Square Yourself!

     So there we were. Katie, Mary, Jake, and Mollie. We looked picture perfect…and to be biased again, we were. The best ASP family I could have asked for, and I was lucky enough to get to spend every day with them, relishing on every little moment that this organization has to offer. By God’s grace alone, Philippians 4:6-7 flooded my heart with some awesome truth: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.” Everything just felt right. I was confident in my family and had no doubt that we were all going to grow because of each other. If I had the time, I could spend hours sharing about all the crazy, funny, precious, and inspiring moments we shared together…so choosing just a handful is a little harder than I thought.

     If I could confidently say anything, it is that I had a God-filled staff that kept me even more in love with this ministry than before. Every meal was a family meal…a family meal beginning with a prayer. That alone spoke volumes to me, growing up in a home where prayer before meals was absent. We were genuine. We were real. We had love that moved mountains, and when all else got in the way, we put it aside and had each other. Looking back, the 17 homes we got to work on, every family member we met and over 500 volunteers we got to see be transformed through ASP cannot be accredited to just one of us…it was all four of us. We worked together, and we did it well. I thanked God for every moment that could have brought tension or that I was afraid to handle, but instead it went smoothly and took care of itself.  That being said, we were a family and we had our little riffs but when I look back at the overall picture, they hold no significance except for the fact that it made us stronger.

     It’s funny how certain memories stay with you, especially ones that make you laugh (or cry) just as hard as if it was just happening. I can tell you a lot of these moments happened this summer, and I continue to find comfort and peace in reliving them , now that I’m hours away from my summer home. The fact that I can’t look at a Monster energy drink (or any drink in a can) and not have a sudden uAtrge to shotgun  it, or hear “Wagon Wheel” and want to cry because I don’t have anyone to jam out down the halls waking up volunteers with our 7am voices. There are lines from movies, lyrics from songs and just silly things said during staff meetings or during our times together that will instantly bring a smile to my face, and sometimes I catch myself laughing out loud and not realize it until I see others staring at me, wondering what my problem is.  There were the moments that I found myself stepping back and watching the sweetness of the moment, like deep conversations on the roof or in our vehicles, watching my staff grow as they interacted with volunteers and knowing that they don’t need me to re-explain things to them and that they have everything under control. Trust. That is one thing I had from the get-go with my staff, but I found that it continued to grow as we all grew closer.

     At the end of the day, I’m the proudest Mama Bear that ever was. It is bittersweet when I take time to relish on all of our memories, but I wouldn’t trade even one second of our time together. To my staff, I want to thank you for your love and constant patience. For putting up with me when I clearly had no idea what I was doing. For seeing when I was taking on too much or was stressed, and doing all you could to take care of me and make me smile. For the random hug attacks or baby doll pranks. For the encouraging notes and sweet treats that caught me when I needed a little reminder. For the staff meetings that went too late because we wanted to spend all the time we could together. For our experiments, explorations, and energy bursts. For the tears shared and the laughter that filled the halls of Mullens Middle School. For being everything I could have ever wanted and MORE in a staff. Y’all were the best, a serious answer to prayer, and I cannot imagine spending the summer with any other combination of people. I have grown in ways that I could’ve never imagined because of you three and I know that ASP 2012 wouldn’t mean as much to me if I didn’t spend it with y’all. Remember…square yourselves.

Our first picture as a family.

 

 

Meet the Mullens M.O.B

 

Oh how cute we were!

First attempt of many at shotgunning Blue Monsters before squaredancing.

 

Happy beginning of Week 7!

 

(above): My little babies Mollie and Jake

(below): Me and my Minion, Mary <3

Laughing the morning we said goodbye to our Week 7 crew (it was bittersweet).

 

The last picture as a family (with a few extras).

I've Got a Peaceful, Easy Feelin'

Center Director training started and it was obvious that everyone was nervous. It was the kind of excitement that wakes you up early in the morning because every day will have a high and a low, a happy or a crappy…simply something to look forward to. To be honest, I was blown away with how much about being on staff I had actually retained. I remembered span width, what R-value of insulation goes where, how to build a truss roof, etc. I mean I definitely had my fair share of material to learn, review and remember, but my confidence slowly build so that I could focus on learning exactly how I was going to become a Center Director. I am going to be completely biased and say my CD class is the best in a long time—we all were so close and we were genuinely seeking opportunity to build each other up. Sessions were long, but the time we had to fellowship with one another made everything more than worth it.

Only a handful of hours later, the Porch was full again with all the First Year and Returning staffers! The reunions, laughter, and what seemed like hour-long hugs were overflowing from the main area of the Porch. FINALLY! We all were back home where we belonged…in the heart of Appalachia about to embark on yet another amazing summer in service. Looking back on it all, every Center Director began looking at the 90 other staffers asking the same question: “Which three will be on MY staff?!” Everyone there was so awesome; I knew I’d be content with anyone on the Porch.

Days became busy with sessions about construction, volunteer relations, family relations, and project and budget management. Some were harder to sit through, others I don’t think my pen could have written any faster as I scurried to get every word in my notes. I wanted to make sure I was on top of my game. I had a new set of responsibilities, as well as personal goals, that I wanted to make sure happened this summer. Needless to say in all the worry and stress I forgot that it’s not about what my plans look like because God’s sovereignty trumps all of it.

That trust was only in the beginning stages of growth, as I travelled with one of my closest CD friends and our Program Manager to county visit day. I don’t know if I was more nervous about driving my PM’s car, or finally seeing where I was about to call home for the next nine weeks. Luckily for me, a blessing God gave me through a friendship last summer, it just so happened she worked (and fell in love with) the town of Mullens the previous summer. So, needless to say, I had already bombarded her with just enough questions to get a tasting of what Mullens was like. I wanted to keep my mind open for the initial impact, so that I could see for myself how much I was going to love this place.

Over nine weeks from that day, to say that I fell in love with Mullens would be an understatement. From the facility manager who I learned how he played the game with, to our sweet and sassy cooks, not to mention the palace we had as our center, I knew that calling this place home was going to come naturally and quickly. The next matter of business before getting the summer rolling was the only thing that remained…my staff.

The day that all of us CDs knew we were finding out our staffs, all attitudes on the Porch were heightened with excitement and nerves. I was anxious…anxious because I didn’t know who I was going to get, if they would like me, if we would be like a family, or if there were going to be some struggles. I am so thankful for the staff I was put with last summer and would not trade any conversation or memory with them for the world, but the idea of a staff family when you are in the “driver’s” seat looks a little different. That night, I think that is when my nerves peaked for this entire process, which is silly because there are clearly so many other things to be stressed about. BUT it just so happens that I literally got paired with the Dream Team: the best three people I could honestly have ever asked and prayed for. My returner was strong and I had known her from the previous summer, and my two new staffers were ones I met at our Staff Applicant Weekend and saw a lot of potential and passion for this place.

The next few days were filled with activities to help my new family bond and get to know each other, as well as sessions to help us get a better grasp of our job responsibilities. We were ready. Ready to begin this adventure together. Ready to get to Mullens and be HOME. 

Trading Hills for Mountains

So, the time has finally come. The time when I begin to take a few moments every once in a while and begin putting my reflection of an unforgettable summer into words. “Easier said than done” would be the understatement of the century for my heart and my head right now. To begin, and eventually end, this series of blogs…there is absolutely NO WAY that God is not Holy, living and present throughout my life. His presence was overflowing this summer. I say this because there is literally SO much to be said about this summer, but don’t worry…I’ll be as condensed as possible. I praise God everyday for the opportunities He has given me to live out the passions He has placed on my heart: a deep desire for service and a genuine love for all people. Amen

If someone was to tell me almost a year ago that I would reapply to be a Returning Staffer, get hired as such, and then in March be asked to be a Center Director, I would have laughed in their face. Well…a year later I can successfully and humbly say that each of those events happened, and I could not have asked for it any other way. I have been praying for a while that God continues to give me opportunities that would require my devotion, patience and full trust in Him, but I had no idea that this was what it was going to look like. I thought I had another year to grow and learn on how to become a stronger staffer. Oh no. I had to be the one “in charge” this summer. But as I had seen through different instances in my life, His plan always works out and is sweeter than anything I could come up with on my own. The middle of May rolled around, and I found myself Home…on the Porch in Jonesville, VA with 119 friends about to start the same journey in the mountains.