Catching Up

I've decided that since so many of my friends from Houghton that I rarely talk to have blogs, I would do this as well in an effort to better keep in touch.  So, here it goes...

The past two days have been rather bizarre, only because I haven't had to work because of snow days and everything else has been canceled too.  I've actually had time to really just stop and do some of the things I love to do but never really take the time to.  I played with my nephew (a beautiful chocolate lab named Tim Tam), had a wonderful lunch, played games with my family, and even baked some cookies (which if you've tried them, you're sorry you missed them today).

Usually, I am always on the go with about 2 1/2 hours 

of commuting a day, about 8 hours of work and then 2-3 hours of meetings or rehearsals at night.  Sometimes I think I was bound to move home because if I had to cook and take care of all the small details, I wouldn't have time to sleep.  I guess that's what happens when you have a full time job and 2 part-time jobs, plus sing in a choir, take voice lessons, teach Sunday School, and volunteer with your church's youth group.  Don't get me wrong, I love doing all of these things but sometimes I wonder if I'm missing out on some of the simpler joys in life.  If anyone would like to give me classes in how to say no, let me know.

I've been pondering how I could be more involved in the ministry.  This summer I will be the Team Leader for a 3 1/2 week mission trip to Mississippi for hurricane Katrina recovery work.  Not only is it a mission trip but the group is a choir.  It's called Voices of Youth and it will be me 7th trip with them.

I've gone to England, Brazil, Mexico, Estonia, and places in the US to do mission work and build relationships with other christians throughout the world.  The problem is this is completely voluntary and couldn't be a career but I'd love to find something that would allow me to deal with music, ministry and mission on a full-time basis. I'm going to have to either wait to pay off my student loans or maybe work on raising the funds in order to be able to focus on full-time ministry without worrying about how much I get paid.  What I do know is that I'm learning a lot now and if God is calling me to something more, he will help me get there.

I will say that the more I get to know my kids, the more I like them and the more they can drive me crazy when they misbehave.  Learning their individual stories is amazing, you'd be surprised how much some of these kids have been through and they are only in middle school.  Just because they're in an affluent area, doesn't mean they are completely immune to the problems found everywhere else.  My program is growing and I'm getting more and more guys to join chorus, which is awesome but let's just say they're still learning how to sing.  And for now, I am grateful that I still have a job and hopefully will next year, we'll just have to wait and see what happens with the budget.

One of the most exciting things for me spiritually has been teaching a young adult sunday school class at my church.  We meet at a local coffee shop between the two services and although it's a small group, it's been extremely uplifting and challenging at the same time.  We are real with each other and it's one of the rare instances I get to spend time with people my own age.  It also forces me to really study the scripture for each Sunday in depth before the service so I can appreciate the sermon more too.  God continues to bless me in many ways with new relationships and bringing back old ones.  I look forward to seeing what he has in store for my future!