365 Days of Service

Day 335 - May 18

I headed to Mercy Ministry tonight, as I usually do on Monday, and had a great time bagging groceries with a great group. One of the things I’ll probably have a hard time deciding when I’m past 365, is in what areas to continue serving. While I have enjoyed getting to know these groups and helping at Mercy immensely (nevermind the spiritual growth I’ve experienced) I’m looking forward to new experiences. I have other organizations that have captured my heart that I am interested in exploring. And I know I’ll continue to serve at SWITCH with Ryan on Wednesday nights. How will I spend the rest of my time? I’ll be in prayer about this for the next few weeks.

Day 336 - May 19

We had some folks over for LifeGroup tonight, unexpectedly in turned out, and it was a great night full of prayer and powerful conversation. Initially we invited the entire group over, but only a few couples could attend. When Ryan started to feel badly during the day, we decided to cancel it. One of the couples didn’t get the message, however, and it was such a good thing they didn’t. We were able to counsel them about health issues and pet (new puppy!) issues and they left feeling so much better about their circumstances. I love it when God uses our lives to impact others in such a positive way.

Day 337 - May 20

We had SWITCH at the Edmond Campus of LifeChurch.tv tonight and I helped with the check-in process again. I’m getting better at knowing the kids’ names and soon I might actually be able to check them in without asking!

Day 338 - May 21

I covered for one of the girls at the bookstore where I used to work tonight. She called and was in a pinch and I was happy to help her out. She was always so nice when I was there and I was glad she felt okay about calling my out of the blue to ask for help.

Day 339 - May 22

Ryan and I attended a wedding for two of our SWITCH leaders tonight. It was a great event watching them unite in Christ and look forward to what they are going to accomplish together. We took a gift for them and are excited to see them again when they return from the honeymoon. They are missed at SWITCH right now.

Day 340 - May 23

I spent a big chunk of the day cleaning for a get-together on Monday for friends. One of the ladies at the Edmond Campus is leaving the country for the summer and we wanted to send her off with a little party. It’s always good motivation to get the house cleaned when we are having people over.

Day 341 - May 24

I did something completely out of the ordinary and got up this morning to help Ryan at the 8:30am experience in our 5th grade room. What made this so unusual was the early hour I had to get up - not my typical Sunday morning, and working with 5th graders. If you’ve kept up with the past year, you’ll quickly recognize how I lean toward younger kids. I have a lot of experience with kiddos 5 and under, but the older kids are intimidating. It was a fun morning serving with Ryan, though, and I’m glad I got to see him at work.

Day 328 - May 11

Monday, I was supposed to go to Mercy Ministry, but the team that meets this week goes so early and works so fast that I hardly have any reason to go. I spent some time in prayer for folks at the Internet Campus.

Day 329 - May 12

A friend in our LifeGroup had her birthday today, so I got some delicious treats and dipping chocolate to take to LifeGroup. I had a small gift for her, too. I think she felt special.

Day 330 - May 13

I spent the early part of the evening checking kids into the system at SWITCH. Ryan was going to stay for the night, but we had really bad weather coming in. I took off a little early to go “rescue” our freaked out dog.

Day 331 - May 14

One of the things that makes my job at LifeChurch.tv so interesting is the feedback I get from people using our materials in their personal life, at their church or in their community. I got an email from a woman looking for a particular message she had heard. I was unable to help her find the exact message, but we chatted by email back and forth a few times. It turned out to be a great conversation and one of those moments when God allows me to speak into another’s life. She is struggling through some difficulties in her marriage and I was just a listening ear, but also someone who showed compassion and encouragement. I had a response from her tonight saying she was glad to be able to connect to other believers in difficult times. What a cool way to serve someone else today. I’m definitely going to keep her marriage in my prayers, too.

Day 332 - May 15

Ryan has been really great about taking care of the yard this spring. With all the rain we’ve been getting lately, it has been a big job. The one area that constantly gets neglected is the shrubbery and the flower beds. I took a few hours to clean those up and didn’t ask for (much) help from him. It only has to be done once or twice a year, but I like to spare him the hassle of dealing with the shrubs.

Day 333 - May 16

A friend at the church asked me to serve in their infant room during the evening experience. It was a great chance to play and cuddle with some little sweet babies. I would hardly call that serving!

Day 334 - May 17

Spent the early part of the day finishing up a painting for friends. Their boys’ room (they will have 3 in there soon) is now decorated with an awesome mural of planets, planes and spaceships and I love it. I hope they do too. And, some might struggle to call this serving, but I did attend the new “Star Trek” movie with Ryan tonight. Not exactly something I’d normally choose to see, but he wanted to see it pretty badly, and I volunteered to go. Turns out it was pretty good. It was a day full of space themes.

Day 328 - May 11

I recently left off with Day 308 - April 21, and haven’t updated since. Instead of going back and trying to remember everything I’ve done, I decided to re-dedicate myself to blogging for the last “30″ days of this 365 day project. It all began in 2008 on June 11. There are an extra 7 days in here somewhere, so either my dates are wrong (which is most likely the reason) or there are a few extra days in 2009.

Here are some highlights from the past few weeks that really stuck out to me:

Prayed with Terri at the Mercy Ministry single moms’ night the other day. Reminded how grateful I am for a real relationship with Christ. Terri says she prays and that she is grateful for the blessings in her life - her life (attempted suicide once before) and her kids (they’ve been removed from her home 2x before) - but when we talked about her relationship with God, with her Savior, it was clear to me that there wasn’t a real relationship there, as much as an awareness. I was doing my best to encourage her to spend time in the Bible and to seek out answers and hope for her life through God’s living word each day. I really hope it has an impact. I’ll keep praying for her too.

I had an idea after I recently left my appointment at the dentist; they gave me the bag of samples they always do. Instead of taking it inside and losing it in the medicine cabinet, I made up my mind to give it to someone who really needed it. I saw a guy on the corner, and I didn’t have anything else to offer him. He said “God bless you” when I asked if he wanted the toothbrush and paste, and seemed very grateful. Glad I was able to do that and I have ideas about what else to keep in my car.

Ryan and I recently sat down and wrote and mailed Mother’s Day cards to the women in our family. What a great time of reflection about all the love and care they have provided both of us with over the last 30 years. I realized that while I have only my mom left, Ryan has mothers, step-mothers, grandmothers and step-grandmothers galore. What a blessing to have so many amazing women still pouring into our lives.

Ryan and I decided to sell our second car recently to save on the monthly cost of the loan. It all worked out according to God’s plan and we were able to acquire the amount of money we wanted for the car in the end. It has been difficult to adjust to the change, but we have had friends from all over helping us get where we need to be. Recently, Ryan’s team leader left for a trip and gave Ryan his car’s keys for a week! It was such a huge blessing for both of us and to show his gratitude, Ryan has already cleaned out their car for them. I love seeing his generous spirit play out and reflect God’s love in others’ lives.