The Top 10 of 2010!

1. I rung in 2010 in Time Square in NYC. It was a great (likely) one time event for me. It is a bit rediculous to stand in the huge crowd of people for several hours on end just to see a ball, that really doesn't look that big, drop, what appears to be a relatively short distance. Regardless, of how bad my feet hurt or how lame it really seemed after standing for so long, it was a cool experience.









2. I was privileged to spend part of January traveling in Nicaragua and Honduras. The people I met there were some of the most hospitable people I have ever met. They would give up their bed, their food, and anything else they had to offer to make us feel welcome. It was truly a moving experience of God's presence made manifest in God's people.






3. I spent spring break in Ocean City, NJ with two great friends. It was so great to relax and get away for a bit. We also made a stop in Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell and have a Philly Cheesesteak.













4. Since I had a few months at home, I went on a few mini-vacations. My mom and I went to Omaha and tried our luck at some casinos. My friend Brandi and I went to Minneapolis for a little bit of shopping and to see Footloose at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater.












5. This summer I was able to attend the 120th Anniversary of Good Hope Lutheran, my home congregation. It was so special to celebrate the ministry that has happened in that place over the past 120 years and the ministry that will continue to happen in that place.













6. While I was in SD this past summer I got to spend several weeks at camp. I was reminded just how much that place/those places mean to me. It is absolutely amazing to be in God's creation, with wonderful staff and inspiring young people.








7. This year was filled with weddings! Angie and Jesse. Tracy and Marc. Melissa and Billy. Brandi and Casey. It was an absolute joy to see these four couples enter into wedded bliss. I was especially honored to officiate at Angie and Jesse's wedding. Being the Maid of Honor and standing next to my beautiful best friend, Brandi, on the biggest day of her life was also an honor and delight.






8. At the end of July I began a year-long internship at a church in Washington, DC. It has been an interesting experience learning about how the church operates in a large city. It has also be a wonderful experience to work in God's kingdom each day.









9. Living in DC has given me the chance to do a lot of touristing in the city. I have been to the Natural History Museum, Air and Space Museum, American History Museum, The National Zoo, the Capital, the White House Gardens and Grounds, the National Cathedral, and The National Christmas Tree.








10. As always I am blessed with a great family and some incredible friends that have made 2010 a wonderful year. Here's to 2011!

The Month of November in Review

1. My Best Friend's Wedding. At the beginning of the month I traveled to South Dakota for Brandi and Casey's wedding. It was such an honor to stand next to my friend Brandi in a beautiful white dress as she married a wonderful man. This was the first "friend" wedding that I have ever been in and it was truly a blessing to be the Maid of Honor in this wedding. A lot of pastors talk about how they like funerals more than weddings, but at this point in my vocational journey I am almost positive that I will like weddings more than funerals.

2. Time At Home. Over the years I have learned to adjust to new places to call "home." Yet, it still isn't the same as being in a place that is really my home-home. It was absolutely wonderful to sleep in my bed, to shower in my shower, and drive in my town, to look out my window, to shop in my favorite stores, and to be in the same place as my family. Even though it was a very busy time...it was still wonderful to be HOME.

3. My First Sinus Infection. After I came home from South Dakota I started to get sick. I had never had a sinus infection, so I didn't even consider that the symptoms I was having were related to a sinus infection. So after letting myself continue to get even sicker, I decided to go to a doctor. The first doctor, yes I ended up at more than one, though I had pneumonia. She sent me to an urgent care. The second doctor took one look at me and said that I had a sinus infection. The medicine seems to be helping and I am starting to feel much better. Once again I am reminded how hard it is to be so far away from the people who will take care of you when you are sick.

4. My First Time Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner. On Thanksgiving I was blessed by the presence of Diane, Andrew, and Katie. I managed to prepare a turkey breast, stuffing, squash, cheesy potatoes, and a caramel apple cheesecake without burning the house down or even setting off the fire alarm. It was so great to surrounded by friends on a day filled with much Thanksgiving!

5. Visits With Friends. Diane spent the night and on Friday morning we had a pizza lunch at Pete's, which was incredible, and went to the movie Tangled in 3-D. I learned that 3-D movies freak me out a bit...I tend to duck at flying objects. Then Diane headed back to Alabama. On Saturday Matt stopped by for a quick visit on his way back to Virginia, too. It was so great to spend time with friends!

6. A New Year. Yes, one church year has ended and today another one began. Today is the First Sunday of Advent and we begin preparing for the coming of Jesus, both a babe born in Bethlehem and the Savior of the World. As we prepare our homes for this holiday season may we also prepare our hearts for the unexpected promise of Jesus Christ the Hope of the Nations and the Light of the World. If you would like to read my sermon for the First Sunday in Advent click here. Blessings to you this Advent season!

Hospitality

For the past week I hosted a pastor from Namibia. She was visiting different churches in our synod. I generally think of myself as a pretty hospitable person. I think hospitality is very important. However, I had never hosted someone in my own space for this length of time. I learned this week how difficult and draining hospitality can be. Hospitality requires that you are constantly on and are always chipper, cheery, and happy. It also requires that you are always ready to listen and answer questions.

I have been hosted by many wonderful people in my life and I wonder how they did it. I especially remember the wonderful couple that allowed me to live in their basement for 12 weeks while I completed my Clinical Pastoral Education unit. I know that I was not as thankful or as pleasant as I should or could have been. Yet, they continued to be my hosts.

I am sure that I did not do the best job possible being a host this week. I know I still have many things to learn when it comes to hospitality. And I came away from this week with a huge amount of gratitude for all the hosts I have had in my life. Thanks be to God for these wonderful blessings!

A Tourist

Today I was a tourist in the city I live in. I went to the Museum of Natural History. I am not much a museum fan, but I figured that while living in DC it is important to see the Smithsonian Museums. So, I spent about two hours looking at natural history. I didn't read every word, because that would have taken me days to do. I saw a huge elephant, dinosaur bones, lots of animals and insects, and minerals. I was surprised that I didn't see any stink bugs. They need to work on getting a special exhibit of them. I am even willing to help them out with a donation. The highlight of the adventure was probably the Hope Diamond. It was just as beautiful as I expected.
However, there were two other great parts of my adventure. Number one. I saw a really diverse group of people. I heard people talking in many different languages. I saw inspired and awe-filled children learning. I saw parent's interpreting the displays for their children in the language they would best understand. This is a perk of living in Washington, DC. There is diversity. Number two. I achieved a goal today. I went to a museum alone. I really like doing things with other people. However, the reality of life is that sometimes we have to do things alone. I am not going to say it was a ton of fun to be alone, but I did have a good time at the museum. Today I stepped out...alone. And I am sure it will not be the last time.

The Party Planning Vicar

I love parties! I love people! I love hosting people! In DC I have a beautiful home and a wonderful basement/youth room (pool table included), so I knew immediately after arriving here that I would be hosting many parties. For the past three Sundays I have hosted parties/gatherings. SPY - the high school youth group was invited over for spaghetti and games. The young adult group came over for socializing and a potluck with the main dish being sloppy joes. SPY Jr. - the middle school youth group rounded out the social events with a pizza party and game night. This has been so much fun! There has been so much laughter, energy, fellowship, and food in my house in the past few weeks. I can confidently say that these are the people that I know in DC and at the congregation I am serving. This is why small group ministry is so important. It is not only important for me, a new vicar in a strange environment. It is important for these people. It is important to know other people and for other people to know you. It is important to be in fellowship and in community. It is important to gather around a table for food and drink. To me this is just another element of Eucharistic fellowship. As the party planner I am the host of the meal, graciously giving of what I have. The guests are the receivers, thankful for the gift given. That was the surprising part. My guests were so thankful. I expected some of them to say thank you -- but they were overwhelmingly thankful. To me this shows the importance of party planning -- the importance of fellowship -- the importance of hospitality. Thanks be to God for modeling the ultimate hospitality -- the ultimate fellowship -- the ultimate party planning!

Camp

I have always loved camp. If you know me at all you know this tidbit of information. I loved camp so much as a camper that I worked there for four summers. This past summer I even got to spend some time at the camps that I so dearly love. Naturally, when I found out there was a young adult retreat being held at a nearby camp I jumped at the opportunity. It was an incredible 30 hours at Mar-Lu-Ridge in God's beautiful creation. I, along with about 35 other young adults from the Metro DC area, spent time together thinking about what it means to be a young adult, Christian in Washington, DC. As we pondered that we got to know one another. We worshiped, prayed, hugged, shared in communion, and sang tons of camp songs around the campfire. It was a place filled with much love and lots of joy! Not only was this a really great weekend, it reaffirmed something for me. I was reminded of how important camp is. A majority of the people that attended this retreat had worked at camp. Most people who work at camp have been campers before. It is those same people that are making up the young adult age group in many churches today. The moral of the story: don't ever underestimate the power of camp or the impact of camp counselors. Camps are a place where lives are transformed and the love of God is shared. Thanks be to God for this amazing gift!

Funerals

Today was my first funeral as a Vicar. Before the funeral began my supervisor asked if I had been to many funerals. I said, "yes," and then I began to reflect on all the funerals I have been to in my short 24 years of life. There are a lot of really important people in my life that have died. I have been to the funeral of my paternal grandfather, maternal grandmother, paternal great-grandpa, paternal great-grandma, friends from high school, and most recently, two of my cousins this past summer. Not to say that I was not thinking about my loved ones that are now part of the communion of saint as I went to this funeral, but this question from my supervisor had really made me think about these people. This is the first funeral I have been to where I have been so removed from the family and the deceased person. Yet, as the grandson-in-law spoke about his grandfather-in-law, the deceased, I got a little choked up. He spoke so highly of this loved one that I felt like I knew the deceased man, even though I had never met him before in my life. It was a small, but beautiful funeral filled with reminders of God's love and salvation for all of God's children. Thanks be to God!

Identity Theft

On Thursday I was reminded that I am living in Washington, DC. Not to say that this could not happen anywhere...but it happened to me in this city. I am a victim of identity theft, according to the DC Police. On Thursday my credit card was stolen from my office at the church. The thief spent over $1,000 on my credit card. When my credit card company called me to verify a purchase I thought someone had just gotten my number from the Internet or some piece of paper. Then I checked my wallet, only to find that the card was missing. It was an absolutely gross feeling to realize that someone else had put their hands into my purse. I had no idea what to do, so I cried. Then I gathered myself back together and called the rest of the church staff to let them know so they could check their possessions. After that I realized I needed to call the police and file a report. A very nice police officer arrived and we filed a report. That night I could not sleep well, because I just felt violated. I had trust in people and now I know that I cannot put my guard down at all. I am not sure this is what I needed to learn today, but it happened anyway. Thanks be to God for identity theft protection on credit cards!

The Metro

I live in Washington, DC. There is great public transportation here. For those of you who are not familiar, it is called the Metro. Since I have a car in DC, I would not need to use the Metro. Yet, I use it. I use it because 1) it is part of living in DC and I think I am learning about my context 2) I don't like driving in the traffic, let alone trying to parallel park in this city 3) it is environmentally friendly. So, for the past month I have been purchasing paper Metro passes when I go to use the Metro. Sometimes there is a balance left on the card for me to use the next time I ride the Metro. However, on two occasions I have accidentally washed my Metro pass and consequently lost the balance that was on my Metro pass. This happened for the second time on Friday and I realized it on Saturday when I was putting away my clean laundry. I decided that I would not buy another paper Metro pass. So, today I went and got my SmarTrip. It is a plastic card, much like a credit card/gift card that I can add money to in order to use the Metro. Now, it is still possible to wash this Metro card, but I will not lose my balance. Thanks be to God for giving humans the ability to conceive such wonderful inventions!

The Week in Review

This week went well, but seemed to be pretty busy. Wednesday, I went to a young adult event that was being put on by another Lutheran church in DC. It was a fun gathering with some very nice people and great conversation. Thursday, I rented a U-Haul to move some donated furniture to my house for the youth room in my basement. I survived driving a U-Haul in DC and now I think I could drive a U-Haul anywhere! Friday, I went to Virginia to meet up with some friends from seminary that are also on internship. It was great to discuss internship with each other and to see familiar people. Saturday, the youth served their monthly meal to the men at our shelter. We went shopping for the ingredients, prepared the meal of tacos, and enjoyed the meal with the men. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and service. Today, I preached for the second time today at Internship. If you would like to read the sermon you can find it on my other blog, Preaching Bytes. The day was finished off with lunch, my post-church nap, and a bit of relaxing!

Sign Language

I have always wanted to learn sign language. I even have a few books about it, but I have never actually been able to learn it. Today, I was reminded of my desire to know sign language. A young man came to the church today. He was deaf, so we had to communicate by writing on a piece of paper. It made me so sad that I could not communicate with him in sign language. He was lost, out of money, and his SmartTrip for the metro was out of money. I pointed him to the bus stop and gave him $5.00. He ended our written conversation by writing, "God Bless You and Thank You!" I left sad, wishing I knew sign language. I also left wondering if I had just given in to someone who really was not deaf, who was not lost, and who was going to use my $5.00 on something other than fare for the Metro. So, I am trusting in God and not leaning on my own understanding. He was lost, but now is found. He was without Metro fare, but now he has some. He was deaf, but now has been heard.

Food Pantry

St. Paul's has a food pantry that is open twice a month on Saturday mornings. I was not busy this Saturday, so I thought I would check it out! There were about six volunteers that were there to help coordinate the food pantry. We moved all the food out to tables and then the clients came down in groups of three to "shop" the food pantry. As they entered the pantry we walked them through each station letting the know how much they could take from each table. We served nearly 45 families. The people that came to the food pantry were mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandpas, grandmas, children, Hispanic, Caucasian, old, young, and the list goes on and on. It was certainly a blessing to be able to provide food to God's people. We were able to give from the abundance we have been given from God to those who live in scarcity. Indeed, this was God's work, our hands!

Kids Do The Cutest Things

As many of you probably know, I love children. I love the things that children say and do. Often I think I will remember these little things, but I do not have enough memory space. So, maybe if I blog about it I will remember it.

Last Sunday during worship I was distributing bread during communion. Since I have only helped with communion twice, I am still trying to figure out which kids take communion and which ones do not. This little girl came forward with her arms crossed across her body signaling to me that she did not take communion. I gave her a blessing saying, "May the Lord bless and keep you each and every day of your life. Amen." She wrapped her little arms around my legs and gave me a hug. She was so thankful for the words of blessing that had been spoken to her.

In Matthew 18:3-4, Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." May we all be as thankful as children!

Sunday!

This Sunday was my first time preaching at St. Paul's. Overall, I think it went really well and I heard a lot of great feedback from the congregation. If you would like to read my sermon, feel free to check it out at Preaching Bytes.

After church I headed to pick up Elizabeth and then we headed to Haymarket, VA. Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church meets in the firehouse in Haymarket, VA. Today was a very special day for this congregation as they welcomed Pastor Mark as their new pastor. It was a great day to celebrate with Mark and some of the seminary community.

Then Elizabeth and I headed out for supper. We stopped at Anita's, which serves "New Mexico Style" Mexican food. It was very tasty and a wonderful time to catch up with a great friend.

I headed home only to be lead on a scenic route that I was certain would take me much longer than the roads I had taken on my way to VA. However, it was quicker and had much less traffic and I only took about three wrong turns. The GPS is on my good side at the end of this day!

I was pretty exhausted when I got home and as I was coming into the house I accidentally pressed the "panic" button on my home security system. I frantically called the number to report a false alarm. After identifying myself and providing them with my password they told me they would cancel the alarm. Thinking that this meant that it was all taken care of I put my pajamas on and called my mom to chat about the day. As I was doing that I saw bright flashing lights out my window. It was a DC police officer. So, I left the house to go talk to him. He asked for my drivers license to prove that I lived there. I brought him my ID and his response was, "You are from South Dakota! How do I know you live here?" I had no idea how to prove that I lived here. Then I remember that I had a paycheck from the church with my address. Hooray! I proved that I lived there and then another police officer arrived. Holy Buckets! They sat outside my house for another fifteen minutes or so, which made me a bit nervous. The moral of this story is that I feel safe and secure with my home security system. I can barely prove that I live in my house, so no one else should be able to!

Here's to an exciting and exhausting Sunday!

My 1st Week!

So I now have my first full week of internship under my belt and I have a few updates for y'all!

1. I don't feel like I live in Washington, DC. I feel more like I live in a suburb, because there is nothing in my area that screams DC.

2.I find myself looking up a lot. As I walk around this city my eyes are always drawn upward. I think it is because I cannot see the horizon, so I scope out the large buildings that prevent me from seeing the horizon.

3. I am dependent on the Internet. I still do not have Internet at my house, so I am only able to use it at work. It is almost as if I get bored at home, because of the lack of Internet in my life. I have resorted to watching movies. Hopefully the Internet will be working by next week.


4. Hairspray has the ability to aid in killing a wasp. This bugger was in my house last week and I didn't know how to kill him. My mom graciously searched the Internet for a solution. Sorry, little wasp. RIP.

5. I wore my clerical collar to church on Sunday. This is my third time ever wearing it and my first time wearing it in DC.

6. I ate at Comet Ping Pong on Sunday. They have great pizza and ping pong tables for entertainment. It was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

All in all, I think the first week went well. Now, back to working on my sermon for this Sunday.

Welcome to DC!

Well, I made it here safely on July 23rd. My mom made the trek across the country with me and helped me get settled into my new house. While we were traveling we played a game to find a license plate from every state. We found all but 5 states: Hawaii; New Hampshire; Alabama; Wyoming, and Rhode Island. In DC my mom and I went to Target, Safeway, CVS, Politics and Prose, Bread and Chocolate, Chipotle, The Cheesecake Factory, and to Lucky Nails (for my mom's first pedicure).

Mom headed out on Wednesday, July 28th and I started working at the church. I am mostly settled into my office and my house, but it is all taking some getting used to. It is crazy to have a 3 bedroom 2.5 bathroom house in Washington, DC all to myself. At the church my office is kind of off the beaten path, but that means it is pretty quiet. I even have my own bathroom in my office!

After being at the church for two days I took off with part of the youth for a retreat in Deep Creek Lake, MD. It was a fantastic trip with some really wonderful young people. We spent time on the lake and the youth even talked me into going tubing, which made every muscle in my body hurt for several days. I also got a nice sunburn to go along with the body aches. On the way home, the girls in my vehicle wanted to stop at a gas station. So, I took them to Sheetz for their very first Sheetz experience. It was really funny to watch them be so excited over a gas station, but all I could do was remember my first time at Sheetz!

My hope is to keep this blog going throughout the year to keep y'all informed of my adventures. So, more to come...

Waiting

Those of you that know me well know that I hate waiting. I am a planner and an organizer and I love to know what is coming next. So, here I am waiting to find out where I will be placed next year for internship. I have applied for a program called Horizons. This program helps churches that cannot afford interns, afford them. I was interested in four sites: Seattle, WA; Los Angeles, CA; Syracuse, NY; and Bethlehem, PA. Today was the conference call that discussed which students are best for each site. Soon, the waiting should end and I should know if I was placed at one of these sites. If I was not placed at one of these sites then I will have internship matching with all of my classmates in February and continue the waiting process. Until then, I continue waiting and praying for God's will to be revealed to me.

Epiphany

So I have decided that I might start this blog back up again.  I started it when I moved to Gettysburg, PA, but as you can see it didn't last very long.  I am currently in a Preaching and Technology course which required me to start up a blog for my sermons.  You can check it out at Preaching Bytes.  Since today is Epiphany, when the wise men or magi followed the star to a manger in Bethlehem to find Jesus, I thought it would be an appropriate day to start this blog back up.  After all, there was a star in the east and they rose up and followed it.  There was a star in the east that I followed, which led me to LTSG.  There is also a star named Jesus, who has called me to the vocation of ministry.  May I continue to rise up and follow!