Hi all!
I wanted to give everyone a quick update on what I’ve been up to this week! I’m currently sitting at the Indianapolis airport typing this – on my way down to Atlanta to head off to Training Camp for the next seven days!
To catch everyone up: last Thursday was my last day at work – and it was such a super sweet time! I was the recipient of many hugs, well wishes, kind notes and treats – and I just felt so loved. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to spend the last (and first!) three years of my career – thank you for all of your love and support! I’ll miss you greatly – but I’ll be back to visit as soon as I can!
On Sunday morning, I headed out with the Chapel Hill youth group to head to Rossville, Indiana to help lead the mission trip through TeenServe. Much to the kids dismay, I happily sang them song after song while cruising down the highway. In perfect CHC tradition, we were the last group to arrive that day and MAAAYYYY have been a little over an hour late (time zones can be a REAL pain!) – but we managed to make it to the opening program just in time!
This was my first time going on the mission trip with the youth and I honestly wasn’t really sure what to expect out of a TeenServe trip – but we managed to have a fantastic time! For those who don’t know, TeenServe is an organization that basically comes in and takes over an entire town for a week. Usually, the town is on the smaller side and has a somewhat aging population. All of the youth are brought in, sleep in the local school, are placed onto “crews” of 4-5 people and are assigned a house project to work on during the week. Most of the service comes in the form of a new coat of paint or a new ramp or steps – and after experiencing and witnessing the impact those simple things can have one someone’s life, I believe it’s just a beautiful way to bless someone!
TeenServe also brings in a worship leader and speaker to perform and speak during the evening program. This year, we had the pleasure of hearing from Phil Joel (formerly of the Newsboys – now starting up a new band called Zealand) and KP Westmoreland! TeenServe also comes up with a theme for every workcamp – and this year’s theme was “Greener”. And man – did that one hit me right between the eyes! The Scripture reference they used for this week was Jeremiah 17:7-8. For the sake of context, I’ve provided verses 5-8 below:
5 This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord.6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. 7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.8 They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
I just LOVE it – what it would mean to be a tree planted right NEXT to the water source, to be so connected to the life source that even when my external circumstances change (because they WILL change!) I never had to be afraid or anxious or worried that I won’t survive the hardship. And not only will I just “survive”, but I’ll still be able to BEAR FRUIT in spite of it all. Man – our God is SO good! And if we let Him, He will take care of us – and heal us in places that we don’t even realize need healing yet. I could just jump up and sing about it for hours! And that’s what we did in the Rossville gym every night – we worshipped and praised God for His goodness. We delighted in Him and what He was allowing us to do in Rossville. And while it wasn’t all fun and games (in fact, I wouldn’t necessarily say that any of the “work” was “fun”), and my body ached and my mind was running on empty, it was definitely one of the most memorable experiences of my life – and God knew I needed it before I headed off to Training Camp this week.
A final thought: as I was being driven to the pick-up location to catch my shuttle to the airport, another one of the leaders and I were talking about the week – thoughts, reactions, overall experience, etc. I admit that I don’t think I got everything I COULD have gotten out of this experience. While the evening programs were an outstanding time for me personally, I have to admit that I have too much of a tendency of being task-oriented – when someone tells me that this house has to be completed by Friday, I will stop at nothing to make sure it’s completed in good form and on-time. In doing so, I know missed out on extra opportunities to build relationships with my crew and my resident. Mercifully, God brought this realization to me and it is my hope and prayer that I would learn from this experience in preparation for next time (because there WILL be a next time!).
And now, it’s time to start boarding my flight to Atlanta! Training Camp – here I come!!
Blessed to be a blessing,
Nat
