Newsletter

My personal newsletter is coming out next month and it has new stories of Project Serve as well as some other stories from girls in Juvie. If you would like me to post it here, leave me a comment and I'll work on posting it's content.

Thank you for reading!!

Memorable Moments

Tuesday morning, the second day of work, I got the girls up to get ready for morning devotions and breakfast and one of my girls started complaining of a soar throat and a weary body. I immediately looked to God for guidance hoping he'd tell me loud and clear what to do...he didn't. The answer came thru - of all people - my sister (she was a youth group leader and sort of my co-leader).

"Should I leave her here (and stay here myself) or should I take her along and risk her being in a horrible mood all day?"

She said I take her and then just cut her slack on the site. So I did...it made enough sense to me right?

All the way there...the whole 25 minute drive...I prayed like I had never prayed before. I didn't know if I was throwing myself into the deepend, watching my life slip from my fingers, or if this was just a hoax and she was just testing me. Luckily we didn't get many good radio stations so we spent most of the time listening to an iPod plugged into the van. The song, 'Blessed be the Name of the Lord' came on. It talks about how thru the good times and the trials we're supposed to bless the name of the Lord right? That song got me thru a lot of tough times in Fiji when things seemed all against me and how I was just supposed to Praise God for it all...because like the song says, "He gives and takes away..."

So I was in the van, singing along and praying the words...that no matter what the day brought, I would be able to stand in the rushing river and praise God. C had her moments, I don't doubt that she was tired and had a soar throat, but she walked thru the day like a champ. When she was tired and on the verge, I told her to go to the van and drink some cold water and take a break and just when I was about to call her back, she'd pop around the corner and be read and raring to go...all on her own. She surprised me. She did great! I saw God there.

"Blessed be your name when the sun's shining down on you, when the world's all as it should be, blessed be your name.
"Blessed be your name on the road marked with suffering, when there's pain in the offering, blessed be your name."

WOW!!!

So I got back Saturday from Project Serve. Amazing! That is all I have to say. There were so many things that could have gone wrong that didn't. ...So many ways this could have been the worst experience of my life but I count myself privileged to have been a part of such a feat of God. ...There were so many would haves and should haves but all I have are so many good stories of what did happen.

First of all, I thank God for this opportunity because it was by Him that any of this actually happened and with His Hand it went so smoothly. Thank you so much Abba.

Second I'd like to thank the two girls I took for their honesty, openness, and their willingness to be vulnerable. We talked about their first impressions of the Youth Group kids that went and how they changed and they were able to see past their first impressions to see the true people that they were with. Thank you girls for your conversations, letting God work and heal you, letting God show you the next step in your life, and letting me be a part of it. It is truly an honor.

Third, I want to thank the 17th Circuit Court for allowing the girls to go, including the POs and Caseworkers. And also Second Byron Center CRC Youth Group for also allowing us to 'tag along'. Thank you to Brian Koetje and Nicole Helms for their cooperation and patience throughout the paperwork process. Thanks a million!! Without their cooperation, this wouldn't have happened.

And now, I want to tell you all the exciting things: BRILLIANT!! However, it would take too long, so I will share a few at a time.

My all time highlight (with respect to confidentiality issues) was our Thursday night pillow-talk conversation and both of their answers to "Where did you see God today?" The conversation that stemmed from that was one of healing for one girl and one of mission and vision for the other. Many tears were shed and in their shedding, souls were cleansed.

Another highlight was Friday afternoon where one girl started to see her stay in Detention as something that could have been good. I think she released some grudge and maybe a little anger and allowed God to show her the possibility that He could make good out of it because she saw in herself, positive change. She started to understand where her mom was coming from, how God was molding her, and that bad things can be used for good.

The other girl, during that conversation, was a great illustration of Christ's love. She clearly explained from her own experience with Juvie that God works in His own way, His own time, and His own means to mold, heal, and use you into His purpose and into an outstanding, individual, and whole person. It was almost like I wasn't needed to explain these things...which was great because they both had a Juvie experience that I cannot speak from.

The two of them were joined at the hip and a few days into it, one of the Youth Group kids joined their posse and the three of them became inseparable. The amazing thing about it is, a few days after that, one of the girls...again, during our pillow-talk conversation...said, "You know, (insert name of girl youth groupie) isn't that different from me." I was so thankful to hear that because she often felt like she was so different from other people and here she was seeing that she isn't that much different than others.

The day after we Left Michigan, one of the girls, quite distraught, said, "I've never been surrounded by such nice people". That conversation lead into how none of the kids knew her past or could hold anything for or against her but that they still saw something in her that they liked and they wanted to be her friend...simply because of who she is (something that she struggles with).

Yes, there was a "bit" of sofit, F-channel, wood siding, priming, and painting in between all of those conversations, along with go-carts, food, a gigantic log cabin, and a lot of animals that had been abused. There were amazing things accomplished and amazing things that happened and it would take hours and pages to tell it all.

I also couldn't have asked for a better attitude for work out of these two. Sure, they got tired, needed extra motivation, and shade every once and a while but for two teenage girls, thrown into a mix of unfamiliar peers, trying to sort themselves out they did BRILLIANT!

Fuzzy and Me

So many of you know about the Gigantor of a monkey that resides in our living room. To give you some perspective, this is actually how big it is. I also post this because for the first time in many years, I have reconnected with my wild-child, free-spirited self. I cut and colored my hair...its a "Bold and Beautiful" red, short and spikey...well, longer in the front as you can see, short and spikey in the back. If you knew me in college, think second year, short hair, but just a tad longer (it will prly be a cold and snowy day in Fiji the next time it gets THAT short again!).

Oh, yeah, the nose ring, for those of you that know about it and are looking for it, is on the otherside of my nose...I'll post one, soon hopefully.