week one = finding my place.

So I have to apologize for not really being able to update this blog much but I'm hoping that you've been able to keep up with me via the Team Philly blogs!  I've been working hard this past week, making videos, taking pictures and lovin' on the Philly community.

This week as been really interesting for me.  I didn't realize until the week before the group got here what my role as a leader would really look like.  My job this summer takes me to ALL ministry sites and any place that the group is.  This means generally I can't hang in one place too long or really lead ministry sites.  And I'm not gonna lie at first I really felt insignificant in our team.  I spent some time talking with a couple people about it and honestly for the first day of the week, I felt a little dejected and depressed.  I felt disconnected from our new groups and from Team Philly.  I was watching as my team members stepped up and became leaders, and it was easy to see God giving them authority and growing them.  I felt a little out of place at times.

http://browse.deviantart.com/photography/?q=searching&order=9&offset=96#/d1md2cl

team philly has landed! and other things.

So we have technically been in Philadelphia for about three days now but I'm just now getting to update everyone on what's going on!  Who knew that being in charge of three different blogs would be so hard!  For those who aren't yet connected with the exclusively Philadelphia team blogs, here are two links, the first being the AIM blog, and the second our own personal one:

philadelphia.myadventures.org/

aiminphilly.wordpress.com

So I'm thankful to be in Philly but I'm not gonna lie, the transition has been a little hard for me.  I've been doing a good bit of traveling since last weekend with going back to Harrisonburg for Laura's wedding, flying back to GA, then driving from Gainesvilles to D.C. then D.C. to Philly.  Also in there was lots of packing, unpacking, whirlwind errands, and my 21st birthday.  Therefore, I got really homesick.  The longest I've ever been away from my family is about two weeks and being that I live in my hometown and go to school there, I'm not quite used to not being a stones throw/5-minute drive from my family.

[Image: http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=philadelphia&order=9&offset=192#/dlc1ye]

meet team philly!

So I wanted to introduce everyone to my amazing team and thankfully we had to do a video assignment that did just that.  Check out all my hard work from the day and meet my awesome crew!

Meet Team Philly

[From top to bottom: Melissa Polheber, Maddy Manden, & Doug Amundson]

absolute chaos.

Today.
Today was interesting to say the least.
Today we started video training.  Hopefully I'll be uploading some stuff soon so you can see my work.
But that was not the most interesting part of the day.

After training, we accompanied Christy, who is in charge of internships and such, to Sam's Club.  Melissa, Maddy, and I climbed into her old, red, "jank" van to make the half hour trip there.  While going through an intersection on the way, we heard sirens and upon further inspection we saw there was a person laying in the middle of the road and a girl was standing outside her vehicle crying.  Basically, I think she hit a pedestrian.  Great.

[Image: http://browse.deviantart.com/photography/?q=ambulance&order=9&offset=24#/d2ne73c] 

arrived in gainesville!

I'm here!
Well, technically I've been here for about three days but...I'm here.

I first off need to thank everyone for their support financially and spiritually.  I have only felt a huge sense of peace and calm about the whole process and I know God has greatly blessed me.  I appreciate all those who stepped out in faith to help me. 

Secondly, I ask for your continued prayers.  I've have just begun to see the amazing works God is doing in and through the people who are here for AIM training and I can't begin to tell you how excited I am for not just my summer but to hear the amazing stories coming from the other mission sites.  I have also gotten to meet my team [Marcus, Cathy, Melissa, Doug and Maddy] for the summer and I already feel a close connection to all of them.  It is very obvious to me that we are meant to be together and God is really going to use each one of us specifically.

We're getting ready to start evening worship but I'll be back to update soon!

[Image: http://browse.deviantart.com/photography/?q=prayer&order=9&offset=192#/d8aj3d]

I need your help!

Hi friends!

I’m writing this blog to you to ask you for support for this summer.  As many of you know, during the spring break college small group trip to Nashville, God impacted our group in unexpected ways.  During that week, God really put a renewed passion in my heart for missions.  Because of this renewal, I have felt called to seek mission opportunities outside of Harrisonburg this summer.  I felt like God was pretty vague in what he wanted me to do but over time this opportunity was revealed to me.

 I will be spending the majority of my summer in Philadelphia as an intern, working for AIM/Adventures in Missions (http://www.adventures.org/).  This is the organization that set up the college Nashville trip and the same location that the youth group served at in Summer 2009.  I will be leading and documenting all of the mission projects that happen in Philly; taking videos, pictures and blogging about the stories and experiences going on there.

I found out on Monday, May 10 that I was officially accepted as an intern. I was then informed that I needed to provide transportation to the AIM headquarters in Gainesville, Georgia for training starting May 20^th as well as transportation back from GA after a debriefing in August.  I currently have about $150 total in my bank account and while my family is helping as much they can by paying for my Harrisonburg apartment, they can’t swing paying for these travel expenses.

Because of prior commitments, I will need to travel back to Harrisonburg for Laura Sutphin’s wedding, my brother’s graduation and the Dominican Republic trip in July.  I’m currently working on setting up transportation back and forth from Philly to Harrisonburg, which includes car rentals, train rides, and volunteer drivers.

I’ve been thinking and praying and so far I have raised $500 in my goal of $1000. This way I can buy plane tickets, pay for a rental car, train ticket and have money in case of emergencies.  This money will also help with general expenses while I’m in the Dominican Republic.  I’m asking for your financial and spiritual backing in achieving this goal.  Your support would be an incredible answer to prayer.

I’ve leaving on May 19 for Georgia, but I want to keep you updated with what AIM is doing over the summer.  I would be more than glad to send the link to the blog that I will be writing, and send weekly email updates to keep you informed. 

            God has really put this calling on me to be in missions this summer.  I am ecstatic to see what God is going to do in my life and in the lives of the people around me.  I thank you for prayerfully considering supporting me and praying for me while I’m gone. 

destination: unknown.

So.

This is my first post in about two weeks.  I haven't been posting not because nothing has been going on spiritually my life, but possibly because quite the opposite has been happening.

Recently, God has decided to take me on a roller coaster ride. The question that has most been consuming my thoughts has been: What am I going to do this summer?

I've talked a lot recently about being restless here in Harrisonburg and at school.  My obvious solution to this problem is to leave Harrisonburg for a while.  Now the problem is, where do I go.  And honestly, for how long?

Then, all of a sudden, an opportunity out of town and out of state dropped into my lap and I thought, "This is it!"