We call trips like the mission trip I just returned from "Mountaintop Experiences". They are once in a lifetime experiences that we will never forget, or experience again. That's not to say that we won't have more Mountaintop Experiences in our lives, but none of them will be the same, nor will we learn the exact same things. On the last evening of the trip before going to bed, we warned the youth that returning from a tip like this can be difficult. We will no longer have our daily worship time, and we won't be around the people that we have grown to love on a daily basis. Life gets back to normal as we leave the emotional high of participating in this experience.
Life has gotten back to the daily routine for me as well. I'm struggling a little bit with it, but most of that has to do with everything that has happened since I have returned. I'm feeling very tired and drained right now, and not sure when I'm going to have time to recover fully. I'm also feeling a little bit lonely. I never realized before just how much company having my dog was for me. While I was away, my roommate moved out of our house, and since I gave away Sassy before I left I am now alone in my home. It's a struggle going from living with 22 other people in a very close setting and growing to love the fellowship, to coming home to a house with not a single living creature around. I keep trying to shut doors behind me so Sassy won't get out of the house, or leaving food out of the reach of her, but then I realize it's really just me right now.
I also decided while I was gone that I was definitely going to have to have a garage sale before the end of the month. Unfortunately that means that it has to be this Saturday, being as my next weekend is booked. I was planning on using this weekend to recover from my trip, but now I find myself tearing apart my house trying to figure out what to sell and what to keep in just a couple of days. As I type right now, I do so on the floor with my desktop lying next to me because I have pulled my desk out to my garage to sell this weekend. I really don't know how I'm going to manage to pull everything off, but I do have some amazing friends and I know that they will help me out in the end.
I also was indirectly forced to give my notice at work yesterday. When I returned from my trip I was asked if I would be interested in switching to a different territory at work. It would have been Loveland if the change could have been improved, which is the city I live in. It was a perfect fit, with the exception that I knew I would be leaving in a month and it wouldn't be fair for the company to switch me and then have me give my notice a week later. I sat down with my boss yesterday and let him know that I was going to be leaving. He was actually very cool about the whole thing and wished me luck. He did let me know I blindsided him a bit and was very grateful that I gave him more then two weeks notice. It feels very good not having to worry about when I'm going to give my notice, and having to walk around of egg shells at work to make sure I don't mention something I shouldn't. I really do hate having secrets like that.
I'm really feeling frustrated that I have not had much time to let you all know more about my experiences, but I really want to spend some time writing that out, and I have not had more then 10 minutes at a time lately. I'm starting to worry that if I wait much longer that I'm going to start forgetting things that happened on the trip and I don't want that to happen. I'm hoping that the garage sale goes well on Saturday and that I will have some time that evening to sit down and spend some time writing.
I'm just bidding my time now until I leave for what I hope is my next Mountaintop Experience at seminary. I know that there will be many valleys there, but overall I'm hoping for that type of experience in my studies. Thank you again for all your prayers for me and the youth. You are truly awesome friends.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Monday, July 17, 2006
Home!!!
I am back in Loveland after 10 truly incredible days. I am bruised, tired, sore and exhausted, but I have never felt better. It's always been the consensus that when our youth go on mission trips the first is almost always the most meaningful to them (not that any others are not meaningful). I think I have a new caveat to make to that observation though. When I arrived back one of my youth leaders when I was in school asked me how it went, and followed my answer up with, it's different now huh? This was my first trip as a leader and it probably has been more meaningful for me then anything else I have ever done. When I was in school the trip was for me, but this time it was about the kids in the group. I have NEVER been more proud of a group then I am right now. They always find a way to just blow all my expectations out of the water. More info to come, but for now I'm going to bed. Thank you all for your prayers while we were gone.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
A Memorable Week
It has been quite the last 8 days. I almost feel like I'm on a roller coaster with everything that is going on, but I do like to be busy as opposed to being bored. For most of the last week I have felt like I just couldn't get caught up. I'm not quite there yet, but I'm close, and after working on part of a youth program on peace and patience tonight I figured I had better follow some of that teaching.
I'm leaving on a youth ministry mission trip to Port Arthur Texas at 6:00 AM on Friday (for those of you who know me you can stop laughing at the thought of me up that early now). I'm still not packed yet (and yet I have time to blog), which is pretty much par for the course for me, but I do have a list together so I should be good. I put together a blog site for the trip today at mvpyouth.blogspot.com, but I'm not 100% sure that we will be able to update while on the trip. My hope is to have a different member of the youth group update each day so the church, parents, friends and such can know what is going on with us, and keep us in their prayers. Feel free to check us out.
Today was a difficult day. I gave Sassy away today, and it was all I could do to not cry as I drove away with her looking out the window of her new home at me. I really do like the lady who adopted her though and we had a great conversation while I was there. She actually serves on the committee of Presbytery that I had to appear before when I became an inquirer in February. She is also close to the Presbyterian Church in Berthoud and let me know that their new pastor is a guy that I was able to meet in April when I visited the Dubuque campus. I'm really excited for him.
Last Wednesday I took my friend Angie to the Greeley Independence Stampede Rodeo. I had not been to a rodeo since I was just a little kid and my dad took me to the Denver Stock Show Rodeo. There were days when I was in high school that I would not have been caught dead at a rodeo since I despised pretty much everything country. I had a great time though and it just goes to show that you should keep yourself open to new experiences and new people. I did have to laugh at Angie though as she cringed every time a calf was roped. I'm still not open enough to new experiences to go to a country music concert, some things just won't change.
Monday night was a fun experience for me. To celebrate me going to seminary we decided to go to the bar. That makes sense right? Actually we went to Dave and Busters in Westminster. Every time something big happens in one of our lives we normally go treat them to a nice steak dinner or something to that effect. I got the full treatment, a fried shrimp dinner and pretty much all of my games for the entire night. It was a great time at one of my favorite places in Denver. I am blessed to have the great friends I do.
My Fourth of July was just as special if that is even possible. My Mom, Stepdad and Grammie were visiting from Tucson and we decided to take Trail Ridge Road to Grand Lake. It is the highest continuous motorway in the United States, with more than eight miles lying above 11,000' and a maximum elevation of 12,183. This photo was taken at one of the pulloffs from the road and shows just how beautiful the drive is.
We crossed over the continental divide and had lunch in Grand Lake at the Grand Lake Lodge. The weather was great and the view from the patio we ate on was spectacular. It was nice to be able to have a meal with Mom and Grammie since I don't get to see them that often, and with me moving to Iowa those opportunities will become even more remote.
That night friends and I continued our Fourth of July tradition of meeting at my house for festivities. We walked down to the Cattail Creek Golf Course and spread out our blankets for the city fireworks show. While we waited we threw a football around till it got dark and then we watched some kids playing baseball with a wiffleball. It was a good time. After the show we walked back to my place and lit off all the fireworks that Jen and Joe provided. It was a good way to end what I like to call my second weekend.
It's getting closer to that time that I head off to my new life in Iowa and seminary. It's becoming more and more real as I make choices because of this move. I have given away my dog, I'm getting ready to move from my house, and I'm realizing that I will probably need to have a garage sale (I hate garage sales). I don't know what I will find as I drive down this road, but the possibilities are spectacular.
I'm leaving on a youth ministry mission trip to Port Arthur Texas at 6:00 AM on Friday (for those of you who know me you can stop laughing at the thought of me up that early now). I'm still not packed yet (and yet I have time to blog), which is pretty much par for the course for me, but I do have a list together so I should be good. I put together a blog site for the trip today at mvpyouth.blogspot.com, but I'm not 100% sure that we will be able to update while on the trip. My hope is to have a different member of the youth group update each day so the church, parents, friends and such can know what is going on with us, and keep us in their prayers. Feel free to check us out.
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Today was a difficult day. I gave Sassy away today, and it was all I could do to not cry as I drove away with her looking out the window of her new home at me. I really do like the lady who adopted her though and we had a great conversation while I was there. She actually serves on the committee of Presbytery that I had to appear before when I became an inquirer in February. She is also close to the Presbyterian Church in Berthoud and let me know that their new pastor is a guy that I was able to meet in April when I visited the Dubuque campus. I'm really excited for him.Last Wednesday I took my friend Angie to the Greeley Independence Stampede Rodeo. I had not been to a rodeo since I was just a little kid and my dad took me to the Denver Stock Show Rodeo. There were days when I was in high school that I would not have been caught dead at a rodeo since I despised pretty much everything country. I had a great time though and it just goes to show that you should keep yourself open to new experiences and new people. I did have to laugh at Angie though as she cringed every time a calf was roped. I'm still not open enough to new experiences to go to a country music concert, some things just won't change.
Monday night was a fun experience for me. To celebrate me going to seminary we decided to go to the bar. That makes sense right? Actually we went to Dave and Busters in Westminster. Every time something big happens in one of our lives we normally go treat them to a nice steak dinner or something to that effect. I got the full treatment, a fried shrimp dinner and pretty much all of my games for the entire night. It was a great time at one of my favorite places in Denver. I am blessed to have the great friends I do.
My Fourth of July was just as special if that is even possible. My Mom, Stepdad and Grammie were visiting from Tucson and we decided to take Trail Ridge Road to Grand Lake. It is the highest continuous motorway in the United States, with more than eight miles lying above 11,000' and a maximum elevation of 12,183. This photo was taken at one of the pulloffs from the road and shows just how beautiful the drive is.
We crossed over the continental divide and had lunch in Grand Lake at the Grand Lake Lodge. The weather was great and the view from the patio we ate on was spectacular. It was nice to be able to have a meal with Mom and Grammie since I don't get to see them that often, and with me moving to Iowa those opportunities will become even more remote.
That night friends and I continued our Fourth of July tradition of meeting at my house for festivities. We walked down to the Cattail Creek Golf Course and spread out our blankets for the city fireworks show. While we waited we threw a football around till it got dark and then we watched some kids playing baseball with a wiffleball. It was a good time. After the show we walked back to my place and lit off all the fireworks that Jen and Joe provided. It was a good way to end what I like to call my second weekend.It's getting closer to that time that I head off to my new life in Iowa and seminary. It's becoming more and more real as I make choices because of this move. I have given away my dog, I'm getting ready to move from my house, and I'm realizing that I will probably need to have a garage sale (I hate garage sales). I don't know what I will find as I drive down this road, but the possibilities are spectacular.
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