Here are some of the highlights from working with the Merwin Family-
- Bobby Merwin is the resident fourth grader in the house. He is your typical 10 year old boy, enrolled in martial arts, soccer, and speech therapy. He makes me want to have boys simply because of his excitement and view on life. Once I was driving him to his speech therapy appointment, and as we were walking out to the car, he pulls a 9-Volt battery. Upon my question of why he had a battery, he said that he likes to play with them sometimes. "And they make my tongue tickle when I lick them."
Now why wouldn't I want to play with a battery?
- One day Brenda, the mother of the house, was complaining about certain emails she kept on receiving. She was complaining to another employee, Justin. "Justin, some random person just decided to follow me on Twitter. Why on earth would they want to follow me if I didn't know them?" I think the question is why does Brenda have an account on Tiwtter anyway?
Trinity, the youngest kid and one of the cutest first grader you have ever seen, is recently discovering that boys might not have cooties. I think it is too early for this. She tells me class secrets, like that Jake loves Stephanie but Stephanie loves Ryan. Ryan loves Tiffany, and Andy loves her. One day I asked her if she loved anyone, and she said, "No...why would I do that?" Smart girl. She can wait a few more years.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Lessons in Generosity
2009 is gone and over. It was a good year.
My word that I wanted to focus on was generosity. In light of God's generosity towards us, I wanted to spend a year reflecting a life lived out of this type of overabundant, generous heart.
generous:
a : characterized by a noble or forbearing spirit : magnanimous, kindly b : liberal in giving : openhanded c : marked by abundance or ample proportions : copious
Irony seemed prevalent this year. As much as I wanted to be a more generous person with my time, money, resources, etc., it seemed that God had a different way of teaching me this trait. It seems as if I have experienced generosity much more from both God and other people than I have given it myself. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining in the least. It has been a wonderful year spent focusing on this virtue. Here are a few of the moments in which I have been overwhelmed--
-My roommate and I have been given two cars to share from friends. Yes, two cars to us free of charge and no strings attached. Wow!
-Fundraising for the internship with InterVarsity wasn't half as hard as I was expecting it to be. It was wonderful to watch friends and family wanting to participate in the ministry at Sonoma State and give of their finances to do so. It sometimes came from unsuspecting sources that I would have never imagined giving at all (or at least in the amounts that they did!), but God works in mysterious and wonderful ways, yes?
-I had the opportunity to count an offering that was taken at the Fall Conference that the Sonoma State InterVarsity chapter participated in this year. We had the honor of having with us a missionary couple from Bulgaria through InterVarsity Link Staff with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES ). The offering was taken specifically to be given to the student movement in Bulgaria through IFES and was to be used in student leadership training. I was blown away by the generosity of the students. Not only did they give, but they gave generously. Around 500 students gave close to $8,000 at a conference they had already paid 100 bucks for. I counted checks for ten dollars, as well as ones for one hundred. Some students threw in the change they had in their pockets, others five dollar bills. So much for the poor college student facade. They gave generously.
In light of God's generosity towards His people, I will continue to search after this valuable trait. But as for my focus for 2010, it will be spend searching after what it means to have abundant faith.
Faith:
a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs
Sounds good to me! Praying that the new year will be spent in growing what it means to have big faith.
My word that I wanted to focus on was generosity. In light of God's generosity towards us, I wanted to spend a year reflecting a life lived out of this type of overabundant, generous heart.
generous:
a : characterized by a noble or forbearing spirit : magnanimous, kindly b : liberal in giving : openhanded c : marked by abundance or ample proportions : copious
Irony seemed prevalent this year. As much as I wanted to be a more generous person with my time, money, resources, etc., it seemed that God had a different way of teaching me this trait. It seems as if I have experienced generosity much more from both God and other people than I have given it myself. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining in the least. It has been a wonderful year spent focusing on this virtue. Here are a few of the moments in which I have been overwhelmed--
-My roommate and I have been given two cars to share from friends. Yes, two cars to us free of charge and no strings attached. Wow!
-Fundraising for the internship with InterVarsity wasn't half as hard as I was expecting it to be. It was wonderful to watch friends and family wanting to participate in the ministry at Sonoma State and give of their finances to do so. It sometimes came from unsuspecting sources that I would have never imagined giving at all (or at least in the amounts that they did!), but God works in mysterious and wonderful ways, yes?
-I had the opportunity to count an offering that was taken at the Fall Conference that the Sonoma State InterVarsity chapter participated in this year. We had the honor of having with us a missionary couple from Bulgaria through InterVarsity Link Staff with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES ). The offering was taken specifically to be given to the student movement in Bulgaria through IFES and was to be used in student leadership training. I was blown away by the generosity of the students. Not only did they give, but they gave generously. Around 500 students gave close to $8,000 at a conference they had already paid 100 bucks for. I counted checks for ten dollars, as well as ones for one hundred. Some students threw in the change they had in their pockets, others five dollar bills. So much for the poor college student facade. They gave generously.
In light of God's generosity towards His people, I will continue to search after this valuable trait. But as for my focus for 2010, it will be spend searching after what it means to have abundant faith.
Faith:
a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs
Sounds good to me! Praying that the new year will be spent in growing what it means to have big faith.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
There Really Is No Place Like It...
As finals have come and gone at Sonoma State, I find myself watching the students leave for home as well. It has been fun seeing them glad to be done with the stressful, late nights of studying as well as itching to get back into their original zip codes. This year has been a little different for me, because I have had the pleasure (or torture, whichever way you look at it) of watching them all leave and go home.
This has produced a feeling within me that I haven't experienced much--loneliness. I've found myself calling at least one member of my immediate family every day just to hear their voices. I know its only a few days away, but I simply can't wait until 4:00 rolls around on Tuesday afternoon! I'm packing up my car that morning and heading straight from work back to the 916.
Ah I can't wait for hugs.
This has produced a feeling within me that I haven't experienced much--loneliness. I've found myself calling at least one member of my immediate family every day just to hear their voices. I know its only a few days away, but I simply can't wait until 4:00 rolls around on Tuesday afternoon! I'm packing up my car that morning and heading straight from work back to the 916.
Ah I can't wait for hugs.
Monday, December 7, 2009
In Reflection of the Almost Snow in Rohnert Park...
...I wrote a haiku.
Winter is here now
And the fields are frosted white
Gleaming in the sun.
Here is one about the cat at my work.
Knee is a big joint
Or maybe he's a fat cat
Waiting to be pet.
Here is one about my luck with orchids.
Crisp white petals glow
Until they started to wilt
From lack of water.
Thanks for reading my thoughts.
Winter is here now
And the fields are frosted white
Gleaming in the sun.
Here is one about the cat at my work.
Knee is a big joint
Or maybe he's a fat cat
Waiting to be pet.
Here is one about my luck with orchids.
Crisp white petals glow
Until they started to wilt
From lack of water.
Thanks for reading my thoughts.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Things I'm Thankful For
I know its not November anymore (or Thanksgiving, for that matter), but I figured in the spirit of the season, I'll write my list anyway.
I am thankful for:
My Wonderful Family. I just had the pleasure of spending five and a half days with them last week. I forgot sometimes how good home can feel, especially when all my sisters are home. Its fun to watch everyone enjoy each other. The house is busy and bustling with laughter. I LOVE IT!
My Snow Jacket. I know this may sound funny, but it comes in handy, even in Sonoma County where there is no snow. It has been so cold during the nights this week, and some of my friends have made fun of me wearing my snow jacket when it isn't even wet outside. But I am the one who laughs when they squeal as they walk out the door!
My Crock Pot. I just made some of the most delicious pasta sauce, and it was barely any work at all! Throw it all in before going to work in the morning, turn it on, and leave it to cook all day long, filling the house with delectable smells of tomatoes and garlic. Yum! No kitchen is complete without it.
Fog. Even though it can be a hassle to drive in sometimes, it sure is pretty! I think I'm going to miss it if I ever move away from Sonoma County.
Packages in the Mail. Brown paper packages tied up with string, anyone? I have a friend Alex who told me once that he loves getting packages so much that he always orders things online to mail one at a time as to receive more packages. Brilliant! I just got one in the mail today, filled with one of my favorite types of Ritter Sports (dark chocolate and hazelnuts), Christmas socks, snowflake tissues, and a jingle bell bracelet. Thanks Saint Nikoklas (or my mom, whoever reads this first).
Books. Just like any other self-proclaimed nerd, I gladly admit that I love books. I have particularly enjoyed revisiting a few of my favorite authors this past month: John Steinbeck and Harper Lee. At times it seems that I have forgotten who to read for pleasure, and then I simply pick up a masterpiece and read it simply for the sheer enjoyment of it.
My Friends. I have wonderful friends. I could sing their praises all day. Just ask. ;)
There are many many more, but these are a few of the ones that are sticking out to me right now.
I am thankful for:
My Wonderful Family. I just had the pleasure of spending five and a half days with them last week. I forgot sometimes how good home can feel, especially when all my sisters are home. Its fun to watch everyone enjoy each other. The house is busy and bustling with laughter. I LOVE IT!
My Snow Jacket. I know this may sound funny, but it comes in handy, even in Sonoma County where there is no snow. It has been so cold during the nights this week, and some of my friends have made fun of me wearing my snow jacket when it isn't even wet outside. But I am the one who laughs when they squeal as they walk out the door!
My Crock Pot. I just made some of the most delicious pasta sauce, and it was barely any work at all! Throw it all in before going to work in the morning, turn it on, and leave it to cook all day long, filling the house with delectable smells of tomatoes and garlic. Yum! No kitchen is complete without it.
Fog. Even though it can be a hassle to drive in sometimes, it sure is pretty! I think I'm going to miss it if I ever move away from Sonoma County.
Packages in the Mail. Brown paper packages tied up with string, anyone? I have a friend Alex who told me once that he loves getting packages so much that he always orders things online to mail one at a time as to receive more packages. Brilliant! I just got one in the mail today, filled with one of my favorite types of Ritter Sports (dark chocolate and hazelnuts), Christmas socks, snowflake tissues, and a jingle bell bracelet. Thanks Saint Nikoklas (or my mom, whoever reads this first).
Books. Just like any other self-proclaimed nerd, I gladly admit that I love books. I have particularly enjoyed revisiting a few of my favorite authors this past month: John Steinbeck and Harper Lee. At times it seems that I have forgotten who to read for pleasure, and then I simply pick up a masterpiece and read it simply for the sheer enjoyment of it.
My Friends. I have wonderful friends. I could sing their praises all day. Just ask. ;)
There are many many more, but these are a few of the ones that are sticking out to me right now.
Monday, October 26, 2009
A Day in the Life of...
7:15 Alarm goes off. Reset for another ten minutes.
7:25 Wake up for real. Shower and dry hair.
8:13 Tea kettle whistles. Lipton is in the making.
8:30 Re-read Isaiah 24. It confuses me and yet helps enlighten Romans 8.
8:40 Heading out to door and making my way to Petaluma.
8:54 Arrive at the Merwin's house, sit in the car for the remaining six minutes.
9:00 Walk into the house only to scare Bob when I come around the corner. He didn't hear me sneak in.
9:48 Dramatically unplug the coffee maker to avoid more overflowing of coffee and grounds all over the counter. Clean up ensues.
11:39 Think about how fall just makes me want to sit inside and bake all day. Contemplate asking Brenda if I can do that. Then reality kicks in...there is laundry to do.
12:30 Lunch time. Applesauce, string cheese, mashed potatoes, and lunch meat. Smorgasbord.
3:50 After an afternoon of laundry and bookkeeping, I'm off to taking Bobby to martial arts class.
4:22 Last minute decision to run to Goodwill and pick up some tapes for the tape deck in my car. Victory.
4:58 Cannot help but to laugh hard when what I think is going to be MCHammer turns out to be Mariachi love ballads. Leave it in the tape player for my roommates to enjoy.
6:03 Start preparing dinner and find that stuffed chicken is not as easy as it seems.
7:00 Inspiration for blog comes. Blogging follows.
7:25 Wake up for real. Shower and dry hair.
8:13 Tea kettle whistles. Lipton is in the making.
8:30 Re-read Isaiah 24. It confuses me and yet helps enlighten Romans 8.
8:40 Heading out to door and making my way to Petaluma.
8:54 Arrive at the Merwin's house, sit in the car for the remaining six minutes.
9:00 Walk into the house only to scare Bob when I come around the corner. He didn't hear me sneak in.
9:48 Dramatically unplug the coffee maker to avoid more overflowing of coffee and grounds all over the counter. Clean up ensues.
11:39 Think about how fall just makes me want to sit inside and bake all day. Contemplate asking Brenda if I can do that. Then reality kicks in...there is laundry to do.
12:30 Lunch time. Applesauce, string cheese, mashed potatoes, and lunch meat. Smorgasbord.
3:50 After an afternoon of laundry and bookkeeping, I'm off to taking Bobby to martial arts class.
4:22 Last minute decision to run to Goodwill and pick up some tapes for the tape deck in my car. Victory.
4:58 Cannot help but to laugh hard when what I think is going to be MCHammer turns out to be Mariachi love ballads. Leave it in the tape player for my roommates to enjoy.
6:03 Start preparing dinner and find that stuffed chicken is not as easy as it seems.
7:00 Inspiration for blog comes. Blogging follows.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Wise Wise Words
This past weekend my roommates Ashley, Jen, and I were helping Jen's grandmother clean out her apartment in San Francisco. Helene is a wonderful old Russian woman who is as cute as a button and funnier than Laurel & Hardy. Speaking with a thick accent, she kept us laughing all day with her exclamations about her cat, Ziggy (He only speaks Russian"), opening closets that literally haven't been opened in years to find them stuffed with toilet paper ("Now I can poop all over the place"), and her ability to cram lots of things into a relatively small apartment ("I just like things").
Helene has lived in the city for a very long time. She has lived in that apartment for twenty five years, and in November will be moving down near Riverside, CA, to be closer to her daughter and live in a retirement home. Since we are only an hour away instead of seven, we offered to help her purge before her big move. After we completed our day's tasks she sat us down among her box packed living room and offered us coffee and tea along with warmed pitas and delicious hummus. I thought it would be appropriate if I washed my hands before eating since I had been playing with the cat for the past ten minutes and headed into the kitchen to locate the nearest sink. Helene was hunting for some sort of spice or pepper to put in the hummus before serving it. She lightly tapped me on the hip for me to shuffle a bit to the left, so I smile and move so she can reach the cupboard. As she digs around through various spices and jars, she stops, sighs deeply, and says,
"Boy, am I going to miss this place."
She pauses.
So do I.
"Ah, but that's life."
Such simple words that I've heard countless times before no longer roll off my back. No, they hit me like a truck.
It is like what I've been feeling for months has been summed up in four words. There is nothing we can do to change or stop it, transition just happens. I have found that being in a big transition is strange. I didn't think it would last this long, that I would continue to feel somewhat lost in the world of adulthood, that I would miss friends and home so much. I thought that staying in the place I went to school wouldn't be as hard as leaving. I guess I forgot that others would leave. I guess I forgot that my time will come too.
The author of Ecclesiastes opens the third chapter with this:
For everything there is a season, and a time for ever matter under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. What gain has the worker from his toil?
A time for transition. All these things take time. Seasons. Fall Winter Spring Summer. Birth life death. Plant grow pluck. On and on.
Transition.
I am in transition.
It is hard.
It is good.
It is producing growth.
Ah, but that's life.
Helene has lived in the city for a very long time. She has lived in that apartment for twenty five years, and in November will be moving down near Riverside, CA, to be closer to her daughter and live in a retirement home. Since we are only an hour away instead of seven, we offered to help her purge before her big move. After we completed our day's tasks she sat us down among her box packed living room and offered us coffee and tea along with warmed pitas and delicious hummus. I thought it would be appropriate if I washed my hands before eating since I had been playing with the cat for the past ten minutes and headed into the kitchen to locate the nearest sink. Helene was hunting for some sort of spice or pepper to put in the hummus before serving it. She lightly tapped me on the hip for me to shuffle a bit to the left, so I smile and move so she can reach the cupboard. As she digs around through various spices and jars, she stops, sighs deeply, and says,
"Boy, am I going to miss this place."
She pauses.
So do I.
"Ah, but that's life."
Such simple words that I've heard countless times before no longer roll off my back. No, they hit me like a truck.
It is like what I've been feeling for months has been summed up in four words. There is nothing we can do to change or stop it, transition just happens. I have found that being in a big transition is strange. I didn't think it would last this long, that I would continue to feel somewhat lost in the world of adulthood, that I would miss friends and home so much. I thought that staying in the place I went to school wouldn't be as hard as leaving. I guess I forgot that others would leave. I guess I forgot that my time will come too.
The author of Ecclesiastes opens the third chapter with this:
For everything there is a season, and a time for ever matter under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. What gain has the worker from his toil?
A time for transition. All these things take time. Seasons. Fall Winter Spring Summer. Birth life death. Plant grow pluck. On and on.
Transition.
I am in transition.
It is hard.
It is good.
It is producing growth.
Ah, but that's life.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Freshman and the Ultimate Girl
This past weekend was the move-in weekend for SSU students. Class started today, and the semester finally has started!
On Sunday Associated Students put on essentially what is a giant party for the students. In our main quad there was a maze, a jump house, a giant slide, and all the clubs, sororities, and fraternities promoting themselves. Inside the Student Union there was a comedy show put on our resident comedy club (Improvaholics), free pottery painting, and a US Bank Free Stuff Giveaway (its the only bank on campus). Amidst all this, our little InterVarsity table was thriving!
I only spent about an hour and a half at Big Nite (the thing lasts until 2 AM!), but I got to hand out our event cards and try to rope people into talking to me about their faith backgrounds. I met a transfer student named Elliot who was so excited that we had off campus bible studies that you would think that I just told him that he won the lottery. I made another group of freshman happy by telling them that we do church tours. My favorite was when a freshman girl walked up to the table and asked if InterVarsity was "youth group for college." HA!
In addition to these fun and excited little stories, we each had our share of brush-offs and rejections. There was a group of women next to us promoting the Ultimate Frisbee team as I was handing out our event cards. There was a lull in people walking by, and so I decided to break the awkward moment between the Frisbee girl and myself. Smiling and asking politely if she would like an event card, I extend my hand so she can look at it. Upon seeing words like faith and bible study,
she looks me straight in the eye and curtly says, "I don't believe in God. Nice try, though."
Wishing her luck on her recruiting, I quickly retreated back to my side of the walkway. I wondered if she had been hurt by the church, or if she though that I was a fool for following after something that I cannot physically see, hold, or feel. I wonder if she automatically decided not to like me.
Later the next day, I was reading John and was reminded that we Christians have been fully and fairly warned about persecution and this type of disdain:
I have said all this to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do this because they have not know the Father, nor me. I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you of them.
John 16:1-4
I sure am glad that Jesus lets us in on what is before us. He sure did warn us about persecution, as did Paul. Events like these remind me that there is such a need to speak of God's goodness at any chance I get. Unfortunately this particular situation did not allow one to start up an in depth conversation, but I truly am praying that others do come up. What a treasure we have in these earthen vessels. Please be praying for the Ultimate girl. Please be praying for me as well, that opportunity to speak of Grace and Love abounds this next year.
On Sunday Associated Students put on essentially what is a giant party for the students. In our main quad there was a maze, a jump house, a giant slide, and all the clubs, sororities, and fraternities promoting themselves. Inside the Student Union there was a comedy show put on our resident comedy club (Improvaholics), free pottery painting, and a US Bank Free Stuff Giveaway (its the only bank on campus). Amidst all this, our little InterVarsity table was thriving!
I only spent about an hour and a half at Big Nite (the thing lasts until 2 AM!), but I got to hand out our event cards and try to rope people into talking to me about their faith backgrounds. I met a transfer student named Elliot who was so excited that we had off campus bible studies that you would think that I just told him that he won the lottery. I made another group of freshman happy by telling them that we do church tours. My favorite was when a freshman girl walked up to the table and asked if InterVarsity was "youth group for college." HA!
In addition to these fun and excited little stories, we each had our share of brush-offs and rejections. There was a group of women next to us promoting the Ultimate Frisbee team as I was handing out our event cards. There was a lull in people walking by, and so I decided to break the awkward moment between the Frisbee girl and myself. Smiling and asking politely if she would like an event card, I extend my hand so she can look at it. Upon seeing words like faith and bible study,
she looks me straight in the eye and curtly says, "I don't believe in God. Nice try, though."
Wishing her luck on her recruiting, I quickly retreated back to my side of the walkway. I wondered if she had been hurt by the church, or if she though that I was a fool for following after something that I cannot physically see, hold, or feel. I wonder if she automatically decided not to like me.
Later the next day, I was reading John and was reminded that we Christians have been fully and fairly warned about persecution and this type of disdain:
I have said all this to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do this because they have not know the Father, nor me. I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you of them.
John 16:1-4
I sure am glad that Jesus lets us in on what is before us. He sure did warn us about persecution, as did Paul. Events like these remind me that there is such a need to speak of God's goodness at any chance I get. Unfortunately this particular situation did not allow one to start up an in depth conversation, but I truly am praying that others do come up. What a treasure we have in these earthen vessels. Please be praying for the Ultimate girl. Please be praying for me as well, that opportunity to speak of Grace and Love abounds this next year.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Treking, Interns, and Secret Sauce.
From July 12th to July 20th was the Intern Trek for the Western conference of InterVarsity. There were about 35 interns from all over California, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Montana, and Colorado. We spent four days in Santa Rosa doing evangelism training, and four days in Sacramento on ethnic training/identity.
Let me tell you, O Reader, it was stinkin' fabulous!
In Santa Rosa we got to partner with the staffers at Santa Rosa Junior College
to do an outreach called the No More Secrets Campaign.During this time we spent time in the gospel of Luke, specifically in Chapter 10 when Jesus sends out the 70 followers and also their return. What an encouragement it was to us! We were most encouraged by verse 16: "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me." Thank Goodness that the only requirement is to preach!
After a day of training in what we were more or less going to do for the outreach, we just did it. Trial by fire. We set up three tents in high traffic areas on campus (called proxie stations) in which students could anonymously write down their secrets and slip them into a box. Then every fifteen minutes or so, the box would be opened and everything in the box would be safety pinned to the three sides of the pop-up for all to see. When we roped people in to look at the secrets, we had the chance to share with them that God desires people to have right and whole relationships with Himself and with other people, thus eliminating the need for secrets. We also invited them to a talk later on that night given by one of our ministry partners, Doug Shaupp. He shared how he found freedom in the love of God, forgiveness in the Son, and change from the Spirit. He shared a few secrets of h is own, and at the end gave a call to faith. Four people that day found the Lord, and many more have become more curious. We left the IV staff at SRJC with about 35 people to follow up with about faith conversations. What a wonderful way to help our brothers and sisters minister on the campus!
Sacramento was hot. It was nice to be back in the hometown, and some of us even got to stay at my house with Megan, my little sister. She was kind enough to make us delicious breakfast every morning and send us off happy. There we talked about how to minister to students of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds, the pros and cons of ethnic-specific branches of InterVarsity ministry, and the ways in which the Gospel transcends race, gender, and culture. What a wonderful God we serve!
Our full day was spent half in reflection, and the other half rafting down the American River. There were six boats worth of interns and staff. What I anticipated as a nice little float down the river turned into a full-out piracy expedition! No allegiances here, just war with any other boat in our group. No boat was fully capsized, but I'm pretty sure that nobody ended up in the same boat that they started out with. Many a pair of sunglasses were broken or lost, and we all came out with a bruise or injury of sorts. What a fun day!
Here we all are. I'm pretty sure I have my fake smile on.
So the secret sauce comes in last. Doug Schaupp, author and InterVarsity Staff Worker who is in charge of Chapter Planting, says that certain chapters have what he calls the secret sauce. It is something that they do related to evangelism that is special and unique to their ministry that works. I was in Doug's van on the way back up to Santa Rosa from Sacramento, and one of the other interns was asking Doug how to have a good evangelical ministry. He told her to ask me, since Sonoma State is the third most evangelistic campus in the country (according to conversion numbers in the past four years or something like that). This was new news to me, but got grilled anyway. It was a great time of questions and answers! Hara was asking me question after question about how we do ministry on campus, how we follow up with students, etc. But the way that we did things weren't too different than the things that the Occidental chapter did them, and so Doug helped us out. He said, "Now I think I have the recipe for your secret sauce, Tamsen. DO you know what it is yet?" I had no idea. We just did what everyone else did, or so I thought. "Your secret sauce is the spirit of invitation. After large groups, during Bible study, after scripture studies with non-Christians, you have trained yourselves and your leaders to invite others into the Kingdom of God."
A light bulb went off in everyone's head. Of course that was what it was! Hara had never dreamed of that before, asking people at every chance or opportunity if they wanted to live life with Jesus. And now that I think about it, it all makes so much sense! How often is it that people, by themselves and with no outside prompting, make the decision to follow Christ? How many of the conversions in the New Testament that we see are done solo? Does it not happen in pairs, or at least in groups?
This is one of the many secret sauces of following after God: community and the fellowship of believers. John Donne once wisely stated that no man has ever been alone:
"All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated...As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness....No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
Ah, the inter-connectivity of the Body of Christ! Life is meant to be done together. Thank God for that.
Let me tell you, O Reader, it was stinkin' fabulous!
In Santa Rosa we got to partner with the staffers at Santa Rosa Junior College
to do an outreach called the No More Secrets Campaign.During this time we spent time in the gospel of Luke, specifically in Chapter 10 when Jesus sends out the 70 followers and also their return. What an encouragement it was to us! We were most encouraged by verse 16: "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me." Thank Goodness that the only requirement is to preach!
After a day of training in what we were more or less going to do for the outreach, we just did it. Trial by fire. We set up three tents in high traffic areas on campus (called proxie stations) in which students could anonymously write down their secrets and slip them into a box. Then every fifteen minutes or so, the box would be opened and everything in the box would be safety pinned to the three sides of the pop-up for all to see. When we roped people in to look at the secrets, we had the chance to share with them that God desires people to have right and whole relationships with Himself and with other people, thus eliminating the need for secrets. We also invited them to a talk later on that night given by one of our ministry partners, Doug Shaupp. He shared how he found freedom in the love of God, forgiveness in the Son, and change from the Spirit. He shared a few secrets of h is own, and at the end gave a call to faith. Four people that day found the Lord, and many more have become more curious. We left the IV staff at SRJC with about 35 people to follow up with about faith conversations. What a wonderful way to help our brothers and sisters minister on the campus!
Sacramento was hot. It was nice to be back in the hometown, and some of us even got to stay at my house with Megan, my little sister. She was kind enough to make us delicious breakfast every morning and send us off happy. There we talked about how to minister to students of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds, the pros and cons of ethnic-specific branches of InterVarsity ministry, and the ways in which the Gospel transcends race, gender, and culture. What a wonderful God we serve!
Our full day was spent half in reflection, and the other half rafting down the American River. There were six boats worth of interns and staff. What I anticipated as a nice little float down the river turned into a full-out piracy expedition! No allegiances here, just war with any other boat in our group. No boat was fully capsized, but I'm pretty sure that nobody ended up in the same boat that they started out with. Many a pair of sunglasses were broken or lost, and we all came out with a bruise or injury of sorts. What a fun day!
Here we all are. I'm pretty sure I have my fake smile on.
So the secret sauce comes in last. Doug Schaupp, author and InterVarsity Staff Worker who is in charge of Chapter Planting, says that certain chapters have what he calls the secret sauce. It is something that they do related to evangelism that is special and unique to their ministry that works. I was in Doug's van on the way back up to Santa Rosa from Sacramento, and one of the other interns was asking Doug how to have a good evangelical ministry. He told her to ask me, since Sonoma State is the third most evangelistic campus in the country (according to conversion numbers in the past four years or something like that). This was new news to me, but got grilled anyway. It was a great time of questions and answers! Hara was asking me question after question about how we do ministry on campus, how we follow up with students, etc. But the way that we did things weren't too different than the things that the Occidental chapter did them, and so Doug helped us out. He said, "Now I think I have the recipe for your secret sauce, Tamsen. DO you know what it is yet?" I had no idea. We just did what everyone else did, or so I thought. "Your secret sauce is the spirit of invitation. After large groups, during Bible study, after scripture studies with non-Christians, you have trained yourselves and your leaders to invite others into the Kingdom of God."
A light bulb went off in everyone's head. Of course that was what it was! Hara had never dreamed of that before, asking people at every chance or opportunity if they wanted to live life with Jesus. And now that I think about it, it all makes so much sense! How often is it that people, by themselves and with no outside prompting, make the decision to follow Christ? How many of the conversions in the New Testament that we see are done solo? Does it not happen in pairs, or at least in groups?
This is one of the many secret sauces of following after God: community and the fellowship of believers. John Donne once wisely stated that no man has ever been alone:
"All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated...As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness....No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
Ah, the inter-connectivity of the Body of Christ! Life is meant to be done together. Thank God for that.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Finally What You've All Been Waiting For!
Okay okay okay.
I know I've been bad at putting up photos, so here they are. But these ones are from the Dominican Republic and more exciting than my last bunch.
The main thing that I learned was how to rest. It seems like resting is something that I seem to think that I'm good at, but then I always realize that I really am not. A few weeks before I left for the trip, I was complaining to one of my roommates Ashley that I wouldn't be well rested until a month later (after going on the trip). She laughed and half-jokingly said that I would find plenty of rest in the DR. Man was she right!
We were driving into the town of Jarbacoa (Har-ba-coh-ah) and I happened to look out the window to my left. On the plane ride, I was wondering why specifically God wanted me to go on the trip (a probing question from Ashley again) and was a bit disappointed in myself for not necessarily knowing. But when I glanced out the window, I knew right then and there. I saw nothing out of the ordinary, simply a horse grazing in a green field. Psalm 23 immediately flashed in my mind:
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul.
This is why I was there: to rest. And that is what we did.
Dominican culture is very slow. Things happen when they happen and there seems to be no reason for anyone to ever rush. It is okay if class starts 10 minutes late because the mothers of the preschoolers probably will be late picking them up anyway. The roads are bad at the very best, and most of the time you are lucky if the road you are driving on has half of its pavement left, if any at all. You can blame the tardiness on those, I guess.
I worked at a preschool in a town called Los Higos. All of the 12 students were sponsored in order to attend. The school was a recent addition to the town; it had just opened up in January and the results were already pouring in. The students who had just finished the semester (January to May) who were ready to go onto the public school were on average testing at first or second-grade reading and writing levels. By preparing the children of the poverty-stricken rural town for the primary grades, Students International helps to break the cycle of illiteracy and be able to send the children to the equivalent of an American high school or university.
They start off each day with the singing of the national anthem, a review of their letters and numbers, and a prayer. Class ensues for an hour, then recess for thirty minutes, another lesson for an hour, then lunch and siesta. A mother of one of the students would come in each day to cook a basic lunch of rice, beans, and either plantains or chicken. Then after lunch was finished, the kids would go inside and lay down for a nap for an hour. Then class would resume for about another hour, and then it was time to go home. After the children left, we had an hour before we needed to be back on the base, so we would go to a neighbor's house for Dominican coffee. This was not your normal cup o' joe. It was about three ounces of coffee and 5 tablespoons of sugar drunken from a very small cup. Delicious, but you are only allowed one cup at a time.
We would get back to the base around four o'clock and have free time until dinner. Then we would have some sort of night activity. We had "team time" about three times; there was a culture night in which we learned meringue and a cup passing game called Don Ramon; a night on the biblical view of poverty and the appropriate response to it.
Here are my top five photos with short explanations:
This is Waldy, fondly know as the "One-Toothed-Wonder." He was a brother of one of the little girls in our preschool and hung out with us all the time. A little ball of energy, he did have more than one tooth. What had happened was this-he had lost both of his front teeth (as young boys often do), and only one of them had grown fully in. The other one was slowly creeping out. We looked forward to seeing him every day. This picture captures his playful essence beautifully!
This is post-naptime hair. Gabbi and Vivianna style.
We got to go out to dinner on Saturday, and we opted to go to ice cream afterward at Splash. Ruby had parked herself on this carousal pony type thing that you put pesos into and it takes you for a little ride. While she had her back turned and was talking to the girls on the bench, Kali, Rob, and I conspired to get this thing to work while she was on it. We tried so hard! We shoved in peso after peso, but to no avail. The thing was broken! It was fun anyway.
Fridays are a half-day at the preschool, and so the intern from the Kid's Club invited us to go to the river with them.
"The river is suck. You cannot swim." This is what one man told us before we left for the river. What he was trying to say was that the river was dirty. The Spanish word for dirty is sucio; so homie thought that if he just took off the io at the end of the word, the correct English translation would magically appear. We got a good laugh out of that. It was a great hike and we got to swim in the crisp water. The boys started a mud-slinging fight in order to entice us to get in. This is before they turned on us.
And, of course, our wonderful team. Here we are at training, about five weeks before we left. We are comprised of students and leaders from Sonoma State, San Francisco State, Chico State, and Santa Rosa Junior College.
For more fun photos, look at these two (!) slide shows:
I know I've been bad at putting up photos, so here they are. But these ones are from the Dominican Republic and more exciting than my last bunch.
The main thing that I learned was how to rest. It seems like resting is something that I seem to think that I'm good at, but then I always realize that I really am not. A few weeks before I left for the trip, I was complaining to one of my roommates Ashley that I wouldn't be well rested until a month later (after going on the trip). She laughed and half-jokingly said that I would find plenty of rest in the DR. Man was she right!
We were driving into the town of Jarbacoa (Har-ba-coh-ah) and I happened to look out the window to my left. On the plane ride, I was wondering why specifically God wanted me to go on the trip (a probing question from Ashley again) and was a bit disappointed in myself for not necessarily knowing. But when I glanced out the window, I knew right then and there. I saw nothing out of the ordinary, simply a horse grazing in a green field. Psalm 23 immediately flashed in my mind:
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul.
This is why I was there: to rest. And that is what we did.
Dominican culture is very slow. Things happen when they happen and there seems to be no reason for anyone to ever rush. It is okay if class starts 10 minutes late because the mothers of the preschoolers probably will be late picking them up anyway. The roads are bad at the very best, and most of the time you are lucky if the road you are driving on has half of its pavement left, if any at all. You can blame the tardiness on those, I guess.
I worked at a preschool in a town called Los Higos. All of the 12 students were sponsored in order to attend. The school was a recent addition to the town; it had just opened up in January and the results were already pouring in. The students who had just finished the semester (January to May) who were ready to go onto the public school were on average testing at first or second-grade reading and writing levels. By preparing the children of the poverty-stricken rural town for the primary grades, Students International helps to break the cycle of illiteracy and be able to send the children to the equivalent of an American high school or university.
They start off each day with the singing of the national anthem, a review of their letters and numbers, and a prayer. Class ensues for an hour, then recess for thirty minutes, another lesson for an hour, then lunch and siesta. A mother of one of the students would come in each day to cook a basic lunch of rice, beans, and either plantains or chicken. Then after lunch was finished, the kids would go inside and lay down for a nap for an hour. Then class would resume for about another hour, and then it was time to go home. After the children left, we had an hour before we needed to be back on the base, so we would go to a neighbor's house for Dominican coffee. This was not your normal cup o' joe. It was about three ounces of coffee and 5 tablespoons of sugar drunken from a very small cup. Delicious, but you are only allowed one cup at a time.
We would get back to the base around four o'clock and have free time until dinner. Then we would have some sort of night activity. We had "team time" about three times; there was a culture night in which we learned meringue and a cup passing game called Don Ramon; a night on the biblical view of poverty and the appropriate response to it.
Here are my top five photos with short explanations:
This is Waldy, fondly know as the "One-Toothed-Wonder." He was a brother of one of the little girls in our preschool and hung out with us all the time. A little ball of energy, he did have more than one tooth. What had happened was this-he had lost both of his front teeth (as young boys often do), and only one of them had grown fully in. The other one was slowly creeping out. We looked forward to seeing him every day. This picture captures his playful essence beautifully!
This is post-naptime hair. Gabbi and Vivianna style.
We got to go out to dinner on Saturday, and we opted to go to ice cream afterward at Splash. Ruby had parked herself on this carousal pony type thing that you put pesos into and it takes you for a little ride. While she had her back turned and was talking to the girls on the bench, Kali, Rob, and I conspired to get this thing to work while she was on it. We tried so hard! We shoved in peso after peso, but to no avail. The thing was broken! It was fun anyway.
Fridays are a half-day at the preschool, and so the intern from the Kid's Club invited us to go to the river with them.
"The river is suck. You cannot swim." This is what one man told us before we left for the river. What he was trying to say was that the river was dirty. The Spanish word for dirty is sucio; so homie thought that if he just took off the io at the end of the word, the correct English translation would magically appear. We got a good laugh out of that. It was a great hike and we got to swim in the crisp water. The boys started a mud-slinging fight in order to entice us to get in. This is before they turned on us.
And, of course, our wonderful team. Here we are at training, about five weeks before we left. We are comprised of students and leaders from Sonoma State, San Francisco State, Chico State, and Santa Rosa Junior College.
For more fun photos, look at these two (!) slide shows:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)