I wrote last about getting medicine from the doctor. I finished the second round of antibiotics, and things seemed to be feeling good, but my test results came back and it was not an infection like they thought it was. I'm feeling ok and just hoping that it doesn't creep back again.
Three Tuesdays ago we got to have dinner with the Donovans. Ashley, Danny and little baby Canaan. Ashley was my small group leader in high school. I loved getting to go over there and share with my intern family these people that have meant so much to me over the years. It was a comfortable, sweet time for me. We ate dinner and just hung out for a while. I always love time spent with Ash so of course this was no different.
After the Donovans we headed to the Grieves the following night for a fun, engaging night of hamburgers, games, and good conversation. I've known the Grieves for a while and they always manage to make me feel extremely welcome and wanted and just good. It was a good night for all of us I think. We sat outside and talked for a long time.
Have I talked about the youth camping trip we went on yet? I don't think I have. And I think it occurred on the Thursday after dinner with the Grieves. I may be wrong about that though. Regardless, we took about 15 of the youth camping a few weeks ago. I am not in charge of planning youth stuff (that's all Erin and Matt), so really I just kind of showed up and partook in all the fun. We got to swim in the creek, cook over the fire, create a huge bonfire, learn some dances, sing some songs, and enjoy each other. We have some pretty incredible kids in our church. They are all pretty great, actually. It's crazy how God puts us together, how there can be so many different personalities, so many different ages and places in life, but we all bring something different to the table, we all contribute to the youth group of Hope Chapel in a unique and important way. I am thankful for the time that I have gotten to spend with the youth. I am amazed at the amount they have taught me about community and love. These kids are legit.
I am finding that the things I love about being here are totally different than last year, and the things I'm struggling to have a good attitude about are different. I love my team. I love the other interns. I love working with them and hanging out with them and knowing them. I love that we're all so different, because diversity is good, because it means I'm leaning stuff about them and about myself. I've felt more of that team-ness than last year. I've felt loved and valued and cared for in a way that didn't exist before. I've felt known and understood and I like it. I like it more than I ever thought I would.
We've had a few other dinners since the last time I wrote (I will try not to get this far behind again). We ate with the Crawfords and the Norths one week. The Crawfords house always feels like a big party. They are just really good about opening their home to people and making them feel welcome. It was a fun night. More delicious food, of course, and lots of good questions asked. Kenny is a vet and allowed the other four interns to play with his two snakes at the end of the night. I did not partake. The Norths was a fun night for me. I lived with them last summer, so it was fun and strange to be back for dinner. We ate out on their awesome screened in back porch that I love and they introduced us to the game, "scum," after dinner. It was an intense card game. Luckily, my noncompetitive nature keeps me sane when I play games like this one. I started out doing really well and by the end of the game I had nothing.
The youth event two weeks ago was board games and dessert. We had it at the Weatherlys (where I am living). Erin and Matt baked a ton of yummy treats and all the kids brought their favorite board games. I lost in blokus about 10 times. But it was a fun night. I think the kids enjoyed it. By the end of the night, we had a huge crowd around the tv watching people play just dance on the wi (hilarious game).
This past week we got to eat with the Henrys and with Todd. The Henrys are awesome. They talked to us for a long time about the mission of Hope Chapel and Project Hope and what that would look like to be played out more so in the future. It was encouraging and kind of a little bit of a reality check as we get closer and closer to OUR GSO. In a time when I was getting really caught up in the details of planning and the tediousness of everything, they reminded me why I am here and what we are trying to accomplish. It was a sweet reminder, plus we got to experience the Michael Jackson experience on the wi. So fun. Dinner at Todds was fun too. It felt casual, like we were just hanging out. I didn't feel like anything was really expected of me. I felt free to be there and just be honest about how I was feeling. I wasn't trying to impress anyone or act a certain way. It just felt like there were less expectations on me than other dinner nights. We talked and played a board game involving estimating. It was fun. I was tired, but it was fun and I was thankful for the casual atmosphere.
That brings us to this thursday night, when we had a cookout and water games night organized by the lovely youth pastors, Erin and Matt. It was a fun night. Hamburgers and water guns. What more could a kid want? We had a sweet time all together before all the kids left. We all were sitting together and answering questions that Matt had come up with beforehand. It was sweet. They looked just like a real life youth group. So encouraging.
The past three weeks, more than anything, have felt busy. When I have had time to do stuff like update the blog, I have chosen to sleep instead. That is a big prayer request as we reach the final stretch of the internship. Pray for perseverance, for strength and energy to do things and to do them well. Also for me to make time to be still, even when that's hard to do that I would find a way to make that a priority, because I need it in order to do my work well. We have one more normal week and then OUR GSO. How did this all happen so quickly? I'm sad that it's ending. I'm sad that I have to leave soon.
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