A Poem

NO, I did not write a poem but I wanted to share a poem that I read in class.  It is called "Wait" By Russell Kelfer.

Wait
by Russell Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried; 

Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied. 

I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . . 

And the Master so gently said, "Wait." 

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply. 

"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!

Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?

By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word. 

"My future and all to which I relate 

Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait? 

I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign, 

Or even a 'no' to which I can resign. 

"You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe, 

We need but to ask, and we shall receive. 

And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:

I'm weary of asking! I need a reply." 

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate, 

As my Master replied again, "Wait." 

So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut, 

And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?" 

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . . 

and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign. 

I could shake the heavens and darken the sun. 

I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"I could give all you seek and pleased you would be. 

You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me. 

You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint. 

You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;

You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.

You'd not know the joy of resting in Me

When darkness and silence are all you can see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love

When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.

You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,

But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of my comfort late into the night,

The faith that I give when you walk without sight.

The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask

From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,

What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.

Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,

But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see

That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.

And though oft My answers seem terribly late,

My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."

Summer serve recap in WORDS

So I posted my recap about serve in pictures well now I will do a update on what we did each day. So it went from Friday through Thursday!

Friday: We all arrived at the church that we were staying at. (when I say we I mean the mentors not participants) We all set up our bed and then we went to one of the mentors parents house. We got there and ate dinner we had hamburgers and they were really good, After we ate we did a couple of get to know you activities then hung out and had bon-fire and then went back to the church! When we got back we got ready for bed and then at I believe 11:00 we went to bed.

Saturday: Saturday was when the participants arrived. I was excited, but before they arrived we ate breakfast and had mentor training. and also found out who we were with for the week. After mentor training we ate lunch and then got ready for participants to come. When the kids got there, we did a scavenger hunt with them and found like where their room was, and where the showers were and everything after the scavenger hunt we had some down town and got all the kids ready for dinner and convertible rides and motorcycle rides. So after we ate dinner we got to ride the convertibles and motorcycles I didn't go on a motorcycle but but I did go on a convertible. After the rides we went inside for worship, Worship is by all my all time favorite thing of the entire week. Anyway after worship we went to small groups and then had a snack and then at this time of the night it is time to get the kids ready for bed and then after they are in bed mentor stay to stay up and go to mentor meeting. It was a fun experience for the first night to be in there. I loved the group of mentors.

Sunday: Sunday, The Lord's day we go up and ate breakfast and then went and got ready for church. after we ate we had to go to the first church service there and they talked about what we were going to do during the week. After we were done there we went into the gym and we had an actual church service combined with the church where we staying and also my church. After church we got ready for lunch and then we after lunch then we all got ready for a talent show. The talent show was with the small groups we were in.  It was very fun. I loved it. We had a little delay in the talent show though because they lost power. After the talent show it was dinner time. After we ate dinner we got ready and had worship. After worship we went to small groups and then after small groups we had a snack and then got the kids ready for bed then we to a mentor meeting then I ran across the street and took a quick shower. After I showered I went back and got ready for bed then went to bed because I knew we would have a long day on Monday.

Monday: Monday, first day of work sites. We woke up and got ready, we ate breakfast and found out where we were going to work. After we were all ready we went to where we were suppose to stand and then leave. I went to a school a cleaned. It was SO SO SO SO SO HOT!!!! It was not fun. When were there we washed doors, tables, chairs, windows. We took a lot of breaks it was really nice. We didn't have that much work todo and we didn't want to start something and not finish so we went back to the church and we got to shower relax and take it easy before we went to go ride horses. Yes we rode horses. It was fun. I got to ride in a big charter bus with all my friends and they bugged me and wouldn't let me sleep but oh well. When we got there the place was huge and also they had a runway. The kids got to ride horses pet alpacas and ride a hayride and have snow cones and pet ducks and all different kinds of fun. After we were done riding horses we went back to the church and ate dinner and then later on had worship and then we got to go in sprinkler and cool off. After that we had a snack then got the kids ready for bed then after they were ready mentors went to the mentor meetings. and then after the mentor meeting I went down stairs and talked with the other mentors. At 11:30 I went to bed. I wanted to be ready for a long day on Tuesday.

Tuesday: Tuesday Second day of work and backwood adventures. We woke up and got ready, we ate breakfast and found out where we were going to work. After we were all ready we went to where we were suppose to stand and then leave. I went to a school a cleaned. It was SO SO SO SO SO HOT!!!! It was not fun. On this day though  we washed chairs and took a lot of breaks and got ICE CREAM and then we went back to the  church and then we got to go backwood adventures and ride quads, fish, ride gators, archery, pellet gun and eat food. It was fun just so HOT! I went a gator ride it was fun then We ate dinner. We also had worship when we were there. It was to hot to do any of the motions though. After we got back to the church we got to go in a fire truck. YES they got a fire truck and they hosed us down it fell so nice though. . After that we had a snack then got the kids ready for bed then after they were ready mentors went to the mentor meetings. and then after the mentor meeting I went down stairs and talked with the other mentors. At 11:30 I went to bed.

Wednesday: Last day of work, swimming and banquet! Last day of work sites, I was HOT, I didn't got to the school.  I actually went to a camp and raked leaves it was just a little to hot. But we took a lot of breaks and then after we were done working we got to go swimming, and cool off. After we went swimming we went back and got ready for a banquet and got dressed up and got awards(well the kids got them) then after the banquet we had a dance party then had worship then, small groups and then we got a snack and then we went and packed the kids and got them ready for bed then packed up yourselves and then put the kids to bed. Then mentors went to the mentor meetings. and then after the mentor meeting I went down stairs and talked with the other mentors. At 1:30 I went to bed.

Thursday: Last Day :(, We woke up early and we took all of our stuff and put it in the gym and then we ate breakfast and then made sure we had everything  packed up and then families started to arrive and we had worship ONE LAST TIME! I miss still to this day. anyway after we had worship we went into small groups to pray over each of the kids and then the parents prayed over the mentors. After that time we went and had some lunch and got ready to leave. There were a lot of tears. After the a lot of the kids left the mentors were able to stay good bye and give hugs and pray over the other mentors and just say our last good byes and then we all left and went out separate ways.

Yeah so there is my serve update in WORDS! sorry it was so long, but hope you enjoyed reading it. questions? leave them in the comments and I will try to answer them! Bye all

Hey

Hey, sorry, I haven't been updating this blog that much I have been busy with school, but today I found sometime today and wasn't doing any thing so I thought I would update my blog, Not mush really has been going on i have been busy I haven't gotten much time to pause and think about what I have done. which isn't the best but I am loving life. I have been volunteering at Compassionate Heart and I have been taking drivers training. So if you live in west Michigan STAY OFF THE ROADS! well I must go thanks for reading

Summer Recap

So, School starts tomorrow so it is time for a summer recap. So two things that stuck I really like this summer was that we went on vacation to Wisconsion and I did Summer Serve. So I will do the Serve recap today and the vacation some other time soon. So Serve. For those of you who don't know what Serve is Click HERE! But I will post my pictures below! They  are no particular  order

My friend Jeremy and I

My friend Josh and Hayden with the Fish that Josh caught

Josh With another fish he caught

My AWESOME  Friend Michael, So blessed to get to know him even more this week. 

Thanks for a great time!

Courtney

My Beautiful Sister

My participant Ashley. 

Annake, sister's participant 

Ashley

My good friend Jenny with Josh photobombing in the back 

Alicia 

Nathan, Tyler and Josh, all matched! Three Great guys

JONAH B! He is so kind. So happy to hang out with him during the week. 

Scott and Carl. Two Awesome boys. 

Katie. It was her first time and I was so happy to get to know her.

DREW: He is so funny. It was fun to work with him during the week.

My sister got to sit on a llama

My awesome Friend Logan. We had a talent show and he had to wear that. 

Me and Logan matched. It was so fun getting to hang out with him during the week. 

Logan and his mentor Brenden. It was so fun to get to know Brenden during the week. 

BRAD, It was so fun getting to work with him at the school and getting to know him. We are in the same grade at school.  

ETHAN! He is awesome I had so much fun hanging out with him and working at the work site with hime during the week. 

Ashley Caught a fish!

JULIA: It was her last year doing Serve I so Blessed to hang out with her. 

LUKE: He is so Awesome he lives in Iowa So I don't get to see that much so it was so fun to hang out with him during the week. 

Ryan, Such a sweet man. he might have been smiling when the picture was taken but he has the sweetest smile EVER! 

Abbie, Ethan and I on the first night. 

Ashley. So fun to hang out with

Chelsea!

Scott!

Jacob! This is guy is so AWESOME! So fun to hang out with during the week. 

Tyler! He is so sweet!

Luke and I again!

Jonah! I am so thankful to have a friendship like I do with him. He always can make me laugh! Thanks for a great week Jonah I had so much fun hanging out with you. 

CAM! This is Jonah B's mentor. It was so fun hanging out and getting to know him during the week!

Abbie and I before the talent show. 

Tyler and Dylan, Two awesome guys! I was so blessed to have meet them during the week. I am so glad that I got to know them and that I have an awesome friendship with them and I hope that they come back next year to do Serve. 

Kayleigh!

Jonah, Josh and I before they left on the last day. All wearing our ICAN shirts

Abbie caught a HUGE FISH!

Dylan again, thanks for an awesome friendship we built during the week. 

Megan

ERIC: He is so AWESOME, So blessed to have meet him as well. I am so glad that I got to know him. It was an awesome week with him. 

Josh, another one that can make me smile no matter what it was such a blessing to hang out with him during the week. 

School....

So most people start school tomorrow, it's their first day!!!! Well for me this already my second week of school! Yeah that's right I started Last week Tuesday!. It have been goo=ing good, I know I haven't updated in a while but now that I have my NEW computer I will update more. I will do a summer recap next but for now. Have a good school year all.