Hello everyone! Let me tell you, it has been quite the week! I flew in on Sunday night and by Monday at 3pm, I had met over 90 new people. Talk about intense! Not only have I met many new people, the whole week we have been learning about all the intricate and important tasks and details that is crucial to facilitating a successful a and beneficial YouthWorks summer. We have been trained in everything from kitchen safety, youth ministry, serving the church and community, our specific staff roles, to games, and carivaning. All the while, we have been bonding with our site teams. :) The wonderful people that will be joining me this summer in Daytona Beach are Casey, our site director, Josh, our program staff, and Ben, my fellow service coordinator. So far, we seem to enjoy each other's humor and have been getting along well. We are anxious to see how things will go once we get on site. I am also anxious to meet the people of Daytona Beach! We will leave Saturday morning for Daytona and will have a week of prep, then we have the opportunity to get a feel for a program week by traveling to the site in Savannah, GA. We have bonded with the Savannah site team alot this week and we are extremely excited to serve along side them and serve the people of Savannah. When we return we will have our first week of program. I am so excited! :)
I can't even explain the way that I feel right now. The more they talk about YW and it's values and it's service and everything it stands for, the more passionate I become about this ministry. I truly believe in this ministry and the way it functions. I am full of joy!
The Lord has been showing me many things this week. It's been pretty intense and very overwelming, but I have a peace about it all. Psalm 46:10 has spoken to me in this time and has reminded me that I am not in control. The wonderful thing about working with this organization is that they know we cannot pour into people if we are not poured into ourselves, so they make sure that we have quiet time to spend with the Lord. There has been nothing better than that 30 minutes of peace and calm every morning with the Creater amongst such intensity and chaos.
Please continue to pray for the youth and their traveling safety, the staff and their nerves, and the communities they will be serving this summer.
Thank you and miss you all bunches!
In Christ,
Jessica
P.S. For a model "evening activity" we traveled to the Civil Rights Institute here in Birmingham. It was absolutely amazing. My heart was "messed up", as one of the full time YW staff would say.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Only a couple more days until my YouthWorks summer begins!
Well, it's pretty much official (I won't get my actual diploma for another 6 weeks), I'm a college graduate! It's so weird to say that, but also very exciting. Again, thank you all for your support. I truly appreciate each and every one of you. God has truly blessed me with such wonderful people in my life.
Now, for the next leg of my journey. I leave for training for YouthWorks in Birmingham, AL this Sunday. Our training starts Monday afternoon and at the end of the week, my staff (so far 2 people, we are anxiously awaiting to hear who our 4th staff is) and I will be driving to our site, Daytona Beach Alliance Church, in Daytona Beach. We will have 3 weeks of prep before our first groups come through. So, our first official week of program starts the 13th of June. But, we still have plenty to do before then. I am starting to get a little nervous. I know that God is going to do great things, and I truly rest in that. I hope that I am able to write again sometime next week during training or soon after training. Please continue to pray for the community of Daytona Beach, the youth preparing for their trips, and the YouthWorks staff for the summer. Thank you for your love and support. :)
I wanted to give you a little more info on the ministry of YouthWorks and the little bit that I know about the community of Daytona Beach.
The following is also available on youthworks.com:
Our Work and Ministry
YouthWorks focuses on ministry. Although we use work projects as a way to see the love of Christ, it is not an end all. We do not call our trips “work camps” or spotlight a repaired house, instead the “works” in our name are about what God will do in our lives if we allow it. We desire to be Christ centered in everything that we do.
While it is important to be challenged in our ministry work, we believe the most important thing we can do is to live out the love of Christ with all whom we meet. Building true relationships is essential in showing Christ's love; the friendships you and your youth create with people in our communities are of the utmost importance. These relationships are more important to YouthWorks than any work we could accomplish.
We have all kinds of work ministry experiences set up for your trip that are designed to challenge teenagers. The opportunities vary from week to week and site to site, depending on the particular needs of the communities in which we serve. Everyone who participates in these work ministry projects will be divided into small teams. Teams may do various painting and rehabilitation projects, facilitate a Kids Club program or partner with other organizations working to meet community needs. More specific information regarding the unique opportunities at your mission site are available in the spring.
We firmly believe there is a need for people to have their homes painted and rehabilitated; a need for children to learn about the Bible through music, stories and games; and a need to serve existing community ministries. We know that paint on houses will eventually chip off, and that stories and games may be forgotten in time, but the relationships you develop with community members will create a vehicle for ministry to occur for a long time in the future. Come ready to experience the joy of being the hands and feet of Christ!
Daytona Beach, FL
The Daytona Beach area of Florida’s central East Coast stretches 23 miles along the Atlantic Ocean. Eight million visitors a year come to the area to stay in the beautiful resorts and participate in a variety of recreational activities. Many rich and famous individuals have vacation homes in the area. In addition, thousands of racing enthusiasts visit Daytona International Speedway each year. Ask the over 64,000 residents of this town, however, and they will point to several problem areas in the community. A citizen survey revealed major concerns like drug abuse, homelessness and high taxes. The U.S. Census reports that per capita income is $17,530 and nearly 24 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. An estimated 2,600 are homeless.
Now, for the next leg of my journey. I leave for training for YouthWorks in Birmingham, AL this Sunday. Our training starts Monday afternoon and at the end of the week, my staff (so far 2 people, we are anxiously awaiting to hear who our 4th staff is) and I will be driving to our site, Daytona Beach Alliance Church, in Daytona Beach. We will have 3 weeks of prep before our first groups come through. So, our first official week of program starts the 13th of June. But, we still have plenty to do before then. I am starting to get a little nervous. I know that God is going to do great things, and I truly rest in that. I hope that I am able to write again sometime next week during training or soon after training. Please continue to pray for the community of Daytona Beach, the youth preparing for their trips, and the YouthWorks staff for the summer. Thank you for your love and support. :)
I wanted to give you a little more info on the ministry of YouthWorks and the little bit that I know about the community of Daytona Beach.
The following is also available on youthworks.com:
Our Work and Ministry
YouthWorks focuses on ministry. Although we use work projects as a way to see the love of Christ, it is not an end all. We do not call our trips “work camps” or spotlight a repaired house, instead the “works” in our name are about what God will do in our lives if we allow it. We desire to be Christ centered in everything that we do.
While it is important to be challenged in our ministry work, we believe the most important thing we can do is to live out the love of Christ with all whom we meet. Building true relationships is essential in showing Christ's love; the friendships you and your youth create with people in our communities are of the utmost importance. These relationships are more important to YouthWorks than any work we could accomplish.
We have all kinds of work ministry experiences set up for your trip that are designed to challenge teenagers. The opportunities vary from week to week and site to site, depending on the particular needs of the communities in which we serve. Everyone who participates in these work ministry projects will be divided into small teams. Teams may do various painting and rehabilitation projects, facilitate a Kids Club program or partner with other organizations working to meet community needs. More specific information regarding the unique opportunities at your mission site are available in the spring.
We firmly believe there is a need for people to have their homes painted and rehabilitated; a need for children to learn about the Bible through music, stories and games; and a need to serve existing community ministries. We know that paint on houses will eventually chip off, and that stories and games may be forgotten in time, but the relationships you develop with community members will create a vehicle for ministry to occur for a long time in the future. Come ready to experience the joy of being the hands and feet of Christ!
Daytona Beach, FL
The Daytona Beach area of Florida’s central East Coast stretches 23 miles along the Atlantic Ocean. Eight million visitors a year come to the area to stay in the beautiful resorts and participate in a variety of recreational activities. Many rich and famous individuals have vacation homes in the area. In addition, thousands of racing enthusiasts visit Daytona International Speedway each year. Ask the over 64,000 residents of this town, however, and they will point to several problem areas in the community. A citizen survey revealed major concerns like drug abuse, homelessness and high taxes. The U.S. Census reports that per capita income is $17,530 and nearly 24 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. An estimated 2,600 are homeless.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
A blog...for my lovely peeps!
I'm graduating in 2 DAYS and will soon be leaving for a summer of serving the Lord in Daytona Beach facilitating mission trips for church youth groups through an organization (a great one at that) called YouthWorks. I have gone on 2 mission trips as a youth and one as a chaperone through this organization and they were life changing. Jesus awakened my heart in Wind River, WY, poured out His love in Juarez, Mexico, and challenged me in Las Vegas, NV. I have a passion to just love as Jesus loves on youth and communities, and that's exactly what I will be doing this summer! I wanted to start this blog because I know I will not have a ton of time to keep everyone caught up and share all the wonderful ways God will be working...'cause you know He will be! So, I will do my best to keep you all up to date on this little thing called a blog. Next time I write, I will be a college graduate! It's so crazy to think about. The last 4 years have been a long, tough road but with plenty of love, laugher, and hope along the way.
If you could just pray for the groups that are preparing for their trips this summer (YouthWorks has over 100 sites all over the U.S. and Canada), that their hearts will be open and willing to serve and live out John 3:30 (our theme this summer). "Jesus must become greater and I must become less."
Also pray for the staff (there are 4 staff at every site) that are preparing for the summer, that they will also be open and willing to serve and love like Jesus. :)
Thank you all for your love, laughter, and prayers.
In Christ,
Jessica
If you could just pray for the groups that are preparing for their trips this summer (YouthWorks has over 100 sites all over the U.S. and Canada), that their hearts will be open and willing to serve and live out John 3:30 (our theme this summer). "Jesus must become greater and I must become less."
Also pray for the staff (there are 4 staff at every site) that are preparing for the summer, that they will also be open and willing to serve and love like Jesus. :)
Thank you all for your love, laughter, and prayers.
In Christ,
Jessica
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