Leadership is hard

The first three weeks of camp have flown by. Ms. Guerrero is my homeowner who I have been so blessed to serve and be served in return by. She is a beautiful woman of God who is fiery, funny, sharp, and loves to put in her "two cents," as she always tells me. Not only have I been able to work on her house with our groups, but also really get to know her and form an incredible relationship with her. 

Carter, when tired of being on a hot roof, spent time
playing cards with Ms. Guerrero. So cool to see middle school students
take initiative to love her in more ways than just roofing. 

All the students on my teams have made such sweet connections with her. I tell each group that they are going to fall in love with her. Sure enough, they do. 

Our first week, we were able to put a new roof on Ms. Guerrero's home. She had many leaks into her house, which in turn, ruined much of her dry wall. Needless to say, the dry wall is now our newest project. My first group was a challenge to motivate some days, which truly was hard on me. I took it personally. Which looking back, is silly. I should not be leading these students for my own personal gain, but for the gain of advancing Christ in this world. The last work day of the week, San Antonio received a downpour of rain, such a surprise. You would think all work and motivation would completely cease, but instead, the group decided to work until 6:00! We got back to the building by 6:15, just enough time to shower and get to dinner by 6:30. The rain before we fixed the roof would have been the worst of all scenarios. However, with a new roof and a dry house, the rain was the biggest blessing we could have asked for. 

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

The second week, my group consisted of 7th grade girls, and our project was sheet rock. Of course I was concerned. Sheet rock is heavy, the wood in the house is old and extremely hard to drill into, maybe I can find another project to do this week. All my doubts and concerns were thrown out the window. Those girls are some of the hardest, most eager workers I have ever lead. Not only did they work with diligence and perseverance, but they worked from their desire to serve. They actually bought a bed and bedding for Ms. Guerrero which we were so thrilled to assemble this week for her!

St. Lukes United Methodist Church

 The weekend between week two and three, I flew up to Knoxville on Wednesday after the workday to lead at Ignite Summit, a program for incoming freshmen to help them learn how to get plugged in on campus, ask questions, ease nerves, make new friends, learn about values, diversity, and traditions, and really just become more excited about being a UT Volunteer! So that was a jam packed three days! 

I flew in from Knoxville just in time on Sunday to start work team meetings. If you can imagine, I was exhausted. Thankfully, my group this week was from Concordia Lutheran, a local church that I had the pleasure of working with last summer. The leaders and interns I view as some of my family here in San Antonio. After another hard week of work, our group accomplished so much. The group did everything from mudding/taping, to sanding, cutting and screwing in dry wall, pulling up linoleum, assembling a bed, putting in a new light fixture. Really these girls and Jeff (my partner for the week) were jacks-of-all-trades by the end of the week! They learned so much and were ready to learn, which is always such a blessing.

Concordia Lutheran

Although the past few weeks have been incredible, they have been hard. Not that I every thought it would be easy or that I would ever feel equipped, but it is tiring to juggle everything going on at the building, with the homeowner, at the worksite and continue leading in such a way that I can inspire a shared vision and empower others to lead and serve others. The desire to inspire a vision is one of my biggest challenges. I tend to be a "big picture" thinker in that I look down the road to what I want to accomplish. Sometimes it causes me to be too realistic, but other times it drives me to accomplish my dreams and my goals. I pray that my "big picture" thinking is one that transcends to those I am around, whether that be the work teams, the other interns, the staff, etc., so that we can all come together to create something greater than ourselves in the name of Jesus.

Yesterday DeeDee told me "Leadership is hard." Although it is a really simple phrase, it speaks so much truth. Despite the many leadership classes I have taken, nothing can truly prepare me for the situations that arise working with so many different individuals. No one can teach me what to say back to a middle school boy who says "No don't help me" or "No I don't want to do that." The amount of responses for every situation is endless and how to go about it eloquently and with authority is something that comes from having confidence in your leadership and what you stand for. So as I continue this summer I have to remember the lessons that I learned from last summer: I personally will never be equipped, that is something that comes from God, and that through confidence in my values and where my motivation lies, I can lead and be a vessel through which Christ is moving.

BPM Family 2013

Here we are: the Blueprint Ministries Summer 2013 Summer Staff.

Already beyond blessed to get to share my summer with these incredible people. Only one week with them so far and we have already become such a sweet family. 

Last summer we had 5 interns and this summer we have 8! Shelby, Abbi, Macey, Taylor, and Jeff have been added to the team and we could not be any more excited to have them on board this summer! Unfortunately, we miss Reed and Karen, but we are so excited for them and what God has in store for them this summer. Reed went to work for SOS (the organization Blueprint was inspired by) and Karen has a real graphic design internship! So proud of them two! At the end of last summer I wasn't sure if God would call me back to Blueprint for round two this summer, but here I am, and I am beyond blessed to be a part of Blueprint growing and reaching more people in the San Antonio!

Week one, we have run through all procedures, camp rules, schedules, etc. going over the areas of construction we will be doing, preparing the supplies, meeting homeowners, and delivering supplies. However, away from work, we have grown together learning more about each other through getting out and playing at a river ranch and hanging out watching the Spurs and making cookies. I could not think of better way to spend the week preparing for the summer. 

Tomorrow we get our first group of campers from Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston, Texas! We have 120 campers, 10 houses (6 roofing, 4 interior), and lots of work in store for us! I can't wait to see how good God is and how He provides.

Indescribable

Found this draft written from August 12. Thought I would post it because it is so meaningful to me.

I've been thinking about this blog post for a while: how to truly summarize the summer. I could describe each and every week, the groups, the homeowners, other staff, church leaders, etc, but that wouldn't be focusing on the big picture, the story of God and the will of God working in my lives. That would be giving the credit to the creation not the creator. Like Romans 1:25 says, "So they worshiped and served the things God created ins tea dog the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise!" So let me stray away from telling you about how amazing the people I met were, and tell you how amazing it was to see God move through them to reveal himself to me and others.

Let me start with the staff. Although the first day was that typical awkward "I don't know you yet" type of day, we really grew as a family over the summer. Not only did I make amazing friends, have awesome mentors, and pure entertainment, but I also was consumed by the love of God overflowing from each of them. Let me point out what I admire about each one of the people I worked with:
DeeDee-passion, heart for serving others, and ease to comfort others.
Dwight-unbelievable wit and humor.
Doug-patience, flexibility (not physically), and "can-do" attitude.
Sarah-enthusiasm and ability to relate to all ages.
Karen-confidence, composure, and attentiveness to detail.
Reed-heart for others, leader in Christ, and reliance on Christ as strength.
Bryan-ability to make any situation light hearted and ease in friendships.
Andrew-simple enjoyment in the small things and enthusiasm.

Now there is so much I learned this summer:
-Confidence is Key

"Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7)."

This verse embodies the Blueprint Staff, especially DeeDee. Before anything, pray. What a blessing it was for me to be around both fellow staff who relied and believed so greatly on prayer. Every week before the group came in and every night before worship we met and prayed as a team. I went from feeling awkward praying aloud to leading prayer for dinner, for our teams, for the staff, etc. Prayer has woven itself into my life as an essential tool before doing anything. Just like we used tools on the worksites to get our jobs done, we used prayer many times a day as a way to fuel us through out work. Overall, God revealed the power of praying without ceasing. 

Dennis and Allison Graduate

The Graduates--Allison graduated with a Nutrition major. She is now doing a year with the Fellow Program in Memphis. Dennis graduated with an Electrical Engineering major. He is now moving to Atlanta to work for the engineering firm Enercon Services.

And don't worry, Dennis still graduated first. Although they graduated the same day, Dennis was a few hours before Allison.

Proud parents. Such great support systems for Allison and Dennis throughout their college experience. Definitely their two biggest cheerleaders!

 

Proud siblings and Volunteers for Life.

Love any chance to have the whole family together!

Sad that Allison and Dennis are leaving Knoxville, therefore, leaving me. But so excited and proud of them. They are both incredible and worked so hard throughout their years at UT! Can't wait to continue the rest of my college experience hoping to learn and do as much as these two did. 

Nita Hiatt: a true blessing to all.

You know those people that everyone loves? That people gravitate towards? That always know the right thing to say? That always smile no matter what? That persevere no matter what?

Growing up, I was so blessed to have one of these people in my life. Her name is Nita Hiatt, also known by Nanny or Nana to everyone. Not having grandparents within 10 hours never seemed to really phase me because I knew I had a grandmother in my life whether or not through blood. Nana is my best friend's, Lindsey, grandma. I borrowed her though. =)

Each week at church, I had to go find Nana to give her a hug. Walking up each week she would always tell me "You better come hug me." How could I not? To be able to love on a woman so incredible and so full of purpose to love others is such a high light in my life. She showed me how to genuinely care and be excited for life. One of my favorite things to watch her do was to love her family. I have never seen anyone love every member of their family so equally and so fully. She would do anything for her family. Every basketball game Lindsey and I ever played, there Nana was, on the bleachers cheering us on. After the game, while telling us "good game," we were also coached in what we could do better. Such a spit fire. Her sweetness was out of this world, but paired with a tough love that was so admirable.

For almost as long as I can remember, Nana was battling cancer. In the fourth grade, I remember Lindsey's mom giving me a Livestrong bracelet in honor of Nana. Little did I know what this stretchy yellow bracelet meant. Little did I know that it truly described Nana to the fullest. She lived strong, lived brave, and lived in love. She was a fighter. Her inner strength seemed to overflow and help her overcome any illness she faced. There will never be enough words to truly describe her, because she is indescribable. People like her don't come around often.

I hope someday to be able to fight like Nana. Fight to love. Fight to live to the fullest. Fight to be an example of Christ in the world no matter what.

Now, God has the best angel, and we have the best guardian angel. Her attitude towards life and how she treated people will always be an example of how we are called to live. A true inspiration and a true blessing. Thank God for Nita Hiatt. May we always remember her spirit, her hugs, and her love.

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you'
The Lord light up His countenance upon you,
and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26

Amen.

Here we go 2013.

2013. Already made it through February, but decided I wanted to get started with my blog again.

19 credit hours of class, Sport Nutrition Internship, Bible study, CRU Core, CRU weekly meetings/events, Publicity team, intramural sports, as well as trying to study, work out, read, and sleep. Needless to say I have stayed very busy. However, it is a good busy. Yeah, many days I think "Why did I do this to myself!?" Over scheduling, overworking, over booking, it's just the way I seem to always do things. Although not always the best to be continually on the go, it does help me encounter so many people on campus.

I am reading a book by Jen Hatmaker called 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess. In her book, she addresses 7 areas of her own life, which is probably common to most people as well, in which she experiences excess: Food. Clothes. Spending. Media. Possessions. Waste. Stress. She writes this as a blog as she sifts through one of the subjects for a month by evaluating her dependency and focus on it as she sets rules for herself regarding the tenant. For example, for the month pertaining to Possessions, she donated something in her house for day 1. For day 2, she donated 2 things, day 3, 3 things, and so on. By the end of the month, she still was finding items she didn't use and could donate to others. Such a powerful book, seeing her take active, faithful steps in order to live a simpler life. Jesus was a man of simplicity. He didn't need all the bells and whistles, or any of the distractions that we have in our lives.

As humans we are pulled in so many ways. Although the various ways we are pulled may not be directly bad, but they may not help us to produce fruit. If we are so focused on all the menial aspects of our life, how do we have time to focus on our true calling in life: to share the gospel, do all things for the greater glory of God, to go and make disciples.

Matthew 21:43 says "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit."

Now that is a convicting Bible verse. The kingdom of God will be taken away from you. Producing fruit for Christ isn't done by what shirt I chose to wear, how many hours I am taking, which restaurant I decide to go to, etc. It is done by reaching out to others, engaging in their lives, loving other people, speaking truth, being kind, making decisions not based on worldly views but on the view of advancing the kingdom of God in the world.

This semester in CRU, we are changing things. Instead of waiting for people to come to us and praying that others on campus come to Christ, we are going to them. We are showing people what it looks like to live like Christ did. Christ didn't hang out with the "good people." He didn't stay inside his own bubble of disciples and wait for the sick, the broken, the poor, the hopeless. He went. He sought out people. He was intentional. As followers of Christ, aren't we supposed to actually follow what he did?  I believe so.

So, my goal for this semester is not going to be focused on how I can be involved in everything I can, but it will be on spending time getting to know people, so that, if, God-willing, the door opens for me to share how He has moved in my life, I can share it more effectively, and be ready to share. True, that is not to say it will be easy, but I will be better able to recognize it. By no means do I say I will not work hard in classes, because I feel that being passionate about what I am called to do is another area to show Christ in my life.Through my busyness, I will learn how to be intentional with my words and actions, so that my busy schedule and my calling to show Christ to others work hand in hand, not on parallel tracks.

Disciples of Jesus are known by the fruit they bear.

John 15:16-17 "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other."

A friend loves at all times.

I have a blog tying up my summer in the process of being written, but I am still deciding exactly how I can sum everything up. So, I am moving on for now with my blog posts.

Last year (freshman year of college), I always felt like I was really struggling with making girl friends. No, I didn't  rush because I didn't feel that was the way I wanted to make friends. Nothing against sororities or anything, they just weren't made for me. Anyways, as the year went on I kept adding close guy friends but still really hurting in the girl department. By Christmas break, I realized that those friends that everyone says you'll meet in college and be best friends with for the rest of your life still hadn't fallen into my life...and that was hard. Yes, I had plenty of friends, but no group yet that I felt really hit a core piece of me. Therefore, I considered spring rush..I didn't follow through with that consideration. So, I considered doing rush fall of my sophomore year. As the year went on, I realized that still wasn't in my plans, but I still wasn't feeling a huge connection yet. By the end of the year, I can easily say my number of close guy friends doubled my number of close girl friends.

Now, here we are sophomore year. The first week of school was recruitment for the girls going through rush. Although I didn't go through official rush, I feel like I went though my own rush. This week I genuinely feel like I have found those girls who share those same core values, interests, humor, compassion, etc. Not saying we are all identical, but we share a common bond that I feel is essential for maintaining relationships. It is funny how God works. He had them all in front of my face last year, but nothing had clicked to make me realize that these were the girls who He would put it my life. Maybe He did that for a reason though. I had a year of really searching for those certain friends and truly desiring that bond. Now, all the sudden they seem to have been presented on a silver platter. I am so grateful for such amazing Christian women in my life and I can't wait to continue growing with them.

Funny thing is, my sister told me that these girls were like me and she saw them as people I would be close with. Sure enough, Allison is right.

The one thing I hope to gain this year is a woman mentor. How I am going to find a woman to mentor me in my life remains a mystery. This is one of my biggest prayers of the year: to find a woman of God to disciple me and teach me how to live as a woman of God as well. True, I have Allison and my mom as amazing examples of what this looks like, but I feel that it is entirely different when you look at someone outside of your family. Although I feel impatient, I have to remember that if God wants me to have a mentor, He will provide one, just like he graciously provided me a beautiful group of girls.

God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:9