Adult Leaders Can Fly

I am sitting in downtown Minneapolis in a coffee shop called Wilde Roast Cafe....Wilde as in Oscar Wilde! The Wilde quote on the menu is "The only thing I cannot resist is temptation." It has art all over the walls, dark wood furniture, creme, tan and plum colored walls, chandiliers and drapes and has an 1800s look. My kind of place. I had a waffle and it was awesome. It makes me want to go read The Importance of Being Earnest that Bri sent me in the mail!
This week was so great. It was our first full week at full capacity with 71, 76 total with our staff and our area director, Katie. The kids were great and we had a lot of fun with them. There was a lot of Uno played and funny interactions. This is Emma. She was so funny. She had a sassy attitude but it was the kind that was funny and not annoying. She is someone I would want to just hang out with. Brooke, she reminded me a lot of you. :-)

While the kids were incredible, this week was one where the adult leaders were a blast and such a blessing to our team. There were 14 of them and we have already sent out an email with all of our contact info so we can keep in touch. On Tuesday night, our staff was surprised and so honored when the leaders told our staff to sit on the floor in the gym. All of the kids and leaders proceeded to gather around us and pray for us. It was such an honor and blessing, and proof that God is moving through us. We had adult leader parties a few nights, and our last night we played Spoons until 1am. All of us were flying across the table to get them and laughing so hard. I guarantee we kept the kids up, who had to be in bed by 11pm....oops. Now for a few stories.

Tom came and it was his first missions trip. He was really quiet at first but then really opened up to us and to the kids as well. He has a knee brace and nerve damage in his left leg. Tom is a firefighter and originally from New York City, but moved to Minnesota early in 2001. His accent is hardcore New York--let's just say that kids paid attention when he said Hey you get ova here! So great. Tom got a call from his mom when 9/11 hit and the phone cut out when the towers fell. He was on call from the fire dept. still and reported within 24 hours when he jumped in his truck and drove straight through for 23 hours to help with search and rescue. He was hesitant to talk about it at first, but you could tell that it was a story that needed to be told, and an incredibly powerful one that people need to hear. I can't imagine the things he saw. While he was in the rubble of the towers, the mercury from the melting metal was exposed and sunk into his leg, causing permanent nerve damage. He said there is a lot of survivors guilt in the people of NYC and he said all of the anxiety is literally just killing these people and causing them to decay slowly and they don't even know it. He hasn't been back, but plans to when the memorial opens in 2011. It was incredible to see him serve with the kids and be a leader for them. As a staff, we believe he was the most impacted leader, and the trip enabled him to be served and honored as a leader in coming alongside the kids. He's been through so much, and we feel like he was empowered and encouraged this week. Thank you Jesus.
Leah and I connected the first day. She goes to Bethel in Minnesota. We have parallel lives. Ready?

-Small Christian schools-Juniors-2 years as RA/PA-Started dating our bfs in early May-Middle name Marie-Education majors (she's ele. edu.)-Student teaching in the fall-Hate wearing shoes-Glasses/contacts-The list goes on.

We had great conversations throughout the week and hung out whenever possible. We formed an alliance during the rowdy game of spoons the last night and stayed in for quite a while. She and I are in very similar life situations and it was incredibly encouraging to voice a concern or uncertainty and to have someone know exactly what's up. I think I made a lifetime friend. :-)

Grant was an incredible leader. He is from South Africa and so I loved talking about how my best friend was getting back within the week. His sense of God is so personal and big and reminded me a lot of the people in Ethiopia. God is simple, but He's everything. He was great and gave me some guitar lessons on how to play bar and suspended chords. I'll be working on that.

A powerful part of the week was footwashing. We do a footwashing ceremony on Thursday nights. We read from John 13 and highlight that Jesus served his disciples by sinking to a low position and washing their feet, and then he calls us to do the same. The kids do odd and dirty jobs all week and serve some of the outcasts of society. To emphasize that they have done as Jesus commands by serving well is really cool. It is such a humbling experience to have your feet washed and then be prayed for. The staff wash the adult leaders' feet and then the adults wash their kids' feet. Up until this point, we've framed it and then stepped out and watched the groups during this time, staying close to make sure that we're accessible if they need anything. It's usually a very intimate and emotional time, so we let the groups share it among their own. But this week, we felt very much a part of it. Bryce was one of the participants this week. He's a pastor's kid and one of seven. This kid gets it. He was always serving, always loving, always asking if we needed anything or help and didn't complain once. Kara and I were sitting in our usual spot against the matted wall of the opposite side of the gym and were praying together. We open our eyes and see the shadowy outline of a boy coming toward us. It was Bryce with a footwashing basin and a towel draped over his shoulder. I started crying immediately. He knelt in front of us and washed our feet, and then we prayed with him. What a gesture of service and humility. Then later, Grant came to me and washed my feet. His prayer was so sincere and so powerful. He prayed that I would keep playing and singing and be bold in praising God with that gift. He prayed for wisdom and patience in the days ahead. He prayed for joy and endurance through the summer and through life. He prayed for God to guide my feet down His path, that there will be trouble and rough roads which He promises, but that He will always guide me and always be there. That was special for me, because my life verse is John 16:33-In this world you will have trouble. But take heart--I have overcome the world. I felt at that moment how the disciples must have felt--knowing that there was so much life ahead and so much going on, but that in that moment, I was being honored, humbled, and served by Jesus, except in my case, it was a servant of Jesus in Grant.

This weekend we are in Minneapolis. We went to the Mall of America last night and we'll be going to a Twins game tonight. Last night we stayed at the Minneapolis site with the Minn. staff and the St. Paul staff. We played Nerts until 1am. So fun to hang out with those guys again. I'll post pictures next week.

We're over halfway done. I fly home a month from today. That is crazy. 4/8 weeks done.

Our day by the pier was a beautiful one this week. God continues to show us the sweetness of the city of Duluth. The bridge went up as we were leaving and all of these sailboats came in. Awesome.

We're doing well as a team and thank God for how blessed we are to get along so well.

Continue to pray for energy, joy and rest.

Much love.