The point of that...

Ha! The point of that last posting was to say that I suddenly have more "summer" (defined as long boring days of heat and nothingness).

A word to the wise (from the foolish) - be careful what you wish for.

School Days

Well folks, my posting has been intermittent at best since summer was not what I expected - in a good way, mind you. Other than the 7-day trip to Arizona, I had 4 actual weekdays off this summer, which were spent at the beach, at Young Life's Rockbridge (another camp similar to the one in Arizona), and running errands around town respectively. A job opportunity presented itself at my school system's "central office" as a project manager of sorts, and I took an interest in the projects at hand - teacher evaluation portfolio revisions, acquisition and evaluation of new instructional elementary history resources, staff development on new initiatives, and planning for New Teacher Academy. Returning teachers reported August 18th, so as far as I was concerned, summer was over.

Mononucleosis had other plans for me. I now have not only missed a full week of teacher-prep days, but I now have to miss ATLEAST the first 5 instructional days with my new group of rowdy youngsters. I have to get doctor's clearance even at that point.

Come on, help me with this one. On the count of 3.

One.

Two.

Three.

(SIGH)

My Apologies - Belated Arizona update

Dear Friends,

Forgive me for taking so long to write, but I continue to process the events of a few weeks ago as my heart has been so full – in a good way! I cannot thank you enough for the great encouragement your support was to me during this trip. As a team, we were constantly amazed and humbled by the thought that about 100 of our friends were partnering with us and praying for us in this great adventure. And thanks be to God; what an adventure it was!



Travel details were flawless, which is incredible in and of itself. Ten women and almost 20 pieces of luggage – some filled with baby gear and presents for the moms – trekked through four airports and over 2,300 miles and all arrived in one place at one time. We were even successful at renting cars and finding the camp in remote Williams, Arizona three hours away from the airport in Phoenix.

Our first 24 hours was spent in preparation for the girls and babies. Lost Canyon, which was just a regular Young Life camp the day before, would have to be transformed into a home for 100 teenage girls, 100 babies, 100 childcare workers, and mentors along with the summer staff and work crew. There was some manual labor involved in setting up booster seats, swings, and strollers, but most of the preparation involved prayer – that obstacles would be removed and God’s will would be done in upcoming days.

It was a very emotional experience watching the first charter bus arrive at camp. Workers were gathered around the door of the bus enthusiastically celebrating their arrival in typical high-energy Young Life fashion, but the faces that met ours displayed a range of emotions. Some were equally as excited to be there, others were seemingly unimpressed, and yet others did not even make eye contact, presumably because they anticipated judgment from us. And yet, each of them held precious cargo. These gorgeous babies, eyes wide with excitement, were completely unaware of the complexities of the interaction. They’ll accept love as children do – and what a great picture of Jesus explaining that the Kingdom of Heaven would be given to those who approach it with childlikeness. I stared tearfully at the mothers and babies and found them beautiful. Shamefully, I don’t think I had ever looked at a teen mom prior to this experience and had the word “beautiful” come to mind. Up until this point, it was sorrow I felt, or pity, or yes, even judgment. What was she thinking? The rest of her life is changed. How will she ever be successful in life?



Mentors accompanied the teen moms from home, and in most situations, had positive pre-existing relationships with them. These mentors spent most of their time with the moms – going with them to club and all the activities while we provided childcare for them. On the afternoon of the last day, the girls were pampered by their mentors at Spa Day –



receiving facials, manicures, massages, the whole nine yards. It was another incredible picture seeing the mentors kneeling to wash the feet of these girls, just as Jesus did for His beloved disciples. This model of mentoring is best in my opinion since the woman will also return home to the local area with the girl, so when the difficulties of life inevitably come, their experience with Christ is not tied to camp with a counselor from across the country. So our challenge was in dealing with the babies. After all, how on earth am I supposed to convey the Gospel to a 9 month old squirming baby boy?



Well, after first meeting my little one for the week, I called home and told my parents that I had a new boyfriend from San Antonio, Texas. He was dark and handsome, but not so tall. ☺ Aolani, which is Hawaiian for “Brave Chief,” stole my heart over the course of the week. His huge chocolate brown eyes, two teeny bottom teeth, and contagious giggle brought me great joy. This confirmed the difficulties of parenting, day in and day out, but I saw the opportunity to be with him as a great privilege. As for the best way to convey God’s love to a child? Love them well in the time you’re granted, and pray for them. I spent a good bit of my week just praying for him and his mom, Amanda – for their futures – that the Lord would provide all their needs including finances, emotional support, an education, a father and husband, and most importantly, that they’d find their identities in Christ and not settle for the labels imposed on them – by people like me. And to think that perhaps these two had only received downward glances – and never a prayer of hope before? I shudder at the thought.



Aolani’s mom, Amanda and I had some sweet times together on a few evenings before we’d put him to bed. She shared what it was like to be pregnant at 14 and a mother at 15, the difficulties of finishing school and working, the challenges of providing for her baby, and her dating life. In so many ways, she is a child herself, but I was amazed at what an incredible job she was doing as a parent relative
to her life experience and resources. It was a very difficult goodbye. I used Aolani’s bib to wipe some of my tears. Amanda wrote me a beautiful thank you note at the end of the week, and we exchanged contact information. Regardless of how successful we are at corresponding over time, she and Aolani will forever be a part of my life.

Over the course of the week, we witnessed firsthand great transformations in the lives of the girls who embraced the truth of the Gospel. And at least two generations would be impacted by that choice, perhaps more. What an incredible thought!




A word to describe this trip? Ridiculous. It is ridiculous that a few hundred people came together in Williams, Arizona for a week of their summer to love a bunch of outcasts. It is ridiculous that perhaps a few thousand people pooled their resources to make this happen – for airfare, lodging, diapers, formula, and food. It is ridiculous that these mentors found their way into the lives of these girls back home in their local areas. It is ridiculous that ten women from Richmond with such different life experiences came together because of a notice in a church bulletin to love each other and join together in this mission. It is ridiculous that those children may never know they were prayed for by strangers from across the country. It is ridiculous that the God of the universe would lend His ear and have His heart pound for the aliens, the fatherless, and the widows – might I add the teen moms and babies? But don’t we serve a ridiculous God? When I think of how He’s intervened in my life and carefully woven together circumstances to bring me to an understanding of His presence and love, the story truly is ridiculous. What resources could He not provide to make this week happen if He already gave us what was most dear and costly to Him – Jesus Christ? Just as those babies and moms were unaware of us praying for them from Richmond, and just as we flew across the country to love them, so is the story of the Gospel. When we were completely and utterly unaware of the Lord, there has not been nor will there be a day in our lives when He is unaware of us. And the good news is that He was not content to know us from afar, but rather He bore our burdens by becoming like us, entering our world, and purchasing life for us, redeeming us from the mess we’ve made. The truth is that He loves ridiculously.



So I’m home. My eyes widen and my heart beats a bit faster when I see a teen mom with her baby around town. I am a part of a team of 9 other women who feel the same way, and we are excitedly awaiting what will be the next step for us. One of these women has expressed an interest in laying groundwork for the ministry of YoungLives in Richmond, and we are prayerfully considering how that will look. We are having a bring-a-bag lunch shindig at our church (West End Presbyterian) on Sunday, August 14th at 1pm, after the service, to share a little more in depth and show you a pretty rockin’ slideshow of our trip. See? I promised there’d be a slideshow. As my supporters and friends, I’d like to invite you to come if you are able. Call or email me for directions or more information.




As I said at the beginning, my heart is full – full of gratitude to you for your partnership and to our Savior for His relentless pursuit of what was lost – including you and me.



Amazed,

Laura