wow the fall just flew by

Hi everyone, I'm so sorry that it has been so long since our last post. It's amazing how the semester just flies and how hard it can be to keep up. There are so many great things that have happened this semester it is so hard to know where to start.

The summer ended well, the summer project ended great with students coming back having grown in so many ways, ways that would later come out throughout this semester. Sarah Harmon was one our CSU students that was on the project, I have been spending time meeting with her this semester and it has been so neat to see what God has done in her life these last few months. She is now at a point of really considering interning with Campus Crusade, and she is really excited about the idea of spending her time pouring into younger girls and helping others understand what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus. I so love seeing women that I work with make decision and grow in ways that are going to affect their lives and the lives around them for eternity.

Like I said the semester has gone by so fast and we have done so many things to show Christ to the students at CSU. Every year we have several events the first week of classes. The first week is a crucial time, especially for freshman, this is the time that they will decide where they want to spend the majority of their time and who they want to spend it with.

We have a great group of students who have step up to lead, a lot of sophomores which is really fun, they're young with fresh ideas and they don't really know what to do with all those ideas. That is where we come in, to give some direction to those passions that they have and also provide some tools to help them.

On a personal note: It has been overwhelming trying to figure out ministry while taking care of an energetic two year old while pregnant. Our second child is due May 5th and we're really excited to have another. Though Lacy doesn't fully understand what it means to have a sibling she already is showing us that she'll be a great big sister, she has a doll that she walks around with saying "shhhshhshh". We celebrated Lacy's birthday on Halloween, it was so fun, she actually understood getting presents and loved dressing up and playing with friends.

We had a great thanksgiving, Thursday with my dad and Friday with my mom. Tyler's dad will be out here for Christmas, which will be 3 Christmases (not quite as good as the movie, but close). Besides Christmas, the rest of our December is going to be quite busy. This week we're going to zoo lights, then Saturday we're going to see Santa and then have dinner with our small group, the next week Tyler and I are driving to St. Louis for a close friends wedding, then just before Christmas we'll find out if we're having a boy or girl, we're so anxious and excited to know and we'll be sure to let everyone know.

I will try to be more consistant about updating the blog, thanks so much for all your prayers and support.

Staff gone game on

It feels like we just as we get started and figure out what we are supposed to do with the students that the next thing we know we're are handing the project over to the students and we're heading out. The last week was full of writing up plans for the students, it is a way of encouraging them and challenging them to take some steps of faith during the summer and in their future. We take specific time away to share these plans with the students and answer any questions they may have as we allow them to step into our. leadership roles. I felt so encouraged by the response that my girls had and the steps that they will take to grow in their relationship with God and others. It is always a hard thing to end well and feel like it was a success, though there is no specific guidelines to define our success I always feel like I should have/could have done more, I know Tyler feels this as well. What happens after we leave is not up to me but is in God's hands.

Our students have done so much to bless Long Beach already. Since many students have had a hard time getting jobs we encouraged them to take that time that they would be working to spend more time at the church locations that we partner with. Many of the students go every day to the after school program for at risk kids, because we have so many students volunteering there the main directors, an older couple with no kids who spend everyday there, have been able for the first time in many years to take a vacation. It is so neat that we got to bless someone who has done so much to bless others.

The students have taken over leadership really well. Many of the students were excited about the 4 students who were put as directors over the project (one of the girls was my disciple and one of the guys was Tyler's disciple, not that we had anything to do with how qualified they were:)). Though there is always a worry about how the student will respond, this group of students did well accepting their roles. They have come together to support each other and encourage the follow through of the project goals.

Though we have high expectations for our students to reach out to the community it is hard to deny that they are still college students who like to have fun. The first night that the staff were gone one of the girls rooms (my girls) pulled a prank on all 4 guys rooms, and a fun safe prank war has broken out.

We continue to be encouraged about what are students are doing and the growth that will happen in their lives from what they will learn this summer.

project is underway

So sorry it has been a while since my last update, it takes a while for things to get moving here. Project has officially been going for 20 days. When the students arrive they move into small condos, equipped with a bedroom that has military style bunk beds, living room, kitchen and bathroom. Most of the rooms have 5 people living in them, this is a great opportunity for community and conflict resolution:). The first week we have several training times set up to equip the students to share their faith through many different tools, to help them understand what it means to live in a city and a city like Long Beach, and to expose them to the many serving opportunities that they have.

The students have been looking for jobs in the city pretty much since the moment they arrived. Some have applied to over 50 places and have gotten jobs at restaurants, grocery stores and even some internships (these were set up before had, which was something that we encouraged via emails), others have gotten a little more discouraged and have had less luck. We know that the economy is bad and that jobs are hard to find and so we are doing all we can to encourage the students as they look, the jobs are out there but it does take time and we are sensitive to that. We realized that as a project in the future we will need to do some kind of job orientation, many of these students have never had to look for a job and really don't know what it takes to pursue them.

We have been serving several churches now for a couple weeks, the students have had some wonderful experiences. The students that serve at the school for at risk kids have stories of kids totally misbehaving and being rude to the next time loving that our students are there for the sole reason loving on them. Some of our students serve breakfast at a homeless shelter, they have opportunities to sit and have conversations with the homeless and they just love having people that want to sit and just talk about their lives. I think that serving with these churches is one of the best things about what we do here.

In this photo; Candace, Mac (who Lacy just adores), Jesse, Dan and Sarah (I disciple her at CSU, it is so fun to have her here).

Happy Birthday Tyler (tomorrow)!!!!