I've returned that state of just moving through life, a little numb, not overly happy but always knowing a sense of joy deep inside my soul. Even in the intense moments of grief these last few weeks, an uncontainable peaceful joy still resides just below that grief.
I wish we had a society where people really truly understood the difference between happiness and joy. I wish the Christian community understood the difference between the two. I wish we could get beyond the black and white and see the messy, grey area of humanity and really understand and accept when someone says, I am not happy, but I am joyful and it's okay.
Showing posts with label mission. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mission. Show all posts
Friday, June 20, 2014
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Four different towns
I have been to four different regions for disaster recovery in the last 8 years. Each place has its own feel and stories to tell. Mississippi had a resiliency that grew with each trip. Galveston, TX felt like a resort town that had been forgotten. Joplin, MO had a feeling of despondency that was there long before the tornado. Oklahoma, Moore, had a heavy weight of depression. For the first time in all these trips, hope seemed far, far away.
Now, I may be extra sensitive to depression these days. I've been under that cloud in the last couple of years. I could have sensed something that wasn't as deep as I perceived it to be but when I think about the week in Moore and the people I met, which weren't that many, the overwhelming feeling I got from them was depression.
Of all three areas, Moore was the one area that was rebuilding the quickest. There really wasn't many visible remnants of the tornado, at least to someone who hadn't been there before. The schools were the most noticeable but they are definitely rebuilding them. There are housing subdivisions going up all over the place. The hospital is still four mobile units in a parking lot where something else used to be, but I didn't see piles and piles of debris or such vastly cleared land that it was obvious that a tornado had come through. I saw that in the eyes of Eliza (name changed).
Eliza was the one homeowner my team worked for that we met. The first day she drove up in her mini-van and said hello, conversed briefly and went inside. The second day she drove up, said hello and went inside. Later she went out, picked up her children and then came back and talked a little more. The third day I coaxed a little of her story out of her. Eliza and her children were in Plaza Towers Elementary school when the tornado hit. Plaza Towers is the school where several children lost their lives. She and her daughter were hurt, with her daughter receiving injuries to her back and neck. Eliza didn't elaborate and I didn't push. Just getting that much information from her was tough. There have been other things that have happened since the tornado adding to the burden on Eliza's shoulders. Her father had a stroke at Thanksgiving and Eliza is responsible for taking him to his therapy appointments. In her eyes I could see just how tired she was. The burdens she is carrying are huge and yet, as she stated, she is a survivor.
Dwight was a man who happened to walk down the street as we were packing up one day. He stopped to say hello and 10 minutes later I had learned that his daughter had lost her house in the tornado. She had moved in with Dwight and his wife, which turned out to be a blessing as Dwight's wife had cancer. She passed away in October. Dwight looked at me and said "At least she got to spend the last 6 months of her life with her daughter." He was a little amazed that we had come all the way from California to help. There was a little more spark in Dwight's eyes but the heaviness of life's ups and downs was evident again. He continued on down the street, after advising us of the best place to eat in Oklahoma City, off to Bingo at the church that night.
The homeowners at other sites were around more. One team wound up helping multiple people on a block. At the end of the week, we all gathered in the driveway at one house for lunch. That homeowner couldn't have been more delighted that we all showed up to her house. She had us take a team picture, right there in the driveway. Another homeowner made key chains for everyone on the team with wood from the tree that came down in her yard during the tornado. They too had the same weight of despair and yet, by the end of the week the teams had done their jobs. Maybe they hadn't gotten all of the physical work done but they got the emotional work done...they brought hope. These rebuilding trips aren't just about physical buildings, many times it's the emotional and spiritual rebuilding that is most needed.
On Friday, my team was painting a shed at a house that is still under construction. The homeowners needed a place to store items, so a shed was built and put on the site. 5 young women gathered around that shed and about 20 minutes in I realized the sound of their laughter and singing could be heard clear down the block. I thought about telling them to hush for a split second and then continued to paint the trim on the back of the shed. These young women were bringing something desperately needed to this town...the sound of joy and laughter, the sound of hope and friendship. It was a beautiful way to end the week.
Four different places, four different feelings and yet the need remains the same. I believe, in our own unique ways, in each place we have accomplished the goal set before us by God...throughout everything we continue to remind people to have hope.
Now, I may be extra sensitive to depression these days. I've been under that cloud in the last couple of years. I could have sensed something that wasn't as deep as I perceived it to be but when I think about the week in Moore and the people I met, which weren't that many, the overwhelming feeling I got from them was depression.
Of all three areas, Moore was the one area that was rebuilding the quickest. There really wasn't many visible remnants of the tornado, at least to someone who hadn't been there before. The schools were the most noticeable but they are definitely rebuilding them. There are housing subdivisions going up all over the place. The hospital is still four mobile units in a parking lot where something else used to be, but I didn't see piles and piles of debris or such vastly cleared land that it was obvious that a tornado had come through. I saw that in the eyes of Eliza (name changed).
Eliza was the one homeowner my team worked for that we met. The first day she drove up in her mini-van and said hello, conversed briefly and went inside. The second day she drove up, said hello and went inside. Later she went out, picked up her children and then came back and talked a little more. The third day I coaxed a little of her story out of her. Eliza and her children were in Plaza Towers Elementary school when the tornado hit. Plaza Towers is the school where several children lost their lives. She and her daughter were hurt, with her daughter receiving injuries to her back and neck. Eliza didn't elaborate and I didn't push. Just getting that much information from her was tough. There have been other things that have happened since the tornado adding to the burden on Eliza's shoulders. Her father had a stroke at Thanksgiving and Eliza is responsible for taking him to his therapy appointments. In her eyes I could see just how tired she was. The burdens she is carrying are huge and yet, as she stated, she is a survivor.
Dwight was a man who happened to walk down the street as we were packing up one day. He stopped to say hello and 10 minutes later I had learned that his daughter had lost her house in the tornado. She had moved in with Dwight and his wife, which turned out to be a blessing as Dwight's wife had cancer. She passed away in October. Dwight looked at me and said "At least she got to spend the last 6 months of her life with her daughter." He was a little amazed that we had come all the way from California to help. There was a little more spark in Dwight's eyes but the heaviness of life's ups and downs was evident again. He continued on down the street, after advising us of the best place to eat in Oklahoma City, off to Bingo at the church that night.
The homeowners at other sites were around more. One team wound up helping multiple people on a block. At the end of the week, we all gathered in the driveway at one house for lunch. That homeowner couldn't have been more delighted that we all showed up to her house. She had us take a team picture, right there in the driveway. Another homeowner made key chains for everyone on the team with wood from the tree that came down in her yard during the tornado. They too had the same weight of despair and yet, by the end of the week the teams had done their jobs. Maybe they hadn't gotten all of the physical work done but they got the emotional work done...they brought hope. These rebuilding trips aren't just about physical buildings, many times it's the emotional and spiritual rebuilding that is most needed.
On Friday, my team was painting a shed at a house that is still under construction. The homeowners needed a place to store items, so a shed was built and put on the site. 5 young women gathered around that shed and about 20 minutes in I realized the sound of their laughter and singing could be heard clear down the block. I thought about telling them to hush for a split second and then continued to paint the trim on the back of the shed. These young women were bringing something desperately needed to this town...the sound of joy and laughter, the sound of hope and friendship. It was a beautiful way to end the week.
Four different places, four different feelings and yet the need remains the same. I believe, in our own unique ways, in each place we have accomplished the goal set before us by God...throughout everything we continue to remind people to have hope.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Legacy
Hello from OKC!
It's tough to blog without a full keyboard, but I had the overwhelming need to get my thoughts out on "paper"...so here goes.
Today was our first full day of work. The group was split into 5 teams and I was put in charge of one team. I chose the work I knew I could handle, Sheetrock, which is hysterical in one sense because I have struggled nightly with Sheetrock over the life of these trips. Many a swear word has been uttered.
Anyhow, my team was at Eddie's house finishing up one missing, taping, sanding and patching. Let me just say, it was a struggle. The students were excellent. They were helpful, eager, excite and ready...and none of them knew a thing about what we were doing.
About halfway through the day, after teaching mudding techniques, "scrape off the excess into the tray like this to get a clean line", showing how to fill holes and sand down excess, I faced the holes in the ceiling. I knew enough to fake it...and asked for help when I didn't but mostly I stood back, gave instruction and let the students go for it. It was a challenging day. At the end of the day, as we put one last piece of drywall in, the heard myself say to the young woman who was struggling with the screw,"Keep going,but will suck in," and I knew that I had one person to thank for the knowledge I had used all day long...it was the same man whose words had just flown from my lips...my friend Ben. Those 10 trips to Mississippi where Ben taught, encouraged, led, forced me to try and instilled his knowledge in my soul had just come to fruition. Today I passed on Ben's legacy to 2 young men and 2 young women...and it was good.
It's tough to blog without a full keyboard, but I had the overwhelming need to get my thoughts out on "paper"...so here goes.
Today was our first full day of work. The group was split into 5 teams and I was put in charge of one team. I chose the work I knew I could handle, Sheetrock, which is hysterical in one sense because I have struggled nightly with Sheetrock over the life of these trips. Many a swear word has been uttered.
Anyhow, my team was at Eddie's house finishing up one missing, taping, sanding and patching. Let me just say, it was a struggle. The students were excellent. They were helpful, eager, excite and ready...and none of them knew a thing about what we were doing.
About halfway through the day, after teaching mudding techniques, "scrape off the excess into the tray like this to get a clean line", showing how to fill holes and sand down excess, I faced the holes in the ceiling. I knew enough to fake it...and asked for help when I didn't but mostly I stood back, gave instruction and let the students go for it. It was a challenging day. At the end of the day, as we put one last piece of drywall in, the heard myself say to the young woman who was struggling with the screw,"Keep going,but will suck in," and I knew that I had one person to thank for the knowledge I had used all day long...it was the same man whose words had just flown from my lips...my friend Ben. Those 10 trips to Mississippi where Ben taught, encouraged, led, forced me to try and instilled his knowledge in my soul had just come to fruition. Today I passed on Ben's legacy to 2 young men and 2 young women...and it was good.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Leaving on a jet plane...
Good Saturday morning. Today begins my 16th adventure in Disaster Recovery in 8 years. I'm so excited!
Our team of 48--33 High School Students and 15 adults--will be in Moore, Oklahoma all week doing whatever God has planned for us. I'm ready to be back in my boots, jeans and t-shirt, gloves at the ready and wide open adventure ahead.
I don't know if there will be wi-fi access where we are, so blogging will probably not happen (plus, I'm just taking my Kindle and it takes a LONG time to write a blog post on a Kindle. I do so much better with traditional computer keyboards.).
However, Youth Pastor Friend will be posting to the youth group Facebook page as much as possible. You can find photo's here: www.facebook.com/edgeandoasis Even if you aren't on Facebook (I keep thinking I'm it's time to close my page...tired of the fake lives on there) you will still be able to see photo's of the day and any updates.
So, if you are of the praying time, please pray for the team! For safety, sleep, good conversations, good work and financial support to keep rolling in! I'll catch ya on the flip side!
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Teenagers, life events and disaster relief
Working with teenagers keeps me grounded.
Last week I wore one of my favorite shirts ever to youth group. It's a grey, long sleeve t-shirt and simply says "Pearlington, Mississippi" on the front. The back has the names of people who helped our team go to Mississippi that time for Hurricane Katrina Relief work. I don't even remember what year or which number of the 12 trips it was.
One of young women looked at my t-shirt and asked "Where's Pearlington, Mississippi?"
I told her where it was and why I had been there and she looked at me with a puzzled look on her face and said "When was Hurricane Katrina?"
"2005," I replied.
"Oh, yeah, I was 5," was her response.
One of the other leaders looked at me and said with a touch of incredulity in his voice, "She was a year old when September 11th happened." We both took a moment to ponder that.
Time marches steadily on. There isn't anything I can do to stop the steady movement. There are days when I look at the number I am supposed to claim as my age and wonder how those years passed so quickly. I don't FEEL like the number I'm supposed to claim as my age. Do you know how OLD that number seemed when I was a teenager?!
Time marches on and world and life events happen. There are events, such as September 11th or Hurricane Katrina that will forever be etched in my brain. Those events changed my world outlook. They changed ME...and many of the students that I work with these days weren't even old enough to understand. They will have their own BIG life and world changing moments. It's just the way the world works.
Time marches on. This April it will be 8 years since I first set foot in the town of Pearlington, Mississippi. It's been over a year since I was last there. I hope to get back there again. This time for vacation, not Hurricane relief work. But if something happens and the call comes again, I'll go in a heartbeat!
In 3 days I will board a plane with some of my teenager friends (33 of them to be exact) and head to Moore, Oklahoma. Time does march on, life does change and teenagers really do keep me grounded...and in case you were wondering, I am taking my favorite long sleeve t-shirt with me.
Last week I wore one of my favorite shirts ever to youth group. It's a grey, long sleeve t-shirt and simply says "Pearlington, Mississippi" on the front. The back has the names of people who helped our team go to Mississippi that time for Hurricane Katrina Relief work. I don't even remember what year or which number of the 12 trips it was.
One of young women looked at my t-shirt and asked "Where's Pearlington, Mississippi?"
I told her where it was and why I had been there and she looked at me with a puzzled look on her face and said "When was Hurricane Katrina?"
"2005," I replied.
"Oh, yeah, I was 5," was her response.
One of the other leaders looked at me and said with a touch of incredulity in his voice, "She was a year old when September 11th happened." We both took a moment to ponder that.
Time marches steadily on. There isn't anything I can do to stop the steady movement. There are days when I look at the number I am supposed to claim as my age and wonder how those years passed so quickly. I don't FEEL like the number I'm supposed to claim as my age. Do you know how OLD that number seemed when I was a teenager?!
Time marches on and world and life events happen. There are events, such as September 11th or Hurricane Katrina that will forever be etched in my brain. Those events changed my world outlook. They changed ME...and many of the students that I work with these days weren't even old enough to understand. They will have their own BIG life and world changing moments. It's just the way the world works.
Time marches on. This April it will be 8 years since I first set foot in the town of Pearlington, Mississippi. It's been over a year since I was last there. I hope to get back there again. This time for vacation, not Hurricane relief work. But if something happens and the call comes again, I'll go in a heartbeat!
In 3 days I will board a plane with some of my teenager friends (33 of them to be exact) and head to Moore, Oklahoma. Time does march on, life does change and teenagers really do keep me grounded...and in case you were wondering, I am taking my favorite long sleeve t-shirt with me.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
What I've been up to lately, part 2
Sometimes God and I have trouble together. Sometimes the challenges, burdens, responsibilities God places on my shoulders are ones I would rather just dump under the table and leave alone. As much as I try to offload the responsibilities, they just keep hanging around the back of my brain. I can't escape them. I really want to but I just can't get away from them.
One of the roles I continually find myself in is what I will call "Woman capable of doing more than some men think she can". Think Rosie the Riveter. (Note, I said some men, not all men think this way.) In this role I am constantly pushing up against the boundaries of those who think that women can't _____________ you can fill in the blank.
In late March, I'll be joining up with 30 high school students and 15 adults, heading to Moore, Oklahoma to do tornado relief work. If you have been around this blog before, you will know I am not unfamiliar with disaster relief work. In fact, this will be my 16th work trip specifically for disaster relief. On these trips I have learned how to build ramps, dig post holes, cement posts, lay flooring, tear up flooring, sheet rock/tape/mud, use a nail gun (under duress), use a screw gun, use a skill saw, use a sawzall, build a fence, oh, and put up and tear down scaffolding and so much more. I happen to seriously love my steel toed boots, jeans and sweatshirts. I've been known to do my fair share of swearing at posts that somehow turn after they've been cemented in or when I measure for electric boxes, cut the sheet rock and am off just enough to cause a problem. So, when heading into trips, such as the one to Moore, and leaders on the trip say things like "Have you told them we have 18 girls on the trip?", the inference being the girls are unable to accomplish things the boys can, my blood boileth over.
I don't want to start a war. I don't desire to be labeled "that feminist". Yet, here I stand ready to take on the battle because I know the girls CAN. They can use the nail gun, the screw gun, the skill saw. They can dig post holes and put up sheet rock and build ramps. They can learn about how to frame a house or rough in electrical wires. They can roof, they can pour cement, THEY CAN! Sure, it might take longer. Yes, they aren't always capable of lifting super heavy items but please, just because they are girls, don't discount their abilities to succeed. In fact, most young women who are on work sites are there because they WANT to learn and they WANT to help people. By discounting their willingness to learn and what abilities they may have, sends a big message...a message I don't want to have anything to do with.
The other day Yo Momma asked one of the neighbors if they were building a deck, as they had piles of wood and what looked to be the beginnings of a deck by their house. Turns out our 12 year old neighbor girl and her dad are building a play house. We can just see the foundation of the playhouse going up now from our kitchen window. It's awesome. She is going to learn how to swing a hammer, how to measure, the importance of having a level foundation and so much more. What a gift to a young girl, to empower her to learn something new, go into territory that has been seen primarily as "men's work" and potentially tap into a talent she would never have found before. Plus, what a bonding experience between a daughter and her dad!
As I head into the trip to Moore, Oklahoma, as we gather for team training and gather as leaders, I hear God's voice so clearly, telling me to be an example, to keep urging others to empower, equip and encourage the young women in our midst, to help them dream new dreams, tap into strengthens they never knew they had and be willing to take on tasks others say they can't do. It's a voice some would and will argue with but I believe it is God's voice nonetheless.
We leaders are creating an opportunity for the young people on this trip to learn and grow, to serve and create, to find new strengths and gain knowledge. So let's give ALL of them the opportunity. There may be a young woman on this trip who suddenly realizes she likes to figure out angles and how pieces fit together. There may be a young woman who finds out she loves creating things with wood, there just may be a future carpenter in the group...but we never know until we give the young women on our team a chance.
One of the roles I continually find myself in is what I will call "Woman capable of doing more than some men think she can". Think Rosie the Riveter. (Note, I said some men, not all men think this way.) In this role I am constantly pushing up against the boundaries of those who think that women can't _____________ you can fill in the blank.
In late March, I'll be joining up with 30 high school students and 15 adults, heading to Moore, Oklahoma to do tornado relief work. If you have been around this blog before, you will know I am not unfamiliar with disaster relief work. In fact, this will be my 16th work trip specifically for disaster relief. On these trips I have learned how to build ramps, dig post holes, cement posts, lay flooring, tear up flooring, sheet rock/tape/mud, use a nail gun (under duress), use a screw gun, use a skill saw, use a sawzall, build a fence, oh, and put up and tear down scaffolding and so much more. I happen to seriously love my steel toed boots, jeans and sweatshirts. I've been known to do my fair share of swearing at posts that somehow turn after they've been cemented in or when I measure for electric boxes, cut the sheet rock and am off just enough to cause a problem. So, when heading into trips, such as the one to Moore, and leaders on the trip say things like "Have you told them we have 18 girls on the trip?", the inference being the girls are unable to accomplish things the boys can, my blood boileth over.
I don't want to start a war. I don't desire to be labeled "that feminist". Yet, here I stand ready to take on the battle because I know the girls CAN. They can use the nail gun, the screw gun, the skill saw. They can dig post holes and put up sheet rock and build ramps. They can learn about how to frame a house or rough in electrical wires. They can roof, they can pour cement, THEY CAN! Sure, it might take longer. Yes, they aren't always capable of lifting super heavy items but please, just because they are girls, don't discount their abilities to succeed. In fact, most young women who are on work sites are there because they WANT to learn and they WANT to help people. By discounting their willingness to learn and what abilities they may have, sends a big message...a message I don't want to have anything to do with.
The other day Yo Momma asked one of the neighbors if they were building a deck, as they had piles of wood and what looked to be the beginnings of a deck by their house. Turns out our 12 year old neighbor girl and her dad are building a play house. We can just see the foundation of the playhouse going up now from our kitchen window. It's awesome. She is going to learn how to swing a hammer, how to measure, the importance of having a level foundation and so much more. What a gift to a young girl, to empower her to learn something new, go into territory that has been seen primarily as "men's work" and potentially tap into a talent she would never have found before. Plus, what a bonding experience between a daughter and her dad!
As I head into the trip to Moore, Oklahoma, as we gather for team training and gather as leaders, I hear God's voice so clearly, telling me to be an example, to keep urging others to empower, equip and encourage the young women in our midst, to help them dream new dreams, tap into strengthens they never knew they had and be willing to take on tasks others say they can't do. It's a voice some would and will argue with but I believe it is God's voice nonetheless.
We leaders are creating an opportunity for the young people on this trip to learn and grow, to serve and create, to find new strengths and gain knowledge. So let's give ALL of them the opportunity. There may be a young woman on this trip who suddenly realizes she likes to figure out angles and how pieces fit together. There may be a young woman who finds out she loves creating things with wood, there just may be a future carpenter in the group...but we never know until we give the young women on our team a chance.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
A trip to Joplin turned into a trip to...
"We are looking for 6 people to give up their seats on this flight and fly out tomorrow. We will provide hotel accommodations and meal voucher for tonight and tomorrow morning as well as a $300 voucher for future travel." The announcement echoed through the waiting area where I sat with the Joplin Mission Team. We were returning home from our week of work in Joplin, waiting in Dallas for our plane to arrive when the announcement was made.
I looked at Youth Pastor friend and said "You should do that." I was half joking. He looked at me and said, "I think you should." I thought about it for a few seconds and then shrugged. "Nope, can't leave my team."
The announcement was made again 30 minutes later. They were looking for 3 people then. I wrestled with the thought and Youth Pastor friend gave me the "you should take it" look. Still, my sense of team spirit held strong. Another 30 minutes, the plane that was to take us home had arrived and the third announcement was made. "We are looking for one person to give up their seat on this flight and take a guaranteed flight out tomorrow morning. We will give you meal vouchers, a voucher in a hotel tonight and a $500 travel voucher for future travel." I didn't hesitate long that time. I took my ticket, went up to the counter and said, "Yes, please." I guess I can be bought.
10 minutes later my team was boarding the plane and I was sitting in the waiting area, waiting for my hotel, meal and travel vouchers. I enjoyed two hot showers in a lovely bathroom with fresh, clean towels, serious luxury after a week on a Mission trip, slept in a real bed with clean sheets and arrived home at 9:30am the next morning. No big deal.
Fast forward a bit and I have a $500 travel voucher and a deadline by which to use the voucher. There were many options open. Head to Mississippi for fun? BE with the Revgals? (Gave that one serious consideration seeing as how I could visit Mississippi friends and go to BE. Like two vacations in one.) Washington State to visit family and friends? Maui with my parents and friends? Washington DC? Maine? I just couldn't make a decision.
One day, sitting at work I had a moment of clarity. I had to take a vacation or I was going to fall apart. Not a working vacation like my last three have been but an actual go away and do nothing vacation. That's when everything began to line up. The option was clear. The airfare was just slightly higher than the travel voucher. The dates freed up and suddenly I was going on vacation.
And that, my friends, is how a trip to Joplin turned into a trip to Maui. Aloha.
I looked at Youth Pastor friend and said "You should do that." I was half joking. He looked at me and said, "I think you should." I thought about it for a few seconds and then shrugged. "Nope, can't leave my team."
The announcement was made again 30 minutes later. They were looking for 3 people then. I wrestled with the thought and Youth Pastor friend gave me the "you should take it" look. Still, my sense of team spirit held strong. Another 30 minutes, the plane that was to take us home had arrived and the third announcement was made. "We are looking for one person to give up their seat on this flight and take a guaranteed flight out tomorrow morning. We will give you meal vouchers, a voucher in a hotel tonight and a $500 travel voucher for future travel." I didn't hesitate long that time. I took my ticket, went up to the counter and said, "Yes, please." I guess I can be bought.
10 minutes later my team was boarding the plane and I was sitting in the waiting area, waiting for my hotel, meal and travel vouchers. I enjoyed two hot showers in a lovely bathroom with fresh, clean towels, serious luxury after a week on a Mission trip, slept in a real bed with clean sheets and arrived home at 9:30am the next morning. No big deal.
Fast forward a bit and I have a $500 travel voucher and a deadline by which to use the voucher. There were many options open. Head to Mississippi for fun? BE with the Revgals? (Gave that one serious consideration seeing as how I could visit Mississippi friends and go to BE. Like two vacations in one.) Washington State to visit family and friends? Maui with my parents and friends? Washington DC? Maine? I just couldn't make a decision.
One day, sitting at work I had a moment of clarity. I had to take a vacation or I was going to fall apart. Not a working vacation like my last three have been but an actual go away and do nothing vacation. That's when everything began to line up. The option was clear. The airfare was just slightly higher than the travel voucher. The dates freed up and suddenly I was going on vacation.
And that, my friends, is how a trip to Joplin turned into a trip to Maui. Aloha.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Joplin Bound
Having an employer with a motto of "Service Above Self" is a good thing. They didn't even blink when I said, at my initial interview, that I would be in Joplin, Missouri this week. In fact, they are even letting me make up hours when I get back. So awesome!
Today I join 32 of my closest HSCC friends and one favorite from FPC. We'll be spending a week in Joplin helping with Tornado Recovery work. In a little twist of irony, my friend Tom from Mississippi called me soon after the tornado hit last May and asked if I would be willing to take a group to Joplin. I'm sure you all know my response. :) It turned out that there were plenty of other groups going at that time but here I am, almost a year later, making the trek. I'm not sure what to pray for this week besides an openness and willingness to follow God.
If you would like to check on our progress, you can go here -->hsccyouth.org<-- , click on the "Oasis" circle and follow the link on that page to get all the latest updates and photos and maybe even some video blogs from the students.
See you in a week (unless I get computer access and then you never know!)
Today I join 32 of my closest HSCC friends and one favorite from FPC. We'll be spending a week in Joplin helping with Tornado Recovery work. In a little twist of irony, my friend Tom from Mississippi called me soon after the tornado hit last May and asked if I would be willing to take a group to Joplin. I'm sure you all know my response. :) It turned out that there were plenty of other groups going at that time but here I am, almost a year later, making the trek. I'm not sure what to pray for this week besides an openness and willingness to follow God.
If you would like to check on our progress, you can go here -->hsccyouth.org<-- , click on the "Oasis" circle and follow the link on that page to get all the latest updates and photos and maybe even some video blogs from the students.
See you in a week (unless I get computer access and then you never know!)
Saturday, April 2, 2011
And we're off!
This post will go "live" about the time our plane is set to take off from SFO heading towards Houston.*** I've got a lot of things that I'm hoping for this week. I hope to be able to update as the week goes along, but in case I can't you can go to www.hsccoasis.blogspot.com. There will be a link there to the Facebook site where pictures and updates will be put.
In specific order, things that I am praying about/anticipating/hoping for this week:
1. A-ha moments for the youth. For the vast majority this will be their first Mission trip.
2. There are a mountain of things resting on my shoulders right now that have the potential of tearing my attention away from what God wants to have happen on this trip. I'm praying that my focus will be right where it needs to be at all times and not so focused on the future that I miss the present.
3. Rest at the right moments. My introverted self is very challenged on these trips. Being with people 24/7 wears me out. I'm praying for moments of solitude to recharge and find my center again.
4. To reconnect with God.
5. To be open to the experience, to new people, to the team, to learning, to just whatever is supposed to happen.
Most of all, I just want to do what God wants while being true to who God has made me to be. Let the journey begin!
***Well, the scheduled time anyway. It's 8:30am on Saturday and the plane is already a half hour delayed according to the airline website. We aren't even supposed to leave til 3:40pm...how does that happen?
In specific order, things that I am praying about/anticipating/hoping for this week:
1. A-ha moments for the youth. For the vast majority this will be their first Mission trip.
2. There are a mountain of things resting on my shoulders right now that have the potential of tearing my attention away from what God wants to have happen on this trip. I'm praying that my focus will be right where it needs to be at all times and not so focused on the future that I miss the present.
3. Rest at the right moments. My introverted self is very challenged on these trips. Being with people 24/7 wears me out. I'm praying for moments of solitude to recharge and find my center again.
4. To reconnect with God.
5. To be open to the experience, to new people, to the team, to learning, to just whatever is supposed to happen.
Most of all, I just want to do what God wants while being true to who God has made me to be. Let the journey begin!
***Well, the scheduled time anyway. It's 8:30am on Saturday and the plane is already a half hour delayed according to the airline website. We aren't even supposed to leave til 3:40pm...how does that happen?
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Called and compelled
One week from tonight, in the middle of the night, I will be in Galveston, Texas with a team of 19 people. We'll be starting a week of rebuilding efforts in response to 2008's Hurricane Ike. Tonight, as Yo Momma, Papa Bear and I sat and talked about the trip it occurred to me that on April 2, 2006 in the middle of the night I was driving into the town of Pearlington, Mississippi to do Hurricane Katrina recovery work. So much has happened in those 5 years, things expected and unexpected. I am the same and yet not the same person that drove into that town with a sense of calling, purpose and Holy Spirit compelling.
A couple of weeks ago part of a sermon I gave was on following the compelling of the Holy Spirit. As I've grown in faith I've come to recognize when the Holy Spirit is pushing me into something, challenging me and I've come to recognize how I squelch that compelling Spirit, ignore it, deny it. I challenged the congregation to ask themselves why they do things...do they act out of the compelling force of the Holy Spirit or because they are expected to do something or because they have been doing the task for so long it just has become something that they do, not something they enjoy or are inspired to do. After the first service someone asked me if I felt the same compelling to Texas that I did to Mississippi. My quick answer was no. But I do feel compelled to support and encourage the youth in my care and so I go to Texas.
I've thought about that more, though, and my answer has changed. I am compelled to help people, to love others, to bring hope to others lives, wherever that may take me. If it's Texas, so be it. It's a new challenge, a new opportunity to be stretched and to grow...but just so we are clear the people of Pearlington have first dibs on my heart, which is why I get home from Texas on the 9th and go to Pearlington on the 14th. The call, the compelling of the Holy Spirit is still strong and so I go.
A couple of weeks ago part of a sermon I gave was on following the compelling of the Holy Spirit. As I've grown in faith I've come to recognize when the Holy Spirit is pushing me into something, challenging me and I've come to recognize how I squelch that compelling Spirit, ignore it, deny it. I challenged the congregation to ask themselves why they do things...do they act out of the compelling force of the Holy Spirit or because they are expected to do something or because they have been doing the task for so long it just has become something that they do, not something they enjoy or are inspired to do. After the first service someone asked me if I felt the same compelling to Texas that I did to Mississippi. My quick answer was no. But I do feel compelled to support and encourage the youth in my care and so I go to Texas.
I've thought about that more, though, and my answer has changed. I am compelled to help people, to love others, to bring hope to others lives, wherever that may take me. If it's Texas, so be it. It's a new challenge, a new opportunity to be stretched and to grow...but just so we are clear the people of Pearlington have first dibs on my heart, which is why I get home from Texas on the 9th and go to Pearlington on the 14th. The call, the compelling of the Holy Spirit is still strong and so I go.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Did I tell you...
That I'm heading to Texas? Galveston, to be more precise. The youth group I lead is joining a friends youth group and we will be helping with the ongoing rebuilding work. After 10 trips to Mississippi, it's going to be interesting to travel someplace different and do the same kind of work I've done in Mississippi.
Have I also told you that 5 days after I get back from Texas I'm going to Mississippi again? Just for a long weekend and not with a church group. Just a couple of friends and Yo Momma. Ben asked if we would be willing to come help out with the Yellow House. Everything fell together within a week. I like how things just happen. When it all falls into place, I believe it's meant to be!
Now, here's a little plea. If you are in the area Sunday and want to help out with the Texas trip, there will be a BBQ at High Street Community Church at 5pm. The cost is $8 per person for the dinner. There will also be a raffle, so bring some extra cash for raffle tickets. (Raffle items are ALWAYS appreciated as well.) My friend, Todd, whose youth group we are joining for the Texas trip, is in a particular state of stress because not only is he taking a group to Texas but he's going to Mexico with another group two weeks later...school schedules around here do not line up for Easter break this year...so the more people who show up and the more funds raised for the causes, the less stress Todd will be going through.
If you can't make it, prayers for the team would be greatly appreciated! I'll post more about trip at a later date. Happy Tuesday!
Have I also told you that 5 days after I get back from Texas I'm going to Mississippi again? Just for a long weekend and not with a church group. Just a couple of friends and Yo Momma. Ben asked if we would be willing to come help out with the Yellow House. Everything fell together within a week. I like how things just happen. When it all falls into place, I believe it's meant to be!
Now, here's a little plea. If you are in the area Sunday and want to help out with the Texas trip, there will be a BBQ at High Street Community Church at 5pm. The cost is $8 per person for the dinner. There will also be a raffle, so bring some extra cash for raffle tickets. (Raffle items are ALWAYS appreciated as well.) My friend, Todd, whose youth group we are joining for the Texas trip, is in a particular state of stress because not only is he taking a group to Texas but he's going to Mexico with another group two weeks later...school schedules around here do not line up for Easter break this year...so the more people who show up and the more funds raised for the causes, the less stress Todd will be going through.
If you can't make it, prayers for the team would be greatly appreciated! I'll post more about trip at a later date. Happy Tuesday!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)