My first mission trip

When I was 11 (or was I just 10?) I went on my first mission trip. It was my first time on an airplane. My first time south of Ohio. The trip was for high schoolers but my mom volunteered with the youth group and was going, so I got to go too. Back then …

Now’s the time

In the summer of 2001 I went on my first domestic mission trip with my youth group church, Trinity Presbyterian. We went to Chattanooga, Tennessee with an organization called YouthWorks. Many things stand out to me from that weeklong trip, nearly 18 years later. I remember the hum of the projector  (the old fashioned one …

The Desires of My Heart

Yesterday I was in Target and, as one does, I took a stroll through the clearance section at the front of the store. I thought, "I should see if there's anything that would be good for my classroom." Then I thought, "Holy smokes! In two months I'm going to have a classroom again!" This past …

Note to Self 6

We all have something to offer. Everyone knows something you don't know. You have something to learn and receive from every single person you meet. Don't miss that. Pretend that the words you say about someone directly influence their actions. If you speak negatively about someone, especially behind their back, you will be looking for …

Not *That* Kind of Diversity

My favorite thing about YouthWorks is that it throws together four or five individuals who might never in any other context find themselves spending significant time together. YouthWorks takes these four or five individuals and tosses them in a mini van to drive to a place they've probably never been before to live and work …

Vast and Amazing and Unimaginably Ginormous

I'm at a YouthWorks training this week. People from all over the place are going to work together this summer. We come from different states and regions. It turns out people in the South handle conflict differently than people in the East. And this is important! And it helps us grow. I am so grateful …

State of Wonder and Well Intentioned Women

I am really enjoying reading my way through my TBR list. I've got some pretty good taste. Plus I adore lists and crossing things off lists and watching lists get smaller. So this is great. Currently I am reading State of Wonder by Ann Patchett and today I read something that made me say, "Yes!" and get …

Love listens

  A couple of summers ago I worked with YouthWorks in Indianapolis. (Have you heard of YouthWorks? Do you need a summer job? Or a short term mission trip opportunity?) It was YouthWorks’ first summer in Indy, so we were kind of doing a trial run of just four weeks of programming (as opposed to …

Here’s the thing about not going to Peru

Five months ago I announced my participation in our church's upcoming mission trip to Peru. Two weeks ago I told the pastors and leaders of the trip that I am not going and that I wanted to give my money to other team members. Now, as people from the team and church members hear the …

Here’s the thing about having gone

This morning at IF:Equip the passage was the Great Commission. You know how it goes. Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on …