First Impressions

Thursday June 7th
    Thursday morning Larissa and I were packed and standing by our silver minivan at 7:15am. Together with Shane we collected and loaded a lot of construction equipment, food, kitchen equipment, and our own personal things. We ate breakfast with the other interns that hadn’t left yet and then loaded up and were on the road around 9:15. One of the other LT teams will be spending the summer in Dayton OH so for a few hours we caravanned along the highway. We stopped randomly at a dairy farm to have an adventure but discovered that everything cost money. We resigned ourselves to walking around, taking pictures of fake cows, and laughing about everything. There was even a birthing barn that Alyssa, another intern, and I really wanted to go in. Alas, it cost money as well and for that the rest of our team was grateful. :D
    Most of the car ride we made smalltalk and commented on random things we passed. I love being in the car so it was relaxing for me. We listened to music and just drove. We stopped for lunch with the Dayton team at a Chick-Fil-A. Eventually the other van turned east and Shane, Larissa, and I continued south. We each took turns telling our life stories. That was powerful for me, both to hear their stories and to tell mine. That was the first time I have shared so much about myself with people I have only known for a few days. It was a good experience. As soon as I finished it was like my soul relaxed. They know who I am now and that is so comforting. I am coming out of my shell slowly but surely :)
    After a long day of driving we finally arrived in Manchester KY just after the sun set. I love how the hills squish towns sideways in Appalachia. Manchester is the county seat so there are some chain businesses such as fast foot, and even a Walmart! It is still a pretty small town though. Our home for the summer is the Manchester Christian Youth Center. The building is right next to the road on the far side of town. It is a huge open gym with a small kitchen and only one enclosed room above the gym. There is also a long hallway above the gym on one side but it is open to the rest of the building. Larissa and I moved our stuff into the one room and we stored the construction equipment in a closet like room under the stairs. Shane slept in the hallway. We’re not sure what the sleeping arrangements will be when the first team arrives. Shane is working on that. After some much needed time on the phone with family and a friend and some good prayer time, I finally fell asleep in my new home. CYC in Manchester KY.
    And that brings me to today! Our first team arrives Sunday evening around dinner time so between now and then we have a lot to do. We have to shop for food, buy more construction equipment and get our heads on straight to officially begin our summer of ministry!

Prayer Requests:
You may have gleaned this from the above post, but no matter what the sleeping arrangements end up being, there will not be a lot of privacy this summer. Please pray that we would all adapt to living in close quarters and that we will have grace with one another.
 Please pray that we can get everything done that we need to before the team arrives. We still have a lot to organize, and prepare before Sunday so we would appreciate prayer for efficiency.
While the three of us are getting along quite well please continue to pray that we would be good friends for one another and find our stride as a team.
Today we will be meeting with the pastor of a local church who is helping us line up work projects for the summer. Please pray that this meeting goes well and that God directs us to the families that need His love and care this summer!
Our first team comes on Sunday!! Please pray that God would be preparing the hearts of the students who are coming to serve, and also that they would give us grace because it is the first trip of the summer!
Please pray that God would be preparing me, Shane, and Larissa to minister specifically to this group of students. We want to love on them, build relationships with them, and also challenge them in their faith and development as young Christians. Please pray that God would work through us.
Lastly, pray that would would grow through this time as well. As I have said in a previous post every morning begins with 45 minutes of devo time, and while that seems like a long time, by the end of intern training I was wishing for more time. Pray that God would really work with me during that time so I can focus on serving each and every day.

One last thing: God is so good to us. I am sitting in a Starbucks writing this post and the manager of the store just gave us drinks for free. I know this is a small thing, but to me it shows that God is already blessing the work we want to do here. Praise be to God!
I am so grateful for all of my friends praying for me back home. Thank you so much to Kathryn for your encouraging texts and constant reminders of your love and support. Thank you Breanna for your incredible words of wisdom. Every time we talk you tell me exactly what I need to hear and I am so grateful for you in my life. Leelee thank you so much for your friendship, prayers, and encouraging words! And mom, thank you for always being there for me and listening to me! I’m sorry I cannot call as much as you would like. I love you!
I will talk to you again on the other side of the first trip!

Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”