As One Door Shuts, Many More are Opened

The last couple weeks seem to have been a whirlwind. It seems like yesterday that we were finishing week 8 ready for our last week of programming. And now look where we are, we've said our goodbyes, packed up our site, began to process our summers, and now are at home preparing for what lies ahead.

The last two weeks in Chattanooga were wonderful. We were able to get our end of the summer paperwork done (for the most part) with late night paperwork parties. Dozens beyond dozens of cookies were made for our service partners and staff at the rec centers where kids club was held. Many "lasts" were had from the last time at lookout mountain (after 10 times Kial and I were not very sad about this one), the last meal cooked, the last trip to SAMs Club, to the last sleep on our air mattresses. It was a very surreal time and wierd at that. Saying goodbye to our friends who became family for the summer during our time in Chattanooga was anything but easy. I knew that saying goodbye to my team and Courtney was going to be hard so in typical Hope form I ignored that fact.

For the last days at each of our kids clubs we were able to do something extra special. At Glenwood there was a water day full of drip drip drop, water-guns, and balloon fights. At Avondale we were able to go downtown to Coolidge Park where there is a huge fountain where the kids could play in (and of course I was pushed in). At the Boys and Girls club there was a talent show and fun and games and at Carver there was lots of swimming in the pool! Each site had its own ending of the summer which made planning of course a challenge but that was what came with the job and a perfect description of an amazing summer :-) With the help of YouthWorks, my team, and the students I was able to make bookmarks for each child which each of the weeks theme on it. It also had a bible verse for each week as well! I gave away bibles, storybook bibles (for younger kids), little books titled "Jesus Walks" and a goodie bag. Of course all of the kids loved their gifts and it felt so good to be able to give it to them! It was funny; at Carver all of the kids came up to John and I asking us to sign their bibles almost like a yearbook. I hope that whoever has this job next year can give each kid a full bible because I know most of them do not have one! It was very hard to leave these children. They taught me so much about love and loving unconditionally which is ironic because week 9's theme was love. They loved me and every student that came in week by week with no judgement and with such purity. What a lesson for us all, why can't we love like this all the time. Oh the childlike faith that is so important to have yet so hard to at times. Here are pictures from each site's last day! Gosh do I miss them :-)

Carver holding up their bibles!

Glenwood before water fun!

Avondale

Throwing up some love at the Boys and Girls Club

My staff and Courtney knew that leaving these kids would be hard so they gave me one of the best presents I've ever received. Without me knowing they went around to all 4 kids clubs sites and had the kids write a little note to me in a journal. Some of the notes were funny and some were simply encouraging. Here is one of my favorites, one that will be my go to for a pick me up :-)

We said goodbye to our week 9 crew at 8:30 in the morning that last Friday and spent the rest of the day packing and doing inventory. Me being me, loved organizing and coordinating the storage room (yes, I am not normal). After about 8 hours of packing we were ready to take a break and enjoy our last night together as the YouthWorks Chattanooga 2012 team (as John had to leave early Saturday morning to be in a wedding). It was a night of bitter sweet memories, walking downtown, eating at Applebee's, and watching Michael Phelps win gold (anytime there was a TV we were all glued to it, especially the boys. #firstworldproblems) We sent John off in the morning with a goodbye that was very characteristic of our team, no crying necessarily but lots of laughing and goofiness. That Saturday was our last day in Chatty. Kial, Garrett, and I did some odds and ends to make the church look good as new. Multiple moppings of the kitchen, cleaning of the cars, putting away the grill, and sorting the papers we would need for exit RAMP (debriefing in BHAM). The three of us ended the night with some Thai food downtown and just enjoying each others company. I was sad to leave Chatty and all the wonderful people we met throughout the summer but was excited to join with the rest of our area, Courtney, and other friends back in Birmingham.

After a great service at The Gathering, we said goodbye to our summer home, stopped at Subway for a quick bite and were off on our easy 2 hour drive to Birmingham. While Garrett rocked out to his hardcore music in the van, Kial and I rocked out to Justin Bieber in the Versa, only getting lost once (and yes, it may have been because we were distracted talking and laughing, sorry G-money!) We arrived in Birmingham and were sent to a hotel for a night of area time, good BBQ, laughing, the Olympics, and a real bed and shower. Monday was a day of more debriefing. I was/am very impressed with how YouthWorks! debriefs us. It is hard coming from a summer of going 24/7, seeing God move in amazing ways daily, and serving every moment with incredible Godly men and women to "normal life". As someone who does not do well with change, I knew this transition would be challenging. We were able to begin our process of transition that day; talking as an area, as a team, and with ourselves figuring out what to do next and how to process a life changing summer.

After one last snuggle session with Kial and Courtney and tearful "see ya laters" I was on my way home to the 'Berg with many mixed emotions and feelings. I was leaving the people that became my summer family, who supported me and loved me and who experienced the same things as I did. Thankfully, I was coming home to a family who loves and supports me too. I was so excited to see them yet so sad to leave. This past week has been a transitioning time. I've spent a lot of time remembering what was and being thankful for the life changing summer I experienced. I would wake up at 7 am the first couple days thinking I needed to rush downstairs to make sure breakfast was going ok, only to remember I was home. Having nothing to do was a weird concept! I still feel like I should be rushing somewhere!

God taught me so much this summer about flexibility and HIS time. What perfect timing it was too (haha ironic!?!) :-) As I am entering my senior year of college, totally oblivious to what my life will be this time next year, I am reminded time and time again that God has a plan and that He will provide, just as He did so abundantly this summer. After reading a blog of a girl going through a similar transition process I was reminded of this verse; "What you grip and refuse to let go of, you tend to lose...what you trust me with, I'll keep safe for you." (Luke 17:33). I think that this is such a wonderful verse for transition. I struggle with forgetting and trying to remember everything I felt and experienced this summer. What I need to do instead of "refusing to let go" is entrust it to God. He gave me this experience and He will give me more. The door of my summer is closing but He opened so many new doors of relationships, experiences, as well as doors for growth. Doors are opening and closing all the time and I can't be anything but thankful for the opportunity to shut a door and open a new one. 

So as I shut the door of my YW summer 2012 I open a new one of my senior year of college. God only knows (literally) what is in store for me this year at Westminster. I am so excited to see how He is going to use me and grow me, how my relationships from this summer will grow along with my Westminster friendships, and what new doors He will open and what doors He will close. All I can say is I am grateful. I am grateful for this experience, the friendships made, everyone who prayed over me and my team, the wonderful city of Chattanooga, and for how God moved in me and around me. This door is shut and other one opens!

I Surrender All

It is amazing how much I have been stretched and grown in the past 8 weeks. Today the sermon at church was about surrendering and submitting to God and his wisdom. As the summer is starting to come to a close I can't help but think about the year ahead. The fact that I am going into my last year of college and that this time next year I could be moving somewhere or have a "big girl" job lined up freaks the crap out of me. Kial and I have been talking a lot about this lately as we are both in the same boat. The reminders through our devotions this morning and the sermon to surrender it all to God and let him take control seems to be something that He has taught us both a lot about this summer. Our prayer for both of us is that we can keep up our faith and continue being intentional with what God is doing in our lives and not what we want to do.

Sunday's are always hard for us as a team as we are still recuperating from the previous week when the next group of participants come. When they told us during RAMP (training) that we need to try and have the same energy week 8 the same amount as we did week 2 they weren't joking how hard it would be. But, we have 2 more weeks in this wonderful city and I am super excited to see how God provides and continues to be faithful :-)

Week 7 was another wonderful week. The groups came around 4:30. Mac and Cheese was being stirred, pulled pork was in the oven, salad was being chopped, we were ready. The first impression of students are always funny. They are always quiet and shy and as the week progresses they become completely outgoing and crazy! It is so fun to get to know these students and see them grow week by week.

These groups came in hard working as ever and ready to serve.They came with craft supplies and games ready for kids clubs and excitement to start. Monday morning orientation went as it normally did. The kids club at Glenwood Rec Center went swimming Monday morning so that was a nice change for the participants. The kids swarm our youth like ants! Its so funny to see and such a testament to the childlike love that they so evidently shown. Even though there is a new group every week that comes in and runs kids club, these kids love them as if they were there the whole summer! It is so wonderful to see. Here are some pictures from the Glenwood crew that went swimming.

This past week was probably one of the most frustrating weeks in the area of kids club for me. Because we are running our kids clubs through already established rec centers, there is a higher chance of miscommunication. Unfortunately, this seemed to be the week for it. One of the kids club crews only got 2 full days with the kids because of miscommunication. Others only got 3. It is hard for me to run this program in a place where other programs already exist. I know that they are grateful for us coming to their rec centers and I am eternally grateful for them letting us be there however, it proposes frustrations that don't come from running just one kids club. Yet, God is good and the students still had an amazing week and he taught me how important communication is and how being flexible is something that I need to work on. That funny guy, always teaching and reminding me of things :-)

This coming week is our last week at the Boys and Girls Club. It is going to be so hard to leave them. They have given me such hope and love this summer. Through working with them and the other kids club sites God has really deepened my passion and desire to love on children from rougher home backgrounds and "inner city" life. It has been a blessing to work with these kids and love on them even if it is only for 20 minutes a day at each site.

Our team was blessed this weekend by church members. We were invited over to Dede's house for pizza Friday night and were invited onto the McAfee's boat yesterday. It was probably the most relaxed we have felt all summer. It was so nice just to hang out, swim, and sit on a real couch in a real home! Praise God for both families :-)

Welp, as our laundry is almost done and Sunday dinner is needing to start we are off to week 8 out of 9. I know God has amazing things in store for this week and I am praying for open eyes and hearts from both the students and adult leaders who are on there way from Texas, North Carolina, and Tennessee to Chatty!

Prayer Requests for the week:

• energy for John, Garrett, Kial and I as we are physically, emotionally, and spiritually tired from the past 7 weeks
• that God would really work this week in the lives of the participants and their leaders, especially as it is a lot of their first mission trips
• for both the Boys and Girls Club and Avondale Headstart, as we close the summer at these two sites this week that they would have gained something from us serving there and that the staff at those sites would continue pouring in to the children they work with daily
• for MLUPC as they travel to Panama City Beach, FL for BigStuf today. that they would have an amazing experience and that God would work through the lives of the youth going

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, 
faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10

3 to go!

Week 6 is done and our week 7 groups from Arkansas, Ohio, and South Carolina are currently on their way due to arrive in a short hour and a half! Each week comes with new challenges, excitement, joy, and fun. It is absolutely incredible the amount of growth that is seen particularly in youth from Sunday night to when they leave Friday morning. One of the cool things about being a middle school only site is that this is a lot of the youth's first missions trip. Many of them will come into the week wrapped up in their friends, seeking out that attractive opposite sex from another church, or scared not knowing what to expect. By the end of the week all of this is still happening yet, they have a new sense of service and spreading God's love. They have been exposed to people and things that they might not have been before and have a love that is new and fresh. It has been so refreshing to see this growth week by week!

This past week at Kids Club was peace week. This concept was a lot harder to teach for four days than I had thought. The youth did a good job portraying peace through their skits the first couple of days but I just didn't feel like the kids were grasping the concept. God has yet to fail me though in showing that these kids are really understanding and that the youth are thriving in their role of leadership. At each site on Thursday God showed how he worked through the week. At Glenwood as the kids were lined up to say the bible verse for the week, a little boy came to the front of the line very sad and confused because he didnt know the verse. I asked the boy Randy in front of him who knew the verse if he could help and teach the other one who didn't quite know it yet. Randy took him over right away and then others flocked. I sat there and watched a 6 year old teach others the word of God. Boy did my heart melt! Afterwords Randy came over and I thanked him and asked him if he wanted to be a teacher. He responded with, "No! I want to be a police officer!" I asked him why and he said so he could help others but that he wouldnt put them into jail because they might've not known they did something wrong. There is that childlike faith which I am constantly reminded of and utterly thankful for!

Here is Randy teaching the other children!

At the Boys and Girls club a youth was reading a story with one of the kids. The word peace was in it and the kid pointed to it and said that that was what we were talking about! Also, at Avondale, a youth was able to talk to one of the kids about peace and his anger. She pulled out the bible verse and everything! Its the little things like these that I know God is working not only in me but in the youth and the kids as well!

This weekend my team and I were able to go to Atlanta for an area retreat. We met the Birmingham team, Atlanta team, and our area director Courtney there and spend  Friday night and all day Saturday. It was such a nice time to laugh, dance, and just relax as we are all experiencing very similar things this summer. We went to a Braves game Friday night, dressed up as cows to get free chick-fil-a (and yes, at the original restaurant!), went to the MLK museum, went swimming, and then went to a really cool food truck place for dinner! 

Chatlantaham!

MLK and Corretta Scott King's graves

Food trucks!

MLK's birth home

The church MLK preached at

Week after week all I can be is thankful. I am thankful for the friendships that God has given me through this experience. I am thankful for the laughter and fun that I've had. Im thankful for the ways I have seen youth glorify Him and teach children. I am thankful for the ways children have grown to know the Lord's love. But mostly, I am thankful for how God is so evident here in Chattanooga and I am so excited to see what he is going to do in the last 3 weeks to come!

God's Timing is Funny

Week number 5 is complete! This summer is just flying by way to quickly! This week was one of the best weeks we've had all summer. First off we were blessed to invite John, our new site director to our team. God truly provided by giving us such an amazing, fun, and exciting man to lead us and work alongside of us. He has brought so much relief and taken away so much stress that I didn't even realize I had by his leadership! We are already wishing we had more than 5 weeks with him but are thankful for the time we do have! Here is our first team picture together after a wonderful meal at a BBQ place downtown called Sugar's.

Garrett, me, Kial, John

Because of the 4th of July we only had 45 people total which compared to a normal 65-70 it was a huge relief. Kids Club was closed at all but one site Monday and Tuesday and then at all sites Wednesday and Thursday. Also, this group of participants were absolutely wonderful and such an amazing group to work alongside.

Monday:
Although the rest of the week looked a little different than normal, Monday was pretty much the same for me. In the morning we had about 3 hours of orientation/prep time for Kids Club. The only site that was open for the week was the Boys and Girls Club so I was very excited to have the opportunity to stay just at one site for a change versus traveling between all four.

This weeks focus was faithfulness. The youth did an amazing job coming up with perfect skits and songs to perform for the kids. They also easily came up with fun crafts and games to lead the kids in. It was such a blessing to me to be able to hang out with the kids at the Boys and Girls Club and really get to know them better. Because I have to travel between 4 sites everyday, I don't have the extra time to sit down and color with the kids or throw a ball around. I was very thankful for this time this week. Here are some pictures from Monday afternoon!

 John getting his hair done by some of the girls :-)

Reading time

Bailee (a very outspoken 5 year old) drew a picture of herself, Courtney (coco) and I 

Monday evening we went to Rock City like normal but because of the weather we couldn't go in. We waited for a little bit and played some games but eventually had to leave early. But hey! We got ice cream sundays out of it and the youth and adult leaders were so flexible, it was wonderful!

Our team and wonderful Area Director Courtney hanging out on the mountain!

Tuesday:

Tuesday morning was my time off which is always a wonderful and relaxing time. Then off to Kids Club at the Boys and Girls Club in the afternoon! Again, it was so nice to stay at one site and focus on just those kids. Not only was it nice to get to know the kids but also to have that time to hang out with the youth more and get to know them better too!

Tuesday was Chattanooga's big firework night! We were able to move things around a bit, have club right after dinner, then head down to Coolidge Park on the river to hang out and watch the fireworks. This was such a fun night. There were bands playing and so many people. It was nice to have a little change up as well and throw in some excitement!

Team Chatty ready to watch fireworks!

One of the youth that looked so much like a friend from home (a younger version of course!)

Wednesday:

Wednesday I was able to be Kial's right hand girl and help her out with service sites because there was no kids clubs. Because it was the fourth and not many sites were open, she sent me to one of the life care centers in Chattanooga. This was such a fun experience to see a service site and serve in a different environment. It was also such an encouragement to see the youth serve and work so well with the elderly as I only get to see them serve with the kids.

Hixson had a super fun day full of events for the residents. Some of these events included bubble blowing, flag decorating, water balloon tosses, and ended with songs, a skit, and ice cream! Such a fun day!

At night we were able to head back to Rock City where we were one of the only people there and really able to enjoy God's creation at the lookout. It was so relaxing and amazing to see the youth really connect and worship God in this way.

Thursday:

One of the service sites that I have been longing to go to is Avondale Headstart. I volunteered at one by my school this past year and really wanted to see another one. I was able to go there on Thursday morning and hang out with the younger kids and youth! It was again, so encouraging to see these youth really love on these kids. I could've just sat and watched the whole time because it was just so beautiful to see!

Thursday afternoon our region director and her husband and daughter came to check out Chattanooga and check on how we were doing. We went out to lunch with them to a good mexican/american restaurant called Taco Mamacita. Kial and John then took them out to some service sites while Garrett and I headed to another elderly home called St. Barnabas. Then it was quickly off to shower duty and back to the church for dinner prep. We had our community cookout as usual Thursday evening. Thursday's are one of my favorite days because the youth get so much free time. Also, we do a Thursday night footwashing service for club which is just such a special experience. The staff are able to wash the adult leaders feet and then the adult leaders are able to wash their youth's feet. After we as staff are done, we go to the back of the sanctuary and pray over the students. Kial and I were able to observe siblings wash each other's feet and then wash their mom's. Needless to say we were both in tears. This brought me right back to being able to wash Mary's feet last year when I went as an adult leader to Toronto with MLUPC. An experience I would never take back!

Well off to week 6 and the challenges and excitement God has in store! All 4 Kids Clubs start up again this week and I am super excited to show John around and let him see how it all works! We are headed to Atlanta this weekend for our area retreat. We have been super blessed with such an amazing area and amazing people to spend this experience with. Plus, Kial and I cant wait to introduce Garrett and John to the rest of Chatlantaham! 

This week's theme at Kids Club is peace. Its funny how the fruits of the spirit line up to what I am needing reminded off in my life. God is funny :-)

Blessed are those who work for peace, for they will be called children of God.

Matthew 5:9

Goodness and Joy

Wow. Time is flying so fast! I can't believe we just finished week 4 and only have 5 left! As I sit here in a REAL bed after taking a REAL shower brought with the visit of my wonderful Dad, I can't help thinking about the past weeks and get even more excited for the weeks to come. God has stretched me and pulled me and loved me and moved me in more ways than ever before and I am realizing how I could not be more grateful for his sovereignty and grace!

Kids Club Highlights:

• During week 3,there was a youth from Minneapolis who prayed with one of the kids, Miles at the Boys and Girls Club. Now, this is the site where we arent supposed to talk about Jesus so I was super surprised when I heard this story. As Miles was playing with the youth they began to talk about church which naturally lead to Jesus. There was conversation back and forth and eventually the youth asked Miles if he could pray with him. They were able to pray together and Miles accepted Jesus into his heart that day! How encouraging and wonderful to see God move in the places least expected! 

• Thursday is memory verse day. Two Thursday's ago I was talking with Dylan, a little boy who goes to Carver. He knew what Thursday meant and when he came up to talk with me, he proceeded to tell me the past 2 weeks memory verses and say that he was practicing the current verse in his head before he went to bed! There were 90 kids that Thursday that memorized 1 Peter 2:9. It is so encouraging to hear the voices of children shouting out the word of the Lord! I can only pray that what they are memorizing sticks and that God's love that is being shown to them through the participants can  impact them in some way! Here is a picture of a little girl looking up 1 Peter 2:9 and writing it down so that she could be able to memorize it.

• This past week (week 4) was all about joy. During Sharing Square, which is the time of Kids Club where I talk about the theme and the students act out a skit and lead song, I asked the question, "What makes you happy?". I got the normal answers such as, "Ice Cream", "My mom", "Swimming", and then I called on a little girl and she responded with "eternal life". As a 7 year old, I can pretty much guarantee I would not have responded with that answer.  It is so cool to see God's children grasping big concepts!

• These children and youth are teaching me far more than I could have ever imagined. After teaching them these past two weeks about goodness and joy, I realized that God was teaching me! These concepts seem so simple, yet what reminders they are! This past week was a specifically hard week for me because of more site transitions and extreme exhaustion. As I taught the kids about joy and helped the youth prepare activities, I realized I needed the lesson of joy just as much as they all did. How easy is it to forget the joy the Lord gives us deep down in our heart and how we should be joyful at all times, not matter what happens in life. Just like David (who was our bible super hero) I need to be joyful in all that God throws my way. Whether it be loosing amazing staff members but gaining incredible new ones, trying to guide adult leaders who just really don't seem to care, or being flexible with schedule changes, I need to be joyful and show the goodness of Him through all that I do! 

Weekly Highlights

• Every Thursday night YouthWorks! does a footwashing service. This is an incredible time where us as staff members get to wash the adult leader's feet while praying over them and then in turn, the adult leaders wash their students feet while praying over them. It is an experience that connects the leaders and their youth in unimaginable ways, but more importantly many of the youth experience God in a new and more intimate way then they have before. During week 3 one of the youth accepted Jesus into his heart and many others were moved in new and immense ways! 

• Last weekend, the team and I were able to finally relax a bit. We were able to go to a Lookouts minor league baseball game and then get Rita's while strolling the town. We ended the night by sitting on a stage watching fireworks. It was such a perfect night to relax and get out of the church for a bit! Here are some pictures from the night!

A little less exciting than Pirate games, but hey! its summer baseball!

Jonathan, Kial, me, and Garrett (awkward angle taken by awkward people. oh well)

My forever friend :-)

Beautiful Chattanooga!

• God has let me meet so many amazing people. One of them was with us for only a week yet, she was such a God send! Molly came for week 4 to act as site director for a week as Jonathan needed to go home for the week due to some medical issues. She is such an amazing woman and an inspiration. Wednesday morning Kial and I were doing devotions in the hallway together. We were both experiencing some frustration and remorse about different things and the unknown. I had seen someone post Psalm 143:8 as their status that morning and decided to read it aloud,

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go,

for to you I entrust my life.

Psalm 143:8

          As that verse spoke to us about His guidance, we decided to continue reading from Kial's devotional book Jesus Calling.The entire passage was about God taking control and focusing on the present as he is in charge of the future and will not leave us behind. Lo and behold one of the two bible verses was Psalm 143:8. As if we couldn't see God speaking already we began to read the second bible verse Genesis 28:15,

I am with you and will watch over you where ever you will go,

and I will bring you back to this land.

I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you.

Genesis 28:15

As Kial was reading this verse aloud we heard from down the hallway, "Shut Up!". We looked down and there was Molly who had literally just received the same exact verse in a text message from her mom. It is moments like these that I know with everything in my being that God is working, protecting, and guiding us all. He is continually teaching me to be present and focus on the now. How wonderful it is to have that companionship with others who are being taught the same thing, at the same exact time! God is so unbelievably good!

Prayer Requests:

• For good rest this weekend as the midsummer exhaustion kicks in
• For our team as we welcome in our new site director John tonight!
• For Jonathan, that he would be healed and would get well soon
• For the next week and our participants. That they would have servants hearts and be ready to serve this wonderful city :-)

Well onto another week and another adventure! I am going to close with the bible verse from "joy" week at kids club. A wonderful reminder of his joy and peace everlasting in our lives.

May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in him,

so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

P.S. I messed up my address in an earlier post! This is the correct one!

Hope Schrott

The Gathering attn: YouthWorks!

4445 Hixson Pike

Hixson, TN 37343

The Week the Holy Spirit Poured…Literally

Well, week 3 is about to start here in a couple hours so I figured I’d update y’all in my last few minutes of free time.  This past week presented new challenges, new successes, and more growth and excitement in multiple ways.

We had a total of 54 participants from three different churches from Hudson, OH, Greeneville, TN, and Orlando, FL. Going from 30 to 54 participants was an adjustment as the amount of food we needed quickly multiplied, the amount of bodies made our space tighter, and the number of participants to connect with and form relationships with grew. Nonetheless, we were all very excited to start week 2 and take on the challenges that it presented.

As Sunday evening rolled around everything seemed to be going smoothly. We were cooking dinner and groups started arriving. We then received word that the group from Ohio was caught in traffic resulting from a rock slide and would not be arriving until around 8 o’clock which threw our schedule completely off. We decided to keep going as normal and that I would stay back and feed the group when they arrived. Dinner was given and cleaned up and youth orientation had just begun. We were in the start of orientation when some of the youth raised their hands and told us the kitchen ceiling was leaking. As I looked back, I saw water gushing from the ceiling hitting a good portion of our pots and pans and flooding the floor. By God’s grace, dinner was over and our club room was moved to the dining room otherwise we might have not seen this until much later. At the same time the ceiling was leaking, the group from Ohio was arriving. Needless to say, the start of the evening was pretty hectic. We were able to put trash cans out to catch the water and the church’s maintenance man, John was able to come quickly and fix the problem. We proceeded with orientation and the rest of the night moved rather smoothly! One downside resulting from this was that we had to wash and sanitize all of the dishes and pots hit by the water (which we discovered was toilet water) later that night. We did finish before midnight though!!

All the dishes we had to do!!

This week was the first week of having all four kids clubs. Last week went relatively smoothly with doing two of the kids clubs at Carver and the Boys and Girls Club so I wasn’t super nervous, although I knew there would be challenges that I would face. I was able to created four bins for each site with different craft materials and games for the participants to take. We had orientation Monday morning and everything seemed to go well. The adult leaders and youth acted excited for the week. The groups headed out to their specific sites and I started my rotations between the four sites. My first stop was the Boys and Girls Club. This is the site where we cannot talk about Jesus therefore, we focus on just the fruit of the spirit which happened to be patience last week. This was our second week at the Boys and Girls Club so the staff there and the kids knew what to expect when we arrived. I had no trouble getting this group started off and it was wonderful going back and hearing “Miss Hope you came back like you said you would!”.

My next stop was to Glenwood Rec Center. This was our first week so I knew that it would be a little more challenging to get started. However, I was not prepared for the seemingly mad chaos that I walked into. There were about 80 kids and they were all over the place. The adult leaders were very frustrated and stressed and rightly so. The kids were supposed to go swimming but because of the weather that did not happen. Because they couldn’t swim, the kids were out of control and so was their behavior. I decided to wait and see how Tuesday went before taking any action to fix anything because I knew Monday was an off day. However, Tuesday was not any different. After talking with my area and site director, we decided that I should meet with the main contact and get on the same page, expressing my concerns and seeing what changes could be made. We were able to eliminate the 11-12 year old group and have staff members in each room to help control the kids. Wednesday and Thursday were worlds apart from the first two days. When I walked into sharing square on Wednesday I almost cried at the attention the kids gave and the attentiveness the possessed. God is good!

This is a picture of the youth leading the kids in a song!

The last two sites, Avondale and Carver ran relatively smoothly. I am super excited to go back tomorrow and start a new week with the 4 sites. It is amazing to me the impact that is being made on the kids. Because of the youth and their amazing teaching, 75 kids total from all four sites were able to memorize the bible verse of the week! I am hoping to up that number to 100 in the next couple of weeks!

Sharing Square at Avondale!!

Sometimes I feel that I am not making relationships with the kids because I am only at each site for about 30 minutes every day and during that time I am teaching them, not interacting in the way that I wish I could. It is easy for me to be frustrated and upset that I am not forming these relationships in the way that I want to. But God is using me still and he is constantly reminding me of that. As we were shopping at SAM’S Club for next week’s food a little girl approached me as I walked out of the store. She asked me, “Are you Hope?” “Yes, I am!” “You work at Avondale!”. A little girl whose name I don’t know and who I only met this past week knew who I was. God has tricky but amazing ways of showing me that he is using me and that if an impact was made in just one week, he has big plans for the rest of the summer!

This coming week we have a total of 69 people (including staff members). We have a group from Florida, Michigan, and Minnesota this week. Please pray for the students and adult leaders who are currently on their way to Chattanooga. Pray for open hearts, minds, and souls. That God would use them in unforeseeable ways this week and that they would be able to serve with their whole hearts, experiences new things every day. Also, please pray for our staff as we had some changes that were made this past weekend. We have an amazing new program staff named Garrett and we are all very excited to work with him the rest of the summer. Please pray that we would be able to bond as a team and grow with each other and in God together. Pray that we could effectively lead these youth and show them, along with their adult leaders the love of God!

This week’s theme for kids club is Goodness and the Bible superhero is Noah. It is amazing that I am learning just as much, if not more, than I am teaching each week. God is good in so many ways! Here is the kid’s club memory verse for the week, one that is a wonderful reminder of God’s goodness and his purpose for each of us:

“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people…you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”  1 Peter 2:9

We Had Early Bird and Caught Some Worms

Week 1 of programming is complete! Last week was our first week of programming and was also Early Bird. This means that our whole area comes together to run a week of programming at one sight and Chattanooga was the site for our area. It was a stressful couple of days before the participants came. We welcomed the Atlanta and Birmingham teams to our home at The Gathering and spent countless hours practicing club, putting up signs, and planning the week together. Admits much laughter, we were able to get everything set and were ready to go on Sunday afternoon.

Here is a picture of our area (Birmingham, Chattanooga, and Atlanta ) aka Chatlantaham. This is Monday night evening activity at Lookout Mountain. We call ourselves district 9 (because we're area 9) hence the Hunger Games pose!

Our first group of participants was a group from Atlanta, Georgia and had only 24 students and 5 adult leaders. That means that there was pretty much a 2 to 1, student to staff ratio which was really nice to have. I was super nervous going into the week. I was starting two kids clubs, had never lead dinner before, and wasn't 100% sure how everything was supposed to run. I forgot how great middle schoolers are though. As soon as they walked in and I saw them my nerves went away. Even though it is clearly needed, I tend to get too caught up in the logistics and planning causing me to forget the true reason I am here this summer. To love God and love his people. It is so refreshing to be around youth and their energy.

Because we had so few participants and because it was the first week of programming, we decided to only run two kids clubs. One was held at a boys and girls club and the other was held at one of the 3 rec centers we will be going to. As the Kids Club coordinator, I give the main talk but let the youth come up with the crafts, games, and reading activities. This was (and still kind of is) hard for me to do. I am a planner and I want to have everything organized, planning it out by myself. Yet, this isn't the point. I need to empower the youth and encourage their adult leaders to do so as well.

I was blown away by what the students came up with and the passion that they showed. It was so refreshing and encouraging to see them teaching the kids, playing with them, reading with them, and doing crafts with them. I was able to see students love on these children who do not get much love anywhere else. The curriculum focus was kindness and the "superhero" was Ruth. The kids seemed to really grasp this concept throughout the week!! We had 15 kids memorize the bible verse for the week which just goes to show how amazing the middle schoolers were as they were the ones who taught them!

Here is a picture of some of the crafts they did! How refreshing it is to walk into kids club and see that the youth have had the kids write the bible verse on their coloring sheet!

Some of the youth leading the kids in a song at the Boys and Girls Club!

I just can not wait to see what God has in store for this coming week. Although we will be starting up 4 kids clubs, I just know that God has some amazing plans! Plus the kids at the kids clubs are hilarious. One little boy came to Kids Club the second day with a cast on. We asked him how long he has to have it on and he responded with, "3 or 4"...we asked 3 or 4 days or weeks? and he responded with "3 or 4". The same little boy also was asked if he wanted to play kickball. He said that he couldn't so he decided to run around in circles. A couple of my fellow staff members are trying to start at # on twitter for him #castkid so if you see me tweet about it, you'll know who I'm talking about!

This coming week is going to be a great week but will also be more challenging. We will have over double the amount of participants and less than a third of the staff. We are going from 4 service crews to 6 and had to move a couple of the rooms around in order to fit everyone. Although it is going to be harder, I am super excited to see what God has in store! Please pray that God would use Jonathan, Bryan, Kial and I as we work with the youth, their leaders, service partners, and kids at kids clubs this week. Pray for safety, laughter, and growth!

The theme for Kids Club this week patience which is a perfect reminder for the week. As week two starts, this summer is becoming more and more real and patience is something that has the potential to become harder and harder to have. I have a feeling I will be learning more than I will be teaching this week!

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. 

Psalm 27:14

(memory verse for Kids Club this week)