A Step in the Right Direction

Well... I "kicked off" fundraising yesterday by getting a letter out to everybody at church. I'm incredibly grateful for everything my church family has already done for me, helping me go to Germany three times to do missions work already. I also know that this trip really is a "Game changer" in a lot of ways - I'll be gone longer, I'll need more funds, and in a lot of ways the work I'm helping with has greater gravity than what I was doing in the past. So, I'm trying to stay optimistic and going to really try to raise support as well as I am able!

The Journey Begins

So this is the first post I've written in a month... again. I promise that will change now that things are pretty much officially underway. I'm officially beginning the support raising process with the hope that I will be in Germany in about 2 months. If all goes well in mid January. Thats exciting. However between now and then there is one huge hill to climb (the support process), as well as lots of "packing up" to do. The truth is that I'm not so much worried, at this point, about packing up my belongings. That is the easy part. I'm more concerned about leaving on a good foot, and being able to say goodbye to people on the right terms.

That being said. I need to get back to work on some other things - so this post will be relatively short. But best wishes to anyone who may be reading this blog already (or still). And I hope to be able to share this exciting journey with all of you as it unfolds through this blog.

The next best thing

So, I haven't written on this blog since English camp. I can't believe that was already two months ago. The time has flown by. In some ways I'm moving on with life as it was, in other ways I'm moving forward. Right now I'm still working part-time at the grocery store that I did before I left, and I'm incredibly grateful that they gave me my job back, especially given the current economic state of the country. However, I'm also in the process of trying to make it back to Germany next year to help out with the English camp efforts for, hopefully, about 9 months. Within the next few weeks I'm hoping to get a new blog started up, or to give this one a massive face-lift, and to define/redefine the mission I'd like the major objectives for the blog.

So... with that said. For those of you listening, thanks a ton for all of the support this past summer. I really can't begin to describe how much it means to me. And second, (and more importantly), I'll be sharing new information about next year as it becomes available to me!

Lost & Found

So I've neglected the old blog for the past ten days. And for that I sincerely apologize. Camp is kind like triage - you have to rank your priorities, and realize that somethings (with the workload) are lost battles and are only going to wear you out more. Last camp was brutal insofar as I couldn't just sit around and listen for kids being loud - I had to bust down doors and tell them to be quiet... until at least 11:30. Then wake up at 7 the next morning and repeat the whole process. I'm not saying that to whine. I totally enjoy "the whole process" the downside of it is, if I'm honest, there are other things that for my own sanity's sake had to fall by the wayside. The blog was one of them.

Camps been over now for a week. I've been trying to get stuff put back in order with Janz Team, and I think I'm done with that. I've also had some meeting about possibly coming back for a more extended time next year - which would be fantastic. I really love working with the people I worked with this summer, and I really love the work. Its been a great experience, even if I don't get a chance to come back, this summer is something I wouldn't change for anything.

Camp has been over for a week, and I think I'm starting to get a good piece of my energy back. I'm enjoying the area I'm in... Its beautiful, and to be able to be out on some hiking trails after a five minute's walk is awesome. I spent a day exploring a park with some rock-formations, and it was an awesome escape from the constant hustle of camp. (Even though, if I'm honest, I really do miss the hustle). But the area here is great. Its still Baden, and that means great food, great people, beautiful vineyards, beautiful scenery... etc.

More Bacon Than the Pan Can Handle

Thats right. I'm having tons of fun right now... Camp has actually really been going well the past couple of days. Despite some pretty serious hitches in our road, camp has been going really well (I think). For me Saturday was a pretty tough day, it was long, and there was a bunch of stuff going on... so at the end of the day I felt pretty drained. And things, I think, have been getting better since then, slowly but surely. So now... I really do think things are going alright. We've still got a tough (But good) couple of days in front of us, and we need to make the most of our time with the campers. But I'm looking forward to the challenge.

That being said... I guess I'm giving the Bible message on Friday... so I'm gonna go back to work on that :-).

Tech Disasters can't Stop Me.

So yesterday was allright despite some bad tech dissasters... Some of which were my fault. We are combining chapel for two of the camps, since we are sans one chapel speaker - not in and of itself a problem. However, everyone involved in chapel wants to use more equipment than we actually have... therin lies the problem. So in trying to switch out sound equipment in between stuff, and setting up three different computers... yeah. So we had some technical difficulties. Bummer. But I think I have a working solution for tonight... I hope it works.

A new beginning

Sorry I haven't updated in so long - the end of last camp got kind of crazy, especially with only one computer with internet access avaliable. Hopefully this camp will go better with that. The first camp is over, sadly, but the second one began yesterday. So after a few days of rest, we're back in the saddle again. And it feels good. Yesterday night I policed the halls until about 12:30, busting kids for talking past lights out. Its a strange kind of power-trip ;-) .

But seriously. I have a good feeling about this camp. Getting to know the kids, so far, has been great. Its a totally different game when you don't know most of them from the onset - so much more of this camp will be forging new relationships with kids, rather than building relationships further. There are a few kids that I know here from three years ago, and its been really nice to seem them again, especially since they've grown up in the meantime.

Alright. I have to get going, but I'll hopefully post more later. Oh... and the slide show should now be pictures from last camp!