Summer Rewind - Week One

Originally written June 21, 2012

Well Ladies and Gents,

I survived the first week. Heck, I wouldn't even call it surviving - it was more like thriving. There were so many points this past week with 30 middle school students from Hudson, OH that showed me so strongly that I am exactly where God wants me to be.  From the three amazing adult volunteers to every student there is so much joy I'd love to share with you… however, it would take a whole book to describe the adventure God just took me on.

So enjoy the few pictures I snapped of different parts of my week.

What I do want to share with you is the relationships I've begun to build with people I was not expecting. Part of my job requires me to purchase many an item at the grocery store and the hardware store. Kettering (the Dayton suburb we live in) has several options for both. 

So Saturday came around and we decided Mejier would be a great spot to make our local grocery store. After 2 hours of shopping, I went in search for a lane and a sweet cashier to ring everything up. This is how I met Morgan. In her early 20s, Morgan has lived in the Dayton area her whole life and is not super excited about her job as a cashier. It took her an hour to ring us out, and during that time we got to know her a little better.

On Sunday morning we decided to handle our work site shopping at Home Depot before church. A couple days before I had had Adam and Alissa go into Home Depot to map out the basic sections in hopes of making the actual shopping trip a little faster. It did, but soon our odd shopping mound brought the attention of a store employee who offered us a personal shopper - we were almost done with our list, but decided to say yes anyways. This is how I met Kat. She's a woman in her late 30s who's a little rough around the edges. She took us all around the store, introducing us to everyone in the other departments and was simply a huge help.

Since the team last week was so large I had to make several more runs to both locations for supplies and God happened to bring them both back into my path. It's been quite fun to make friends who brighten my day as I cover the logistical side of my job, and both of these women's faces brighten when they see me also. Yesterday while Morgan was ringing up our 2nd weeks worth of groceries I asked her if she attended a church in the area. She said not anymore since she moved in with her boyfriend. I invited her to come to Emmanual Lutheran to join us for Sunday worship. She didn't show up today, but I'll keep trying.

I don't know Kat's religious background yet, but I feel so blessed that God is using both of these women to bless my week, and will you please join me in praying that if they do not know God personally themselves, then he might deem me, Adam & Alissa worthy to show them how deep, wide, high and unimaginable God's love truly is. Pray that he continues to give us opportunities to see and talk to them both as we continue our ministry here in Dayton.