Thoughts.

So I have to say that being in this internship has helped to refresh my spiritual life quite a bit and has given me many thoughts to mull over.

I've been thinking about what it means to fight the good fight and how God can and does give us rest when the fight makes us weak and weary.

I've also been thinking about blessings and where we find them. Today one of the groups shared that they found a lizard while clearing out brush from a backyard and noted that they really saw God in that situation. Generally when thinking about blessings, somone might think of a new baby, or a raise or promotion at work, or an undeserved gift... but how awesome it is that we can also find blessings in finding a lizard in a pile of debris and weeds?

I've been thinking about how God talks to us... in the crashing, roaring ocean and in a still small voice. What a challenge it is to us that we are called to listen to both and to be attentive to God. And what a blessing it is that we have the opportunity to have a personal relationship with our creator.

I've also found myself thinking about Rob Bell's Nooma video, "Kickball." I know what things I want in life, but I'm wondering if God is saying "Yes" or "Not right now" or "No." How hard it is to discern that sometimes.

I've also been thinking about all of you. How I miss you and wish you were here to experience just a small taste of what's going on here. There's incredible work being done and such amazing people have stepped up to do it. I wish you could all meet the incredible long-term volunteers here doing work, and all of the short-term volunteers, and all of my awesome intern homies, and Carl (my boss) and his wife (and my second mom while I'm away from my own :( ), Robin.

But as you all cannot be here with me, I thank God that I have not only the opportunity to be here all summer... but also to tell the story. To let you all know of what the church is doing to relieve some of the pain in the world. It's a beautiful story.

Anyway, as I'm exhausted and my head is full I'm going to go listen to some music and crash. Thank you all for your prayers. I have felt surrounded by your love since I've left Kansas City. :)

<3 Beth

Moments.

I don't really know what to say about this past week.

I will say that when it began I was quite nervous. Due to situations and circumstances I found myself wondering what exactly I had gotten myself into. I think a lot of my fellow interns were feeling that way as well.

Luckily, though, we were all in it together and bonded quickly. Let me tell you right now that every single intern serving this summer is incredible. If you have the opportunity to visit any of the places they'll be working, you'll be blessed. Actually, about half of them left today and it's been very sad around here since then. We really became a small family in the time we were all together. However, I am glad that about half of them I will get to see again at General Assembly. :)

Besides that it's been a week of growth. Honestly, this is one of the best training sessions I have ever been to. They recognized the talents we already had and focused more on building and less on "starting at the beginning." Although the week started out feeling as if it was going to be difficult, it ended with me adoring every single person - including those I started off the week feeling very put off by.

I recognized more of who I am, what my strengths are, where my weaknesses lie and I tried to discern more on where I might be feeling called to.

Let me also tell you that I felt the most affirmed I have felt in a very long time in the past two days. Not only by my peers at training but by the leadership team. It's a great feeling to know that I have shown myself to be a good, capable leader in just a week.

As for specific things we did this week... there were a few things worth mentioning.

First of all, we had two work days where we did they type of work that most of us will be doing at our sites. We completely organized the tool sheds and moved boxes full of stuff into the church. The next day we built a stand for an air conditioner that would be hurricane proof. (The church we'll be working in - Central Christian Church - had their air conditioner go out this week so it needed to be replaced and put on top of some sort of stand.) We each played a part in the construction of the stand and it will be a beautiful reminder of the summer of all of the amazing people I met this week.

I, along with the other interns, also got the opportunity this week to go to one of the homes we'll be working on this summer. It is a home owned by the Love family and we actually got to meet Marion Love, the father of the family. He told us that when they were told to evacuate they assumed that they wouldn't be hit too bad so left the majority of their stuff in their home... including their second car. Unfortunately, though, thier part of town was hit worse than any other and his house was underneath about 5 feet of water. Everything was destroyed including the car that they left. It was heartbreaking to walk through the home - to see it empty and to see it in such shambles. I could not imagine that happening to my home. I realized the amount of memories that the family has in that space and how I'm sure it was devastating for them to return and deal with the reality of being homeless. It was difficult for me to walk through the home... to see his son's room and notice the sports curtains on the windows. I don't know, I think it's just such an awful reality to deal with and it makes me incredibly proud to know that we might be able to help out just enough to get them moved back home faster.

Also, we've had much time at the beach. Well, at least a little time at the beach. Wednesday night we all loaded up and went out to eat and then walked across the street to the beach. It was so much fun. There was laughter, great conversation, and an amazing sense of unity among all of us. I think after that night the mood totally changed, too, and we started seeing each person as the wonderful people they are, regardless of earlier opinions.

Basically, it's just been an incredible week and I'm almost sad to start in on the real work. Hah!

Oh, and we went to the beach tonight. (Well, those of us left, anyway.) It was a great time again and such a calming thing. I think the four of us staying around this summer will be spending a lot of time at the beach because it's such a great stress reliever for all of us.

Alright well I'm out of here, but I'll be posting pictures up on Facebook tonight.

Love to you and you and you and you! :)

<3 Beth

I Made It!

So here I am, sitting on a bed at the Texas City Mission Site.

It was a long drive, three of us squished in the backseat of a Ford F-150, but I survived!

Let me catch you up a bit...

So yesterday I left KC at 7 a.m. after meeting Carl (my boss for the next couple of months), Will, and Joel (two of the interns working at the Texas City/Galveston worksite with me.) We then traveled to Wichita to pick up Robin (Carl's wife) and start driving towards Galveston.

On the road we stopped at Arby's to eat, make a couple of rest stops, and stopped at a gas station called Buc-Ees... which, by the way, is probably the king of all gas stations. It was kind of like a gourmet food store/souvenir shop/restaurant/bathroom/gas station inside. If you want to get a feel for the "Buc-Ees experience" you should go to www.buc-ees.com :) The one I went to was one of the newer ones in Madisonville.

After our long ride in the car, though, we decided to retire early and slept at an Econo Lodge in a smaller town about two hours away from Texas City. It was an... interesting stay. Lets just put it this way: I went into the bathroom this morning to take a shower and was met with a massive cockroach "leg up" in the shower. Disgusting.

Anyway, this morning we drove the rest of the way to Texas City so we could get here just in time for worship. It's a pretty adorable church, and the sanctuary is a REALLY neat space so I think I'll enjoy my time here. :) Also, this is the church where all the mission groups will be housed so it's good to get acquainted with the building before they all start arriving next week.

Today we've just kind of been hanging out. The rest of the DHM interns arrived here around 4:30 so we've just been chatting a bit and enjoying some good down time. We'll also have a bit of training tonight but that won't be until after dinner so... there's not much else to say!

I miss you all already, though. I hope I can make it through this summer without a breakdown. Hahaha.

Loff to you and you and you and you. :)

<3 Beth

The End and a Beginning

Hey y'all.

Well, it's almost here... just two weeks away from being in Galveston and embarking on a summer journey full of, as the e-mail said, "Great joy and abundant frustration."

I feel excited, but not at all prepared. You know the feeling. There just never seems to be enough time before starting something new. Luckily, though, God always seems to take care of it.

I didn't feel prepared for Copenhagen last year, either. I remember waking up at 4:30 a.m., getting dressed, and walking into the bathroom (crying) and feeling as if I was about to throw up. I have never been so nervous that I became physically ill... but I was really close at that point. I started freaking myself out: I won't know anyone, I won't see my family and friends for 6 weeks, and I'll be in a foreign country where I don't speak the language or know the culture.

But God took care of me. I needed to go, and I knew that. So I collected myself, came out of the bathroom, and said, "I'm ready, dad."

I jumped. I explored the infinite abyss. I followed the path that God had laid before me.

So this summer, although I feel equally as unprepared... I'm ready to jump. To explore the infinite abyss. To follow the path that God has put before me.

Hopefully it will be a grand adventure.

... I think it will be.

Testing, testing 1-2-3

So.

Last summer I went to Copenhagen. It was splendid and wonderful and amazing.

This summer I will be interning in Galveston, TX doing diaster relief with Disciples Home Missions.

Last summer I made a blog called bethisindenmark.

This summer I decided not to make a blog called bethisingalveston.

You may be wondering why. After all the "bethisin____" has been a common blog or e-mail title for me whenever I go some place for a long time.

This time, though, I realized that (more than likely) me going places is never going to end. And therefore, instead of creating a NEW blog every time I go some place new... I'll just start this one up again! See? So every time I travel, you can just check here for all the latest traveling updates. Sweet, eh?

Also, I think more people these days are on blogger and it's a bit easier to use to comment and such so I'm excited to see how it works out. Hopefully it works out swell. :)

Get excited... Beth's Blog is startin' up again!