Why Are We Not Obese?

I'll be honest, it was a stressful week. We had about 78 total this week. Capacity is 72. There were 17 adult leaders, which as Kara put it, was a little much. It was hard to get to know so many kids, but the ones we did were sweet. The first part of the week was hard without John. Announcements during CLUB were not as entertaining but he got back before we had to do a skit. Praise the Lord. He ended up getting back on Tuesday afternoon. Having him gone was a good reminder of how needed he is on our team and how our groove just doesn't work if he's not there. Then, Paul Bertleson, the founder and president of YW, came by on Thursday afternoon with two board members. Eric mostly entertained them and showed them around. Even though it was just to check things out and not really an evaluation or whatever, there's still pressure there. Good thing we didn't buy enough hamburger buns and I got to run to WalMart right before dinner while they were there. Really, it was no big deal. Our site has been running well all summer and he reads every single evaluation that comes in. So, he knows that we've been doing good work.

During the week, we've gotten to the point where we pick and choose what we eat of the meals. I haven't eaten a sloppy joe in 3 weeks, and even salad is getting old. But regardless of the meals, we always eat oreos and milk on Thursday nights and candy all day from an awesome care package we received from Fun Size Dave! I saw on the news right before I left for the summer that Oreos are one of the 10 worst foods you can eat. There is nothing natural in them. We walked into staff meeting with 4 cups, a gallon of milk, and a pack of Double Stuff Oreos on Thursday night and John goes, "I have a question. Why are we not obese? I guess we run a little during our skits..." We all laughed and decided that it's because there are so many freaking stairs in the church that it keeps us going. Plus, Eric has a metabolism of a 6 year old and eats 15 freez-E pops at a time. What a luxury.

This week, I really connected with one of the adult leaders, Hazel. She and her husband Joey planned to go to Mexico but they felt that God was telling them that they shouldn't go. So, they cancelled, googled domestic short term missions and Youthworks popped up. They called, explained the situation, and YW put them with us! She and Joey were married when she was 16 and they have 6 boys! Two of the boys were on the trip and were incredible kids. One of them, Caleb, is so generous and wants to serve. Hazel was saying that if she and him are at the store and she needs to buy a toothbrush or something, he won't let her pay. He's like Mom, you're not paying for that. And he pays for it! He bought me a fudgecicle at the skating rink. So sweet. Hazel and I spent a lot of time together during the week and we shared a lot about our lives and our faith with each other. She's one of those people that you meet and she just radiates holiness. She is so in tune with the voice of God and wants to follow and obey him in everything. It is so apparent what their lives are about, especially interacting with her boys. On Thursday night for footwashing, I went to Hazel to wash her feet and asked if I could wash her feet. She said That's ok. I'd like to wash yours instead. After, she prayed for me and then I prayed for her. It was an intimate moment that we shared with God talking to Him and serving each other. Very cool.

I'm beginning to prepare for real life again. I need to start about 2 weeks before so I can be ready....I'll fly to Cincy for two days. Go to Dad's for 2 days. Be at Taylor on Saturday the 15th. Move into Indy on Sunday. Go into school on Monday. I am busy here. My work days are 7am to 11pm. But it's only one thing I'm focusing on. When I go back, there will be a lot more. One of my big lessons for the summer is that while I don't necessarily care what people think of me, I care what people expect. Being a PA fed this a lot and then I realized last year that I put a lot of pressure on myself with family and friends as well. I hate to disappoint people, especially those I care about and respect. People are going to expect me to be certain places or do certain things this fall. But I need to focus on what I feel is important and what God has laid in front of me. I'm so excited to student teach and live downtown and it'll also be nice to not be limited to going away just one weekend a month like I'm used to being a PA for two years. I have a lot to look forward to. I just need to remind myself that I need to live up to God's expectations and my own, and that is to be holy, not perfect. Let the balancing act begin.

And now we enter our final week. We have to report to Minneapolis on Sunday night, so we'll be leaving next Sunday afternoon. I'll have time for one more post next weekend and then I'll be leaving!

Prayer requests:

-To knock it out during our last week

-Closure with community members

-Energy and rest this last week

Thank you again for faithfully keeping up with my life and praying. It has worked.

Much love.