HOME

I made it. My time in Dallas is over (for now) and I am back home with my family.  The 20 hours on the road was tiring, but it gave me time to think back over all that happened this summer.  Taking this step to go so far away for an extended period of time was difficult, no doubt about it.  Honestly, there were times that were really hard.  However, the good that has come from this experience far outweighs it all.  The amount I have grown this summer in my relationship with Christ is substantial.  All that I learned about ministry is extremely valuable.  The personal growth I experienced is huge.  I would definitely choose to do it all over again.  It was hard to say goodbye, first to new friends I had made, then to the worship staff, and then to my cousins.  Each one got harder and harder.  Focusing on going home though really helped me to get through all the tears of the goodbyes.  I am so relieved to be back and to continue what I learned in Dallas now here at home.
The summer is coming to a close, and my Senior year of school is about to begin.  All that I have learned during this short experience will be carried over as I continue to grow.  One small paragraph of my life has been written, now, on to the next! I can't wait to see the continuation of this story :)

Almost There

I can't believe my time in Dallas is nearing to the end.  Only two more full days until my dad gets here, and then we are taking off for Michigan on Thursday!  One final request I had was to go to Pokey O's.

It's an ice cream cookie sandwich place and it's SOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!
This is a pic of me getting it all over my face, and the floor.  I had tuxedo cookies (milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate chips) and southern blackberry cobbler ice cream.  YUMMM!

In other news, my family officially has two dogs now.  I get to see them on Friday! Apparently they act like brother and sister, the little one picks on the big one even though she knows she will get trampled.  She will learn eventually.
I have been reading the book "The Help", I wanted to read it before seeing the movie.  If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it.  I think it will make the movie much more enjoyable (not that it wouldn't have been before).  It's hard for me to think how recent all the racism and issues discussed in the book really are.  Definitely makes me consider things differently.

Well, at the beginning of this final week, I ask for your prayers to calm my anxious heart, that I may be able to treasure the rest of my time here with my family and new friends.  It will be so nice to get back home though and into community once again.  I can't describe how hard it's been not being around people to really know me and who I can talk to consistently  face to face.  I appreciate all the prayers throughout this journey, and can't wait to share all about it when I return!

Didn't See That Coming!

There have been several new developments since my last post.  The most recent one involves my car.  I didn't know it was possible, but my rear view mirror melted off my windshield.  Yes, you read that correctly.  The adhesive holding it in place melted.  I came out of the church and found the mirror dangling when I opened my door.  Luckily, it's a cheap $6 fix!  Now I only have to figure out how to fix it.

The past week has has given me whiplash.  In my previous post, I told you about my family's new puppy! Well, since then, it was decided that "Meeko" was not a good fit for our family.  We ended up getting a new puppy, a shi-poo, just like Bruno was.  She is adorable and has just received the name "Maylee".  But now, since the newest puppy has been home, it looks like we may be keeping "Meeko".  There are a few details that need to fall into place first, but it appears we may have 2 dogs.  They get along really well (so I'm told), and I can't wait to meet them!

Several other surprises have happened this week involving the health of people I work with.  One woman found out she most likely has kidney cancer.  One of our worship leaders was in the hospital with meningitis.  Another man at the church found out yesterday his father had a stroke and may not live much longer.  Through all of this, God has been teaching me a lot about peace.  I am not in control of tomorrow. Whatever happens to me has been previously known to my Father in heaven.  Therefore, I do not need to worry about anything.  Philippians 4 has been a great encouragement to me and an excellent reminder that no matter what comes, my God is still in control and I can rest in the peace and assurance this brings.   

A New Addition

This week has been one lazy week for me.  I went to work, came back and watched TV.  I rented three movies yesterday (thank goodness for redbox). Hopefully I will get out and do something later on today.

It's been one week since my family had to put Bruno down.  It's still hard thinking of him not being around anymore.  However, we have already found a new puppy!  We were not planning on getting a new dog so fast, but we found "Meeko" and couldn't pass up the opportunity to bring him home.  He is a four month old labradoodle, a rescue puppy.  We got him really cheap because he is not a typical labradoodle.  Instead of having the coloring of a lab with the coat of a poodle (curly and nonshedding), he has the coloring of a poodle with the coat of the lab (still nonshedding).  He is currently about 25 pounds, and is a bit larger now than this picture shows.  I can't wait to meet him when I get home!

A Bumpy Weekend

This past weekend definitely had its ups and downs.  It started off great!  I went to this really awesome shopping center on Friday to hang out with a couple of friends.  I was so thankful to have found people down here in Dallas to do things with.  After I got back, the "down" came.  My parents called and told me they had put our family dog down.  This was something I had expected for a long time, since Easter actually, but it is still hard.  Thinking about putting him in the ground and removing all his stuff from the house makes me cry almost every time.  I think it's going to be difficult when I get back home and he isn't there.  He was a part of our family for 17 years, the only pet I have ever known.  God was so gracious in letting our family have him for so long.

The next day, I was able to skype with all of my family back in Michigan.  My grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins were all there.  It was great to see them all, but it made me miss home that much more.  Then, for another "up", I got paid for the babysitting I had been doing all week!  I was really excited because I would have cash to pay for the tea house I would be going to later in the afternoon with several girls from the college group I have been attending. I stopped at the bank on my way to the party to cash the check I was given.  I had cashed a check there before, so I didn't think anything about doing it again.  After I handed the check to the teller and got my license out, I was informed there would be a $6 fee to cash the check because of the amount (which wasn't huge) and the fact I do not have an account there.  This put me over the top.  I wiped the tears off my face as I drove to my destination, just thinking about everything that had happened in the previous 18 hours.  My emotional side was definitely out in the open.

Luckily, the weekend ended on a good note.  I got to experience all the technical and behind-the-scenes work during all three services at the church on Sunday which was really fun.  After the final service, a couple girls came over and we had pizza while we just talked for a few hours, something I really needed.

So, despite getting little sleep and being on an emotional rollercoaster, God has helped me get through.  The Lord reminds me He is here with me over and over again.  And for that, I am so grateful.  

Into the Deep

What to say about this week. Well, to begin, I got to experience the wonderful world of east Texas.  I did not know that there is a completely different world two hours away from Dallas.  The picture above is of me standing in the tiny town of Teaselville.  This coffee shop is the only thing there.  Don't let the coffee logo fool you, they also serve hot dogs and double as a pizza shop.  Yup, it's quite the place.
While visiting, I found out a couple other things.  The phrase "make a picture" does not mean you draw something.  If you are making a picture of someone, you are taking their picture with a camera.  I felt like I could not speak without being embarrassed because the accents are so much stronger than they are in the city.  While driving through the neighborhoods, several Confederate flags were waving in front yards.  Let's just say it was an interesting experience.

I led the music again today for the church with the small congregation.  Today was their last Sunday meeting together for a service.  There were several tears as testimonies were given and as goodbyes were said.  They invited me to stay for the luncheon afterwards and I got multiple compliments once again about how thankful they were to have me there.  I am so glad I was able to help out and put smiles on their faces during their difficult transition.  I wanted so badly to explain that the church is not ending.  The building doors may no longer be accessible, but the church is the people.  As they join other congregations the "church" will continue to grow, and once the old building is re-purposed more people will hear the Gospel and give their lives to Christ.  How exciting! I did get to tell this to one lady who didn't seem extremely happy.  I don't know if she understood  what I was saying, but hopefully it made a little difference.

This week was a really interesting one for me.  I started getting lonely, and Satan used this as a chance to attack.  After a struggle with multiple people praying for me and searching out the Lord, God revealed himself to me in a new and glorious way.  I felt a true freedom from the battle I was fighting against Satan, and have been filled with renewed joy and thankfulness ever since.  Talking to my dad, he said maybe this was a time where I had the chance to experience what other people are up against when they are tempted through their own addictions, doubts, and life away from Christ.  Looking at it that way, I am glad I will be able to relate to some people I may not have otherwise, although I only experienced my struggle for a short time.  However, I wouldn't mind if I never had to go through it again! But, if and when I do (which honestly is very likely since we are still in this sinful world), I know God is faithful and will not leave or forsake me.  I can fully trust in His goodness and strength, for when I am weak, He is strong!

You want me to do what???

I had the opportunity to lead at the small church again today! They had requested all hymns and so that's what we sang.  And we sang them directly out of the hymnal.  I hadn't done that in a very long time.  The people in the congregation really appreciated it though.  Again, it was another humbling experience.  Playing piano while trying to lead is something I am still working on and am not great at yet, but I am learning.  I am glad the people were able to still worship despite the quality.  I also realized my voice is not the same since I have not been using it nearly as much here.  It was difficult for me to get passed the idea in my head of "This is not what it should be" to "You don't need to be perfect, and in fact, you never will be!"  I have been struggling a bit lately deciding why I love to sing.  Is it for the glory of God or am I doing it for myself?  This has proven to me once again that our greatest strengths are also our greatest weaknesses.  I absolutely LOVE praising and worshiping the Lord through song.  It's when I get to lead others into God's presence so that we may all worship Him together that I feel closest to God.  Unfortunately, I can often get caught up in "LOOK AT ME" mentality, even unconsciously.  I don't want to.  I despise this attitude and quality about myself.  Why would God want a selfish girl like me to minister to others?  That's why God keeps putting things in my life to remind me IT'S NOT ABOUT EMILY! God is GOD.  He is still GOOD.  He is still LORD.  I am still LOVED by Him.  Yes, I have defects.  Yes, I will be working on bettering myself in this area.  Through it all, I still believe God has called me to lead His people in communal worship, as one body, for His glory.  So that's what I am going to do.  Oh dear, this is going to be harder than I thought! But I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.  Praise the Lord for that!

Up and Out

In-N-Out Burger. I had not heard of this place until I came to Dallas, and it is one the hottest spots here right now.  This chain started in California and is making its way here to Texas.  This is a picture of the second one that's opened here, and a third one is already being built.  We waited in the drive-thru line for close to a half an hour just to try this place.  Police were directing traffic because the lines were crazy.  Was the food anything special? It was ok. Would I wait another half an hour for another burger? Probably not.

I had the opportunity to watch fireworks in a new and different way this year.  We got permission to sit on the roof on the church building, 10 stories up.  It was really neat! There were four different fireworks shows going one at the same time in different places around Dallas that we could see.  The one we were watching is one of the largest in Texas and draws a crowd of about 20,000 people.  Being at the church helped us avoid the crowds (and we were able to get ice cream beforehand to take with us).  It was awesome, but I did miss watching fireworks over Lake Michigan. However, it was an experience not many people get the chance to see, and I am proud to say I have done it!

Two new experiences.  I got to go UP to new heights and OUT for new food. What a fun weekend!

It's About Time!

So it's finally here! I am now starting to learn to play guitar!!! For you who don't know, I have owned a guitar for about two and a half years and have not had a chance to learn it.  And now, I had my first lesson today.  One of the worship leaders at the church is teaching me.  I'm so excited, he says I should be set to play what I need to by the end of the summer (as long as I keep up the practice myself).  My goal from the beginning was to learn guitar before I graduated college, and now I am on my way there.

Also, apparently the people of the congregation I led in worship last week enjoyed the piano more than I thought, because I am now scheduled to lead two more weeks at the church.  God must of been working through it because I can tell you nothing I did was impressive whatsoever.  It's cool though, I am glad I am able to help.

That's pretty much all I have to report for this week.  Short I know, but maybe I will think of something later.

More Piano Please

I had the opportunity to lead the music during a service for a small congregation this morning.  It was my first time leading by myself on piano, and it went better than I expected it to.  And I know that's because God was working through it.  It definitely not my talent, that's for sure.  This congregation was an interesting one, as they are very traditional and have several elderly members.  However, there are many younger people as well.  All who came in before the service was extremely excited to find out I would be playing the piano and not guitar.  Multiple congregants greeted me after the service saying how much more they enjoyed having the piano instead of the "hippies playing guitar" (one comment I heard).  It was humbling for me, honestly, to hear how much they appreciated me coming to lead them, and I felt like I had done nothing.  God is so good, and every time I do something like this I am reminded of this fact more and more.  I was invited to come back whenever I am able, so we'll see what happens with that.

I have been getting to know more people and have had the opportunity to go out with some new friends.  It's been really nice to be around people my age and get to relax in an atmosphere I am more used to.  God has really shown up in this area the past couple days.  I had been getting a little discouraged, and within a week, I have been able to meet and hang out with four people I had not met previously.  Again, GOD IS GOOD! He has been taking care of all my needs, supplying me with rest when I need it, and is giving me above and beyond what I could have asked for.  Including working it out for me to be learning to play guitar this next week! (Probably shouldn't mention this to the other church...)

Who Would of Thought?

What to say about these past couple weeks.  Well, to start, I got my guitar in the mail today! One of the worship leaders here has volunteered to teach me to play, and I can't wait to get started.  I have been working and planning for the service this Sunday I am leading.  There are only about 20 people in the group, but I am still nervous and want everything to work well.  Even though it's small, I want the people to be able to sense God's presence and to be able to worship them with all of their hearts.  If you remember, I would love your prayers as I have this opportunity this week!

So far I have been learning many new things.  I have been video editing for one of the ministries at the church.  My job is to take out all the awkward moments and all the repetitive lines of each person interviewed.  I will be taught how to finish the video to make it more professional too.  So much fun!  Tomorrow I begin learning some of the audio stuff.  I am shadowing some of the arts staff on the job and am really excited to see how it all works.  

I have been babysitting more, and am realizing this may be my job opportunity while I am here.  I have even had to turn a job down already because of schedule.  God definitely provides! The kids I have been watching are great, very polite and well-behaved.  And they live right across the street so I don't have to drive anywhere.  

Sunday was a very interesting day.  It was Father's Day, and although I did get to talk to my dad and family, I still missed not being there.  However, for Sunday brunch, I had the opportunity to eat with a couple pastors who are here from Africa, one from Malawi and the other from Uganda. It was cool to here their stories and here how God is working over there.  They are here with a whole group of international pastors for 3 weeks, away from their families and churches.  Both of the men we ate with had a wife and multiple kids.  I can't imagine how hard it is for them.  It was so awesome to see them responding to God's call and hear how God is meeting the needs of His people.  

My aunt and uncle have been here to visit this week.  It has been great to seem them for a while.  Growing up, I wasn't able to see them much, so having time now is a blessing.  The kids love having them here as well. It's nice not being the new person in the house and have my time taken up so much, even though it really hasn't been much of an issue.  I love spending time with the kids! I have been reminded of many things, like not to bring back a treat you have bought for yourself without bringing some for everyone (OOPS!)

I was hit a little bit with wanting to be back on Wellspring this week.  I have been missing camp and working with teens and praising God with a group of excellent musicians. I think even more I miss the community built within the team and the friendships I made.  I am still trying to build those relationships here, knowing it's going to be difficult with how little time I have.  Thankfully, I have great friends back home, who, although far away, still make time for me :)

I guess, to sum it all up, everything is going great here in Dallas.  I am having an awesome time and am learning some things I did not expect.  God is working in my heart and I know He will continue to do so in the weeks following.

1 down, 9 to go

I have completed week 1 of my internship.  I can't say enough about how great it was!  The staff is incredible and so much fun.  I am starting to get to know them better, and I can already tell it's going to be hard to say goodbye to them at the end of the summer.  Many of my jobs this week have involved working with Excel.  I have made charts of who serves in the ministry in different areas at the church and listed out what songs have been used Sunday mornings for the past year.  This coming week I get to help out with a video shoot.  We are interviewing men and women who have had to deal with abortions.  I would appreciate your prayers for this, as it could get quite emotional.  It will be exciting to see how the video interview process works though.  This is something I haven't had much experience in.  Also, I have already been scheduled to lead worship at a small church that Watermark has taken over recently.  The church congregation is about 20 people, so it's small, but I will be leading by myself on piano.  Again, I would greatly appreciate your prayers for this.  Leading on piano is something I have not done often, so please remember me on June 26!
I have not found a job yet.  However, God has provided me with the opportunity to babysit for a little extra income.  I watched a little girl and her nine year old brother last night, and already got a text from the mom asking me to babysit again next weekend.  With no other job prospects as of yet, God is taking care of me!
It is supposed to be hitting the 100 degree mark here this weekend, I plan on staying inside and enjoying the wonderful world of air conditioning.  I have adjusted a lot better to the heat than I thought I would.  It's the lesser humidity which makes the difference, it's great!  Driving here has been getting easier as well, and I thank God so much for that.  It can be scary at times, but I am getting much more comfortable and am able to get around to where I need to go.  And after only a week! Wow, I can't wait to see how God works out these next nine!

Denim Capris

Today was the first day of my internship.  I could not have felt more welcomed by everyone!  I attended the Arts meeting worship ministry staff, and I don't remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did during it.  Here are a few ideas we discussed: man capris, the role of denim (including denim underwear), "Are you smitten with the mitten?" (I told them I am from Michigan), and two of the male staff members discussing who was the "Lady" and who was the "Tramp" (they were enacting the Lady and the Tramp spaghetti scene).  Let's just say it's going to be a fun summer.  I have my own desk and cubicle, including a Mac computer.  Working on the 7th floor is going to be great, there is an awesome view of the city out of the window right behind me.  I am still getting used to driving here, 3-4 lanes of steady traffic on a normal road is not something I am used to.  By the time this summer is over, there will be no driving I can't handle.  The job hunt is coming along still, I have applied to a few places and have a few more to keep looking into.  God will provide in His time.  For now, I am thanking Him for  putting me here for this time, because I am loving it here.
Most of my time has been spent with the kids, and it's been great.  I have played many many games already and have watched "Tangled" I think 4 times.  Getting to know my cousins better too has been wonderful.  I am so thankful for them and all they have done for me.
Tomorrow I attend my first all church staff meeting.  I am told I may have to introduce myself to everyone (80-90 people).  We will see how that goes!
I appreciate all of your continued prayers, for my adjustment here, driving situation, my car (it broke down a couple days ago again and had to be fixed, hopefully it will last the rest of the summer now), and that I would be able to meet people here to interact with.  As of right now, I have had enough to do to not get lonely, so hopefully I will get to know people soon.  Thank you!

I MADE IT!

This is going to be a short one, because I have been riding in a car for about 13 hours today and I am exhausted, but we made it! I am in Dallas, and I couldn't be more excited.  I already have a meeting/seminar session tomorrow, and officially start my internship on Monday.  Before then, I will be looking for a job.  Guess we'll see how that goes.  God will provide.  I can't believe how much God has blessed me so far with this whole thing, and I can't wait to see what else He is going to do!

It's Coming!

2 weeks.  I can't believe it's almost time to leave!  It seems like yesterday that I officially decided I was going.  Why am I going, you may ask? How did I get this opportunity?  Well...here's the story.

I don't know why I decided to do it.  Why was I Googling summer internships? My summer plans were set, or so I thought.  I was going to be in Wellspring for the third summer in a row (a worship team representing Spring Arbor University; we traveled to several camps and churches and lead their music, were counselors for the youth, helped in the kitchen, etc.)  I absolutely loved traveling with this group and wanted so badly to do it again.  At this point, however, I had seemed to forgotten that God had been telling me something the summer before while on the road.  I had this feeling that something in my life was going to change.  God seemed to be telling me He was preparing me for something different, but I had no idea what.  Then later on in the fall I was helping out at a youth retreat at one of the camps I had been to both of the previous summers.  I love it there, but, I just had this feeling I wouldn't be going back after that weekend.  I didn't like that feeling because I had so many great memories there.

So back to me sitting at my computer, I had sort of brushed off all the feelings I had previously about not doing Wellspring again.  I had a plan set and a routine in place I did not want to break.  Then why was I looking at all these internships? Well, I thought it was just for fun, but God has a sense of humor and had much bigger plans.  I wasn't planning on acting on any of the opportunities I found, but one in specific caught my eye.  Texas? Oh no, I wanted to go to Illinois.  I loved the description of the internship the church gave on their website, and I felt like God was telling me I needed to dig deeper into it.  I got up my nerve and talked to my parents about it.  They were not opposed to the internship, to my surprise.  But they were not sure how I would be able to make Illinois work.  I would need to find a place to live, I wouldn't know anyone... We decided we would all pray about it and see what happened (me thinking that it was a nice idea, but probably not going to happen).

I got an email the next morning from my mom.  She mentioned the conversation we had the night before, and asked if I had thought about contacting my cousin who is on staff at a church in Dallas.  Why hadn't I thought of it before?!? I emailed him and asked if his church ever has interns during the summer.  He wrote back right away and let me know they actually have several during the summer and gave me the name and contact information for the worship director of the church.  Before I knew it, I had emailed the worship director and set up a phone conversation to discuss things further.  At this point, I had a pretty good idea this was where I would be for the summer.  This was confirmed to me during the November WAVE (Worship Arts Vespers Experience) service at SAU.  I became overwhelmed by what God was teaching me during this short service, so much in fact I ended up leaving for a bit and standing in the back, weeping.  I was going to Texas.  Terrified, I told God I would go if He wanted me to, and that was that.  I told only a couple friends after that service what had happened, because I hadn't really officially had an interview or been accepted as an intern.

After a couple failed attempts at our phone conversation, the worship director and I finally were able to connect and after our discussion, I was offered the internship.  Did I mention this whole thing happened in about 2 weeks? It was a very stressful time for me, but luckily I had a class full of worship arts majors who knew what was going on and were praying for me, in addition to my worship professor/advisor. And my fantastic roommates, of course :)  In December, I made plans to head down to Dallas.  I rode down with my aunt and uncle after Christmas.  I am happy to say I loved Dallas and my cousin's family.  It made me that much more excited to spend the summer there.  God has worked everything out so perfectly, better than I could have ever imagined.

There you have it! My God-story of how He has been and continues to change my life.  Although I am nervous about leaving my comfort zone at home, I know this summer is going to be life-changing.  There will be bumps in the road. It won't always be easy.  But I also know this may very well be one of the best summers of my life!

My First Ever Blogging Experience!

I never thought I would be doing this, and I mean that in multiple ways.  First, I never thought I would have a blog. Honestly, I don't even read blogs. But I also didn't expect to be spending my summer in Dallas, TX. That's why I decided to do this.  I want to be able to record everything that happens while I am over a thousand miles from home, and I want to share it with you. In less than two months I will be on one of the greatest adventures of my life so far.  I don't know how this came up so fast!  God has called me to Dallas this summer, and I have no idea what He has planned for me. But I'm going to go. And maybe I will even come back with a southern accent :)