Greetings from Appleton!

After driving over three hours from the cities, we arrived in Appleton on Tuesday. Nothing to exciting here. It's a town of about 2000 people. There are two places in town to eat...no joke. There is another girl, Katie, who is with us this week, which is so nice. I know this sounds weird, but it's nice having someone to share a room with. I think I was becoming weirded out from being all alone in my closet.

We surveyed the people here. I gotta admit, I was not down with it at first. I mean, we were literally going door to door, asking people 3 questions.
1. Do you currently attend a church regularly?
2. Would you be interested in being a part of Bible Study that could possibly lead to brand new church in Appleton?
3. Is there anything we can pray with you about?

We surveyed for about two and a half days. Every house in Appleton got a knock on it at some point during that time. And I gotta say, it was very interesting. There are A LOT of elderly people in this community, and most go to the Lutheran church. (Lutherans are EVERYWHERE up here!) I mean, one lady said, "Well it's nice that you are here, but you do know that this is a very Lutheran community?!) There were few people that were rude, but most were very nice. We had some that showed great interest, which was encouraging. Tonight, we had a little get-together. It was very nice. I must confess, I was very nervous about what the turnout would be like. But a few families showed up, which was very nice. They were all young families with children, and all very excited about the possibility of a new church. So if you can, keep Appleton in your prayers.

Heading back to the cities tomorrow. Don't know what awaits us there.... definitly some good times at Espresso Royale with Tony though!

Heading to Appleton

No Mewithoutyou tonight... sad day.

But, I may be volunteering at the Basillica Block Party in a couple of weeks...so that could be fun.

We went to that heavy metal church yesterday, New Hope Baptist. It was an really good experience. For one, I don't think I would ever find that in Texas. I mean, we sang Nothing But the Blood of Jesus scream-o style. Well, when I say "we" I mean "they." Because I definitly did not scream. But this church reached out to people that probably would have never otherwise stepped in church. A couple of people gave testimonies, and it was so neat to see how God had worked in their lives through this church. Just made me think...what if a church did worship to rap? How awesome would that be?

Tomorrow, we are heading to Appleton, Minnesota. It is a very small town in rural western Minnesota. There, we will be doing church survey work. And in a very weird and nerdy way, I am looking forward to it. I am excited about hearing what people have to say about church. I think it should be a very interesting and enlightening week. We will be with another girl (YAY!), Katie, and another guy, which I have no idea who he is.

So I have been thinking a lot lately, even talking to some pretty knowledgeable people about this... what exactly IS a disciple? On Saturday, at the leadership conference, the speaker basically said that every Christian is a disciple. Almost like they are synonymous words. But I have talked with people since that disagree, saying that not all Christians are disciples. Some think that to be a disciple, you must be taking part in such things like going to church, doing the Great Commission. And don't get me wrong, I do believe that those are important and worthy things to do. But is THAT what makes you a disciple? I mean, does Scripture say that? Does Scripture say at all what a disciple is? I am just wrestling with this whole idea and what exactly it means to be a disciple.

a bit of a rant

So our root beer floats/fruit smoothies/movie night last night didn't fly so well. But it gave me a good opportunity to sit outside in the cool weather, read a bit and talk to some folks. I was even able to talk to Bob for a bit about a lot of things. We talked about what I had read lately, what I want to do when I graduate, my dreams of doing some sort of ministry work, my heart for social justice, etc. Quality conversation.

This weekend, we are staying with Aubrey and Deanna.. YAY! We had a leadership development conference with a professor form Dallas Thelogical Seminary at the church all day today. It was really good information, just a LOT of it in a short amount of time.

Found out that Mewithoutyou is playing here in the Twin Cities on Monday.... think I may try to be in attendance. Looks like (go figure) I will be going by myself, but that's cool. I think the boys are a little intimidated by the bus system... I figure I will get there eventually.


So one of the books I read this past week was The Barbarian Way, by Erwin McManeus. I highly recommend it. But in it, it talked about how John the Baptist was a true Barbarian. Obviously, his fashion sense and taste for food were a bit different...but the way he lived his life was admirable.

I mean, he baptized Jesus, saw the Holy Spirit descend on Him, and heard God speak from above. Later, John was in jail, waiting to be killed. And he sent word to Jesus to ask, "Are you the Messiah? Are you the one who was sent?" HE FREAKING SAW THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HEARD GOD SPEAK! But he still questioned. I believe that he thought that if Jesus was who He said He was, He would help a brotha out and bust him outta jail! WORD! See, we often think that "the center of God's will is the safest place to be." But is that true? I admit, I said those exact words before I left for Minneapolis, but then I look at people in Scripture like John, Paul, oh heck, most of Jesus' disciples. They all died a martyr's death. Were they not in the center of God's will? I mean, call me crazy, but if dying can't be the "safest place."

(Mom, you may want to stop reading now...for your own benefit:) )
Though I highly doubt that it will come to this up here in Minneapolis, but I HAVE to be willing to die for Christ. Because the safest place to be is NOT in God's will. Many people, both in Scripture and in modern times have died for His name, and I have be willing to do the same.

productivity..wait...WHAT?

Yup... I was productive yesterday! HALLELUJAH!! It may not have been the most amazing thing to do...but I did it anyways. And I am thinking that my OCD-ness got the best of me on this one..but once again, thats okay. What did I do? I organized my supervisors bookshelves. Yeah.. you're jealous, I know. But I was in his office yesterday afternoon and was developing a bit of a twitch from the random and highly cluttered stacks of books all over the shelves. There was no system to it. So after he left, I came back in his office, took EVERYTHING off of the shelves (and man, he has a lot of books) and grouped them by catergory, only to resehelve them with their group, and in alphabetical order by author. I live an exciting life, I know.

Last night, the Catholic ministry across the street was having a concert, so I wandered over there afterwards. It was a really pleasant experience. Very small setting...maybe twelve people. The last set the girl sang was all worship. I hadn't worshipped like that in a long time. It was very refreshing, especially given the circumstances I find myself in this summer.

Read another book last night... a whole one. Once again, you are jealous of my exhilirating life, I know.

But let me tell you something that actually IS exciting...about my new best friend. And no, not Tony. It's this thing called Red Box. I saw it in McDonalds here a few nights ago. Its basically a vending machine for renting movies. And get this, its only a DOLLAR A DAY! That's right..a dollar. And they have all the same movies as Blockbuster or Hollywood. I was so excited.. I came home with a movie, beaming with joy. I thought I had just discovered a treasure in this Red Box. It wasn't until I saw Grant, a housemate, that my dreams was squelched. Red Box has been around for over a year here. And then I talked to Liz, who told me they have them in Houston. DANG IT! I thought I was on the up-and-up!

Clinging to Him

It's official... the lovely Katie McGowan confirmed it for me... I am experiencing culture shock.

I am terribly lonely up here. I can't seem to REALLY connect with anyone. People here are so completely different than they are back home. I mean, I knew I lived in the Bible Belt, but I guess I didn't realize what all that meant. It's not that it's bad up here, really. It's just so different than what I am used to. I spend most of my days all by myself, which gets old, quick. I have my own little adventures (which I will get to later), but by 10 o clock at night, I am in my closet of a room, lying in bed, bored out of my mind. Yesterday, we had absolutely NOTHING to do, so I called good ol Maribeth, who looked up a local library for me. She said the map said it was only two miles away. WRONG!! That stupid library was AN HOUR'S WALK AWAY!!! I walked all that way to spend a nice relaxing afternoon reading, and then of course, Wednesday is the day the library closes early. So I was only there for 2 hours before having to walk an hour back! Though I didn't think so at the time, I look now and it is comical. But I have realized, I REALLY gotta learn the transit system here. Shoot... this sista will ride the bus.

The only person I really talk to here is Tony (who is actually from Croatia, not Russia..whoops) He is at the coffee shop pretty much everyday. So I get quality interaction with someone for about an hour and a half a day...other than that... it's just me.

I am beginning to think that maybe this is a God thing that I am all alone. I mean, normally, I HATE being alone. I avoid it at all costs. I am sure there are all kinds of reasons as to why. And God knows that. So He put me in a situation where I am FORCED to be alone...where I am forced to sit and listen to Him, and cling to only Him.

Just last night, I was laying in bed, around 10:30, desperately trying to go to sleep. And I couldn't. Next thing I know, I am bawling my eyes out. (I am hoping the people who live in the rooms around me weren't home) I was so unbelievably frustrated...with always being alone, with having no direction, with simply not knowing what God is doing this summer. I opened up to Psalms and found relief in 25:16-18
Turn to me and be gracious to me, For I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses. Look upon my affliction and my trouble, And forgive all my sins.

I just prayed over that verse over and over. I think I eventually wore myself out that I passed out. But I woke up this morning with a renewed mind..a new spirit. I still have no direction, I am still all alone... But something is different.

P.S.
All you that like to tease me for reading so much will be happy to know that I have already read ALL of my books I brought with me. In just a week and a half, I have read 8 books...I am all out, which just adds to the frustration.

Week 2 begins

So we were walking home one day, and we saw Grant (in the grey, hes our housemate) standing under a tree outside the house. I said..."IS HE REALLY...??" Sure enough.. He was picking mulberries right off the tree and eating them. At first it was hilarious! Then Kasey joined in.... and I thought Why not? So this is our new favorite thing to do to pass the time.

Did I mention that I have a spider bite or something underneath my chin? Ya...take a look at it..it's gross. Try walking up to people and starting a conversation with THAT THING pertruding out of your face. Not fun. And it did look a LOT worse.. it was pretty much healing at this point.

We passed out free water and lemonade one day..the boys are dang excited..can't you tell? The next day we had free homemade ice cream.

So there are two Mormon missionaries here in Dinkytown. I have met them and talked with them a few times, just chit chat...nothing really. But they are basically doing the same thing we are, just talking to people and such. I wonder if they have a plan for this... I may ask them.

Let's see... we are starting a Bible Study on Thursday... so if you could pray for that. Over the next couple of days, we are going out, asking people to come...we'll see how that goes. And Friday night, we are having a movie night here at the Upper Room, with smoothies and root beer floats. Pray for that too...that connections will be made with people.

Next week, we are off to somewhere else... dont ask me where, I don't know. But somewhere else in either Minnesota or Wisconsin (?) another church plant is starting up. So the three of us and another girl (YAY) will be going there and doing some survey work for the week. I knew I shouldn't have told God that I didn't want to move around this summer..

Tonyyyyyyyyy

We are at Aubrey and Deanna's today.....and I almost feel like I am at home.

Well, I met up with Tony later that night. He was still at the coffee shop after dinner, so I joined him outside. I began to read my book and he took an interest in one of them and was skimming it. About 10 minutes into it, he stopped and asked, "What do you think about the Holy Spirit?" I was like.. CHECKA WHAT?! Where the heck did that come from? First, I tried to get him to tell me what he thought. I don't think he understood me. All he could do was nod and say he was Catholic. Dang it... that didn't go anywhere.

I am usually totally against the flat out "Who is Jesus to you?" type "evangelizing... but I had such a heavy heart. I mean... he asked about the Holy Spirit.. it's not like it would be COMPLETELY random. So I simply asked, "Since you asked about the Holy Spirit, let me ask, what do you think about Jesus?" All I got was a nod. SHOOT! Not what I was going for. I asked again, I think I even wrote it out this time. He said, "Same." He explained to me that he was baptized as a baby, that he grew up in church, and Jesus was the same. This was definitly not getting anywhere. The language was not this much of a problem earlier...why is it now? So I did the only thing I could think of... I went to Scripture. We looked at different pieces of scripture, some in the Gospels, some in Romans. And we simply discussed it. I basically laid out the gospel for him. He understood, but not completely.

So I asked him if he had a Bible of his own. He said yes. We made plans to meet the next day, same place, same table, same coffee shop, same time. We would read through a bit of John and discuss it.

Come the next day, I didn't feel like it. (I will get into that in another post) But I met Tony at 5 on the dot, same table, same coffee shop. When I first sat down, he gave me a keychain he had bought with the letter "A" on it... Well that was nice. Then, he pulled a T-shirt out of his bag. See, he coaches a basketball team at the YWCA in uptown Minneapolis. I am not totally sure, but I think the shirt was a gift. If I am expected to play, we are going to have some problems.

He also got out a Bible, and we opened up to John. We read through the first two chapters and discussed it a bit. Then, he kept asking me questions about the differences in Protestants and Catholics. When I tried to tell him that it didnt matter, he refused to take my attempt to dodge it. Somehow, though, we got off the topic, but had lost anything we had going with John.

As I was leaving, I grabbed the key chain and shirt. He insisted I also take the Bible. It was a Catholic Bible, and he said he already had one and knew that I didn't. I am continuing to pray for Tony.. and I ask that you do too. Not because he claims to be a Catholic...that's not the problem here (please don't hear me wrong). He just has a skewed idea of Christ... one that is mixed with church attendance and baptism, not one of living life to its fullest.

more pics... and some good stuff

my humble abode

mr aubrey... gotta love him

Well.... i know this is like a million posts in one day... oh well!

The other day, we sat out on our first day of prayerwalking. Notice to all, I am not a fan of prayerwalking. Go ahead...call me a bad Christian. It's not that I think it is pointless or anything. I just cannot stay focused during it, and I usually end up frustrated with myself. Well, we were walking alongside the fraternity houses at this time. One house had all of their windows open, and a rap song was blaring out from inside. Don't ask me the artist or title of the song..because I don't know, but as we passed, I kept hearing "Lord, give me a sign." Next thing I know, we are long passed the fraternity houses and I find myself repeating that same phrase over and over in my head, without realizing it. I quickly made that my prayer, that God would give me a sign...that through all of the frustration and awkwardness that has surrounded these past few days, that I AM called to be here.

Today, our assignment was to sit at a coffee shop (love it!) and engage in a conversation with someone and tell them why we are here. I was talking to my dear friend Lindsay on the phone when a nice, middle aged man sat next to me. I got off of the phone and finished my drink. He quickly smiled, pointed at my cup, I awkwardly nodded, and he took off with my cup. I had no idea what was going on! No worries. He came back later with my cup filled with coffee. We then started talking, kind of. He was from Russia, I think, and his English was very hard to discern. However, we were able to talk for over and hour and a half. We talked about why I was in Minneapolis, his times in Russia, his religious background, and so many other things. His name is Tony. I ask that you would pray for him. I have decided to regularly go to this coffee shop, "Espresso Royale," and sit outside, as I have the past few days. He says he is a regular here and would love to talk again. Pray that we are able to meet up and talk more about God's Word and who Christ is.

Me.... on our day of fishing

The Minneapolis Skyline

Gotta love Dinkytown

Good ol U of M

Look out Dinkytown!

The vacation is over.

We arrived in Dinkytown yesterday. A little explanation. Dinkytown is an area on the campus of the University of Minnesota. It is an art district..kinda. Lots of little shops, coffee shops, things like that. Real cute little place.
We are staying in a boarding house...which has proven to be an experience. The boys are on the first floor...big room... two couches, beds, a TV, fridge....the works. I am on the THIRD FLOOR (Yes, me, the laziest person ever, walking up and down 3 flights of stairs numerous times a day) in a closet. Seriously...its smaller than a room in Steen. I hope to put some pictures up soon, so you can share in this.

God is pushing me..in just about every direction. The whole VBS thing, moving around from place to place (I move again in 2 weeks...i DISTINCTLY remember telling God that I did NOT want to move around this summer), working on relationships with the boys on my team, a comical living arrangement, lots of prayerwalking (I don't do well at staying focused)...
Really, its to the point now that it's funny. I should have known not to tell God what I wanted.

Things are different here in Minneapolis though. The speed limits on the highways are 55! I could never do that! They have lights on the ends of the on ramps, telling you when to come on the freeway, and EVERYONE WALKS EVERYWHERE! We walked around yesterday afternoon for a little over an hour, prayerwalking the campus and such. It really is a beautiful place.

Hopefully, I will remember to bring in my camera to the Upper Room (the ministry we are working at) so I can upload some pics for you all to see.

Where is Minneapolis?

I AM FINALLY HERE!! I have taken Minneapolis by storm... well...maybe not so much.

But first, a pic from my time in dallas...

This is me and my VBS class of 3rd and 4th graders...i love em

We finally made it here yesterday. Our supervisor is out of town til Monday, so we are staying somewhere else for the weekend. Aubrey and Deanna, our host family, are my new favorite people. They are as sweet as pie. They are a retired couple that are just as nice as can be. I have loved spending time with them thus far. Aubrey is a precious older man and Deanna is a true Southern Belle. I may not know her very well, but I really admire her. She is an older lady, and still has a mentor, which I think is amazing. She is soft spoken, very much a lady, but so fun to be around.

Last night, we went to their church where they were having a prayer vigil for missions. This will be our church for the summer, too. I met some incredible people there, too. I can't wait to spend the summer getting to know these people more and more. There'e Rosie, who is from Brazil. She is so consumed with fire for God. And a girl from Romania ( I won't even TRY to spell her name) who is as sweet as ever. And Joan... I love her. She is Deanna's mentor. She is absolutely hilarious.

Today, Aubrey and Deanna took her to a Twins game. It was a lot of fun. Joan joined us as well, which made things much more entertaining. She is an older lady who REFUSES to keep up with technology. When Deanna asked her to get out her phone, Joan couldn't even figure out how to open it (it was a flip phone!). I love it. We realized tonight while at the game that neither me, Kasey, nor Bryan knew where we were. I thought about it, and I had no idea where Minnesota was, much less Minneapolis. We felt real dumb when we asked if we were close to NYC, Chicago, and DC. Needless to say, I have figured it out now.

And in case you were wondering too... Here's Minnesota..with Minneapolis in the lower right corner

I have heard a rumor that there may be other teams coming in from other places to work here this summer too. I am kinda hoping so, simply so I won't be the only girl.

Here I come!!!

In less than 12 hours, I will be on a plane to Minneapolis. I am stoked...

But that also means one thing..tonight was my last night at FBC Urbandale doing VBS. And man... I am REALLY going to miss it. Who would have thought that you could build such great relationships with people in just one week. For starters, my kids. I mean.. all 7 of em, I am going to miss. They are by far the best class at VBS.. and by golly, they better win the contest and get a pizza party! EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM KNOWS THEIR MEMORY VERSE! I am so proud! I just wish I could be there tomorrow night at Family Night...when they sing their songs for their family, put on a play of the prodigal son, and say their memory verses.

And the people at the church... I love em! In a short amount of time, I got so comfortable around them. I mean, you would have thought I had been coming for years! Tonight, after all the kids left, all of the adults gathered around me Bryan and Kasey and laid hands on us. As they all prayed, I could tell that they really cared, and that meant something. I got so many business cards with contact information and DEMANDS to keep in touch! This really was a great week, even at times if I got frustrated.

FLASH! It's a electrifying...

Veggie Tales songs... stuck in my head.

Well today was day four of VBS at FBC Urbandale. Man, God has been good. We started with one, Victor, on the first night. Then, on Monday, my Pecan Knoll days came to use as we passed out flyers in the neighborhood around the church. (The boys were convinced we were going to get shot,which was hilarious!) That night, we had FOUR NEW KIDS! And last night, we had TWO MORE NEW ONES!! That brought our class attendance to 7! And with only 18 kids total at VBS, 7 in my class was pretty amazing.

I wish I had an ounce of the passion these kids have. I mean, these are third and fourth graders, who this week, and EVERY SUNDAY, get themselves up, dress themselves, and walk to the church... JUST TO BE THERE! No parents hassling them to wake up and get ready....nothing.

I have to admit, it has been hard to have the right attitude this week. During the day, we go into the office, sit there for a while, then do some grunt work. Like today, we moved a whole library of books upstairs to another room. Not the best job ever. But I had to keep saying Colossians 3:23 to myself to keep my focused. Bryan and Kasey seem to be doing fine...so maybe it is just me. It may be because I don't really feel like this is the "field," since home is just 20 minutes away. But that goes back into the whole "field" mentality... shouldn't it ALL be a field? I mean, I don't WANT to compartmentalize my life, but it seems that every time I turn around, I am..UGH

The summer has officially begun...

Well, I'm here... okay...not quite Minneapolis. I am actually still in Dallas to be honest.

We are working with FBC Urbandale in the heart of Dallas this week doing VBS until we leave for Minneapolis on Friday. I have to admit, I thought doing VBS would be a "few hour a day" job, but no. I was up at the church today for well over thirteen hours...not that it's a bad thing. But needless to say, I am tired.

I am getting to know the guys on my team more and more. However, circumstances make it difficult, which can easily be viewed as a bummer. See, Bryan and Kasey are staying at another host home this week, so I really only see them up at church. But, this has given me a lot of time to myself, to pray, study the Word, and just listen to what God has to say. He has already pushed me in ways I would not have expected. Let's just say that He showed up before Orientation was even over.

Funny story... so we are at Chili's today (my team and some church members). I am sitting next to Kasey, a guy on my team. Somehow, we, as a table, start talking about piercings. Ok..timeout.. let me say.. I have a clear spacer in my nose, so I am not sure anyone has noticed or not.... So, next thing I know, Kasey says, "I hate noserings. They are just SO ugly." Now I may not know the kid very well, but I turn to him like he was any ol' friend and sarcastically say, "Well tell me how you really feel!" Granted I was just joking, but poor thing, he felt so bad. He was mortified. He had forgotten all about my nose ring. However, it was hilarious.

Well, I gotta jet... got an early day canvasing the area around the church tomorrow. I hope to hear from some of you occassionally.