Speaking of church family...

Who said that pastors can't be fun?




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I am back!

A group of us came back to Dayton on Sunday morning around midnight. As we were unloading our luggage from Jon's van, a car pulled into the Church parking lot, and the driver asked "Is the first service at 9:00am?" We all looked at each other, and said "Yes". The two people in the car said thank you and left. How strange...

Almost every thing about this trip was strange, and amazing! I have learned a few lessons and met some great people. We would get to the site at 7:00am, have breakfast, and work until 6pm or later, with lunch and dinner breaks of course. I spent most of my time there on either a scaffold, or a scissor lift (or just ladders sometimes), insulating, mudding, taping, sanding ceilings or high walls. I even learned how to operate a scissor lift! My body was covered in fiberglass for 2 days...ouch!

My lessons started as soon as we started driving down to New Orleans. Here is a list of a few of them:

• Lesson: Don't judge people by their appearances, we all have different stories.

I should know this by now, but I am sometimes caught off guard when I meet people who seem to have it all together, only to realize that they also carry their own set of problems. All I could so in most cases was to offer them my undivided attention, but I am always amazed to realize how a few words of encouragement can make a difference in someone's day. I could tell that some people were not used to sharing their problems, but it was as if being stuck in the same car for 15 hrs, working and sweating together made it safe for us to talk freely about our lives.

• Lesson: humility.

We all needed a good dose of humility to survive the week. We all had so many different personalities, but we all tried to remember the reason why we were down there. Of course, it made me feel good when Rick, my partner in crime, started calling me "Boss", but I tried hard not to let it get to my head. I started joking and called him "My best employee ever!". I think we did pretty good overall.

• Lesson: stop when you need to stop. Listen to your body.

I learned that the hard way. We started working on Sunday, and by Wednesday afternoon, my body decided to shut down for the day. It just shut down, and I simply could not do anything! It felt really scary, but my body is not really used to 4 straight days of manual labor under the hot Louisiana sun. I had to take it easy the rest of the afternoon, and came back stronger the next day.

• Lesson: perseverance

Perseverance almost came easy for us because we were working to rebuild His Church, a gathering place for His followers. When we realized that only a very small group was able to come down for the second week, we unanimously decided to stay and work an extra day, some people even stay 2 days! It was really amazing!


I will try to post some pictures later...technical issues with Blogger...

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I saw you!

Scene: after the service last weekend.

J: Hey! I saw your video the other day. You are a star!

Me: Me??? Are you sure? Did I ever tell you I have a twin sister? You must be talking about her...

J: You are in church! You can't lie! You'll get zapped!

Me*nervously looking up*: Oops... Sorry... all right, it was me...

Vineyard Kidz

I love working with the kids!

On Sundays, between approx 11:00 and 12:30 is the time I get to be a kid again!

I work with 4-5 year-olds, and I think a few of them already figured out that all they have to do is look at me with sad eyes, and a sad face to get whatever they want. The message we try to teach them is very simple, and very true: God loves them.

Plus, it feels great to know that their parents can enjoy the service knowing that their little ones are taken care of!

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Why am I here?

One of the questions I have been asking myself lately, is as suggested in the title: "Why am I here?". Here, in this case, means Dayton, OH... thousands and thousands of miles away from home, with very little hope of ever going back... I feel like every effort I have made to leave this town has been in vain, which is part of the reasons why I have decided to take a step back, and not necessarily think of being in Dayton as a major set back.

I have some wonderful memories here, and I have to admit that I am more of a small town kind of gal. I like New York or Vegas for a week, but I think I would be a little overwhelmed if I ever had to live in one of these cities... maybe DC would work. As this year has gone by (what a year it has been so far!), I am getting more and more convinced that God wanted me to reconnect with Him, here in Dayton, through the Dayton Vineyard. A series of very fortunate events have brought me back to church after years of thinking that I could do it all by myself. I have to say, it was not really working out too well...

Needless to say that now the question is not so much "When am I going to get out of Dayton???", but rather "I wonder what else I can do while I am still in Dayton??"

Thank you God, for not giving up on me.

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