Hit "Repeat" on the Day Machine

or just don't if you have a day like mine. Let me begin by saying I've been rather sucked into watching hours of national news tonight, and after that experience, my day was NOTHING to be complaining about. I have that perspective, I need to share that perspective, and please keep that perspective if you choose to read. I write only because perhaps it will bring levity to someone else. And because a friend swore I could write a book about the past two weeks of my life. Naa, not a book, a blog. :)

- So I am awakened by my mother - something a grownup should not experience for obvious reasons - but alas, I am living with parents again as I'm sick, and this seemed nicer to her than an impersonal alarm clock. She tells me to get dressed and "look cute" because we're going to lunch with her friend after my doctor's appointment. I will not EVEN complain about the "look cute" comment despite the fact that that's disturbing on many levels to be told that when you're healthy - not to mention when you're suffering.

- The test scheduled at the hospital was relatively painless. I was greeted by the nurse who made sure I hadn't eaten or drank for the previous 12 hours. Too bad the nurse who confirmed my appointment on my voice mail said 4 hours. Good thing I was too tired to be thirsty or hungry in those remaining 8 hours. I would've been so angry if I had to wait another few days for this test. The technician was very kind despite being jabbed by the ultrasound tool in my stomach. She actually was a Sunday school teacher of some of my former students in Goochland. Nothing like bragging to the kids on Sunday that she saw the internal organs of Miss Sussman!

- Mom brings a book and reads while we wait. Then dashes to the gift shop and says to meet her there. Dang, that woman can shop anywhere - even at a hospital.

- We then go to my house to pick up mail and check on things before meeting her friend for lunch. Somehow it morphed into a tell-Laura-everything-that-she's-doing-wrong-in-life-session.

- I asserted my independence and insisted on following her in my Jeep - just so I have a vehicle starting tomorrow when mom returns to work. I mean I am 23. In fact, I decided after sitting in the driver's seat of my own car for the first time in over a week that I didn't want to "do lunch" and "be cute" or whatever that entailed. I called mom on her cell phone, said I'd do lunch alone but to tell her friend hello, and planned to hit the salad bar at Ukrop's (much better for a sickie than Bottoms Up Pizza like they were planning - in spite of me).

- She sped off anyway - couldn't have followed her even if I wanted to. "Fine," I thought. I made it about a mile before a bubba pulled up next to me in his oversized pickup truck making motions. Now, please don't think me vain, but I have to assume, in this part of the world, when a strange man with no teeth pulls up next to me on the roadway, that he is not relaying any information other than the fact that he thinks we should pull over and become better acquainted. Gross, right? Well today, apparently I should have heeded Mom's advice b/c I didn't look cute enough. He was telling me that my tire was flat. haha.

- Went to Wawa. Swore I couldn't find that dang air pump to save my life. It's hidden behind pump 5/6 by the way. Unmarked. I found that out after going inside and asking - SO pitiful. While I was in there, I figured I'd save myself some steps and make sure I had the appropriate funds to "buy air" if there was a cost associated with it. Lady said I needed quarters, so I got me 3 bucks in quarters.

- Go figure, air WAS free. Wawa isn't a total for-profit establishment. They gave me free compressed air today. If only I knew what to do with the 12 quarters STILL JINGLING IN MY POCKET.

- Made my way home, don't give a rip about that tire right now - I'll freak out when I need to drive somewhere next. Sat down (with no lunch) with a tall glass of iced tea with a splash of grape juice. So refreshing. So delightful. Just what I needed.

- The one glass I picked to contain my beverage had a leak in the bottom.

- Mom's favorite tablecloth now has a rather large stain. She loves me. Really.

- Top it all off with not being able to nap despite being ridiculously tired b/c the glands in my neck are so swollen, my head just doesn't feel right on a pillow.

Dang. Can you see why both my best friend and my boyfriend got an earfull tonight? They are both wonderful because somehow they made me laugh/laughed with me through it all instead of using this bulleted list as a reason to run as fast as they could from the dark cloud with lightning bolts that seems to be lodged over my head.

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

Insomniac

That's the official diagnosis. Excitement-induced insomnia. :)

I have to be at the airport in 5 hours, but I haven't slept yet. "Flying into" time will also be tricky.

This week promises to tucker this girl out, but I couldn't be more excited. If only I didn't have to leave people behind...

A favor?

OK last post seriously before I crash for the night. This was the second letter I sent to that same group of family and friends. Figured I'd share in case you're inclined to pray this week. :)

Dear Friends,

My flight from Richmond to Phoenix leaves in T minus 16 days. As I sit to write to you, I couldn’t possibly be any more excited. To further support your suspicions of my nerdy nature, I find myself playing with font styles, video transitions, and theme music for the slideshow of our trip I plan to create after-the-fact. Whoa, Laura, first things first. ☺

I must begin by thanking you for your incredible support over the past few months – in the form of financial gifts, prayer, and words of encouragement – as this trip has transformed from a concept to an itinerary, as we changed from a group of acquaintances and friends to a team united in purpose. And this team covets your prayers. Please remember us and pray for the following during the week of JULY 8th - 15th:

• My team– Heather Oberle, Carter Higgins, Robin Pritchard, Allison Price, Charlotte Shirey, Kathy Parks, Blair Collins, Leslie & Elizabeth Kuhfuss, Michelle Konson, & me.
• Our family and friends in our absence – particularly for the moms in the group.
• Expenses for our trip – the remaining 15%.
• The teen moms from Alaska, New York, Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, and Phoenix – that all obstacles to their attendance would disappear.
• Patience, wisdom, and boldness for the mentors who will be accompanying the teens on their journey.
• The children we’ll be caring for, that God would touch their lives with His hope and love.
• Safe travel and timely arrival for all the volunteers and campers.
• Energy and focus for the trip leaders, leadership teams, and staff of Lost Canyon.

We were “Comissioned,” or formally sent, by West End Presbyterian Church this past Sunday, and are inviting our family and friends to attend church with us on July 3rd during the Sunday School hour (9:15am – 10:15am) for a time of prayer for the church’s missions to Arizona, Istanbul, Spain, and Dublin. I also wanted to pass along that family and friends can contact us (in case of emergency) or to send a note of encouragement or baby wipes if we run out (kidding, guys, kidding) to Lost Canyon at the following address:

[Laura Sussman]— Lost Canyon Childcare Team
1450 Perkinsville Road
Williams, AZ 86046
Phone: (928) 635-2900

Thank you for being a part of this adventure with me. It’s gonna be a rockin’ slideshow. ☺

All my love,
Laura

Project Arizona

This trip has been months in the making, and now I am less than 36 hours from departure. My heart is full, I am wiped, and I have to be in Goochland to work at 8am, so given that, I am going to copy and paste from an initial letter I sent out to a few family and friends. Disregard the info about funding - all taken care of - just wanted to share in case you're curious where I am for the next week.

------------
Dear Friends,

As I approach the two-year anniversary of my graduation from Mary Washington College, I am amazed at how much my life has changed in a mere 24 months. Gone are the days of 10am classes, road trips for concerts, and apartment life with friends. In their place, a full-time job, a 40-mile per day commute, and a mortgage. God has richly blessed me and provided for all of my needs throughout this transition period to life-as-an-adult in Richmond, yet all the great things He’s provided were never meant to fulfill me, and to idolize them only means accepting a shallow substitute for the full life Jesus intended for me to live. I do not want only the shadow of things, but rather That of Eternal Substance that calls to each of our hearts.

So speaking of what calls to our hearts, there is something I greatly miss from college days, and that is the freedom to be a full-time Young Life leader. Most of you will recall that I invested my four years of college at Spotsylvania High School going to sporting events, tutoring, and substitute teaching for the purpose of meeting high school kids, loving them, and building a relationship with them for the sake of sharing the Gospel. I will always treasure that time in my life, the lessons learned, the fruit that resulted, and the relationships I hold dear, even now as life looks different. I can see how he’s been at work in my life, in my family, in my workplace, in my church, in my friends, but oh how I miss the almost-tangible sense of purpose when working with an organized ministry.

I came home from work a few months ago, checked my mailbox, sat down with the quarterly publication from Young Life, and planned to sulk about days gone by. I stumbled upon an article about “Young Lives” – a new ministry of Young Life designed to reach a largely untouched population of people in America – teenage mothers! I was absolutely taken by the concept – as someone who loves high school folks, teaches younger children, and has always loved babies. The magazine mentioned an opportunity to serve:
“YoungLives, Young Life’s ministry to teen moms, is hosting camp this summer!
One hundred volunteers are needed to serve mothers and their babies as the “special forces” work crew. The crew will give young mothers a model of Jesus’ love by caring for their children so that they may enjoy the best week of their lives, [be kids again] and hear about the hope found in Christ.”

I shared this idea with a few close friends and my pastors, and within weeks, we organized a team of 13 women from our church who wanted to go also! The women who have responded have unique ties to this trip – some are former Young Life leaders like me, others are moms, some teenage girls, even a woman who adopted a child from a teenage mother. Our team will be loving both babies and teenage moms simply because we believe Jesus loves them and wants to give them hope
and a future – even in the midst of a culture that says all hope is lost. The other purpose of this trip is quite exciting –
to see how a ministry like this looks – and how we might be able to implement this in Richmond, Virginia!



If this speaks to your heart and excites you at all, I ask you to consider becoming involved in one or two ways. First, we all covet your prayers as we travel and take part in what we believe God has for us this summer. We depart from Richmond on July 8th and return July 15th. Second, we are raising funds as a team to cover airfare, food, and lodging. Any money that we raise above and beyond our costs will be donated to the mission of YoungLives nationally. Please prayerfully consider contributing toward this mission – in belief that these young women will be affected, and many more, even in Richmond, Virginia as a result of our time there, but more so, God’s desire to call them to Himself.

I also write to encourage you to look for opportunities to serve and be used in your spheres of influence, in your areas of passion, in the places God has gifted you. If you have questions or want to talk more about either the trip or what the Lord is doing in your life, please contact me.

“God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available for everyone! We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered Himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people He can be proud of, energetic in goodness.” – Titus 2:11-14

Snapshots of Summer - Phase I

It is horribly "glass-half-empty" of me, but I tend to think of the 4th of July weekend as the pivotal point of the summer. (Sigh). Maybe it's because I'm still working, albeit at central office with adults instead of at my school with kiddies, but I think I'm all-to-aware that the second half of the summer (post-July 4) absolutely flies.

So in an effort to keep me from being sad about what remains, I'm going to dwell on the great things I've already been able to enjoy with the 20 days off (that's very "glass-half-full" of me, isn't it?)

-I got to take a 4 day trip to Blacksburg to visit with my former Young Life kids, who are now lovely young ladies. On the return trip, I visited Rockbridge (the camp where I used to work), and had a great dinner with great company in Charlottesville.



-I explored Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, located less than 2 miles from my house, simply because I had the time and inclination. My new digital camera came in quite handy. Here are a few favorites.





- We celebrated summer solstice (theoretical longest day of the year) with the longest sub Subway will construct (those cool sandwich artists) - and watched "Hitch" on the side of a downtown apartment building once then sun finally went down.

- Father's Day. Nuff said. Love that guy.




- Boating on the James River with the Pritchard family (too scared to bring my camera. Have you seen the way Mr. Pritchard drives that thing?)

- Bridal shower for a high school friend of mine. I'll be reading Scripture in her August wedding.

- My best friend forever (BFF as the yearbooks would say) is Melanie (sigh - can't help but do that cause I just love the girl so much). Wish she lived here, but she's very good about visiting despite her crazy busy life. She works for the American Red Cross saving the world, AND she's planning a wedding for March, but again she found a time slot to come to my place. We drove to Franconia, took the Metro in to DC and met up with our college buddy Patty and her mom who drove down from Jersey. We spent the day in DC and took cover in Union Station when it started to pour seeing as how our cars were both 50 miles away. Despite being the only girl in the group to not be engaged (yeah Patty's getting hitched in October), I had an absolute blast. We pick up as if no time has passed, which is such a breath of fresh air.





- And Mom's 55th birthday yesterday.

See? I've got nothing to complain about! I just need to savor each day instead of looking at that dang emptying glass of summertime. :)

Boat Culture - you want in?

It was a glorious day boating on the James River with friends - just cloudy enough to mask the heat, but nice enough for the ultraviolet rays to effect the tan situation. Although, I sadly have a long way to go before I'd consider myself sunkissed.

My boat-owning friends who host my aquatic adventures (since I'm a bit of a landlubber) are opening my eyes to the wonders of boat culture - and dock ettiquette. Waving is completely normal as you cruise by, helping folks align their boats back on the trailers is also expected - not an extraordinary act of kindness as you would consider someone stopping to help with a broken down vehicle on the shoulder of a highway. Needless to say, the sociology geek in me witnessed all sorts of neat interactions.

I'm wondering if I want to be a part of this watersports culture.

My best friend and I paddled on the Rappahannock River on board open kayaks during our college years and LOVED the sunshine, exercise, and views. We brought friends along whenever possible, but for the most part, it was the two of us in our boats. One of the reasons why I settled on purchasing a Jeep after graduation (as opposed to a zippy little Honda or Toyota) was that I wanted to purchase a kayak for use on the James.

Here I sit two years later. No kayak yet, but the wheels are turning. Perhaps a tandem rig (2 passenger) so I have the capability of bringing another person along (the only safe way to enjoy water sports)? This solves the problem of having to purchase 2 boats and/or making friends who see the merits of kayaking to the point of investing the necessary funds and time?

So who will be keeping me company? First I guess I should say who's going to talk me into it?
:)