February: The Month of Love

This may be cheesy but for me the month of February was definitely the month of love. From friends, family, and others I have experienced love in many ways this month.

The first way that I experienced love was on a hike at Chautauqua Trailhead in Boulder, CO. I woke up one Friday morning and saw that it was 72 degrees outside. It was my day off so I thought, "A hike sounds good today!" So I put on my sweats and a tshirt and told Siri to take me to Chautauqua Trailhead. Next thing I know I'm hiking up an incredibly slushy, muddy, and snowy trail. But it was so worth it. On my way down the mountain I saw a huge boulder that had a gorgeous view of the Flatirons. (A rock formation, not the church I work at.) So I climbed up and took a seat and basked in God's creation. For as long as I can remember one of the best ways that I connected with God is through nature and song. I turn to my phone and start playing some Vertical Church Band music and look up at the Flatirons and I couldn't help but be completely overwhelmed by the love that God has for me. This is the greatest of all loves in my life because God loves us no matter what. His love is unconditional and never ceasing. This is why it is often hard for us to accept his love because it is something that we will never be able to fully comprehend because of our sinful nature.

Another way in which I experienced love this month was on Galentine's Day, February 13th. A friend invited several of us girls from Merge over to go jump on some trampolines at Jump City and then chill at her apartment over some food and wine. I had so much fun on this night! For me this night was really one of the first times that I had been invited to hang out with people who were not other interns inviting me. We all arrived at Jump City and after a couple rounds in the foam pit and on the trampolines we went to the dodgeball court. We started a boys versus girls game. Keep in mind the boys were cocky middle schoolers and we are twentysomething women. We won 3 of the 5 games. We were a little proud of ourselves, to say the least. After 5 games we were tired and headed back to the apartment where we shared stories and food with one another. This was a night of friends loving on friends and making time for the ladies in our lives during a season that is so focused on significant others.

Third. This month I got to fly back to Chicago for a weekend for my cousin, Andrew's wedding. I loved being able to spend some quality time with family. It was nice to my own bathroom and washer and dryer for a weekend and a full sized bed to sprawl out on. The wedding was held in a converted barn. It was beautiful. The decorations were so well done and I got see my brother, sister in law and nephew. After the wedding I asked my grandma if I could spend the night with her. When I arrived at her apartment she opened up one of her kitchen cabinets and started telling me that I could have her dishes set. This is the dish set that I think of when I think of my grandma and meals at her place. Little did I know is that these dishes were passed down to her from my great grandma Harsch. I was blown away. A entire set of dishes: plates, bowls, salad plates, serving bowls, etc. were all mine. I was incredibly thankful for my grandmas gift and I can't wait to go back in May to box them all up to use at my own place someday and have my family gathered around the table eating from Great Grandma Harsch's dishes. I also got to have lunch with my cousin Christina. Christina and I have been good buds for as long as I can remember. I love getting together with her and creating new ridiculous memories like jumping out of a window at Grandmas house that was NOT at ground level. Finally the weekend at home wrapped up with a Saturday night service at Glen Ellyn Bible Church. I love that whenever I go back to Glen Ellyn that I have a church that welcomes me with open arms. It was great to spend a weekend at home wondering around my old stomping ground.

 
Finally, the last example I have of love in the month of February was Shine. Shine is an event that Flatirons hosts about every other year, it's a prom type party for those in our community who have special needs. During the course of a week our church transforms the auditorium into a dance floor, the lobby into a superhero cityscape, the kids ministry rooms into areas for carnival games, caregiver retreat, and food service. Every single inch of the church is utilized for this awesome night. We had about 2,000 guests who came decked out in the formal suits and prom dresses for this evening to celebrate them. I had the privilege of serving on the food service team. I waited on three tables and served them food and drinks throughout the majority of the night. After clearing out the room and tearing down the chairs and tables we were able to enjoy the last 30 minutes out on the dance floor. SO MUCH FUN!!! After the last dance it is all hands on deck to reset all of the rooms for church services this weekend. The amount of hands that go into this night is unbelievable. From coming in during the week to set up the rooms to serving food to being an escort and many other jobs. This night would not be possible without the awesome volunteers that come alongside the work that God is doing through Flatirons. This night was the best! I'm so glad that Shine happened during my internship year. It's awesome to see so many people rallying together to love on those who are usually shamed in our society.

To say the least, February had been an awesome month. With each passing day I grow more and more comfortable with where I am at in life. A sign that this is happening is that I have shared many sarcastic comments in the workplace over the last month. I love my job and the people I get to work alongside to create a place where kids and leaders can bump into Jesus.

A New Year, A New Season

It's hard to believe that the first month of 2015 is already over. It's also cool to look back at the growth that has happened in my own life in just one month. On January 1st, I remember saying goodbye to my parents on Concourse C at O'Hare Airport. I was balling my eyes out not wanting to leave the comforts of home for the uncomfortable of Colorado. As I walked to my gate and my parents walked to theirs I was struck by the verse Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you be strong and courageous do not be terrified do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." I remember saying it over and over again waiting for it to sink in that God is with me wherever I go. After landing in Colorado and settling back into the intern house and going through my first day back in the office I realized that I was glad to be back at Flatirons.

About a week later we had our monthly intern check up. The two questions asked were, "What are you enjoying about the internship?" and "What is the most difficult part about the internship?" Now the first question was easy. I love everything about the internship. I know I'm doing what the Lord has called me to do so of course I am loving it. It's the second question that was hard. In regards to the internship there are difficulties but I'm surrounded by a wonderful team that helps to build things up when things are difficult. That's when I shared that it was the life outside of the Flatirons walls that was difficult.

When I'm at work I'm surrounded by my "family" same goes for my house when the other interns are home. But most of the time I'm in the house alone. This is the difficult part. I love my alone time. But I also need friendships. In order to make those friendships I have to sacrifice my precious alone time. This is the difficult part. There is also the factor that my family is 1,000 miles away. But like I said earlier, this month has been a month of growth. After sharing my difficulty in the monthly check up it's like a page was turned. After that point I no longer had moments of feeling lonely in an empty house.

Within the last month I have started working part time with Elementary at the Lafayette campus and part time with West Campus Kids. Being more involved with an age group that I love and a campus that has a tight knit community feel to it has really helped me in feeling like I have a part here in Colorado. If you had asked me a month ago if I would say yes to a job offer at Flatirons I would have said no. But now if you asked me if Flatirons would offer me a job I would say yes. Hands down! This month has been so much fun! I have gotten the opportunity to be more involved in the curriculum aspect. In fact, this past week I wrote my first two small group activities for the 1st and 2nd graders. I also have gotten to teach up at West Campus with their preschoolers. I'm really excited for what the last 6 months of the internship hold for me.

Although it is getting more and more difficult to be present when the end is just around the corner. I know that God has put me at Flatirons for a reason. I pray that I would be able to continue to stay focused on my internship and continue to invest fully in the people and ministry here. Being a planner, it is hard for me to not look to the future to start planning what the next chapter holds. However, God has given me great peace right now about living in the present knowing that He has a plan for me even when I do not know what it is.

Prayer Requests:
Over the course of the next several months I have lots of weddings. Which means lots of traveling and lots of my very small income going straight to airplane tickets. Please pray that I would be able to manage my money wisely so that I can save for these significant weddings. As well as for traveling mercies.
Pray that I would continue to be flexible to learn at my job while also having more direction of what I want to do.
Pray for personal growth in my walk with the Lord
Pray for the willingness to try new things and not be afraid of the failure that may come