caroling in january

well, we're back from the break and it's been really good to all be together again. it's amazing how close you can get to 13 other people and miss being with each other all the time. we're also realizing how much we still have to learn about each other... we still have a long way to grow in areas of truly loving and trusting. we're all good at doing things on our own and not allowing ourselves to be vulnerable enough to need help. i'm definitely at the top of that list.

it's neat to see little moments when priorities line up. one night we were all finishing up papers that were due the next day. so much of me wanted to kick into task mode and not leave time for the people around me. it took a quick self-check to realize that the paper would still get done well even if i took the chance to play with my girls. we set out on a mission to bless the guys.

thanks to jane and her endless supply of winter accessories we had fun bundling up. with hot chocolate and pop corn in hand we set off to the house next door singing "we wish you a happy paper."

the little break was worth it. it's so good for me to remember that the work i do is not for the approval of my teachers, but for my benefit that ultimately equips me to have a positive impact on the kingdom of God. how privileged am i to have these opportunities!

Home for the Holidays

Time with family is precious. Thanksgiving was the last time we got to spend together in the house that I grew up in. After living in one place for 19 years it was good to have one final holiday together. Christmas came and it was really fun to be welcomed by a beautiful new (old) home. It does seem like home despite all of the boxes, but it’s a fun new chapter and I’m glad to see that it’s a good fit for my parents. The whole break is relatively long, but I’m excited to have the time to catch up on many different things both at home and in Tyler.

Quality Time

Classes, speakers, projects, papers, reading… we do a lot. We do a whole lot. In all of that, we are learning more than I realize. I have learned to cherish the down time where we just get to be with each other. It’s really sweet to simply appreciate life over a cup of coffee and process all that the Lord is doing.

Happy Thankmas!

Annual Pine Cove Thanksgiving/Christmas party: come wearing the tackiest holiday attire you can find. I think Matt’s woman’s sweater represents quite well. I'm one lucky girl. This is just one of the many wonderfully ridiculous things that happen regularly around here. Although the Forgies are not actually employed here at Pine Cove, the staff welcome us and allow us to enjoy their community. Life is good… and perhaps it’s even better when wearing Grandma’s sweaters.

Covenant

A forge is an environment that helps facilitate change. The specific desired result in my current forging environment is to develop leaders for a lifetime of ministry. As a group we get to help shape our experience so we may grow as much as possible. One of the ways we are able to enhance or time here is by creating a covenant together. Our covenant is the set of ground rules that we mutually decide to live by. We are asked to define how we will relate as a group to a number of different things like media, curfews, etc. We agree upon our own freedoms and restrictions for the eight months we are in this program so we can learn and grow as much as possible.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:1-2)

Understanding the gravity of a commitment we have the opportunity to ratify our covenant. We each took time to confess the parts of our lives that make it hard for us to wholly commit to this program and this community. Our ratification resembled the commitment made between Abraham and God in Genesis 15. We then had communion, recognizing that any covenant we could make pales in comparison to the New Covenant from God in Jesus Christ. We need the perfect sacrifice of Christ to allow us to live in community with our God.

Conferences

What a joy! As part of the program we get to work weekend conferences for the camp. This allows them to have extra help while also giving us opportunities to put into practice all that we are learning. Conferences are like a mini version of camp- condensed into a weekend. Some weekends are for parent-kid combinations (father-son, mother-daughter…). There are also kids’ conferences that are structured very similarly to summer camp. Children’s groups bring kids and their own leaders serve as counselors. We help in whatever way is needed. This last semester I cleaned, served food, lifeguarded, ran the ropes course, and helped with the skits. Sorry, but I have no pictures of the skits. ☺ Although the ministry that we get to be involved with is specific to camps, we are learning so much more than camp skills. We have the privilege of developing relationships with staff and guests while focused intently on loving them purposefully. Ministry doesn’t stop when things are busy, so during these conferences we are quite busy. We work hard, and are training ourselves to find opportunities to minister in the middle of it all. One day I probably won’t be in a ministry atmosphere but will still have ministry as my priority in the secular world. Understanding how to manage relationships and tasks all at the same time is a wonderful responsibility and privilege.
Each Forgie is assigned a camp to work at for each semester (there was actually a big draft where they picked us… but that’s a whole other story). It’s really fun b/c I was able to work at Towers where I have been on summer staff since 2003. The picture here is with some girls that I have been able to keep up with for years. They are returning campers for conferences and during the summer. I’ve been at this particular conference for the last 5 years and every time they have come. It’s been really fun to see how consistency from ministry can really impact a person’s life. That’s why I’m here- to see how beautiful it is and continue on with that kind of impact for the rest of my life.