The Sweetest Place on Earth...has problems with entrances...

Hello awesome people!

I think it's been a few days since i last wrote. I'm sorry for this. It's been pretty hectic in Harrisburg lately, and some late nights i'd rather be reading or watching t.v. than writing, but I'd figure to give it a shot tonight!

Just to start off, I don't know how many of you keep up with Harrisburg news (probably none of you....i only do it because the headlines are on my street...lol) but it's been pretty rough around here lately. Something 18 shootings in the past 11 days, and that's only the last I heard a few days ago. Since then I think I've heard 2 to 4 more gun shots, and a lot of ambulance chatter. It's getting ridiculous. Many of the shootings are happening on Hummel St (the location of the church) or in the very near surrounding streets. I've seen flowers and memorials near telephone polls that weren't there two weeks ago. It's heartbreaking. Many of the kids in the youth group live on this street, and may have witnessed some of the happenings this past week. I ask your prayers for the safety of those on and around Hummel St. For wisdom from the city's leaders, and for the minds of those involved that they would have a little imagination so they can solve their conflicts beyond gunfire. It's unnerving for me to hear gunshots from a few street away, could you imagine hearing them right outside your window?

ANYHOW. I desire to move on.

Today Bethany (palmyra intern) and myself ventured out to Hershey park! It was lots of fun. here are my high lights from the day:

1. Hershey Park is right next to Chocolate World and Zoo America, Beth and I had the HARDEST time imaginable trying to find the entrance to Hershey Park. We did several u-turns, and eventually ended up in the right place. THANKFULLY. but holy crow, we must have driven circles around the place before it bit us in the behind.

2. We were about to get on a ride entitled "The SooperDooperLooper" (I kid you not) and we didn't see any loops on the ride. There were no harnesses normally required for loops, so we assumed the loops were horizontal swirlies. As we reach the top of the drop, I look to my left and see something that looks remarkably like a loop. 'Bethany' I says 'is that us?' She says, 'No it can't be.' i say 'we're about to find out.' and low and behold we had just enough time to grab our bags at our feets before the whole world turned upside down. We laughed about that for the rest of the day.

3. The weather was perfect, except the time we got in the longest line in the WHOLE park and fried to death beneath the sun's unrelenting rays. However, we were wearing sunscreen so I stand before you only a slightly darker shade of white. ;0) That line was 2 hours, about, but the ride was SO worth it.

4. Upon leaving the park, we found our way out and made a right on a street called Derry. We didn't recognize the road, but figured it was the right call. I look up at some point and say "That's a Roller Coaster" sure enough.....we were back at the park. Confuzzeled, we laughed at ourselves and turned around managing to find our way back to Bethany's in one piece. LOL. I laughed a lot.

5. The drive home for me, was BEAUTIFUL. I was jammin' out to Praise Mix Josiah made a while ago, and oh man oh man oh man. This world is beautiful. The sun hit the trees just right, and the hills were rollin like it was no bodies business. The clouds were perfect and fluffy.... *sigh* i love moments like that.

Now I am home. Heather and John and the kids went camping so I have the house all to myself. Woot woot. I'm totally in the basement minding my own business anyway. Houses you aren't used to tend to make noises to freak you out just because they can. So since I'm used to the basement, here I sit... completely content. With my mice.....

AND MY BOOK. Holy Moses..... how many of you have read "The Poisonwood Bible"? This thing is really rather well written. I absolutely HATE the Father in the story (i think we are supposed to) but man I can't out it down. I keep thinking, 'I'll just read one more chapter.' and Twelve chapters later I fall asleep. lol. It's beautiful...and oh so heartbreaking and frustrating. *sigh* I can't wait to find out what happens next.....

I hope you are all doing well. I miss you all dearly, and long to see your beautiful faces at the end of the summer! :0D Keep me in your prayers! Pray for whatever you so glean from these blogs...i've discovered I have issues asking for specific prayers for myself. Seriously... sometimes my mind goes blank and I forget that i have things to pray for about myself. Good and Bad. lol. Well there you go.

I love you, I miss you all.

Until we meet again,
~ME

No more running.

Hello fellow awesome people,

Much has happened in the past few days...and all of it exciting, challenging, and hopefully fulfilling. But let me start with today....

Today I got to do the most awesome thing in the world. Something that I have always wanted to do, and FINALLY got a chance to do it. What was this awesomely monumentous task?

I got to create a myspace page for the Harrisburg Youth Group. EEK.

It was totally fun. I spent hours over it. Mostly trying to figure out how to customize the layout of the profile...only to find out that the myspace profile I was trying to customize was a very basic setting and new to the MySpace editors... and therefore my hours of hard work....down the drain. BUT. Jesus is cool, and this new layout allows in house customizing, and just happened to have the look i was going for. Urban, but not Graffiti, colorful, and spirited. I like my final product. I....think i may be in love with creating and organizing. It's the stagemanager in me. Who knew?

I also got to show off my excel skills (special thank you to my old boss Brian Tresner for teaching me all I know) to make an attendance sheet for the youth, and a contact sheet. Who knew filing, and keeping up excel databases would help in youth ministry? Jesus, that's who. Booooo yah. :0)

Aaaaaaaand, we're backtracking.

Sunday was a blast and a half. I got to lead worship playing guitar and singing for the first time ever in front of a group larger than 11. (The Interns being the first big group of people i've ever played for). I think it went as well as it could have gone for three people who had never played or sang together before. :0) Over all, I'd give it an A-. I'm really looking forward to a time when my eyes aren't glued to my chord sheet so I can observe others praising and singing, enjoying it as much as I am. I think that's what I missed out on, on Sunday. *sigh* Oh well.

Youth Group. Holy moses. The kids were 1000s of times better this week than they were last week. However, they can only recover so fast from being jr. highers, so I forgive them that much. We went over a song called "Dead and Gone" by T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake. They seemed to really get it. Josiah talked about how T.I. had a really messed up life, and when he got arrested, the experience was enough to turn his life around. Now he's writing positive songs so that kids, like the ones in the youth group, don't make the same mistakes he does. Sweet right? I was thrilled. Yay T.I.!! Afterwards, we ate some pizza and played some games.

To end the pretty cool night, we went bowling. hip hip hooray! We only had a few behavioral hiccups, but for the most part these kids were having so much fun playing! :0) It was great. It tickles me to death, they call me Miss Jen. teehee. Totally cute, and i think they are starting to warm up to me. It makes me really happy. I'm having loads of fun, and I just know the end of the summer is going to be bittersweet.

So those were my highlights of the past few days. I had my first MCT (Ministerial Committee Team....or something like that....) This was a frustrating meeting. It may have even hurt my heart a little bit... It was full of worry. Full of what ifs, and we dont have a plans. *sigh* Eventually I said, "I would encourage you not to worry. God will take care of it. The vision statement you want will be given to you when you pray about it."

Oh ye of little faith... I can hear my lord whispering these words to me. They have their mission. They have a plan. They are just so worried about what the church will look like in 10 years, they are missing the present. They are missing what they have, and what they are currently doing. ARGH. It must be clear that when I say "they" i am speaking of the various Team Leaders. The Pastoral Staff has their head on straight. Josiah spoke up and shared the same thoughts as I, and Marisel's thoughts were also with ours though she did not speak. It's just so hard to tell an aging person not to worry about a church they are so invested in. But Jesus is. and if they are having trouble listening, somebody has to be that voice.

I think the most important thing that has been happening in my heart the last few days, is the constant stream of convictions Daddy has been streaming into my heart.

He's been bringing back to mind that testimonies of the Pastors we heard at Orientation. Almost every single one of them spent years and years running from the call Daddy gave them before accepting it...and I have even heard testimonies of people pushed into ministry with out being called by our Lord, instead being called by the earth...because the earth saw a need. Poo on the earth. Why did they run? I totally understand the reasoning... pastoral ministry is not a walk in the park. It barely pays the bills, has the potential to drain every part of your light if you're not careful, it means long hours, endless meetings (many of which are not needed), constant change, constantly moving from place to place dragging your family with you, losing your job over something ridiculous because it's people we work with and Lord knows we aren't perfect, all this to say- It's the most challenging life imaginable, and if done to it's fullest, the most rewarding.

I was 15 when Jesus whispered to me that I was going to make a difference, that i was set apart to be a part of a miraculous adventure. Since then people have laughed at me, wondered if they could talk me out of it, pushed me into acting, complimented me in all the right ways to unknowingly lead me a different direction than i'd originally been called. And I am here thankful for each and every laugh, dismissal, and unhelpful nudge. :0) Honestly, and genuinely. I now know that I'm suited for nothing else but ministry. I am not going to run.

Why waste time? I think of all the good those Pastors are doing now, and I think to myself - what could God have in store for me if I start now? I'm not coming down on those Pastors...hahah, one of them happens to be my mommy whom I dearly love and respect, they ran until God needed them most and then fell into His plan perfectly. God's a genius like that.

So here I sit, not knowing my next move, or even where I'll end up for seminary honestly. But the beauty of it is, I'm taking that blind leap of faith and trusting that God will open doors and light my way as long as I keep tuned to his Spirit and his love.

YIPPEE!!!!

*ponders* How am I going to explain this to my Acting professors? :0D

I've kept you long enough, kudos to those of you who are still reading. I love you dearly.

Until next time,

~ME