Week 8

You know why I love dark chocolate? Because it is somewhat bitter, but also oh so sweet. That's what this feels like. I am terribly sad we are leaving the UP, but am so excited about where God is taking us...wherever that may be! We are still unsure as to where we are supposed to go, but I know it is going to be great! I found out a couple days ago that I didn't get the job I interviewed for, but in all honesty, I am still at peace. I know God has a plan, and it will unfold in due time! But enough about me....this is my last week of the series of the YouthWorks summer....so here goes!

This last week was amazing. I was sick Sunday & Monday and wasn't able to connect with the participants or spend anytime with them...usually this sets the tone for the rest of the week, and it is extremely difficult to make connections with participants, but this week was different. This group was welcoming, excited to be here, and put for extra effort to get to know me...usually that's my job! I was so blessed by this last group- they truly shine for Jesus and poured everything they had into this community. We've had some amazing groups (34 different churches!) come through this summer, and this group was definitely among the amazing...am I allowed to say that? I guess so...it is MY blog!

Anyway...this summer as a whole has been ridiculously challenging, but also ridiculously fulfilling. Kind of like Thanksgiving dinner....it is a lot of work to put it together, but once the meal is ready, and everyone eats their full, a feeling of personal satisfaction and fulfillment inevitably comes. Why am I comparing everything to food today? Maybe its because I'm hungry..and I'm waiting for my blueberry pancakes to finish being cooked through all the way...or maybe like every other pregnant woman (if you haven't checked facebook, you should!) I seem to be ALWAYS hungry. lol

Week 7

This was our first week of multi-generational trips....also known as family weeks. I absolutely loved it! It was so much fun having such a variety of ages on our trip. We had numerous families, but also had couples without their children on this trip. Watching the families interact with one another was probably one of my favorite parts of this week's trip. Another cool aspect of this week's group was that they were all from the same church. This Lutheran body of believers was a tight-knit community passionate about doing God's work. Watching them grow closer to each other and Christ this week was an amazing experience. Our last night with this group, we were invited to join them in communion. It was amazing. As we passed the bread and the wine, I realized more than ever that regardless of one's claimed denomination, we all serve the same God...we just worship Him differently. How amazing that we serve a God who doesn't demand that we act like robots, but rather, gave us the creative freedom to worship Him according to our hearts' desires. Mind blowing.

Yesterday, Andy and I went to Mackinaw City...it's a town of around 800, but in the summer, is a huge tourist attraction. As we crossed the 5-mile bridge from St. Ignace to Mackinaw City, I was not only scared that the bridge was going to collapse (I strongly dislike going over bridges of any sort), but was also in awe of the beauty of everything around me. Suddenly, we were above the crystal clear water, clear skies above us, and trees etching the border of the water. It was breathtaking. Then, reality hit as we went through the construction zone, and I was once again reminded why I hate bridges. lol

As we start our last week of programming on Sunday afternoon, please continue to keep us in your prayers. We are seeking God's will for after the summer, and have an inkling as to where He is calling us, but will know for sure at the end of this upcoming week. Please pray for God to continue to guide us, and to also give us one last surge of energy and passion for our last week of programming. We are reaching an extremely bittersweet end to our time in Sault Ste. Marie, MI.

Week 6

This was our last week of programming for teens and their adult leaders. It was a great week overall. The leaders were fantastic, and the youth were happy to serve whenever & wherever asked. I really connected with some of the girls this week, and feel so blessed by the many relationships God has provided throughout this summer!

These last two weeks are multi-generational missions' trips. Mostly families come on these trips, but young adults will also come with a church group. I have no idea what to expect for our last two weeks here! I am excited for the families to come and experience life in Sault Ste Marie as well as grow closer to God together as a family.

It is really hard to believe we only have two weeks left here in Michigan- the summer has completely flown by, and soon we will be packing up the vehicles and saying goodbye to the wonderful people we have met here. Thank you so much for your support through encouragement and prayers- they have been GREATLY needed and appreciated! :)

Psalm 46:1-3

This morning during devos, our them was "More Be, Less Do." In all honesty, this is something I really struggle with- taking the time to focus on a couple of verses, meditate, and really think through what God is trying to say to me. Whenever we introduce the day's theme, one of us prays, and whenever that one of us is me, I always ask God to bless devo time....half the time I honestly don't do devotions, I instead take care of other things that need to be done, or I'll check my e-mail/facebook. Lord have patience with me. However, today, God definitely blessed me during the time I spent with Him...I feel impressed to blog what I wrote in my journal today...

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling." -Psalm 46:1-3

God,

You truly are my refuge & my strength. This summer You have brought me peace & solace when I have desperately needed it. You have given me strength when I physically could barely stand. Truly You have been present with me every moment of this summer. Even when I haven't recognized or acknowledged Your presence, You have been my very present help- when my weaknesses were ever present, Your strength & help superseded them. I have no reason to fear the unknown when You have faithfully proven Yourself over and over and over again. Why should I be anxious about how we will make ends meet and quickly pay off student debt? Why should I be nervous about what others think of me or how they view my lifestyle? I have no reason to fear, for You are my ever present help in times of trouble. Even if I am feeling like I am in waaaaay over my head and my worries and current circumstances shout out in loud and overwhelming voices, even if I start to wonder what it all means & am struggling, I will choose courage in You. I will place my trust in You. Like the mountains placed in the sea with waves roaring and foaming, causing them to tremble I will not doubt You, nor Your plan for my life. You have blessed me many times over, You have honored my attempts to bring You glory and by Your grace have forgiven me when I have miserably failed to glorify You. You are my refuge and strength in Whom I trust. I love & need You more than I will ever be able to express.

Week 5

Week 5 was nothing short of amazing! Of course we had some ups and downs, but overall, it was a great week. I was so blessed by the youth, the leaders, and just the way God moved this week- in and through me.

On Wednesday night this week, Cecil, a member of the Sault Tribe, made fry-bread and tacos for the youth, along with two of our other staff members. It was really fun for the youth and us as staff to try some authentic Native American food. Cecil loves the youth in the Sault, and if I'm not mistaken, he's going to miss us quite a bit when we leave!

On Fridays, most of the participants leave by 8:30 or 8:45 am, but this week, one of the groups was staying in town, and invited us out for breakfast with them. Suddenly, we all had a lot of energy, and went along with them- it was so much fun! I decided then and there, that lactose-intolerant or not, I was having "the best pancakes in town"...and truly (sorry mom!) they were the best pancakes I've ever had!

I have one more thing to say about this group, and then we can move on to the "Lessons Learned By Hannah" section...lol. This week's group was made up of 4 different churches. Within these four different churches, there were a couple of youth with special needs. Usually, this means that the other youth are easily irritated or take advantage of the youth with special needs. I however, saw unending patience and kindness from all of the youth this week towards the youth with special needs. I overheard the following conversation early on this week (the names I'm using aren't really their names...for obvious reasons)

Gary: I am SO mad! This is so stupid!

Bob: Tell me what's bothering you Gary. Just calm down, and explain it to me.

Gary: I'm mad because somebody (I can't really finish the story, but someone did something not very nice)

Bob: Let's go find Hannah and see what she has to say.

I was so touched by the way this teenager chose to handle the situation. Instead of egging "gary" on, he took the time to listen to what was wrong, and talked so respectfully to him. I've never witnessed something like this before, and I was beyond encouraged that there are genuinely nice teenagers. :)

I learned a great lesson this week in humility and servitude. Because my main role and responsibilities take place at night, during the day, I usually work on behind the scenes logistics...and for whatever reason, this week I was really struggling to have a good attitude about it. Thoughts of "this is stupid...why do I have to do this...for the 5 millionth time?" or "can't someone else do this? it isn't even my responsibility, or my turn to do this." Clearly, this is not the attitude Christ calls us to have- regardless of how many times we serve others and it goes unnoticed, He still calls us to serve out of love for Him and others. I should rejoice that I have the opportunity to serve others and be a blessing to them.

One of the nightly talks I give is about where our focus should be when we are serving others- this week, I was really convicted by my own words. I was encouraging the youth to think about what their motivation is for serving others- is it to bring glory to God or to themselves? Although I don't desire for everyone to fawn over me and thank me for every good deed I do, at times, I get caught up in the fact that a lot of what I do does go unnoticed by those around me. But as cheesy as this sounds, God always notices what I do- good or bad! Knowing that my heavenly Father sees and appreciates what I do out of love for Him needs to become more than enough for me. I am here to bring glory to God- not myself. So that's the life lesson I learned this week...I'm really hoping to move on and not have to re-learn this one again anytime soon...what are the chances of that? lol

Kayaking!

On Saturday, Andrew and I were able to go kayaking with our friends, Greg & Angie. We had a blast, and it was so much fun to be able to enjoy the amazing weather here in the UP! Enjoy the pictures!

Getting Ready!

So Excited! :D

Greg & Angie

Happy to Be on The Water!

My Dreamy Husband

Week 4

This week was so crazy! Between four of the staff getting the stomach flu, and dealing with unique circumstances this week, I don't know how we made it through other than by the grace of God. He has been so faithful in all that He provides to help us through each week.

I had a great time this week with the youth. There were definitely a few that I connected with on a deeper level, and I hope to remain in contact with them. It is so interesting to me the differences in group dynamics each week. Sometimes more than not, the dynamics are set by the adult leaders who bring their youth to Sault Ste. Marie. I constantly find myself being intimidated by the adult leaders...I don't know why I allow this to happen. Usually by the end of the first day of programming, I realize how silly I'm being and that the one thing that matters is that I bring glory to God through my heart and actions...not if the adult leaders think I have it together and know what is going on. I constantly struggle with this. Feeling accepted by peers, and those younger & older than me...I guess I didn't realize that as much before as I have this week. I'm hoping God helps me grow in this area. Obviously I know where my focus is to be & where true acceptance lies, but why is that sometimes so hard to put into action?

Thank you so much for your continued support through prayer this summer. I have been incredibly challenged within the last four weeks of programming. The perfectionist & planner in me daily struggles to find the balance between flexibility & maintaining a sense of order. God had given me a lot of grace to help me be flexible with a joyful attitude. :) Please continue to pray for guidance & a continued focus on God for the remaining four weeks of programming. We are halfway done with programming, and although I am excited for what the next four weeks hold, I am also excited to know what God has store for us. Please pray for me to be patient & to wholeheartedly trust in God's plan....I know it is a great one!

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend!

Week 3

Yay for doing well with my summer goal of weekly updates! Don't expect this to last once the summer is over...I'll do my best though!

Week three has been amazing in so many different ways. The youth this week were really a blessing to work with...and they had a lot of surprises to deal with throughout the week. On Monday morning, due to a church function, all the girls had to move their ALL their stuff upstairs for the day, and reset it Monday night. Also on Sunday night, the water was supposedly supposed to be shut off for only 5 minutes, but it turned into 15 hours of no water. Monday afternoon we realized a toilet was broken, and the 40-something girls were down to two functioning toilets, and then, the 12 hour flu started to spread on Thursday night...but through it all, we heard zero complaining about any of this. Really, looking back on this week, it is quite comical. Thankfully, the youth were great about everything, and even intentionally looked for different ways in which they could help out.

God also blessed this week by giving us energy, health, and breakthroughs as a team/staff. I am extremely blessed by my team and how well we work together. Everyone has so many different strengths, and it is really great to see how those strengths come in handy in different situations. I'm excited to see what week 4 will bring!

Wedding!

Here is the special post I promised! I would have posted sooner, but being that I forgot to bring my camera, I had to wait for the other faithful bridesmaids to post pictures from the wedding....so here are a few! :)

The Happy Couple, Randy & Kelsey Kidder!


Ashley and I (obviously a beautiful bridesmaid!)


Me and the girls I grew up with! I already miss them!