Riverside Review

I've been reflecting a lot on my experience at Riverside this summer and I am not able to put it into words. It was more than just another summer at camp, but in a lot of ways, it was old hat. I thought I'd share some of the highlights for me, in no particular order:

1. Mischievous campers... this kid sat on the Rock of Ages and used his swimming goggles to reflect the sun into my eyes as I was talking to another staff member. And he did it for like 5 minutes before I realized it was him. His grin just melted my heart.
2. Energetic staff... I was amazed that after a full week of campers, my staff would keep going on the weekends! Out to the fair, a Timber Rattlers game, trips to town, and bowling... not to mention the movie nights and "shaloming!" I really was thankful for their dedication and energy. I definitely did NOT have that all of the time.
3. Fun activities... OK, this might be too much patting myself on the back, but I think the program was a lot of fun for campers! I enjoyed being ridiculous and crazy for three weeks and having people listen to me! When I had on my princess crown, I commanded attention. We played in the mud, did game shows and Bible trivia, ran around with ice, played ultimate frisbee and of course, played Womp 'Em.

4. Good God... man, I was, by some estimation, thrown into this programming gig at the last second, but God was not surprised by it. I was taught a lot in this month about the Lord's care and provision for each of us. There were hard moments, moments that I felt completely alone although I never was. Other times, it was just sweet. I remember the night that some staff throw me an "unbirthday party" (it's a long story, really) and I got to sit in the midst of these dear ones, eating homemade turtle cheesecake and worshiping the Lord. You can't buy these times! The Lord is good.

Thanks for reading and praying for me (us). I hope to be more thoughtful/profound later.

Liking the Now

Sometimes swallowing what God has for me is difficult, I'll admit it. I've been attempting to find the path for the past few years and making decisions at a series of doors. Each door points me in a different direction, with a new set of challenges and opportunities. I've applied to programs and been denied. I've accepted job offers and now, quit those jobs. I've taken the Graduate Record Exam and applied to school in Scotland. I've said "yes" to programming at Riverside. Doors open and close.

Scotland liked me, offered me an unconditional spot this fall and now, another detour hits. I couldn't keep enough balls in the air to get the visa and funding I needed in time so I've deferred my entry for one year. I am trying to swallow this new challenge and look at it as a blessing, or at least a learning experience. I am attempting to "like the now" I find myself in. And I must admit, it's getting easier as I look at the friends and family whose lives I get to be a part of in this coming year. I know that I will not always be around. I'm enjoying the new friendships that have come from camp and also the ability I'll have to maintain older ones from college and even high school. I miss Austria more than ever. I miss hearing German on every corner. I'm trying to give everything over to the Lord. It's a hard, yet wonderful now.

Yes, I'm liking the now...

Last Days

The hard thing about being adventurous is that you have to leave a lot and say goodbye. I do not "do goodbyes" well. Today was my last day of work before camp happens and graduate school starts. Yes, I was accepted to the University of Edinburgh for the fall. I'm excited to get back to school... and to explore Scotland!

With all this new adventure, it means saying goodbye to friends, co-workers, and family. And evidently, I'm rather nostalgic. I like to remember all of the experiences I have in a place... to walk the halls one last time... to drink one last cup of good tea... to remember each picture up at my desk... heck, I brought home 10,000 used staples from me desk because I could not say goodbye to them all in one day.

Leaving is such a surreal experience. Sometimes I think it is easier to stay. The same routine. That's nice. But staying means saying no to an incredible adventure!!! I can't believe that God would send me on yet another overseas journey. I am so thankful for His provision. It will build such faith to step out like this again. I guess that's the whole reason I do it.

But first, camp!

Awhile.

It seems like the best thing to do to get blogging again is just write... something or anything.

I was in Florida last week. It was wonderfully warm and sunny. My mom, Codster and I drove down to visit my grandma who is in a nursing home down there. She and my grandpa retired down there at the retirement village for the Mission that they were with in Africa. Anyway, we stayed and the village while we visited grandma. I loved talking with all of the retirees because most of them knew of me through my grandparents and mother. Many of them had taught or lived in Jos with them. It's always so cool to hear the stories and I'm just blown away by their dedication to the Lord.

I have a new project at work. It involves taking the staples out of about 2,500 documents - each averaging 2 staples. It's in an effort to get the documents scanned so that if we lost the paper copy due to flood, fire or terrorism, we'd still be okay. I have cut the time in takes me to do 150 from 2 hours to 1 hour. It's just as boring though. I like to be efficient.

There. I'm fairly certain that more thoughtful thoughts will come soon. I have been writing, just not near my blog. So, tell me how you all have been doing!

mission.

I created a "wordle" to display my personal mission statement that encompasses things that are most important to me.
What do you think?

Hands Full.

Last night, I came into the darkened garage to find mom's van gone and a mine-field before me. It smelled of dog poo, but I could not see a thing. I shuffled in along the wall and tried to make an educated guess as to where Tasha had NOT been. Step. Whew. The motion-sensor light, however, remained off. My hands were full of my day and I needed to make another step. My eyes began to adjust to the lack of light and I could see shades of dark and light on the floor. I avoided the dark places and made another step of faith. Whew. The light blinked on, illuminating the rest of my trip to the door into the house.

In my mind, something else was happening. I was thinking about life and how I find myself in a darkened garage wondering which direction to move, really not wanting to step in #@%*. Scheiße. How do I make those decisions? How do you?

Snow-roof-ball.

Roof ball in the winter is a whole new ball game! I won't say that it's even more fun that the other variations because summer barefoot roof ball and rain roof ball is super fun, but winter definitely brings some new challenges. The snow on the roof for instance... it makes the ball resemble a Plink-o chip and sometimes it gets stuck. Cody had to boost me up on the roof to rearrange the snow and retrieve the ball several times. That was only after we threw our hands numb with snow balls trying to dislodge the ball from its hole. The snow on the ground also poses a problem... It's a foot deep in spots, but also packed into large piles in others. It made for jumping, climbing, and flying in pursuit of the next play. Let's just say that at the end of the game [i won!], we were soaked to the core, laughed-out and dog-tired.

It was a beautiful day. I also knocked myself out for about an hour in the snowbank today. That sun, it was just gorgeous and warm! I couldn't help but smile as I napped in its rays. The birds chatting, the ice melting, the icicles dropping off the roof and crashing me awake. There is hope of even more warmth out there... someday. It's been a good sabbath... and back to work tomorrow.