"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Hebrews 10:24-25 has been our theme for the week, as we focused on strengthening the community of women God has given us for the summer through life-giving and encouragement. I am grateful for all the ways this has happened, even from the first day of project. Time spent catching up on our workdays over tea, washing dishes for one another, being in awe of God's creation together, sharing meals, serving Juneau, and praying for each other have all contributed to a strong sense of fellowship among the girls here on project. They continue to be an encouragement to me.
This was my first full week of work here in Juneau. I now have a pretty good sense of what my routine will look like for the next seven weeks. Although stocking shelves from 8 to 5 can make for a long day, I am thoroughly enjoying the job God has provided. I have enjoyed getting to know my co-workers and have already begun to have good conversations with them about who God is, the sinfulness of humans, and why the lifestyle of a Christian is so different from what the world says is normal. Although most of my co-workers are living lives apart from God, the interest that they have shown in spiritual topics and their eagerness to ask questions has been encouraging and gets me excited about spending time with them. It is also cool to see the ways that God used my job back at school (at the Hill Grill) to prepare me for interacting with people from other backgrounds and who are living dramatically different lives than me.
Now that we have been in Juneau for a few weeks, seeing relationships form with people we have encountered, whether downtown, on the bus, or at a local coffee shop, has been fantastic. God has brought a handful of girls, for us to minister to, all at different points in their relationship with Him. Each week we have opportunities to invite these girls and others that we have met to spend time with us. A couple Saturdays ago we had an Open Mic night at Waffle Co., this past Friday we did a Lock-In where we played games, enjoyed a late night pancake breakfast, had break-out sessions, a dating forum, and relied on God as we took time to worship Him through our exhaustion. Yesterday we had a dodgeball tournament, despite the rain and 40 degree weather. Three of my co-workers, Ben, Kate and Ray, joined us and had a great time hanging out. Please be praying that God will be at work in their heart. Also, you can pray for continued fellowship among the girls here as we try to live out Christ and point others to Him. "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." -John 13:35
Thanks for your prayers and for wanting to stay updated on happenings here in Juneau. I am so encouraged by your support!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
I know I have some catching up to do since my last post, but for the time being I would like to skip to more recent excitement for apartment D7 (or maybe just Hope Petersen). Within the past half hour we have acquired a new addition to our extremely random collection of kitchen utensils and appliances: a coffee pot! For the past ten days, I have valiantly tried to substitute tea and instant coffee in place of the real deal but it just isn't the same. I wanted to share this moment of enjoyment; sipping my freshly brewed coffee and reflecting over the past few days (while my Dad is, no doubt, rolling his eyes).
A lot has been going on here in Juneau over the past week. I will do my best to hit most of the highlights. Last Saturday all the girls on project got to spend the evening at the home of Deb Douglass, an amazing single woman in her early fifties who is living here in Juneau. Deb is crazy adventurous and has been a kayaking guide for over twenty years. Her good friend, and well-known author of faith based books for women, Pam Farrell was in town and hung out with us for a few hours. It was really cool to hear these women share their stories and see the way they were serving God so faithfully. We were able to ask them questions on so many different topics and they answered with such honesty and wisdom.
Sunday morning was the first week of going to Douglas Island Bible Church. This will be my church for the summer along with Kelsie and several guys from the Men's Project. We all felt so welcomed by the church and are excited to get to know the members throughout the next couple months. Every Sunday night we play ultimate frisbee on the field of a nearby middle school. This is such a great chance to invite friends, coworkers and people we meet to hang out with us. I don't know if I can convey the greatness of Sunday Night Fris to you but I will give it a try. The turf is so awesome you can help but play barefoot, playing til 9:30 or 10 is no problem because it is still light outside, and...oh ya...there are majestic mountains everywhere you look. It's just all around fantastic.
Monday morning we had a brief evangelism training session before getting the chance to go downtown and strike up conversations with locals and tourists. My friend Abby and I spent most of our time talking to a girl named Kathy. It was a good conversation; I learned a lot about the Native American culture, which a large percentage of the population in Juneau is a part of.
Tuesday morning I went with a few other girls to help a husband and wife clean and organize a food pantry that they are operating. That afternoon I went in for a job interview at the Alaska Juneau Mining Co. Within five minutes I was set up to come into work the next morning! God has been so good in providing this job. I am working as a stocker at a rather large and very touristy store, keeping the shelves full and the store clean. Most of my coworkers are around my age and it has been cool getting to know them. I am also really excited to be working downtown, it has been fun catching rides to and from work with other project people and getting to walk around town during my lunch break. It is going to be a fairly exhausting schedule, with my hours being 8a-5p everyday, but I know it is going to be so worth it!
I wish I had more time to share all that has been going on, but we are about to head out for a night of camping. Thanks so much for all your prayers. Please continue to pray for me as I start spending more time around my coworkers. We have already begun to have conversations about Christ; pray that both my actions and my words will represent Christ. Here are the names of a few of my coworkers:
-Kate
-Steph
-Hannah
-Helena
-Ben
-Tony
Til next time!
A lot has been going on here in Juneau over the past week. I will do my best to hit most of the highlights. Last Saturday all the girls on project got to spend the evening at the home of Deb Douglass, an amazing single woman in her early fifties who is living here in Juneau. Deb is crazy adventurous and has been a kayaking guide for over twenty years. Her good friend, and well-known author of faith based books for women, Pam Farrell was in town and hung out with us for a few hours. It was really cool to hear these women share their stories and see the way they were serving God so faithfully. We were able to ask them questions on so many different topics and they answered with such honesty and wisdom.
Sunday morning was the first week of going to Douglas Island Bible Church. This will be my church for the summer along with Kelsie and several guys from the Men's Project. We all felt so welcomed by the church and are excited to get to know the members throughout the next couple months. Every Sunday night we play ultimate frisbee on the field of a nearby middle school. This is such a great chance to invite friends, coworkers and people we meet to hang out with us. I don't know if I can convey the greatness of Sunday Night Fris to you but I will give it a try. The turf is so awesome you can help but play barefoot, playing til 9:30 or 10 is no problem because it is still light outside, and...oh ya...there are majestic mountains everywhere you look. It's just all around fantastic.
Monday morning we had a brief evangelism training session before getting the chance to go downtown and strike up conversations with locals and tourists. My friend Abby and I spent most of our time talking to a girl named Kathy. It was a good conversation; I learned a lot about the Native American culture, which a large percentage of the population in Juneau is a part of.
Tuesday morning I went with a few other girls to help a husband and wife clean and organize a food pantry that they are operating. That afternoon I went in for a job interview at the Alaska Juneau Mining Co. Within five minutes I was set up to come into work the next morning! God has been so good in providing this job. I am working as a stocker at a rather large and very touristy store, keeping the shelves full and the store clean. Most of my coworkers are around my age and it has been cool getting to know them. I am also really excited to be working downtown, it has been fun catching rides to and from work with other project people and getting to walk around town during my lunch break. It is going to be a fairly exhausting schedule, with my hours being 8a-5p everyday, but I know it is going to be so worth it!
I wish I had more time to share all that has been going on, but we are about to head out for a night of camping. Thanks so much for all your prayers. Please continue to pray for me as I start spending more time around my coworkers. We have already begun to have conversations about Christ; pray that both my actions and my words will represent Christ. Here are the names of a few of my coworkers:
-Kate
-Steph
-Hannah
-Helena
-Ben
-Tony
Til next time!
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