Baptism by Fire

Hello Dear Family and Friends!

It has been a bit since I last wrote here, so I thought I'd give it a shot again!

Last weekend was QUITE the weekend! We had our 8th Grade Mystery Hunt on Saturday Night, which was actually a way to kidnap all the 8th graders into the high school group! 30 some odd unsuspecting 8th graders awaited us in the high school parking lot. They were then silly stringed and loaded into vans for a night of cosmic bowling!! Buahahahahhaha! It was wonderful!!! Since it was my first official act as Intern, I was allowed to drive the infamous Glenkirk van. First time I'd ever driven a van, and I SURVIVED!! Woot woot! We were out until 3:30am with the knowledge we had to be back at church the next morning at 9:30 to welcome some new 6th graders into the jr. high group. Sunday morning was rough! lol. I barely made it out of bed, and took the most epic nap in the afternoon. It was glorious. As a friend put it to me, I experienced "Baptism by fire." ;0) The very best kind.

Just yesterday, we had our Kick-Off Marco Polo Summer! This is a series of Wednesday Night pool parties for JH Ministry. Last night we had a great group of leaders, fantastic parents, and 13 kids swimming in the pool! At one point all of the kids were in the jacuzzi. hahaha. I took a picture cause I was so impressed. I'll hopefully get that up on this site, so you all can share in my wonder.

Next week we head out to Summer Camp at Forrest Home or as it's lovingly called, "FoHo." I am looking forward to an exhausting week of late nights, early mornings, and excellent JH girl time. :0) I am so excited. Our current struggle is that we are down a guy leader, and we need one by Sunday! So please extend your prayers to our group for a willing male leader! If we don't get a leader, we have to pay for one from the camp. That is less than awesome. So keep us in your prayers as we travel up the mountain for a great week of learning about Jesus!

On the more personal front, wedding plans are chuggin' along! It's been awesome see just how blessed Matthew and I are by the Lord! It's like Jesus wants us to get married or something. ;0) As of this moment we are looking to get married at my Dad's church in Pomona on January 15th, 2011! EXCITEMENT. I am soooo ready to be a married woman! :0) I'm really excited to see how the whole wedding, reception and all, falls together! YIPPEE!!! And no worries I'll keep you updated!

I would love your prayers so that the wedding does not become a stressful thing for me and my family. I've heard horror stories, I would REALLY like that to NOT be our wedding. But I am confident that if we keep God at the center, all will be just fine. I would also appreciate prayers for guidance and patience while I work with these amazing kids. As much as I love them, I don't doubt my patience will be tested. Thank you so much for reading!! I love each of you so dearly, and I can't wait until we meet again, whether it be tomorrow or in a few months!!!

With all the oodles of my heart,
Jen

Best Beginning of Summer EVER

Dearest and most lovely family and friends,

EEEK. I'M ENGAGED!!!!! Yesterday morning Matthew Bellue, my boyfriend of almost 2 years, asked me to marry him and I said YES!!!! GAHHHHHHH. Excitement cannot even be communicated into typed words at the moment. :0)

Since many people have been asking how he did it, I have decided to write the story here and allow one and all to read it at your leisure.

Yesterday morning, June 6th 2010, Matt decided he wanted to go to the beach. It was the last day we both had off before my internship started so we wanted to make it a special day. Little did I know.... lol. I was clueless all morning. We picked up starbucks for breakfast and drove down to Bolsa Chica Beach, which is just north of Huntington. This is in fact the same beach where he asked me to be his girlfriend. So I just thought it was so sweet we were going to spend the morning there, cause I'm just a gooey person I guess. After getting settled in, Matt and I started talking about our lives together and I told him all that had been on my mind lately, all good and exciting things. It started warming up around 11 or so and Matt decided we should go down to the water and test our courage. lol. The water wasn't actually too cold, but it was super windy which made it very cold to me. He asked me if I wanted to go swimming, and I said "No, it's too cold." And all the following is mostly a blur----- He said something else, like 'I have a question for you' or something all nonchalant like it was any other day at the beach. and I turned to look at him.... but instead of seeing him on eye level he was in front of me down on one knee. then shock set in. HAHAHA. I thought he fell or that he was joking, but then he pulled out the ring, and my jaw dropped to the sand. He said something like, "I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?" and I was so shocked I couldn't say anything. It was like my mouth was frozen. I think i said stuff like, "are you serious?", "Really?", "What???" and he was just staying there on one knee... and then suddenly this wave comes out of nowhere and crashes into his back. LOL. I laughed a lot, and then I said YES. Oh wow, I was shaking so much as he put the ring on my finger... i was completely surprised and spent most of the day recovering. HAHAHA. It was so beautiful.

Things got really fun when it came time a few hours later, to start calling people. My sister was like, "Oh coolieo." My mother screamed in excitement. My father said, "Engaged to what?" "To be married daddy." "Engaged to be married?" "Yes Daddy." "Well that's awesome!" hahahaha.

Matt's mom, my Mom #2, was super happy and excited. It was wonderful.

We spent the afternoon at Disneyland, going on rides and walking around all goo-goo eyes. Afterwards we got back to his place and his roommate, Keith, had made cookies!!! So we ate cookies and ice-cream. Perfect end to a perfect day.

Before Matt bought the ring or even considered asking me, he had permission and support from all of our parents. Which I think is what made this decision easier that we initially thought it would be. It's so wonderful to have a good relationship with future in-laws. Carrie (that's Matt's mom) was all, "You're really gonna be my daughter now!" heehee, The thought really makes me smile. :0D

As of this moment, Matt and I want to get married in January of 2011. That's 7 months away! GAH! We aren't for sure yet, but that's a tentative estimate. Once we set a date we'll send invitations out and all that good stuff. :0) We do recognize that some people may think we're a little young, or crazy, or unprepared for this next step..especially so soon. Until I met Matthew I might have agreed with you, but we're crazy in love. haha. He is most definitely the man I wanna spend the rest of my life with, my very heartbeat. And we can't see any reason to wait any longer. So YAY LIFE!!! I'm engaged to my best friend!

I thank you all for the love you have shown us already and I can't wait to start planning this sucker!!! Buahaha.

With all the love I have in my heart (which is actually a great deal at the moment),

Jen

Brains

Dear Family and Friends,

(picture to the right is of a Pack Out In-N-Out we had with Jr. High about a month ago. These are some of the kids I'll be hanging out with this summer.)

This past weekend was lots of fun!! :0) Matt and I went down to San Diego to spend some time with my parents and sister. Went to this super cool place in San Diego called Seaport village where much fun was had and many pictures were taken. It was glorious. We even got a little spontaneous and got matching Henna Tattoos. For those of you who are wondering, Henna is a kind of skin dye that washes off after a few weeks. I also had it in my head to make some Lefse, a Norwegian sweet treat of yumminess that I loved when I was a kid. LOVED. and It was a success for the most part. ;0) This weekend was exactly the vacation I needed to re-energize for my up and coming internship! I am so excited. You've NO idea. Absolutely NO idea, I promise. :0) So pumped.

So as I mentioned in the last blog, I am reading this book called Middle School Ministry to kind of prepare for this summer and really life as a jr. high leader. Cause this stuff is SO important to ministry and understanding the minds of a Jr. High kid. So I thought I'd share a little bit of what I am learning, so that maybe you could also benefit from such readings-

I've been working with jr. high kids roughly since I was a senior in high school, and I must admit working with these kids sometimes can be frustrating. Not gonna lie, there have been times I've gotten home and wondered why I was even trying. But understanding is the solution to frustration.

Two big things that Marko and Scott bring to light in this book:

- Early adolescents have not yet mastered the art of thinking abstractly!! They are in this funny little world between concrete thinking and abstract thinking. Which means they don't quite understand metaphors. This was HUGE for me. A couple of sundays ago I was going through a Psalm with a group of 6th and 7th graders. We read through it, and I asked them if they knew what the psalmist was talking about. They looked up at me with blank stares. Real encouraging. lol. I eventually got out of them something about a lion and Shepard, but nothing was connecting. They don't understand metaphors. Not granted, this is not true of every jr. higher. Each brain develops differently, there are some very mature kid in this group as well - but this weird shift from concrete to abstract thinking is definitely a challenge in teaching kids about Jesus. After all, almost all of Jesus teachings are parables, which are basically metaphors in story form. Ah, I love a challenge. :0) It's our job at adults, parents, leaders, friends, to help these kids develop the abstract thinking part of the brain!! Isn't that exciting? I love teaching kids how to think on their own and question things. That is the best sign of growth in my opinion.

- Secondly, there are these things in the brain called Neurons, they are like tiny little roads that run all over the brain transferring information. During early adolescence these this little roads multiply way beyond the number that will finally be used by the adult brain. From there the brain does this process of elimination thing, where it get rid of every neuron that isn't used regularly. The phrase, "Use it or lose it" comes to mind for me. This biological fact alone is enough to legitimize the importance of early adolescent ministry and interaction. Most people believe that most interesting stuff happens with these kids in high school or college, when in reality how your brain is going to function was set by the time you turned 14 or 15. The years between 11-13 are some of the most important developmental years in a person's life. That's CRAZY to me. CRAZY.

These kids mean the world to me, and I'm discovering this more and more as this book continues. I am so blessed that God trusts me enough to give me these kids for a summer, to love and mentor and be silly with them. To teach them about Jesus, and help expand the ways in which they think. It's amazing. I'm so excited.

I hope this post finds each and every one of you well and smiling.

Love always,

Jen

Another Summer...Another Internship....Another Adventure

Dear Family and Friends,

That's right! The blogs are BACK! It's been almost 9 months since I last wrote here, and man has it been an interesting 9 months. I've completed my Junior year at University of Laverne and am currently looking forward to a wonderful senior year full of many lessons to be learned and the promise of new adventure. :0)
As for right now... It's finals week. And I have one final left before I am free for the summer!!! This weekend I'm heading down to San Diego with my lovely boyfriend, to spend some time with my parents and to enjoy some much needed time of rest and relaxation. Woot woot!!!

So here's the deal for this summer. Before leaving Harrisburg last summer, I emailed a friend of mine back home asking if he was in need of a jr. high leader. Well he totally was, and when I got home I started working with the Glenkirk Jr. High youth group in Glendora, California. SOOOO much fun, lemme tell you. A few months ago, I offered to be the Jr. High Intern for the church during the summer and Scott, the Jr. High Pastor, was totally into it. I even rigged it so that I get the same scholarship I got last year! WIN! WELL - ah yes, the story gets better.... a few weeks ago we learned that our Director of Student Ministries, Jenn Graffius, has decided to leave her position at Glenkirk and move on to bigger and better things in L.A. This is a very exciting time for her, and though I'm going to miss her - i am so excited for what God has for her in L.A.
This means however, that Scott needs to take over High School Ministry for the summer which landed me being in charge of the JH group. EXCITEMENT. and also - SCARED. hahaha. Aside from running a Jr. High small group my senior year of high school, I've never really been in charge of a full program before. It will be a great challenge for me, but I am completely up for it.
I've discovered that God likes to put me in places of transition. I'm like a ministry band-aide. :0) and I don't mind. This summer will be a great determinant for my future in ministry, in more ways than one I'm sure.

In addition to my internship, I am also going to be doing some awesome readings!! SO excited. I'm currently reading two books: Middle School Ministry by Mark Oestreicher and A Legacy of Love by Dr. Arun Ghandi. So It is likely that you will hear my thoughts on these readings as well.
I'm looking forward to blogging again this summer, and hopefully you enjoy reading! Don't be afraid to leave comments and start conversations. I'm totally into that.

With much love and energy,
Jen

Another Beginning

Dear family and friends,

I am almost home! Tomorrow morning I leave on a plane at 8am, land in Chicago, then land in Colorado, and then FINALLY land at Ontario Airport in California. One HECK of a flight to be sure. I am not looking forward to the flight so much as I am looking forward to landing in my baby's arms when I get there. (clarification... baby = Matthew....NOT a small child...*cough*laura*cough*)

This week went by FAST, though the days went by slow. I sat in the office literally staring at the clock as I had little to do, and all the time to do it in. And still I managed to have a good time. Was taken out to lunch a few times, dinner a few others, a dear friend bought me flowers, and another took me to the state capitol. I'm glad I managed to see it before i leave. It really was a most beautiful building second only to the Country's capitol in my opinion. The lady who took me there was called Louise Knight, a utilities lawyer and such a sweet woman. It made me wish I had gotten more time to spend with her, but that's life I suppose. Time is our worst enemy and greatest friend.

As I look back on my summer... i am astounded at how far someone like me can come in 2 1/2 months. I'm not the same person I was, that's for sure. I'd like to think I'm closer to looking like Jesus now than I was all that time ago. And it wasn't even that long ago that I stepped off the plane in Harrisburg and stared wide-eyed at the broken city of Harrisburg wondering what in the world I has signed up for. I can honestly say I've grown to love this city as a second home, and the Harrisburg First Church people as a second family. I could never forget the Hospitality shown me, the love and care given to me, and the experiences shared. I sincerely and completely hope my paths cross with more than a few of them in the future. I love them dearly, and i really do. I mean that. It was harder than I expected to say goodbye to some of them, the kids especially. But these amazing people literally showered me with cards as a going away present, I walked away with two pictures, a hand crocheted cross, and 145 dollars. LOL. I'll never forget opening card after card, reading all those lovely things, and feeling my eyes grow bigger as that little green stack got bigger and bigger. hahahahaha. Oh my word, Jesus is the absolute coolest. the for SURE.

Now I am taking a break from packing, waiting for some laundry to get down. I swear on butter flies, that my suitcase will be the 8th wonder of the world if everything ends up fitting. lol. It's already to the brim with a load still in the washer, and my bathroom still in disarray. Fingers crossed peoples. ;0)

With this I will bid you adieu. I have no idea where the time went, but I'm to try and catch it tomorrow...on a 9 hour plane/layover journey home. I can't wait to see you again. I've missed you all terribly. and to those of you I'm leaving... I'll miss you. I guess one can never be fully satisfied with who one's around. In order to no longer miss a certain person, you have to leave another you will undoubtedly miss sooner or later. THAT my friends is why I'm looking forward to heaven...won't have to miss anyone...and won't have to leave anyone behind. Those will be good days.

I hope to keep this blog up and going through-out the year, but i wouldn't get any hopes too far up into the sky. I'll be really busy and blogs may be few and far between.

I love you all dearly. :0) Here's to the beginning of another adventure!

All my Love,

~ME

September: Growing Edge

Dear Harrisburg First Church,

I am a firm believer that “Church” is not a word, or an idea that can be held captive behind four walls and a Sunday sermon. My Father’s Church lives in each and every one of your hearts. Everywhere you go, to the store, the shower, school, or a friend’s house, Church travels with you. With out you, this beautiful building would be just that. A building. In your heart and fellowship, I was introduced to Jesus all over again. It never ceases to amaze me where He seems to pop up. He’s in the smiles and stories of the Kids at the Youth Group, He’s sitting in Kim’s kitchen as she cooks, in Pastor Belita’s office as she counsels, He’s cheering at the Baseball games, He’s eating pizza with Pastor Gerald at Agape-Satyagraha, He’s everywhere!!!!!!!!!
Through my encounters with the members of this community and Church this summer, God has taught me a few lessons I’m sure never to forget and I wanted to share a few of them with you before I leave.

1. Love the individual, not the action. In a world such as the one we live in, there are a lot of people making a lot of unwise decisions. Every day there’s another teen pregnant, there’s another drug addict dying, there’s another bully at school, there’s another tax collector cheating us out of hard earned money. Fortunately for us, God called us to love the person, NOT what they do. I can reach out to that pregnant teen in the love of Jesus, throw her a baby shower, and remind her how much she is loved with out ever judging the actions that got her there. That’s the challenge isn’t it? To look at these people, to look at ourselves, and try to see past the rotten actions to the Piece of God’s Heart that is living, breathing, and trying to shine in each one of us.

2. It’s not about who I am, but whose I am. Since I was in high school, I’ve always been worried about what job I’m going to have, how I’m going to support a family, who I’m going to marry, what my kids will be like, what will people say about me when I’m gone. Slowly but surely, I’ve come to learn it’s not about that. It’s not about me. This life, this world, these sometimes heartbreaking circumstances were NOT meant for me. Or for you. We were meant to walk in a beautiful garden holding the Lord’s hand. This summer, for me, was about forgetting that I’m a suburban, white, college girl with some pretty cool friends and family waiting for me back home. That’s all a part of who I am. Whose I am…is what really matters. I belong, heart and soul, to Jesus. If I live like I’m His, by His word, and His love, there will not be a need to worry. Who I am won’t matter, because Jesus becomes my definition.

3. Don’t be Afraid to proclaim the Faith. Don’t be afraid. In my life I’ve been called many different things, but coward has never been one of them. However, until recently when it came to talking about God I was rather skittish. God isn’t exactly a beloved being in the theatre where I’m from. His name is more often used as a curse word, than anything else. But I’ve also discovered that as my friends find out I’m in love with Jesus they start asking questions. “Do you think God has a gender?”, “Why does God let horrible things happen?”, “Who is God to you?” etc. And the coolest part is, all these questions came to me with out the title of ‘Pastor.’ I’ve always loved these questions, and answering them always opens up the door for further awesome conversations. Never-the-less, I’ve always had trouble volunteering prayer and God’s word in such an environment. God’s used this summer to give me the courage to be more vocal about my relationship with Jesus. This love is so awesome, why in the world would I want to keep it secret?

Having said all this, I want to let you know that when I return to California I am going to be a Jr. High Leader at a church near my school. I’ve been talking to the Jr. High Pastor there, and he’s really excited to be bringing me aboard and getting me plugged into these kids’ lives. It gives me such joy when I think about it, and I know it’s exactly where God wants me to go right now.
I want to thank you for all the encouragement, the fantastic food, fellowship, and love you’ve given me this summer. I’ll never forget it. And God willing, I’ll be back in the future to visit. I’m not a huge fan of good-byes, because I know I’ll see each and every one of you again when we party it up together in Heaven. So I’ll leave you with the verse that has spoken most into my life, Romans 8:18,

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us.”


With Love,
Jen Scarr
MSS Intern 2009

Almost Home

Dear family and friends,

(picture is of Me and Eliana, one of the awesome sunday school girls...she's 7....maybe 8.)

Here i am! Nine weeks in, and one week away from home! Though this summer has been amazing,and something I am sure never to forget...I am ready to come home. I miss my friends. my family, and mostly my boyfriend. hhahahha. This time next week, I'll be in his arms and happy as a clam. Nay, happier than a clam...

So this weekend was fantastic! Josiah and Christine took me to Philly on Saturday, and oh man that was SO much fun. It felt like we walked all over the city by the end of the day. We saw Independence Hall, the line for the liberty bell, and at Steaks! PhillyCheeseSteaks. It was pretty awesome. We found a map of a walking tour around the city where there are still many of the original houses and stuff. The needle in a haystack ended up being Betsy Ross's House. We accidentally walked right past it...all the way around our elbow... and when I finally saw the sign Josiah was like, "You're kidding me!!!" It was awesome. I laughed alot... I don't think my friends thought it was as funny. teehee. While we were standing outside the allusive house, there was a tour guide talking about Betsy. He said that she was buried in the courtyard of the house.....maybe..... lol. He said that when they wanted to move Betsy Ross's body they discovered that Quakers don't mark graves. Betsy was a Quaker. lol. So they took an educated guess...bottom line - who ever is buried in that courtyard is Betsy Ross. :0) awesome story.

For lunch it was Philly Steaks for us! There are two steak stands near South st. called King Pat's Steaks and Geno's. Pats is for the locals, and has very specific way of ordering...and Genos is more lenient and meant for tourists. You can tell just from the decor. lol. I had a half from each place...and decided that Pat's was better. If you don't order right at Pat's they may send you to the back of the line, or across the street to Geno's. BAHAHAHA. Lucky for me, I was a quick study. :0D

Sunday was my last youth group. Next week Josiah is doing a wedding, so they aren't going to be back in time. Josiah asked me to try storying for my last night.....so I did. I think it may have gone over okay. lol. As well as Squirmy urban kids could take it. :0) There were a lot of new girls...who didn't like me at all. I've found that I do much better with the guys than the girls. I have no idea why! The guys in the youth group were WAY easier to befriend and play games with. Most of the girls looked me up and down, sneered, and gave me attitude. No bueno.

Well anyway, here I am through with youth group. I'm gonna miss some of those kids. They were really cool...as much as they drove me crazy....I kinda love 'em.

I'm back at the Kelly house after a four day "escape" to the Reardons. They were really fun people to live with, but I missed my basement. lol. It's good to be back. :0)

SO this week, is full of people wanting to take me out to eat before I leave. What's cracked me up is that while these people only eat out once a week....i've been eating out three or four times a week ALL summer.... hahahha. I'm also spending time finishing up all the final details before I leave. I've almost got everything marked off my list!! Whoohoooo!

For those of you who are facebookers, I've got some pictures from Philly up and VBS and such things. Also, I've had to write a letter for the Growing Edge which is the Newsletter for the church, so I'm going to make a blog of that and post it here as well. If you so wish to read it, you may. :0)

I'll probably blog one more time before I get home. So keep those eyes pealed!

Love you all and see you soon!
Love

~ME