Home Again, Home Again...

It's been a little less than a week since I got back from GEM-K Conference and I am just now getting my head focused enough to write about it. Conference was amazing! It was so nice to catch up with old friends from last year and was even more fun to get to know all of the first timers to GEM-K Conference (this year we had over 10 first timers). This year was really neat because there wasn't a specific "team" that came over to run conference. We had a team, but not like last year when our team from OVCC went over to run it. This year there were two youth leaders from GEM (Cam and Tagg), four past GEM-Ks (Patty, John, Michael, and Kate), two people who love GEM-Ks (Liz and myself), Rod, and Matt and Hailey (and their kids). Being at Conference came so naturally this year because, 1) I had been there before and knew what to expect, and 2) I wasn't in charge of making sure the entire thing ran smoothly (by that I mean it wasn't all on our team's shoulders like last year, rather it was a total team effort and it was just natural).

So, the theme for Conference this year was taken from Chris Haw and Shane Claiborne's new book Jesus for President (sound familiar?) Matt was our speaker and he focused on a Mission theme: namely the Mission that God has for each of us and how it ties into God's Mission of bringing Shalom to the Earth. So our theme was Sheep... How does that work, you might ask. Well, in Matthew 10:16, Jesus says "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves" so... there you go. We are all sheep.

So, like I said, Matt was our speaker. In the mornings he would show a video and then we would break into our small groups and discuss the video. In the evenings Matt would speak in a sort of discussion format (similar to what we do in Community which is why I really enjoyed it). Every night he had the kids participate in section which he called "Agree:Disagree." How you play is simple: Matt throws out a statement and you walk to a side. You either agree or you disagree and then we discuss and argue each side. And you HAD to pick a side. There was no room for middle ground. All of the statements were set up in a way where you could come up with an argument to agree or disagree. I liked this part of Matt's talks because it made the kids (and myself) actually think about what they believe and why they believe it without being able to consult their parents or friends. They had to decide. Two statements that I remember most vividly were from the last night: "I have sinned if I bought a pair of shoes that were, unbeknown to me, made in a sweatshop." and "Everything we do is spiritual." Now, I have some strong opinions for these two, but I was surprised at the amount of kids which disagreed with my opinions. It was actually kinda sad.

All in all, conference was great! I love making connections with people, especially teens. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be able to attend and hang out with everyone (thanks again Matt!). It really was a wonderful time!

PS: the rest of my photos are posted on my Flickr. Have a look!

What is Poverty?

Today is our second full day of Conference and things are going really well. This morning Michael shared with us about his recent trips to Cambodia. He showed some pictures of where he lived and his brothers and family in Cambodia. He also showed us a pair of trousers (I've been hanging around Matt too long when I call pants trousers) he was wearing that his friend from Cambodia swiped from the garment factory she works in and gave him as a gift. It was crazy to actually see the face of someone who works in garment factories in Cambodia and to hear the stories of people passing out from the chemicals in the dyes while they only get paid $50 a month... The pants alone sell for a good 40 Euro (Michael said this, I don't know the brand but I hear it's popular in the UK). Michael told another story of one of his trips to Cambodia when he couldn't take any money out of the bank because his bank card didn't work (I've had this problem before no it was no fun). Oneo f his sisters/friends (she was pretty young and had lost both of her parents to AIDS) told him that she had saved up some money and handed him everything she had (about $10). He refused it at first because it was all she had and she started crying saying that if he didn't take it, then he didn't love her family. Sounds like a lame excuse I know but it was totally legit. In that culture it would be an insult not to take it as it was; a gift.

After Michael shared, we watched a short movie that asked the question "What Is Poverty?" Many people define it as a lack of money, but this guy proposed that Poverty was a lack of friendship. He asked, "If you lost everything, your house, your money, everything, how long would it take you to find food and water? How long would it take you to find a place to sleep? How long would it take you to find a job?" A lot of people I know would probably say a matter of minutes and maybe a week or so for a job. His argument was that if you are able to find everything you need to survive in a matter of minutes or weeks, then you are not poor. It was an interesting argument and I am not totally sure I agree with it fully, but I can definitely see a lot of that at school. All of the kids I work with are filthy stinkin rich but are so lacking in the love department that I would totally consider them poor...

I don't know. It was an interesting topic and it was neat to hear Michael speak a little. Tomorrow we are going to Vienna in the afternoon which should be a good time! For now I am going to attempt to take a little nap... I'm tired! Check out the pictures I posted on Flickr today of Conference so far.

2 Posts in One Day?

It must be something good if I get two posts in one day... My bag came tonight (around 9:30pm)!!! Praise God! And another praise is that Mike is doing much better. Matt and Liz went to visit him this afternoon and they say he looks much better. The doctors still want to keep him there to figure out what's wrong with them... So please keep praying that the doctors can figure out what's going on and that he can join us soon!

Caught in a Storm

Today I woke up around 9 am after going to sleep around 9:30pm... gotta love those 11 hour sleeps. We all ate breakfast and then hung around for a couple hours before heading into downtown Sopron. We found a bank (many of us didn't have any forint and needed to take some out) and then we went and ate some pizza for lunch. Liz and I (Liz is my roommate by the way... I enjoy hanging with her and am looking forward to getting to know her better) shared a pizza which made for a lovely lunch. We then walked up to the BOB (the toboggan ride here in Sopron), just to make sure we all remembered how to get there. I opted out of riding it this time around, but maybe later in the week if some kids want to go I will ride it with them. As we left the BOB, it began to rain. We walked down to the Interspar (the very large grocery store here is Sopron) and picked up some necessities (for me it was shampoo, conditioner, deodorant,) and then some not so necessities: Coke Light (that's right Ryan... I'm having a Hungarian Coke Light right now... If I get my suitcase back then I will bring some home for you, but if I'm stuck with my carry-on, you're out of luck!) and a Soproni (yeah, that's definitely a beer... not quite 21 yet in the states, but here it's legal and not a big deal so Liz, Matt, and I are going to have our beers later on tonight). Once we left Interspar the rain had picked up and there was some definite thunder going on in the background. Ah... a summer thunder storm! It's was super neat to be caught in one since we definitely don't have them in California. We were able to catch the bus up to our stop. By the time we reached our stop we still had a 5-10 min walk uphill to our hotel and by this time it was pouring down rain with thunder and lightening. Once we got up the hill, we were soaked from head to toe. I kept slipping in my rainbows so I took them off and just walked up barefoot. About 5 minutes ago I looked out the window of my room and definitely saw a lightening bolt maybe a mile away... and now the rain has stopped... It looks like it's clearing up. But it was pretty neat.

Anyway, no word on the luggage yet. I have to call and ask sometime today. I will keep you as updated as possible. Please be in prayer for Matt's brother Mike. He got here yesterday from spending a couple months in Cambodia (he is here to be part of the team) and almost instantly began to feel ill. Not getting into too many details, he got REALLY sick and from all the loss of fluid he was definitely way dehydrated. The ambulance picked him up yesterday and took him to the hospital were he probably has to stay for another two nights. Matt and Liz are over there right now checking up on him but please pray that the doctors can figure out what's wrong with him as there are many possibilities with him just getting back from Cambodia. Pray that they can treat him and that he will be healed and can join our team soon.

Made it... Almost in one Piece...

It is now Sunday, August 3 (I have lost a day somewhere) and I am happy and thankful to report that I made it safe and sound to the Hotel Korona in Sopron, Hungary. The flights weren't too bad (accept for the 2 hour delay in DC). I am sad to report that the one bag that I checked didn't make it to Hungary with me (and no, I am not joking). I have all of my clothes with me this time (I brought them in a carry-on) so we are only missing all of the camp shirts and decorations. It won't be the end of the world if it doesn't make it, but it will be a lot of time and money wasted (which would be a bummer). Please pray that it makes it here soon so the kids can have shirts for conference this year. I will try and keep you all updated on the trip (the hotel has wireless internet now so I don't have to sit up in the nest and plug in every time...). Anyway, I have to get going. Check back for more soon!

Making Like a Baby... and Heading Out...

I couldn't resist the pun in the title... I couldn't figure out what to make the title so I made it as cheesy as possible...

I am leaving tomorrow morning for the 2008 GEM-K Conference in Sopron, Hungary. All my bags are packed... I'm ready to go... oh wait I'm not singing... But in all reality I am ready to go. These last six weeks have been crazy stressful and busy with camp, and I am excited to get away and meet new people and reconnect with old friends. I will do my best to keep my blog updated with photos or whatever, but I don't make any promises. Please pray for travel safety for me (and my luggage... I am carrying on my clothes and checking the camp t-shirts and it would be a bummer if they didn't make it). Keep me and the MKs and the leaders and Matt & Hailey in your prayers the next week and a half.

PS: Here are a random sampling of photos from Summer Camp this year. Enjoy!

Head of the GSD Department

Work has been about half stress/half a riot lately. I say a riot because they stress and craziness of it just kinda makes me laugh now. A lot is going on and my boss keeps throwing things at me that stress me out, but now it's almost a joke seeing that there is only about a week and half left. My friend Katie (she has worked summers in the past with us and it was really hard doing the first few weeks without her) is back for the last two weeks of camp which has been a huge help! Everyone has been asking what her official job title is and we decided that she is in charge of the GSD department (Get Shit/Stuff (as we tell the kids) Done) and she is doing a fantastic job of getting stuff done!

As far as everything else goes, I'm trying to tie up lose ends and finish up stuff before I fly out to Hungary on August 2. That's right. I am not sure if I mentioned it before but I am going out to the GEM-K conference again this year in Sopron, Hungary. I leave on Aug 2 which is less than two weeks away which doesn't leave me a ton of time to get things finished up. Please pray that I can manage my time well these next few days. Also pray for conference this year. I am really excited about going (I am also carrying on my own luggage... no losing anything this year). I will write more about conference before I head out, but for now, I'm off to work!

Jesus for President

It's here! The long awaited blog on Shane Claiborne's new book, Jesus for President. I finished the book months ago and never felt motivated or focused enough to actually sit down and write about it. What changed you might ask. Last night I went to the Jesus for President book tour at Ventura Vineyard church. The mix of music and speaking was really moving and inspirational... it sounds kinda crazy, but it was a super neat experience. Shane and Chris (Chris Haw, the co-author of the book) would stand up and quasi-preach the main outline of the book; from political structures of the bible to the political stands Jesus made to the political stands that we as His followers should be making as well. Intermittently between Shane and Chris speaking, two guys from Psalters would play some pretty powerful songs/chants/ and ultimately Psalms...

The book itself is really powerful and really makes you think about how you live your life. It questions who you are living for; Are you living for the Roman Empire (or in our case, the American Empire) or are you living as a chosen child of God - Holy and set apart from nations to be His own. The book really looks at the early church and the politics of Jesus. Someone asked me about a month ago if I thought "politics" should be brought into the church. My response was, the church itself is a political statement. Jesus' entire ministry was political and we, as His followers, should follow in the same manner. We need to be radicals for love and not war - loving our enemies, which I'm pretty sure doesn't include killing them - We are called to turn the other cheek, not to cower in fear but to look our enemy in the eye and pour Christ's love into their souls.

Everything that Shane and Chris had to say was super powerful, but one thing that really made me look at my own life was this: During Jesus' ministry, some of John the Baptist's disciples came to Jesus and asked him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" (Luke 7:19). Jesus didn't respond with a conceited "Yes." Instead he "cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind" and told them "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor." (Luke 7:22) Jesus essentially says to them, "Tell him what you see... look at what is being done and decide for yourself." I have always thought this response was pretty neat, but Shane challenged us by asking if we could respond in the same way? When people ask us, "Are you a Christian?" our response should be that like Christ's "Tell me what you see in my life." I know I struggle with that and always have to reevaluate my life to see if someone could look at my life and see Jesus at the center of every thought and action.

There were a ton of super cool parts about last night; including hanging out after with Paul, Kathy, Josh, Darren, Kate, Carl, Coco, and sitting chatting with Shane and Chris after most people had left. We stuck around for a bit and Paul just shared his heart with them. Then we helped them load up their Veggie Oil bus (I'm pretty sure it's normally the Psalter's travel bus, but they are using it for the book tour and driving it across the country. The coolest thing I probably can take from last night was reciting the Litany of Resistance and Confession that Shane, Chris, and some others had complied in order to pledge allegiance to our one true King (not a country, an empire, a flag, or president, but our one true King and Savior Jesus Christ):

One: Deliver Us, O God.
All: Guide our feet in the ways of Your peace.
One: In humility, we ask.
All: Hear our prayer. Grant us Peace.
One: In humility, we ask.
All: Hear our prayer. Grant us Peace.
One: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world.
All: Have mercy on us.
One: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world.
All: Free us from the bondage of sin and death.
One: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world.
All: Hear our prayer. Grant us peace.
One: Today, we pledge our ultimate allegiance to the Kingdom of God.
All: We pledge allegiance.
One: To the peace that is not like Rome's.
All: We pledge allegiance.
One: To the gospel of enemy-love.
All: We pledge allegiance.
One: To the kingdom of the poor and broken.
All: We pledge allegiance.
One: To a King who loves His enemies so much He died for them.
All: We pledge allegiance.
One: To the least of these, with whom Christ dwells.
All: We pledge allegiance.
One: To the transnational Church that transcends the artificial borders of nations.
All: We pledge allegiance.
One: To the refugee of Nazereth.
All: We pledge allegiance.
One: To the homeless rabbi who had no place to lay His head.
All: We pledge allegiance.
One: To the cross rather than the sword.
All: We pledge allegiance.
One: To the banner of love above any flag.
All: We pledge allegiance.
One: To the One who rules with a towel rather than an iron fist.
All: We pledge allegiance.
One: To the One who rides a donkey rather than a war horse.
All: We pledge allegiance.
One: To the revolution that sets both oppressed and oppressors free.
All: We pledge allegiance.
One: To the way that leads to Life.
All: We pledge allegiance.
One: To the Slaughtered Lamb.
All: We pledge allegiance.
One: And together we proclaim His praises, from the margins of the empire to the centers of wealth and power.
All: Long Live the Slaughtered Lamb!
One: Long Live the Slaughtered Lamb!
All: Long Live the Slaughter Lamb!

Way better than pledging to the American flag. How incredible is it that we can pledge our allegiance to the Slaughtered Lamb! The goal of last night was not to tell us who to vote for or which party to join. Their mission was and is to unite Christ Followers to live lives set apart from the nations and empires of this world and to live lives that reflect Christ's love for us all. Long Live the Slaughtered Lamb!

Camp... And then Some...

I have now heard from about three people that they were SO happy that I FINALLY updated my blog... I know I am usually really good at updating, but it's been a rough last 5 weeks with trips, prepping for camp, and now running camp. The first three weeks of have been really hard on my physically, mentally, and emotionally. Things are starting to look up though. God has put two incredible co-workers on our staff this year that are so encouraging and loving towards me. God also has blessed me with some AMAZING friends and mentors and I am so thankful for having them in my life (you know who you are...).

So, camp... Where do I begin? I actually don't really want to talk about it. It's getting better and we are hoping/praying to hire Katie back to help us out for the last three weeks of camp. Right now it's kinda just been Dillon and myself doing everything with not a whole lot of help from out new Head Dorm Parents... they are doing their best, but they are new to the job and there seems to be a bigger learning curve for them (not to mention one is the laziest person alive and never wants to do anything he is supposed to... it's kinda annoying). So camp is crazy and stressful, but I am trying to find the joy in it where I can...

Chaos and then Some

This post is mainly for Martha (which, I didn't even know that you read my blog because you never comment on any of my posts...) but since it has been forever since I have posted, I thought I would throw out a brief catch up before taking my 60 children (camp has begun) to the fireworks.

So, we are just finishing our first session of camp (first two weeks) which means that all of our 2A campers will be going home tomorrow and all of our 2B and 4B campers will be moving into the dorms. This session was SUPER stressful with ACA accreditation and crazy children (one of which we sent home early) and the lice scare and the 4th of July... but things are getting a little better (just in time for out next group to show up...). I will have to do a full catch up later when I have more time, but for now, you will just have to be satisfied with the teasers (Martha...).