Methodist swag part 5-people

This year I wasn't sure being in town was going to work. What I found was that I was able to experience time with my youth in new ways. Another great aspect of being home was that we could have people involved that wouldn't be able to go on a week long trip away. Several people that volunteered during the week had never volunteered before. But, after the day was over, they told me how much they enjoyed it and offered to help again.
It also worked out well since my husband was very sick. If I had been far away,  it would have made the week hard to not be able to see him. But since I was home and blessed with an awesome volunteer,  I was able to check on him.
This week, I was blessed with the people God put in to my life. Having someone volunteer their time to spend a week with the youth and all that goes with it, is an awesome thing!
So, where was God this week? He was in the people who were involved in making this a great experience for my youth because I definitely couldn't do it on my own.
Blessings,
Jennifer

Methodist swag week part 4-spiritual

During the famine and Methodist swag week, I set up prayer stations in the chapel. I was excited about them. But I wasn't sure if my youth were quite as excited.  One morning,  one of my youth was really upset. I sent her to the chapel to do the prayer stations and to just be alone with God. I knew she was not wanting to go, but she went anyway. Later, I found lut that while she was in there, she asked God for something-which was something she hadn't done in a very long time. She had kind of given up on God answering her so she had stopped asking. But, that morning she asked God for a hug amnd assurance that everything would be ok. Not even 5 minutes later, one of the youth walked in, gave her a hug, and told her everything would be ok and then walked out. It took her a few minutes to realize it, but she did. God had just answered her prayer.
Another youth is pretty new to the grojp. She is really smart and one who is struggling to know which path she wants to take. By the end of the week, she shared that what impacted her the most was the way she thought and looked at herself. She now realizes she has value and needs to respect herself.
Each night, we would close with questions-where did you see God today, what impacted you today,  and random other questions.  Each day the answers got easier as they got more comfortable sharing their faith. After questions,  we would have candle time-our prayer concerns and joys. The  youth I just mentioned prayed each night for my husband and me because she knew that he was sick. She has a lot of things going on in her life, but she chose instead to pray for my family-humbling.
So, where was God this week?  He answered prayers in very visable ways to let my youth know he was there.
Blessings, Jennifer

Methodist swag part 3-free day

One of the things we always do during the mission trips is have a free day. Where could I take my youth that would be exciting to them when we were staying in town? I thought about a mini golf place 30 minutes away. But some are tight on money so I thought that probably wouldn't work out well.
After a , ot of thought, I decided not to make it a typical free day.  The focus for the day was "stay in love with God".  So, I wanted to give them some examples of ways that they could do that. We ended up going to the dunes and sitting on the beach. A lot of my youth have expressed they see God in nature. So, I thought that's where they should be. But, there was a catch. From the time we left the church, they weren't allowed to speak. They had journals and nature and they had time to spend with God.  It was an awesome time. They didn't even protest. I'm not sure if it was because they were looking forward to that time or because they knew it would be pointless to protest.  The night before,  I got the idea to take them somewhere else afterwords.  We went to where my grandparents house was and I shared some things with them about my , ife and the special meaning that place has for me. I urged them to find a place that helps them connect with God andto find people that help them connect with God.  Then, we had a picnic there in the woods-one of many picnics in that place, but one that was very special to me.
After that, we went to walk a labyrinth. I had never done that before so I was really looking forward to it. We all enjoyed it, although we were getting tired after an intense day.
So, where was God that day? Actually, it was the night before when the idea popped in my head to share my grandparents with them. And, I think it helped them understand connecting with God in places and it helped them connect with me. For both of those things, I am grateful.
Blessings,
Jennifer

Methodist swag part 2-serving

Each day, we had a service lroject, except Wednesday.  Most days, they were in the afternoon. Tuesday and friday,  we worked all day since the rule for those 2 days was "do good". We have volunteered in the community quite a bit before. But, I was able to find different places for us to volunteer and it was nice to make new connections.  We painted,  raked leaves, picked up sticke
S, and spread mulch.  We also built relationships.  One man told me when we were done picking up sticks in his yard that God had put them there and then he picked them up by having my youth come help him. There was no greater feeling that day than helping that man.
We also helped with an event at church. And, since the congregation is so supportive of us, it was nice to be able to give back.
During most service projects,  I spend most of my time delegating, encouraging,  and reminding youth we have a job to get done. This week, I got to work because all of my youth were focused on getting the job done and I didn't have to keep getting them back on track. It was awesome watching as they worked together and all did what they could-and then some.
So, where was God this week? He was in my youth as they tried to be the hands and feet of him by serving others.
Blessings,
Jennifer

Methodist swag part 1-learning

On Monday morning, youth started showing up around 9am. They were ready to spend the week at the church for Methodist swag week. They didn't know what to expect and, honestly neither did I. Usually, we go away during spring break.  But, this year, we were staying local and doing service projects within the community and our own church. Could I really keep their attention and give them a great experience by keeping them in our hometown and sleeping in our own church for a whole week?   I wasn't confident even though I had been planning for months.
It started off rocky since 2 days of work fell through before we even started. Luckily,  I got a back-up plan together. This wasn't just a mission week. I wanted them to understand what it meant not just to be a Christian but to be a Methodist. We started the event by forming groups. I had thought more youth were coming, but health issues and conflicts gave us 2 groups of 5. It worked out for the best because these were the youth I knew were dedicated to being there. Each group picked 5 questions to focus on through the week and to hold each other accountable for. The questions were along the lines of "am I living out the bible", "am I not complaining", and "do I not let things like social media and electronic things influence me". I didn't know if they would take these questions seriously. But every evening during covenant group time, I would walk by both groups and hear them discussing their day relative to the questions. They actually loved covenant time! One group has chosen to continue even after the week ended.
Another aspect of the week was learning about Methodist beliefs. They asked questions about what Methodist people believed on certain issues. Then, we spent time expressing them and other things that impacted us throughout the week. We hung their art in the youth house and they were so proud of it! It was great to walk around watching them as they looked up scriptures that had helped them, words that had meaning, and things they had learned. And, now they have constant reminders of their week.
So where was God in this? He was in the excitement they felt at learning more about him and growing closer to him.
Blessings, Jennifer

Easter

Easter Sunday was a special day for several reasons. After an inspiring famine experience,  it was great to see all of the youth at church. In addition to being Easter, it was also confirmation Sunday and I got to participate in the confirmation of my youth. In all, 13 were in the class and 2 of them were also baptized.  Watching as my youth made a commitment to God and to the church was a great moment and I feel blessed to be a part of it.
So where was God today? He was rejoicing and welcoming his children.
Blessings,
Jennifer

famine

It has been such an awesome week-actually, week and a half.  I thought about writing eachday and would have had some great moments to share.  But I was so busy living in the moment and experiencing gGod with my youth that by the time I had time to write, I was already half asleep.
We started with the 30 hour famine.  With the famine starting on good Friday,  it put a whole different aspect into the event.  I ended up with 26 youth and 10 adults who volunteered.  There were stories of ways my youth were able to care for and about others in ways they hadn't experienced before. And, with it being good Friday,  we talked more about the ways Jesus saved us and how we couldn't repay him but we could respond to the needs of others.
That was the main focus of the weekend.   I don't know how much we raised for our mission organizations.  I still have some counting to do. But, I do know it was over $1600 and probably closer to $2500.
So, where was God during our famine?  He was helping us realize ways we could work for him.
Blessings,
Jennifer