So I haven't blogged in quite some time...

This one is strictly for Trey. I got great love for you man! :) I suppose as I've been back at school I've already begun to face new challenges along my spiritual journey, a lot of which the credit has to be given to Dr. Fortner for humbling me every MWF at 11:00. I have been reading extensively and began to find myself questioning the Bible, it's place in my life, and how I will ever grasp the depths of it. It's really crazy how much there is to know and since my eyes have been opened to so much lately, I have taken a different perspective on my relationship with the Lord and just how He is a part of my life. I'm still coming to grips with it, but as I continue along the way through prayer I'm sure I will continue to grow and understand more. However, as a result of some of the stress that comes along with learning, one must find an adequate and productive way of finding relief. So, tomorrow, I have decided to distract myself from the worries of life and take myself shopping.

TrEy'S tEaChInGs...

So I survived a week at Camp Iron Springs with 19 little girls hanging and loving on me EACH AND EVERY minute of the day. It was absolutely wonderful! I don't think that I have ever been able to give so much loving in one week as I did this one. It really made me think about how much a simple hug can do for someone. Anyways, the week was successful and was definitely a good one. We had music, crafts, water activities, swimming, you know...the usual camp stuff. My favorite part was the mud pit where we were definitely covered from head to toe, and I spent I don't know how long washing those girls off. Shew! I have been blessed by the week to get away and just think about life and where I am going. It was nice to have time to be away from everybody and from daily living. I was also blessed to be able to watch Trey in action. I am simply amazed at all his creativity and talents to speak to children and lead them in worship, storytelling, and devotion. He definitely has a sense of humor that would be hard to replace. I know this could be a weaker side of me, and he has challenged me simply by knowing I HAVE to get better. With time and practice I'm sure that I can improve, however Trey will be wicked hard to live up to. He is amazing at what he does, and I admire him for his talents and for putting them to use in such a way as to glorify the Lord. "Rah Rah, Sis Boom Bah....GOOOOOOO TREY!!!!!!!!"

KIDS ROAD MAP

So this past weekend I was able to experience a really neat prayer retreat for children. It's called Kids Road Map and is for third through fifth graders. 25 or so area churches gather together with their children to teach them more about prayer. We spent the night in a church building all weekend and simply had prayer and fun. On Sat. we loaded all the kids up for a day long prayer drive. We went to orphanages, the city court house, adoption agencies, and more. Each spot we unloaded, gathered together in a circle, and one child prayed over the microphone while the rest of us read and prayed along with him. At some places, the organization might have a representative to come and speak to them. The whole weekend was a success and most definitely a blast! We also had water activities, movies, and even got a little toe nail painting in. :) I have to say that this weekend was well thought out and a great idea for kids to learn more about prayer.

On Cecelia's Brain...

This past week I got to spend quite a bit of "quality" time with Cecelia. We planned and organized a girls' lock-in for Tuesday night. I found out quickly that fondue is a hard event but lots of fun and that you definitely need more than three women to take care of 31 girls for a night! It was mad chaos the whole night, but we survived and had lots of fun in the process! Thank goodness the girls were all good girls and we didn't have any "major" problems.

As Cecelia and I were running around like crazy women getting junk for this lock-in, I was able to catch a little piece of Cecelia's brain. We started up a conversation about placing family above work. I was sorta shocked to find out that during Adam's (her son) senior year in high school, she canceled VBS. She told me that when having a family, there will be times when you just have to say no and place family as the higher priority. She said it wasn't always an easy choice, but one that has to be made from time to time. We also talked a good bit about curriculum and the importance of knowing what your children are learning along with how the teachers are presenting the curriculum. Curriculum should teach children the whole Bible, catching all the important stories but also the big picture. It is also important to have teacher training to move them towards new ideas and teaching styles.

OK, enough said for this one. Catch more blogs with Rachel later! Make it a great day!

"Rock-Solid KIDS"

By Larry Fowler a follow up of "Raising Spiritual Champions" by George Barna.


I would have to admit a lot of this book is very basic in thought and ideas. However, it never hurts to be reminded of the importance of children and their purpose on earth and our duty to them as adults. My favorite part of the book was a chapter on allowing children to serve within the church. All too often children are given an education in Sunday School and Children's Church with VBS in the summers, but they aren't taught how they can give authentic worship, serve others, or evangelize to unbelievers. Grant it, some children are naturals at sharing their faith because they are not afraid and do not see barriers as we do. However, if they were aware of the importance of sharing the Gospel, they would be stronger and share more frequently, especially within their age groups at school, in their neighborhoods, and on the soccer fields. The same goes with serving their peers and worshiping the Lord. Fowler gives many examples from different churches who have begun to teach their children to serve, worship, and evangelize. I found this book to be beneficial to me as a future children's minister and enjoyed the reading.

VBS Madness

Ok, so preparing for a VBS for a church size of 2000 was unimaginable, but I made it through with a sidecoach and lots of hard work. Daniel: God's "Mane" Man. One hour of Bible class and another of drama each night, Sun. through Wed. In preparation the week before we gathered materials, made sets for drama, made visuals for teachers, and simply made things easier for the volunteers so that they would do it again. I learned from Trey that you gotta treat them right, even if it means spending a few extra bucks, or shall I say, a few hundred bucks, to feed them lunch "with a cookie". Sam's made for a definite bonding experience as I prefer poptarts and muffins with cranberry grape juice, and he preferred danishes with orange juice or milk. "YUCK" So, between the two of us, EVERYONE should have been pleased.

On the Sat. before VBS began, we fed all the volunteers who were working at the church breakfast and lunch. Some of us who were still around at eight had supper there, too. It was a long day. I made a 9 ft. Daniel who looked like Goliath and did a bunch of other odd jobs.OK...so for VBS, I came to the office much later in the day...which was sooo nice! My main job every night was to make sure Cecelia ate supper, help visitors find their way to classes (we put up maps but they were hard to follow), get the total count of children in each class, and stand around outside the office just in case someone needed something from the workroom or had some questions. During the drama presentations, I marked pews with poster labels and made sure the kids had front row seating instead of stingy adults. They all got to see the show, and all was well even though our pew markers never seemed to stick too long for all the people trampling over them. They survived and served their purpose well.

On the last night, I set out at least like o...let me think, 150 packages of cookies and made 30 gallons of lemonade for refreshments during the cast signing party. We made autograph books for the children to have signed by the cast. The last night ended with a bang! Cleaning up that mess was wild but manageable with some good help. Earlier that day I set out garbage sacks and grocery sacks in each class for the teachers to throw away their classroom decorations. It didn't take near as long as I had imagined to take the place apart. One sack was labeled "Supplies" and the other "Teaching Materials" and were placed in our children's library. The next day, we took all supplies into the workroom, gathered leftover curriculum for smaller churches or mission work, and continued to throw stuff away. This made the work easier for the volunteers, once again. It also contained all leftovers in one room. Valuable learning experience there.

One more thing I have experienced in the last week, I have to learn to not be so on task with working at church, and remember to slow down to take time for people. Cecelia was a wonderful example to me of this. She had lots to do this past week and everyone interrupted her with things they could've handled themselves or thought a little harder and figured them out. I was probably guilty of this at times, but hey, that's what I get paid to do. :) I am going to try harder to take time to continue to meet people and care even when I am "working".

DR. BOWLING INTERN INFO...

Hey there Dr. B! I have finally found the time to write you a little something about all the craziness of my internship thus far. I have to admit, I've learned quite a bit, met a ton of people, and am tired at the end of the day. So, here's what has been keeping me busy. I'm in the office from 8:30 to 4:30 Mon. through Thur. We stay busy running errands, gathering materials for teachers for Bible class, and well, playing around with all of Trey's cool toys. There are two ladies who work in the office besides Trey and Cecelia that help out with Bible class materials and keeping things going. We also have volunteers that come in periodically to do the busy work. I kinda do whatever I am told, and as of lately, VBS is on the go! I alone have spent at least $300 on supplies for VBS, countless hours on-line shopping, and many more cutting, painting, and laminating. Shew! I have learned that it takes a lot of preparation to put together a VBS and that you must start way early...especially if you do not have teachers that gather their own curriculum, volunteers to keep things running smoothly with all the other "church stuff" that goes on, and a large budget. I checked out our budget for VBS alone and found that even though it is a large sum of money, it goes quick! Quicker than I imagined...thank goodness we are still under. :)

Other than VBS and office stuff, there are a few things I have learned that are simple and sometimes go unnoticed. I have found that teachers call at the last minute to say they will not be able to teach on Wed. or Sun. mornings. Some say they will teach and never do. Teachers are just not easy to come by! Parents want their children to be involved but they do not put forth effort to help. It seems crazy! I have also learned or have been reminded that playing little games, keeping up with what is hot for kids, and making conversation is important with children. It can or cannot be difficult to relate...it depends on you! We took the fourth and fifth graders to Six Flags yesterday...one kid got lost. So, it's important to tell them where to meet if in case they do get lost. He was found and all was ok. I have learned to not have anything planned after an event b/c parents show up an hour after they were supposed to be there, regardless of how much information was put out. It is important to advertise church events in big ways even if it is a little more pricy. A big lion head on the front of the building that costs $350 is worth it if it attracts visitors. It tells outsiders we want you here and we think your kids are of value! I have also learned or have been reminded that spiritually as a minister of the church you have to learn to seperate work and church. Though it is great to be around good Christian people, you have to have your own quiet time and leave work at church...haha!

Anyways, I cannot think of much else that I have learned. I guess that is a lot since I've only been here a little less than two weeks. There is much more but I cannot think of it. Ok, well I will post more when I grab some spare time and learn a little bit more. Until then, chao and keep up the faith! Rachel :)