and so it begins

i'm writing this to you from my home for the week--a Sunday school classroom in Moody, Alabama where I'm undergoing training for my YouthWorks summer. i'm currently propped up on my air mattress, awaiting dinner, and was excited to find a wireless connection :)

it's really good to be here & get this process underway--it's nice to have anticipation & expectation meet reality. i've met my staff team--Katy, Jake, & Cameron. I think we're going to get along well. We determined today that we're all neat (clean) people, which gives me great hope :) It's funny to begin interacting with people who you know you'll be super tight with in a couple more months..yet right now it's still a bit awkward & new. I look forward to getting to know them better & watching their strengths & gifts come out in our ministry this summer.

as for me, i've been fluctuating between confidence and nervousness, uncertainty and surety. this week is all about information & modeling what a YouthWorks week will look like on site. so we're just hit over the head with info again & again, and that can be both overwhelming & daunting. i trust fully that God has chosen me for this position & will equip me (and all my fellow staff members) for my job. when i rest in that knowledge, i feel so great & so pumped. but if i drown myself in all the details and my inexperience in this particular setting, etc--i am overcome with anxiety. it seems like a lot of people are feeling this way, so i'm thinking that the abstract nature of our preparations may contribute to this feeling. i look forward to the time when we're all set to go in our community & have our first groups arrive. that is still 3 weeks out! i know we need all this prep time, but i'm ready to get my hands dirty & stop fretting over how it's going to happen and just let it happen.

i had a really sweet moment last night when i was weary from traveling & a long day of mingling and was just ready to go to sleep. it was 10:15 pm (11:15 Eastern time, where I started the day!) and we were moving into a time of worship. as our leader prayed to begin the session, all i could ask was, "God, just keep me awake." He did that & more--I felt so lifted up & fulfilled by the presence of Jesus. it's so beautiful to realize how fully & truly He is our sustainer, our very life. it is all about Him, He is so so worthy. that is my center and my purpose for this summer.

i hope to keep the updates coming, but still am not sure how often i'll have time to get online once our summer really gets underway. but i'll try to blog once a week, at least. tales of youth adventures to ensue!