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!