Not-So-Academic Research Paper

Hello all so another update should be coming soon. In previous posts I have discussed this research paper I had been working on a lot, and since then I have had a few requests to share it. Below is a link to my google drive document of the paper. It is rather lengthy at 16 pages, so do not feel compelled to read it. I also want to warn you that although I have called it a research paper it is far from an academic paper (I don't even have citations gasp!), and isn't written beautifully or anything fancy like that. The purpose of the paper was more so to learn about the history of the Bay Area and to explore various needs and ministry sites in the area. You might want to check it out if you would like to learn more about the history of San Francisco and Oakland, what I feel are some of the biggest needs in the city, or if you would like to learn what are some other ministry sites I might be interested in working with. If anyone decides to read it and has any questions about anything feel free to send me an email. =) Enjoy!

https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0Bxyd6xOnh0jgbzhrZU9RWDRSUzQ/edit

Front Page Fame

I think some of you may have seen this on facebook, but I thought I would put it up on my blog incase you aren't the facebooking type. Our first group made their home town newspaper's front page! It's pretty exciting because not only did they make make the front page, but I am the front page with them! It's pretty much my one and only moment of fame in life. The link to the article is below the picture if you desire to read it. 

http://www.lassennews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8596%3Amiddle-school-students-serve-in-bay-area&catid=2%3Alassencountynewsheadline&Itemid=1#.UIbVhySsJy4.facebook

Lesson #86325 and Still Learning

This weekend a powerful message was hammered back into me in a slightly uncomfortable incredibly humbling way. This message I speak of is the message that prayer is powerful and that when we allow God to move great things happen. Although I know these things in my head I sadly have to be constantly reminded of them.

This journey of rediscovery began on Friday night when the junior high youth group appeared on the scene as hyper and chatty as ever. As we drove over to the restaurant the noise level in the car was well beyond 140 decibels and was causing my head to pound with discomfort. When I asked them to be quiet so I could call the restaurant and tell them we were going to be running late one kid’s response was, “it’s impossible for me to be quiet” and he continued on yelling through my call. Not only was I annoyed at the current situation, but also I already dreaded the response to my request for 2 hours of silence during the prayer tour later that night. The night went on and my attitude continued to get worse. As the prayer tour began the talking, racially offensive comments, and spastic movements did not despite my pleas for silent prayer. By the time we got home I had tried every method in the book that I knew of to get these children to be quiet. Any ideas that I had about my growing patience were shattered as I stood in front of these kids restraining myself from breaking every rule in the handbook. I busted in the door about to break. I couldn’t do 2 more days of this.

            I lay in bed that night unable to sleep from the frustration that continued to surge throughout my body. My head pounded as I lay dreading the next day with these kids. Even though it was incredibly late, I got up and brought this situation before the Lord. I prayed out to Him in complete despair for I knew on my own strength I could not continue through this weekend. As I prayed I was filled with comfort. I texted a number of individuals I knew were praying for me back home and asked them to really bathe my weekend in prayer. I asked them to pray for me to be filled with patience I didn’t know I was capable of and for God to do a miracle and prove me wrong about this group.

            The next morning I woke up feeling better but still a bit unsure. As the day continued I began to not recognize the group or myself. The same students that I thought I was going to murder the night before were becoming some of my favorite in the group. Their goofiness and energy was no longer so annoying to me, but was instead causing me joy and bringing out my absolutely ridiculous side. I found myself responding to situations with patience and in ways I didn’t understand. As I began to respect and enjoy the group more, so did they respect me more than the previous day. When I would have to ask them to sit or quiet down they actually listened. This was not the same group from the night before and I was not the same person as the day before.

 The incredibly fast turn around from the night before made it so clear that this was not on my own doing. There is nothing that I did to make this group better, in fact I could not have had a worse attitude about them, but God showed me truly how great He is. Through all the prayer and God’s great work the entire weekend turned around and I had an amazing time. God had to bring me to utter despair and break me in order to open up the situation for Him to step in and do great things. It is so great to be reminded of the beauty that occurs when our broken selves are humbled to the point that we stop trying to do it on our own and instead let God work.