Recap on life...

So I realize that it has been two weeks since my last blog post... whoops. Apparently these past 14 days has been busier than I thought. To get everyone (including myself) up to speed on how life has been since June 12, I think I'll start with the Mission's Trip.

My last post gave a brief/tentative overview of what the trip would look like. We arrived in Glenwood, Iowa late afternoon on Sunday, and the first 24 hours of the trip were a little a chaotic... to say the least. We went down to Iowa with the 6 different TreeHouse's in the Minneapolis area, but our area, New Hope, was definitely having a difficult time adjusting. In the past, they have gone on mission trips either in cities or on an Indian reservation. So for them, it was hard to come to Glenwood and work in a residential area and slowly get adjusted to serving through a new organization. Just to give you a little preview of what TeenServe looked like for the week...

• Wake-up call at... 6:30 IN THE MORNING! Did I mention those calls were over the school's loud speaker and that we were sleeping in the classrooms on the cement floor?
• Breakfast!
• Go to our individual work sites (our group was split up amongst the other TreeHouse's) where we painted OVER 50 houses total as a group that week! Praise God for hard work and perseverance!
• Get back around 3:30 pm and "rest"
• Dinner!
• A joyous round of Ultimate Frisbee :-] where I happened to break my pinky toe the last night :-[
• Evening program from 6:45-9ish pm - during this, there was worship and a main speaker who spoke on the theme of  LOVE Re:action for the whole week.
• Specifically New Hope TreeHouse had a daily debriefing meeting to see how each of our days were
• Pranks to one another (myself and the other intern were the main targets) and BED TIME!

*Repeat this general cycle for the general duration of the rest of the week.

But in the midst of this overall schedule, God moved in powerful ways. He provided without fail various opportunities to reveal His love to not only the youth, but myself included. There were so many amazing moments with our team, but all it took was one moment with a student professing himself feeling the presence of God like never before, surrounding him completely both inwardly and outwardly, that made me realize that I have the privilege of being a part of this intimate part of youth's lives... for my JOB no less. This trip confirmed that there's absolutely no place I'd rather be than with these students, walking with each of them as they grow in life and faith.

A group shot of my amazing work crew with the 2-story house we scrapped, primed, and painted in 5 DAYS!!!

Missions is closer than it appears...

You know those car mirrors that read "Objects are closer than they appear"? Well, I'm applying that same phrase to TreeHouse's mission trip in saying, "Missions is closer than it appears"... how close you might ask? Well we leave for Glenwood, Iowa in approximately 1 HOUR!!! It's crazy to think how fast time flew and that I'm now about to start my 4th week here going on a mission trip with not only our TreeHouse, but the 6 other sites too! So, here's a tentative look at our week ahead so you can get a better idea of the work we'll be doing down there...

We'll be working with an organization called TeenServe that will help us with the majority of the logistical things while we're down there. With TeenServe, we will spend the week weatherizing, repairing or painting homes for elderly, low-income or disabled people. There is no charge to these families for labor or materials. A typical daily schedule will look like:

-Breakfast (this is usually BEFORE  7 am, so lets be praying for this aspect especially since I'm with TEENAGERS!) :]
-Personal Devotions/quiet time
-Depart for work sites around 8-8:30 am
-Lunch around noon
-Resume working at sites for the rest of the afternoon
-Shower/Free time from 3:30 pm - 5 pm
-Dinner
-Evening program/free time (Worship is lead with both a praise band and a speaker)
-Group devotions/individual TreeHouse time
-Prepare for bed (usually between 10 pm - 11 pm; we'll be sleeping on the floor of a classroom in a local school)

So there's a rough skeleton of what our week will look like; God will fill in the rest. I am beyond excited for this opportunity to serve in this new position as a leader rather than a student on a trip like this. Please be praying for safe travel for all the vans today as it is a 6 hour drive (so a 9-10 hour drive with a youth group). Please also be praying for God to continually reveal Himself and the work He's already doing down there in Iowa to both the staff and teens. Pray for safety on the work site and for new and deep relationships to be formed with both each other and Jesus.

I couldn't do this without you family. Thank you for your support. I can't wait to share with you how God is moving! We'll be back Saturday, June 18th sometime in the evening. Until then!

Oh, The Places You'll Go!

This week was spent on numerous adventures around the Cities. My first exploration was to the southeast side of St. Paul to see another one of my best friends, Danielle Cathey (DC). She's living in Cottage Grove with her family this summer working as a waitress, so it was great to spend the weekend with the Cathey's; it's always great to see where a best friend has grown up, seeing their town, and meeting their friends. With DC I even experienced my first Minnesota beach that was both near her house and the Mississippi River. While it was different (to say the least) compared to Michigan's beaches (their sand felt like I was going to cut my foot open on in with every step I took), the lakes are breathtakingly beautiful! I was also blessed with the opportunity to worship at her home church of Crossroads Church in Woodbury, MN. While my internship is with a Christian-based organization, it is still refreshing to always worship with a group of believers in a church setting.

The following day, my roommate, Laura, and another TreeHouse intern I work with, Katie, went and explored Minneapolis in the Mill City district. The area we went to was gorgeous, located right by the Mississippi River and St. Anthony Falls. We also got to see the amazing Guthrie Theater! (see picture below) We also walked across the stone bridge over the river to another one of Minnesota's beautiful parks. It was a great afternoon to hang out, roam around, and explore one of the cities more!

*The large bridge you see extending out from the theater is its endless bridge, which extends to look over the river and the falls; we were able to walk outside to the steps to really take in the view. The architecture of this building alone was incredible!

And this is only the beginning of my travel adventures! This Sunday, TreeHouse embarks on our week long mission trip to Iowa! I will explain more about that in blogs to come, but please be praying for God to prepare our hearts to the work He's already doing down there so that we may truly be servants to His glory.

The Power of Vulnerability

This week I was once again amazed at the way God showed up in the way TreeHouse showed what it truly means to be vulnerable. I went to my second Support Group on Tuesday night and it was incredible the way God showed up in how the students opened up. In Support Groups, students are able to take ownership of their feelings in a unique way. Usually there are about 30 or so youth that show up on Tuesdays, so we split them into small groups. In these small groups, they are able to take ownership of how their past week has really been. They are asked to rate their week on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 being the worst, 10 being the best, but no 5's because it's neutral. With that rating, they are asked to describe 2 to 3 emotions they have or currently are experiencing. The students also have an opportunity to take more time if desired after everyone has checked in with their emotions to further describe their feelings. If students do take time, it's this time where they really begin to open up. They're called Support Groups because as students begin to share with one another, they can receive support through their fellow peers. The facilitator's (myself and other staff) job is to ask guiding questions for students to explore and process their emotions more; it's important to note that this is NOT counseling, but rather a way of really listening to what each student says while simultaneously hearing how the Holy Spirit is moving in the group. I've never been in a setting where people were that honest with their feelings. It's a practice I wish more people participated in; especially the church itself. These youth are showing me more about the power of vulnerability and honesty than any other place in my life. As I start to learn more and more about more of the youth's lives over the coming weeks, pray that God will put people in their lives that will continue to affirm them, both during and outside of TreeHouse. Their struggles and stories are real and raw; almost all of them have been through more as a teen than some of us have in our whole lifetime.

The theme of vulnerability continued throughout the week as I prepared to give my testimony/talk for last night's Going Deep. Going Deep is a night dedicated for students to explore a relationship with God on a more intimate level. The night begins usually with announcements of upcoming TreeHouse events followed by everyone playing an interactive game. Once the game is done, students come back inside and get settled to hear a message provided by one of the staff. Last night's message was facilitated by me sharing my testimony. We focused on what it means to be transformed by God fully once we engage in a real/genuine relationship with Christ. I've given my testimony many times before, but never in a setting like this. I was nervous to think that no one would be able to relate to my story. But after I gave my talk, it was silly to even doubt the power of God and His ability to work through all things. I related my experience and walk with God to Saul's conversion to Paul in Acts 9. The beauty of this particular story was that if God can change the heart of His greatest opponent in Saul to be one of His great disciples and apostles as Paul, then He has the ability to change the heart of anyone. We then broke up into small groups to talk more about the message and dig into Scripture a little more. The Lord really showed up during this time, as the youth in my group shared more about how they could relate to either mine, Paul's, or other testimonies.

I am so thankful for your prayers, especially for last night. It was truly a testament to the power of God and the power of vulnerability. May you be blessed this weekend and take time with people you trust to also be open to share how God is working in your lives.

Summer Kick-off

Wow!!! What a great start to summer! I just got back from an incredible weekend in northern Minnesota. It was my first time seeing this gorgeous area, and I have to say I fell in love with it! I was blessed to head up north with Joel and his family for the holiday weekend. God must have known that I needed a relaxing weekend because it could not have come at a more perfect time.

To back track a little bit (since it has been a little while since my first blog post), my first week was overall great, but still completely overwhelming. We continued to have training throughout the week, while in the midst of all that, we were immersed into group nights. Our first one was on Tuesday, called support night. Here the youth come and talk about their weeks in a safe, open environment. In Support Group, youth take ownership of their feelings and receive support from their fellow peers. I thought I had no expectations going into group, but I was overwhelmed at how much everyone shared in their small groups, especially in front of strangers like me. That was truly a testament to the reputation TreeHouse has built over the years, particularly at the New Hope location, to the way kids feel while they're at group. While that night went smoothly, I can't say that's completely the case for Thursday night's Going Deeper night. Normally, a Going Deeper night is a night similar to a regular youth group night; filled with games, a message with Scripture, and small groups. However, this past Thursday was unique in the fact that it was a celebration night to end the school year and kick of the summer. Instead, we had a Grammy's night, equipped with a "pink" carpet, a news crew, dance-offs, and homemade music videos! But the night was a little chaotic and we had a couple of fights break out, causing the end of the night to not run smoothly. Because of the craziness, I had to give kids rides homes. Because I was unaware of this, I drove kids home as they showed me (for the first time, and more importantly, my first time roaming around Minneapolis), I ended up getting a student and me lost for approximately 45 minutes. Thankfully my supervisor, Nick, got us back on track. Needless to say, it was a stressful end to a transitional week.

I was so thankful for the Brand family's invitation to come up with them to their cabin for the long weekend. It was about 2.5 hours straight north from where I live located near Deerwood, MN on Bay Lake. It was a great getaway filled with great food, fellowship, and gorgeous scenery of God's creation. I'm thankful to share that time with them. Jenna, Joel's sister, and I dropped Joel off at Covenant Pines Bible Camp in McGregor, MN as he started his summer counseling job today. It was amazing to see what God has, is, and will continue to do up there in that special, sacred space. It was also great to see a few of my other good friends, Miles and Kelsey, up there as well as they embark too on their summer jobs at camp. But as great as a weekend as this was, I'm rejuvenated, refreshed, and ready to start a new week. Please pray for safety (emotionally and physically) as I and the rest of TreeHouse staff get the privilege to once again hear what's going on in these student's lives tomorrow night at Support Group. I'm so grateful for your prayers, friendship, and love; I truly saw God's goodness this week.

From the Great Lakes to the Land of 10,000 Lakes!

Well, it's official! I've been here in the Twin Cities for almost a full 48-hours now! Hard to believe that I just got back from school the 15th, was home for less than a week, and flew here to start my internship (phew!). But I was warmly welcomed to this great state by one of my best friends, Joel, at the airport. He was nice enough to not only pick me up from the airport, but drive me to pick up my car for the summer... did I mention that it's a first generation WOOD Chrysler town and country van? So thankfully I'll be riding in style this summer :]. But after staying with Joel's family for a night, my apartment was ready! I'm living with another TreeHouse intern at one of the apartments that's attached to one of TreeHouse's locations in Brooklyn Park (I'll post pictures soon). It's nice to start getting settled in.

We also had our first day of our week long training yesterday at TreeHouse's headquarters in Edina. It was so great to meet the rest of the interns; some of them came from as far as Colorado (that's my roommate!), Iowa, and a few of them live here in the cities. I'm the youngest of the interns, but I'm thankful to be surrounded by such a great supportive staff. Yesterday's training consisted of learning the history and theologies of TreeHouse. And tonight is my first official night to meet the kids at my site in New Hope! I'm super excited, but also a little nervous at the same time. Tonight's session is Support Group, where the youth share various issues/problems they're having in their lives. I think tonight I'll just be there to meet and listen to what's going on in their lives, but I'm thrilled to meet all of them and see how God's working in their lives!

Please pray that I may not feel so overwhelmed; it's hard transitioning to a completely new place and soaking in new information (especially since I have NO idea how to navigate all of these highways... whoever said MN roads were easy must have been joking). But I'm thankful for all of your support and prayers and am excited to see how God is already at work here.