Monday, June 30, 2008


Okay, I am so technically challenged. This is the third and final attempt at posting these pics. Wanted you to see the beautiful church we served in. Saint Sans is what they called it. It has a longer formal name that I cannot remember. So, enjoy my last pics for posterity!!

Some pics!





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Here are some of the highlight pictures. I wish I could get a tutorial on how to load these suckers. This looks so trashy but I wanted to show some of the trip. We served at a soup kitchen located in the basement of the church shown above. It also has a school that we worked in which is where I am located when taking the picture. Here are some of the kids trying to get on the L.
So, this a little flavor of the trip!! Thanks again for praying!!!

Chi Dos....the name of our worksite


I AM BACK!!!

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!! I have returned and recuperated somewhat. Thank you for praying. It made a world of difference. I felt completely covered in peace throughout the entire stretching week.

Some of the most obvious moments of peace prevailed when I headed down Michigan Ave the wrong way and had to hike my 15-passenger van over the median to get out of on-coming traffic!! Yeah, it was a bit harrowing but God is good and He prevailed.

I know He poured out His power when the 47 of us were lost travelling through southern Chicago trying to find our way to the L. I hate it when we lose direction. It was one of the most challenging moments of the trip. You combine that with a few of these doosies and I did have moments of sweaty pits and cussing thoughts!

Doosies:

-HS girl gets shoulder dislocated and has to stay in ER for 6+ hours.

-Different HS girl cuts her finger open in the shopping district and feels like passing out.

-Driving through Englewood, the most impoverished ghetto in Chicago.

-Watching HS girl get stuck in window because she is determined to climb outside to clean.

-Seeing HS boy scale a building over 13 feet high.

-Finding a pregnancy test box in the girls trash (learning later it was a prank from boys!! not funny!)

-Never having a moment to myself from 6:30am until 11:30pm every day!


See, it was a memorable trip. I am sure I am still missing some highlights. I just wanted to give you a broad glimpse at the week. Plenty of drama and fun and also a beautiful spiritual element as the girls I work with opened up with new amazing questions of faith. They invited deeper accountability and showed such grace and maturity when they invited me to be prayed for after our foot washing ceremony. It was amazing to hear them intercede on my behalf. I was blessed.

So, all in all, Beautiful Chicago memorable moments. Am I sad that this is the farewell tour? Gotta confess, yes and no. Yes, I am going to miss the opportunity to see God's powerful influence in student's lives up close and personal. No, I am not going to miss sleeping on floors, dressing in closets, doping up on caffeine and mothering the masses. Until they ask me to go as a parent volunteer!!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Prayer Requests...

I leave for Chicago in the morning for a mission trip. I am driving with 40 some odd high school kids in vans to the inner city. Can you hear the energy in my voice?

This is my final mission trip with HS students. It is a beautiful bittersweet moment. Beautiful to be part of watching God's transforming hand touch and shape students eternally through the opportunity to serve and extend beyond themselves. Bitter being the oldest person on the trip!

This is an amazing privilege. A joy and gift. I want to grab and suck the marrow from but instead all I can think about is: will they have coffee?

Does that question reflect my spiritual maturity? I hope not. I am thinking it just reflects how chronologically mature I am. I am the old lady obsessed with finding enough mattress things to sleep on so my back won't hurt all week. I am so old I went by AAA to make them show me the best route to Chicago. (*I am glad about this one since all of Iowa is flooded and we wouldn't been in detour heaven.) I have packed my own food filled with fiber so I wouldn't get all backed up while traveling. (does that sound like your grandmother??) I packed my little eye covers so I could block all the light in the gym that we will be sleeping in. (and I have the matching ear plugs!) Let's see, I also carry a magic bag with everything from band aids to Gas-x. Yes, I have become my mother!

I remember the trips I took when I was young and carefree. I looked forward to staying up all night with the girls whispering and telling stories. Now, all I can think about is: will there be anytime to catch a moment alone to refuel and refocus? I loved driving forever, singing with the students and telling our life stories. Now, I am so worried about safety and protection of the students. I clench the wheel so hard my wedding ring is the shape of a triangle. I have so much to trust Christ with for the week, I invite you to pray for us.

So please pray for:
Safety and protection out and back to Chicago.
Pray for students to radically be transformed by the powerful influence of the Holy Spirit moving in their lives.
Pray for more of Christ and less of me. less and less and less of me.
Pray that our team of students would extend to the ones that are new to our group. That they would have servant spirits, joyful hearts and sincere love for one another.
Pray against a spirit of opposition or division...that would like to distract and destroy the work that could be accomplished on behalf of Christ.
Pray for those who we will be ministering to, that they would be open to the Holy Spirit and that the Lord would be glorified.
Pray for my spirit, that I would not be the bitter old lady on the trip.

I hope you hear from me sometime next week after I recover. For the record, I packed my own light Starbucks coffee, in case you were wondering! Thanks for praying. Have a good week! We'll miss you JULES!!