VBS and Some interesting Life Choices...

Hello Friends and Family!

I hope this blog post finds you all well and smiling! This week is VBS week at Glenkirk...and let me tell you it's QUITE the event!! About 850 kids showed up yesterday for the first day and were led by about 300 Jr. High and High School students through all the activities. It was such a humbling experience to look across a sanctuary PACKED with kids under the age of 11 and their leaders. I loved watching Jr. Higher's take control and be leaders fer these younger kids. It was so awesome, and totally warmed my heart. I love when different ministries in a church overlap like that...it's like...perfection.

Anthony and Stacey (Children's Ministry Gurus extraordinaire) have put together an awesome program, and the worship center looks SO legit with intelligent lights, gobos, an awesome pirate ship, and solid worship band. I am so impressed with the scope of this thing....the biggest VBS I'd ever been a part of had 100 kids...and that was in Harrisburg last summer. Before that....I'd never been a part of a VBS of more than 35 to 50 kids. So 850....blows my mind. As much as that number is awe inspiring, what happens in the classrooms is like 1000000000000000 times more important. You can have 1000 kids gather and have fun, but it's totally worthless if Jesus isn't being taught and glorified. At this VBS Jesus is friggin' everywhere...hahaha. From storytelling, to prayer, to worship, even the little call and response they do every day they are teaching these kids about God in a way they can come to own. I had SO much fun yesterday talking with the leaders and with some kids...running lunches to classrooms and simply observing Jesus in loads of smiles. It makes me sad that i have to sit in a silly office filing, and making labels today instead! GAH! Darn them bills...... Money is so frustrating. hahaahaha. Yeah that's life...
I'm excited to go back to VBS on Wednesday. There is also a lot going on this week during VBS 'After Hours' From 7-8:30 every night Jr high and High School is combining to hang out at various places in Glendora - In-N-Out, Del Taco, Goldenspoon. Just to hang out and eat good foods. I'm pretty excited about that...since we get free tacos tonight. Oh yes. It's UH-MAZING!

Life Decision - Due to a few conversations and experiences I've had lately, as well as some God Moments, I've come to realize that prioritizing needs to happen in my life. haha. I've been living my life a certain way for a long time....not by any means a bad way...just a certain way. Unfortunately it's caused much juggling, turmoil, and frustration....even tears (which are the best part....cause after a good cry, don't you always feel a lot better? I know I do....). Anyway - what has become most important to me has been shoved to the back burner more than a few times so I can try and impress people. People....being the key word there. If I'm to live my life for God, shouldn't I rather be trying to impress Him instead of...people? People that sometimes fail to see the bigger picture... I need to put what is most important in my life first and foremost... that being my ministry with my Father, and my husband-to-be. I guess this is something I've always known, but honestly I can be a little selfish sometimes. It's a difficult decision to make which means it will probably require a part of me to die (the selfish, people-pleasing, somewhat arrogant part), so that I can make room for more Jesus. :0) To be beautifully broken so that I can be wholly restored in Him. So that when God looks down on me, He can see his reflection. Doesn't that sound.....I dunno..... like fulfilling? Like peace? Like the best decision ever? Maybe I'm crazy, but what kind of leader would I be if I found a fault in my life and didn't fall into Jesus to try to fix it? How could I lead others to make decisions I was unwilling to make? How could I guide others to fall deeply in love with Jesus, when I chose to stay stagnant? Ew.
I'd love some prayer in this area if you're up for it! The hardest changes to make in ones life are definitely ones like these.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

In Other News -
Wedding plans are coming along wonderfully. We did the tux thing a few days ago... it was so weird!!! At David's Bridal..everything was "Let's try this on" "Let's look at this" "Walk down this isle of mirrors" "Let's make your mom cry" but at Men's Warehouse.... she plopped a kind of binder down in front of us and said - "Pick what you like". Matt picked out what he wanted...and what we wanted for the groomsmen. And we were done. 0_0 Dude. 4 hours at David's Bridal vs. 30 minutes at Men's Warehouse. Ah culture.
I'm trying to get the majority of the planning done, or in the process before school starts...cause OH the STRESS. bahahaha. But I'm sure everything will turn out fine as it always does. I'm getting more and more excited..... like reality sets in or something. I'm gonna be married! To Matt! How did I get so lucky?
Currently we are in the market for a DJ...and a Florist-like person......and maybe catering? I don't remember.

Huge and special thanks to all the people who have offered so much to us already!!!! The only money Matt and I have spent so far has been on his tux! hahahaha. It's been such a miracle, and I couldn't be more loved than I am at this moment. Many Thank You cards shall be written... which is saying something...cause I don't normally succeed at Thank You cards. ;0)

As this post comes to a close... i wanted to end it with something I read in Thessalonians this morning..it's how Paul ended his letter, and it makes me happy.

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
Love,
Jen

p.s. the "Love, Jen" part can only be found in select versions of the Bible. ;0)

Forest Home, Twilight, and The Dress

Hello Friends and Family!!

I hope this post finds you well and smiling! It's been a little while since I've written because I've been at Jr. High Summer Camp at Forest Home! Forest Home, is a summer/winter camp located in the mountains near Redlands, CA. It's a wonderful place really. We were there for 5 days, and let me tell you - Jr. Highers can really keep you on your toes!!! haha. But no worries, for even in the craziness I found time for a nap or two.

There are plenty of memories and camp stories I could share, but I want to highlight a few things from the week that really made me happy.

First Off - I had a cabin of 4 girls, 2 6th graders and 2 8th graders.... and our cabin was the problem child of the week. haha. We clogged the toilet, not once but TWICE! jeepers. I don't know how we managed that. I locked my keys in the cabin once... and our bathroom light went out on the last day. Each time I walked up to our team Deans (the two people leading our team that week....we were the Yellow Team by the way...) they would laugh at me and ask, "Ok, what now?" haha. It was amusing. As for the other girls cabin, we managed to put a blue stain on the cabin wall. It was amazing. The girls felt horrible, but it just made me smile. Jr. Highers are the best.

Second - The Jr. High boys at Glenkirk, can be real gentleman. Believe it or not! When we were hiking back to the camp site one night, they held branches back for the girls and helped us across the streams and things. So as crazy as they can be, they are kinda awesome!!! :0) It made my heart smile.

And my Favorite thing that happened that week...my absolute FAVORITE thing that will probably keep me in youth ministry for the rest of my life - was watching these kids worship our Lord. We had an awesome worship band which played some up-beat songs which allowed the kids to jump around and have a good time. And there were quieter songs played for reflection and stuffs and things. I would open my eyes and see these kids worshipping the Lord, eyes closed and hands in the air. Whatever their intentions in that act, Jesus was being praised by a group of 11-13 year olds on a mountain. We joined in the ever singing Angels, for a split second in time. Not gonna lie, I may have teared up a bit. a lot a bit. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

Since we've been back, we've had a Pool Party and we went to see the newest installment to the Twillight Saga - Eclipse. We attempted to see Twilight at midnight, and that was quite the interesting experience for those who showed up. We had to ninja our way into the same theatre due to an online mix up. It was awesome. haha. The Pool Party was last night, and lemme tell you. That was EPIC. 31 kids showed up to swim, play tether ball, jump on a trampoline, and have a good time. There only one problem.... leaders. There were only 4 there, including myself and all female. Lucky for us there are some awesome Moms in our groups who helped us keep an eye on the kids and cooked the food. But MAN. We need some men. And women for that matter. Our group is growing and the only thing holding us back is that we don't have the needed leadership.
I need your prayer in that. Pray for some awesome men and women of course to hear a call to Jr. High Ministry, and come help us out. Scott and I are only two people. I can't reach every girl, and her can't reach every guy. Ministry is a team action, it cannot be done alone. Even Jesus had 12 buddies whom he empowered to help heal and cast out demons. The bible doesn't promote independence from one another, but community. We need eachother in all that we do, especially in ministry.

I could use prayer in coming up with some creative ways to draw in leaders, and also for creative ways to pull a group of Jr. Highers together - to break down cliques. We have some new kids hanging out on the sidelines, and I wanna get them involved. So please be praying for that. My goal is that every kid who walks through our doors leaves having felt loved and accepted. But to do that we need leaders, and open hearts. So huge prayer there, please!!!

In other news :

I found my wedding dress!!! Did you know it takes 3 months to order the darn things? Yeah.... 3 months. Sheesh. But I found it. It was lots of fun, my mommy cried when i put it on which pretty much sealed the deal - but I wanted my Daddy and sister to see too... so they came and approved the dress. And my parents wanted to pay for it as a wedding gift. So, my parents are basically amazing. :0)

Matt and I had a meeting the wedding people (Acia and Virginia) at Pomona Fellowship this morning. And it looks like it's gonna be a FUN wedding. Still have brainstorming to do in terms of the reception including decorations and stuffs like that... and thats the part I'm gonna LOVE!

Matt and I took engagement pictures the other day, and they're beautiful. I'll be posting some up soon. Our Photographer did them for free, and is also going to do our wedding!! I'm pretty excited, cause he's such a sweetheart. I loved him.

Let me see... I think that's the whole of it at the moment. It's absolutely crazy the amount of details and such things that go into a wedding! These are things you sure don't think about when you're in jr. high and planning your wedding in your head. In Jr. High you think it's just going to magically happen..but my goodness! It's crazy!! haha.

I love you all so much and hope that your week is completely wonderful! Happy 4th of July!
With all kinds of Love,
Jen

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