Home Again, Jiggity-Jig

Well, the summer's over now and it's back to work for Lulu. I've had the time of my life the past ten weeks and it seems like an age since I was home. I flew in about a week ago and have been recuperating and catching up on sleep.

On the way back I got stuck in Denver for 17 hours because our plane had mechanical problems that delayed us so that I missed my flight to Dallas and had to wait--with about a million other people all wanting to go to Dallas--for the next available flight. I followed the standby group around for awhile and talked with them. Had a good conversation with one guy--a southern baptist who believes in evolution?--about why the Bible is absolute truth and why that's an important part of the testimony that supports Jesus' claim to being the Son of God. I had quite a few conversations that night...

I talked with two Mormon kids; I encouraged a catholic young lady who expressed the desire to become a Methodist because they actually study the Bible as opposed to just going through the motions of tradition as she had experienced in the catholic church; I chatted with an Indie-Rock musician and a nurse who'd just come back from a trip to Haiti, while standing in line for an hour. All the while I kept thinking, "Well, Lord, that was a good conversation. Is that the last one? Can I go home now?" Honestly, I was tired of airports and just wanted to get out of there, but looking back with an eternal perspective, it was a very successful evening and I wouldn't trade my delayed flight for any other.

Once I got home I was inundated with discontent. Ugh. How I hate that! But it happens. Last night I told Mother: I need a job, I need a car, I need this house to be clean (it was a crash area), I need money to go back to school, I NEED A HUSBAND!!
      Then we both laughed at me. Because its not about what you have but where you are. And I'm in my house, with my family, doing quiet, at-home things while looking for a part-time job. That's where I'm at and that's where I'll be until the Lord moves me. I can (and probably will) make myself completely miserable with looking to everything that I WANT. Or I can stop looking around and just be satisfied where I am. So, if you think of it, friends, pray for contentment for me.

As far as plans go, I am going to try and keep very busy this fall. I will be helping to homeschool my little brothers, Judah and Israel...and maybe help keep Jon and Seth in line too. Hehehehe
I am accompanying my friend, Susie Fergus' elementary choirs on Mondays. That's something I love and I also really enjoy working with Miss Susie--so there's a very positive part of this fall.
I went out yesterday and talked to people at twelve different restaurants that are just down the street from my house. I got one interview and have to go back for more applications later this week. Hopefully I will get the job where I'm interviewing...a nice little mexican restaurant. Its within biking distance and I can work as a waitress for a couple extra hundred dollars a week. If that is what the Lord works out.
Then I am also working twice a week in the mornings with a family friend. Their daughter went through a traumatic experience a year ago and emotionally was very hurt. She needs some help and so I am teaching her piano and guitar and working with her on schoolwork, etc. We'll become friends and hopefully I can help her heal. I love this kind of work because its not just work--its very much of a ministry.

After working at camp for ten weeks I have realized my passion. I think God has put this in me and I just didn't really notice it before. I love doing ministry that involves music, teaching, and children or youth. Its what I've been doing all summer, and I've never done anything I enjoy more. All the times I've done ministry with any other age group or in another setting I haven't enjoyed it as much. And even now God has provided this job with our family friend so that I can continue developing skills as a counselor and teacher. He is so good and I can't wait to see where He's going to take this! I am not sure, but I think I would like to make a school in the Middle East or East Africa that functions like a school during the fall and spring, but is a summer camp in the summer! That would be awesome and I'd get to work with orphans and then other kids too. Because I think the school would be a boarding school and have a lot of orphans there. But who knows, it could end up being any kind of school/camp. We'll see what the Lord has in store.

For now, I must try to be content and learn what I can from these experiences here at home. After all, I'm going to be a Sophomore, then a Junior soon. And who knows how many times I have left to spend months and months with my family. Its hard to think of moving "home-base" to somewhere else. But when you grow up, that happens. So I'll try and enjoy these family times while I can.

Firsts

A lot has happened in the last 9 weeks! I've done lots of things for the very first time and so I thought I'd make a list :D

First time in...
Colorado
Montana
Wyoming
South Dakota
a town as small as Ekalaka :D

First time playing...
paintball
woodsball
lacrosse
ninja-wha

First time...
rappelling off of a cliff (it was 60 ft tall)
having lunch while river rafting
riding in the back of a dump truck
driving a bus...ok it was a mini bus :)
working as a camp counselor
working as a sound man (girl?)
seeing Sanctus Real, NeedToBreathe, and Jars of Clay live
camping out under the open sky...and getting rained on
making a fire with only paper, a car lighter, and bugspray ;)
fire-throwing
waging a prank war
liking a hot guy
seeing a real turkey
shooting clay pigeons
meeting a hissing beetle
mowing
weed eating
shooting a rifle
starting a vehicle without a key
jumping to a trampeze off a 29 ft. pole
eating an onion ring
cooking breakfast over an open fire
having a vehicle stall on me
tackling someone
standing underneath a waterfall
having a huge mud fight with ADULTS!!
leading a song in worship that I don't know
having a secret from my family that they're not going to find out about till I get home
wearing basketball shorts
not wearing my rings for more than a few days
rode a 500 ft. zipline
cracking over 300 eggs for one meal (no, I didn't eat them all)
seeing baby fawns in the wild
riding mountain bikes on a mountain
riding a unicycle


That's all I can think of for now...I'm sure there's much more I've forgotten!