Oh my gosh- ONE MORE WEEK LEFFFFFT. This is crazy. All sorts of emotions happening. For one, I am very ready to go home and see everyone back home, sleep in my own bed, eat something other than pasta and tacos and pizza, sleeeeeeeep as long as I want to... you know that kind of stuff. But at the same time, I've really grown to love this place- I love love love a handful of kids at Kid's Club, I love love love the community members I've met and I really enjoy the small town feel here. Next week is going to be weird.
Highlights from this week:
- Last Saturday, Brooke and I took a church member up on his offer to take us all fishing. Daniel and Erik were too lame to come or something, so it was just the two of us. It was most fantastic- Dale showed us around the ginormous Douglas Lake and all the giant houses built along it. They were beautiful! Then the four of us went to see Captain America in Morristown- it was a really great movie. Probs the best superhero movie thus far.
- Sunday, we found out we had more high schoolers than middle schoolers. This may not seem like a big deal, but difference between the maturity level and willingness to serve of the two is huge.
- Monday, I was able to go out to Camp Eagle Point- the ministry our friend Hal runs. It was really great to talk with him and his co-worker, Marcie just about how the summer's winding down. Also Monday, we had to cancel our evening hike due to thunderstorms, so we played Minute- to- Win- It games. It turned out pretty decent- with more planning it woulda been better, but the youth enjoyed it.
-I also received a package of goodies from Terri Clark, my mom's cousin!
- At 4 o'clock Wednesday morning, I woke up to use the restroom and a participant had just thrown up. Turns out 5 youth had thrown up during the night and 5 more were feeling queezy that Wednesday morning. They ended up sort of quarantined for the day so they could recover and the rest of us bleached and Lysoled every room we used and every surface we touched. The church seriously smelled like a Lysol bomb went off or something. We ended up canceling work projects and Kid's Club so as not to spread the virus and took the healthy youth to the park for some fresh air. The rest of the afternoon until dinner, we just hung out and watched movies. It really was a fantastic break from the monotony of the typical YW Tuesdays. I took a nap and it wasn't a big deal! After dinner we proceeded with the normal activities, but all of us staff moved out of the church to the house to avoid getting sick. Unfortunately, Brooke and I did end up with some stomach cramps and headaches.
- Thursday we went back to our normal schedule, but there were still 10 or so who stayed back at the church (some who were sick Wednesday and some who were new to the virus). Brooke and I were still feeling pretty rotten Thursday, but we made it through the day.
- The best part about the whole week was that EVERYONE had a fantastic attitude. I decided this week that it the week depends heavily on the attitude of adult leaders. The leaders this week were fan-freakin-tastic and were joyful and wonderful. They were incredibly encouraging to us and totally vision punched their youth about ministry and service. Therefore the youth were wonderful as well. They understood that they were here to serve the community and that was such a relief for us.
- Tonight Brooke and I invited 5 of the older girls from Kid's Club over to the church for a sleep over. Right now they're watching I am Number Four and later, hopefully, they'll sleep. haha. Should be a good time either way.
That's it. This week was way out of the norm, but it was a wonderful week. Keep praying for us- we have ONE MORE WEEK! and then we pack everything up, head to Birmingham for a few days and then go home! Huzzah!
~Sarah
Friday, July 29, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Week 7
Highlights:
- I stayed at Kid's Club all week to help Brooke out. It went really well because while Brooke was giving the adult leaders the run down of the day, I was able to help the youth plan their activities for KC. KC was a lot more organized and the first three days went really well (relatively. I mean KC will always be a lot chaotic; it just seemed to be organized chaos this time.)
Unfortunately, Thursday was rough- as it always goes. We have water day every Thursday and it just is never planned well and the kids are used to it being a free day so they tend to be nuts. In the first half hour I took a kid home because he was constantly disrespecting the facility after multiple warnings to stop.
Then, as I was in the kitchen chopping up watermelon with one of the older girls (she's Julia's age), a youth came in to tell me Brooke was looking for me. I found her in the storage room with Quinton, whose 6 and who had a huge gash in his foot because the door scraped it. She needed help cleaning it up. So I left her to find some peroxide and gauze and tell Laura, the girl in the kitchen to clean up the watermelon. As I was headed toward the kitchen, another youth came up to me to tell me that Jonny, another KC kid unpinned the fire extinguisher in the stairwell and sprayed it all over. All that happened in a matter of 2 minutes. Good grief. You can't do much when that happens but laugh.
- Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I felt much more energetic and open to the youth and adult leaders than last week. In fact, I had a lot of conversations with both. At the end of the week, though, I was told that people still noticed that I was tired. I'm royally frustrated by the comment because I really thought I was energetic. Perhaps I shouldn't be honest when adult leaders ask if I'm tired or if the summer wears me out. Or maybe I should just fake smile all the time because my neutral face must look tired, or maybe I should always be active because the moment I sit down I put on my neutral face and I stare off into space, or maybe I should just go home. [insert grumpy frown face].
Earlier today we went out to eat with Edwin, our main contact at the church and I got to hang out at the end of the table with his 3 adorable kids. They were hilarious and kept me quite entertained. Although Lucy, the 5 year old, said "Guess what?" to me and I responded with "Chicken butt" and I think I started something bad. I don't think they're allowed to say stuff like that. oops. Now we're at Hal's farm hanging out and vegging for the evening. We're all tired and pretty whipped today. Hal's is the perfect place for internet, big screen TV and some TLC. Tomorrow we're probs going fishing with a church member and then just hanging out for the rest of the day. We need a break.
That's it. Honestly, I'm ready to come home. I may or may not even be more excited about starting school again than finishing this summer. No, maybe not. But I do want to see everyone back home real bad. Please keep praying for us this summer. One of us in particular has an attitude that's bringing us all down. Plus pray that Kid's Club continues to improve, or just that we'll even have hair left at the end of the summer. And definitely pray that the next two weeks of youth coming in will have open minds and servant hearts and that the adult leaders have the same. Thanks!
~Sarah
LABC
Attn: Sarah Scott
234 Lincoln Ave
Newport, TN 37821
- I stayed at Kid's Club all week to help Brooke out. It went really well because while Brooke was giving the adult leaders the run down of the day, I was able to help the youth plan their activities for KC. KC was a lot more organized and the first three days went really well (relatively. I mean KC will always be a lot chaotic; it just seemed to be organized chaos this time.)
Unfortunately, Thursday was rough- as it always goes. We have water day every Thursday and it just is never planned well and the kids are used to it being a free day so they tend to be nuts. In the first half hour I took a kid home because he was constantly disrespecting the facility after multiple warnings to stop.
Then, as I was in the kitchen chopping up watermelon with one of the older girls (she's Julia's age), a youth came in to tell me Brooke was looking for me. I found her in the storage room with Quinton, whose 6 and who had a huge gash in his foot because the door scraped it. She needed help cleaning it up. So I left her to find some peroxide and gauze and tell Laura, the girl in the kitchen to clean up the watermelon. As I was headed toward the kitchen, another youth came up to me to tell me that Jonny, another KC kid unpinned the fire extinguisher in the stairwell and sprayed it all over. All that happened in a matter of 2 minutes. Good grief. You can't do much when that happens but laugh.
- Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I felt much more energetic and open to the youth and adult leaders than last week. In fact, I had a lot of conversations with both. At the end of the week, though, I was told that people still noticed that I was tired. I'm royally frustrated by the comment because I really thought I was energetic. Perhaps I shouldn't be honest when adult leaders ask if I'm tired or if the summer wears me out. Or maybe I should just fake smile all the time because my neutral face must look tired, or maybe I should always be active because the moment I sit down I put on my neutral face and I stare off into space, or maybe I should just go home. [insert grumpy frown face].
Earlier today we went out to eat with Edwin, our main contact at the church and I got to hang out at the end of the table with his 3 adorable kids. They were hilarious and kept me quite entertained. Although Lucy, the 5 year old, said "Guess what?" to me and I responded with "Chicken butt" and I think I started something bad. I don't think they're allowed to say stuff like that. oops. Now we're at Hal's farm hanging out and vegging for the evening. We're all tired and pretty whipped today. Hal's is the perfect place for internet, big screen TV and some TLC. Tomorrow we're probs going fishing with a church member and then just hanging out for the rest of the day. We need a break.
That's it. Honestly, I'm ready to come home. I may or may not even be more excited about starting school again than finishing this summer. No, maybe not. But I do want to see everyone back home real bad. Please keep praying for us this summer. One of us in particular has an attitude that's bringing us all down. Plus pray that Kid's Club continues to improve, or just that we'll even have hair left at the end of the summer. And definitely pray that the next two weeks of youth coming in will have open minds and servant hearts and that the adult leaders have the same. Thanks!
~Sarah
LABC
Attn: Sarah Scott
234 Lincoln Ave
Newport, TN 37821
Friday, July 15, 2011
Hello from North Carolina!
Yep, we've taken a break from Newport and headed to Taylorsville, NC to hangout with one of our sister sites for the night and then tomorrow we're going to see the final installment of the fabulous Harry Potter series! So excited! Anyways, it's great to be around fellow YW staff and swap stories and realize that we're all going through the same stuff.
This past week was a little rough. Part of it was because the kids were very young- almost all of them were going into 7th, 8th and 9th grade and only a handful were Juniors and Seniors or just graduated. It's so hard to help 12 and 13 year olds understand what service without complaining is.
Most of the problem this week, though, was that I was (am?) burned out. It's getting to the point in the summer where I feel like I'm repeating the same things over and over- I mean, I am repeating things over and over- I was (am?) just a little tired of it all. Thankfully, my site director and area director were able to give some encouragement and vision punch us. We were reminded that weeks 6,7,8, and 9 need to be as energetic as weeks 1 and 2. Man, that's hard. But I know that with God all things are possible.
Also this week, three people went home early. One woman had anxiety real bad and her son was very obstinate and after discussion realized it would be better to go back home. They left on Tuesday. The third was a youth, Jared, with whom I really had some good conversations, but who knew how to push the right buttons too far. I only saw him lose his temper once during 4-square, but apparently there was a lot more happening during the week. He ended up taking a flight home Thursday morning.
Half way through the week, Jess, our AD, read us an article about how much the church is missing the point of serving our communities. We try so hard to make church hip and use the best technology and cater to the cool crowd, yet we tend to shut out those who need church the most- those who are not hip and cool. And she related it to how we run our YW sites. This week we had two youth who were very difficult to handle leave and many more difficult ones stay. They are the reason we are here- not exclusively for the cool and hip youth, but to love and serve those who are a handful. It really convicted me because my attitude this week towards these youngins was really sour. I owned up to it, but my fellow staff members and even the adult leaders noticed that I was dragging and annoyed some of the time. I realized that it's not acceptable to excuse myself because this was week 6 and we've been going full steam for 8 weeks and it's not acceptable to blame the youth, my staff or adult leaders or any other circumstance. Like I said, the youth at the end of the summer deserve the same energy and love from us as the youth at the beginning of the summer.
Other highlights from this week:
- It was HOT this week and the air conditioning stopped working in some of the rooms.
- Thursday afternoon for Kid's Club we took the kids to the park down the road and Brooke and I got burnt real bad. I can't wait for the skin to start peeling off in a week or two...
- Thursday night was the most emotionally difficult club for me yet. Before we even finished worship, the kids were sobbing. Then one of them, Jon- with whom I had a great conversation with earlier that day, came up to me and thanked me for all I've done that week. And then he told me that he realized that Jesus really is just waiting for him with his arms wide open. I did not know how to respond so I fumbled my way through a "you're welcome. I'm glad you came this week." But it just added to the conviction from earlier this week that I am here to serve Christ by serving these youth.
Prayer requests:
-Energy, attitude and resistance to burnout. I still feel pretty whipped and I'm still ready to go home, but I know I'm here for three more weeks and I need God to shore me up a lot.
- The next three weeks we have 73, 75 and 68 participants coming and it has the potential to be good... or terrible. I'm a little scared. lol.
- Decisions about grad school, work, living situations, etc. for the fall.
Thanks so much everyone!
~Sarah
LABC
Attn: Sarah Scott
234 Lincoln Ave
Newport, TN 37821
This past week was a little rough. Part of it was because the kids were very young- almost all of them were going into 7th, 8th and 9th grade and only a handful were Juniors and Seniors or just graduated. It's so hard to help 12 and 13 year olds understand what service without complaining is.
Most of the problem this week, though, was that I was (am?) burned out. It's getting to the point in the summer where I feel like I'm repeating the same things over and over- I mean, I am repeating things over and over- I was (am?) just a little tired of it all. Thankfully, my site director and area director were able to give some encouragement and vision punch us. We were reminded that weeks 6,7,8, and 9 need to be as energetic as weeks 1 and 2. Man, that's hard. But I know that with God all things are possible.
Also this week, three people went home early. One woman had anxiety real bad and her son was very obstinate and after discussion realized it would be better to go back home. They left on Tuesday. The third was a youth, Jared, with whom I really had some good conversations, but who knew how to push the right buttons too far. I only saw him lose his temper once during 4-square, but apparently there was a lot more happening during the week. He ended up taking a flight home Thursday morning.
Half way through the week, Jess, our AD, read us an article about how much the church is missing the point of serving our communities. We try so hard to make church hip and use the best technology and cater to the cool crowd, yet we tend to shut out those who need church the most- those who are not hip and cool. And she related it to how we run our YW sites. This week we had two youth who were very difficult to handle leave and many more difficult ones stay. They are the reason we are here- not exclusively for the cool and hip youth, but to love and serve those who are a handful. It really convicted me because my attitude this week towards these youngins was really sour. I owned up to it, but my fellow staff members and even the adult leaders noticed that I was dragging and annoyed some of the time. I realized that it's not acceptable to excuse myself because this was week 6 and we've been going full steam for 8 weeks and it's not acceptable to blame the youth, my staff or adult leaders or any other circumstance. Like I said, the youth at the end of the summer deserve the same energy and love from us as the youth at the beginning of the summer.
Other highlights from this week:
- It was HOT this week and the air conditioning stopped working in some of the rooms.
- Thursday afternoon for Kid's Club we took the kids to the park down the road and Brooke and I got burnt real bad. I can't wait for the skin to start peeling off in a week or two...
- Thursday night was the most emotionally difficult club for me yet. Before we even finished worship, the kids were sobbing. Then one of them, Jon- with whom I had a great conversation with earlier that day, came up to me and thanked me for all I've done that week. And then he told me that he realized that Jesus really is just waiting for him with his arms wide open. I did not know how to respond so I fumbled my way through a "you're welcome. I'm glad you came this week." But it just added to the conviction from earlier this week that I am here to serve Christ by serving these youth.
Prayer requests:
-Energy, attitude and resistance to burnout. I still feel pretty whipped and I'm still ready to go home, but I know I'm here for three more weeks and I need God to shore me up a lot.
- The next three weeks we have 73, 75 and 68 participants coming and it has the potential to be good... or terrible. I'm a little scared. lol.
- Decisions about grad school, work, living situations, etc. for the fall.
Thanks so much everyone!
~Sarah
LABC
Attn: Sarah Scott
234 Lincoln Ave
Newport, TN 37821
Friday, July 8, 2011
Hokay, so this past week was AMAZING. It helped me seriously enjoy what I am doing this summer. Not only did just about everything go smoothly and on time, but the attitudes of the groups really made the difference. They were super energetic (e.g. starting dance parties in the Sonic parking lot), but still laid back and their attitudes were great.
Highlights:
1) Only 12 kids at Kid's Club on Monday- by far the best Kid's Club this summer.
2) 30 kids at Kid's Club on Tuesday- the worst day at Kid's Club in almost three weeks- they were all so wound up and cranky from staying up too late during the 4th of July holiday. One kid had to sit out for 25 minutes because he was just not listening.
3) The participants were so energetic at the bluegrass concert Tuesday that we barely had to get them up and dancing. Let me tell ya- that makes our job so much more enjoyable :)
4) Wednesday I went with a group to Habitat for Humanity ReStore and listened to a lady talk about the tornado that ripped through here in April- she was thrown 9 feet from her house, but wasn't seriously hurt and her car was completely totaled. However, all of her plant pots on her porch went untouched. God displays so much power, yet almost gentleness during tornadoes. It's just amazing.
5) Also Wednesday we had an awesome dance party in the Sonic parking lot with our favorite waitress, Katie!
6) Interesting conversations with adult leaders about different beliefs and stuff.
7) Maria and Hope (two of my favorite Kid's Club kids) decided to play with my hair on Thursday- by play with my hair I mean color it with Crayola markers and braid beads through it. It. was. awesome. Brooke's looked even better because she has blonde hair.
8) The adult leaders gave us a lot of encouragement this week- which is a nice ego booster, but really, it was all Jesus. There was no way we could have done it without him re-energizing us and sending great people our way.
Prayer Requests:
- my family and situations going on back home
- Grandpa Paul's recovery
- Rest this weekend
- Amazing groups for the rest of the summer
Love all of you! Thanks so much for your prayers and encouragement. Please keep sending them!
~Sarah
LABC
Attn: Sarah Scott
234 Lincoln Ave
Newport, TN 37821
Highlights:
1) Only 12 kids at Kid's Club on Monday- by far the best Kid's Club this summer.
2) 30 kids at Kid's Club on Tuesday- the worst day at Kid's Club in almost three weeks- they were all so wound up and cranky from staying up too late during the 4th of July holiday. One kid had to sit out for 25 minutes because he was just not listening.
3) The participants were so energetic at the bluegrass concert Tuesday that we barely had to get them up and dancing. Let me tell ya- that makes our job so much more enjoyable :)
4) Wednesday I went with a group to Habitat for Humanity ReStore and listened to a lady talk about the tornado that ripped through here in April- she was thrown 9 feet from her house, but wasn't seriously hurt and her car was completely totaled. However, all of her plant pots on her porch went untouched. God displays so much power, yet almost gentleness during tornadoes. It's just amazing.
5) Also Wednesday we had an awesome dance party in the Sonic parking lot with our favorite waitress, Katie!
6) Interesting conversations with adult leaders about different beliefs and stuff.
7) Maria and Hope (two of my favorite Kid's Club kids) decided to play with my hair on Thursday- by play with my hair I mean color it with Crayola markers and braid beads through it. It. was. awesome. Brooke's looked even better because she has blonde hair.
8) The adult leaders gave us a lot of encouragement this week- which is a nice ego booster, but really, it was all Jesus. There was no way we could have done it without him re-energizing us and sending great people our way.
Prayer Requests:
- my family and situations going on back home
- Grandpa Paul's recovery
- Rest this weekend
- Amazing groups for the rest of the summer
Love all of you! Thanks so much for your prayers and encouragement. Please keep sending them!
~Sarah
LABC
Attn: Sarah Scott
234 Lincoln Ave
Newport, TN 37821
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Another Week Gone By
Good morning everyone! It is the ripe hour of 6:30 AM here in Dandridge, TN. Yep, Dandridge, TN- not Newport. Our good friend Hal Valentine and his wife, Debbie, are out camping for the 4th of July weekend and they've asked us to farm sit/ feed the animals til Sunday evening. Let me tell you, it is most fantastic. These people are a prime example of a typical Tennesseean farm- out in the middle of Nowhereton, in beautiful rolling hills (that just look AMAZING when the sun is coming up), with three dogs and horses, a dozen turkeys and cats and more chickens than you can count. And all of them but the horses roam the property freely. The only parts I dislike are 1) I forgot tennis shoes, so there isn't much protection against chicken poop- lol (but the dew felt real nice on my feet this morning) and 2) They own a Bantie (banty?) rooster that thinks he's bigger stuff than he really is and also thinks that crowing outside the front door with his ultra wimpy cock-a-doodle-do is a good idea. I told him to hush talk when I walked out the door- but really he just wanted to remind me to let his harem out of their roost because I haven't heard him since I did that.........and the dog just came in the doggy door all muddy :/ LOL
Anyways.... this week was a much better week. We had three church groups that were for the most part excellent workers and had great attitudes all week. One group had been to Newport two years ago and a couple of the youth were really excited to see how different everything was, in part because of what they did two years ago (e.g. a thrift store that was in shambles two years ago was much more organized and functional this year, and that helped them understand how much their work actually impacts the community... if that makes sense).
A couple of highlights in the order in which they enter my mind:
- BRIAN IS VISITING THIS WEEKEND!!! We haven't seen each other in 7 weeks (I know, not a long time span for some) and it is such a blessing to have him here (and have a face-to-face conversation instead of one over the phone. lol.)
-Also! Aunt Judy and Uncle John are stopping by today and tomorrow to visit! We're going to catch up with them today and maybe drag them along to some fireworks tonight and then they're going to church with us tomorrow. :)
- The energy and attitude of this group was refreshing and made me actually enjoy what I'm doing this summer; the adult leaders were fantastic and encouraging to all of us on staff and I actually wanted to build relationships with the participants.
- We had a severe peanut allergy and a mild egg allergy (the same girl) this week, but we muddled through feeding everyone with no problems (and I learned that you can substitute applesauce for eggs).
- Taking a nap on my Wednesday afternoon breaks is a bad idea- I wake up more groggy and grumpy than before.
- The transmission on our van was going south, so we had to take it in, therefore losing the use of our biggest vehicle. Then Thursday evening, our rental car got clipped- thankfully it was still drivable and we were able to trade it for free.
- Our 5th staff member, Erin, was reassigned to another site :( She was a utility staff (basically a YouthWorks float- she went where help was needed), but she was with us for 3 weeks and we royally miss her. Where the four of us permanent staff are energetic and sometimes complainy about the way the week is going, she was gentle and often reminded us why we are here.
- Sometimes church groups really do NOT believe the same things we do- or seem to have VERY different doctrine and interpretations of the Bible (e.g. Jesus isn't the only way to heaven). I know that those groups have every right to be at YW, but it is difficult to grasp because some of those things are fundamental beliefs about God.
-The week started off with about 5 different curve balls, but instead of freaking out too much, I prayed and God delivered.
- Club and my club talks are getting A LOT better. We had mid-summer evaluations this week and my Site Director (boss) told me he's really enjoyed seeing me grow in that area. But I also learned that I really need to write things down because I forget to do them and I need to learn to communicate better. bah.
-We had a little girl come to Kid's Club this week with lice. We checked all the participants' hair and our own and so far only Brooke (our KC staff) and I have found questionable things in our hair. Don't worry, we've bought the shampoo and are continually checking our hair. It's kinda gross, but whatevs. It happens.
A few prayer requests:
- my grandpa is in the hospital and my great aunt is recovering from surgery
- The family I talked about a few weeks ago (Brittany, Skylar and Jesse) moved out of the area. They were definitely the most difficult kids to deal with and I don't miss the chaos they brought with them, but they did have a place in our hearts because they need Jesus so bad. Please keep praying for them even though they won't be coming any more.
-Austin, the kid who brought marijuana to KC, was put on a one week probation last week, and he was allowed to come back this week. He was devastated when we told him he couldn't come for a week, but this week he did so well and was so much more cooperative.
-Rest this weekend as we're coming off from this week and are preparing for next week.
Hokay, that's all for now. My body is telling me it needs more sleep and I want to squeeze in some more z's before the guys come in a few hours for breakfast (they slept back at the house in Newport, while Brooke and I managed the farm). Thank you so much for all your support and prayers! We still need them, but God is working so much in our lives and in this community!
Blessings,
~Sarah
Anyways.... this week was a much better week. We had three church groups that were for the most part excellent workers and had great attitudes all week. One group had been to Newport two years ago and a couple of the youth were really excited to see how different everything was, in part because of what they did two years ago (e.g. a thrift store that was in shambles two years ago was much more organized and functional this year, and that helped them understand how much their work actually impacts the community... if that makes sense).
A couple of highlights in the order in which they enter my mind:
- BRIAN IS VISITING THIS WEEKEND!!! We haven't seen each other in 7 weeks (I know, not a long time span for some) and it is such a blessing to have him here (and have a face-to-face conversation instead of one over the phone. lol.)
-Also! Aunt Judy and Uncle John are stopping by today and tomorrow to visit! We're going to catch up with them today and maybe drag them along to some fireworks tonight and then they're going to church with us tomorrow. :)
- The energy and attitude of this group was refreshing and made me actually enjoy what I'm doing this summer; the adult leaders were fantastic and encouraging to all of us on staff and I actually wanted to build relationships with the participants.
- We had a severe peanut allergy and a mild egg allergy (the same girl) this week, but we muddled through feeding everyone with no problems (and I learned that you can substitute applesauce for eggs).
- Taking a nap on my Wednesday afternoon breaks is a bad idea- I wake up more groggy and grumpy than before.
- The transmission on our van was going south, so we had to take it in, therefore losing the use of our biggest vehicle. Then Thursday evening, our rental car got clipped- thankfully it was still drivable and we were able to trade it for free.
- Our 5th staff member, Erin, was reassigned to another site :( She was a utility staff (basically a YouthWorks float- she went where help was needed), but she was with us for 3 weeks and we royally miss her. Where the four of us permanent staff are energetic and sometimes complainy about the way the week is going, she was gentle and often reminded us why we are here.
- Sometimes church groups really do NOT believe the same things we do- or seem to have VERY different doctrine and interpretations of the Bible (e.g. Jesus isn't the only way to heaven). I know that those groups have every right to be at YW, but it is difficult to grasp because some of those things are fundamental beliefs about God.
-The week started off with about 5 different curve balls, but instead of freaking out too much, I prayed and God delivered.
- Club and my club talks are getting A LOT better. We had mid-summer evaluations this week and my Site Director (boss) told me he's really enjoyed seeing me grow in that area. But I also learned that I really need to write things down because I forget to do them and I need to learn to communicate better. bah.
-We had a little girl come to Kid's Club this week with lice. We checked all the participants' hair and our own and so far only Brooke (our KC staff) and I have found questionable things in our hair. Don't worry, we've bought the shampoo and are continually checking our hair. It's kinda gross, but whatevs. It happens.
A few prayer requests:
- my grandpa is in the hospital and my great aunt is recovering from surgery
- The family I talked about a few weeks ago (Brittany, Skylar and Jesse) moved out of the area. They were definitely the most difficult kids to deal with and I don't miss the chaos they brought with them, but they did have a place in our hearts because they need Jesus so bad. Please keep praying for them even though they won't be coming any more.
-Austin, the kid who brought marijuana to KC, was put on a one week probation last week, and he was allowed to come back this week. He was devastated when we told him he couldn't come for a week, but this week he did so well and was so much more cooperative.
-Rest this weekend as we're coming off from this week and are preparing for next week.
Hokay, that's all for now. My body is telling me it needs more sleep and I want to squeeze in some more z's before the guys come in a few hours for breakfast (they slept back at the house in Newport, while Brooke and I managed the farm). Thank you so much for all your support and prayers! We still need them, but God is working so much in our lives and in this community!
Blessings,
~Sarah
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